Luzhou Moon - Chapter 45
Yue Ruzheng's hand trembled slightly, but she still smiled and said, "No, don't overthink it."
Tang Yanchu paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Did you come out without your master's knowledge? Did she forbid you from coming?"
Yue Ruzheng's smile gradually froze, and she silently hugged him tightly. Tang Yanchu turned to look at her and said, "Because I don't have hands, right?"
"Xiao Tang!" Yue Ruzheng was heartbroken. "I told you not to overthink it, it's not what you're saying."
"Then why did you suddenly come back, and seem like a completely different person?" He frowned, then turned around, gazing at the petals rustling in the wind, and said earnestly, "If your master and senior masters don't want you to come with me, I can go see them. Really, I can tell them that I don't have hands, but I can dress myself, cook, gather herbs, chop wood... I can do many things and won't be a burden to anyone... If they don't believe me, I can demonstrate it to them right there..."
Yue Ruzheng bit her lip, her vision blurred. Her Xiao Tang had never wanted strangers to see him doing things with his feet, and even in front of her, he sometimes felt inferior. But now he was saying such things.
Yue Ruzheng's heart was bleeding, but she had to endure the pain and not let him see through her. She nestled against his back, closed her eyes, and said, "It's alright, Xiao Tang, really, it's alright. As long as I know how hard you've tried, that's enough."
"You know, Ruzheng, sometimes I wonder why I have to live like this. I don't think I've done anything wrong, but why have I become different from you all since I was nine years old... But I have no choice but to live like this." He looked up at the distant white clouds and said, "But I'm so happy you're back, really."
As Yue Ruzheng listened to him speak slowly, his tone not so sorrowful, but rather calm and gentle, tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly and secretly wiped away her tears, hugged his shoulders, and said, "Xiao Tang, don't say anymore, or I'll start crying again."
Tang Yanchu lowered her head, seemed to smile, and suddenly said, "Hold on tight and don't let go."
"Huh?" Yue Ruzheng was startled and hadn't reacted when he forcefully bent over and stood up. Yue Ruzheng was lifted off the ground by him, but he didn't have his arms to support her legs, so she could only hang her entire weight on his shoulders in a slightly panicked manner, curling her legs up and wrapping them around his waist.
"Look, I can carry you on my back!" Tang Yanchu turned her head slightly with some effort, but there was a faint smile in her eyes.
Yue Ruzheng hugged him tightly and said, "Xiao Tang, this is tiring. Put me down."
"Not tired." He seemed very happy, and despite her objections, he carried her out of the courtyard and ran towards the mountains and forests.
Yue Ruzheng's heart pounded, the faint scent of herbs emanating from Tang Yanchu surrounded her. He was no longer the quiet man he always was; he was full of life, like any ordinary young man, running in the breeze.
He ran all the way to the edge of the peach grove before stopping, slightly out of breath, gazing at the distant green peaks and mountains, and exclaimed joyfully, "Ruzheng, I'm so happy!"
Yue Ruzheng pressed close to his back and said softly, "I'm happy too."
"I will always remember that day, the ninth day of the second lunar month this year, when you first appeared before me," he said earnestly. "It's the most precious birthday gift I've ever received."
"What?" Yue Ruzheng exclaimed, releasing her arms and leaping down to hug his waist and turn him around. "You said the day we first met was your nineteenth birthday?"
He nodded slightly shyly and said, "Didn't I say I was born in February?"
Yue Ruzheng then remembered that she had asked him when they first met, but hadn't asked when he was born. She stamped her foot and said, "Then why didn't you say? If I had known, I should have given you a proper celebration that day."
"You were badly injured that day, and we weren't familiar with each other then, so why would I say such things? Besides, no one ever cares about the date..." He looked directly into her bright, star-like eyes and asked, "Ruzheng, you were born on the first day of the Lunar New Year, weren't you?"
Yue Ruzheng nodded, but with some uncertainty: "My aunt told me that my birthday falls during the Spring Festival, which is the happiest time of the year for me."
Tang Yanchu looked at her, her eyes filled with longing: "I'll spend next Spring Festival with you, and then you can spend the ninth day of the second lunar month with me. Ruzheng, for so many years, even during the Spring Festival, I've always been alone. I've never known what it's like to celebrate the New Year."
Upon hearing this, Yue Ruzheng's heart was stirred, and ripples of emotion stirred within her.
"Next year..." She bit her lower lip, looking into his eyes.
Tang Yanchu paused slightly, holding her breath as she looked at her expression, and asked, "Ruzheng, will you still be here next year?"
Yue Ruzheng was startled, then suddenly relaxed her brows, smiled, and leaned on his shoulder, saying, "Yes, Xiao Tang."
"And the year after next, and the year after that, and the year after that?" He paused for a moment, then whispered close to her cheek.
Yue Ruzheng gripped his sleeves tightly with both hands, took a deep breath, and said, "Yes, I will always stay with you."
Tang Yanchu gently lowered her eyes, turned her face to the side, and carefully, tentatively, kissed her cheek.
Yue Ruzheng's eyes were hazy, and through the thin mist of tears, the lush peach trees seemed to be shrouded in a thin veil, indistinct and unclear.
The two sat in the peach grove for a long time, Yue Ruzheng nestled on his lap. Tang Yanchu told her about his childhood, how he took care of his mother, and how he practiced martial arts. When he was happy, he would smile and then lean down to kiss her cheek.
"Xiao Tang, why do you always like to kiss me?" Yue Ruzheng touched his face, completely immersed in the warm sunshine.
He smiled and said, "Because that's how I can run into you."
As the sun set, they began their journey home. Tang Yanchu insisted on carrying her back, and Yue Ruzheng, unwilling to refuse him, cautiously climbed onto his back. Tang Yanchu walked hunched over along the mountain path, the crimson sunset casting its boundless light upon the earth and their shadows.
Yue Ruzheng held him tightly, listening to his breathing. At this moment, she only wished that this mountain road would never end, and that if he got tired, she would carry him on her back, and they would never be separated again.
Chapter Thirty-Two: Self-composed Spring Poems Read by Candlelight
During that period, Yue Ruzheng really wanted to make this small courtyard her home.
She and Tang Yanchu were tidying up the bamboo fence together. They sat side by side, he supporting the bottom with his feet while she carefully wrapped it with thin rope. Orioles sang sweetly on the eaves, whispering sweet nothings.
Every morning they would go up the mountain to gather herbs, and in the afternoon they would rest in that secluded valley. Yue Ruzheng would also practice martial arts with Tang Yanchu. No matter how agile her Lonely Fragrance Sword Technique was, she could never get close to him. The sword shadows, reflecting the bright sunlight, drew ripples that were etched between the green mountains and clear waters.
They went to the deep pool they'd visited before to catch fish. During their rest, they sat together by the pool. The water was no longer so cold. Yue Ruzheng saw Tang Yanchu dipping his feet in the water, so she took off her shoes and gently touched the water with her toes. He would pretend to retaliate, but Yue Ruzheng, taking him by surprise, suddenly grabbed his shoulders and pushed him down onto the grass…
One evening while tidying her bookshelf, she discovered several scrolls that had appeared where the poetry collections used to be. Unfolding them one by one, she found that some contained poems newly copied by Tang Yanchu, and another was a painting scroll she had never seen before.
Yue Ruzheng gently unfurled the scroll and placed it on the desk. On the paper was a painting of plum blossoms. The plum branches were intertwined, varying in height and shape, interspersed with scattered ink plum blossoms, most of them still in bud. She didn't know much about calligraphy and painting, and was carefully examining it when Tang Yanchu entered from outside. Seeing her looking at the painting, she hurriedly ran over, lightly bumped her shoulder, and said, "Don't look."
"Why?" Yue Ruzheng asked in surprise.
His face flushed slightly, and he said, "It's not well drawn."
Yue Ruzheng turned to look at the scroll, holding it in her hand, and said, "I think it's very beautiful."
Tang Yanchu looked at her and said, "Then tell me, what makes it beautiful?"
"This..." Yue Ruzheng stammered, "Look at these plum blossoms, they're painted just like the real thing."
Tang Yanchu couldn't help but smile and said, "So that's the good part? Then tell me, are there any shortcomings?"