Night Talk Through the Curtain

It took Liu Yuzao and the other two a full half hour to reach Zhen Manor on Beishui Street. Along the way, Ding Songyan kept silent, focusing on the streets around him. Like parched earth under a sudden downpour, he frantically absorbed every useful detail. Linjiang County, the seat of Dingjiang Prefecture, had streets paved in gray-white stone slabs. Open channels of flowing water ran along one or both sides, with covered drains beneath, so no reek of sewage hung in the air. The streets were crowded. Vendors hawked pearl-and-jade ornaments, floral headpieces, combs, rings, embroidered satin, knives and swords, throwing stones, paintings, books, painted fans, dried fruit, and boiled water. Wooden railings separated them from the road, so they did not obstruct the carriages and horses. People dressed as knight-errants and martial artists were everywhere—men and women, old and young. But Ding Songyan saw no one with the physical anomalies his sister had described. They must not be so common after all. Among the crowd, several men and women carried their wares on shoulder poles through the streets and alleys. Coal stoves, pots, bowls, and pans hung at the front; boxes of ingredients at the back. When they found an interested customer, they stopped and quickly stir-fried a dish, its aroma filling the air. On the second or third floors of the houses facing the street, windows occasionally opened. Women called down for dishes, dried fruit, or drinks, lowering ropes with bamboo baskets attached and silver coins placed inside. Ding Songyan first assumed this was strict propriety—women should not step beyond the inner gate. But when he saw the women vying in finery on the street, and the men also lowering baskets to buy things, he understood. There was only one reason: Laziness. Too lazy to come downstairs. Too lazy to go out. “You wait outside the gate,” Liu Yuzao told Ding Daniu once the gatekeeper had given permission. Then she led Ding Songyan in through a side door, around the inner screen wall, and along the covered corridor with practiced ease. Admiring the rockeries and real ponds, ornamental stones and pavilions, Ding Songyan felt a thread of worry: A divine physician might examine him later. Would the man discover that he had “returned in a borrowed body”? That was a serious matter and had to be handled with care. But compared with the possible mortal danger close at hand, Ding Songyan could only choose the lesser of two evils. He secretly counted himself lucky that they were seeking a physician and not a monk or Daoist. “Your cousin Nuansheng is only a concubine of the Zhen family's Second Lord, but she is much favored. The Second Lord is the legitimate eldest son, so she still has some influence in the household.” As Nuansheng's independent courtyard came into view, Liu Yuzao—still wearing her black gauze veiled hat, her back straight—quietly briefed Ding Songyan. Only a concubine? And this world cared about legitimate and concubine birth too? Ding Songyan noted these key points with amusement. Led by a maid who had come to meet them, he entered the courtyard with his mother. Water rushed into the pond with a splash, turning the waterwheel at one side. The wooden linkage that reached into the house pushed and pulled, swinging back and forth. Stirred by the running water, vapor rose from the pond, where lotus leaves lay green and bright. It brought a measure of coolness to the courtyard and dissolved the thick summer heat. Wisps of fragrance drifted all around, and no mosquitoes came to bother them. In the room, Ding Songyan immediately saw an ingenious mechanism shaped like a fan, its wooden blades spinning rapidly as the wooden linkage drove it, blowing out gusts of cool air. Together with four basins of ice in the corner, it made the room feel not at all like midsummer. Pretty advanced... he muttered in astonishment. “Water-powered fan. Don't you remember, Yan'er?” A voice with a light laugh and a touch of languor came from behind the screen. Ding Songyan turned. A graceful figure came around the screen. Her hair was coiled in a falling-horse chignon, a flower ornament on her brow. She wore a vivid red silk gown gathered high at the chest, with half-sleeves of thin gauze over it. Her skin was white as jade, her figure full and shapely. Her face was bright with beauty, her manner alluring. In one hand she held a mirror with a glass face. The women of the Liu line might be poor or rich, down-and-out or successful, but they could never be ugly... No wonder she was the favorite... So this world already had functional glassware. Hmm, and it still looked like a luxury item... Ding Songyan did not answer Nuansheng's question, because he had a “great scholar” to argue the scriptures for him. Taking off her black gauze veiled hat, Liu Yuzao said in a low, steady voice: “Nuansheng, someone made an attempt on Erlang's life. He no longer remembers anything from before.” “An attempt on his life?” Nuansheng's expression darkened. She handed the mirror to her maid and circled halfway around Ding Songyan. “Aunt, what do you mean by that?” Liu Yuzao glanced at the personal maid beside Nuansheng. Seeing that her niece did not send the girl away, she calmly recounted everything that had happened that day, in full detail, omitting nothing. Nuansheng frowned as she listened, then turned to Ding Songyan: “Yan'er, do you truly remember nothing?” “Mm.” Ding Songyan said no more. Nuansheng frowned and paced two steps. To her personal maid she said, “Cuihe, go and see whether Divine Physician Shao is at the medical hall or in the manor. If he is in the manor, invite him here. And Mr. Yu—invite him as well.” The maid Cuihe answered and started for the door. “Wait.” Nuansheng stopped her. After a moment's thought, she said, “Invite Divine Physician Shao first. Wait a quarter of an hour before inviting Mr. Yu.” “Yes.” Cuihe did not ask why. In less time than it took to drink a cup of tea, the physician surnamed Shao arrived at the courtyard. He was close to fifty, with a long beard trailing in five wisps. His appearance was ordinary, his frame thin and tall. After hearing what Nuansheng had to say, he went straight to taking Ding Songyan's pulse. Ding Songyan watched Shao's expression from the corner of his eye, afraid the man would reach some terrible conclusion. After a while, Shao withdrew his hand and had Ding Songyan lie down on a rattan cooling bed. He examined the rest of his body, pressing here, kneading there, tapping somewhere else. For a moment, Ding Songyan felt as if he had gone back to his old life and was undergoing a hospital checkup. Surely observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking should have been enough? This world's martial arts flourished; there had to be plenty of external and internal injuries. Medicine should have developed to match, shouldn't it? As his thoughts raced, Shao finished the examination. He cupped his hands to Nuansheng: “No injury, no illness.” “Then why has he forgotten his past?” Nuansheng's expression was grave. Behind the screen, Liu Yuzao could not help stepping out two paces. Ding Songyan was just as puzzled. How could there not be a single wound on his body? Then how had the previous Ding Songyan died? Or had returning in a borrowed body healed the wounds? Or did this world have techniques that attacked the soul directly without harming the flesh? Had the previous Ding Songyan's soul scattered to the winds? Shao smiled bitterly: “I have practiced medicine for decades. While studying in the Medicine King Sect, I saw many difficult cases, but never a soul-departing illness with no outward sign at all.” He considered his words. “Perhaps Yan'er's illness is in the heart, brought on by excessive fright. After some time, he should gradually recover.” Then Shao turned to Ding Songyan: “If you feel unwell in the coming days, or remember anything, come find me at Yannian Medical Hall on Longxing Street.” Seeing Ding Songyan hesitate, he smiled. “I will not take a single coin. I mainly want to understand why this strange soul-departing illness has appeared. If I gain some insight from it, when I return to the sect to visit family and friends, plenty of people will envy me.” Your Medicine King Sect certainly has a strong academic atmosphere... Ding Songyan generally understood Shao's intent and agreed. Nuansheng did not take Shao's refusal of payment literally. She had Cuihe bring several silver ingots and pressed them into his hands. Shao declined twice, then accepted. After Divine Physician Shao left, some time passed. Then a figure slipped noiselessly into the room. He was a middle-aged man with a gloomy expression, dressed in a black, tight-fitting short martial outfit and a small cap. His arms and legs were unusually long, and the outer rims of his ears showed a hint of white. Did that count as one of those anomalies? Ding Songyan withdrew his gaze and did not dare look too closely. Nuansheng first explained the whole matter, then said solemnly: “Mr. Yu, Songyan is my cousin. He has been in Dingjiang Prefecture for less than a year. His telling stories on open ground was approved by the guild head of the storytellers' guild. He usually keeps to the rules and has not offended anyone. I suspect this was aimed at our Zhen Manor. Perhaps someone wanted to use his connection to me to harm our Zhen Manor. He refused to go along, so they made a vicious attempt on his life. By the grace of our ancestors, he escaped disaster. But if this matter is not settled, the trouble to come will be endless.” This ready-made cousin of mine is quite formidable. She tied my misfortune to Zhen Manor. Otherwise, why would the manor's retained experts do anything for a mere concubine? I'd say the same in her place—only by making it a matter of principle can you make something of it... Ding Songyan nodded inwardly. Mr. Yu listened silently. He looked at Nuansheng: “I will inform the Old Master.” Then he turned to Ding Songyan: “Ding Erlang, after you leave Zhen Manor, go about as usual. Do not show any sign that anything is different. Tomorrow, go to Duokang Temple as usual. I will watch from the shadows.” Beat the grass to startle the snake, throw a stone to test the road? Wasn't this a kind of fishing expedition? ... Ding Songyan agreed at once. In any case, having an expert follow him in secret was definitely a good thing. After all, he truly had nowhere to hide. After seeing Mr. Yu out, Nuansheng took several more silver ingots, put them in a purse, and handed it to Liu Yuzao, who had come out from behind the screen: “Aunt, take this silver. Use it to build up Yan'er's and Sister Qingyan's health. I am giving it to Yan'er and Sister Qingyan. Don't refuse on their behalf.” Liu Yuzao could not refuse and had to accept. Cousin Nuansheng really is a decent person... But if it's for me and my little sister, she could give it to me directly. There's no need to let Mother keep it... Ding Songyan watched enviously from the side. From now on, no matter what he did, he would need capital! Back home in Chengyu Lane, the sky had already darkened. Because the matter was unresolved and they could not discuss it for fear of eavesdroppers, none of the five dared give way to sadness, grief, or indignation. They ate dinner in silence, exchanged a few idle words, then each washed their hands, feet, and face with water from the vat and cleaned their mouths with toothbrushes made of pig bristles. Ding Daniu moved the storage boxes in the main room and assembled a makeshift bed for himself. He spread out his bedding and lay down. Seeing Ding Songyan look at him, he scratched the back of his head and gave a foolish smile: “I have to get up early tomorrow. Erlang, go back to your room too.” You really got the worst deal... Ding Songyan muttered silently, then went into the west side room. A “screen” made of wooden strips and burlap divided the inner and outer halves. Ding Qingyan slept in the inner room. He blew out the candle and lay down on the rather hard wooden bed. In the darkness, with his eyes open, he stared at the roof beams. Shifting black shadows moved there, cast by the changing moonlight outside. He did not know how much time had passed when Ding Qingyan spoke softly from the inner room: “Second Brother, be careful tomorrow.” “I will.” Warmth rose in Ding Songyan's heart. This ready-made little sister was pretty decent. He thought for a moment, then lowered his voice: “Little Sister, why do I feel that Big Brother doesn't look like either of us?” Ding Qingyan, on the wooden bed behind the screen, was silent for a long while. “To put it the way you storytellers do: Mother was famed as a rare beauty in Yuejiang Prefecture. Later, a flower-picking thief set his sights on her and found a chance to carry her off. Several years passed. That flower-picking thief was killed by a righteous martial hero, and Mother was finally rescued. But by then, she already—already had a child...” “...” Ding Songyan did not know how to respond for a moment. Behind the screen, Ding Qingyan gave a self-mocking sigh. “Sometimes you can only look on the bright side. If not for that, how would Father—a down-and-out scholar—ever have married Mother? How would the two of us be here?” “Then that's why Mother makes you wear a veiled hat whenever you go out?” Ding Songyan suddenly understood. “Mm.” Ding Qingyan let out a breath. “Tell me—Yuejiang Prefecture had watchtowers too, and famous sects and great schools. So why would such a thing happen?” Ding Songyan pursed his lips: “Any method can only solve most problems. It can never solve them all.” Brother and sister fell silent at the same time. Staring at the roof where the dark shadows shifted, Ding Songyan felt the danger of this world deeply for the first time. And there were probably more reckless fools here than in his original world, and they were even more reckless. When a man carries a deadly weapon, the thought of killing rises of itself—and these people had martial arts on top of that! He had to find a way to learn some martial arts for self-defense. He could not let himself be stabbed to death by some hothead for no reason again. He could not be left with nothing to do when disaster struck... As thoughts crowded through his mind, Ding Songyan's mind gradually cleared.