Su Wan'er nodded, tilted her head back, and drank it.
As dawn broke, a blinding flash of lightning streaked across the window, and suddenly a light rain began to fall, pattering against the windowpane.
I washed my hands in the basin, mixed some painkillers, and applied them to Wan'er's eyes. Looking at the two people in the room, I thought: After the eye transplant, He Tingzhi will probably never be able to erase Su Wan'er again. Wan'er, is this what you wanted?
There was a knock on the door, and Lou Xiyue slipped in. He was somewhat taken aback and said in a low voice, "Why didn't you tell me?"
I hadn't slept all night and was very tired. I rubbed my temples and said, "There's only enough room for one person behind that screen."
I patted Lou Xiyue on the shoulder. "I'm exhausted after a night of this. I need to recover. Once those two wake up, there's bound to be a bloodbath. It's all up to you. Don't wake me up if someone dies." Then I retreated to my room, hugged the blanket, and fell asleep.
I lost track of how much time had passed in this darkness, until I opened my eyes a crack and let in some light. Looking around, I saw a figure standing in the shadows, the light bathing him and highlighting his profile. I moved closer, grabbed the hem of his robe, and called out, "Master..."
The person turned around, smiled, and said, "You're awake?"
I loosened the hem of his robe and said sullenly, "Xiyue, your teacher is hungry."
"Then I'll take you outside to get something to eat."
I asked him cautiously, "Have He Tingzhi and Su Wan'er woken up? Does Lu Xiaoyue know? Is the He family on the verge of collapse?"
He nodded. "He Tingzhi woke up around noon today. Su Wan'er is still asleep. Lu Xiaoyue already knows. The He family is in chaos. Do you want to know exactly how chaotic it is?"
I turned around and went back to sleep on the bed. "Don't tell me anything. I'm going to sleep a little longer."
When I woke up again, I smelled the aroma of roast chicken. Lou Xiyue slowly unwrapped the oil paper package. I sat up abruptly, took the chicken leg he tore off, and grumbled, "How long have I been asleep?"
Lou Xiyue tilted her head and looked me over. "A total of three days and three nights."
"Shouldn't things be a little more peaceful at the He residence then?"
He rested his chin on his hand, pondered for a moment, and said, "You actually know who poisoned me, don't you?"
As I ate the roast chicken, I mumbled, "I'm not quite sure, but white quenching grass mostly grows in the Western Regions."
Lou Xiyue raised an eyebrow at me but didn't say anything.
After a long silence, I gave him a forced smile and said, "Now that your eye ailment is cured, it's time for us to go back to Medicine King Valley."
He said softly, "Do you think they can get along peacefully just because you changed their eyes?"
A string of water droplets cascaded down the eaves, and the bluestone path outside was washed clean by the rain, exuding the fresh scent of earth.
Now that things have come to this, I don't know whether it was right or wrong to give He Tingzhi and Su Wan'er new eyes.
As Lou Xiyue and I passed by Su Wan'er's room, candlelight was lit, and through the window paper, we could vaguely see a figure sitting on the edge of the bed, as if reaching out to gently stroke her eyes.
In the dead of night, I saw Lu Xiaoyue again on the eaves. When Lou Xiyue approached her, there were several wine jars scattered around her, and she buried her head in her knees and wept bitterly.
Lou Xiyue gently patted her shoulder. Xiaoyue looked up, her eyes glazed over, and murmured, "I was wrong... I shouldn't have poisoned her. It was my fault... You'd rather go blind than let her go... He Tingzhi, tell me, what should I do?"
She spoke with aggrieved emotion, tears staining her clothes, and curled up into a ball.
The moonlight, cool as water, dampened her silk skirt.
She said she regretted it many times. It's unclear whether she regretted drugging Su Wan'er, regretted marrying He Tingzhi, or regretted their initial encounter.
The night was still, occasionally broken by the sound of the night watchman's drum, "Dong—", waking people from their slumber. Around midnight, a thin mist rose, obscuring the He family mansion, making it impossible for anyone to discern its features or see clearly.
The next morning, Lu Xiaoyue left.
I heard from the servants of the He family that Lu Xiaoyue left with remarkable nonchalance. She cut off a lock of her hair with her sword, took the white horse from the stable, and rode away. It was the height of rose season, blooming in a blaze of color. I recalled the Lantian jade-like roses blooming in clusters along the stream in the Yunshan Valley, a scene of shimmering mist and brocade.
Actually, Green Calyx is also a rose, and it's in full bloom this May. It's just a pity that it's green, hidden among the bright red, and others mistake it for a supporting leaf.
I asked Lou Xiyue, "She's already married, is she going back to her parents' home in a fit of pique?"
Lou Xiyue said, "She might want to remarry. She's already cut her hair."
I sighed, "They might have become monks and shaved their heads."
When Lou Xiyue and I left the He residence, we saw He Tingzhi standing under the locust tree, dressed in a white satin robe, his hair tied up in a white jade knot. The dappled shadows of the tree fell on his plain robe, and he held the bundle of black hair in his hand, standing silently. I glanced at his eyes, clear as water, which matched his face well, but with a hint of sorrow.
Leading the horse across the Willow River, I saw a young man at a jewelry stall in the market on the bank. He bought a hairpin and pinned it on the girl beside him. The girl lowered her eyes shyly, her smile as beautiful as a flower. I said to Lou Xiyue, "I regret it."
I tugged at his sleeve and said, "It seems I've forcibly broken up a couple's marriage."
He reached out and brushed the leaves off my head.
I asked Lou Xiyue, "There's something I just can't figure out. Lu Xiaoyue wanted to poison Su Wan'er, but He Tingzhi drank it for Wan'er. Couldn't he have just poured the poison out?"
Lou Xiyue shrugged. "Perhaps he feels guilty towards Xiaoyue."
"Did Xiaoyue know that he was willing to risk his life? If she knew, would she still have left?"
Lou Xiyue didn't speak. After a long while, he called out to me, "Master."
"Um?"
"In a few months, it will be the season of chrysanthemums and plump crabs. Why not postpone our return to Medicine King Valley? west Yue is willing to do her best as a host and take Master to Yangzhou to eat crabs."
Lou Xiyue looked at me with a smile, her narrow eyes sparkling. A few boats glided leisurely by on the Liu River.
"OK."
Yangzhou, the place where I first met An Chen.
Text [09] Crab Roe is Fat