Strange Tales

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 w

……