Luzhou Moon - Chapter 49
"I'm afraid that in the end, because I don't have hands, you'll never come back." His eyes were misty with tears, but a sorrowful smile played on his lips. "I've thought about it. I'm actually very selfish. You never belonged here, but I desperately wanted to keep you here... I said I wanted to be good to you, but then I'd easily lose my temper with you..."
"Little Tang..." Yue Ruzheng, tears welling up in her eyes, reached out to touch his cheek and stopped him from speaking with a kiss. His lips were a little cold, and Yue Ruzheng gently pecked at them, holding her breath with heartache.
"You're already so good," she murmured softly between kisses. "I don't want you to always be so sad. Smile, Tang."
Tang Yanchu pressed her cheek against hers, a smile slowly welling up in her eyes.
"Let's go gather herbs..." After the hug, Tang Yanchu looked at the distant mountains and suddenly made this suggestion. Yue Ruzheng was about to get him a bamboo basket, but he walked towards the room instead. Yue Ruzheng was stunned for a moment, and then he came out again, a rope she had never seen before hanging from his belt.
"What is this for?" she asked in surprise, reaching out to touch it. It felt cool and soft to the touch, and she wondered what it was made of.
Tang Yanchu smiled but didn't answer. He walked to the wall, and Yue Ruzheng, understanding his intention, carried the bamboo basket on his back and followed him out of the courtyard. The two walked through the peach grove and climbed to the top of the cliff. Just as Yue Ruzheng was about to go forward, Tang Yanchu called out to her.
"Ruzheng, don't go yet. Help me tie this rope around my waist." He gestured with his eyes and looked at his own waist.
"Why is it tied around your waist?" she asked curiously.
He pursed his lips and said, "You'll see in a moment. Remember to tie it securely."
She tied one end of the rope around his waist, securing it tightly, and asked, "Is this alright?"
Tang Yanchu nodded, then looked behind her and said, "Tie that end to that big tree, and make a tight knot."
Yue Ruzheng was uneasy. She picked up the other end of the rope and tied it to a large tree not far away. Tang Yanchu walked over, lifted her foot to clamp the rope, and pulled hard. Seeing that the rope was already tied very tightly, she took off her straw sandals and suddenly ran quickly towards the cliff.
Yue Ruzheng cried out in alarm, and seeing him leap off, she hurriedly chased after him to the edge of the cliff and looked down. Tang Yanchu was in mid-air, using his feet to push off the rocks, swinging his body and falling down one step at a time.
Yue Ruzheng's heart was pounding, but she didn't dare to disturb him with loud noises. She just held her breath and clung tightly to the cliff, her hands gripping the swaying rope tightly.
Tang Yanchu had already landed in the middle of the cliff, and the rope had just reached its end. The mountain was shrouded in mist, and clumps of purple flowers and grasses could be faintly seen growing in the crevices of the rocks.
He planted his feet firmly on the protruding rocks, his body pressed tightly against the cliff face, using his shoulders to brace against the rock, and slowly moved towards the clump of flowers and grass. As he neared it, the rocks beneath his feet became slippery, making it difficult to grip. Gritting his teeth, he glanced to the side and saw a crack in the rock near his shoulder. With a mighty effort, he raised his arm, reached into the jagged crevice, swiftly shifted his body to the side, bit down on a branch, and pulled with all his might, uprooting it. Then, pulling his arm out, he pushed off the rock face with both feet and leaped upwards.
As he leaped to the edge of the cliff, Yue Ruzheng instinctively reached out to grab him. He hesitated for a moment, shook his head at her, and then exerted all his strength to push off the cliff, soaring upwards. However, due to the excessive force, he lost his balance and, along with Yue Ruzheng who was trying to catch him, fell to the edge of the cliff.
He rolled over, putting the flowers he was chewing on the ground, and hurriedly checked to see if Yue Ruzheng had been hurt. Yue Ruzheng sat up, grabbed his sleeve, and said, "I'm fine."
She noticed several scrapes on his face, and then looked at his feet, which were indeed covered in wounds. The upper sleeve of his right arm was also torn, revealing scraped skin. Yue Ruzheng picked up the clump of flowers and plants, angrily saying, "Are you crazy?! Are these things valuable?! Why would you pick them like that?!"
He swayed as he stood up, bent down to look, and said, "This is a February orchid."
Yue Ruzheng paused, looking at the flowers in her hand. The February orchids had slender branches and leaves, seemingly fragile, yet they bloomed beautifully in the cracks of the rocks, their petals, some purple and some white, fluttering gently like butterflies in the wind.
"Could this be a precious medicinal herb?" she asked in surprise, holding the flower up to him.
Tang Yanchu relaxed her brows and said, "I didn't say it was a precious medicinal herb."
"Then why bother picking it?" she said irritably.
He stepped forward, turned sideways, and pushed the flower in front of her, saying, "I picked it for you."
Yue Ruzheng was shaken, and said with a heavy heart, "Little Tang, is such a risky thing worth it?"
Seeing her downcast expression, Tang Yan frowned and said, "What's not worth it? When Master was still alive, he often saw me gathering herbs like this. Really, nothing will happen."
The more he said that, the more guilty Yue Ruzheng felt. She looked down at the flower branch in her hand and remained silent.
"Why are you unhappy?" Tang Yanchu looked at her with some disappointment. "I saw it a few days ago when I passed by here, and I wanted to pick it for you. But I need your help to get down."
Yue Ruzheng looked at the magnificent bouquet of flowers, forced a smile, her eyes veiled with tears that glistened in the sunlight.
Back in the courtyard, Yue Ruzheng found a shovel and squatted down in front of the house, digging in the dirt. Tang Yanchu came to her side, squatted down, and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Let's plant the flowers here, that way they won't wither," Yue Ruzheng said, turning her head to look at him.
"Okay." Tang Yanchu smiled, stood up and walked away. Yue Ruzheng looked back and saw him pushing the bucket of water towards them with his foot. After moving closer, he sat down again, picked up the water ladle and slowly watered the newly planted orchids.
"I wonder how many years this flower will last..." He watered it, smiling slightly like a child. "Ruzheng, if you like it, I'll find you another one later."
Yue Ruzheng washed her hands in the bucket and said, "I don't want you to do such dangerous things again."
"Then isn't it also very dangerous for you to be constantly fighting and causing bloodshed in the martial world?" He put down the water ladle and asked, puzzled.
Just as Yue Ruzheng was about to retort, she suddenly saw two people walking towards her from the peach grove path not far away. The woman in the lead, dressed in a blue dress and with her hair in a high bun, had a cold and stern expression. It was Lian Junqiu. Behind her was an elderly man in his fifties with dark skin. Yue Ruzheng initially felt that he looked familiar, but then she remembered that he was the same person who had first come to see Tang Yanchu that day.
Hearing footsteps, Tang Yanchu turned around and saw Lian Junqiu. His previous cheerful smile slowly faded. He stood up slowly and watched the two approaching silently.
Lian Junqiu had already spotted the two people standing close together in the courtyard. She paused slightly, seemingly surprised by Yue Ruzheng's reappearance. But she quickly regained her composure, calmly pushing aside the bamboo fence and saying, "Junchu, why has Miss Yue returned here again?"
Tang Yanchu said calmly, "She came back the day after you left."
Lian Junqiu glanced at Yue Ruzheng standing to the side, nodded silently, and didn't press the matter further. She simply walked up to Tang Yanchu and said softly, "Junchu, when I yelled at you that day, were you still angry? I felt very uneasy on my way back."
Tang Yanchu smiled and shook her head: "No."
"That's good..." Lian Junqiu nodded, then said, "Junchu, I've come this time to take you back."
Tang Yanchu's eyes were calm and still, and he remained silent for a moment. Yue Ruzheng felt uneasy, looking at his profile. He said in a low voice, "Isn't it still several days until then?"
"Father isn't on the island right now. He and Junxin went out on some errands and won't be back for a few days. I thought I'd take you back first so you can rest and not rush things," Lian Junqiu said, turning to the old man behind her. "Uncle Cen, bring me those clothes."
The old man responded and handed her the bundle he had taken off his shoulder. Lian Junqiu untied the bundle, revealing brand-new clothes inside, and smiled, "Take a look, do you like them?"
Tang Yanchu glanced at it briefly, then lowered her eyes and said, "Why should I change? I don't wear those kinds of clothes."
Lian Junqiu paused, then said, "Junchu, you're the young master now that you're back on the island. How can you still act like a child from the mountains?"
"I'm just like this, why should I pretend?" Tang Yanchu's stubbornness resurfaced. She took a step back and said, "You want me to change into those clothes to go back because you're afraid I'll embarrass the Lian family?"