Mantou's Plea for Help

On a jutting rock on Fengxiang Peak, Tang Ling'er sat at the edge, swinging her pale, tender calves back and forth.

She gulped down a mouthful of liquor, then sighed.

Turning to Mantou, who was beside her gnawing on a "radish," she smiled. "You've got it good, eating Hundred-Year Ginseng. That's a treasure I snatched from Grandpa when I came down the mountain, and you're treating it like a snack."

"Squeak, squeak!" The Snow Fox Rabbit seemed to understand her and squeaked twice in protest.

She gulped down another mouthful of liquor and looked up at the moon. "He hasn't come all this time. He must have gone to keep that girl company, right?"

"Heh." She gave a bitter laugh. "I'm not even anyone special to him. Why does my heart hurt so much?"

"I kind of miss Grandpa." A tear slid from the corner of her eye. She tipped her head back, letting the liquor pour freely into her mouth. "Gulp... gulp..."

"I never understood why Grandpa carried his wine gourd around every day when liquor tasted so awful. Drunk in the morning, drunk at night." She shook the empty bottle, then casually tossed it off the cliff. "Now I understand. There are so many things more bitter than liquor."

Then the world began to spin. Her body slumped to the ground, and soon she began mumbling in her sleep. "Li Yichen... you... don't go..." Tears kept slipping from the corners of her eyes.

A mountain wind swept past. Tang Ling'er hugged her shoulders and curled up her legs.

Just then, the Deerskin Pouch at her waist popped open.

Mantou rolled a scroll out of it. The rabbit stared at it curiously, went over to sniff it, then bit off a piece and chewed.

"Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo!" Mantou immediately