The Double Ninth Festival was approaching. Cold winds rose in Jiangzhou, and blind rain filled the city, urging the common people to hurry and make winter clothes.
When Xin Hexue woke up at dawn, he realized the wind had been fierce last night, leaving the courtyard full of cold green banana leaves.
He had the servants clean up the mess left from last night. In the dark of night, the dim light had prevented him from seeing the peculiar nature of the fur clearly, but in the daylight, upon closer inspection, it was distinctly crimson fur.
Where had those black cats gone?
Xin Hexue realized that he had misunderstood Henzhen somewhat.
He rubbed the blood-stained fur between his fingers, pursed his lips slightly, composed his expression, and remained silent.
The servants tidied up the scene and Xin Hexue instructed, “Don’t inform my father, or else he will overthink. If he asks, just say those three black cats returned to the mountains. On the day of the Double Ninth Festival, I will go to Bixia Mountain to pay respects and pray for blessings.”
Henzhen was already waiting in the shadows, ready to appear the moment Xin Hexue went out to look for him.
Forgiveness was a husband’s virtue.
Xin Hexue stepped out!
One step, two steps, three steps…
Henzhen adjusted his appearance.
The hundred-pleated skirt of the robe shifted lightly like lotus blossoms, and he could almost smell the cool sandalwood fragrance wafting.
Unexpectedly, Xin Hexue turned his steps, went back into his room, and shut the door tightly. He didn’t have the slightest intention of looking for him?!
He hid resentfully and gloomily outside the window.
Xin Hexue spread out a letter paper, thinking that after driving that ghost husband out, the house was indeed much quieter.
He took out Shanteng paper, praised by contemporaries as “bright as moonlight,” and began writing with effortless, flowing strokes. In no time, he finished a letter, and instructed the page boy to give it to the gatekeeper servant for fast delivery by horseback to the temple on Bixia Mountain in the southern part of the city.
On the day of the Double Ninth Festival, the sky was leaden gray. As the proverb goes, “If there’s wind on the Summer Solstice, the three fu periods will be hot; if there’s no rain on the Double Ninth Festival, the whole winter will be clear.” Judging by the current scenery and weather, this winter would have no shortage of rain, snow, and mud.
The magistrate of Yushan County had the mansion’s embroiderers make several extra winter garments for Xin Hexue, fearing his son might carelessly catch a cold while traveling to the capital for the imperial examinations.
On the ninth day of the ninth month, there was a custom of climbing heights and eating Double Ninth cake. Xin Hexue didn’t eat the cake, but Bixia Mountain was still a must-visit.
At the foot of Bixia Mountain was a stretch of flower fields planted with chrysanthemums. When they arrived, the chrysanthemums had just bloomed. Flower farmers were carrying hundreds and thousands of potted chrysanthemums into the city to sell.
The lingering rain that had persisted since their departure showed no signs of stopping even at the foot of the mountain. Xin Hexue got down from the carriage, wearing a greenish tung-oil raincoat.
He looked up. The narrow paths of Bixia Mountain wound upward, resembling slender snakes coiling around the green mountain from afar, the yellow earth muddy.
The mountain path was narrow, so four-wheeled carriages couldn’t pass. Horses were tall with a high center of gravity and weren’t suited for narrow, steep mountain roads.
As the saying goes, horses travel on flat ground, donkeys travel in mountains.
The servant suggested, “Young master, it’s raining today, which is not good for climbing. Should we ask one of these flower-farming families to rent a donkey?”
Henzhen was a man of complete firmness. Even if he was a dead ghost, he was firm. Moreover, because of his innate advantages, he possessed an extra measure of firmness compared to ordinary men…truly a great husband who stood tall between heaven and earth.
So, there was no such thing as him quarreling with Xin Hexue, storming off from home, then eagerly returning to seek reconciliation. That was very undignified.
He would simply follow Xin Hexue covertly like this, making it so Xin Hexue couldn’t see him even if he wanted to.
This was called playing hard to get.
As a husband, what did it matter to have a little scheming?
He watched as Xin Hexue rented two donkeys from a flower farmer.
A perfect opportunity!
The moment before Xin Hexue mounted the soft saddle, Henzhen possessed this donkey.
Feeling the slight weight settling on his back, Henzhen felt exceptionally at ease.
In his words, being ridden by Xin Hexue was the most prestigious thing in the world.
The old farmer saw that the usually listless, droopy-headed donkey was very different today, it actually held its head high and chest out, took a couple of steps, then shook its head comfortably and snorted.
Meanwhile, the servant also loaded a few pieces of luggage onto the back of the other donkey, mounted it, and the master and servant proceeded up the mountain.
The temple on Bixia Mountain was called Bixia Temple, enshrining Lady Bixia, who could be prayed to for protection in all matters.
The magistrate of Yushan County was a major patron of Bixia Temple. Two years ago, he had donated money to re-gild the statue of Lady Bixia and Xin Hexue had come to offer incense every year since childhood. Before, he was led up by his father, but now he was so familiar with the mountain path that he knew it by heart.
This time, upon arriving at Bixia Temple, he first went as usual to pay respects before the statue of Lady Bixia in the main hall. As he came out, the abbot who had heard of the visitor’s name happened to come looking for him.
Xin Hexue stepped aside to greet him, and he and the old abbot went to a guest room in the western courtyard to talk.
Henzhen was confined under a hibiscus tree in the courtyard. He guessed Xin Hexue was discussing the disappearance of the three black cats with the abbot. After all, the three black cats had been brought from Bixia Temple by the magistrate of Yushan County, so an explanation was necessary.
He didn’t follow them in, partly because this position allowed him to keep an eye on when Xin Hexue would emerge, and partly because there was something even more unusual and noteworthy within Bixia Temple.
The entire temple grounds were filled with the scent of foxes.
The one sweeping was a male fox; the female worshipper looking around was a female fox; the one in the swaddling clothes was an infant fox. He even caught the scent of the three foxes he had injured and who had fled a few nights ago.
Had he stumbled into a fox den?
Henzhen narrowed his eyes slightly. Although the aura of fox demons here was strong, there was no killing intent. He didn’t need to plan an escape with Xin Hexue; he just needed to stay alert.
From afar, however, came someone ranked third on Henzhen’s personal hatred list.
Xin Hexue emerged from the guest room, a smile still gracing his face. He thanked the abbot, “I will be more careful in the coming days. Thank you for the reminder, Abbot.”
The old abbot smiled without speaking.
As he turned to the corridor, Xin Hexue saw that the rain had lightened. His gaze focused as he finally made out the face of the approaching figure. “Cousin?”
Xin Hexue raised a hand in a wave. Zhou Heng also spotted him, and his face lit up with joy. He quickened his steps, but as he passed under the hibiscus tree, he was greeted by a splash of mud.
It turned out the donkey under the tree had kicked up its hooves, stomping hard into a mud puddle and splashing mud all over Zhou Heng. White specks of mud dotted his light gown, dripping pathetically and making him look completely disheveled.
Xin Hexue was surprised.
“I never expected to meet my cousin here today. It seems all my good luck has been used up,” Zhou Heng said with a gentle, somewhat helpless smile, flicking the mud from his wide sleeves.
Xin Hexue walked forward, full of apology. “This stubborn donkey was one I brought up from the foot of the mountain. I’m truly sorry, cousin. Your fine blue scholar’s robe…”
Zhou Heng smiled. “It’s nothing. No dirt, no purity.”
The servant whispered something to Xin Hexue, who then remembered. “Cousin, I have clean clothes in the luggage I brought up the mountain. Why don’t you change out of your outer robe? It’s quite filthy.”
He observed that the mud stains didn’t seem to have soaked through to the inner garments.
Zhou Heng readily agreed. Xin Hexue accompanied him to the guest room to change clothes, glancing back at the stubborn donkey snorting under the hibiscus tree.
Strangely enough, although this donkey had stomped the mud puddle, not a single drop of mud stained its gray fur. Xin Hexue filed this away in his mind.
Xin Hexue’s frame was slimmer than Zhou Heng’s, and he was also nearly half a head shorter. The loose outer robe, when worn by Zhou Heng, looked rather strained and insufficient.
The sleeves weren’t long enough to cover his wrist bones, and once Zhou Heng put it on, it made him seem somewhat constrained.
Xin Hexue found it amusing and couldn’t help but chuckle openly. Hearing his laugh, Zhou Heng’s face flushed a bashful red. “Cousin, don’t make fun of me.”
Xin Hexue said, “And I must ask my cousin not to laugh at my stature.”
Zhou Heng shook his head. “Cousin’s posture is like fine jade branches, it’s just right. I, on the other hand, am over the top, and rather clumsy…”
‘Indeed clumsy.’
Xin Hexue looked at his red ears with smiling eyes.
He stopped teasing Zhou Heng and accompanied him, along with other worshippers, to pay respects and offer incense. After leaving the main hall, they heard the flapping and snapping sounds of fabric from a side hall.
A deep autumn wind swept through the corridor. Outside the side hall’s railing coiled a grand and towering pagoda tree. The old tree’s upper branches were lush with foliage, already laden with wish locks and red cloth strips tied by visiting worshippers.
When the wind rose, thousands of red cloth strips fluttered, slapping against the small bronze locks…a magnificent sight stretching across the sky and earth.
Zhou Heng was drawn in and asked Xin Hexue, “Cousin, you’ve visited Bixia Temple so many times. Have you ever made a wish?”
Xin Hexue said, “No. Only my father. He was concerned for my health, so he came up twice to hang peace locks for me.”
Zhou Heng nodded in understanding. “Those made by parents don’t count. For our own aspirations, shall we go hang one too?”
They bought two small bronze locks and two red cloth strips for writing from a young Taoist priest guarding the corridor. Ink and brushes were on a nearby table, the ink mixed with shimmering gold powder.
Their heart’s desires were soon transformed into a few strokes of ink. When they were about to hang the locks, Zhou Heng suggested helping Xin Hexue hang his on a higher branch tip. After hanging his own, he reached out to hang Xin Hexue’s lock.
But that fair hand suddenly loosened. The small bronze lock had some weight and fell straight to the ground.
Zhou Heng hurriedly bent to pick it up.
Their hands collided in mid-air, about two inches above the ground. Zhou Heng was startled and turned his head, his hand jerking back as if scalded.
Both of them were leaning forward, so close that Zhou Heng could smell the fragrant breath from Xin Hexue. Where exactly did this cool fragrance come from? From Xin Hexue’s hand, or from the clothes of Xin Hexue he was now wearing?
This thought was like a spark, traveling from his hand to his clothes, and setting Zhou Heng’s whole being ablaze.
“Cousin, what made you think of coming to Bixia Temple today?” Having picked up the small lock, Xin Hexue asked gently.
Zhou Heng said quietly, “My mother heard Bixia Temple is efficacious, so she asked me to come pray for blessings. She’s worried about my examinations next year.”
Xin Hexue’s eyes curved. “Cousin is intelligent and writes excellent essays. There’s no need to worry. Please reassure my aunt.”
Zhou Heng said, “I’m not entirely confident either; otherwise, I wouldn’t have obeyed and come to this place of gods and Buddhas.”
As he spoke, his face felt a slight coolness, accompanied by the softness of fabric. Xin Hexue was holding a handkerchief and dabbing it against his cheek, wiping away a mud spot he hadn’t noticed. He chuckled lightly, “If you hadn’t come, you wouldn’t have suffered this misfortune.”
Both straightened up. Zhou Heng touched his cheek. “I’ve embarrassed myself in front of my cousin.”
“But did Aunt really hear that this temple is so efficacious?” Xin Hexue brought up the previous topic. “Just a few months ago, I heard there was a demon fox pretending to be Guanyin right on the halfway point of Bixia Mountain. It consumed incense offerings for almost two years.”
Zhou Heng pondered. “Is that so? I had not heard of it.”
Zhou Heng asked, “What happened later?”
Xin Hexue laughed at him for being oblivious to the outside world, focused solely on reading the classics of sages.
“Naturally, a Taoist priest passed by, saw through the trick, and drove the demon fox away.”
He then turned the question around. “Cousin, in your opinion, regarding this matter, was the fox in the wrong? Did the Taoist priest act righteously?”
Faced with this question, Zhou Heng also fell into deep thought. It wasn’t until after hanging the small locks that he turned to Xin Hexue and answered seriously, “I believe the fox wasn’t in the wrong either. A demon fox consuming incense offerings is like birds seeking food, humans seeking wealth…it’s the way of heaven and earth. That fox was at Guanyin’s feet, and Guanyin didn’t drive it away, which shows this is something tolerated by the laws of nature. People’s wishes are numerous and complex. They pour them out to gods and Buddhas, but it’s not certain the gods hear them, wasting the incense. Having a fox demon there actually adds an extra ear to listen. Presumably, at Guanyin’s feet and under the Bodhisattva’s gaze, this fox demon consumed incense and smoke, so it wouldn’t become an evil demon.”
“Cousin actually thinks this way.” Xin Hexue smiled slightly and didn’t continue the topic. Instead, he asked, “Have you revised the essay that got burned the other day, cousin?”
Zhou Heng nodded. “It’s done…”
Xin Hexue said, “If cousin doesn’t mind, come to my residence this evening, and I’ll take a look for you?”
Zhou Heng clasped his hands toward him. “I was thinking the same. I humbly ask my cousin for guidance beforehand.”
Xin Hexue’s sparkling smile was reflected in his beautiful eyes, and the two looked at each other with affection.
Once they left, Henzhen, who had nearly fainted from anger earlier and almost torn Zhou Heng into fabric shreds, finally appeared.
He strode over to examine the small locks the two had hung. Zhou Heng had written only four characters: “First place in the Imperial Examinations.”
Henzhen sneered. He felt that Hexue was excellent in every way except for his poor judgment and taste, always associating with this poor scholar rather than sparing him a glance? Wasn’t this a phoenix pairing with a crow?
As the saying goes, “A fine horse often carries a fool; a beautiful wife often sleeps with a clumsy husband.” Couples are often mismatched.
Henzhen was determined to mess up this mandarin duck pairing.
He took a lock and two cloth strips from the dozing young Taoist priest. Pressing his fingertip to his teeth, a drop of golden blood flicked down, forming the names of Xin Hexue and himself. He hung it on the highest tree tip.
Now they’re locked tight.
*
A gentle golden breeze blew by, the slanting moon was hazy, and banana leaves pattered with rain.
Xin Hexue had just bathed. He was not accustomed to being attended to and was lazily reclining against the headboard, air-drying his black hair like a waterfall alone.
The gatekeeper came to announce that Young Master Zhou had arrived.
Xin Hexue sat up. “Please ask him to come over.”
He had thought Zhou Heng wouldn’t come. It started raining at dusk, so he sent a letter telling him not to bother. Unexpectedly, this person still came.
Could it be that the letter didn’t arrive in time? They missed each other?
Regardless, with a guest arriving, Xin Hexue tidied his appearance.
The servant stopped in the courtyard. “Young Master, my young master’s bedroom is just ahead.”
Zhou Heng had also bathed, and his attire was neat and sharp. He had brought along the outer robe he had borrowed from Xin Hexue during the day, now draped over his arm. Seeing it, the servant moved to take it, but Zhou Heng avoided his hand, his tone cool as he gripped the robe. “No need. I will return it personally. You may step back.”
The servant complied and left.
Zhou Heng stood before the door for a while, until a muffled voice came from within. “Cousin? Are you here?”
Only then did he push the door open, step inside, and in one fluid motion, close and latch the door behind him.
The candles in the room were not brightly lit. Zhou Heng raised his eyes to look, then his gaze froze.
Xin Hexue lay reclined on a huanghuali waist-curved, hoof-footed daybed. A milk-white crêpe silk undergarment draped over him like a membrane clinging to milk, outlining the slender waist that curved gently as he lay on his side.
From behind his waist, a fluffy white fox tail had actually sprouted, held high and waving lightly back and forth like ripples.
Xin Hexue was grooming this tail, his fingers sinking into the pure white, soft, and fluffy fur.
He stroked this fox fur as if stroking a man’s heart.
The teasing candlelight illuminated the beauty’s face as his eyes drifted lazily towards Zhou Heng. Propping his chin on his hand, his sleeve spilled with vivid color. “Zhou Lang, come. Comb my tail for me.”
