CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER 38: POINT TO STOP

Zhou Li had spent five days at Zheng Zhilan’s place.

It rained off and on during the first three days, but by the fifth day, the sun had baked the earth dry again.

On the little hill behind them, a flock of sheep grazed, scattered like puffs of white cotton, while a pack of dogs lay in the shade of the surrounding trees, occasionally lifting their heads to look around.

Zhou Li and Zheng Zhilan stood on the edge of an incline, picking a type of raspberry called Red Bubble.

The raspberries were flourishing. Zhou Li had seen them growing in the countryside when he was a child, but they were nowhere near as good as these. Here, the raspberries looked as if they were cultivated—big, red, and densely packed on vines that stained the slopes crimson.

The vines were thorny, and Zhou Li was careful.

Following Zheng Zhilan’s instructions, he chose the bright red, large, and plump ones, eating as he picked.

The ripe ones were sweet; the unripe ones had a bit of sourness. Zhou Li would occasionally hand one to Zheng Zhilan, who mentioned she actually preferred those with a slight tang.

Though it was still early morning, the sun already felt blisteringly hot on their heads.

Zhou Li glanced at the winnowing basket Zheng Zhilan was holding. Seeing that it was lined with berries, he asked, "Is this enough?"

Zheng Zhilan reached out and felt them. "This should be enough."

And so they walked back.

The way back was downhill. Zhou Li walked ahead, occasionally turning to look back at Zheng Zhilan.

Zheng Zhilan quickly smiled and said, "It’s alright, you go on. I won’t fall."

Only then did Zhou Li feel at ease.

After a while, he said, "I have to go back. I’ve stayed here too long; if I stay any longer, my family will worry."

No sound came from behind.

Just as Zhou Li was about to turn around, Zheng Zhilan’s voice floated up. "That’s true. When will you leave?"

"This afternoon."

"This afternoon, huh..."

"What’s the matter?"

"Nothing much. I was just wondering if the popsicles will freeze in time before you leave. They should, I guess?"

"Alright."

"Do you want to learn Golden Thread?"

"Next time I come."

"Alright."

"If you come to Yan City, remember to look for me."

"Sure. I’ll bring you some more books. The contents of a few are quite solid and useful. I’ve forgotten which ones they are, though. When I get back, I’ll have Qinghe help me find them." Zheng Zhilan could recognize some words, but she mostly relied on Qinghe for reading. "Your bag should be able to fit them," she added. "Just return them to the Temple Master of Zhihong Guan once you’re done. I’ll have to return them eventually, anyway."

"Then thank you."

Their conversation gradually fell into silence.

As they approached the small courtyard, Zhou Li suddenly asked, "Did your parents and elders all die in a mudslide?"

"No."

Zheng Zhilan’s voice was, as always, devoid of ripples. "My mother had complications during my birth. She didn’t die then but passed away from illness a month later. My father, when I was eight, told me he was going to join my mother. He said he was sorry, and then he took poison—drank paraquat, which was untreatable. Afterward, I was raised by my grandparents, with support from my aunts and uncles as well. But my grandparents were old and sickly too, and eventually, they also passed away."

Zhou Li suddenly found himself speechless. It took him a long time to quietly say, "Then you must have suffered a lot."

"It was okay."

Zheng Zhilan paused, then said, "People said some unkind things when I was young, but my father was very good to me. I remember one night he held me and told me, ’No matter how hard the pregnancy or how painful the childbirth, these are the adults’ choices and have nothing to do with the child.’

"He said it was he and my mother who decided to bring me into this world. He said I didn’t owe them anything.

"He said he was sorry to me for bringing me here but not being able to show me a beautiful world.

"Actually, what I’ve seen isn’t too bad."

Zheng Zhilan spoke in her usual unhurried tone from behind him, carefully navigating the path. "He thought I was young then and wouldn’t remember, but I remember very clearly. There were so many stars that night."

Once home, Zheng Zhilan began to make popsicles.

She poured the yogurt she had bought into a basin and added honey for extra sweetness. She then washed the raisins and the picked Red Bubble raspberries, added them to the basin, and stirred the mixture evenly. After pouring it into molds and adding wooden sticks, she placed them in the fridge and had Zhou Li help adjust the refrigerator to its maximum power.

So, after lunch, Zhou Li and Huai Xu successfully tasted these homemade popsicles.

The raspberries lost some texture after freezing but added color and flavor to the popsicles. Perhaps it was a psychological effect, but Zhou Li found them delicious.

Huai Xu, as usual, also praised them.

After the popsicle, Zhou Li was ready to leave.

Zheng Zhilan stood outside the courtyard to see them off, waving goodbye, watching Zhou Li’s figure recede further and further.

Qinghe stood beside her. After a long while, he turned to ask, "He’s quite special, isn’t he?"

"Yes."

"His Spiritual Power is strong, unlike any I’ve seen before."

"Mhm."

Zheng Zhilan lowered her head slightly, and through the blur, she spotted a touch of red. Reaching out, she plucked a peony, bringing it close to examine.

「...」

Zhou Li and Huai Xu walked toward Zhihong Guan under the sun, the path winding up and down. Zhou Li was soon sweating profusely, while Huai Xu was all smiles.

Zhou Li couldn’t help but shoot him a look. "Still laughing!"

Huai Xu continued to chuckle foolishly because he truly loved the pickles Zheng Zhilan made. As such, Zheng Zhilan had specially packed a jar for him to take. So—

"This is great!"

"Great? What’s so great? Everyone heard what you said!" Zhou Li felt his face flush at the thought.

"HEHE!"

"..."

He was so thick-skinned; Zhou Li couldn’t get to him.

More than an hour later, they arrived at Zhihong Guan. From afar, they could see the elder of the observatory squatting in the courtyard, a small stove in front of him, fanning the fire inside with an old palm-leaf fan.

The old demon sat on top of the small temple, waving at them.

Zhou Li smiled at the old demon and then approached the Temple master. "Temple master, what are you cooking?"

"Porridge."

The elder of the observatory replied and then turned his head to look carefully at Zhou Li for a couple of moments, recognizing his face. "Ah, it’s the young lay practitioner. You’re back? It seems you found her."

"I did. Thank you, Temple master."

"No need for thanks. You must be hot. Want some water?"

"I was just thinking of asking for some."

"Take a seat, take a seat. I’ll pour you some. It’s just cooled boiled water; I hope you don’t mind." The elder of the observatory stood up.

"Well water is fine."

"It’s not good to drink raw water." The elder of the observatory’s voice gradually grew distant, but the mountain was quiet. "The cooled boiled water is in the crock; it’s very refreshing."

The old demon on top of the temple said to Zhou Li, "You should drink the raw water. The water here is from a mountain spring, especially sweet. Once boiled, it’s dead."

"Really!"

This was the first time Zhou Li had heard such a thing.

Soon, the elder of the observatory came out with an enamel mug and handed it to Zhou Li. "Traveling on such a hot day, you must be quite sun-beaten, huh?"

"It’s okay."

"Sit for a while, sit for a while. Rest up. There’s still quite a journey down the mountain."

"I can get a ride from the scenic area."

"I heard a section of the road near the scenic area collapsed; no vehicles have been able to go up for a few days."

"Oh, then I’ll fill another bottle of water before I go."

"I’ll fill it for you."

"Thank you, Temple master."

"EH! Water isn’t worth anything. I have enough here to start a bottling plant." The elder of the observatory laughed, his face creasing with wrinkles again. "So, you stayed with Miss Zheng for a few days?"

"Yes, I imposed on her for a few days."

"Then you two must have hit it off." The elder of the observatory was very amiable, not the kind of person to make one feel uneasy.

"Yes, indeed."

"It’s good to hit it off. I heard that young lady lives alone in the mountains, and her eyesight isn’t good either. Sigh, after all these years, she probably hasn’t had anyone to talk to."

The elder of the observatory had already stoked the fire. With the red clay stove and a soot-blackened earthenware pot, he sat on a woven bamboo stool, asking Zhou Li about his age and studies, and then discussing worldly affairs.

Zhou Li spoke while looking around.

Zhihong Guan only had a small room in the middle for enshrining the deities. There were only three statues, which Zhou Li could only guess at, as he didn’t recognize them. Next to it was a building, likely where the elder of the observatory lived, with its door open. Looking in, one could see an old-fashioned Eight Immortals table with nothing on it, and a plain sword hanging on the wall. Another building was a woodshed. Attached to it was a tiny hut with a chimney.

It was a life of poverty, but also of serenity.

But it was different from Zheng Zhilan’s place. The elder of the observatory lived very simply, whereas Zheng Zhilan, a young woman, even deep in the mountains, had her ways of making her life refined.

She had flowers planted along the edge of her small courtyard, a grape trellis, peach and cherry trees, and even more fruit trees behind her house.

There were also jujube trees on the mountain.

Zhou Li shook his head and smiled. In just a few short days, he felt like he had started to like that courtyard.

The firewood in the small stove burned slowly. The elder of the observatory occasionally picked up a dry pinecone to feed the flames. Zhou Li sat for a while before saying goodbye to him.

Just as he had walked a few steps, the elder of the observatory suddenly called out to him.

Zhou Li turned around to see the elder of the observatory looking up at him, his eyes half-closed, appearing very small, as is often the case with the elderly.

"Are there really such things as deities, ghosts, demons, and monsters in this world?"

"Huh?"

Zhou Li paused, involuntarily glancing toward the small temple.

When he came to his senses, he saw the elder of the observatory looking up with a smile, waving his hand as he said, "Thank you, young lay practitioner. Go carefully now; it’s easy to get heatstroke in this weather."

The old demon on the temple also smiled at him.

Zhou Li pursed his lips, turned, and disappeared down the mountain path within a few steps, out of sight of the elder of the observatory.