Chapter 95: Guarding Heaven's Pass pt. 16

Lin Changming, up to now, had actually possessed some admiration for Jiang Linzhai. His lips opened and closed before he said, “Shifu, you—although you don’t want to be the sect leader—are a good deal more suitable than others. You say these people all know, but if an enormous difficulty befell us, I am afraid very few people could handle it.”

Jiang Linzhai, said serenely, “I also was just saying words, nothing more. Do you want to sleep or not?”

Lin Changming replied, “Can’t sleep. The day will soon brighten, I have to get out of bed to prepare a meal for you.”

“Then you go now, ba.” Jiang Linzhai didn’t see his ashamed colour, “Today, what are we eating?”

Lin Changming heaved a sigh, he had started to sympathise with Jian Yi. Just what kind of life had Jian Yi lived on North Heron Mountain? Every day he opened and closed his eyes to serve his Shifu or was on his way to serve his Shifu. He sat up to go wash his face and mouth, “First, I will go out to buy food. This morning, let’s eat millet congee, ba.”

Because he couldn’t find a chance to kill him, Lin Changming continued to live like this. Every day, he woke up early to prepare meals for Jiang Linzhai, after that Jiang Linzhai would test him on his swordsmanship. Of course, he hadn’t known how to use a sword, but after more than 10 deaths, he also was able put on an act. Slowly, in addition to the nighttime sounds of rain, mixed with the sounds of people and dogs, this small town had become more and more realistic.

Thus, several months passed, and the Wuyou flowers in the courtyard withered and bloomed again. One morning, Lin Changming opened the door to see a vast expanse of white outside; it had already become winter. In the past, he would have composed poems and written verses to celebrate the season, but now, being burdened with work, he saw the snow and immediately thought of the meat he had salted a while ago.

Lin Changming went outside and knocked on the neighbouring door. When no one responded, he circled the tree a few times until he finally found his Shifu. Looking up, he asked, "Shifu, why are you sitting up there on such a cold day?"

"Watching the snow," Jiang Linzhai, dressed in a thin robe and seemingly unaffected by the cold, replied, "I've never seen such heavy snow."

"True, it never snows on our mountain." Lin Changming rubbed his arms. "Ah, How long are you going to keep watching?"

Jiang Linzhai didn't answer. He sat there every day as if he could stare the River God Temple into blooming. Today was no different. He casually broke off a branch of Wuyou flowers and threw it down to Lin Changming. "Go play by yourself, ba."

Lin Changming caught the flower branch but didn't leave. Instead, he continued, "Giving me flowers is useless, Shifu. You need to give money. Let me do the math for you. Since last month, we've been running out of silver. If it weren't for my careful budgeting, we wouldn't have made it this far. Now it's snowing, and the prices of vegetables in the market are going up. Please be kind and give me some more money, or we won't be able to get by."

Snow fell from the tree with a sùsù, and Lin Changming stepped back a couple of steps, catching a money pouch. Opening it, he found it filled with silver.

Jiang Linzhai said, "Take the money and go. Stop nagging."

"Why are you still hiding private money?" Lin Changming put away the money pouch. "If you had told me earlier that we had a reserve, I wouldn't have had to go out and sell calligraphy and paintings."

He had explored every corner of this city, and nowadays, he mostly went out for shopping. Today, despite the snow, there were quite a few people outside. Lin Changming opened an umbrella and went to the east of the city to buy wine. Seeing the streets decorated with lanterns and festive decorations, he asked the wine shop owner, "What day is it today?"

The boss replied, "It's our Snow Viewing Day. According to tradition, in the evening, every household lights lanterns and goes out and admires the snow while praying to the gods. Guests wait until tonight, ba; that's when the real talent comes out!"

Lin Changming knew about snow viewing but had never heard of a Snow Viewing Day. He suspected that Jiang Linzhai had made up this holiday specifically for the snowfall. On his way home, he thought about it some more and turned back to the market to buy a bunch of things.

During dinner, Jiang Linzhai noticed the table full of dishes and asked, "What day is it today, that you have so many dishes prepared?"

Lin Changming washed his hands and took a seat. “I asked around on the street—it’s said that today is the Snow Viewing Day, a unique custom to this place. Shifu, bring me to see it, ba.”

Jiang Linzhai said, “I won’t go out.”

Lin Changming countered, “Everyone all bringing along their families, but I’m alone—on a perfectly good festival—it’s too sad like this.”

Jiang Linzhai said, “I don’t want to.”

Even though he said he didn't want to go, Jiang Linzhai couldn't resist Lin Changming's persistent requests. After dinner, the two of them got ready and went out. Jiang Linzhai brought along some roasted sweet potatoes and distributed them to the little beggars in the alley.

Lin Changming waited at the alley entrance with an umbrella. After a while, the little beggars came running out, each holding a fish-shaped lantern. He grabbed one of them and asked, "Where did these lanterns come from?"

The little beggar, dangling in the air, shouted, "Da-Wang gave them to us!"

Lin Changming said, "Alright, take good care of them and don't drop them."

He let go of the little beggar and returned to the wall. A moment later, Jiang Linzhai came out and walked past him. Seeing that he didn't move, Jiang Linzhai turned around and asked in surprise, "Aren't you coming?"

Lin Changming held the umbrella, "Don’t I get one?"

Jiang Linzhai asked, "What?"

Lin Changming shook the umbrella, scattering the snowflakes on it, "Nothing."

He tilted the umbrella to cover Jiang Linzhai, and said lightly, "Let's go. The Lantern Festival is in the east market. From there, we can walk out to the outskirts to enjoy the snow at night. There will be a lot of people tonight, Shifu, stay close to me."

The streets were bustling with people and traffic. The two of them walked side by side, with lanterns and night stalls lining both sides. Jiang Linzhai walked slowly, and Lin Changming frequently looked back, worried that he might get lost in the crowd.

The area near the River God Temple was the liveliest. Several wedding processions were weaving through the crowd, seemingly heading to the temple to pray to the River God before the wedding. Watching the bridal sedan chairs pass by, Lin Changming remarked, "Actually, this place could be a good place to settle down for a long time."

Jiang Linzhai said, "Any place gets boring if you stay too long."

Lin Changming was quite surprised. "Even North Heron Mountain?"

"Of course," Jiang Linzhai said, picking up a porcelain ornament from a night stall and examining it. "Scenery and people are the same, the longer you look, the more you'll get tired of them."

Lin Changming said, "That's too heartless. If both scenery and people become tiresome over time, then there wouldn't be any stories of growing old together in this world."

Jiang Linzhai asked, "Of all the stories you usually tell, how many end with growing old together?"

Lin Changming was momentarily at a loss for words. The stories he usually told Jiang Linzhai were all adapted from real events among the sects and clans of the Six Prefectures, filled with life-and-death partings and separations, and none had happy endings.

Jiang Linzhai put the porcelain ornament back and continued walking with Lin Changming. They passed many men and women on the street, who tossed colored ribbons at Lin Changming. He caught these ribbons, seeing that they had celebratory poems and auspicious sayings written on them. He was used to such flirtations and didn't mind them.

The streets were bustling with noise. The two of them looked at the lanterns and then went to the outskirts of the city to enjoy the snow. After walking for a long time, the crowd gradually dispersed until only the two of them were left. Suddenly, a fish-shaped lantern appeared from the darkness like a fish swimming and was handed to Lin Changming.

Lin Changming looked at the lantern and then at the hand holding it. Jiang Linzhai said, "Didn't you just ask if there was one for you? Here, take it."

Snow fell on Lin Changming's shoulder, beyond the edge of the umbrella. He looked directly into Jiang Linzhai's eyes and asked, "Is this really for me?"

"Hasn't it always been for you? Since you were twelve, not a single year has been missed." Jiang Linzhai took Lin Changming's hand and hung the Fire Fish lantern on his fingers. "I made this while sitting in the tree before dawn. How is it? My craftsmanship isn't worse than your Shizu's, right?"

Lin Changming's fingers curled slightly, causing the Fire Fish lantern to sway gently. Jiang Linzhai seemed not to notice and still held his hand—something they often did, sometimes for sword practice, other times while fighting over a storybook. Lin Changming thought he had long grown used to it, but at this moment, he realised he hadn't.

Jiang Linzhai said, "I think you’ve gotten so busy that you might have forgotten, but today is your birthday."

Lin Changming replied, "So it's my birthday."

Jiang Linzhai nodded, "This year, it's just you and me. I'm not sure how to celebrate it. This lantern festival came at the right time. Accompanying you to see it counts as a birthday gift."

Lin Changming never celebrated his birthday and naturally never received birthday gifts. He said, "No wonder it's so lively today."

Jiang Linzhai said, "You often clamoured to see the lantern festival when you were young. Now that you've seen it, why aren't you happy?"

Lin Changming was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "I am happy, just so happy that I'm a bit overwhelmed and don't know what to say."

Suddenly, there was a cool touch on his forehead—Jiang Linzhai had flicked it with his finger. Lin Changming was actually a bit taller than Jiang Linzhai and had to bend down slightly every time he got a head pat. This time, the fingertip landed on his forehead, like snow, disappearing instantly.

"You've always been a big fool since you were little, and today you're taller than Shifu," Jiang Linzhai said, examining him. "This lantern was always made by Shizu before. This time, it's made by Shifu. Don't you like it?"

Lin Changming said, “Like it.”

Jiang Linzhai countered, “Telling lies, ba.”

Lin Changming repeated, “Like it.”

Far away there was the sound of fireworks. Jiang Linzhai ssaid, “At North Heron Mountain your Shizu is in charge, and we weren’t allowed to set off fireworks. Now, outside, no one cares. You look.”

Lin Changming raised his head and saw innumerable Fire Fish lanterns emerging in the dim light of the night. They were adorned with coloured silks and wishes that had been written on them. One by one, they swam in the sky. The snow became lighter, sweeping by in drifts, and those Fire Fish lanterns exploded into embers that were as golden and red as fire.

“Luckily a birthday only comes once a year, Jian Yi.” Jiang Linzhai spoke.

“Shifu.”

“Ng?”

Lin Changming was looking at him, “I’m not Jian Yi.”

PĒNG——

Fire Fish lanterns kept exploding overhead, embers and snow intertwining in the sky, landing on their hair and shoulders.

Lin Changming was carrying the Fire Fish lantern when this sudden impulse arose. He pulled Jiang Linzhai’s sleeve and said over and over again as the fireworks and lanterns burst overhead, “I’m not Jian Yi—I’m Lin Changming.”

Lin Changming didn’t want to play this role. He knew this evening’s snow, the lantern festival, and this sky full of Fire Fish lanterns were not for him. And yet, he took them. He said:

“I like it very much.”

“Jiang Linzhai.”

“Can you remember me?”

Jiang Linzhai didn’t answer. He was immersed in this absurd and contradictory fantasy. He hadn’t answered Lin Changming from the first day they met. He didn’t seem to hear him; he only pulled his sleeve back and called out again: 

“Jian Yi.”

The Author has Something to Say

Thanks for reading.

The Translator has Something to Say

Ah, I’m actually crying.