Chapter 55: The Two Fools Who Came Down the Mountain

None of the humans present knew how happy the demons were.

Tuo Tuo swung his hoe, feeling as if there were endless strength in his body. How far was this place from Yunling Mountain? If they opened it all up, opened it all up, this whole huge stretch would be their territory.

Xiao Cong picked up the little stones Tuo Tuo dug out and put them into the basket Xiu Niang had brought over. Uncle Qiu Sheng said the small stones were just right for paving the little path in front of the house.

Tuo Tuo usually rarely stuck his bottom up, and he did not look bad wearing only a bellyband. But now he kept sticking his bottom up while digging out stones, and that did not look good. When Xiu Niang brought the basket, she also brought over an apron from the kitchen.

“Do you have any red cloth?” Tuo Tuo clearly did not care for the gray-blue apron. The color was too dark.

“There’s no red cloth at home. Tuo Tuo, just make do and tie this around yourself first. That bottom of yours, always bare and sticking up, really doesn’t look very nice.” Xiu Niang covered her mouth and laughed. “It really is quite white.”

Tuo Tuo reluctantly tied on the apron and complained, “This color isn’t as pretty as red.”

In a very good mood, Hua Qi held Yun Shan and stood to the side watching them open up the wasteland. He said, “If you want to buy red cloth, go earn money yourself. Out of everyone here, you’re the one who only eats, drinks, plays, and never earns a single coin, so don’t be so picky.”

“You don’t earn money either,” Tuo Tuo muttered softly. Afraid Hua Qi would hear, he quickly dragged his little hoe and ran off, shouting at the top of his lungs for Qiu Sheng. “Uncle Qiu Sheng, Uncle Qiu Sheng, when are you going to make me a loom? I want to weave cloth and earn money to buy red cloth!”

“Tomorrow I’ll go to Bailing’s house and take a look,” Qiu Sheng teased him. “Why not just weave red cloth yourself? Why do you have to weave cloth, sell it for money, and then go buy red cloth? Isn’t that adding an extra step?”

Tuo Tuo’s eyes suddenly widened. He had never thought he could weave red cloth himself! Weave lots and lots of red cloth, and have lots and lots of red clothes. That would be too happy!

Tuo Tuo was so happy he wanted to burrow into the dirt. A ginseng spirit who owned lots and lots of red cloth had to be the happiest ginseng spirit!

This was not the mountain, and there were humans beside them, so Tuo Tuo could not burrow into the dirt. He could only drag his little hoe, sway his sky-pointing braid, and run back and forth through the field in wild delight.

Hua Qi shook his head. Another fool.

Dou Ming dumped out a basket of small stones. Seeing that Tuo Tuo seemed to want to run up the mountain, he shouted for him to come back. “Tuo Tuo, why are you running? Hurry back and dig stones!” Right now, digging stones was the great undertaking of their demon lives!

Hua Qi thought, Good thing I only brought two fools down the mountain.

Qiu Sheng went to keep an eye on the house, and Xiu Niang took Chun Hua back to the courtyard. Hua Qi was reluctant to go back. Holding Yun Shan, he happily watched the other demons open up the wasteland.

Yun Shan moved in Hua Qi’s arms and opened his eyes, his two little hands struggling to grab at the clothes in front of Hua Qi’s chest.

This action meant Yun Shan was hungry and wanted milk.

“I don’t have any milk for you. Let’s go find Xiu Niang. We’ll change your diaper too.” Hua Qi gently patted Yun Shan.

A hungry little cub who could not get food did not understand human words. He burrowed around against Hua Qi’s chest, puckering his little mouth as he searched for milk.

After rubbing back and forth several times and still not getting any milk, Yun Shan refused to accept it. His little mouth flattened with grievance, and he began sniffling, about to cry.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry. We’ll be there right away.” Hua Qi simply broke into a jog, carrying Yun Shan as he rushed into the courtyard. Anxiously, he called, “Xiu Niang, quick, Yun Shan wants milk. He’s about to cry.”

Xiu Niang quickly put down her needlework, took Yun Shan, and opened her clothes. “He slept for so long, he must be hungry.” Seeing that whenever she fed him, Hua Qi either turned his back or turned his head away and refused to look, she teased, “We’re both women. Why are you still embarrassed? Mine aren’t even as big as yours.”

Hua Qi’s face flushed scarlet, as if it were about to burn. He stammered, “What, what big or not big? I, I...” He stamped his foot. “How can a woman like you have no shame?”

“What kind of thing is that to say? It’s not like you’re an outsider. Why would I be shy in front of you? I’m already a child’s mother, not some sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl.” Xiu Niang was completely unconcerned.

“You—I can’t reason with you. In any case, I’m not looking.” Hua Qi turned his back and closed his eyes.

After Yun Shan finished drinking milk and had just returned to Hua Qi’s arms, his brows furrowed again. Hua Qi quickly set him on the small table, strode to the clothesline, yanked down a diaper, and, before Yun Shan could cry out, swiftly changed it for him.

Yun Shan moved his mouth and blew a saliva bubble, then kicked his legs comfortably.

He was very energetic now. His big eyes rolled around as he ate his hand and stared at the leaves above his head.

“You’re comfortable now, aren’t you?” Hua Qi reached out to tap his little nose. Unexpectedly, he discovered that Yun Shan’s black eyes were following his fingertip all the way to the corners of his eyes. The sight was strange and funny.

When he moved his hand away, Yun Shan’s eyes returned to normal. Hua Qi found it interesting and played back and forth several times, only for Xiu Niang, who had returned from going inside to look for something, to slap his hand away. “Don’t keep teasing him into crossing his eyes. If he gets used to crossing them, they won’t be corrected later, and then you’ll have something to cry about.”

Hua Qi sheepishly withdrew his hand. While Xiu Niang was not paying attention, he secretly made a face at Yun Shan.

“Gigglegiggle.” Yun Shan was not afraid. Instead, he laughed happily.

“You’re pretty bold.” Hua Qi touched his little hand, and Yun Shan immediately took out the hand he had been eating and placed it on Hua Qi’s finger.

“Saliva! Saliva!” Hua Qi cried in disgust. “At least wipe your hand!” Though his mouth was full of disdain, he gently held Yun Shan’s little fleshy hand and used Yun Shan’s little clothes to wipe it clean.

Xiu Niang guided her needle through the embroidery pattern and laughed at Hua Qi. “What can a tiny person like him understand? Why are you even arguing with him?”

“Xiu Niang, when will he be able to walk?” Hua Qi was now very concerned about Yun Shan’s future.

“That’ll take until he’s one.”

Hua Qi asked again, “Then when will he be able to talk?”

Xiu Niang said, “Even later than walking. He’ll have to be about one and a half. Some children talk even later. Da Mao only started talking when he was two.”

“It takes that long?” Hua Qi muttered softly. “Human cubs really do grow slowly.” Demon cubs could walk as soon as they were born, could drink milk by themselves, and after growing teeth, could eat by themselves.

Working in the fields under the blazing sun, Dou Ming straightened up, and two huge drops of sweat fell straight into the dirt. He raised his hand to wipe away the sweat about to drip into his eyes and said to Xiao Cong and Tuo Tuo in front of him, “It’s too hot. We can’t plant this field. I’m about to collapse.”

“Rest a bit.” Xi Jue felt that he could not keep working either. Right now, he only wanted to find a little stream and have a proper roll around in it.

“Let’s go bathe in the river,” Tuo Tuo said. He looked around to confirm there was no one nearby, then touched the sky-pointing braid on top of his head and said with distress, “I’m about to wilt.”

“Let’s go.” At Xi Jue’s call, Xiao Cong and Tuo Tuo dragged their little hoes and quickly ran back to the courtyard. They placed the hoes properly against the wall, then hurriedly ran out again.

“Where are you going?” Hua Qi asked after them. “You’re not farming anymore?”

“Too hot, too hot. Going to bathe,” Dou Ming replied, then he and Xi Jue led the way toward the village river.

There was a small river two zhang wide at the side of the village. On both banks were thick poplar trees that took two or three people to wrap their arms around.

By the river, a group of women were washing clothes while talking and laughing.

Bailing was there too. She looked up and saw Tuo Tuo and Xiao Cong, then hurriedly waved. “Tuo Tuo, Xiao Cong.”

“Bailing!” Seeing Bailing, Tuo Tuo remembered the red cloth that made him so happy. He ran toward her, his face full of delight. “Uncle Qiu Sheng is going to your house tomorrow to look at the loom. Once we have a loom, I’ll be able to weave cloth myself.”

“Just have him come,” Bailing replied. Seeing Xi Jue empty-handed and heading straight for the river, she found it strange. In the past, whenever there was anything to pass along, it had always been Xiao Cong and Tuo Tuo, the two children, who delivered the message. Why had Xi Jue specially run over too, just because Qiu Sheng wanted to visit her house and look at the loom?

Was he embarrassed? Bailing had just prepared to stand up and say there was no need to be polite when Xi Jue went straight past her and jumped into the river.

She was still startled when she heard three more splashes in a row. When she looked again, even Tuo Tuo beside her was gone.

“Tuo Tuo! Tuo Tuo!” Bailing shouted in fright. That child could not have gone into the river too, could he? Anxiously, she shouted at Xi Jue, whose head was the only part showing above the water. “Hurry and find Tuo Tuo! Tuo Tuo went into the water too!”

Only Xi Jue was visible in the water. Where were the other three children?

“Dou Ming, Xiao Cong, they’re in the water too! Hurry and look for them!”

Xi Jue looked at Bailing sluggishly, not understanding what this woman was anxious about. They were only hot and bathing. Did humans not bathe in rivers? Today, he had clearly seen humans soaking in the little river at the village entrance.

The women washing clothes by the river also stood up, craning their necks to look into the water. Anxious as well, they shouted at Xi Jue, “Hurry and look for the children!”

They had not come up for so long. Something had to have happened!

Some people had already turned and run home, about to call people to save the children.

“Why are you looking for me?” Dou Ming suddenly surfaced, holding a huge fat fish in his raised hands. At a rough glance, it had to weigh two jin.

The fish’s tail kept thrashing, slapping Dou Ming’s face with water. He raised his hands and, under everyone’s astonished gazes, threw the fish onto the bank.

Xiao Cong and Tuo Tuo surfaced one after another.

Bailing patted her chest and sighed. “You two scared me to death. I turned around for just a moment, and you were gone.”

“Auntie Osmanthus, no need to call anyone. The children are all in the water,” Bailing called out loudly to Auntie Osmanthus, who had already run onto the small path.

“Oh my, that really scared people to death.” Only after confirming that all three children were perfectly fine did Auntie Osmanthus walk back. “Hurry up and stop staying in the river. All of you, come up.”

“It’s fine,” Tuo Tuo said. “We’re hot, so we’re washing up.”

“If you want to wash, go home and wash,” Bailing advised along with her. “You two are little. Hurry and come up.”

Dou Ming lowered his head and sank back into the water.

“No,” Tuo Tuo refused. His wet sky-pointing braid still stood perfectly straight on his head.

“Tuo Tuo, be good. Otherwise, in a bit, I’m telling your mother,” Bailing threatened.

In the time it took to say just those two sentences, Dou Ming caught another fish and threw it onto the bank.

“We’re really fine,” Xiao Cong said. “We can swim.”

“Those who drown aren’t all people who can’t swim,” Bailing said. “Hurry up and come up, or I’m really going to tell Huaniang.”

“Do you want to eat fish?” Tuo Tuo did not want to keep entangling with Bailing. Soaking in the water felt comfortable right now, and he did not want to go ashore.

“Huh?” After Bailing reacted, she laughed at him. “Tuo Tuo, you can catch fish too?”

“Don’t look down on me.” Tuo Tuo pouted, then sank into the water.

“Huh? Tuo Tuo, hurry and come up! I wasn’t looking down on you. Hurry and come up!” Bailing’s heart, which had just settled, jumped back into her throat. She leaned half her body out and stared at the place where Tuo Tuo had disappeared, calling, “Hurry and come up! I don’t want fish!” But where was Tuo Tuo’s shadow in the water?

Ripples spread across the water on the other side. Tuo Tuo surfaced while holding a red fish and said proudly, “Look, I caught a fish.”

His arms were short, so he could not throw the fish onto the bank the way Dou Ming did. He swam to the bank and painstakingly placed the fish on the ground, then pushed it toward Bailing. “For you.”

“Really for me?” Bailing was surprised.

Tuo Tuo lay on the riverbank, his two legs leisurely kicking the water behind him. “Really for you. Is one enough? If not, I’ll catch another.”

“Enough, enough. Hurry and come up.” Bailing reached out to pull him, but Tuo Tuo nimbly turned around and returned to the river again.

Xiao Cong also caught a fish and gave it to Bailing, making the women washing clothes nearby grow envious.

Auntie Osmanthus looked at Dou Ming with a smiling face. “Auntie wants to eat fish too. Catch one for Auntie as well?” In just this short while, she had counted, and Dou Ming had already caught more than ten fish, all of them big ones.

Xi Jue surfaced and threw the fish in his hand at Auntie Osmanthus’s feet. “For you.”

“Oh my, this fish is big. Thank you.” Auntie Osmanthus pulled up some wild grass from the side, twisted a few strands together, threaded them through the fish’s gills, and lifted the fish in one hand.

“I want one too.”

“Catch one for me too.”

The women on the bank all chimed in. Though they did not know each other, they still thickened their skin and asked. What if they could get a fish? Then there would be something good to eat tonight.

Catching fish was something done in passing. It was not hard. After the four demons bobbed up and down in the water several times, every woman on the bank was smiling broadly, and beside everyone’s feet lay a large fat fish.

After tidying up her own fish, Auntie Osmanthus pulled up more grass and strung together all the fish lying on the ground. The women came over one after another to help, piling the strung fish together.

Tuo Tuo felt something strange behind him. A slippery thing brushed against his back. That feeling was not like a fish. It was more like something long and slender.

He turned to look and saw something with a pointed head and a thin, curving body floating right in front of him.

He screamed, “There’s a snake! There’s a snake!” Using both hands and feet, he flailed toward the bank.

Xiao Cong looked in the direction of his gaze. Wasn’t that a yellow eel? He followed behind Tuo Tuo and swam toward the bank with him.

They were not afraid of ordinary animals. But snakes—that was Hua Qi’s true form! The demons on the mountain had always taken a detour whenever they saw a snake.

Bailing looked worriedly at Tuo Tuo. Seeing a yellow eel fleeing in panic in the water, she finally relaxed. “It’s not a snake. It’s a yellow eel.”

The four demons had already climbed ashore. Hearing her words, they all turned back to look. They saw that the “yellow snake” in the water was indeed different from a snake. Its head was very pointed, while most snakes had triangular or somewhat round heads.

There was no such thing in the streams on the mountain. This was the first time the demons had heard of the animal called a yellow eel.

“Eating yellow eel is very nourishing. Mao Shan once caught five of them, and the meat was very tender,” Bailing said.

“Ah?” Xiao Cong looked at Bailing in horror. “You people even eat them?” The moment he thought of the way yellow eels moved so similarly to snakes, Xiao Cong could not help thinking of Hua Qi.

Bailing said, “They’re very nourishing.”

“Not eating them even if they’re nourishing.” Tuo Tuo’s face was full of refusal. The soaked red bellyband clung tightly to his stomach, showing the shape of his bulging little belly. The apron on him hung down over his legs and was dripping water.

Bailing reached out and poked his belly, laughing. “You really are quite chubby.”

“I’m not chubby.” Tuo Tuo lifted a big fish in each hand and reminded Bailing, “Uncle Qiu Sheng is going to your house tomorrow to look at the loom.”

“I know.” Bailing waved at him. “I’ll specially wait at home for you tomorrow.”

Xi Jue walked at the very front, carrying five fish in each hand. Behind him followed Dou Ming, Xiao Cong, and Tuo Tuo. As they walked, their wet clothes dripped water the whole way.

“That really scared a demon. I thought that fish was Hua Qi’s relative,” Tuo Tuo muttered, still shaken. “How can there be such an ugly fish!”

When they passed Fifth Auntie’s doorway, Fifth Auntie, who was picking vegetables and preparing to cook, saw the fish in Xi Jue’s hands and asked enviously, “Caught them in the river behind the village? That’s really quite a lot.”

“Mm.” Xi Jue nodded.

By the time they walked back to Qiu Sheng’s house, their clothes finally stopped dripping water. The four demons stepped into the courtyard, and Xiu Niang cried out in surprise, “So many fish? You all went into the water?” Why were even Tuo Tuo’s and Xiao Cong’s clothes completely wet?

Tuo Tuo untied the apron on him and flung it onto the clothesline. It was still more comfortable wearing only a bellyband.

“Hurry and take off all your clothes. While there’s sun, dry them quickly,” Xiu Niang called to them.

“It’s fine.” Dou Ming sat in the sun and said, “Clothes can dry while you wear them too.”

Xiu Niang said, “Then wring out your clothes. They’ll dry faster.” In summer, there was no fear of anyone freezing.

“How are we eating the fish?” Dou Ming looked at Xiu Niang expectantly.

“We’ll make fish balls. In a bit, you’ll have to help me mince the fish meat.” The moment Xiu Niang saw the fish, she had already thought of how to cook them.

Tuo Tuo ran over to look at Yun Shan, but Hua Qi blocked him. “You’re wet. Don’t get Yun Shan’s clothes wet.”

“Then I’ll take it off.” Without the slightest shame, Tuo Tuo untied his bellyband, flung it onto the clothesline, and ran naked to Yun Shan’s cradle. “Yun Shan, Yun Shan, we’re eating fish tonight.”

Next Chapter >