Chapter 63: The Ferry

On this day, Old Man Gou was wandering around the desolate village once again. He did this for no other reason than to make thorough preparations for a decisive showdown with Shaoqiu one day. With a solid grassroots foundation among the people, how could they possibly not help him when the fighting eventually broke out?

True to form, he emerged from his hut that day, haunting the desolate village like a ghost. Whenever he met people, he would address them either as grandfather or father. Seeing this, even Shaoqiu had to admire his utter lack of shame. Those who received such respectful greetings would in turn lavish Old Man Gou with kind words, while casting Shaoqiu aside as utterly worthless.

People even began to spread malicious gossip about Shaoqiu, calling him lazy and good-for-nothing, someone who stayed cooped up in his room all day instead of going out to chop firewood or make charcoal. Against such unwarranted accusations, what could Shaoqiu, who was suffering from illness, possibly do?

That day, as a woman walked past the door of Shaoqiu's hut, she lowered the stone she had been carrying on her back and stopped in her tracks. Instead of leaving, she lingered by Shaoqiu’s house, spat on the ground, and began shouting Shaoqiu’s name incessantly.

By this time, Shaoqiu had already finished tending to his large field and was inside his room reading a book. Hearing the woman’s loud shouts and fearing some unimaginable disaster had struck, he rushed outside in such a hurry that he tripped over a stone and tumbled right onto the woman.

Naturally, the woman spat again, hawked up a thick glob of phlegm, and slapped Shaoqiu hard across the face. Yet, Shaoqiu, who had always been a man of great magnanimity—capable of letting a boat sail in his belly—simply brushed it off and didn't take it to heart. Shaoqiu asked the woman if she needed anything, and she replied that she was too exhausted to carry the stone any further and demanded that Shaoqiu carry it into her house for her. She added that since he was idle and good-for-nothing all day long, he would never find a wife in the future.

Hearing this, Shaoqiu decided it was pointless to argue and genuinely picked up the stone. The woman followed closely behind him, bursting into loud laughter from time to time. However, about halfway there, Shaoqiu realized he had been duped—wasn't she just tricking him? So he refused to carry it any further, dropped the stone by the roadside, let out a heavy grunt, and returned straight to his own house.

The woman was remarkably homely and reeked from head to toe, though she somehow had a husband who cherished her, which was none of Shaoqiu’s business. To make matters worse, the woman grew furious when she saw that Shaoqiu refused to play along, and stubbornly claimed that he had sexually assaulted her, even alleging that he had fondled her backside.

Upon hearing this, the villagers in the desolate village immediately rushed to champion the woman's cause, declaring that just because Shaoqiu was a scholar who knew a few characters, it didn't give him the right to bully people so outrageously! Yet Shaoqiu remained entirely unconcerned. Having done no wrong, he had no fear of ghosts knocking at his door—what was there to be afraid of?

However, when night fell, just as Shaoqiu was engrossed in his reading, he heard someone banging furiously on his door. The blows were so violent that if Shaoqiu hadn't opened the door quickly, it would have been shattered. When he pulled the door open, he saw standing before him the very woman for whom he had carried the stone that day, and right behind her stood her husband.

Without a word of explanation, the man lunged forward and attempted to slash Shaoqiu with a blade. If Shaoqiu hadn't dodged swiftly, that single blow would have cost him his life. Shaoqiu hurriedly showered the man with flattering words and even called him grandfather. Hearing someone address him as grandfather, the man instantly lost his anger, and the ugly woman grabbed her husband and quietly slipped away.

Shaoqiu had narrowly escaped disaster once again. He securely bolted his door, returned to his desk, and resumed reading his book.

Before long, it began to rain.

On this rainy day, Shaoqiu ventured out of his house. Staying in such a dilapidated place was dreadfully dull, and since human life is short, why not go outside for a stroll and watch the flowers sway in the wind?

Carrying an umbrella, Shaoqiu walked alone along the ancient path of the desolate village, with no particular destination in mind, just wandering aimlessly until he unconsciously arrived at the riverbank. There was a ferry boat moored by the shore. Why not take the boat across to the other side and admire the flowers and grass growing along the riverbank?

Once aboard the ferry, Shaoqiu's boat drifted to the opposite shore and came to a stop near a large boulder. Embedded within this boulder was a huge piece of gold. Naturally, the villagers of the desolate village dared not touch it, believing it to be a divine treasure beyond mortal possession.

Just as the ferry touched the shore, a young maiden approached holding an umbrella and stepped onto the boat. Upon seeing Shaoqiu, she actually greeted him warmly—a level of friendliness virtually unprecedented in history.

Was this not Xiaohua? Xiaohua stepped onto the ferry with her umbrella, her lovely eyes sparkling so brightly that Shaoqiu began to tremble from head to toe. To top it all off, Xiaohua tossed a tiny flower straight into Shaoqiu's arms, not caring whether he wanted it or not. Why bother wasting breath on idle chatter?

Shaoqiu and Xiaohua pushed the boat off together, but when the boat reached the middle of the river, it suddenly stopped moving. It wasn't grounded; there had to be a hidden reason for it, though someone as clueless as Shaoqiu wouldn't know what it was.

At that moment, only this young maiden and Shaoqiu remained on the ferry. Night was rapidly approaching, and since the ferry in the middle of the river could not reach the shore, Xiaohua grew anxious and somewhat frightened. Yet, with Shaoqiu keeping her company, she refrained from crying out, choosing instead to sit inside the cabin, lowering her head and gazing constantly at her own hands. Xiaohua’s hands were exceptionally beautiful, and for some inexplicable reason, they continuously emanated a delicate fragrance that drifted into the air, creating an intoxicating atmosphere.

Once the ferry reached the middle of the river, Shaoqiu had no desire to row anymore, wishing instead to linger a little longer with Xiaohua. Once they reached the shore, where would he ever go to find her lovely shadow again? Shaoqiu resolutely stopped rowing. Since Xiaohua had no idea how to row either, the two of them were left stranded in the middle of the small river, accompanied only by a pair of little birds descending from the sky. The pair of birds began engaging in improper acts right there inside the cabin, causing Xiaohua’s face to flush a deep, embarrassed red.

Shaoqiu felt no fear at all and simply refused to row, for rowing onward had lost its meaning. Why not just sit here in the ferry and spend a little more time with Xiaohua? Xiaohua did not mind either; she kept her head lowered, merely looking at her own hands, which were so soft and fair. How wonderful it would be if he could just reach out and stroke them.

The spring evening breeze continued to blow, carrying the fragrance of flowers along with the faint sound of distant voices. The clouds in the sky glowed as red as peach blossoms, complemented by the clear, flowing water whose ripples resembled the lovely face of a young maiden.

Shaoqiu no longer cared about anything else. He simply sat there in the cabin with Xiaohua. The people on both banks had vanished completely, presumably intentionally giving the two of them space to imitate the little birds. Seeing Xiaohua with her head bowed, Shaoqiu did not dare act rashly; after all, making her cry would hardly be a desirable outcome.

Just as Shaoqiu was contemplating taking the next step, night began to descend. It seemed the heavens were mercifully providing cover for Shaoqiu, and with the concealment of night, even someone as timid as a mouse would surely take action. Besides, Xiaohua still wore a faint smile on her face—would it really be so wrong to share a romantic tryst with her when the time came?

Right at that moment, someone shouted for the ferry. That piercing cry instantly shattered all of Shaoqiu's intricate thoughts, causing Xiaohua to tremble continuously amidst the shouting.

Shaoqiu had no choice but to row the ferry to the shore. The person who had arrived was an idiot who, upon seeing Shaoqiu, loudly declared for no apparent reason that he dared to eat feces.

Xiaohua found it inconvenient to linger with Shaoqiu by the small river any longer. When she left, she did not even say goodbye to him, leaving Shaoqiu filled with a deep sense of melancholy, not knowing what to do.

As Xiaohua departed, Shaoqiu walked back along the ancient path of the desolate village to his own hut.

By then, the rain had finally stopped.

Tomorrow would be clear, and Shaoqiu would have to head up the mountain to toil desperately by his large field; otherwise, how would he ever manage to eat?