The two of them walked one after the other toward the riverbank outside the town.
Liu Yao walked in front, the wine jug in her hand swaying with her steps. She chattered about something or other, not caring if the person behind her was listening.
Zhao Yi’an followed behind, moving his feet mechanically with a vacant look in his eyes, lost in thought.
“Hey, I’m talking to you, Brother Zhao. You keep calling me ‘Miss’—don’t you think it’s troublesome and distant?”
“Fine, fine, you’re an injured patient right now, so I won’t hold it against you.”
“When we start drinking later, stop calling me ‘Miss,’ okay?”
Liu Yao waited for a moment, but she only heard the mechanical sound of footsteps behind her.
She shook her head, too lazy to look back again.
The sun sank a bit further to the west, and the shadows of several clumps of reeds gradually appeared in the direction of the riverbank.
The wind blew over the muddy footprints the two had left behind, making it quite a bit cooler than it was in the town.
After the time it took for one incense stick to burn, Liu Yao’s wine jug had swayed the whole way, and the two had walked the whole way. The dirt road beneath their feet finally turned into river sand.
A river that was neither wide nor narrow lay before them. The current was not fast, and a stone bridge built by the townspeople spanned the middle of the two banks.
Liu Yao scanned the riverbank and picked a flat, large rock, setting the wine jug and the oil-paper package on top of it. Then she looked back at Zhao Yi’an, who was still standing there in a daze, and tilted her chin at him.
“Hey! Don’t just stand there. Hurry up and sit down and have a cup!”
At this moment, the setting sun fell right behind the young woman, making her smiling face look a bit softer.
Zhao Yi’an was dazed for a moment.
But it was only for a moment.
He lowered his eyes, shook his head, and walked over mechanically to sit by the edge of the rock. He still clutched his wine jug and stared at the river water, though it was unclear if he was actually seeing it.
“Here, eat something first to line your stomach.”
Liu Yao didn’t mind his silence. She opened the oil-paper package herself and pushed the side dishes between them.
Zhao Yi’an looked at the offered package but didn’t move. Instead, he stared at it for a long while.
After a few breaths, he suddenly grabbed the wine jug, tilted his head back, and took a large gulp.
The liquid flowed down his neck, soaking his collar. Zhao Yi’an didn’t care; he coughed twice without stopping and took another gulp.
Liu Yao quietly watched the youth who was using wine to drown his sorrows, saying nothing.
***
After a long while, Zhao Yi’an put down the jug and haphazardly wiped the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand. He stared at the river surface with a vacant expression.
Just when Liu Yao thought he wouldn’t speak, he suddenly did.
“Tell me, if a person gets used to being unlucky… are they supposed to stay unlucky forever?”
The young woman was stunned for a moment, then she shook her head and laughed.
“You… you don’t really think you have a bad life or something, do you?”
“Is that not the case?”
The youth’s tone carried a weary, almost resigned confirmation.
“I’ve been unlucky since I was a child. I heard even my biological parents disliked me and abandoned me to be resold. Even the landlord who bought me thought I was a burden.”
“My days consist of nothing but constantly causing trouble or being a nuisance…”
He paused and looked down at the wine jug in his hand, his voice dropping lower.
“So sometimes I also think, maybe a person like me… is meant to be alone.”
Zhao Yi’an looked up at the young woman, his eyes full of numbness and grievance.
Liu Yao opened her mouth, but she found that she didn’t know what to say.
Simply enough, she also picked up her wine jug and took a gulp. Then she stared at the river surface and remained silent for a long time.
It was so long that Zhao Yi’an thought the young woman had nothing to say when she suddenly spoke.
“I think you’re actually quite lucky.”
Zhao Yi’an was stunned upon hearing this. He saw the young woman in white staring straight at him, her eyes filled with seriousness.
“Look, maybe you’ve been unlucky since you were a child, being disliked and resold… but don’t you have a home in the horse gang? Aren’t there people like your brothers who care about you?”
“Maybe that’s a kind of luck too?”
After hearing this, Zhao Yi’an didn’t speak. He just stared blankly at the wine jug in his hands. Only after a long while did he say softly, “Isn’t that just a simple spiritual victory…?”
“Heh, so what?”
The young woman couldn’t help but laugh at his words.
Liu Yao raised her wine jug and suddenly clinked it against Zhao Yi’an’s.
“When you’re out in the world, having a clear mind is what matters most. Who cares if it’s a spiritual victory or whatever? As long as it makes you feel better, it’s fine.”
Liu Yao withdrew her wine jug but didn’t drink immediately. She gazed at the river, her voice suddenly softening.
“Besides… you and I are actually quite similar.”
Zhao Yi’an looked up at her, somewhat dazed.
“I’ve actually never seen my biological parents either.”
The young woman’s tone was casual, as if she were talking about something from a long time ago.
“To me, the elders in the martial sect are my seniors, and my fellow disciples are my brothers. They were strict and forced me to practice martial arts and learn to read. Back then, I thought every day, ‘Why should I listen to you?'”
She paused, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.
“Later, after getting beaten enough, I came around. Having someone to look after you and teach you is a kind of luck in itself.”
Zhao Yi’an looked down at the wine jug in his hand. He was clearly drawn in by the young woman’s words, and his eyes were no longer as dejected as before.
“So… did you come out to travel just to find the whereabouts of your biological parents?”
“No, I just came out to have fun.”
Liu Yao couldn’t help but laugh at his silly expression.
“What? Are you surprised? I just came out to play. I won’t tie my whole life down for people I’ve never met.”
Seeing that the youth’s state had improved significantly, Liu Yao stretched and lay straight down, cushioning her head with her hands. She said in a casual tone, “Besides, isn’t it a good thing that Miss Wang already has a good match?”
“That way, you don’t have to hang yourself from a single tree.”
Zhao Yi’an didn’t respond.
Liu Yao waited for a moment and turned her head to look at him, only to find his eyes had dimmed again.
“Hey, don’t tell me you still…”
“No,” Zhao Yi’an suddenly said, his voice muffled.
“I just remembered some things.”
He looked down at the jug, his face reflected in the wine rippling just like his thoughts.
“When I was 12 years old… I was sold to Wealthy Wang’s house.”
“At that time, I didn’t understand anything and was clumsy. A few servants didn’t like me and bullied me whenever they got the chance. Once, I was beaten so badly that I curled up in a corner of the woodshed, unable to move…”
Liu Yao was startled. She rolled over and propped herself up on her arm to look at him.
“She saw it when she was passing by. She made them stop and even had someone bring me medicine.”
Liu Yao didn’t speak, just listening quietly.
“In fact, I know she probably just happened to see it and stepped in. It wouldn’t sound good if word got out about those servants fighting; as the young miss, she had to say something.”
“Giving me medicine was just a matter of ordering the servants to do it. She never came to see me again herself.”
“But that was the first time… someone stood up for me…”
Liu Yao saw him tighten his grip on the wine jug, his lips pressed thin, his eyes filled with resentment.
“But… but I have nothing. No skill, no wealth—I only have this broom star constitution. What do I have to use to speak of ‘liking’ someone? How could I dare to like her?”
Zhao Yi’an kept his head down, trying to swallow those unbidden emotions, but his eyes still turned red.
It wasn’t because of Miss Wang.
It was because of himself.
Liu Yao suddenly understood.
He wasn’t resentful because the person he liked was getting married and leaving; he was resentful that he could do nothing, and he was resentful of this damn “fate.”
She stared at those red eyes and remained silent for a long time.
Suddenly, Liu Yao clicked her tongue and rolled over to sit up.
“Alright, alright, stop acting like this.”
She scratched her hair as if she had made some kind of decision, her tone intentionally casual.
“I can’t give you skill or wealth, but teaching you some self-defense skills… that I can do.”
Zhao Yi’an was stunned. He looked up at her, his eyes still red.
“But let’s make this clear first. I can’t take a disciple on behalf of my master; the sect rules don’t allow it.” Liu Yao looked away, avoiding his eyes.
“But I can teach you some techniques that aren’t from my sect, so it won’t be a loss for you to call me ‘Master’.”
She paused and added another sentence, her tone carrying a hint of pride.
“Of course, if you’re not willing, then forget it.”
Zhao Yi’an froze there as if he had been turned to stone.
After several breaths, he suddenly snapped out of it, his voice starting to tremble.
“Is… is that true?”
Liu Yao glanced at him, the corner of her mouth curling up slightly.
“It could be a lie.”
The youth looked at her blankly, as if he hadn’t processed it.
***
Two breaths later, he suddenly came to his senses. He hurriedly set the wine jug aside, not even caring about the oil-paper package. He scrambled to stand up, then squatted back down, then stood up again.
In the end, he simply knelt on the ground and slapped his clothes haphazardly, desperately brushing off the grass clippings and dust.
Seeing his silly behavior, Liu Yao finally couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?”
Zhao Yi’an ignored her. He straightened his back and looked down at his collar again.
Feeling it still wasn’t clean enough, he wiped it hard twice more before looking up. With reddened eyes, he solemnly kowtowed to Liu Yao.
“Master!”
Liu Yao was stunned by his shout, then she looked away, her ears turning slightly red.
“Oh… oh… alright, that’s enough. Get up.”
“Really, there’s no need to be so serious…”
She lay back down on the grass, cushioning her head with her hands as she watched the last glow of the twilight. The young woman’s tone carried a hint of awkwardness.
“Let me tell you the bad news first: if you can’t learn it, I’m not going to care.”
Zhao Yi’an knelt there, looking at the white figure lying on the ground acting casually. His eyes were still red, but he couldn’t suppress the smile on his face.
He nodded vigorously and reached up to wipe the tears that were overflowing from his eyes. His voice was still trembling, but it was much firmer than before.
“Yes!”
The setting sun cast the last of its glow onto the river surface and over the two of them.
The wind blew from the river, carrying mist and a faint scent of wine.
Liu Yao closed her eyes, the corner of her mouth curling up slightly.
Today’s wine really was fragrant…