"Ah Shui's mother, a piece of ice."
"Okay."
Ice transported from the north is expensive, and it's only in such hot weather that one can afford to indulge in a piece.
"Have you heard? A 'plague god' has appeared in Huashan."
"Painting mountains?"
"Oh, it's Tianlong Mountain. It was renamed more than ten years ago when Taoist Wang came."
North of Nanzhu Mountain lies a mountain called Hua, where a hundred flowers bloom in vibrant colors. Unfortunately, on a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, an old Taoist priest passing by not only built a shabby Taoist temple on the mountaintop, but also changed the mountain's name to the very rustic "Tianlong".
“How could his family produce a ‘plague god’? Nun Yu’s Taoist skills are famous throughout the county.”
A thumb-sized ice cube instantly melted into a puddle of hot water in my mouth; it was unbearably hot.
"And Yu the Taoist nun? She's the 'plague goddess'!"
"ha?"
"When Nun Yu wanted to return to secular life, how many official and private matchmakers did she hire to help her find a husband?" Dark faces gathered together. "It's a pity for those men who were chosen. The matchmakers would enter the house at the appointed time, and by the next day at the latest, the family would be bankrupt."
"Going bankrupt?"
"Is Taoist Wang greedy? He only targets merchants in town or wealthy families in the county. All thirteen of them have been there since they returned from their long trip this month, without exception!"
"So...so amazing?"
"What god? It's bad luck, a 'plague god'! They say it's now open to anyone, as long as they're a man." The big eyes swept over the horrified crowd. "So, keep a close eye on the men in your family, from eighty-year-olds to eight-year-olds, watch them carefully!"
"Eight years old? Isn't that too young?"
"Oh dear, I'm not afraid of ten thousand, but I'm afraid of..." It's not even the Ghost Festival yet, but everyone is sweating profusely as if they've seen a ghost.
"It's too small, it's not satisfying to eat." The hot wind blew the white Taoist robe, and the newcomer's eyebrows and eyes were as clear as a bright moon stream.
The sweltering heat distorted the air, making one slightly dizzy. Upon regaining focus, one would find the once bustling streets and alleys suddenly deserted.
"A-Shui's mother?"
The face suddenly loomed larger in front of him, startling the shopkeeper.
“Give me three… no…” Yu Zigui looked down and counted the copper coins, “Exactly five. Hey, Ah Shui’s mother, why are you shaking?”
A sudden gust of wind swept through, and the female shopkeeper scooped the child who was playing in the sand at the door into the shop. One, two, three, four, five—she slammed the door shut with astonishing speed, and in an instant, only the "Closed" sign on the lintel was left swaying slightly.
She meant the ice was too small and not satisfying to eat; she was really thinking off-topic.
She sighed softly and turned to walk towards the hill not far away.
The scorching sun gradually set, leaving dappled shadows on the rows of earthen walls, and the calm blue sea was also scorched by the heat.
The heat subsided slightly only after we reached the dense forest path.
"Please, please spare me, Uncle Luo!" The red flower in her hair drooped as Wang the matchmaker pleaded desperately, "If this continues, no one in town will dare to ask me to intercede for them anymore."
"Please try one more time, just one more time." His tall figure blocked the mountain path.
"Not even once, not even half a time."
"My youngest daughter is virtuous and kind. She even has two dowries. One is prepared by our master, and the other is funded by us, her fellow disciples. You can also look around the county to see if there are any good families. We don't need to be rich or noble, just have a respectable family background, no wife or concubines, and even if she's not as good-looking as my seventh senior brother, she should be better-looking than my ninth senior brother. In addition, she should be strong and able to run seventeen or eighteen miles in one go, that's the bare minimum. She should be literate, just about the same as my sixth senior brother. And, and, let me think... sixth senior brother, seventh senior brother, eighth senior brother, ninth senior brother, it seems like they've said everything."
White powder fell like rain, and Wang the matchmaker trembled like a sieve.
"Oh, right, and another thing is that you have to be caring. My youngest daughter is usually quiet and tends to keep things to herself. If she doesn't have someone who understands and cares for her, her young and fragile heart will definitely be hurt. She won't say anything when she's hurt, and she'll end up bedridden and depressed. By the end, they finally confessed their feelings to each other, but it was too late. So they ended up in the afterlife, at opposite ends of the earth. It's so unfortunate... so unfortunate."
It's so hot outside, and to hear such a cheesy story, it's unfortunate that she's doing well!
"How about that? This is a very low requirement, isn't it? It's certainly not a problem for you, sir."
The veins on her old face bulged more and more clearly, just as she reached her breaking point and felt there was no need to endure it any longer—
"Senior brother."
A life-saving elixir! Run!
"Matchmaker Wang! Matchmaker Wang!"
"Let's go back together, senior brother."
Luo Shi glanced awkwardly at the fleeing man, then turned and walked away.
"He comes from a respectable family, has no wife or concubine, is as handsome as Qilang, is physically strong, literate, and knows how to care for others. So he is not someone who is eighty years old or as young as eight."
A soft sigh came from beside him, and Luo Shi's burly body stiffened slightly, momentarily at a loss for words to offer comfort.
"Senior brother, does it really matter whether someone is male or female?"
Why?
He turned his head to the side, and the lush green leaves let in the light, like ripples on a lake, reflecting on his slightly troubled face.
“Men and women,” she murmured, “I never noticed before.”
"Before? I mean, now that you've noticed."
Her eyes flickered.