Ne touchez pas à mon homme

Chapitre 1

Hibiscus Night Banquet

My grandfather, who was known as an eccentric, passed away when I was very young. Because he studied folklore, he had many strange rules in the eyes of others: for example, he made my cousin, who was a month younger than me, and me dress the same way until we were seven years old, with long hair and wearing Tang suits that almost no one would wear; he only allowed my cousin and me to call each other by the nicknames he gave us—mine was "Firewing" and my cousin's was "Icefin".

It's a bit strange...

My family has lived in the ancient city of Kagawa for generations, never leaving our old house in the old town. From childhood, I was surrounded by those white walls and gray tiles frozen in time, as if protected by an unseen force, keeping the city's clamor from penetrating our winding, deep alleys. Mysterious customs and everyday life have long been integrated, becoming a way of life for people. As for those incredible things, I don't know if everyone is simply used to them or completely unaware of them. In this unassuming land of wonder, I spent my entire childhood with Icefin.

There are some things that we still don't understand whether they really happened or were just an illusion...

I remember one afternoon at the end of the year, when the house seemed very busy as the year was drawing to a close. No one noticed that I was crying sadly alone in the yard after failing to snatch rice cakes from Icefin.

"Is this the eldest one? Is her name Firewing? She's crying so pitifully!" I heard someone whisper gently. Tears distorted the world in my eyes slightly—I saw a middle-aged woman standing under a red, single-petaled camellia tree blooming in the corner.

Was she a guest? Otherwise, she definitely wouldn't have been able to enter the gate, nor would she know my name. But when did she come in? Whose guest was she? What kind of guest was she? If it were me now, I would definitely be able to tell the difference. But at the time, I didn't think much of it, because this woman looked so elegant and kind, with a beautiful crimson flower woven into the hem of her white dress.

"Would you like to come to my house for a drink? Anything is fine, you can eat your fill!" She didn't approach, but asked gently, "Would you like to come? If you do, my little girl will be very happy."

My grandfather once told me to pretend not to see some strangers. If they could make a sound, I should always reply, "Don't ask me, go ask my parents." That's what I always said.

"I see..." the woman in the white dress smiled. "Mr. Neyan, look, we've been waiting for your word!"

Neyan is my grandfather's name.

So Grandpa was home… I looked up and saw him standing in the shadow of the eaves behind me, wearing his old reading glasses. The lazy afternoon sunlight of winter hung in front of him like a golden veil. For some reason, I suddenly felt as if I had been waiting for Grandpa for a long time, and I couldn't help but cry loudly again.

"You don't mind this little guy crying so much? Well then, there's no other way but to bring Firewing to your house." The grandfather politely accepted the woman's invitation. "We'll make some preparations and be there before the dinner tonight!"

"What wonderful news! I must hurry back and tell everyone! Mr. Neyan, the road at night can be a bit difficult to walk. My home is in the seventh alley of the old city, there's a big hibiscus tree in front of the door, please don't go to the wrong place!" The elegant woman bowed and turned to slowly walk out of the courtyard.

As the long white robe embroidered with crimson and purple flowers disappeared from sight, I heard my grandfather's helpless voice: "It seems it still won't work. You still don't quite know how to get along with them..." He patted my head, "How can I not worry, Firewing..."

I remember it was only noon a moment ago, but it got dark very quickly; the days are really short in winter. Following my grandfather's instructions, I put on the pomegranate-red cotton-padded jacket I had prepared for my sixth birthday. I waited for him at the courtyard gate in the northeast corner.

Grandfather and Mother arrived shortly afterward. Because they were going to a banquet, Mother wore a new cheongsam with peacock feather patterns. At that time, very few people wore cheongsams, so it was very fashionable.

“They said they only invited Grandpa and me, can Mom go?” I asked my grandfather.

“No problem, no problem, more people means more fun!” Grandfather laughed heartily, while Mom smiled but didn’t reply.

"What about Icefin?" I said, suddenly remembering how he stole my share of rice cake soup. "Let's not bring him along, that rascal!"

“Yes…it would be better for Huoyi to attend this banquet…” Grandfather smiled meaningfully through the lenses of his reading glasses.

Walking at night is really difficult. After walking through the intricate, spiderweb-like alleys of the old city for a while, you get the feeling that you're going in circles. Although they are usually as familiar to me as my own backyard, today, just like how different lighting subtly changes a person's appearance, the alleys have become something unfamiliar.

It wasn't too late, but there were only my grandfather, mother, and me on the road. The rising moon cast its pale blue light on the stone path marked with tire tracks. The narrow road made the tall white walls appear somewhat distorted, as if stretched towards the night sky by an invisible hand. As my grandfather led me forward, my legs grew numb. At that moment, the brick walls and carved doors in my vision looked like blue-gray screens being pulled away one after another.

How long have we been walking? I live in Guanhua Lane, which isn't far from Old Town Seventh Lane...

"Grandpa, are we lost?" I tugged at my grandfather's sleeve. He looked up at me, smiling but not answering.

"Will we miss the banquet?" I asked somewhat anxiously.

A helpless, bitter smile appeared on his face, while his eyes were hidden behind his reading glasses: "I thought I could avoid it this way. If Firewing wants to go, then he'll have no choice but to go..."

"So you've been here!" A gentle voice echoed from the darkness. "We've been waiting for so long. Were you lost...?"

A long white dress woven with crimson and purple floral patterns emerged slowly from the thick darkness like a water bubble; it was the elegant woman from the daytime.

"Of course, I had absolutely no idea where I was!" Grandfather laughed sheepishly. "Your house is really hard to find!"

The woman covered her mouth and laughed, "What are you saying! It's right here! I'll take you there." She reached out to take my hand. I was a little scared and looked up at my grandfather. He didn't seem to want me to refuse, so I had no choice but to extend my hand as well.

The woman helped me up, and thankfully her hand didn't feel uncomfortable. But as we crossed two puddles and rounded a corner, a huge hibiscus tree appeared before us. For the hibiscus, which is usually quite slender, this tree was enormous. Its trunk, requiring two people to encircle, was adorned with verdant moss, while its elegant branches reaching towards the night sky were bursting with crimson-purple blossoms—the flowers woven into the hem of the woman's dress were exactly the same. Crepe-like petals drifted down from time to time—later I learned that the hibiscus has another name: the flower of a fleeting moment.

Why didn't we see such an obvious sign just now...?

Red lanterns emerged from the darkness beneath the hibiscus tree. As a child, I couldn't read the words written on them; my attention was entirely focused on the slightly ajar black door beneath it. Warm golden light shone through the crack in the door, accompanied by faint laughter.

"Come in quickly, everyone's getting impatient!" The woman walked ahead and pushed the door open.

An overwhelming atmosphere of joy surged forth instantly, like the hot wind of a midday summer. The heartfelt happiness of the crowd took on a brilliant golden hue, blurring my vision. My grandfather and I were surrounded by the crowd as we entered the courtyard through the black lacquered gate.

The courtyard was crowded with people, so many that their faces were barely visible.

"Mr. Neyan, we've been waiting for you for so long! We almost missed the auspicious time!" someone shouted from the crowd.

"Three years ago, Mr. Neyan helped us drive away the Centipede family. We really don't know how to thank you!" another voice said.

"I already told you not to thank me," Grandpa said with a slightly embarrassed smile. "I didn't do this specifically for the sake of your family..."

“Well, Mr. Neyan always declines like this every year, but this year I must repay you!” The woman in the white dress politely interrupted my grandfather, smiling as she turned her gaze to me. “Besides, the children are all six years old now, they’ve grown up…”

"That's right! That must be Young Master Huoyi! Look at those eyes! You can tell he's from Mr. Neyan's family at a glance!"

"How majestic!"

"He really is a good match for the young lady!"

Another round of heated discussion began, this time focusing on me. However, their words puzzled me greatly. No one had ever called me by such an archaic title as "Young Master," nor had anyone ever praised me for being "imposing"—because I'm a girl!

"Mr. Neyan, who have you brought here!" Amidst the laughter and chatter, the woman whose dress was decorated with crimson flowers suddenly let out a sharp cry, which was somewhat out of character for her usual elegant demeanor.

The commotion quickly spread throughout the crowded courtyard, brewing into a prelude to chaos.

"Your attention was entirely focused on the master and young master, you didn't notice her at all!" the woman questioned, pointing at my mother. "Who is this?!" I, who was closest to her, suddenly felt an indescribable chill.

"Isn't she Firewing's mother!" Grandfather said with a smile. "It wouldn't be right for the mother not to come on such a joyous occasion for the child..."

"I see..." The woman's tone softened, and relieved whispers spread through the courtyard. It seemed that everyone here thought it was only natural for Mother to be here, yet they unconsciously avoided her.

"This is quite troublesome, Mr. Neyan." This time it was the woman's turn to put on a fawning smile. "Your daughter-in-law's clothes are really too eye-catching..."

My mother's new cheongsam with peacock feather patterns is very beautiful; I don't think there's anything jarring about it. My grandfather, going along with the host's wishes, said, "Then let her wait at the main gate."

It's so unfair! They made my mom wait alone at the door in this cold weather! I immediately started to dislike this family.

"It's getting late, let my young lady meet Young Master Huoyi!" the woman reminded them. People immediately laughed and made way for her. I saw a young girl walk out of a dimly lit room at the end of the path.

Was the little girl in this house really six years old like me? She looked completely like an adult! She wore a white brocade cheongsam embroidered with intricate crimson-purple flowers; perhaps she was beautiful, but as a child, I didn't notice at all. Because then I realized that it wasn't just her, not just that elegant woman, but everyone in this courtyard, men and women alike, wore brocade clothes of various colors. Each garment had a unique pattern, but without exception, the material was this crimson-purple flower—the hibiscus. The people here had such a strong affinity for the hibiscus!

"The little girl really likes Young Master Firewing!" the people dressed in hibiscus flowers cheered. The beautiful girl who seemed to be a good match for me seemed quite pleased with my eyes, using them as a mirror to reflect my appearance. As she approached, I saw a delicate and vibrant crimson birthmark between her eyebrows, as exquisite as a hibiscus petal.

“She is your bride!” the woman said to me, pointing to the hibiscus flower and the girl in the womb.

"The bride? Is that something you can eat?" After walking for so long and being surrounded by a group of people saying all sorts of strange things, I was really hungry and tired. At that moment, food was my biggest concern.

"Well, how can I put it... Anyway, there's a feast when you marry the bride..." My grandfather seemed a little embarrassed by my question. He hid behind his glasses, frowning and smiling, as if he was thinking about something.

The woman seemed somewhat regretful: "Seeing Young Master Firewing standing with our little girl reminds me of Miss Icefin. It's such a pity that I don't have any boys of similar age in my family..."

I immediately remembered that the rice cake had been stolen: "I don't want to talk to Icefin! It's always trying to steal my things!"

"Really!" Grandfather suddenly smiled strangely. "You'd better not let him steal your bride away!"

“No way! I’ll make sure the bride is well hidden!” My words elicited cheerful laughter and good-natured jokes from the people in the courtyard. My grandfather, however, looked at me through his glasses with a peculiar expression: “Hidden there, she was still found by Icefin in the end!”

That's absolutely right. Although Icefin is an expert at finding lost items, just like me, Icefin is even more accurate. This is because, in addition to having eyes like mine, Icefin also has ears that can hear the voices of unseen things in the darkness!

"What are you going to do? How do you usually deal with Icefin?" There was a hint of persuasion in his grandfather's words...

"Of course I have a way! It's safest to eat it!" I said loudly and proudly.

Anxious whispers swept across the courtyard, only to be swallowed by silence. I didn't notice the people around me shifting to make way. The woman in the hibiscus-patterned dress stared at me blankly, trembling: "After all, this is Mr. Neyan's family... You're not joking, are you? You really want to eat?"

"Didn't you say that?" Exhausted, hungry, and a child's tantrum, my temper flared. "You said I could eat anything at your house, all I could eat!"

After a brief silence, as taut as a bowstring, someone suddenly shouted, "Oh no! He insists on eating it!"

"Run!" Zhang's panicked shouts vanished into the night as if swallowed up. I heard a strange sound, like the fluttering of countless insect wings.

Like an arrow released from a bow, an uncontrollable stream of light swept past my eyes, like fireworks on New Year's Eve.

My grandfather took my hand and calmly moved me towards the door. It seemed as if many shapeless things were swaying and escaping, like soft but chaotic feathers constantly brushing against my face. I had to close my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Neyan, it's probably not possible to marry the young girl to your family!" I heard the woman pleading.

"How rude of us! My family was really looking forward to it!" The usually tolerant grandfather suddenly became relentless. "We're never coming again!"

Suddenly, the chaotic sounds and the sensation of wings disappeared—I knew we had stepped out the door.

I opened my eyes to a pitch-black road. I sighed, mimicking an adult, "In the end, I still didn't get to eat anything..."

Grandfather smiled and adjusted his glasses: "I didn't expect Firewing to be so powerful!"

"What?" I looked up at my grandfather, puzzled.

“This family doesn’t mean any harm, but they’re just so persistent,” Grandfather sighed. “I told you and Icefin not to reveal your true identities to guard against families like this. If Icefin gets engaged to someone like that, there’ll be no way to stop it!”

"What's going on, Grandpa?"

“I originally wanted you, Huoyi, to get engaged to her daughter. Your engagement to the girl would be invalid, and we could use that to appease that family later,” Grandfather laughed with a sigh of relief. “But that plan is a bit risky; what if that woman goes berserk…”

"Will it eat me?" I cried out in fear, "Grandpa just favors Icefin!"

"Firewing, is that how you see Grandpa? Grandpa is so sad..." Grandfather pretended to cry, then smiled and patted my head. "You two are my treasures! And Firewing scared them away! You're so capable! They could eat them all for you!"

"Huh? I'll eat them..."

“It seems I was overthinking it… You might be better at getting along with them than I thought.” Grandfather looked up at the deep darkness. “Besides, I can’t protect you all forever…”

"That won't do. What if that family comes looking for us again if Grandpa isn't here?"

Grandpa laughed so hard his glasses almost fell off: "No, no, it's just to prevent that. I left something they're afraid of at the door!"

I didn't think about my grandfather's words at the time because I suddenly realized that my mother hadn't followed. I was so anxious that I almost cried. My grandfather pushed up his glasses, which had slipped down his nose: "Don't worry, you'll see Mom when we get back! She's not taking the same route as us..."

For some reason, I felt that my grandfather's words were very meaningful.

At the doorway in the northeast corner of the house, I saw Icefin sitting on the steps, seemingly having waited for a long time. As soon as he saw me, he stood up, brushing the dust off his peony-patterned purple cotton robe: "Grandpa!" he called to my grandfather behind me, his voice tinged with grievance, "Grandpa really does prefer Firewing, he only takes her out..."

My grandfather stroked my head with one hand and Icefin's head with the other: "This time you really have to thank Firewing, Icefin..."

Icefin tugged at my clothes, and I knew it was his way of apologizing: "Firewing must be really scared. Next time, I'll protect you."

We didn't look up, but we all knew very well—Grandfather smiled, a smile of peace.

Suddenly, Mom's voice called us from inside the gate. When we turned around, Mom had changed into her everyday clothes and was walking towards us through the courtyard. She had indeed arrived home first!

Beyond the shadow of the eaves, the setting sun shone through the latticed window in the courtyard wall, illuminating my mother's face...

How could there be sunlight? Isn't it the dead of night? The night after the Hibiscus Flower Banquet—I turned to ask my grandfather. The winter wind swirled withered leaves, sweeping across the flagstone street in front of the door, rushing towards the unknown distance—where there was no one in sight…

There seemed to be something hard in my palm. I looked down and saw my grandfather's reading glasses lying quietly in my hand...

Years later, when I asked my family about the Hibiscus House, everyone said we didn't know anyone living in the old town's seventh alley. Although there was a hibiscus tree there, there would never be a house with red lanterns and a black gate under it, because that area was all surrounded by high walls.