Chapter 3: Farewell

Night had already fallen. By the time Wu Yueling arrived here, a month had passed. She curled up under her covers, using her tactical flashlight to illuminate the dilapidated corner of the wall, lost in thought.

In truth, she was pressing the exit button on the game interface. She had been trying to leave this place for days, for she had truly spent a month here; the tally marks carved into the wall now numbered more than six.

At the Gu family, she had learned a few things. Not to mention the perpetually furrowed brow of Manager Fang, who was always troubled by the accounts. The Gu family’s business covered all aspects of daily life—food, drink, lodging, and travel. Of all these, Wu Yueling cared most about rice, since she was used to eating it. The price was reasonable—sixteen copper coins a dou, about nine jin. While working at the tavern, she also discovered that a green alcoholic beverage, called Green Ant by scholars, was very popular. Lodging and meals were conveniently combined; guests could choose either or both.

Besides trading in cloth, the Gu family also dealt in horses and carriages. She had even come into contact with strong men and women who had sold themselves into servitude—poor souls with no other way out, forced to become slaves, often with the involvement of the authorities.

Wu Yueling was secretly glad that the Lu family had taken her in. Otherwise, she would have ended up like them. Yet every time she saw the despair in their eyes, she felt a wave of pity and discomfort.

Realizing once more that she could not return, Wu Yueling ceased pressing the exit button and began to ponder her future in such a society, where ordinary people had so few paths to survival. What should she do?

With these worries, she drifted into sleep. The new day dawned cold and clear; the autumn morning wind was chilly. She was used to washing her face with cold water and brushing her teeth with willow twigs.

She took a wooden basin and gathered golden chrysanthemums from the small fence by the door as the sun rose as usual. Today she did not need to go into town—she had five or six days of rest each month at the Gu family, a special arrangement ordered by Gu Renyi for Manager Fang.

Thus, Wu Yueling stole a half-day’s leisure. After picking chrysanthemums, she fetched water from the well and soaked the flowers, then sat on a stone, gazing at the autumn sun, savoring the rural tranquility.

Before long, she sprinkled coarse salt into the basin, washed the chrysanthemums, put them into a jar, and sealed it.

Lu Feng arrived, carrying a homemade wooden bow, and smiled. “Will you join me in the mountains?”

Glancing at the quiver at his waist, she realized they were going hunting. Since there was nothing else to do, she nodded in agreement.

They made their way up the mountain. The forest’s beauty entranced Wu Yueling, sweeping away her gloom. Perhaps life here was not so bad after all—maybe crossing time was a blessing in disguise.

The forest floor was thick with fallen leaves, soft and crisp beneath their feet. Mountain breezes carried the intoxicating scent of wild berries.

“The wind’s from this direction—there must be wild fruit ahead. Let’s go pick some!” Lu Zijie sniffed the air, happily grabbing Wu Yueling’s hand and pulling her along.

She felt his grip, tried to pull away, and finally broke free, hurrying ahead beneath a large tree, looking up at the wild fruit hanging from its branches.

Lu Feng did not mind her refusal—he knew it was improper for a gentleman to be so forward. He sighed quietly, picked up a few unspoiled fruits from the ground, and handed her two.

Wu Yueling sniffed the fruit, which exuded an intoxicating aroma like wine. It was soft to the touch; she peeled it and popped it into her mouth, savoring the sweet taste.

Just then, Lu Zijie climbed up into the tree and began tossing down fruit. Wu Yueling caught what she could, chasing after the ones that tumbled away or split open on the ground.

In this playful exchange, she laughed, feeling as if she had returned to childhood, climbing hills with friends to gather wild chestnuts and fruit.

As Lu Zijie plucked the last fruit from a branch, he suddenly signaled her to be silent. He drew his bow, and a wooden arrow flew, striking a large gray hare drawn by the fragrance.

Wu Yueling followed the arrow’s flight. It must have been a hundred meters or more—a perfect shot. Lu Zijie, sitting triumphantly in the tree, basked in her applause and a raised thumb.

Lu Feng leapt down, retrieved the hare, and grinned. “We’ll have rabbit stew tonight! I used to set traps here and sometimes caught game. Since I began training in martial arts, I hunt more with the bow. My sister learned to write at that time—she improved so quickly, memorizing whole poems. Ah, those were good days!”

Wu Yueling patted his shoulder and made a few random gestures, meaning that everyone must grow up and that growing up is not so bad.

Lu Feng laughed, grabbed the hare, and headed home with his sister.

Back in the village, the sun was still climbing. Wu Yueling fetched water and started the fire, while Lu Zijie skinned and cleaned the rabbit. Lu Mother sat on a small couch at the door, watching the two young people bustle about, her old eyes full of contentment. From time to time, she looked up at the sky, nodding with a smile.

With the rabbit stewing, Wu Yueling kept the fire going, braving the smoke that brought tears to her eyes. Looking aside, she saw Lu Feng handling several jars and a basin of washed rice.

She walked over and picked up a red, cake-like object from the table, sniffing it. It smelled of wine—could this be distiller’s yeast?

“How now? Sister Yueling, do you want to taste the yeast cake? A single bite and you’ll be tipsy!” Lu Feng teased as he poured water into the jars.

Wu Yueling rolled her eyes, her smoke-reddened eyes making her look all the more pitiful. Lu Feng blew gently toward her teary eyes, but she dodged away.

She returned to the stove, thinking this must be for brewing rice wine. She had never seen it made, but she had certainly drunk it. Lost in thought, she heard Lu Feng’s cheerful voice.

“We brew the wine now, and drink it when we return—it’ll be the perfect welcome and celebration!”

Wu Yueling scoffed inwardly at his smugness. The journey to Chang’an would be long; who knew if he’d ever get to taste this wine? She might sneak a drink herself and leave him not a drop.

She helped dig a pit behind the house and buried the wine jars. By the time they finished, the sun was setting, and the three of them sat together eating rabbit, a picture of harmony. Lu Mother even gave Wu Yueling her own rabbit leg. Lu Feng, noticing, gave his leg to his mother. Watching the mother and son, Wu Yueling felt a warmth in her heart. She had always been alone, but now had met such a family. If not for the fact that she was originally a man, she might have ended up marrying into this family in a moment of weakness.

Back in her little room, chewing on a willow twig, Wu Yueling sighed. The Lu family’s kindness would have to be repaid one day. She buried herself under her blanket and slept. Another day passed.

After helping Lu Feng with some chores, Wu Yueling went to Jingzhou City after lunch. Entering the city gate, she headed for the southern quarter. Passing through several alleys, she noticed someone following her. When she turned, she caught a glimpse of fluttering robes disappearing around a corner.

She paused, and a man poked his head out, only to be caught by her gaze. He quickly ducked away.

Wu Yueling wondered who could be so bored as to play at stalking her, but decided to ignore it and continued toward the market.

At the market, she entered a fabric shop. Manager Fang was at the counter, rubbing his forehead over the accounts. Sensing someone approach, he looked up and, seeing Wu Yueling, called out, “Quick, quick, help me with this account. I’m sure I’ve made a mistake somewhere.”

Wu Yueling, unable to speak, nodded and took the account book. After a glance, she picked up a brush and quickly worked out the figures before handing the book back.

Manager Fang checked the numbers carefully. “Ah, with Miss Yueling here, I have so much less to worry about! A woman of your talents is rare indeed!”

Wu Yueling smiled and nodded, delighted to see the perpetually frowning old man beam with joy.

She went through several more account books. For her, these were simple tasks—just remember the currency conversions and basic arithmetic, perhaps a few equations. In no time, she could even prepare a statistics table, making the accounts perfectly clear.

After finishing, she took her leave. Manager Fang sat on the couch, reviewing the books, while his son, sitting across from him, inspected Wu Yueling’s drafts.

“Father, isn’t this a waste? Each sheet costs three coins—she used more than ten just for some calculations. What are these tables and squiggles?” Fang Rui was baffled by the charts, tables, and cryptic symbols.

“What do you know? If only you had your father’s skills or Miss Yueling’s talents, I’d have recommended you to Lord Gu long ago! Don’t just think about riding donkeys and playing ball—show some ambition! Right now, you’re not even as good as a woman!” Manager Fang scolded, his face reddening.

“Yes, Father!” Fang Rui bowed his head, chastened.

Wu Yueling hurried through the streets, confident she had time to leave the city before the curfew drum sounded.

Just then, a commotion broke out up ahead. She was puzzled—what was happening? She looked forward and saw people moving aside, as if avoiding something. Alert, she followed the crowd to the edge.

Down the middle of the road strode a group of swaggering men, all shapes and sizes, each with a blade of grass in his mouth, looking arrogantly around. Wu Yueling understood—these were the city’s gangsters. Such riffraff could be found in any era. She skirted the crowd, took a secluded alley, and continued toward the gate.

From an upstairs window of a tavern, a sycophantic thug excitedly pointed, “Master Cui, look, there she goes, down that alley!”

“Good, now is the time to pay our little lady a visit!” Cui Miao, fanning himself, laughed. He had watched her for days, learned her habits, and now seized the opportunity, hurrying downstairs.

The thug followed, bowing and scraping. “Master Cui, the boys’ reward...”

Cui Miao smiled, tossing him a pouch of coins. “Li Si, take it—eat and drink well!”

“Thank you, Master Cui!”

“Well, go and have your men block her path!”

“Yes, right away, sir!”

Wu Yueling walked briskly through the alley. Just as she emerged, a ruffian appeared. On seeing her face, he trembled all over and slipped, landing hard on the ground.

“You—you—you—you—” It was Zhang Mule, his teeth chattering as he stammered, paralyzed with fear.

Wu Yueling was puzzled—who was this? Suddenly she remembered—the sneaky man with the short stick when she first arrived at Shili Village. It was him.

“Are you—are you a human or a ghost?” Zhang Mule scrambled backward, wild with terror. As Wu Yueling advanced step by step, he rolled his eyes and fainted dead away.

Wu Yueling frowned. What did he mean—human or ghost? Before she could think further, several figures blocked her way ahead—the same thugs who had menaced the street.

She understood at once: they were here to block her, though it had nothing to do with the man she’d just frightened unconscious.

“Oh, little lady, come play with us—let’s drink, eat, and share a spring night!” A leering voice called out. Cui Miao, second son of the Cui family, strode out, fan in hand, all elegance on the surface but his filthy gaze roved over her.

Wu Yueling scowled, opening her mouth to curse but, remembering her muteness, could only glare at Cui Miao as he approached, step by step, and she retreated, glancing at the fork in the road behind her.

“Don’t run, little lady—let me take a good look at you!”

Cui Miao closed in, impatience in his stride. Wu Yueling, saying nothing, made up her mind, and suddenly lunged forward, giving him a vicious glare before fixing her gaze on his groin.

“Ah, little lady—ah!!”

Cui Miao lunged, but before he could finish, before his hand touched her, she kicked him hard between the legs. With a howl of pain, he collapsed. The thugs were stunned—who would have thought a bullied woman could be so ferocious?

Wu Yueling turned and ran, darting around the corner as the furious thugs chased after her with clubs.

As a woman, she could not outrun these idle hooligans. As they closed in, a woman with a large case on her back appeared, strolling lazily down the street.

She took a long swig from a wine jug, her face flushed with drink, dressed in men’s clothes with a bold, heroic air. Just as she finished drinking, she spotted the little gangsters chasing a helpless girl. Her eyes widened; she strode out, her steps swift and forceful, and slipped past Wu Yueling to confront the thugs.

Wu Yueling barely had time to look back before she heard the cries of pain behind her. Her hand drifted from the revolver at her waist. Turning, she saw the thugs sprawled on the ground, while the woman, still drinking, walked away without a backward glance. Wu Yueling caught up, gestured her thanks, but the woman, uninterested, waved her off and left.

Watching her go, Wu Yueling made a mental note of the day’s events and continued to the city gate. Back at the Lu home, she decided not to mention it to Lu Zijie—if trouble came, it would only implicate them, and she could handle it herself; after all, she had a warehouse full of weapons.

A few days later, it was time for Lu Zijie and Gu Renyi to depart for the Spring Examination—first by land, then by water, and then again by land, bound for the bustling city of Chang’an.

It is said that a mother’s heart aches when her child travels far. Though Wu Yueling was only an observer this time, she could not help but be moved by this ancient, immortal sentiment.

When Lu Zijie donned his new clothes, mounted his fine horse with sword at his back, and, together with Gu Renyi, prepared to leave, Lu Mother, strong of character though she was, could not hold back her tears at her son’s departure. Lu Zijie knelt, clutching her hand, and they wept together—crying all morning, until after lunch, when they finally set off.

Lu Zijie led his horse toward Jingzhou City, turning to wave after every few steps. Wu Yueling, supporting Lu Mother, accompanied them to the main road, watching as Lu Feng’s figure disappeared into the distance before helping Lu Mother back.

The house felt emptier after his departure. Lu Mother, wan and weary, sat by the wall in silent sorrow. Wu Yueling, helpless, dipped her chopsticks in water and wrote comforting words on her linen skirt for Lu Mother to read. Lu Mother smiled through her tears, stroked Wu Yueling’s head, and drew her into her arms, weeping aloud.

“Zijie will make something of himself, I know he will—he’ll win honor and glory! And I have such a good daughter-in-law—if I die, I’ll have no regrets!”

Wu Yueling listened awkwardly, her face flushing, thinking, Please, don’t get so emotional. She waited for the old lady to cry herself out, helped her wash and get into bed, and only then returned to her own room.

Turning on her tactical flashlight, Wu Yueling thought to herself that she had truly become someone’s daughter-in-law now. She blushed at the thought—marrying into another family was definitely not in her plans! What interested her more was martial arts—if she could learn some peerless skill, her journey here would be worthwhile. She recalled the bold figure she’d seen that day. With these fantasies in mind, Wu Yueling drifted into dreams of Tang.

The night wind moaned, the wild hills were cold. There was no inn along the official road. Lu Feng, swallowing his longing, bedded down with Gu Renyi, the two of them wrapped together in blankets in a crude shelter, dreaming of nothing but their mother and Sister Yueling.