Лучшая актриса - Глава 5
A hint of surprise flashed in the boy's eyes, like a gentle breeze rippling across the surface of shallow water. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded.
Yue Ruzheng finished her breakfast in a bit of a hurry, beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. The young man looked at her and said, "You seem to have a fever; it's probably from overexertion and catching a chill."
She felt a slight warmth spreading through her body, and her heart sank. Suddenly, she looked up urgently and asked, "Little Tang, do you have any herbs here?"
Tang Yanchu seemed to see through her thoughts and frowned slightly, saying, "Even if you take the medicine now, it's impossible for you to get to Bei Yandang."
"What should we do?!" She lowered her head in frustration, looking at her feet, and said, "I'm so afraid something will happen to Master..."
"Why do you want to find Longqiu Sanren?" Tang Yanchu asked casually.
"I..." Yue Ruzheng hesitated, unsure whether she should tell him those complicated things, and simply sighed, "You wouldn't understand the ways of the martial world."
Tang Yanchu hesitated for a moment, then said, "If you trust me, I can set off now to find that Dragon Pool Hermit for you."
"You?!" Yue Ruzheng was startled. She turned to look at his slightly thin body and saw his empty sleeves. She panicked and immediately looked away.
But Tang Yanchu seemed to sense this, turned her head to look at the ground, and said, "I don't have arms, but I don't walk slowly."
"No, no... I'm just... I'm just embarrassed..." Yue Ruzheng hurriedly explained, but she felt her face burning and her guilty expression was very obvious.
Tang Yanchu still didn't look up at her, his gaze fixed on his feet. Yue Ruzheng glanced at him and tentatively asked, "Have you ever been to Bei Yandang?"
He shook his head and said, "I haven't left here." But then he added, "However, I know how to get there."
Yue Ruzheng glanced out the window, finally making up her mind, and said, "Could you please deliver a letter to Longqiu Sanren for me?"
Tang Yanchu didn't say anything. She just stood up, walked to the window, looked at the objects on the desk, returned to the bedside, put the bamboo basket on the desk with her teeth, lifted her right foot, put the brush, ink, paper and inkstone into the basket one by one, then bent down, put the basket in her teeth, walked to her, and gestured with her eyes for her to take them.
Yue Ruzheng hadn't dared to watch closely as he performed these seemingly tedious actions. Only when he leaned down in front of her did she calm herself down and reach for the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
The boy placed the bamboo basket back on the table, sat down in a chair, and quietly watched her grind the ink, put down her pen, and seal the container.
"Is this all you're going to give him?" the boy asked after she sealed the letter.
Yue Ruzheng thought for a moment, then raised her arm and untied a necklace from her neck. The necklace was made of white jade, with three dark green silk threads hanging from the center, each topped with a pearl of identical size. These three pearls were not perfectly round, but rather teardrop-shaped, with a faint, sea-blue sheen on their surfaces. She placed the necklace together with the letter, then handed it to Tang Yanchu, saying, "Please give this to my master uncle for me. He'll know I'm here when he sees the necklace."
Tang Yanchu lowered her eyes to look at what was in her hand and whispered, "Put it in my arms."
Yue Ruzheng then realized what was happening and awkwardly stuffed the things into the lapel of his short jacket. Tang Yanchu tidied up the dishes and chopsticks for her, then filled a basket with tea and dry food, placed it on the cabinet, and left the room.
He didn't say goodbye to Yue Ruzheng when he left. Yue Ruzheng only realized he had left when she heard a soft rustling of the bamboo fence outside the courtyard.
Although Tang Yanchu rarely spoke when he was there, at least there was some movement inside the house. After he left, Yue Ruzheng lay alone, listening to the increasingly heavy rain, dripping and pattering on the eaves, on the window paper, on the leaves, everything was shrouded in silence. This place was far from the town, far from the crowds, and there was no noise at all. Apart from the sound of the wind and rain, there was only the occasional cawing of crows, each cry sounding like a lament.
At noon, the rain hadn't stopped. She ate her dry rations listlessly, wondering how difficult Tang Yanchu's journey would be. He was only nineteen years old, yet he had such a severe disability and lived alone in this remote mountain area. Yue Ruzheng didn't know how he had managed to survive.
She was filled with questions about the boy, but when he was around, she dared not utter a single word, much less ask any questions on her own. Tang Yanchu was very silent, but that silence seemed to contain an immense sense of oppression, making her extremely uncomfortable. He did everything with an emotionless attitude, always keeping his head down or avoiding her gaze.
Yue Ruzheng would think for a while, then sleep for a while. Sometimes the injury on her foot would sting, and the wound from falling down the hillside yesterday would also flare up. She spent the afternoon in a daze.
As night fell, the rain intensified, casting mottled shadows on the window paper, resembling many strange patterns. The wind and rain raged, and the distant sound of rushing waterfalls and strange rumbling echoes lingered in the air. Yue Ruzheng stared anxiously at the unclosed door for a long time.
She wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, hiding in the darkness. For some reason, although she practiced martial arts and had a cheerful disposition, every time a stormy night like this came, a wave of fear would rise from the depths of her heart. This fear was indescribable, like a nightmare or a hallucination, but it would cling to her tightly, making it hard for her to breathe.
Her senior brother often teased her, saying that although she seemed bold and outspoken, she was actually like a child afraid of the dark. Yue Ruzheng disagreed, but she couldn't explain it.
She spent her second night in Nan Yandang in this huddled state.
By daybreak the next day, the rain had stopped. The stream behind the house must have swelled considerably; Yue Ruzheng could hear the rushing water flowing into the distance.
The weather gradually improved, and Yue Ruzheng's fever subsided, but Tang Yanchu had not yet returned. Yue Ruzheng's heart began to race with anxiety, her initial worry about his inability to reach Bei Yandang in time turning into concern about his safe return. She couldn't suppress her wild thoughts and began to regret sending him out in the rain to find her martial uncle. She wondered if he had brought any rain gear, and even if he had, how would he have carried it? Although he lived in the mountains, he had no arms; what if he encountered steep mountain paths…? The more Yue Ruzheng thought about it, the more guilty she felt. She hadn't eaten anything that morning, staring blankly at the slightly ajar door.
As noon approached, Yue Ruzheng's heart was in her throat, but just then, she heard the bamboo fence in the courtyard rustle and someone came in.
"Little Tang!" she couldn't help but call out loudly.
Footsteps approached the room, and then the door was gently pushed open. Yue Ruzheng was startled at first when she saw who entered. The person was wearing a wet raincoat and a straw hat, half of his face was covered. But when he walked to the bedside, squatted down, and looked up at her, she saw Tang Yanchu's dark and bright eyes.
His hair was a little wet, falling across his face, and his lips were slightly pale. But his eyes remained clear.
Yue Ruzheng breathed a sigh of relief, clutching her chest, and exclaimed dramatically, "That scared me to death!"
"What's so scary about it?" Tang Yanchu asked, slightly surprised.
She finally smiled happily and said, "I've been worried for so long, I was so afraid something would happen to you."
Tang Yanchu said calmly, "I'm used to mountain paths, I'll be fine. It's just that the heavy rain last night caused some delays." He paused and then added, "I saw your senior uncle."
"Really?" Yue Ruzheng sat up straight with delight and asked, "What did he say?"
"I gave him your necklace and letter. He should already be on his way to Luzhou with your senior brother." Tang Yanchu thought for a moment, then added, "I brought your necklace back; it's in my arms."
Yue Ruzheng gently reached out and took the sea-blue pearl necklace from his bosom. Although he was wearing a raincoat, his clothes underneath were already soaked.
Tang Yanchu watched as she tied the necklace and tucked it into her collar, then said, "Your senior uncle told you to stay here and recover from your injuries. They'll come back for you after they've dealt with things."
The weight on Yue Ruzheng's heart finally lifted temporarily. She took a deep breath, looked at Tang Yanchu's face hidden under his straw hat, and said, "Thank you, Xiao Tang."
Tang Yanchu raised her head, still looking calm, and didn't even smile as Yue Ruzheng had expected.
Seeing that he was still wearing a straw raincoat and hat, Yue Ruzheng reached out and said, "Let me help you change out of these clothes."
Tang Yanchu stepped back and said, "No need, I'll go back to my room and change myself."
Yue Ruzheng watched him leave the room with a hint of disappointment, wondering if her usual carefree attitude had made this introverted boy somewhat resistant. She sat for a long time before Tang Yanchu returned. He had taken off his straw raincoat and hat, changing into another dark blue garment, the same style as before—a short jacket that only reached his waist. A matching belt was tied around his waist, and he wore black trousers with the cuffs rolled up. It was only early February, yet he was walking barefoot, without shoes or socks.
He walked to the bedside, bent down to look at the basket, paused for a moment, and said, "Why didn't you finish eating? Are you not used to eating this kind of food?"