Chu Wanning directed a mild glance Mo Ran's way and said, "Someone's looking for you." "...Ah? Who'd be looking for me this late in the day?" Mo Ran had nothing but Chu Wanning on the mind right now, long since having forgotten all about whatever had happened during the day with the villagers.
"It's the person who was singing earlier," Chu Wanning said in a pointedly understated manner. "You know, the prettiest girl in the village." "Eh, really…? All the girls in the village looked more or less the same to me…" Hearing that, Chu Wanning was silent for a moment before saying, "I was only gone for five years, when did you go blind?" "..." Chu Wanning's tone was mild, but in the instant that he looked up, Mo Ran caught a hint of what seemed to be a smile in his eyes, as if teasing him with some good-humored bantering. Happily surprised, Mo Ran felt his mood instantly lifting as well.
The farmer girl named Ling-er was holding something wrapped in a blue cloth with white floral patterns on it and yelling as loud as she could toward Mo Ran's room, "Mo-xianjun, Mo——" "I'm over here." Hearing the deep voice of a man from behind her, Ling-er turned around to see Mo Ran lifting up one side of the curtain and leaning by the door to smile at her, "It's already so late, did you need something?" Ling-er was startled for a moment before it melted into delight and she went happily over. "Good thing xianjun hasn't gone to bed yet! Here, this is for you, I got it from my auntie, like I mentioned during lunch earlier. P…please use it." She handed him the cloth bag in her arms as she spoke.
Opening the bag, Mo Ran found three little clay jars.
"What are these?"
"Medicinal salve," Ling-er explained enthusiastically while pointing at her cheek with a smile, "for your mosquito bite, from the field earlier…" "Ah." Finally remembering what this was all about, Mo Ran was a little embarrassed that his offhanded excuse had been so naively believed that the girl had actually come all this way to give him the salve.
The villagers here were rather too gullible…
"You probably didn't get bit too badly though." Ling-er suddenly stood up on tiptoes and gave Mo Ran's face a careful once-over, smiling even more brightly.
"I don't even see a mosquito bump." Mo Ran cleared his throat. "I am a cultivator, after all…" Ling-er clapped her hands together with a laugh. "You cultivators are so interesting! If I had the talent for it, I'd want to become one too, too bad it's not in the stars for me." They chatted a bit, then Mo Ran thanked her and went back inside with the salve. Chu Wanning had moved to sit at the table and was flipping idly through the book that Mo Ran had left there; hearing the movement, Chu Wanning looked up at him.
"Medicinal salve," Mo Ran explained bashfully.
Chu Wanning said, "Did you really get bitten? Come here, let me see." Under the candlelight, Mo Ran's skin was the deep color of honey candy,
making his feature look all the more dashing. Chu Wanning stared for a while before asking, "...Where's the bump?" Mo Ran scratched his head, embarrassed. "It went down already, my skin's thick." He put all three jars of the refreshing medicinal salve on Chu Wanning's table as he spoke. "I don't need these, Shizun should hang onto them instead,
since you're more likely to get bug bites." Chu Wanning said, without accepting or declining, "First the herbal ointment and now this medicinal salve, I'll have to open an apothecary at this rate." Mo Ran only rubbed his nose and beamed a sincere, reserved grin. Chu Wanning reached out and poked his forehead, saying, "It's getting late, go back to your room and go to sleep." "Mn, sleep well, Shizun." "Sleep well." But that night, in the two run-down straw huts separated by the small courtyard that could be crossed in ten steps, neither of the two could sleep despite the exchanged wishes, both of them tossing and turning restlessly.
It was needless to say that, for Chu Wanning's part, he could still feel the tingling in his feet, could practically still feel Mo Ran's callused fingers rubbing against his skin.
But Mo Ran's thoughts were rather more complicated as he turned this way and that, head pillowed on his arm while tapping restlessly at the seam between the bed boards, repeating over and over in his head: Shizun is a god, an immortal, an otherworldly being; no matter what happened in the past life, he definitely won't do anything stupid in this life, definitely won't bully him, definitely won't mess things up again…
And besides, there was still Shi Mei.
Yes, he should think more about Shi Mei instead——Shi Mei…
He suddenly felt even more uneasy.
Truth be told, ever since returning to Sisheng Peak and seeing Shi Mei again, he had found himself feeling rather lukewarm toward him.
To him, liking Shi Mei and protecting Shi Mei had already settled into a kind of habit, things that he was constantly doing, but then what?
He still felt fond of the Shi Mei of five years ago, but that beautiful man of five years since felt like a stranger to him.
The unfamiliarity left him at a loss; he didn't know what was wrong with him,
or what to do about it.
Chu Wanning woke up early the next day.
Stepping outside, he came face-to-face with Mo Ran, who was just lifting the curtain and coming out of his own room.
Mo Ran greeted, "Good morning Shizun." "Morning." Chu Wanning glanced at him. "…Didn't sleep well?" Mo Ran forced a smile. "I'm not really used to the bed. It's alright, I'll just take a nap later." They set off for the fields together, the early morning breeze bringing with it the refreshing fragrance of grass and trees. It was empty and quiet all around,
with the only sound being the occasional singing of frogs and chirping of cicadas.
Chu Wanning yawned languidly, then caught something out of the corner of his eye that made him smile.
"Mo Ran." "Mm?" Chu Wanning reached over with a hand to brush through Mo Ran's fringe,
plucking a piece of straw from his hair and saying with a small smile, "What were you doing, rolling around in bed? You've got straw in your hair." Mo Ran was just about to defend himself when he spotted a small piece of straw on the side of Chu Wanning's head as well, so he also smiled and said instead, "Then Shizun must've been rolling around too." And helped pick the golden straw off Chu Wanning's hair as well.
As the sun rose from the east, the master and disciple gazed at each other against a backdrop of resplendent gold, one with his head slightly lowered, the other with his head slightly tipped up, just the way they'd used to.
Except that, five years ago, the one with his head lowered had been Chu Wanning, and the one with his head tipped up had been Mo Ran. But years had flown past and Mo Weiyu was no longer a youth; in this moment, it was as if time was finally willing to slow down, and in the gentle dawn, Mo Ran suddenly jumped into the paddy field on an impulse, opening his arms and smiling toward the person standing on the raised ridge, "Shizun, jump, I'll catch you." "..." Chu Wanning glared at the ridge that was only half a person tall. "Is something wrong with your head?" "Hahaha." He took off his shoes and hopped gracefully into the paddy field himself, sending a ripple through the water and a chill through the bottom of his feet. With a grand sweep of one broad sleeve and an air of imposing dignity, Chu Wanning marked off a large stretch of the field for himself. "This whole area is mine. I didn't cut as much as you yesterday, but I fully intend to beat you today." Mo Ran's outstretched arms went up and scratched his head, then the corners of his lips quirked up and an especially charming smile spread across his face.
"Okay, if I lose, I'll make Shizun lots and lots of lotus crisps and stewed crab meatballs."
Chu Wanning said, "And lots of honey glazed sweet lotus root too." "Sure! But what if Shizun loses?" Mo Ran's eyes were clear and bright, like they held the entire starry sky. "Then what?" Chu Wanning glanced at him coldly out of the corners of his eyes. "What do you want?" Mo Ran mulled it over for a long while, chewing on his bottom lip, then said,
"If Shizun loses, Shizun will have to eat all the lotus crisps and stewed crab meatballs I make." A pause, and then, in an even gentler voice spoken into the refreshing breeze:
"And all the honey glazed sweet lotus root too." Win or lose, I just want to find some way to treat you well.
Chu Wanning had gotten quite adept at harvesting rice in no time, and he did not like to lose. It was enough that he had gotten made fun of yesterday, he was not going to be the butt of jokes today too. Thinking huffily thus, he worked with singular diligence, slicing away at the rice, and by midday he'd cut down way more than Mo Ran had.
He was rather proud of himself as they ate lunch under the mulberry tree. He didn't say it, nor did it show on his face, but his eyes kept wandering over to the side of the paddy field, where the rice he'd harvested was stacked into a formidable little mountain of gold.
"Ling-er, go get xianjun another helping of rice." Everyone sat together, eating their lunch. Mo Ran ate fast, and his bowl was cleared out in no time. Noticing his empty bowl, the auntie spoke up in a hurry.
But Mo Ran put down his bowl and chopsticks like he was in a hurry, flashed a smile and said, "That's alright, I'm done eating. I have something to take care of so I'm gonna run out for a bit, it might take a while, go ahead and eat without me." Ling-er was surprised at first, before it turned into unease. "Does xianjun really only eat so little? Is the food not to your taste? If you don't like it… I could… go make something else for you…?" "No no, that's not it, the food's great." Of course Mo Ran was completely oblivious to the overtones of the offer, only waving her off with a forthright grin and heading off toward the stable with large strides.
Chu Wanning asked, "Where are you going?" Mo Ran replied over his shoulder with a smile, "Just buying some things, I'll be right back." "Xianjun——" "It's fine, let him be," Chu Wanning said mildly as he picked up a piece of fried tofu with his chopsticks.
Although the two cultivators had arrived together, anyone with eyes could tell who had the higher status, who had the lower status, and whose word counted.
On top of that, Chu Wanning looked cold and severe to start with, and now that he'd spoken, the villagers couldn't exactly press the issue, so they could only let Mo Ran go.
After lunch, everyone split off into small groups, some whiling the time away chewing tobacco, some napping under the sun; the women sat together knitting winter clothes, while the children played amongst themselves, riding on bamboo stick pretend-horses. A stick-thin cat sniffed hopefully at the ground, little pink nose twitching and ears sticking straight up, looking for leftovers to eat.
Chu Wanning was resting against a pile of grain with a cup of warm tea in hand when he saw the pitifully skinny cat and tried to wave it over, thinking to find it something to eat. But the cat was wary of strangers, thought Chu Wanning was raising his hand to hit it, and hightailed it out of there.
Chu Wanning: "..." Did he really look that scary? Even cats didn't like him?
In the middle of sulking with cheek in hand, he heard the sound of copper pieces jingling. Ling-er came over cheerfully, also holding a cup of tea, and sat down next to Chu Wanning.
Chu Wanning turned to look at her without much of an expression.
She was very pretty, and more than that, she wasn't skinny and frail, but a full-figured woman rarely found in such remote and desolate places. And she knew how to dress herself, too—she didn't have the money to buy accessories,
so she had gathered some bits and pieces of copper and iron, washed them clean and ground them into smooth rings to string along the hem of her clothing so that she jingled as she walked and fairly gleamed under the sun.
"Xianjun," she called to him with a voice that was crisp as a ripened berry.
Chu Wanning replied, "What is it?" His voice was cool and clear like drifting mist.
Ling-er was a little taken aback at his standoffishness, but quickly put on a smile as if things were perfectly amicable and said, "Nothing, I just saw you sitting by yourself and thought I'd come over and keep you company." "..." Chu Wanning knew he didn't have a friendly-looking face, as evidenced by the cat just now. But people and cats were different, after all—cats never had any schemes, but people might have ulterior motives.
Sure enough, after a while of chattering about empty pleasantries and trifling nonsense, Ling-er threw out a casual, "Xianjun, what does it take to be…a disciple at Sisheng Peak? Do you think…I have a chance?" Chu Wanning said, "Give me your hand." "Ah…" She opened her eyes wide and excitedly did as told. Chu Wanning pressed the tips of his fingers lightly against the inside of her wrist, then drew back after a moment and said, "You do not." Ling-er's face flushed red instantly. "D-do I not have the aptitude?" "You knew I was going to check your core as soon as I asked for your hand,
so you must've already had someone else check for you in the past," Chu Wanning said. "Cultivation is not in your fate, and you will likely not be able to build even just the foundation for it, even if you spend your whole life trying. It would only be a waste of time if you were to go to the peak, so it'd be best to forget about it." Ling-er fell silent and her head drooped, crestfallen. A long while passed before she bit her lip and said in a small voice, "Thank you for the advice." "Welcome." She left quietly. Watching her back, Chu Wanning felt a little mixed. The common folk of the lower cultivation realm hoped even more fervently than those of the upper cultivation realm to be able to join a cultivation sect. Because to the people of the upper cultivation realm, cultivation was just a means of bringing honor to one's ancestors and making a name for oneself.
But to people of the lower cultivation realm, it was sometimes a means of survival.
Leaning against the pile of grain, Chu Wanning took another sip of the tea.
The weather really was getting colder; the tea had gone cold in the few short moments he didn't drink it. He gulped down the rest and closed his eyes,
thinking to rest for a bit, but with how late he had slept last night, together with all that physical labor this morning, he ended up sleeping through most of the day.
When he woke up again, the sky was already a deep red color, the crows were cawing at the branches, and all that was left between the paddy fields were stems of rice, neatly arranged, and scattered pieces of grain.
Chu Wanning's eyes snapped wide open in startlement.
To think that he had slept all the way to sundown, leaning against the pile of grain like this. The farmers probably hadn't had the guts to wake him up due to his status—not only did they just let him sleep the day away, someone had even covered him with a piece of clothing so that he wouldn't catch cold.
"..." The clothing…
Chu Wanning was about to sit up when he smelled a familiar scent. Breaking out of his daze, he looked down at the clothing covering him. The fabric was coarse, but it was very clean, with the refreshing scent of the soap beans used for laundering still clinging to its seams.
It was Mo Ran's clothing.
Upon realizing thus, Chu Wanning stopped in the middle of getting up and lay back down for some unknown reason, the muscles in his back relaxing as he hid half his face under the clothing, leaving only a pair of bright eyes above,
slightly narrowed, holding some kind of indescribable and indecipherable emotion within.
He really must have lost his mind.
Eyes narrowed, he looked for that person in the paddy fields. It didn't take long—after all, Mo Ran had grown so handsomely tall that he stood out easily wherever he went.
He was currently helping the villagers load the cut grains onto the ox cart,
and Chu Wanning could only see his back from here. He was probably hot from having worked all day, and so had stripped out of his outer robe and shirt like the other villagers, leaving his muscular, honey-toned back in full view.
In the burning heat of the setting sun, sweat slid slowly down the lines of his broad back with every flex of those muscles, trickled to the dimples of his back,
snaked beneath the toned line of his waist…
He was like red-hot iron, like the coal in the furnace, taking every tender sentiment and turning it into burning carnal desire. Watching him from a distance, Chu Wanning gradually stopped seeing everything else around him,
leaving only that person's gorgeous body, muscles flexing and sleek like a panther's, and the side of his face whenever he turned to chat with the village chief, with a soft dimple and a kind gaze, full of handsome charm.
As if sensing the eyes on his back, Mo Ran turned to look over his shoulder.
Chu Wanning hurriedly closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.
But his heart beat so fast it sounded like a rainstorm, the blood racing through his veins a low rumble in his ears.
A long moment passed before he sneakily cracked open one eyelid and peeked out from under his eyelashes. Mo Ran had already turned back around, and Ling-er was walking up to him with a bashful gaze and holding out a handkerchief to him.
"Xianjun, here, wipe your sweat."
Hearing that, Mo Ran, whose arms were full with a pile of rice straws that he was moving onto the cart, smiled and said, "Later, I'm busy right now." Ling-er seemed very happy to watch on from the side, reaching out now and again to help straighten things from falling. A bit surprised by her eagerness to help, Mo Ran said, "Thank you." She grew even more delighted, standing there next to this tall, well-built man who was practically radiating masculine allure. Listening to his breathing and looking at his muscular shoulders, she couldn't help the blush that spread across her face, and for a moment forgot all about things like distance and propriety between men and women, clutching her handkerchief and saying in a soft voice,
"Xianjun, it's gonna drip into your eyes if you don't wipe your sweat~" Mo Ran bustled busily. "I don't have any hands right now." "Then I can wipe it for you…" She felt a chill at her back before she'd even finished speaking.
Chu Wanning had come over to stand behind them without either of them noticing, still wearing Mo Ran's thick black outer robe draped over his shoulders,
looking a little listless and irritable, like he had just woken up. He said, "Mo Ran." "Yes?" The person who'd been so busy that he'd absolutely no time just now immediately put down the grain in his arms, and rubbed the tip of his nose as he turned around, beaming brightly the moment he saw Chu Wanning. "Shizun,
you're awake." Chu Wanning looked him up and down. "Aren't you cold?" Mo Ran smiled and said, "I'm kind of hot, actually." Right when he said that, the droplet of sweat that had been gathering at his dark brow dripped down and into his eye, and he squeezed it shut with an "aiyah" while the other eye stayed stubbornly open to gaze at Chu Wanning. Of course he couldn't just ask a lady for her handkerchief, so he said pleadingly toward Chu Wanning instead, "Shizun, my eye…" "My handkerchief's hanging out to dry right now." "..." Ling-er hurriedly offered, "You can use mine——" Paying her no heed, Chu Wanning walked up, expression impassive even as he leaned forward and tipped his head back slightly to look up, holding the cuff of his snowy white sleeve closed as he lifted his arm and used his sleeve to carefully wipe the sweat from Mo Ran's eye.
Author's Notes:
Mini-theatre "What is the meaning of love" Shizun: ...I don't know.
Xue Meng: Praise me, praise me as hard as you can, that's love.
Shi Mei: sigh It's love if you don't think that I'm a black-hearted lotus.
Mei Hanxue: It's love if you can help me get the role of the lead male.
Nangong Si: I'm only accepting Naobaijin as gifts[19], loving my dog is loving me.
Ye Wangxi: ...Someone who likes me more than they like dogs?
Dog 1.0: (biting his pencil) ...sigh Who has the answers? Lend them to this venerable one so he can copy them.
Dog 2.0: I feel that I am about to find the answer to this question very soon.
Dog 0.5: ....(annoyed) What kind of question is this? -- "What is the meaning of 'shou'?" I don't understand, what is this shit, take it away, get lost get lost get lost.
Liu-Gonggong: (whispering) Your Majesty, this is read 'love', not 'shou'[20]
[19] A pun on a commercial slogan for 脑白金 (naobaijin, lit. platinum for the brain), a brand name for melatonin.
[20] 0.5 read 爱 (love) as 受 (shou)--as in top/bottom shou