Chapter 28: The Woman on Mount Gelimu

At this moment, someone outside was singing; the voice was soft, yet audible. It was Aunt Hua, who lived in a rather luxurious house above Shaoqiu’s, one that could be called a country villa. Since her husband’s passing, she had lived alone in that grand house.

Why she had chosen to come down from above at this hour, Shaoqiu did not know.

On the great Gelimu Mountain, someone could be heard weeping. Surely it must be a traveler who had entered the mountain, lost their way, and was now crying while facing the vast, indifferent wilderness alone. But since one had already entered Gelimu Mountain, it was tantamount to a death sentence; what use was there in crying?

Upon hearing the weeping on Gelimu Mountain, Aunt Hua stopped singing. She stood before Shaoqiu’s door and spoke a few words, seemingly to him, or perhaps just to herself. Shaoqiu, however, paid no mind, simply sitting in his room, wrapped in a quilt, warming himself by the fire.

After a while, Shaoqiu stepped out of his room and sat alone by the door, gazing at the distant Gelimu Mountain. The mountain stood by the small river, so towering that one dared not look up at it. He often heard people say that dragons haunted the place, though Shaoqiu did not believe it, nor had he ever seen one himself.

He sat there before his door, sighing silently.

He wondered where Xiaohua had been these past few days and if she had thought of him. Even if she had, he lacked the courage to speak to her. This thought made Shaoqiu feel deeply unsettled.

Xiaohua had spent these last few days in her own home, afraid to visit Shaoqiu. For one, she feared her father’s reproach, and for another, she was quite busy. She had to go up the mountain to gather firewood; otherwise, if the fuel ran out, Uncle Hua would mock her.

That day, Xiaohua went up the mountain again. Usually, she would invite Shaoqiu to go with her, but ever since her father had forbidden her from seeing him, she had stopped asking. She went alone.

Once she reached the mountaintop and looked out at Gelimu Mountain, she felt, for some reason, truly afraid. Yet, since she was not actually on Gelimu Mountain, there was no need for such fear. On the contrary, the mountain looked beautiful under the setting sun.

There was so much firewood on the mountain that she could not gather it all; it seemed to multiply the more she picked. It was wonderful. However, she sensed something was amiss, though she could not say what. As she gathered, she suddenly looked up and realized the sky was failing; night was about to fall.

She had to return quickly. If her father found her missing, he would assume she had gone to see Shaoqiu and might take his knife to confront him. Xiaohua knew her father wouldn't truly kill anyone, but he kept the knife on his person, and she knew he would not hesitate to draw it if pushed to the brink.

Her father had, after all, taken his knife to Shaoqiu’s house more than once.

She had to hurry back, or her father might really go after Shaoqiu this time. That was what Xiaohua feared.

Carrying a basket of firewood, she walked along the narrow, winding village path. There was no one in sight, and for some reason, a mountain breeze blew, carrying an unexpected chill.

Just as she felt she could no longer carry the load, she spotted someone ahead. The figure looked like her mother. She wondered why her mother had come up the mountain; had she known, she wouldn't have needed to come herself. She hoped her mother might help her carry the load.

Her mother walked ahead, steady and unhurried, neither speaking nor turning back. She simply kept walking, seemingly indifferent to Xiaohua’s presence.

The sun was sinking quietly, nearing its end.

Xiaohua glanced at the horizon, where a cloud drifted, shifting in strange, ghostly shapes that terrified her in the depth of the wilderness. But with her mother there, what was there to fear?

Xiaohua didn't dwell on it and continued walking. Suddenly, her mother’s attire changed in the blink of an eye, which left Xiaohua bewildered. What was happening?

Her mother was now wearing a long red dress, the hem trailing on the ground, swaying with the wind as if she were dancing. A faint smile touched Xiaohua’s lips at the sight. She wanted to speak to her mother, but for some reason, she felt unable to do so.

Her mother’s skirt hem stretched toward Xiaohua’s feet. Playfully, Xiaohua stepped on the trailing fabric, but she felt nothing, as if she had stepped on a shadow. Looking ahead, she saw that her mother had vanished.

Only then did Xiaohua realize where she was: surrounded by scattered graves, with spirit-calling banners fluttering in the wind. She was lost.

The sun had sunk behind the ridges, and in the depth of the wilderness, wolves were howling. From the deep forest, it seemed as though someone was weeping incessantly.

"Where have I ended up?" she asked herself, but there was no answer, only the wind whistling over the desolate hills.

Xiaohua sat on the ground and cried. It was too terrifying. She didn't know the way back, yet she wandered aimlessly. After walking for a while, she found herself back where she started. She was truly lost.

Meanwhile, Uncle Hua was preparing to eat, but without Xiaohua, he had no appetite. Where was that wretched girl? Why was she not home at mealtime? He didn't know what to make of it. He felt certain she must be on the mountain, as she had mentioned going to gather firewood that afternoon. Had she been taken by wolves?

Thinking this, he abandoned his meal, grabbed his wood-chopping knife, cursed, and headed up the mountain.

Before ascending, however, he decided to check on Shaoqiu first to see what attitude he would take—would he dare to mock him? The thought of Shaoqiu mocking him filled Uncle Hua with such rage that he decided he would see for himself before going any further.

When Uncle Hua peered through Shaoqiu’s window, he found the young man reciting poetry: "Those who abandon me, the days of yesterday cannot be kept; those who disturb my heart, the days of today are full of sorrow."

"Hey!" Uncle Hua roared.

Shaoqiu was startled. He opened the door, wanting to ask what was the matter, but he dared not raise his voice for fear of offending Uncle Hua. He realized the village was plunged into darkness, and from the distant mountains, the howling of wolves was constant. Gelimu Mountain was deathly still, heavy as water.

"Are you insulting me?" Uncle Hua asked after a long, strained silence.

"By heaven and earth, how would I dare to insult you!" Shaoqiu protested.

"Better not. Otherwise, hmph!" After saying this, Uncle Hua left. He did not want to tell Shaoqiu that Xiaohua was missing.

Xiaohua had remained on the mountain for a long time. She had thought the woman in red was her mother, but after she vanished, she realized she had been deceived; it was not her mother at all. Now, she sat alone on the peak, gazing at the moon, which looked so bleak.

Wrapped in the night, she felt the cold. Without a fire, she only had the chaotic winds sweeping over her, making her shiver uncontrollably. She didn't know where to go, but staying there was no solution. For a moment, she was at a loss.

She descended the mountain, for looking at the distant Gelimu Mountain from the peak filled her with dread. It was no wonder—a fire had broken out on Gelimu Mountain. Amidst the flames, a woman with disheveled hair and a pale face appeared, wearing green clothes and smiling at her. Then, the woman’s massive head gradually shrank until it vanished, and the firelight extinguished with it.

The surroundings were pitch black, but straining her eyes, she could just barely make out her own thumb.

Xiaohua wept. She dared not stay on the mountain, fearing what else she might see. She descended into the valley, walking forward without knowing where she was headed. She thought of her father and Shaoqiu, unaware that at that very moment, Shaoqiu was still reciting his poems.