The river rippled gently, but no boat could be seen in sight.
The dark clouds on the horizon gradually dispersed, revealing a sliver of rosy dawn.
A mist rose, lightly shrouding the river surface, like a veil of dark silk.
I thought about it again and realized I was at a disadvantage. Since it was all to save his third uncle, I was going on a difficult and arduous journey north alone, while Lou Xiyue was in the capital drinking, appreciating flowers, and composing poems with many young masters.
When I'm lonely, if others aren't lonely, I feel even lonelier.
Lou Xiyue folded up the ebony umbrella and handed it to me, saying, "The rain has stopped. Keep this umbrella in case you need it on the road."
I said, "I've heard that the northern border region is very dangerous, with jackals and tigers everywhere, and no one who has been there has ever come back alive."
Lou Xiyue looked up at me and said with great interest, "Oh?"
I said, "I am so fearless, willing to risk my life to save others."
He twirled the fan in his hand with his fingertips, his smile deepening.
A black silk boat docked at the shore, and the boatman used a bamboo pole to part the ripples in the water.
A group of people disembarked from the boat, carrying bundles, their footsteps creaking on the deck.
After everyone had left, people waiting for the ferry at the dock began to board the boat one after another.
I asked Lou Xiyue, "Has the person you're supposed to pick up arrived yet?"
He nodded and said, "Maybe on the next trip."
I thought about it for a moment, and said, "Waiting like this isn't a solution. The boat only comes once every few days, and it might not come until it gets dark."
He smiled and asked me, "What's your best idea?"
I said, "How about this, you and I will take a boat together, and you'll see the person you're picking up on the other side, right?"
Lou Xiyue paused for a moment, then laughed out loud. He fanned himself and said, "That's a good idea. Let's get on the boat."
The water is vast and misty.
The distant, indistinct mountain ranges, set against this clear blue water, create a scene reminiscent of a light ink painting.
The clouds dispersed and the rain stopped, and a rainbow of seven colors stretched across the eastern sky at dusk, a beautiful sight that evoked the imagery of ornate and melodious poetry.
Lou Xiyue and I stood at the bow of the boat. He leaned against the mast, idly watching the layers of smoke and waves below the corner of the boat.
I hadn't seen him for almost three months, and I felt a bit awkward around him. There were many topics I didn't know whether I should talk about or not, such as his wife.
The boatman turned around and smiled at him, "Young master, you can listen to some music in the wheelhouse, would you like one?"
Lou Xiyue stepped forward and said, "Okay."
He took a few steps, stopped, and turned to look at me. "Xiao Xiang, do you want to come over and listen to this?"
We lifted the curtain and went inside, where a young woman was sitting gracefully on a carved mahogany stool, holding a pipa.
Upon seeing Lou Xiyue, she asked in a soft voice, "What would you like to hear, young master?"
Lou Xiyue smiled and said, "Evening Moon over the River."
The young woman casually plucked the strings of her zither, and a melodious sound flowed out. She began to sing softly, her eyes filled with affection as she gazed tenderly at Lou Xiyue.
As things continued to unfold, the only people left in the tower besides Lou Xiyue, who was listening to the tune, and the young woman singing the tune, were a scholar drinking tea and eating melon seeds, and me, who had been listening for half an incense stick's time but still couldn't understand what she was singing. They had to cover their faces and leave.
I nudged Lou Xiyue with my elbow and whispered a reminder, "How's your wife doing lately?"
He paused for a moment with his fan, then looked up and asked, "My wife?"
I nodded. "Yes, Ji Jiu said your father arranged a marriage for you. Aren't you going back to get married?"
He shook his head. "Not really."
I said, "It is or it isn't. This ambiguous and vague attitude of 'it doesn't count as' is really frustrating."
He covered his mouth and coughed lightly. "No."
I said, "Oh, then you and the young lady can continue. I'll go find a place over there to eat melon seeds and leave."
Just as I was speaking, the song "Evening Moon over the River" finished playing.
The shipyard was quiet; all four of us heard what I said clearly.
The young woman blushed slightly, then picked up her pipa and went up to the second floor. The scholar was taken aback, patted the melon seed shells in his hand, and retreated outside the ship's gate.
There were only two people left in the inner room: Lou Xiyue and me.
Lou Xiyue tapped my forehead with her fan, laughing and crying at the same time, "Are you satisfied?"
I said, "It was my fault. How about we go up to the second floor and sit for a while?"
Lou Xiyue glanced at me and said, "You go if you want."
The cabin fell silent, with only the gentle sound of water and the lapping of waves outside the boat.
I felt a little awkward, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why.
Lou Xiyue held the blue-and-white porcelain wine pot on the table, pouring and drinking by herself, occasionally turning her head to look at the riverside scenery outside the lattice window.
I explained to him the antidote for wolfsbane.