Feng Shui

Chapitre 33

"Brother, don't you remember what happened before?" The boy seemed very sad, and even his tone of voice was full of grievance. His pair of yellow jade eyes were instantly shrouded in gloom, which made Luo Lin feel sad without realizing it.

“Alright, it’s better not to remember some things,” the boy muttered softly, then looked up again with a faint smile on his face. “Brother, you should stay with me…”

Before he could finish speaking, the boy suddenly fell silent, nimbly stepping in front of Luo Lin. His expression instantly turned serious, with a hint of panic in it.

Luo Lin followed the boy's gaze and saw a flickering patch of light suddenly appear in the bushes about ten meters away. It wasn't a very bright light, probably less than 70 centimeters high. The patch of light flickered in the bushes, neither the dim yellow light of a flashlight nor the snow-white light of an emergency light. Its pale, bluish-white light sent a chill down one's spine even under the moonlight.

Could it be...?

The word almost floated into Luo Lin's mind: the mountain path that seemed impossible to leave and the sudden appearance of a point of light. Even a thorough materialist like Luo Lin would feel uneasy in such a situation. Come to think of it, the Ghost Festival had only just passed... The more Luo Lin thought about it, the more frightened he became, and his palms were damp with cold sweat.

"Oh, isn't this the Yan family's mistress?"

Before the light even got close, a loud, deep voice could be heard from afar. Then, a short, stout middle-aged man, no more than 1.5 meters tall, appeared in front of the two. He was wearing a simple summer shirt and polyester trousers, with a big smile on his face. In his thick hands, he was carrying a plain white paper lantern, which was obviously the physical form of the light source that had aroused so much imagination.

"It's Uncle Li!" The boy called Xiao San, like Luo Lin, only breathed a long sigh of relief and stepped aside after seeing the newcomer's face. "I thought he was from Huangdai Mountain. I was just wondering what to do."

"Those guys from Huangdai Mountain are still on their way. What, are you still thinking about what happened back then?" The middle-aged man strode forward, only stopping when he reached the two men. "It's been so long, no need to worry too much. Besides, they're just passing through this time..."

The middle-aged man's lantern shone on Luo Lin's face, and he suddenly stopped talking. Then, as if he had been frightened, he started coughing violently. His face, which was flushed from rushing, turned even more purplish-red. He pounded his chest and gasped for breath, and it took him a long time to come to his senses.

Luo Lin watched this scene with a puzzled expression, and couldn't help but reach out and touch her face. Was something wrong with her face? Why was the other person so afraid of her?

"Cough...cough...mistress...cough...why did you...bring him here?"

"Because my brother got lost again, I thought I'd take him to the palace. But I saw the signal at Huangdai Mountain on the way, so I rushed over in a panic."

"You really are..." The middle-aged man seemed helpless with the boy, shaking his head and saying helplessly, "What do we do now? The people from Huangdai Mountain are almost here. If they see him here, things will really get complicated. Today is the day our youngest daughter is getting married."

The boy seemed to be taken aback, and his voice rose a few octaves: "How could it be silver thread? Wasn't it supposed to be Sister Zhulu's auspicious day?"

"That's right. I just heard about the bride being switched. The only thing we can do now is to find a way to make him hide as soon as possible."

"What should we do? The people of Huangdai Mountain have a very keen sense of smell." The boy looked panicked, biting his lower lip and looking dejected, as if the sky was about to fall.

"Huangdai Mountain is...?" Luo Lin had to ask the question that had been on his mind. He clearly didn't remember knowing anyone from Huangdai Mountain, so why did these two people look at him as if he had some major grudge against them?

"He doesn't remember anything?" The middle-aged man looked at Luo Lin with some surprise, but then asked the boy. Seeing the boy nod heavily, he even showed a disdainful expression on his face.

"I already told you, humans are the most ungrateful creatures. You did so much for him back then, and he doesn't even remember anything." He said resentfully, turning his head away as if he hated Luo Lin so much that he wouldn't look at her again.

"Don't blame your brother!" Unexpectedly, the boy seemed to be disgusted by the middle-aged man's words and said loudly, "My brother is the best person in the world, he would never lie to me."

“Mistress, it’s not that I’m saying anything about you…” The middle-aged man was about to launch into a long speech when he suddenly stopped. He pricked up his ears, listened intently for a while, then shrugged and relaxed. “It’s someone from the Hua family.”

Just then, a rustling sound came from not far away, and a tall, thin young man appeared in Luo Lin's sight. The man was wearing an old-fashioned Zhongshan suit, with his hair parted in an old-fashioned style, neatly combed with some kind of hair oil. His long, pale face had delicate eyebrows and eyes, and he was also carrying a plain white lantern. Luo Lin couldn't help but wonder why everyone was using lanterns instead of flashlights. Was there some rule in Luo Xiang Mountain?

The man stopped in front of the three of them, scanned them up and down before fixing his gaze on Luo Lin. He also showed a slightly surprised expression, and spoke in an extremely slow and somewhat strange voice: "Why is it him again?"

Luo Lin even began to doubt whether he was a celebrity. Why did everyone here seem to know him and have no good feelings towards him? He was just lost and wanted to ask for directions. Did they have to be so hostile? Thinking this, Luo Lin said somewhat awkwardly, "I just want to get to Yueyan Temple as soon as possible. Just tell me how to get there. I can go by myself."

"You can't even get to the top of the hall now," the tall man said coldly. The moonlight shone on him with an indescribable eeriness. Looking at his face, Luo Lin felt a putrid aura rising from the soles of her feet. Right, that short, fat man had just said that humans were the most ungrateful creatures. Weren't they human?! Luo Lin couldn't help but gasp.

"Then I...I'll..." Luo Lin wanted to say goodbye, but before she could finish speaking, a strange melody reached her ears. It began with the sound of a suona horn, its cheerful sound floating lively under the moonlight, mingling with the mist and announcing a strange and sharp celebration, playing a tune of a happy marriage. This was followed by a series of cymbal sounds, which sounded particularly noisy in the quiet mountains, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps and the crackling of firecrackers. It sounded like a wedding procession on its way.

"Damn it, they're from Huangdai Mountain." The first to react was the boy called Xiao San, who grabbed Luo Lin's hand without thinking and tried to run away.

"Wait." The tall man stepped forward and blocked their path. "Where are you taking him?"

"Uncle Hua, move aside! I need to hide my brother!" Xiao San was so anxious that she jumped up and down. As the wedding procession drew closer, Luo Lin could vaguely see a group of thirty or forty people appearing in the dense forest. The leader was a suona player dressed in red. A gentle breeze blew, and red fireworks ribbons swayed in the wind, creating an indescribably bizarre scene.

"Come with me." The man surnamed Hua thought for a moment and walked towards a certain place first. "Today, the old master of the Tong family is admiring the moon in the side hall. If he's lucky, he might be able to..." At this point, he gave Luo Lin a meaningful look and stopped talking.

"That's right, Grandpa Tong knows my brother too, he should take care of him." The third son of the Yan family clapped his hands happily. "How come I didn't think of that? Brother, don't worry, with Grandpa Tong around, everything will be alright." As he spoke, the boy looked at Luo Lin with joy in his clear, jade-like eyes. Luo Lin's heart skipped a beat. How familiar that look was, but why couldn't he remember when he had seen that expression before? Did he really know this boy?

"arrive."

Luo Lin had only been distracted for a moment when the person in front of her suddenly stopped, and she almost bumped into them. Luo Lin steadied herself and looked around, only to realize that the four of them had somehow entered a garden. It seemed to be someone's backyard, with carved railings everywhere, and winding corridors adorned with mahogany and glass lanterns depicting the Eight Immortals, their soft yellow candlelight casting a gentle glow within the lantern shades painted with delicate birds. The garden was filled with various trees, mostly peach and plum, their leaves lush and vibrant in August.

In the center of the garden stood a round stone table seating four, with two people already seated. The elder at the head, dressed in a dark blue robe, with white hair and a white beard, possessed a somewhat otherworldly air. He was stroking his beard, gazing intently at the chessboard, presumably contemplating his next move. Opposite him sat a young man who looked quite young, wearing a trendy rock-style T-shirt, with long hair dyed an exaggerated gold, and his hands adorned with numerous metal ornaments—hardly the image of someone who played Go. However, seeing him, Luo Lin felt slightly relieved. Someone dressed so fashionably shouldn't be a problem. Thinking back to her earlier skepticism about the identities of those people, she couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. What era are we living in? Still believing in such things!

"Master Tong!" Perhaps unable to contain his anxiety, the young man from the Yan family called out after hesitating for a while, breaking the silence in the garden.

Hearing the voice, the old man looked up, gave the boy a kind smile, and then turned to see Luo Lin. Luo Lin had expected the old man to show him the same disgust as the others, but to his surprise, the old man simply smiled faintly at Luo Lin and put down the chess piece in his hand.

"Young merchant, let's play again next time. This old man has guests arriving tonight." The old man said, casually tossing the chess pieces on the table into the box and standing up. "Your distant cousin should be arriving soon. It wouldn't be right for her, as her cousin, not to go and greet her."

"No, no!" The young man called "Shopkeeper Boy" grabbed the old man's sleeve like a rogue. "Grandpa Tong, we agreed that we wouldn't stop until we had a clear winner. How can you go back on your word and bully a junior like me! Let them go to Huangdai Mountain. I'm not going to get humiliated. Everyone knows that Yinxian still has her heart set on that one..."

Halfway through his sentence, the young man turned his head and saw Luo Lin standing awkwardly to the side, and then showed a surprised expression.

"My goodness, how come he appeared as soon as you speak of him!" The young man had a handsome face, but his upturned peach blossom eyes and thin eyebrows made Luo Lin feel a little uncomfortable. How should I put it? This man was clearly male, but he exuded a feminine charm, which was also tinged with a hint of evil.

“Brother Shang Ci, since you’re so free, you can come and play chess with Grandpa Tong again next time. Brother Luo can’t wait, you know he has a bad temper over there.” The young man from the Yan family said hurriedly, as if afraid that the young man surnamed Shang would snatch the old man away, and reached out to pull the young man out.

"Wait...wait, mistress, hey, don't be so heartless!" The man surnamed Shang barely managed to steady himself and said anxiously, "It's precisely because I know they have bad tempers that I should stay here. If anything happens, I, as their cousin, might be able to persuade them."

"No one would believe you. You just want to see a good show!" The young man from the Yan family continued to push the other party away relentlessly.

"Oh, what kind of show has our young master so interested?" A soft, charming female voice suddenly rang out. Luo Lin was taken aback. He had never heard such a voice before. It was deep and slightly hoarse, yet it carried an indescribable charm in just the right place. Just by listening to the voice, one could imagine that the person who came must be a woman of outstanding appearance.

The voice that followed was that of a woman who appeared to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old. She was wearing an elegant sleeveless, narrow-shouldered cheongsam with a lotus-root-colored background and acacia flower patterns. The slit of the cheongsam went up high to her upper thighs, revealing a pair of snow-white, beautiful legs. Her long, dark hair was piled up high and held in place by a gold hairpin, with a few strands left loose to form a soft, charming loop at her temples. Her fair face had a pair of bright, peach-blossom eyes that looked around with a smile. The slightly upturned corners of her eyes seemed to bear a resemblance to the man surnamed Shang.

"Oh, it's you, Auntie! Please forgive me for not being able to greet you sooner." The young man surnamed Shang exclaimed exaggeratedly, smiling as he stepped forward and let the young woman affectionately clasp his hands in hers.

Such a young woman is actually the aunt of the young man surnamed Shang? Luo Lin was taken aback, but then thought that it might be because of their seniority, and felt that she was making a fuss over nothing.

"Brother, don't speak." Compared to Shang Ci's ease, the young man from the Yan family looked wary. He secretly led Luo Lin behind the man surnamed Hua, seemingly not wanting the woman to discover him.

"Grandpa Tong, Hu Wenyue from Huangdai Mountain is passing by Luoxiang Mountain on her way to marry off her daughter. She has come to pay her respects to you." The woman said, turning to the old man and curtsying. "My nephew has received much care from you over the years. Wenyue thanks you on my behalf."

"You're too kind." Grandpa Tong chuckled as he helped the other woman up. "Yinxian is going to marry into Changbai Mountain, isn't she? It's a long journey, and you, her mother, are going to be lonely."

“Isn’t that right?” The woman named Hu Wenyue sighed as she stood up, casually tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Even this simple gesture exuded charm. “It was originally Zhu Lu’s marriage, but who would have thought that the other party would take a fancy to Yin Xian? This child is still young, and as her mother, I really can’t bear to part with her.”

“When a daughter grows up, she will eventually get married. We elders should be happy that Yinxian is able to marry into a prominent family like the Mo family in Changbai Mountain.”

“That’s true.” Hu Wenyue said, taking out a handkerchief and gently wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes. “In that case, Wenyue will take her leave now and will come to pay her respects to you on my way back.”

Grandpa Tong nodded: "May you have a safe journey."

As the other party turned and left, the young man from the Yan family finally let out a long sigh of relief. Before a smile could even bloom on his face, he saw the woman stop again, turn around, and stare straight at Luo Lin, who was hiding behind the man surnamed Hua.

"This young master looks familiar. Have I had the honor of meeting him before?"

"I..." Luo Lin was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to answer. A strange feeling in his heart told him that he must not get involved with this woman.

“This is a young friend of mine. We haven’t seen each other for many years, so I specially invited him to enjoy the moon. Master Hu should not have met him before.” Old Master Tong answered for Luo Lin, seemingly casually stepping between the two of them. “The journey is long, Master Hu should not miss this auspicious time.”

Hu Wenyue's eyes flickered with allure as she glanced suspiciously at Luo Lin before chuckling, "Old Master Tong is absolutely right. I'll take my leave now. Please forgive me for any inconvenience I may cause." With that, she curtsied again and gracefully turned to leave.

"Phew, finally she's gone." The first to speak after the woman left was the man named Shang Ci. He patted his chest dramatically and sat down on the stone bench with a carefree air, looking as if the situation had been extremely dangerous. "Luckily, she didn't notice anything. If it had been Zhu Lu with her fiery temper, she might have noticed something, and then things would have been out of control."

Grandpa Tong laughed heartily and beckoned to Luo Lin: "Young man, come and sit down."

Luo Lin obediently walked over and sat down next to the old man. Everything that had happened tonight was so unbelievable that he had temporarily forgotten his important business of going to Yueyan Temple.

"How is Grandpa Luo doing?" Grandpa Tong asked, holding Luo Lin's hand with a kind expression as if he were talking to his own grandchild.

“My grandfather… passed away twelve years ago.” Luo Lin hadn’t expected the old man to actually know her. She paused for a moment before answering, thinking that perhaps he was an old acquaintance of her grandfather.

Speaking of her grandfather, Luo Lin only had a vague impression of him, since he had passed away when Luo Lin was six years old. She had only heard her parents say that the old man liked to make all kinds of friends and that strange people often came and went in the house. Even many years after her grandfather's death, there were still strangely dressed guests who came to the house to discuss things with her grandfather.

Luo Lin vaguely remembered a summer when a beautiful woman came to visit her grandfather. It was a bright, almost frighteningly clear afternoon. The woman carried an oilcloth umbrella, a common sight in old-fashioned Jiangnan, its delicate pink surface covered with large, blooming peach blossoms. Layer upon layer of blossoms burst forth under the summer sky, appearing from little Luo Lin's perspective like a crimson cloud enveloping the small sky above the courtyard, so dazzling that everything near and far lost its color. The woman wore a strikingly bright crimson cheongsam with a floral pattern, its slit high, revealing a pair of shapely legs. Her slender hands, holding the umbrella handle, were painted with vibrant vermilion nail polish…

"Lin, you must be Lin'er. Is Grandpa Luo home?"

The woman's voice was melodious, like the rustling sound of early spring rain pattering on the leaves of flowers in a quiet courtyard. Her soft, gentle voice seemed ethereal and unreal amidst the waves of heat and the chirping of cicadas.

“Grandfather…” Xiao Luolin raised her head, trying hard to see the other person’s face clearly. Her gaze moved from the beautiful legs in jade-colored satin shoes, over the voluptuous body tightly bound by bright fabric, to the pointed chin, above which were thin lips lightly pursed with red lipstick, and above that…

"Lin, come in!" Grandfather, his face ashen, hurriedly stepped out of the inner room and pulled Luo Lin behind him.

"Oh, Grandpa Luo, it's alright that you're at home..."

Little Luo Lin was trapped behind her grandfather, secretly raising her eyes to observe the uninvited guest on the summer afternoon, a beautiful woman in a cheongsam. What did she and her grandfather say to each other?

A woman in a cheongsam…?! Luo Lin's heart skipped a beat. The same tall figure, the same high-slit cheongsam, the same captivating charm… Suddenly, the image of the woman surnamed Hu who had just left flashed before his eyes. Could it be the same person? Luo Lin tried hard to recall the visitor's appearance but found he couldn't remember anything. What was wrong? What did his grandfather say to that woman? He vaguely remembered that the woman seemed to leave with regret, and before leaving, she looked at little Luo Lin and said something. What did she say?

Luo Lin's brows furrowed more and more. What was wrong with him? Why were so many familiar faces appearing in front of him, yet he couldn't remember anything? Had he really forgotten something, or had someone else made a mistake?

"Brother? Brother 1"

Luo Lin suddenly came to her senses and looked down to find the young man from the Yan family looking at her anxiously.

"Brother, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" The young man from the Yan family opened his clear eyes with concern, his expression filled with care for Luo Lin.

Luo Lin felt a warmth in her heart and smiled, saying, "It's nothing, I was just thinking about some things from the past."

"Things from the past?" The short, stout middle-aged man surnamed Li was the first to speak up. "What have you remembered? Do you remember how our mistress almost lost her life because of you?"

Lost his life? Luo Lin looked at the Yan family boy who was looking at him with the same expectant eyes. His tender face was shining with anticipation. It seemed that he really owed the boy a favor, but if it was about saving his life, why didn't he remember it at all? Besides, the boy in front of him was at most eight or nine years old. How could he possibly have the ability to save him?

"Alright, alright, Li Laoliu, don't pressure him. If he can't remember, then so be it." Seeing the atmosphere becoming awkward, it was Grandpa Tong who stepped in to smooth things over. "Everyone knows how much you care for Xiaosan. The moon is so beautiful tonight, it's really not good to waste such a lovely night. Young man, if you're not in a hurry to get going, why don't you stay and keep this old man company while we enjoy the moon and have some drinks?"

"I..." Luo Lin wanted to refuse, but seeing the expectant look in the Yan family's young man's eyes, she swallowed her words. Thinking that it was already late and her grandmother was probably already asleep at the temple, it would be better to wait until dawn rather than disturb the peace and quiet of the Buddhist temple. With that thought, Luo Lin nodded.

"Alright, no one is allowed to slip away tonight. Grandpa Tong, please wait a moment. I'll go get those two jars of aged wine from the back hall. Let's drink until we drop!" The young man surnamed Shang was the first to respond enthusiastically. He hurriedly ran along the corridor and soon brought back two jars of fine wine sealed in earthenware urns. Before he even opened the jars, a fragrant aroma wafted over.

"It is indeed good wine." The man surnamed Hua, whose face had been tense, relaxed when he smelled the aroma of the wine. Luo Lin realized that the other party was not as scary as he looked, and since he no longer showed obvious hostility towards her, her interest was also raised.

"Let's play a drinking game," Luo Lin suggested. Although she had just come of age, Luo Lin's alcohol tolerance was exceptional; she was a well-known drinking expert at school.

"Great suggestion!" The man surnamed Shang slapped his thigh. "Let's play a drinking game. What do you think, Grandpa Tong?"

Grandpa Tong stroked his beard and nodded with a smile.

"Then I'll go get your set of playing cards." This time it was the short, stout man surnamed Li who spoke. "Oh, right, it's not fun to play drinking games with too few people. I'll go and call everyone over. Xiao San, spread a mat on the ground, and we can all just sit on the ground."

Huh? Luo Lin stared wide-eyed as waves of strangely dressed people appeared out of nowhere. There were women in retro dresses and high buns; there were men with half-exposed arms and fierce-looking beards; there were young people in hippie-style jackets and fur coats; some even rushed over in their pajamas, making it look like a costume party at first glance. Meanwhile, Grandpa Tong sat at the head of the table, happily playing drinking games with everyone.

Luo Lin only knew the simple drinking games of fifteen or twenty, and didn't understand any of the complicated rules that required rhyming and matching. Therefore, although she was the first person to suggest playing drinking games to liven things up, she was sitting on the side and couldn't get a word in edgewise. Fortunately, she had the young man from the Yan family by her side, and with the bright moonlight and the fragrant wine, she felt it was a wonderful thing to listen to the lively noise around her.

"Hey, young man, why are you sitting here drinking alone? Let me keep you company." As soon as he spoke, Luo Lin felt a strong smell of alcohol mixed with perfume on his cheek. He turned around and saw a woman dressed in a low-cut dress with a style reminiscent of the Tang Dynasty. She was smiling radiantly and leaning drunkenly on his shoulder. Her long, black hair was loosely scattered on her half-naked shoulder. She was hiccuping and giggling as she reached out her slender fingers to stroke Luo Lin's face.

"Aunt Mu, please stop teasing Brother Luo. He's a respectable man." The young man from the Yan family, unable to bear it any longer, rushed to Luo Lin's rescue. The phrase "respectable man" made Luo Lin blush; he had almost started fantasizing about the woman throwing herself at him. Thinking of this, Luo Lin awkwardly took a sip of wine. The fragrant taste traveled down his tongue, feeling smooth and mild in his stomach, without any spiciness. Even better, a lingering fragrance remained on his lips and teeth afterward—truly fine wine! Luo Lin couldn't help but drink a few more sips.

"Brother, you can't hold your liquor, don't drink too much." The young man from the Yan family anxiously snatched the cup from Luo Lin's hand, acting like a little adult. "If you get drunk again, Grandma Luo will scold you again."

"Don't worry, Grandma won't know I'm secretly drinking at the temple. Don't underestimate me, my brother can hold his liquor!" Luo Lin, enjoying his drink, laughed and snatched his own wine cup. The woman surnamed Mu had already poured Luo Lin a full cup with a charming smile.

"Young Master Luo, would you mind if I sang you a little tune? What kind of songs do you usually like to listen to?"

"What do you want to hear?" Luo Lin thought for a moment, "I'm not picky, you can sing whatever you want."

"Is that so? Then I'll sing 'Two Swallows Flying' for you, sir." The woman squinted and thought for a moment, then bowed slightly, took out a pipa from somewhere, tuned the strings and began to sing.

"The fairyland of Penglai is shrouded in clouds and mist"