Chapter 4: Say Sorry When You Bump into Someone
Du Yu, the Head Disciple of the Boundless Sect on Mount Seeking Immortals, was a gentle, refined, and well-educated young man. He always held himself to the standard of a model disciple—even if his head was often filled with strange, random thoughts, and recently, some rather treasonous notions about his Master. His conviction as a model disciple was undergoing an imperceptible tremor.
Early the next morning, Master left Mount Seeking Immortals, leaving behind a letter instructing the two disciples to fill the chicken coop with food before descending the mountain and to set the traps for the weasels properly. These were all trivial matters concerning daily necessities, which disappointed Gongsun Ruo somewhat.
“I thought going down the mountain would be like those young heroes in novels, carrying a sword on their back, using light footwork to leave dashingly.” She looked at the bundle on Du Yu’s shoulder. “Instead, it looks like an ordinary farm family going out. Also, Senior Brother, what’s in your bag?”
“These are all tools we’ll need down the mountain.” Du Yu turned his head and saw Gongsun Ruo puffing out her cheeks in complaint. He wanted to rap her on the head like he used to, but his hands were full, so he gave up. “Did you think we were going down the mountain for a sightseeing tour?”
“Of course not! Senior Brother, you and I should be seeing injustice on the road and drawing our swords to help! Meeting a few young and promising heroes, leaving behind a beautiful legend in the Jianghu!” Gongsun Ruo was still fantasizing. “When you and I have achieved fame and success, we brother and sister will retire to the mountains and forests, wow!”
Every time they went down the mountain in the past, this lass had found every excuse to get out of it. No wonder she had zero understanding of the Boundless Sect’s daily operations. Du Yu felt it necessary to shatter her illusions in advance. “First, Junior Sister, this time we are only going to Lotus Seed Town and will not leave the vicinity of Mount Seeking Immortals. Second, our main job down the mountain is to guide farming and help the villagers solve some daily difficulties. So stop thinking about fighting and killing all the time…”
Gongsun Ruo let out an “Ah.” “Then after we finish these small matters, can we go to the county town? Didn’t Master say she wouldn’t be back for ten days or half a month?”
Du Yu thought about it and felt there was no harm in taking Junior Sister to the county town. He wanted to take her to eat the Chen family’s cold skin noodles (Liangpi). Add a spoonful of chili sauce, a spoonful of vinegar, a little minced coriander and garlic, mix well, and the taste was refreshing and chewy. He ordered a portion every time he went to the county town in the past. Master loved it too…
“By the way, Senior Brother, since we’re staying down the mountain for so long this time, where are we going to live?” Gongsun Ruo suddenly remembered a paramount question.
Du Yu paused in his steps. In the past, whenever he and Master went down the mountain, they stayed for half a day at most, never considering the issue of accommodation. They usually left in the morning and returned to the sect in the evening. Lotus Seed Town was a small town and didn’t really have any inns. Du Yu’s eyes shifted slightly. It seems Master wants me to go see my parents, doesn’t she?
“We’ll stay with the Du family. They shouldn’t refuse.”
Hearing this, Gongsun Ruo actually became nervous. “Is it your parents’ family, Senior Brother? Are we going to meet your parents? Is it… too soon?”
Du Yu was a bit speechless. “What are you thinking? I… don’t have much of an impression of them.”
“Haven’t you visited them when you went down the mountain before?”
“No…” He had always deliberately avoided the Du family when he went down the mountain before. He couldn’t explain the psychology behind it; he was somewhat afraid to see them and didn’t know how to react. Was it excitement? But he didn’t look forward to it in his heart, fearing that the meeting would be more awkward than exciting. But escaping forever wasn’t the right path; he should go see them eventually.
The two chatted idly as they slowly walked down from Mount Seeking Immortals in the morning light. Once off the mountain, they were greeted by vast expanses of farmland. It was the season for rapeseed flowers to bloom; looking out, half the fields were tender green, the other half brilliant yellow, vibrant and lush.
On the misty country road, one could faintly see farm women carrying shoulder poles walking into the distance. Clumps of cow dung lay by the roadside, emitting no smell, quietly and harmoniously blending with the soil and wild grass. Du Yu could tell it was water buffalo dung; in the villages on the outskirts of Lotus Seed Town, only one family raised water buffaloes.
After descending the mountain, Gongsun Ruo was clearly in high spirits. She skipped forward, her slender, fair hand brushing over the golden petals like a general inspecting her territory. Du Yu hesitated whether to tell her she had stepped in cow dung.
“Junior Sister, watch your step,” Du Yu reminded her. As Gongsun Ruo skipped, the heaviness on her chest bounced like rabbits. He turned his head away, silently reciting the Model Senior Brother Code three times, while inevitably wondering: How did a little girl who only comes up to my chest develop such magnificence?
Gongsun Ruo didn’t care about watching her step. If she watched her step, would she still be Gongsun Ruo?
“Brother Yu, now that we’re down the mountain, you don’t have to call me Junior Sister anymore. Can you call me Ruo’er like before?” Gongsun Ruo’s voice was somewhat soft and charming, making Du Yu’s heart itch. As this girl grew older, he understood her mind less and less.
The two walked through the countryside, got onto the official road, and met a few farmers, naturally receiving a warm welcome. After bidding farewell to the enthusiastic villagers, they finally saw the curved eaves of a roof, like a hook moon, amidst the gradually dissipating morning mist. Walking further, they saw a tall stone gate with a plaque hanging on it that read “Lotus Seed Town.”
The muddy ground beneath their feet had unknowingly turned into a stone-paved road, and the lively noise of a crowd finally reached them from ahead. Du Yu pointed at the stone gate and introduced it to Gongsun Ruo: “This is Lotus Seed Town.” Gongsun Ruo wasn’t as surprised as he had imagined. “It feels a bit bigger than I thought.” Du Yu felt strange inside. Just a bit bigger? When he first saw Lotus Seed Town, he was amazed by its scale. Sure enough, this little lass Gongsun Ruo must have been born in a big city.
Entering the town, the first thing they saw were two rows of breakfast shops lining the street. There were mobile vendors pushing carts and noodle merchants who had converted their homes into storefronts. Residents of the town wandered the street in twos and threes, making it quite lively. Du Yu smelled the scent of flour wafting in the air, stimulating his appetite. He tucked the bundle under his arm and reached out to grab Gongsun Ruo’s hand. “Ruo’er, come, I’ll take you to eat the pea and meat sauce noodles over there. Master and I eat there often…” Hearing no response from Gongsun Ruo, he felt a bit strange. Looking back, he saw his Junior Sister, whose hand he was holding, blushing furiously, unsure if it was from shyness or annoyance.
Du Yu quickly let go, remembering that since he started styling himself as a model disciple, he hadn’t held this little girl’s hand for many years. He heard Gongsun Ruo whisper softly, “Fake prude… holding a girl’s hand randomly…”
Du Yu couldn’t defend himself. He wanted to salvage his image in his Junior Sister’s heart, but he suddenly stumbled—because he had been looking back at his Junior Sister and not watching the road, he bumped into someone. The person he bumped into didn’t seem to be a man; the feel was rather slender and frail. Du Yu only stumbled, but the other person was about to fall from the impact—he heard a woman’s startled cry: “Miss!”
Ignoring the bundle under his arm, Du Yu reached out directly to grab the “Miss” he had knocked over.
He caught the young lady’s arm, blurting out, “Sorry…” Suddenly, his words stopped. He finally saw the young lady’s face clearly.
Her eyebrows were slightly thicker than those of ordinary women, her eyelashes longer, her skin tender and delicate enough to be broken by a breeze. She had a pretty, melon-seed-shaped face, and her lips were habitually pursed, evoking a sense of pity. Her figure wasn’t as turbulent as Gongsun Ruo’s, but it could certainly be called graceful and slender.
What a beautiful girl… Du Yu was on the mountain all year round and mostly saw farmers and farm women. He rarely encountered young girls in Lotus Seed Town—no, he rarely even encountered women.
He was stunned by the stranger’s beauty, but the look in her eyes showed obvious astonishment as well.
Not just astonishment, but more obvious and intense emotions: anger, shock, confusion.
“Sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going… my apologies…” Du Yu let go of her arm and took half a step back. The little maid following this young lady raised her eyebrows. “Can’t you watch where you’re going!”
“Xiao Qing.” The young lady stopped the maid, then turned to look at Du Yu again. Strangely, she didn’t speak for a long while, just staring at him. Du Yu looked confused. Was she dissatisfied with his apology?
“You…” She wanted to say something but was interrupted by Gongsun Ruo.
“Brother Yu, are you okay?” Gongsun Ruo was protective; she didn’t see that her Senior Brother had bumped into someone else, only caring if he was hurt.
The young lady’s eyes flickered. Her long eyelashes lowered slightly like curtains, concealing all the emotions flowing in her eyes.
“I’m fine, I bumped into her.” When Du Yu looked up again, he saw the young lady silently turn and leave with her maid.
Du Yu scratched his head, not taking the matter to heart.
