DBTHDCAR Chapter 94

Early the next morning, around five o’clock, Ning Xiaobei and the others woke up.

Not that they were particularly disciplined, it was just that as soon as the sun rose, the mountain roosters started crowing. Their successive cock-a-doodle-doo calls woke Fan Xia completely out of his wits. City kids hadn’t had this experience in years; the last time Ning Xiaobei had heard a rooster crow was back when he lived in Jiande Lane.

By the time they finished washing up and got dressed to go downstairs, all three members of the Gu family had been waiting in the main hall for them for quite a while. Apparently, Father Gu had already gone out to the fields once to water the crops, and Mother Gu had finished preparing breakfast; just waiting for them to come eat.

“Sorry, really sorry.”

They apologized as they took their seats. Neither the Ning nor Zhao families had this custom of making adults wait for the children to eat.

“No problem. Young people love to sleep in. When your teacher first returned to the village, he was sleeping in late too.”

Father Gu smiled and motioned for them to start eating.

Breakfast was simple but refreshing: plain congee, steamed buns, paired with salted duck eggs and fermented tofu. Fan Xia devoured three bowls of congee in one go, along with two steamed buns bigger than his fists; carbs on carbs, and sheer bliss for the moment.

“Come on, I’ll take you guys out to play. Dalan Town is a lot of fun. Ever heard of Danshan Chishui scenic area? It’s where immortals ascend; the relics of Taishang Laojun are there.”

After breakfast, Gu Kaige prepared to play the host. He told his parents they’d eat lunch out and have a proper dinner back at home. He planned to kill the large goose and some chickens, get a couple of fish, and make a few hearty dishes. Mother Gu nodded approvingly.

“Remember, when we leave, stash a thousand yuan under the mattress…”

Ning Xiaobei turned to Fan Xia and whispered.

Although Brother Kai’s family looked fairly well-off, they were still just ordinary mountain folk. They weren’t running any guesthouses or agritourism businesses, so their income was limited… and on top of that, Brother Kai was unemployed.

“First, we’ll head to Shilin Village and have lunch there,” he said.

Brother Kai was clearly excited. He probably doesn’t have many friends visiting his hometown. He was a far cry from the slightly listless figure of last night, almost waving an imaginary little flag in his hands.

Shilin Village really did have persimmon trees in every yard. Although it was already winter and most of the persimmons had fallen, plenty of small fruits still clung to the branches.

Frosted, orange-red persimmons hung like tiny lanterns, cheerful just to look at. Once snow blanketed the mountains, the white covering the persimmons against the stone walls and gray-tiled roofs of the old village would make everything look delicate and crystalline, like a world of glass and crystal.

They strolled through the village, visiting the Mengxi Cottage in memory of Shen Kuo, then checked out the Imperial Stele Pavilion. Used to the white walls and black tiles of Jiangnan, especially around Suzhou, Ning Xiaobei found the mountain village’s stone-built houses refreshingly unique.

Mount Siming was a famous Taoist mountain. Legend had it that Lü Dongbin, the mischievous one of the Eight Immortals, manifested here twice.

Once, he tried to build a bridge between two mountains but only managed two piers, leaving a half-finished project that became the Immortal Stacked Rock scenic spot.

Another time, he stayed in a local cave called Eagle-Cry Cave, using the spring water inside to heal people, leaving a legend that its water had curative powers.

The legend itself was fairly ordinary, just like half the Jiangnan snacks that claim their ambassador was Emperor Qianlong on his Seven Tours of the South.

The real charm, though, was the origin of Eagle-Cry Cave: supposedly, a celestial eagle descended from heaven, passed through the area, was so impressed by the scenery that it dislocated its jaw in amazement, and couldn’t return to the heavens, so it had to stay and become a scenic spot.

Ning Xiaobei nearly dropped his own jaw hearing this. He thought the ancestors of the people of Yuyao must have had a built-in sense of humor. He had visited countless attractions and heard countless legends, but this was the first time he realized that getting close to immortals could really mean inventing ridiculous stories about them just to make a hometown famous.

After a morning of climbing and trekking, the carbohydrates from breakfast had long been burned. Brother Kai promptly led them to a small village restaurant, booked a private room on the second floor, and the three men tore into the food with gusto.

The farmhouse dishes were simple, but the ingredients were fresh and organic: vegetables just pulled from the ground, fish freshly caught. The locals cooked everything with tea oil, giving the dishes a fragrant aroma. Fan Xia couldn’t help but exclaim at how satisfying the meal was.

After finishing their meal and sipping the local specialty tea, Mingzhou Tea, Ning Xiaobei gazed out the window. The hills were a patchwork of autumn colors, a small stream meandered past reddish stone slabs, and emptied into a pool of deep green. Now he understood why this place was called Danshan Chishui.

“Boss, this place is amazing. Next time, we should bring Uncle and Uncle Ning here,” Fan Xia said, leaning out the window to take a deep breath. The countryside air was crisp and sweet. Cold as it was, it made him feel clearer-headed. With good mountains, good water, and good food, this was truly a perfect place to retire.

“So… you’re planning to retire here and never leave?” Ning Xiaobei rotated the glass in his hand, watching the tender green leaves float and sink, testing the waters with a question.

“By the start of the year, I’ll leave. Can’t stay… if I stayed, they’d force me into marriage,” Gu Kaige said.

After the meal, he habitually reached for his coat pocket, only to pull out a pack of cigarettes and remember the lighter had fallen out the window the previous night. He grumbled, shoved the pack back, and took a sip of tea.

“Just this past month, my mom has pressured me so many times, I’ve lost count. You don’t realize, at the end of the year, kids working in Hangzhou, Ningbo, Shanghai all come back. Many only come home once a year, just for matchmaking. I can’t handle it, I refuse to become the next him.”

Who he is goes without saying.

A cold breeze blew past, and Ning Xiaobei couldn’t help sneezing. Fan Xia hurried over, closing the window, then went behind him and draped the jacket that had been on the chair over Ning Xiaobei’s shoulders. Thoughtful, considerate, attentive.

“Truly… lovey-dovey, huh…” Gu Kaige said, a hint of envy in his voice.

“What about Teacher Peng? Boss Wen said he left with you, but we didn’t see him at all. Did he go to another village for sketching?”

Ning Xiaobei tugged at his collar, then casually took Fan Xia’s hand, meeting Gu Kaige’s gaze with full confidence. Opportunities to openly show their relationship in front of others were rare, and he was determined to seize every single one to demonstrate his feelings.

After last night, Ning Xiaobei finally understood that beneath Fan Xia’s seemingly carefree, indifferent exterior lay a fragile, sensitive heart.

He needed a sense of security—and Ning Xiaobei was determined to provide it. This was the duty of a lover who was older, more experienced.

Sure enough, Fan Xia responded completely to this approach. Though he said nothing, the curve of his lips betrayed him entirely. If it weren’t for the thought that the waiter might still be at the door, he would have laughed out loud.

“Ah, my teeth… you two really have to flaunt your love in front of someone who just got dumped, huh?”

Gu Kaige mockingly covered his chin.

“Wait, you and Teacher Peng broke up? But that old trickster said you two were so in love you nearly died together!”

Fan Xia was stunned. He turned to Ning Xiaobei, whose expression was calm, and suddenly felt a wave of grievance. “Boss… you knew all along? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Ning Xiaobei, why do you always do this; see everything but never say a word.

“I just thought Boss Wen’s claims had too many gaps. That’s why I went back for him later.”

Ning Xiaobei gently patted the dog’s head for comfort.

“If I’m not mistaken, the one who reported you… was none other than Teacher Peng, right?”

He turned slightly, stating his shocking deduction in a completely calm tone, as if he were saying: If I’m not wrong, the moon’s beautiful tonight, so tomorrow will surely be sunny.

Gu Kaige’s expression froze for a moment. His thick eyebrows drew slightly together, and his single-lidded eyes, which somehow still held a charm, a bit like a Korean celebrity, slanted downward slightly. His thin lips curved upward, giving him a look that was caught between wanting to cry and wanting to laugh: awkward and unreadable.

“Ning Xiaobei… Ning Xiaobei…”

Maybe he felt the expression was too ugly, because he simply covered his face with one hand.

“What am I supposed to say about you?”

He stayed like that, one hand over his face, silent for a long time. Long enough that Fan Xia’s heart began to race. Finally, he lowered his arm.

“Yes… he’s the one who reported me.”

“And I’ve known for a while… When he was developing photos in the art room, he left for a bit in the middle. Back during quarantine, I stayed in there too, and the key never went back to the security office. I went in to find him, so… I saw everything.”

Gu Kaige’s eyes were red. He stood up, grabbed the down jacket draped over the chair, and dusted off some nonexistent dust.

“Let’s go. Don’t talk while we walk. The room’s too stifling.”

The mountain scenery was beautiful, but there weren’t many visitors at this time. This place wasn’t like the famous tourist spots, such as Hangzhou’s West Lake or Lu Xun’s former residence in Shaoxing. It was still largely undeveloped. Only during the May Day and National Day holidays would guests from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai come to visit. Its rawness gave it a certain wild charm.

Gu Kaige took them to Tianji Ping and Laojun Rock, places said to be traces of immortals.

In the quiet, deep winter, even immortals would receive no offerings; loneliness was the same in heaven and on earth.

Leaning against the railing, they nibbled on local sweet potatoes shaped like dates. Though they looked like sweet potatoes, they carried the sweetness of Shandong jujubes with a hint of chestnut fragrance, a surprisingly sweet taste in winter. Fan Xia had bought five jin¹ at once, stuffed them into the travel bag behind him, planning to take them back to Shanghai to share with classmates.

“A boss wanted to… sponsor him. Oh, I mean train him.”

Brother Kai munched on the sweet-potato dates, swinging his legs restlessly beside the pond. The water was only about a meter deep, but falling in during winter would be harsh enough.

“A month before the SARS quarantine, he joined some kind of young artist training program. His work won an award… I don’t really get it, anyway he was always tinkering in the art room. A boss from Hong Kong noticed him, took him out for dinner, and that night he didn’t come back.”

Ning Xiaobei leaned his back against Fan Xia’s shoulder. The tall man’s frame served as a perfect windbreak.

“At that time, we were at our best, and I didn’t know anything yet. When I heard he’d won the award, I specifically asked him to invite those friends from art school, the ones he got along with, over to my house for hotpot to celebrate. That’s when I met Old Wen.”

As he said this, Gu Kaige wore a look that was hard to describe; half embarrassed, half resigned.

“People who study art… aren’t they all a little… eccentric? Old Wen knew full well about my relationship with Yueyue, and still tried to come and seduce me.”

Ning Xiaobei thought: this has nothing to do with art; it’s just that the old trickster has no morals. Art students shouldn’t have to take the blame for this.

“Later, he went out with that boss a few more times… supposedly even spent weekends at the boss’s small villa by West Lake. That villa was full of antiques and famous paintings the boss collected; staying there was better than sleeping in a museum. You felt light, floating, even a bit hallucinatory… I just assumed he was going to exhibitions and sketching like usual.”

Fan Xia rested his hand on Ning Xiaobei’s shoulder. The sun had just begun to set in front of them, warming his chest, but the shadowed part behind was chilled by the wind; a sensation of warm in front from the sun, cold in back from the wind.

Brother Kai, though… was worse off. He wasn’t just cold in the back; it felt like someone had stabbed him there, Fan Xia thought.

“Even before the quarantine, he wanted to break up, but before he could, the school got locked down. He couldn’t leave, and there was no way the big boss would come for him. I couldn’t get back to my rental, he got kicked out of the dorm, so the two of us ended up huddled together again.”

Brother Kai tugged at his collar, a nostalgic look on his face.

“Those two-plus weeks… the despair was real, and the happiness was real too. During the day, we had to deal with you kids; at night, when there were no classes, we were together constantly. The more desperate we were, the more guilty we felt, the tighter we held onto each other…”

Seeing the topic heading toward a more adult direction, Brother Kai hurriedly stopped himself.

“Anyway, I also have to admire his cunning. Somehow he managed to take those photos. He knew I wouldn’t easily agree to break up, so he wanted to use the pictures to control me. He wasn’t planning to teach anymore anyway. None of being fired or having his teaching license revoked scared him, so his face appears in every single photo.”

Ning Xiaobei and Fan Xia weren’t exactly art enthusiasts. For them, art and music classes were just nap time, free activity periods, or casual reading periods, so they didn’t have much interaction with the teachers.

Ning Xiaobei’s impression of Peng Yue was of a face so pale it seemed almost vampiric, with drooping eyes and downturned lips that gave the impression the whole world had let him down. Oh, and the tiny tear mole under his right eye; just that little mole made his otherwise unremarkable features suddenly alluring, giving even his naturally mocking smile a lively charm.

He hadn’t seen the photos that were slipped into the principal’s mailbox, but he imagined that when the principal saw that pale face entwined with another man’s body, the poor guy’s heart probably skipped a beat.

Brutal, he thought.

A breakup that kills a thousand enemies but wounds yourself eight hundred.

“Then why did he wait until the new semester in September to report you? Once quarantine ended, couldn’t he have just gone to that Hong Kong boss?”

Fan Xia asked.

“People’s hearts are made of flesh,” Brother Kai said. “He could feel how good I was to him… okay, fine, I admit, during that time the Hong Kong boss was also in quarantine over there. The outbreak there was worse than ours. It wasn’t until around June that things calmed down, and the boss returned to Shanghai in July; by then, school was already on summer break.”

Brother Kai slapped himself on the forehead.

“Told you you were imagining things.”

“So… as soon as school started on September 1, he went straight to report you without missing a beat?”

Ning Xiaobei didn’t even know what expression to put on to respond.

“Exactly, nonstop. That November, the boss’s so-called art foundation had to finalize the list of young artists they’d sponsor next year. If he didn’t get rid of me fast, how could he focus on his art?”

Gu Kaige smiled wryly.

“Even though that boss was keeping seven or eight boys and girls at the same time—Chinese, foreign, white, yellow, whatever—he required his lovers to be absolutely loyal and clean when with him. If he didn’t ditch me, he wouldn’t make it onto the big list.”

Fan Xia felt a wave of nausea. He and Ning Xiaobei had grown up in clean, straightforward environments. The worst fights they’d seen were petty squabbles in factories. He had no concept that a young person’s looks and future could be literally priced, and that price could be nothing more than a fancy meal and a few designer bags.

“Couldn’t you just break up amicably? It’s so… brutal.”

Ning Xiaobei sighed. “You should’ve let go sooner…”

“Fan Xia, if Ning Xiaobei told you right now that he wanted to break up, could you let it happen peacefully?”

Gu Kaige didn’t answer Ning Xiaobei directly, instead throwing the question at Fan Xia.

Fan Xia felt as if a cold, sharp blade had pierced his heart; for a moment, even his breathing froze.

“Absolutely not…” he ground out through clenched teeth.

“Exactly,” Gu Kaige said, lowering his head. “So unless he forced me to leave school, leave Shanghai, there was no way he could ditch me so easily.”

From the nearby Taoist temple came intermittent music; the priests were conducting a water-and-land ritual. None of the three of them understood Taoist ceremonies, but it sounded like immortal music, briefly lifting their minds.

Especially after hearing so much chaotic, messy business.

“I really thought back then that we’d been set up. I even foolishly comforted him, saying, ‘If you can’t stay in public school, I’ll go to a private school or a cram class. You won’t starve anyway.’ Later, when he contacted Old Wen to find me a place to stay, and even considered jumping off a building for me, I was honestly so touched I could’ve died. I thought, even if the whole world abandons me, as long as he’s by my side, I’m not afraid of anything. I can give up everything…”

On the way back, Ning Xiaobei and Fan Xia walked behind Gu Kaige, watching the orange sunset spill over the mountains onto this lonely man’s shoulders, and they couldn’t find any words to comfort him.

About a li from the village, Bush, squatting by the roadside, saw them and dashed over in excitement, leaping at Brother Kai, then at Fan Xia and Ning Xiaobei. Both affectionate and loyal, it seemed Bush was the greatest gain Brother Kai had made during his four or five years in Shanghai.

“Later, Old Wen couldn’t stand it and told me; it was all to break up with me. Of course, there was some guilt, and yeah, drinking and thinking about jumping really did happen… But what could I do? I couldn’t stand in the way of his future. I certainly couldn’t let him actually die, right?”

At the village entrance, all three of them fell silent simultaneously.

“Stay a couple more days, just to keep me company. I haven’t been able to talk about my heart in so long. If I don’t, I’ll burst, I’ll go crazy.”

Brother Kai turned back and smiled at them.

Even with the same expression, Ning Xiaobei felt that Gu Kaige seemed ten years older; the faint smile lines at the corners of his eyes had turned into real wrinkles.

………………

Author’s Note:

Comrades, we’re entering the final countdown to the ending.

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