For the next half hour, everyone drank, made merry, and talked freely. Fifth got the most carried away. Usually a man of few words, he talked more than anyone that night, mostly about the past. Rather than the murders and arson they had expected, his stories were all ordinary little things: the day Second got stung by a scorpion, or the time Third and Fourth secretly fetched a jar of fine wine from the cellar behind his and Second's backs. When he caught them, they immediately pulled him into the room to drink with them, nervously telling him to keep quiet.
As they listened, Third and Fourth smiled, though a trace of unease still flickered in their eyes. Bright and Second simply laughed, taking none of these trifles to heart.
A little while later, the dishes on the stone table had been swept clean, and everyone had drunk their fill. They swayed as they stood. It had been a long time since they had enjoyed drinking as much as they did that day.
Seeing that the meal was over, a drunken Fifth looked up at the stars and murmured, "It's getting late, big brother. Time for the bridal chamber."
Fourth immediately cut him off. "Idiot, how can they go straight to the bridal chamber? Aren't there supposed to be some ceremonies first?"
Third, who had just taken a sip of wine, agreed. "Exactly. We don't need a formal ceremony like city folk have, with a priest presiding and all that, but we can't skip even a simple one. This is big brother's first marriage, after all, and it should be his last. We can't leave out such an important step."
Second nodded repeatedly in agreement, and all their eyes settled on Bright, waiting for him to speak.
Utterly plastered, Cobert gripped his bottle and clapped eagerly. "Yes, yes! I know wedding vows inside out. You're all bachelors, so let an experienced married man play the priest tonight."
Kanni's heart chilled, and he secretly reached over to pinch Cobert's thigh. But Cobert had drunk so much that his whole body felt weightless, and he no longer registered the pain. He thought it was a mosquito or something.
Faced with everyone's expectant looks, Ma Linya shyly nudged Bright with her shoulder. He immediately remembered and told them, "There's no rush with the vows. We can hold the ceremony tomorrow morning. All my brothers are tired tonight, and Lingya's friends must be exhausted by now too, so everyone can go to bed."
Instead of listening, Fifth slapped the table, emboldened by drink. "Big brother, that won't do. As the saying goes, heaven and earth bear witness when husband and wife unite. If you don't hold a ceremony before doing the deed, they say it brings bad luck in the days to come."
Third immediately prodded him with his toe and tried to smooth things over. "Fifth, you've had too much. You're talking nonsense. Hurry back to your room and sleep. Big brother, sister-in-law, don't hold it against him."
Fifth looked displeased at that and continued shouting, "Third, when have I ever told you so much as half a lie? It's fine if you don't believe me, but how can you undermine me like that? I'm saying it right here and now: if I don't see big brother and sister-in-law's wedding ceremony, I'm not sleeping tonight."
The more Fifth talked, the more worked up he became. Seeing things going wrong, the other three immediately stood and forcibly dragged him into the house.
Bright shook his head helplessly and said with an apologetic look, "Lingya, don't be angry. That's just how Fifth is. He's usually all right, but he turns into a fool when he drinks too much."
"Why would I be angry? I couldn't be happier tonight. Look at the stars-it's getting late. Shouldn't we go back to our room..." She trailed off without finishing.
Bright smiled at her words and stood, extending his hand like a gentleman. His fingers touched Ma Linya's slender, soft fingertips, and he led her toward the front door.
As Ma Linya rose, she flicked her other hand, dropping a crumpled piece of paper into Zeng Mu's lap as he sat there in a daze.
Once the two had gone inside, Zeng Mu carefully unfolded the paper under Kanni's watchful gaze. A single line was written on it:
"Wait in secret."
With a clearly audible breath from deep in his belly, he finally let go of his anxiety.
Ma Linya followed Bright into the bedroom. Unlike its previous disarray, everything was neat and orderly, decorated with lanterns and festive streamers. The burning red candles filled the air with an intoxicating fragrance that seemed to dispel every care, leaving her more relaxed with every breath.
The bed was twice as big as it had been yesterday. Second and Third had moved their own beds in and pushed them together, then covered them with a newly acquired crimson quilt. It lent the room just the right touch of tender romance.
Blushing for once, Bright slowly took off his outer clothes and shoes. Glancing out the window, he said, "Lingya, come to bed."
Ma Linya briskly removed her outer clothes and shoes, slipped sideways beneath the quilt, and lay on the soft bed.
When he felt his way to the edge of the bed, slowly lifted his feet onto it, and drew close to her, Ma Linya gently pushed him away. She said the moonlight was beautiful tonight, and suggested they take advantage of the lovely view to tell each other about their pasts.
Bright seemed to enjoy opening his heart on quiet nights like this. Interlacing his fingers with hers, he breathed in the enchanting mingled fragrances and glanced out the window. Slowly, he said, "As you can see, this broken-down Black Iron Town, with nothing left but its decaying shell, is my home."
"Oh? Your home?"
"Yes. I was born here and grew up here. Though so much time has passed, I still remember clearly how beautiful Black Iron Town was back then... In spring, flowers covered the mountains, and a whole day would fly by as we chased butterflies. In summer, ripe fruit filled the air with fragrance, and we slept like cats on the grass beside the stream. In autumn, everything was still as water, and leaves brushed our faces one by one. In winter, snow drifted on the cold wind, and we nestled on heated brick beds, watching the world turn silver and white... Black Iron Town was so prosperous then, such a wonderful place to live."
"How lovely. Living somewhere like that sounds like a dream."
"Yes. I thought I would live that way all my life. Sadly, God played a cruel joke on the town. That day was the mayor's sixtieth birthday, and the whole town was celebrating. After lunch, my friends and I sneaked out of town and ran into the mountains to hunt for jade for fun. Along the way, we saw a carriage enter the town and then leave again."
"Just as we were wondering who was inside, our feet began shaking beyond our control. Then our bodies and heads started shaking too, and everything around us began to tilt. As we lay flat on the ground, it felt as though thunder were pouring into our ears. In the end, all we could do was watch the distant buildings crumble through our blurred vision..."
His earlier nervousness quietly faded. A glistening tear slipped from the corner of Bright's eye, wetting his right ear and pillow.
Ma Linya sighed softly. "What happened afterward?"
The room fell silent for a few seconds before Bright spoke again. "Afterward, the five of us brothers stayed here, living apart from the world."
"Do you often kill people and steal their goods?" she asked.
"No. We only go out now and then to rob people of a few supplies. We don't murder them for their goods. After all, plenty of everyday necessities have to be bought with livres, and we don't have any money..."
"What about me? Do you sometimes 'invite' girls like me back to spend the night?"
Bright smiled and tightened his fingers around hers. "I swear, no. Third and the others never keep anyone who's unwilling. That's why I've stayed single until today. You'll change that tonight, and then it'll be time to find partners for Second, Third, and the others..."
"Have you never thought about leaving and living somewhere new?"
He shifted his gaze to Ma Linya, half her face bathed in moonlight. A flicker of bewilderment seemed to cross his reddened eyes. "I have, but I had to give up the idea in the end. We have no family left, no ties, not even a single old acquaintance. What meaning would there be in going anywhere?"
"What if I told you Uncle White was in Sand City?"
"What?!" Bright sat bolt upright in bed, crying out in astonishment.
"I said White Miles is working as a blacksmith in Sand City right now."
"My God." Bright got out of bed and stood straight, looking out the window as he tried to calm himself.
The cool breeze lifted his hair, and the smell of stone drifted into his nostrils, making him feel as though he had returned to a night many years ago.
White Miles was not only a native of Black Iron Town, but Bright Miles's own uncle!
"My uncle really is in Sand City?" He could scarcely believe it.
"Of course. He's in the city right now. He's a senior blacksmith, specifically responsible for making high-grade weapons for the army. He's very well known."
Bright leaped back onto the bed and gently stroked her head. "Wonderful. Everything has turned out so perfectly," he whispered.
Ma Linya asked, "So you're willing to go to Sand City?"
"Of course, Lingya. Tomorrow, once we've packed, I'll take my brothers to Sand City. Even if we can't stay there long, I have to go if my uncle's there. They'll be delighted to see Uncle White again too."
"You're my goddess of fortune..." With that, he closed his eyes.
He could hear his own breathing and hers. Accompanied by the wind, he slowly brought his face closer. Just before their lips touched, her red lips moved. "Your mouth smells fishy."
Bright gave an embarrassed smile and lifted his head, asking whether Ma Linya disliked fishy smells.
Ma Linya shook her head. "I don't dislike them, but I'm curious where the fishy smell on your lips came from. We didn't eat fish tonight, did we? And you seem to have that faint fishy smell all over you."
"Wait." With that, Bright slipped out of bed.
A few dozen seconds later, he came back in, dragging a glowing round stone basin.
The round basin was the size of a pumpkin and filled with water. A fish about three inches long swam inside, its scales a luminous white, with blue markings along its belly and back. Those markings gave off the faint blue glow.
"What a beautiful fish..." Ma Linya immediately got out of bed and circled the stone basin, studying the fish with shining eyes.
"We found this fish in a little pool beside a mountain spring that day. None of us could figure out what kind of fish it was. I thought it was beautiful, so I kept it as a pet all these years. Even now, it's still this tiny. Second often says it must be some sort of turtle-fish, and that it'll probably outlive all of us brothers."
"What's its name?"
"I saw its blue markings and how it glowed, so I named it Little Blue."
Ma Linya reached out and gently stroked Little Blue, who was sleeping in the water. The warmth felt like a lump of burning coal, making her lips curve into a satisfied smile.
"Little Blue is so adorable. I love Little Blue..."
"I'm glad you do. We'll raise Little Blue together from now on."
Ma Linya turned her head and stared into his eyes. "No. I want you to tell me yourself that I'm Little Blue's owner."
Bright was taken aback. Though he found her request rather baffling, her eyes seemed to speak, like burning stars, leaving him unable to utter a single word of refusal. He nodded. "All right. I've decided. Ma Linya, from now on, you're Little Blue's owner."
Whoosh! The blue light flared, and Little Blue opened their eyes in the stone basin.
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