"Say, young fellow."
The voice carried over from afar.
Yi Shuyuan, who had already walked some distance, paused in surprise and looked back. At some point, the woodcutter had changed course too and was now heading toward him.
Surprised though he was, Yi Shuyuan still nodded.
"Did you need something, my friend?"
The woodcutter approached with the firewood on his back, supporting the load with one hand and wiping away sweat with the other.
"Cutting wood has left me a bit thirsty, and I forgot to bring a container. I saw you had a bamboo flask just now. Have you any water left?"
Understanding dawned on Yi Shuyuan, and he smiled. He stayed where he was until the woodcutter reached him, then unfastened the bamboo flask from his waist and handed it over.
"There is. Go ahead and drink."
Delight appeared on the woodcutter's face. He took the bamboo flask and drank deeply, only returning it to Yi Shuyuan after draining every last drop.
Yi Shuyuan shook the flask. It was completely empty. He could only smile helplessly, but said nothing.
"I was so thirsty just now that I drank a little too eagerly."
"It's only a flask of water. Nothing worth mentioning."
Yi Shuyuan put the bamboo flask away and was about to leave when the woodcutter joined him.
"Where are you headed, young fellow?" "South Hill Ridge."
"Oh, that's on my way. Let's walk together for a while."
Yi Shuyuan felt very relaxed now. Perhaps his state of mind had changed, or perhaps the man beside him simply gave him a sense of easy, natural warmth. Either way, although this was their first meeting, they got along quite well as they walked and chatted.
"You're quite a free spirit, young fellow. What brings you up the mountain so early in the morning?"
"The scenery is beautiful, and my parents are here beside me. It's a good place to find some quiet and peace for a while."
As Yi Shuyuan answered, he naturally reached out to lift a small branch blocking the path, letting the woodcutter pass first. It was not the first time he had done so.
The woodcutter followed, gripping the ropes around his firewood with both hands, a faint smile on his face.
"If anyone else said they'd come seeking peace and quiet, I wouldn't believe them. But you're rather interesting."
Hearing this, Yi Shuyuan could be sure the woodcutter was not from West River Village, or he could not possibly have failed to recognize him. Just moments earlier, he had been wondering what to call the man, since everyone in a village had some tie of kinship or acquaintance, and Yi Shuyuan's own seniority was quite high. Now there was no need to dwell on it, so he remarked casually.
"Looks like you're only making a token effort at gathering firewood yourself, my friend."
The woodcutter turned to look at the load behind him. The young fellow was teasing him for gathering so little wood.
"Hahaha! In early spring, the trees in the mountains are growing. Those who gather firewood here often don't cut them down at random. Picking up dry branches is enough. All things wither and flourish according to their own principles. Only by following those principles can their abundance flow on like a river from a distant source!"
"Thank you for the lesson. My knowledge was rather shallow."
Yi Shuyuan had not given it much thought earlier, but now that he heard the explanation, he understood the reasoning. Along with feeling slightly embarrassed, he began to think this woodcutter was no ordinary man.
The birds in the woods still chirped merrily, yet their chatter was not irritating at all. Their lively calls followed the two men as though they wanted to join the conversation.
Soon they reached South Hill Ridge, where the two burial mounds were visible from afar.
Yi Shuyuan slowed his steps here, while the woodcutter set down his firewood and sat on a rock to rest.
Watching Yi Shuyuan carefully pull up the grass around the graves, the woodcutter eventually asked a question.
"Who is buried here?"
"My parents. In my early years, I lost my mind and wandered far from home, not returning for many years. By the time I regained my senses and came back, both my father and mother had passed away."
The woodcutter nodded, lifted his carrying frame, and hoisted it onto his back. Apparently rested enough and ready to leave, he glanced back at Yi Shuyuan before departing.
"When I have time and pass this way, I'll look after them for you too. But young fellow, with your temperament, if you enter officialdom someday, it will inevitably stain that natural spirit of yours. I'm afraid things won't sit very well with you!"
Yi Shuyuan was faintly startled and raised his head to look toward the woodcutter. His perceptions were still quite keen. The other remarks were one thing, but was this something an ordinary woodcutter would say?
"I have no intention of seeking scholarly honors anyway."
At Yi Shuyuan's answer, the woodcutter smiled and shook his head. He gave him a look but said nothing more, then walked away with his firewood on his back, singing a mountain song.
"Felling trees, oh~~ gathering wood~ living out my days~~~~ a pot of cloudy wine~~ three measures of rice~~~"
The lingering song echoed through the mountains for a long time.
Yi Shuyuan slowly stood up and watched the woodcutter recede into the distance. He lowered his gaze to the bamboo flask at his waist, a slight thrill stirring in his heart as his imagination took flight.
Despite the suspicions in his heart, Yi Shuyuan ultimately did not stop the woodcutter, much less ask him anything. In a situation like this, it was better to let things follow their natural course. At worst, he could visit Broad South Mountain more often in the future. He should be able to encounter the man again.
Could that woodcutter be a mountain god? Or some martial arts master? Perhaps a recluse? Or was he simply a woodcutter with a little wisdom about life?
Yi Shuyuan walked through the mountains, wavering a little between hope and apprehension. Soon, the sound of flowing water reached his ears.
The woodcutter had drunk all the water in his bamboo flask. Naturally, Yi Shuyuan did not head straight home when he grew thirsty, but went to a mountain stream or spring to refill it and drink.
Although several decades of his life in this world were blank, some childhood memories remained, whether vivid or hazy. Yi Shuyuan still knew the locations of a few mountain streams.
Sure enough, after only a few steps, a winding ribbon of water came into view.
The weather was still rather cold, but the ice had already melted. Yi Shuyuan approached briskly and found the stream crystal clear, the sounds of its gentle flow dancing among the rocks.
Yi Shuyuan rolled up his sleeves and crouched down. He first washed his hands in the stream, then held the bamboo flask beneath the flowing water until it was half full. Tilting his head back, he drank in great gulps.
"Ah~"
After the stream water slid down his throat, Yi Shuyuan let out a breath, lowered the bamboo flask, and wiped the water from the corners of his mouth.
The stream was fed entirely by mountain springs. Though icy cold, its clear, refreshing water held a hint of sweetness.
Yi Shuyuan bent down again and dipped the bamboo flask into the water. As he filled it, his gaze wandered up and down the clear stream. Seeing the many rocks of different shapes in the water, he felt a small spark of inspiration.
The old inkstone passed down in his family had long since cracked, and could barely be used unless propped up at an angle. The county office would probably provide the Four Treasures of the Study, but how could someone who earned his living with brush and ink not have an inkstone of his own?
Finding a suitable mountain stone to use as an inkstone would be rather fun!
With that thought, Yi Shuyuan set the bamboo flask aside, pulled his rolled sleeves a little higher, then began shuffling along in a crouch, searching through the stream.
There were plenty of smooth stones. Yi Shuyuan wanted one with a hollow, preferably a fairly large one, and a pleasing shape as well.
He had yet to find a suitable stone, but had disturbed quite a few eight-legged generals living beneath them. Yi Shuyuan enjoyed himself and stood on no ceremony. He simply fetched the bamboo flask, poured out half the water, and, smiling, caught all the suitably sized crabs and put them inside.
In that brief span of time, Yi Shuyuan's agitation and gloom had vanished without a trace.
By the time Yi Shuyuan's legs ached from crouching and the bamboo flask could hold no more crabs, he finally discovered a suitable stone just over twenty meters from where he had first drunk the water.
It was a pale yellow mountain stone, shaped like a slightly irregular oval, lying directly beneath a slender stream of spring water. The water struck its hollow and splashed upward, casting a faint rainbow in the sunlight that slanted through the woods.
One glance was enough for Yi Shuyuan to settle on that stone.
"You're the one!"
Yi Shuyuan said it with a hearty laugh, then went over and picked up the yellow stone. At that very moment, a little pale yellow fish resembling a loach darted out from beneath it in a panic.
"Hahahaha, sorry about that!"
After that playful apology, Yi Shuyuan took the stone and bamboo flask, stretched his aching legs, and headed back, thoroughly satisfied.
Before you continue