At noon that day, Xing Yan was weaving among the tables and chairs of the Rice Fragrance Tavern when, above the tavern's noisy bustle, he suddenly heard a cool, clear girl's voice, like a crystalline drop of morning dew shattering on blue stone in the many-colored dawn.
"What a lovely voice that girl has!"
The boy, who prided himself on having seen and heard a great deal, froze for a moment. Amid his hectic work, he quickly pricked up his ears, searching for that beautiful voice.
"A breeze from next door leaves you three parts drunk~ Unseal a jar of wine, and its fragrance carries ten miles! Uncle Cheng, who would have thought this tavern had such refined tastes?"
Her accent was clearly not local. It sounded rather like the official speech used by merchants from the north. While he was trying to place it, he heard an elderly voice say with a chuckle:
"Indeed, that couplet is quite amusing. Well then, we've traveled so long. Let's rest here."
The old man was presumably the Uncle Cheng the girl had mentioned. As soon as he finished speaking, a rough, booming voice called out:
"Waiter! Unhitch our horses and lead them away. Give them plenty of good water and fodder!"
That gruff fellow was probably the girl and Uncle Cheng's coachman.
"Leave it to us! Please come upstairs to a private table!~~"
Xiao Hu's call from downstairs was certainly professional, and wonderfully drawn out.
For some reason, Xing Yan's hearing had grown increasingly keen lately. Although the ground floor was so far away, and the elderly voice had not been particularly loud, by deliberately quieting his mind and concentrating, he had distinguished every syllable and inflection of that conversation amid the tavern's uproar.
Thanks to his sharp hearing, Xing Yan knew the sweet-voiced girl was coming upstairs. Excitement stirred in him, and he hurriedly used serving dishes as an excuse to edge toward the stairway several times. After all, it was seldom that anyone new and remarkable appeared in this little city of Raozhou.
Under the boy's expectant gaze, the girl and her Uncle Cheng finally came upstairs after what felt like an eternity of waiting, and seated themselves at a private table beside a window. The coachman did not follow them up. Presumably, his lowly station meant he would make do with a meal in the hall downstairs.
Once the two were seated, Xing Yan hurried over to greet them and expertly asked what they would like to order. Naturally, he also stole a few glances at the girl. Those glances left him somewhat disappointed-lovely as her voice was, her looks were merely ordinary. Only her eyes, clear to their very depths and brimming with lively intelligence, brought life to her whole face.
The girl looked about fourteen or fifteen, just approaching the age of the hairpin ceremony. Her skirt and blouse were loose, so he could not make out her figure at a glance. Indeed, what would it have mattered if he could? How could a boy so green truly appreciate the loveliness of a woman's figure? For now, Xing Yan only vaguely felt that the girl before him radiated an indescribable air of youth.
Looking again at the older man, he found that although his voice sounded rather aged, his face was not covered in wrinkles as he had imagined. The man evidently knew how to preserve his health, for he looked positively hale and radiant.
Having examined them both, Xing Yan began judging them inwardly:
Hmm, this girl is only a tiny bit prettier than Xiao Mei. But this Uncle Cheng looks a good deal more sprightly than old Qinghe... ha!
Though his thoughts wandered, his hands never neglected their work. Xing Yan promptly and deftly recommended several specialties of the Rice Fragrance House to the two visitors.
"Ahem, young fellow-"
Just as the girl was eagerly preparing to tackle a freshly served plate of steaming braised pig's trotters, Uncle Cheng spoke to him. Only after several more coughs did he bring the boy, who had been staring absently at the girl's endearing manner, back to reality.
"What can I do for you, sir?"
Xing Yan answered hastily. Seeing that he had recovered his wits, Uncle Cheng asked amiably:
"Well, young fellow, do you know of any famous sights or historic places nearby? Particularly celebrated mountains or scenic spots. My young lady would like to explore the area around Raozhou."
"Ha! You've certainly asked the right person, sir!"
The old man's question immediately fired the boy up:
"I, Zhang Xingyan, wouldn't boast about anything else, but when it comes to the sights of Raozhou City, nobody knows them better than me!"
And so the old man and the girl listened, dumbstruck, as the boy launched into a lengthy discourse:
This tavern waiter poured out an endless account of every sight in Raozhou City that had the slightest claim to interest, leaving no obscure nook or cranny unmentioned. Yet his account remained clearly ordered, with a thread running through it all.
It seemed Xing Yan truly deserved his place as Old Scholar Ji's prized pupil. All those years of arduous training had finally found their use! Indeed:
A sudden torrent of wild words startled every guest; two bright pools of eyes turned toward him at once!
"Xing Yan!!!"
Just as Uncle Cheng was about to interrupt the boy's flowing oration, a thunderous shout suddenly crashed out behind him. To the astonishment of both old and young, the boy instantly fell silent, clapped his hands over his head, and scurried away like a rat, vanishing before their eyes...
"Please don't just listen to that lad's nonsense. He never takes anything seriously! Look, your food is getting cold. Do enjoy it first, and order more if it isn't enough!"
"Heh heh, our humble establishment hasn't any other particular distinction-the food is just particularly delicious! The portions are particularly generous! And the prices aren't particularly high! Hahaha!"
Perhaps tipped off by the stout bookkeeper, Manager Liu, with his mouth full of "particularly," had appeared like a heavenly warrior descending from the skies, just in time to chase away the young waiter who was obstructing the guests' potential spending.
"Well, sorry for the trouble, manager, but please call that young fellow back. I was asking him about something important."
In contrast to Manager Liu's extravagant words, Uncle Cheng remained perfectly calm and measured.
"Er!"
This time, Manager Liu was left at a loss. After all, the customer's wishes came first. With no alternative, he slunk back and called Xing Yan over again. When no one was watching, however, he quietly threatened the boy, telling him to serve the guests carefully and do as little as possible to discourage them from ordering more. Then, thoroughly embarrassed, Manager Liu disappeared behind the counter to await the next unexpected crisis.
Having learned from that earlier experience, Uncle Cheng now asked the boy directly whether there were any mountains near Raozhou City worth visiting.
At Uncle Cheng's question, the boy, unwilling to disgrace the people of Raozhou, scratched his head for a good while. After raking his guts and scraping his belly for an answer, he could only tell the old man helplessly:
"Please don't laugh at us, sir. Raozhou City has plenty of famous sights, but there really aren't any celebrated mountains outside the city worth seeing."
"There are quite a few hills in Poyang County, not far from Raozhou City. But in my opinion, they're nothing special either. Any that are worth a look are a long way from Raozhou. As for somewhere close to the city-er, my family does own an ancestral stretch of mountain land. It covers a large area, but the hill is low. It's really just a wild little hill."
"Oh!~ Your family owns a mountain?!"
At Xing Yan's words, the girl immediately abandoned the plate of pig's trotters before her and questioned him with great interest:
"What's your mountain called? Doesn't it have a name yet? If not, I'll give it one!"
"Heh~"
Seeing her enthusiasm, the boy answered with a friendly smile:
"Everyone calls our hill Horseshoe Mountain. The old folk nearby say that long ago, the Jade Emperor's heavenly horse descended to earth. As it rolled about, it scooped out Poyang Lake, and before flying back to heaven, it stamped down a hoofprint. Our Horseshoe Mountain is right in the middle of that hoofprint."
At the words "Horseshoe Mountain," Uncle Cheng's and the girl's eyes lit up together:
"What an interesting story! Could you take me there for a look?"
The girl, still inexperienced in the ways of the world, had happened to be wondering how to spend the afternoon.
"Yes, I'll go along with my young lady. Here, young fellow, if you're willing to make the trip, this silver ingot is yours!"
That came from Uncle Cheng, who had seemed so steady and dignified all along. But the clever boy could tell that Uncle Cheng was not taking all this trouble merely because the girl was interested. Clearly, his own curiosity had been stirred as well.
I really don't understand! What's there to see on that desolate hill? These two outsiders certainly have peculiar interests. Could my little folk tale really have moved them? Still, that silver ingot isn't light. It's worth a month or two of my wages...
Huh? Hold on! Why is this old man being so generous? Could the silver be fake?
As the boy fretted over gains and losses and let his thoughts run wild, he suddenly sensed two bright, gleaming eyes fixed on him. It was the girl. Seeing him sharp and capable one moment, then dull and muddleheaded the next, she found him wonderfully amusing and was staring straight at him.
For some reason, the boy suddenly felt terribly embarrassed. That thick skin of his, tempered countless times in encounters with the old Daoist Qinghe, actually flushed faintly for the first time!
After Uncle Cheng and the girl finished their meal, they did not immediately follow Xing Yan to Horseshoe Mountain. They had not lost interest or changed their minds; rather, the girl had suddenly decided she wanted to wander around the city first and experience Raozhou's local customs. Uncle Cheng offered little objection, and their guide, Zhang Xingyan, had none either. It was hardly the first time he had missed afternoon lessons. Whether they visited Horseshoe Mountain or wandered through Raozhou City made no essential difference.
And so, with Xing Yan as their guide, Uncle Cheng and the girl began strolling through Raozhou City.
As mentioned earlier, Raozhou was not a large city. Its layout differed little from that of other cities under heaven: willow-lined streets and vendors calling their wares through the neighborhoods, with nothing particularly unusual.
In those days, the fashion for compiling a city's ten scenic sights had not yet arisen. Still, Zhang Xingyan had studied poetry and the classics under Master Ji. Although earning a living forced him to "fish for three days and dry his nets for two," often leaving him to mingle in the streets and shops, he had always been quick-witted. His understanding of what he had learned was far clearer and deeper than that of his wealthy, pampered classmates.
Thus, ordinary though Raozhou's streets might be, the boy often used them as a springboard for invention. He bestowed elegant names on simple scenes, such as "Buddhist Bells of the Ancient Temple," "Autumn River Splendor," "Homes Beside Flowing Water," "Emerald Encircling the City," and "Little City ***." Adding curious tales and anecdotes heard from the Rice Fragrance House's patrons of every walk of life, he could always describe an otherwise unremarkable sight with effortless eloquence, citing the classics and recounting details as familiarly as treasured possessions. These entertaining accounts, part fact and part fancy, captivated the young girl, while even the weathered Uncle Cheng frequently nodded in approval.
After spending most of the afternoon sightseeing, the three had grown fairly familiar with one another. The two young people, in particular, were far more relaxed and at ease together than they had been at first.
Xing Yan had learned that the older man was indeed called Uncle Cheng. As for the girl's name, although relations between ordinary men and women were not as constrained then as they would become in later generations, women still did not readily reveal their names to strange men. The boy therefore often found himself at a loss as to how to address her. At last, unable to bear it any longer, he asked Uncle Cheng her name.
Unexpectedly, the girl, who had taken a liking to Xing Yan, heard his question and volunteered her name with a touch of shyness:
"My name is Ju Ying~"
"My name is Zhang..."
Just as Xing Yan was about to tell her his own name, Ju Ying said with a faint smile:
"You're Xing Yan! Your employer has such a fierce voice that he shouted your name loud enough for the whole street to hear! Hee~"
Leaving aside the young pair's laughter and banter, when they passed Li's General Store, Xing Yan's boyish nature got the better of him, and praise for Li Xiaomei inevitably slipped into his conversation. Ju Ying could not resist teasing him for never having seen a truly beautiful woman.
Hearing the idol of his heart belittled, and even his taste questioned, the boy grew embarrassed and angry. Petulantly, he said:
"Ju Ying, Xiao Mei might not be as pretty as some women elsewhere, but in Raozhou City, I'd say she's one of the very prettiest!"
Now, determined to win, he had promoted Xiao Mei from the greatest beauty within two streets to one of the greatest beauties in the whole city.
To his surprise, Ju Ying asked with keen interest:
"Then, Xing Yan, what beautiful women elsewhere do you know of?"
"Well..."
The boy's blustering confidence caught in his throat. After all, the farthest he had ever traveled was Poyang County, southeast of Raozhou.
Watching the two young people bicker, Uncle Cheng did not interrupt. He simply maintained his faint smile.
After standing dumbfounded for a moment, Xing Yan's quick wits, honed by his work in the tavern, came to his rescue. Looking at Ju Ying's smiling face, he considered briefly, formed a plan, and said:
"Hmm, beautiful women elsewhere? Of course I know of them. First and foremost is Princess Qingcheng, our emperor's youngest daughter. The Rice Fragrance House's patrons all talk about her beauty! They've seen and heard a great deal, so if they praise her as the most beautiful woman under heaven, there must be something to it."
The clever boy first put forward a beauty universally acknowledged as the finest under heaven, securing an unassailable position. Then he began his counterattack:
"Of course, everyone knows Princess Qingcheng is beautiful. So I'll give you an example right at hand."
Here, Xing Yan deliberately paused.
"Hmm? An example right at hand? Where?"
Sure enough, the girl took the bait.
"You, of course! Hee~"
He was just preparing to see what exaggerated reaction Ju Ying would give, but unexpectedly, she merely smiled shyly and said nothing more.
Time passed swiftly. Although Raozhou City was not large, by the time they had made their circuit, the sun had begun sinking westward without their noticing. After finishing the sorrowful, moving story of a widow and the well in Willow Bamboo Lane, Xing Yan joined the two of them in the carriage and set off for Horseshoe Mountain.
In the carriage, a chance glance revealed a faint glimmer of tears still caught on Ju Ying's lashes. Presumably, the innocent girl remained immersed in the poignant story Xing Yan had just told.
Girls really are sentimental!
The boy decided that the next time he told stories to young girls, he would change all the endings to happy reunions.
Thanks to Ju Ying and her companions, this otherwise ordinary journey gave young Xing Yan several firsts in his life:
His first ride in a carriage;
His first trip home without having to walk on his own two legs;
His first... the very first time in his life he had touched a girl's body!
That first happened when the carriage turned a corner. Carried by its motion, the girl tipped slightly toward him, and her arm brushed his elbow. Though it lasted only an instant, that light touch left the normally bold boy's ears burning and his heart pounding all the way!
By the time they reached Horseshoe Mountain, the evening sun was slanting low in the west. The glow of the western clouds shone obliquely across Horseshoe Mountain, dressing that unremarkable little hill like a sculpture of red jade shimmering with light. Even the lush grass and trees upon it seemed dusted with vermilion.
Perhaps because Xing Yan had offered so little praise for Horseshoe Mountain earlier, Ju Ying found the hill in the sunset quite lovely. Unconsciously adopting the boy's style of guiding them that afternoon, she blurted out in admiration:
"How beautiful-Horseshoe Mountain at Sunset~"
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