Yan has gone out again. Despite his careful steps and efforts to leave only when Jun is not in the yard, she can still hear the clear sounds of footsteps, the rustling of clothes, and even the creaking of the door hinges.
"Sigh..."
Ling heard Jun's sigh, jumped onto the table, and looked at her. Its small, black bean-like eyes rolled several times but couldn't figure out what was going on. In the end, it could only sigh in resignation.
Jun chuckled, "Why are you sighing?"
"Why are you sighing?" Ling began to mimic Jun in its most proficient parrot-like manner.
Jun looked around to make sure there was no one else and then turned to Ling. "Do you really take that guy as your husband?"
"Do you really take that guy as your husband?" Ling mimicked again.
"It seems someone has a special place in his heart..." Jun's expression dimmed.
Seeing Jun unhappy, Ling stopped imitating and instead, bobbed its little head from side to side, trying to cheer up Jun.
"How else could stay out all night? It's even better now, just run outside in broad daylight..."
"You are jealous," Ling suddenly said.
"I'm not jealous," Jun retorted unexpectedly. "I'm just curious about what he does when he goes outside."
"You're blushing," Ling, with its keen eyes, teased Jun. "You're definitely jealous, jealous of little Zou."
"No, I'm just... just curious about what he does outside."
"I'll go check for you." Without waiting for a response, Ling flapped its wings and flew out of the main hall.
Jun hurriedly followed, calling out, "Ling, come back! It's not safe outside."
Ling landed on the grapevine trellis and turned to look at Jun.
"Ling, please be good and come down. I'll give you some millet."
At the mention of millet, Ling made a disgusted expression, flapped its wings, and took off. It flew through the grapevine, leaped over the wall, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Jun instinctively chased after Ling. She caught up to the courtyard gate but hesitated for a moment. Eventually, she closed her eyes, steeled her resolve, and opened the door, rushing outside.
There were more people gathered in front of the Zou residence than on the day of Jun's wedding. She couldn't afford to be a spectator now; her focus was on finding Ling as soon as possible.
She looked up at the sky, hoping to spot Ling. The sky was a clear, boundless blue, devoid of any clouds or even a single flying bird. Jun then turned her gaze towards the trees, hoping that the mischievous Ling was hiding in the canopy. All she needed to do was gesture, and it would obediently fly back to her, landing safely on her arm.
Jun had a faint feeling that someone was tugging at her clothes, thinking it was Ling. She was both surprised and delighted. Lowering her head, she intended to greet her beloved bird, but what she saw sent shivers down her spine.
Tugging at her clothes was a haggard-looking woman, so emaciated that there seemed to be no flesh left on her bones. Her skin clung tightly to her skeletal frame, and Jun couldn't be sure if she even had eyes, as they appeared as hollow voids.
"Do you need something?" Jun tried to make her voice sound as normal as possible.
"Have you seen my boy?" the woman asked Jun.
Jun shook her head.
"Then take me to find him," the woman insisted.
She grabbed Jun, and Jun glanced at her hand. Her fingers resembled withered tree branches, and her nails looked like twisted vines.
With a brave heart, Jun reluctantly went along with the woman. She led Jun through the bustling main street in just a few steps. There were even more people here, crowded and bustling. Jun realized that the people here lacked vitality.
"Hurry up, or we won't catch up," the woman urged Jun.
"Catch up with what?" Jun asked with a forced voice.
"To catch up with the doctor to check on my boy," the woman replied.
Jun was taken aback. "Your child is sick? Then why are you looking for him? You should be looking for a doctor."
"I can't find him..." the woman replied incoherently.
"Then you should ask his father to find him."
"His father is dead, died in an epidemic, along with many others."
Jun felt sympathy for the woman. "Is your child also a victim of the epidemic? You should hurry and find a doctor; every moment counts."
"It's too late. My boy is also dead. They threw his body into a mass grave, and we can't even find his remains."
Jun realized that the woman wasn't looking for her child; she was looking for his body. She looked at the woman, who seemed ashen-faced, not knowing how to console her.
"Mom, Mom, to the south, a vast big horse, with long wide boats..." A child's singing voice suddenly echoed from nowhere.
The woman quickly let go of Jun and headed south.
Jun was filled with mixed emotions, and it took her a while to remember that she still needed to find Ling.
As Jun walked along the road, she lowered her voice and called out for Ling. She noticed that the passersby were all preoccupied with their own thoughts and paid no attention to her actions. So, she decided to use her hands as a makeshift megaphone and shouted, "Ling, Ling," without stopping.
A girl suddenly rushed out from the side and stood in front of Jun.
"Why doesn't he want me?" the girl asked.
Jun was utterly perplexed, staring at this girl who had appeared out of nowhere.
"Tell me," the girl seemed very impatient.
Jun was at a loss, not knowing who "he" was, and not knowing who the girl was. Jun had a moment of inspiration and used Ling's method. "Tell me, why doesn't he want you?"
"Is it because I'm fat?"
Jun looked the girl up and down after hearing her question. She thought the girl was at most curvy, far from being considered overweight by any measure.
The girl grew anxious, her voice trembling as she spoke, "I've decided that from now on, I won't eat, I'll only drink water on auspicious days. Even so, I can't possibly have a slender waist like the beauties in the Chu Palace. He's not King of Chu, why does he care about a tiny waist?"
"That's right," Jun understood the situation now. "You should have him read the Book of Songs. 'The peach trees are luxuriant, their blossoms abundant; a son is born to the house, so fitting is it that he should come to rest at home.' Who likes a petite and thin waist anyway?"
"But he can't read..."
"In that case, it's even simpler. Just tell him, 'Plump and robust, able to bear and raise children.'"
"But he..."
Jun grew impatient. "Just tell him that if he keeps on nagging, you'll sit on him with all your might."
The girl blushed and smiled, delighted with Jun's clever advice, and happily went on her way.
A series of chance encounters gradually made Jun lower her psychological defences. She began to feel a sense of accomplishment and couldn't help but mentally mock Yan. He had described the world outside the Zou residence as a treacherous and dangerous place, but it seemed like nothing more than a playground for children.
Jun had traveled quite a distance from the Zou residence, and yet, there was still no sign of Ling. As she continued her journey, she came across an arched stone bridge that blocked her path. Without much thought, she ascended the steps.
Upon reaching the centre of the bridge, Jun stopped and looked around. Below the bridge, the turbulent waters roared as they flowed westward. When the river encountered massive boulders, it sent towering white waves crashing into the air, and the splashes of water rained down on the pedestrians on the bridge.
Jun wiped her face, and an inexplicable sense of fear overcame her.
"The water that day was this fierce..."
A voice drifted into Jun's ears, making her turn her head. At first, she was startled, her scalp tingling, but then she forced herself to remain calm.
The person before her was dressed in white, his hair disheveled, and his entire body drenched. While his attire seemed relatively normal, what was terrifying was his face. Black blood stained every corner of his mouth, eyes, and nostrils, making his visage appear particularly grotesque.
"Why do I go swimming in the river that day?" the man asked again when Jun didn't respond.
Jun realized that the people wandering this street all seemed to carry some unresolved grievances. Saying something to ease their troubles might be the key, so she replied with words about the beautiful weather, the bright spring scenery, and how it would be a shame not to go out and enjoy the lovely spring day.
"It was during the hottest part of summer."
"Did you go swimming to cool off then?"
"It wasn't hot at all; it was pouring rain that day."
Jun was taken aback. This person seemed difficult to console. It appeared that she would have to use empathy and reasoning to gradually understand his situation. She offered her handkerchief to him, hoping he would use it to wipe off the black blood on his face. She thought it might be easy to talk with him without that gruesome sight.
However, the man didn't take it. Instead, he stared fixedly at Jun's wrist.
"Where did you get that?" he pointed at the bracelet on Jun's wrist.
"Oh, my mother gave it to me," Jun thought he might like her bracelet, so she extended her arms to let him have a closer look.
"Your mother gave it to you? So where did she get it from?"
Jun was completely unprepared for this person's relentless questioning. She had no choice but to tell the truth, "I don't know, perhaps it's a family heirloom from my mother."
"Her family heirloom?" The man sneered, "This pair of green jade rings with ceramic patterns is the heirloom of my family. Hand it over."
Before Jun could react, the man's claw-like hands had already grabbed her wrist, and his long nails dug into her flesh.
Jun instinctively pulled her hand away, creating distance from the man, and then quickly rushed towards the end of the bridge.
The man continued to chase Jun, urging her not to run away and claiming he didn't want her bracelet; he had something to tell her.
Jun, of course, didn't believe the man's words. She regretted wearing the Manchu's shoes, wishing she had her mother's cloth shoes, which would have allowed her to run faster.
The man was getting closer, and Jun could feel the water droplets from his wet hair splashing on her. Jun gathered her skirt and prepared to take a big step, but with a loud crash, she fell to the ground. It turned out that the man had caught up with her and stepped on her silk skirt.
It felt like a heavy blow to her chest, leaving Jun gasping for breath.
Seeing Jun struggling to get up, the man finally released his foot and crouched down beside her.
"Why are you running? I don't want your bracelet," the man said.
Jun tried to muster her strength to lift herself up and continue running.
"This bracelet was my betrothal gift to your family, have you forgotten?"
Betrothal gift? Jun's tense muscles suddenly relaxed, and she frantically searched her memory, trying to figure out what this betrothal gift was all about. Wasn't her Er Niang and Amah marrying her off to Yan?
"You're the bride I'm going to marry. I don't want the Lady that my aunt appointed. I want you, Er Niu," the man continued, reaching out his hand toward Jun.
Jun stared at the man in terror, watching as he slightly opened his mouth, revealing yellowed buck teeth, and his saliva mixed with black blood dripping onto his front robe with a splattering sound.
The withered hand was about to touch Jun's face when she remained completely motionless, closing her eyes in despair.
"Ah!" a sudden, unprepared scream pierced the air.
Jun opened her eyes to see Ling, her trusted companion, like a divine eagle swooping down onto the man's shoulder, grabbing his hair and viciously tearing at it.
The man jumped up, frantically swatting at Ling, but the more he fought, the more determined Ling became. It pecked fiercely at the man's right eye.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Jun crawled to her feet, kicked off her shoes, and hoisted her silk skirt. She ran barefoot down the bridge. By the time she reached the Zou residence's gate, Ling was perched on a cypress tree in front, spitting and clearing its mouth.
Jun was both shocked and delighted, and she hugged Ling tightly.
"What happened to you?" Jun asked, noticing that Ling was nearly foaming at the mouth. She quickly tried to calm it down.
"That man had really foul breath, I shouldn't have pecked his tongue," Ling replied.
Jun burst into laughter. "Consider it a lesson for you not to wander around. But, thank you, Ling, you saved me."
Ling buried its head under its wing, feeling shy.
Jun carried Ling up the steps and was about to push the door when a familiar withered hand suddenly pressed on her shoulder. Then, the repulsive and grotesque face appeared. "Thank it? Not so fast."