Sure enough the way there is deserted, and as they get farther from the northern part of the city, the noise also gradually begins to lessen. Since they don’t know how the fighting is going and they’re close to the Cai estate, Cai Yan says to them, “Let’s go hide in my house for a while.”
The youths are both tired and hungry. They all nod at this suggestion and enter Cai Yan’s home.
Hoping to find some food, Cai Yan calls out several times for the servants, but no one answers him. The stuff inside the house is all over the place; it’s obviously been robbed. Duan Ling goes outside to check on the back courtyard and finds a Mongolian soldier dead in a corner with an arrow protruding from his back. Looks like he’s fled here after getting shot; the body’s not cold all the way through yet.
“There’s a dead man here.” Duan Ling says calmly as he takes a drink of water.
“Don’t worry about him.” Cai Yan says, “Everyone, come to the front hall.”
Helian Bo turns the Cai estate’s kitchen upside down only to find out that there’s nothing in it — the fire hasn’t been lit for days and the stove is ice cold. All they can do is get some water from the well to drink, and someone has picked leaves off the tree to chew on.
“Drink more water.” Duan Ling says, “Water will fill you up, and if you carve off some bark from the tree it can allay your hunger as well.”
Duan Ling checks Cai Yan’s forehead again — he’s still running a fever, and they have all been starved for a long time, and so everyone is leaning against each other. Helian Bo is snoring with drool running down his chin. Duan Ling gets a pillow, lies down next to him, and with his hand resting over his sword, Duan Ling falls asleep.
As for Cai Yan, he’s falling asleep draped over the table. One here and one there, each of them finds a place to sleep inside the front hall. He doesn’t know how much time has passed before there’s hoofbeats outside again. By now, they’re all jumpy from what all they experienced the night before, and bounce up from wherever they happen to be lying. Duan Ling stands behind the gate, peers outside, and sees that it’s a bloodstained soldier in the city guard uniform who’s coming toward them.
“Is there anyone here?” The soldier calls out.
Helian Bo pushes the door open, but Duan Ling doesn’t show himself for fear it’s a deserter coming to rob them. Luckily, the soldier tells them, “The fighting’s over. Come to the training grounds outside the city guard headquarters. There’s food to be had.”
Everyone’s going thank the heavens, and Helian Bo chases after him. “Mon … Mon … Mongolians go … gone …”
The soldier can’t be bothered to deal with him at all, and in a moment he’s gone. All the young men erupt into laughter, each dressed still in their undershirts and short pants. They look around them, meeting each others’ eyes, feeling as though they’ve been reborn.
Even though Duan Ling had an extra meal last night, he’s so hungry by now he’s seeing stars. Alas they’re such a big group of people, they have to get through nearly half of Shangjing to get there, and it’s been raining too — the journey is seriously exhausting to the extreme. By the time they reach the city guard headquarters, the sun is already setting.
The ground outside of the city guard headquarters is filled with the wounded, lying there moaning loudly in pain. Pieces of armour are scattered all over the ground.
The fire inside the northern gate has already been put out; it’s like Shangjing has been ransacked. Duan Ling’s heart breaks at the sight of it. He looks around, trying to find Li Jianhong, and in a sea of people coming to and fro, it’s almost like there’s an ineffable connection between them guiding his gaze, so that he manages to find his father with one glance.
Li Jianhong’s armour is covered with deep red blood. He’s standing outside the main door to the city guard building, speaking with the wounded Yelü Dashi.
Duan Ling is about to run towards him but notices a severe expression on Li Jianhong’s face. While his eyes do not veer from Yelü Dashi, one of his left hand’s fingers is wagging lightly in Duan Ling’s direction.
Daun Ling understands that Li Jianhong doesn’t want Yelü Dashi to see him. So he turns back to join the crowd, catching up with Cai Yan who’s been running all over the place.
Stretchers are being carried one by one into a tent. Cai Yan asks anxiously, “Where’s my brother?”
“Mister Cai,” someone says to him.
It’s a soldier. Duan Ling goes with Cai Yan, and the soldier hands Cai Yan a flatbread. “Eat this for now.”
Cai Yan takes it and hands it to Duan Ling without thinking. Daun Ling tucks it under his outer gown and follows Cai Yan into a big tent made with white cloth; it’s filled with the wounded. Cai Yan stops walking, but the soldier keeps moving forward until he reaches the very end. There is only one person lying there. His entire body is covered in a white cloth.
Cai Yan silently kneels down in front of the body. He peels the white cloth away, revealing Cai Wen’s blood-soaked, dirt-covered face. Half an arrow protrudes from his chest. His hand is wrapped around the other half of the arrow.
“His martial skills weren’t up to par. Yelü Dashi only promoted him because of who my dad was.” Cai Yan says to Duan Ling, “The reason I asked your dad to teach me his sword style in the first place was because I wanted to teach it to him so he could’ve saved himself.”
When he finishes speaking, Cai Yan, exhausted, falls dizzily into Duan Ling’s arms.
Duan Ling wipes his tears, and lest Cai Yan wakes up and feels upset at the sight of his brother’s body, he laboriously carries him out of the tent where the soldiers grow worried when they see him. They come over to check his temperature — a scalding fever. After all, he’s a family member, his brother has even sacrificed himself for the country, and so they tell the army doctor to come check over Cai Yan.
The doctor writes a prescription for fever reduction, and Duan Ling borrows a crock to simmer the medicine on the big military stove where the soldiers have lit a fire, then feeds it to Cai Yan with a reed pipe. It’s another busy evening before someone comes to them and says to Duan Ling, “Hey, you two should head to the Illustrious Hall. The headmaster of Biyong College is waiting over there.”
A soldier from the city guard borrows a flatbed cart and puts Duan Ling and Cai Yan on it. By the time they arrive at the Illustrious Hall. it’s already midnight. Cai Yan seems a bit better, but he’s still running a low fever, talking in his sleep from time to time. Helian Bo whom they lost somewhere outside the training grounds has also made his way here, along with many young men from Biyong College. When the Mongol army entered the city, of those who didn’t run fast enough, quite a few have died. Luckily, everyone evacuated in time, and Dean Tang is still alive.
Duan Ling sees the headmaster; he’s taking care of a bunch of Illustrious Hall’s children, telling them a story.
“Then afterwards, Guan Zhong shot Duke Wu’s son, Bai.” The headmaster tells the children, “Bai called out loudly and fell in the carriage.”2
Duan Ling sits back on his heels at the very end of the rows of children. When he looks up, he sees a lamp next to the headmaster, its light shining onto the painting of “A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains”,3 and cannot help but recall the day he parted with Batu. Life from cradle to grave; it all resembles an ethereal dream.
The Next day, Cai Yan finally wakes up, but Duan Ling is so worn out that he’s fallen asleep.
“Hey,” Cai Yan says, “it’s time to eat.”
On the third day after the Mongol army leaves, Shangjing has finally begun to get back into some semblance of order. The teachers distribute food, and the portions are pathetically small. A fellow student named Huyan Na walks quickly up to them. “The dean is here. He’s telling everyone to go downstairs.”
Duan Ling helps Cai Yan down the stairs. The dean has set up another room in the Illustrious Hall.
“Roll call,” Dean Tang says. “Go out of the room when your name is called, and those who’ve gone outside should go wait in the entrance hall. Xiao Rong …”
Each student whose name is called step forward and say here, and Dean Tang makes a mark in the register.
“… Here?” Dean Tang calls a name but no one answers.
Someone says, “Not here anymore.“
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“He was shot to death by the Mongol army,” the same someone replies.
Dean Tang hums low in his throat, “He’s dead,” and draws a circle in the register. He’s quiet for a long, long time before he continues, calling out the next name.
“Helian Bo.”
“Here.” Helian Bo steps forward.
Dean Tang nods, and points a finger outside. “Your mother’s here to get you. Go on then. As for when school resumes, wait for an announcement.”
Helian Bo glances at Duan Ling questioningly. Duan Ling waves at him, knowing that Li Jianhong will come.
“Cai Yan.” Dean Tang asks, “Are you here?”
Cai Yan makes no reply, so Duan Ling says, “He’s here.”
Dean Tang notices Cai Yan. “Go wait in the garden. Your family will be here to pick you up in a little while.”
“I don’t have family anymore. My brother is dead.”
“Then go home on your own for now. Wait for the announcement for when school resumes.”
Cai Yan turns around and goes outside. Duan Ling wants to follow, but Dean Tang has recognised him. “Duan Ling?”
“Yeah.”
“You go too. Take Cai Yan home.”
Duan Ling nods. He trails Cai Yan out of the hall and they wait beneath the dawn sunlight together. He has waited right here in this very spot many times; he once waited here longingly for Lang Junxia, and Cai Wen would come astride a tall horse, whistling at them from outside the gates. Back then, Batu hadn’t left yet, and no matter how long he waited, no one ever came to get him. When the crowd eventually dispersed, he’d hang around for a bit before heading back to his room to get his bedding, then he’d go sleep in the book pavilion.
The alleyway is teeming with activity, parents of the students from both Biyong College and the Illustrious Hall are here to pick up their children, crowding the door all of a sudden. Their faces are all dirtied and their clothes dishevelled, some are even bloodstained.
“Mother —”
“Your dad is gone …”
The sound of weeping goes on and on. There are also people yelling move aside, move aside as they hurriedly throw their wood plaques at the gatekeeper, leaving as soon as they find their children.
Cai Yan leans against the pillar, and falls asleep.
“Cai Yan?” Duan Ling was going to say, come over to my house.
But Cai Yan is saying, “You go ahead. Let me sleep for a while.”
The only thing Duan Ling can do is to take off his own outer gown and cover Cai Yan with it.
Li Jianhong arrives. He’s dressed in the same rough cotton clothing as always, with a bamboo hat over his head. Standing just beyond the fence bathing in the first glimmers of dawn, he smiles at Duan Ling.
Duan Ling gets up quietly, and runs to the fence. “You’re done with work?”
Li Jianhong says to him, “Why aren’t you wearing a robe? What if you get sick? Come on, let’s go now.”
“I don’t have a plaque. I’ll have to find the dean first so he can sign me out.”
“I’ve come to get my own son and someone else has to sign you out? What sort of reasoning is that? Wait for me, I’m coming in.”
Li Jianhong is about to climb the wall as he speaks, but Duan Ling stops him.
“Shh.” Duan Ling turns back to look at Cai Yan, and as he’s about to turn back to say something, Li Jianhong raises a hand to show he understands. He beckons, letting him know they should leave together and talk later.
Duan Ling goes back inside,finds the dean, and gets a slip written. He gives Cai Yan a shake. Cai Yan opens his eyes but his gaze seems empty, looking at Duan Ling like he doesn’t recognise him. Duan Ling checks his forehead again; Cai Yan is still running a low fever.
“Come over to my place,” Duan Ling says, “let’s go.”
“What?” Cai Yan asks softly.
It breaks his heart just to look at him, but Duan Ling has no idea what he should say. Li Jianhong has come in at some point; he looks toward Cai Yan, and Cai Yan closes his eyes again. Duan Ling can only try to pick the exhausted Cai Yan up by his arm. Li Jianhong bends down, picks up Cai Yan, and goes home with Duan Ling.
That night, there’s lots more food at their house. Once Duan Ling finds a place for Cai Yan to rest, he draws water from the well for Li Jianhong to bathe and wash his hair. Li Jianhong sits on a little stool in front of the fence before the well naked, moonlight shining onto his skin; he looks like a leopard that just brought its kill back to the nest.4
As Duan Ling scrubs his back and scrubs his chest the rusty stink of blood wafts into the air. Li Jianhong then puts his bloodstained hands, deep red with blood, inside a bucket to wash them clean.
“Dad.” Duan Ling picks up the bucket and pours water onto the top of Li Jianhong’s head.
“Hey, my son.” Li Jianhong tells him, “There are always some things that no matter how dangerous and difficult you know them to be, even if you know they can only end in certain death, you’d still do it. Don’t feel sorry for him.”
Duan Ling answers with a low hum.
He kneels behind Li Jianhong, turns to wrap his arms around his waist, and rests the side of his face on his back, heaving a sigh.
“We’ll be able to return very soon.”
When they go to bed that night, Li Jianhong pulls the blanket up over the two of them.
Duan Ling stares at the canopy of the bed above him. “It’d be wonderful if no one ever went to war again.”
“Your fourth uncle said that quite often too. Whenever I came back triumphant I’d remember those words that he said.”
Duan Ling turns over, and leaning on the side of Li Jianhong’s arm, he closes his eyes and falls asleep.
The next day, Cai Yan wakes up once more, and his fever’s gone too, but he’s very weak. When he’s about to get down from the bed, he overhears Duan Ling and Li Jianhong’s conversation in the courtyard.
“This is how you jump. From the flowerpot to the fence, then up the wall. Come on.”
When LI Jianhong is showing Duan Ling how to hop up on the wall, he always gets there easily in a single leap, but Duan Ling throws himself at the wall every single time. Li Jianhong would then make fun of him.
“I can’t jump up there! It’s not like I’m you!”
Duan Ling has reached the age where his voice is starting to change, all scratchy like a duck. Straight-faced, Li Jianhong imitates the way he speaks, “I can’t jump up there! Dad! Pull me up!”
Duan Ling is angry but he also finds it hilarious — he simply can’t do a thing about Li Jianhong. Li Jianhong props him up beneath the ribs so he can try it again with less strength. When Cai Yan gets down from the bed, Li Jianhong hears him right away.
“You feeling better?” Li Jianhong asks.
Cai Yan gives him a nod, and Li Jianhong indicates that Duan Ling should go look after him. The three of them start breakfast at the table, and Cai Yan keeps quiet the entire time. When he’s done, he puts down his chopsticks. “Thank you for your hospitality. I’ll be going.”
Duan Ling begins, “Why don’t …”
But Li Jianhong cuts him off, "Going home?’
Cai Yan nods. “I have to collect my brother. Someone needs to be at home, so I should go back and check on things.”
Li Jianhong nods and makes eye contact with Duan Ling. Duan Ling remembers what his father told him to do in the morning, and says, “Then … you take good care of yourself. I’ll come see you in a few days.”
Cai Yan says, “Thanks.”
Cai Yan gives him a deep bow, and Duan Ling hurriedly gets up to return it. And so Cai Yan quickly walks through the corridor and leaves on his own; not forgetting to close the gates as he steps out.
I do not monetise my hobby translations, but if you’d like to support my work generally or support my light novel habit, you can either buy me a coffee or commission me. This is also to note that if you see this message anywhere else than on tumblr, do come to my tumblr. It’s ad-free. ↩︎
Guan Zhong. Duke Wu. ↩︎
This painting (scroll) exists. You can see a hi-res picture of it on the Wang Ximeng wikipedia page. I highly recommend viewing it. ↩︎
If you’re wondering where the whole day went, since it was dawn when they left the Illustrious Hall, their house is closer to Biyong College (near the northern gate) than the Illustrious Hall (practically next to the west gate), and they’re walking — Lang Junxia used to always go between the Illustrious Hall and their house on a horse. It still should have taken less time; let’s say Feitian just wanted to write about Li Jianhong naked under moonlight … ↩︎
Sure enough the way there is deserted, and as they get farther from the northern part of the city, the noise also gradually begins to lessen. Since they don’t know how the fighting is going and they’re close to the Cai estate, Cai Yan says to them, “Let’s go hide in my house for a while.”
The youths are both tired and hungry. They all nod at this suggestion and enter Cai Yan’s home.
Hoping to find some food, Cai Yan calls out several times for the servants, but no one answers him. The stuff inside the house is all over the place; it’s obviously been robbed. Duan Ling goes outside to check on the back courtyard and finds a Mongolian soldier dead in a corner with an arrow protruding from his back. Looks like he’s fled here after getting shot; the body’s not cold all the way through yet.
“There’s a dead man here.” Duan Ling says calmly as he takes a drink of water.
“Don’t worry about him.” Cai Yan says, “Everyone, come to the front hall.”
Helian Bo turns the Cai estate’s kitchen upside down only to find out that there’s nothing in it — the fire hasn’t been lit for days and the stove is ice cold. All they can do is get some water from the well to drink, and someone has picked leaves off the tree to chew on.
“Drink more water.” Duan Ling says, “Water will fill you up, and if you carve off some bark from the tree it can allay your hunger as well.”
Duan Ling checks Cai Yan’s forehead again — he’s still running a fever, and they have all been starved for a long time, and so everyone is leaning against each other. Helian Bo is snoring with drool running down his chin. Duan Ling gets a pillow, lies down next to him, and with his hand resting over his sword, Duan Ling falls asleep.
As for Cai Yan, he’s falling asleep draped over the table. One here and one there, each of them finds a place to sleep inside the front hall. He doesn’t know how much time has passed before there’s hoofbeats outside again. By now, they’re all jumpy from what all they experienced the night before, and bounce up from wherever they happen to be lying. Duan Ling stands behind the gate, peers outside, and sees that it’s a bloodstained soldier in the city guard uniform who’s coming toward them.
“Is there anyone here?” The soldier calls out.
Helian Bo pushes the door open, but Duan Ling doesn’t show himself for fear it’s a deserter coming to rob them. Luckily, the soldier tells them, “The fighting’s over. Come to the training grounds outside the city guard headquarters. There’s food to be had.”
Everyone’s going thank the heavens, and Helian Bo chases after him. “Mon … Mon … Mongolians go … gone …”
The soldier can’t be bothered to deal with him at all, and in a moment he’s gone. All the young men erupt into laughter, each dressed still in their undershirts and short pants. They look around them, meeting each others’ eyes, feeling as though they’ve been reborn.
Even though Duan Ling had an extra meal last night, he’s so hungry by now he’s seeing stars. Alas they’re such a big group of people, they have to get through nearly half of Shangjing to get there, and it’s been raining too — the journey is seriously exhausting to the extreme. By the time they reach the city guard headquarters, the sun is already setting.
The ground outside of the city guard headquarters is filled with the wounded, lying there moaning loudly in pain. Pieces of armour are scattered all over the ground.
The fire inside the northern gate has already been put out; it’s like Shangjing has been ransacked. Duan Ling’s heart breaks at the sight of it. He looks around, trying to find Li Jianhong, and in a sea of people coming to and fro, it’s almost like there’s an ineffable connection between them guiding his gaze, so that he manages to find his father with one glance.
Li Jianhong’s armour is covered with deep red blood. He’s standing outside the main door to the city guard building, speaking with the wounded Yelü Dashi.
Duan Ling is about to run towards him but notices a severe expression on Li Jianhong’s face. While his eyes do not veer from Yelü Dashi, one of his left hand’s fingers is wagging lightly in Duan Ling’s direction.
Daun Ling understands that Li Jianhong doesn’t want Yelü Dashi to see him. So he turns back to join the crowd, catching up with Cai Yan who’s been running all over the place.
Stretchers are being carried one by one into a tent. Cai Yan asks anxiously, “Where’s my brother?”
“Mister Cai,” someone says to him.
It’s a soldier. Duan Ling goes with Cai Yan, and the soldier hands Cai Yan a flatbread. “Eat this for now.”
Cai Yan takes it and hands it to Duan Ling without thinking. Daun Ling tucks it under his outer gown and follows Cai Yan into a big tent made with white cloth; it’s filled with the wounded. Cai Yan stops walking, but the soldier keeps moving forward until he reaches the very end. There is only one person lying there. His entire body is covered in a white cloth.
Cai Yan silently kneels down in front of the body. He peels the white cloth away, revealing Cai Wen’s blood-soaked, dirt-covered face. Half an arrow protrudes from his chest. His hand is wrapped around the other half of the arrow.
“His martial skills weren’t up to par. Yelü Dashi only promoted him because of who my dad was.” Cai Yan says to Duan Ling, “The reason I asked your dad to teach me his sword style in the first place was because I wanted to teach it to him so he could’ve saved himself.”
When he finishes speaking, Cai Yan, exhausted, falls dizzily into Duan Ling’s arms.
Duan Ling wipes his tears, and lest Cai Yan wakes up and feels upset at the sight of his brother’s body, he laboriously carries him out of the tent where the soldiers grow worried when they see him. They come over to check his temperature — a scalding fever. After all, he’s a family member, his brother has even sacrificed himself for the country, and so they tell the army doctor to come check over Cai Yan.
The doctor writes a prescription for fever reduction, and Duan Ling borrows a crock to simmer the medicine on the big military stove where the soldiers have lit a fire, then feeds it to Cai Yan with a reed pipe. It’s another busy evening before someone comes to them and says to Duan Ling, “Hey, you two should head to the Illustrious Hall. The headmaster of Biyong College is waiting over there.”
A soldier from the city guard borrows a flatbed cart and puts Duan Ling and Cai Yan on it. By the time they arrive at the Illustrious Hall. it’s already midnight. Cai Yan seems a bit better, but he’s still running a low fever, talking in his sleep from time to time. Helian Bo whom they lost somewhere outside the training grounds has also made his way here, along with many young men from Biyong College. When the Mongol army entered the city, of those who didn’t run fast enough, quite a few have died. Luckily, everyone evacuated in time, and Dean Tang is still alive.
Duan Ling sees the headmaster; he’s taking care of a bunch of Illustrious Hall’s children, telling them a story.
“Then afterwards, Guan Zhong shot Duke Wu’s son, Bai.” The headmaster tells the children, “Bai called out loudly and fell in the carriage.”2
Duan Ling sits back on his heels at the very end of the rows of children. When he looks up, he sees a lamp next to the headmaster, its light shining onto the painting of “A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains”,3 and cannot help but recall the day he parted with Batu. Life from cradle to grave; it all resembles an ethereal dream.
The Next day, Cai Yan finally wakes up, but Duan Ling is so worn out that he’s fallen asleep.
“Hey,” Cai Yan says, “it’s time to eat.”
On the third day after the Mongol army leaves, Shangjing has finally begun to get back into some semblance of order. The teachers distribute food, and the portions are pathetically small. A fellow student named Huyan Na walks quickly up to them. “The dean is here. He’s telling everyone to go downstairs.”
Duan Ling helps Cai Yan down the stairs. The dean has set up another room in the Illustrious Hall.
“Roll call,” Dean Tang says. “Go out of the room when your name is called, and those who’ve gone outside should go wait in the entrance hall. Xiao Rong …”
Each student whose name is called step forward and say here, and Dean Tang makes a mark in the register.
“… Here?” Dean Tang calls a name but no one answers.
Someone says, “Not here anymore.“
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“He was shot to death by the Mongol army,” the same someone replies.
Dean Tang hums low in his throat, “He’s dead,” and draws a circle in the register. He’s quiet for a long, long time before he continues, calling out the next name.
“Helian Bo.”
“Here.” Helian Bo steps forward.
Dean Tang nods, and points a finger outside. “Your mother’s here to get you. Go on then. As for when school resumes, wait for an announcement.”
Helian Bo glances at Duan Ling questioningly. Duan Ling waves at him, knowing that Li Jianhong will come.
“Cai Yan.” Dean Tang asks, “Are you here?”
Cai Yan makes no reply, so Duan Ling says, “He’s here.”
Dean Tang notices Cai Yan. “Go wait in the garden. Your family will be here to pick you up in a little while.”
“I don’t have family anymore. My brother is dead.”
“Then go home on your own for now. Wait for the announcement for when school resumes.”
Cai Yan turns around and goes outside. Duan Ling wants to follow, but Dean Tang has recognised him. “Duan Ling?”
“Yeah.”
“You go too. Take Cai Yan home.”
Duan Ling nods. He trails Cai Yan out of the hall and they wait beneath the dawn sunlight together. He has waited right here in this very spot many times; he once waited here longingly for Lang Junxia, and Cai Wen would come astride a tall horse, whistling at them from outside the gates. Back then, Batu hadn’t left yet, and no matter how long he waited, no one ever came to get him. When the crowd eventually dispersed, he’d hang around for a bit before heading back to his room to get his bedding, then he’d go sleep in the book pavilion.
The alleyway is teeming with activity, parents of the students from both Biyong College and the Illustrious Hall are here to pick up their children, crowding the door all of a sudden. Their faces are all dirtied and their clothes dishevelled, some are even bloodstained.
“Mother —”
“Your dad is gone …”
The sound of weeping goes on and on. There are also people yelling move aside, move aside as they hurriedly throw their wood plaques at the gatekeeper, leaving as soon as they find their children.
Cai Yan leans against the pillar, and falls asleep.
“Cai Yan?” Duan Ling was going to say, come over to my house.
But Cai Yan is saying, “You go ahead. Let me sleep for a while.”
The only thing Duan Ling can do is to take off his own outer gown and cover Cai Yan with it.
Li Jianhong arrives. He’s dressed in the same rough cotton clothing as always, with a bamboo hat over his head. Standing just beyond the fence bathing in the first glimmers of dawn, he smiles at Duan Ling.
Duan Ling gets up quietly, and runs to the fence. “You’re done with work?”
Li Jianhong says to him, “Why aren’t you wearing a robe? What if you get sick? Come on, let’s go now.”
“I don’t have a plaque. I’ll have to find the dean first so he can sign me out.”
“I’ve come to get my own son and someone else has to sign you out? What sort of reasoning is that? Wait for me, I’m coming in.”
Li Jianhong is about to climb the wall as he speaks, but Duan Ling stops him.
“Shh.” Duan Ling turns back to look at Cai Yan, and as he’s about to turn back to say something, Li Jianhong raises a hand to show he understands. He beckons, letting him know they should leave together and talk later.
Duan Ling goes back inside,finds the dean, and gets a slip written. He gives Cai Yan a shake. Cai Yan opens his eyes but his gaze seems empty, looking at Duan Ling like he doesn’t recognise him. Duan Ling checks his forehead again; Cai Yan is still running a low fever.
“Come over to my place,” Duan Ling says, “let’s go.”
“What?” Cai Yan asks softly.
It breaks his heart just to look at him, but Duan Ling has no idea what he should say. Li Jianhong has come in at some point; he looks toward Cai Yan, and Cai Yan closes his eyes again. Duan Ling can only try to pick the exhausted Cai Yan up by his arm. Li Jianhong bends down, picks up Cai Yan, and goes home with Duan Ling.
That night, there’s lots more food at their house. Once Duan Ling finds a place for Cai Yan to rest, he draws water from the well for Li Jianhong to bathe and wash his hair. Li Jianhong sits on a little stool in front of the fence before the well naked, moonlight shining onto his skin; he looks like a leopard that just brought its kill back to the nest.4
As Duan Ling scrubs his back and scrubs his chest the rusty stink of blood wafts into the air. Li Jianhong then puts his bloodstained hands, deep red with blood, inside a bucket to wash them clean.
“Dad.” Duan Ling picks up the bucket and pours water onto the top of Li Jianhong’s head.
“Hey, my son.” Li Jianhong tells him, “There are always some things that no matter how dangerous and difficult you know them to be, even if you know they can only end in certain death, you’d still do it. Don’t feel sorry for him.”
Duan Ling answers with a low hum.
He kneels behind Li Jianhong, turns to wrap his arms around his waist, and rests the side of his face on his back, heaving a sigh.
“We’ll be able to return very soon.”
When they go to bed that night, Li Jianhong pulls the blanket up over the two of them.
Duan Ling stares at the canopy of the bed above him. “It’d be wonderful if no one ever went to war again.”
“Your fourth uncle said that quite often too. Whenever I came back triumphant I’d remember those words that he said.”
Duan Ling turns over, and leaning on the side of Li Jianhong’s arm, he closes his eyes and falls asleep.
The next day, Cai Yan wakes up once more, and his fever’s gone too, but he’s very weak. When he’s about to get down from the bed, he overhears Duan Ling and Li Jianhong’s conversation in the courtyard.
“This is how you jump. From the flowerpot to the fence, then up the wall. Come on.”
When LI Jianhong is showing Duan Ling how to hop up on the wall, he always gets there easily in a single leap, but Duan Ling throws himself at the wall every single time. Li Jianhong would then make fun of him.
“I can’t jump up there! It’s not like I’m you!”
Duan Ling has reached the age where his voice is starting to change, all scratchy like a duck. Straight-faced, Li Jianhong imitates the way he speaks, “I can’t jump up there! Dad! Pull me up!”
Duan Ling is angry but he also finds it hilarious — he simply can’t do a thing about Li Jianhong. Li Jianhong props him up beneath the ribs so he can try it again with less strength. When Cai Yan gets down from the bed, Li Jianhong hears him right away.
“You feeling better?” Li Jianhong asks.
Cai Yan gives him a nod, and Li Jianhong indicates that Duan Ling should go look after him. The three of them start breakfast at the table, and Cai Yan keeps quiet the entire time. When he’s done, he puts down his chopsticks. “Thank you for your hospitality. I’ll be going.”
Duan Ling begins, “Why don’t …”
But Li Jianhong cuts him off, "Going home?’
Cai Yan nods. “I have to collect my brother. Someone needs to be at home, so I should go back and check on things.”
Li Jianhong nods and makes eye contact with Duan Ling. Duan Ling remembers what his father told him to do in the morning, and says, “Then … you take good care of yourself. I’ll come see you in a few days.”
Cai Yan says, “Thanks.”
Cai Yan gives him a deep bow, and Duan Ling hurriedly gets up to return it. And so Cai Yan quickly walks through the corridor and leaves on his own; not forgetting to close the gates as he steps out.
I do not monetise my hobby translations, but if you’d like to support my work generally or support my light novel habit, you can either buy me a coffee or commission me. This is also to note that if you see this message anywhere else than on tumblr, do come to my tumblr. It’s ad-free. ↩︎
Guan Zhong. Duke Wu. ↩︎
This painting (scroll) exists. You can see a hi-res picture of it on the Wang Ximeng wikipedia page. I highly recommend viewing it. ↩︎
If you’re wondering where the whole day went, since it was dawn when they left the Illustrious Hall, their house is closer to Biyong College (near the northern gate) than the Illustrious Hall (practically next to the west gate), and they’re walking — Lang Junxia used to always go between the Illustrious Hall and their house on a horse. It still should have taken less time; let’s say Feitian just wanted to write about Li Jianhong naked under moonlight … ↩︎
