Zexiu leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, gazing at the lush greenery outside. After a long while, he finally said, "I know, I know you didn't mean it that way."
Xiao Man lowered her head, as if a flower was blooming even at the soles of her feet.
The Chaotic Scroll, Chapter Two: The Round Fan Manor (Part Two)
Updated: 2008-10-04 15:09:24 Word Count: 3698
Saturday, two updates a day, this is the first one.
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Xiaoman never imagined that houses could be built underground.
A row of three tiled houses, the one above ground—well, let's call it the first floor for now—what should we call the two floors buried underground? Underground floor one, underground floor two?
The so-called "Fan Manor" did not refer to the few dilapidated houses on the ground, but to a complex network of interconnected underground tunnels, making it look like some kind of secret base.
The strangest thing was that after wandering around the tunnel for a long time, they came to a room where there was another fan waiting. When he saw them, he waved with a dark face: "Little girl and Zexiu, come here. The rest of you wait here."
That's strange. Wasn't the round fan just watering the flowers? Why did it come down so quickly?
Zexiu nudged her and whispered, "Don't be stunned, this is real."
Wow, is it possible that it's fake?
Holding a candlestick, Tuan Shanzi lifted the curtain to the back room. It was dark inside, and no one knew what was hidden there. Xiao Man, trembling with fear, tugged at Ze Xiu's clothes and shuffled inside. Tuan Shanzi gently tapped the wall, and a series of soft clicking sounds came from a mechanism. Suddenly, the room lit up. It turned out that a circle of bronze candlesticks was embedded in the wall, connected to some unknown mechanism, and had been lit by his tap.
In the back room, there was a bed, behind which was a large water vat, a washbasin stand, a few chairs, and a huge wardrobe with many small drawers, the contents of which were unknown.
Zexiu pressed Xiaoman down into a chair, took the candlestick from Tuanshanzi's hand, and chuckled, "Second Uncle, it's been many years since I've seen you use Gu. Today, I'll show you what it's like."
The fan-wielder chuckled twice, but his voice was somewhat hoarse: "If you say that... don't regret asking me to save her today."
After saying that, he went to the copper basin to scoop water and wash his hands. He then came over seriously, sat down opposite Xiaoman, and said, "Open your mouth."
Xiao Man obediently opened her mouth, and he held her head and examined her closely for a long time. Ze Xiu brought the candlestick closer so that he could see her more clearly. He looked at her from different angles for a long time, and finally reached out and pinched her tongue, making her almost drool.
"The Gu was planted in the right hand. Let me see." He quickly came to a conclusion, and surprisingly, he was quite accurate. Xiaoman couldn't help but feel both respect and admiration. How could he tell where the Gu was just by looking at the teeth and pinching the tongue?
The bandage on her right hand was untied. Tuan Shanzi stared at the wound for a while, then used her hand to lift up the edge, revealing the bright red flesh inside. The scene looked terrifying, but Xiaoman didn't feel any pain at all.
“It’s the Azure Dragon Gu.” He quickly concluded once again, “Only laymen would use this kind of Gu. It’s nothing serious. He can recover within three days.”
Tuan Shanzi got up, took out a brush and ink, and leaned on the chair to write down the prescription: "Go there to get the medicine, roll it into pills, take it three times a day, and also take three ounces of scorpions, boil them into a soup, and use the soup to take the pills. Do not eat any hot food for three days, and then you will be fine."
Scorpions? To make soup?! Xiao Man immediately heard these two horrifying words. Could you even eat soup made from such a thing?
Zexiu looked at the prescription and was clearly surprised: "Second Uncle, this centipede and toad..."
The man with the round fan glared at her: "This is to remove the poison, not to cure an illness! Don't you know that you're using poison to fight poison?"
Centipedes! Toads! How many terrifying things is she going to eat?! Xiaoman felt like fainting, but Zexiu grabbed her by her vest and carried her out, throwing her to Lianyi and instructing, "Go with the servants to the guest room and wait. I'll be back as soon as I've prepared the medicine."
Servants? Where are the servants? Everyone was a little confused when suddenly the door was pushed open and two identical children walked in. They had their hair in buns and were probably only seven or eight years old. Even their clothes, hairstyles, expressions, heights, and builds were exactly the same. The one on the left said in a pretentious tone, "Esteemed guests, please follow us."
There really were servants. Where did they come from? Nobody knows. This underground fan-shaped manor is really too strange. There are doors in the tunnels, but the doors don't necessarily lead to rooms. They could lead to another tunnel. It's more terrifying than a maze.
After walking for a while, the group suddenly found themselves in an open space. It was an underground courtyard, complete with various flowers and trees, pavilions, and towers. Servants were bustling about, some fetching water, others sweeping the floor, all in an orderly fashion. Countless fist-sized holes were drilled in the cave walls above, through which sunlight poured down like rain made of hundreds and thousands of rays of light.
This scene is something I could never have imagined before; it has an indescribable magnificence, as well as an indescribable eeriness.
It wasn't until they reached the guest room that Xiaoman understood why this person was called "Round Fan." Looking around, she saw round fan patterns on everything—curtains, bedding, curtains, cushions, even furniture and utensils—some large, some small, some red, some green, all vividly and charmingly arranged. She couldn't help but wander around the room, picking up a curtain to examine the needlework closely. Only upon closer inspection did she realize that the work wasn't actually that meticulous; many of the small round fans were embroidered crookedly, only appearing novel from a distance.
The older of the twins hurriedly said, "You're so clumsy, don't break it, the old man will scold you."
Seeing that he was so young, with cheeks as red as apples, and trying his best to look old-fashioned, Xiaoman couldn't help but think of her younger brother, Dami, and waved to him with a smile: "Come here, come here."
The child ignored her completely. "Anyway, don't touch it. Last time, the little fan accidentally burned a small hole in the old man's hand warmer cover. He's been so scared that he hasn't dared to use it since. The old man looks terrifying when he gets angry."
Xiao Man walked over, picked him up, put him on her lap, grabbed his two little buns, and played with them, laughing, "Little kids should speak in a babyish voice, why are you imitating adults? What hand warmer cover are you talking about? Let me see it, maybe I can help you fix it."
The child, who had been struggling, froze upon hearing her words and exclaimed, "Are you kidding? You can really mend it? Lady Jia Tan's embroidery skills are so good, can you match them?"
Xiao Man grabbed the curtain and laughed, "I don't know who Lord Jia Tan is, but if this kind of embroidery is considered good, then mine must be excellent, right? Give it to me, or if it's not good enough, I'll embroider a new one for you, as a way of repaying your grandfather for saving my life."
The child quickly slid off her lap, his eyes wide: "You're not lying to me?"
Xiao Man pinched his face and rubbed it up and down. "Why would I lie to a little kid like you? Little kid, little kid, what's your name?"
The child pushed her away forcefully, touched his reddened face with a wronged expression, and whispered, "My name is Little Dumpling, and my little brother's name is Little Fan. You...you really can help us? Then wait here, I'll go find Little Fan."
After saying that, he turned and ran out. Xiaoman wanted to remind him to slow down so he wouldn't fall, but when she chased him to the door, she found that it was a dark tunnel outside and shrank back in fright. This so-called Fan Manor was practically a haunted house maze.
Fortunately, the room had everything it needed. A ring of candles illuminated the ceiling, making it as bright as day. On the table sat a gold-threaded box, decorated with fan-shaped patterns. Inside were several pieces of pastry. Xiaoman, thinking about the medicine made from scorpions, centipedes, and toads that she was about to eat, suddenly lost her appetite and put the lid back on.
A moment later, the little dumpling came in with a small fan. The two of them had been running so fast that their faces were flushed. The little fan walked over timidly, took out a dark blue, pouch-like thing from her bosom, and said softly, "This, this is it. Can you... help me mend it?"
Xiao Man took it and examined it closely. It was indeed a hand warmer cover. The workmanship was not necessarily exquisite, but the material was very good. It was embroidered with various round fans. Near the tie, there was a hole about the size of a little finger with charred edges, obviously burned.
She smiled and said, "No problem, of course I can mend it. But this hand warmer cover isn't very fine. If you have any extra fabric, give it to me, and I'll make a few better ones for your old man. I guarantee he'll be overjoyed."
Little Fanzi looked at her gratefully, his big eyes brimming with tears, on the verge of crying. Xiaoman couldn't resist pinching his cheek; hmm, it felt so good, like a steamed bun.
The little dumpling said earnestly, "You helped us, and we will definitely repay you. What's your name?"
Xiao Man laughed, "You're all still kids, stop talking nonsense and hurry up and get me some colored thread, thimbles, laces, and scissors. Come back tomorrow night, and the stuff will be ready."
The two children, their faces flushed with excitement, nodded repeatedly, went to fetch what she had asked for, and then reluctantly left. As they reached the door, the little girl clung to it, her face still red, and whispered, "You're such a kind person, thank you."
Along the way, she'd been called a little hooligan, a little fox, a little rascal, but no one ever called her a good person. It was a long-lost title; only in Wutong Town was she treated as a good child, praised by everyone.
Xiao Man smiled and bent down to carefully sew up the burnt hand warmer cover.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the door, and then the door was pushed open again. She thought it was the two children returning and said, "I told you not to rush, come and pick it up tomorrow night. Even a god couldn't be that fast."
"What tomorrow?" It was Zexiu's voice. She hurriedly looked up and saw that he was holding a bowl of strangely colored soup and a small bottle with a thin neck and a round belly. A chill ran down her spine - the scorpion, toad, and centipede had arrived!
Zexiu placed the things on the table, raised an eyebrow and looked at her sympathetically, saying, "Here, take your medicine."
Xiao Man wanted to cry as he poured a jet-black ball out of the bottle, still steaming, about the size of a bullet. It was made by a centipede and a toad!
She struggled to her feet and walked over, her fingers trembling as she carefully pinched the dumpling. Its smell was equally eerie. Xiaoman swore she'd rather swallow a whole pig than eat this.
"Um... Zexiu, this thing... does it really have centipedes or something..." She asked weakly, her face pale.
Zexiu nodded generously: "There are centipedes, toads, earthworm fragments and some strange things. I guarantee the taste won't be bad. Eat up."
Xiaoman turned away to wipe her tears, then, with a death-defying resolve, popped the meatball into her mouth. Before she could vomit, she picked up the strangely colored scorpion soup and gulped it down. As for whether it tasted bitter, sweet, or salty, she couldn't tell at all.
The meatballs rolled into her stomach with the soup, carrying a strange, fishy smell. After a while, a cold sensation spread through her. Xiaoman couldn't help but shiver, covering her mouth to prevent herself from vomiting.
Zexiu said, "The Gu you are afflicted with is Yin in nature, and it thrives in damp and hot conditions. So, the medicine was used to cool your body, and the Gu naturally couldn't stay there and came out on its own. By the way, don't wear so many clothes. Take off your outer garment. Don't worry about being sick. Don't cover yourself with a blanket at night, and don't take any other medicine for the next few days."
"This could kill someone..." Xiao Man sat back on the bed, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. Just as she was about to untie her clothes, she looked up and saw him still standing beside her. Her face flushed, and she said, "Get out."
Zexiu picked up the work beside her, looked at it, and asked in surprise, "Why are you doing this?"
The Chaotic Scroll, Chapter Three: The Round Fan Manor (Part Three)
Updated: 2008-10-04 15:09:25 Word Count: 4016
Saturday, two updates a day, this is the second one.
S: I've been watching "General, Wait for Me" by Guiyuan Babao lately, and I've laughed so hard I'm cramping up a million times!
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Xiao Man took the hand warmer cover and said, "Two little devils made a mistake and I'm terrified. I'm staying here anyway and have nothing to do. Your second uncle even helped me get rid of the curse, so I thought I'd find something to do. He likes round fans so much, so I'll embroider a few better ones for him. If he's happy, he probably won't blame you."
Zexiu was clearly very interested. He sat down next to her and watched as her fingers flew across the paper, carefully and skillfully adding colorful threads. He praised her, "You have excellent skills. You can embroider a butterfly or something for me sometime."
Xiao Man said without any hesitation: "No problem, one tael of silver per flower. Give me the money and I'll embroider it for you. I can even embroider a beautiful woman on it."
“Greedy as hell.” Zexiu continued her sharp tongue, then suddenly remembered something and said, “His collection of round fans is all kept on the bottom shelf, and he never takes them out to show anyone. Last time, I happened to see someone give him a round fan with a painting of a lady holding flowers on it. Besides embroidering the shape of the fan, could you also embroider the painting on it?”
Xiaoman said, "Yes, I can, but that's very complicated. First, I have to draw the pattern, which takes a whole day. Then I have to choose the colors and stitches. If I were to do it all by myself, day and night, it would take several days. It's too much work. Don't hire me for this kind of job unless you offer me more money."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he felt a tap on the forehead. Ze Xiu frowned and said, "All you ever think about is money, you're obsessed with money. Is the young master of Cangya City really that short of cash?"
Xiao Man put down her needlework, stared blankly for a while, and then suddenly said softly, "You always mention Cangya City. If I weren't the young mistress of Cangya City, you probably wouldn't even bother to talk to me."
Zexiu was stunned for a moment, but then she heard her say, "If I weren't the young mistress of Cangya City, what would you do? Beat me to death, or parade me through the streets?"
His brow furrowed truly now, and he said, "This kind of assumption is meaningless. What kind of answer do you expect from others? Absolutely not mind? Or something else?"
Xiao Man lowered her eyelashes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, and her upper lip pursed up playfully, giving her a delicate and heart-fluttering profile.
She whispered, "Yes, it's meaningless. How could I not be the young mistress of Cangya City? I was just imagining things."
The room fell silent except for the hissing sound of her drawing silk threads. After an unknown amount of time, Zexiu's voice finally rang out: "I didn't do this because you're the mistress..."
Her hand slowly stopped, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she whispered, "I know."
Zexiu stood up. "I know what you mean."
Xiao Man almost dropped her needle and thread. She quickly looked up, and Ze Xiu smiled slightly, saying, "Are you going to repay me with your body? I can't make that decision for you. You'll come home with me first, meet my parents-in-law, have your birth dates and times determined, choose an auspicious day, and then..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xiaoman jumped up, her face flushed red. Pointing at his face, her fingers trembled uncontrollably, and she finally managed to choke out, "You...you're too arrogant! What do you mean by offering yourself in return! Who do you think you are!"
Zexiu stroked his chin, a malicious smile playing on his lips: "Oh? That's not what you meant? So you're only seeking affection, not marriage? I don't care, I'll accept anyone..."