After saying all that, he seemed angry. He stood up wearily and walked out. Panicked, Wei also got to his feet, not even knowing if he wanted Shen San to leave or stay. With his brain still mush from his bout of drunkenness, the poor, lonely ghost finally followed his heart for once. He reached for Shen San. “Don’t—”
Shen San’s hand closed over Wei’s pale wrist. “You’ve been here all along these last few years, haven’t you? Somehow you could see me, but I couldn’t see you.”
Wei was speechless again.
“Oh.” Shen San read the answer on his face. Expressionless, he pried Wei’s fingers loose and flung his hand away.
Wei’s heart turned to ice. As he watched, Shen San walked to the door, resting his hands on the doorframe, and then turned back. “So you really aren’t human.”
What could Wei possibly say? The panic and emotion flooding his eyes were as stark as ebony on pristine snow.
Shen San glared, then stalked out into the garden. But just when Wei thought he was really going to leave this time, there was a furious roar. Rushing outside to see what was happening, he found Shen San in a rage, battering at the plum blossom tree with his wooden sword. “Do I care?! Did I ever say I cared whether you were human or ghost or any other manner of monster?! I came back, just as I said I would, but you wouldn’t see me for three years?! Three years! You piece of shit!”
“I…”
“I didn’t say you could speak!”
“I’m…really not a plum blossom spirit. There’s no use hitting the tree.”
Shen San paused.
The tree, whose blossoms had just fallen, trembled in fear, and a heap of tender young leaves drifted to the ground.
7
IF HE WASN’T A plum blossom spirit, then what was he? Shen San never did find out. But to be fair, Wei had never tried to find out how many times Shen San had wet his pants as a kid or how many birds’ nests he’d destroyed. There was no need to know everything about Wei’s past either. So after their one-sided fight and Shen San’s one-sided forgiveness, the two of them made a home together.
Yao-xiong enjoyed everything, however refined or crude it might be, as if it were sweet honey. He had no objections to Shen San’s cured meat, dried fruit, or garden full of vegetables and fruit. When he had time, he even gave Shen San a hand with them.
Whenever Shen San went out to hunt or had to travel long distances to buy things, he always thought of the person waiting for him at home, which made his heart glow with warmth, like there was a little furnace inside. That warmth took the edge off the chill of the cruel world.
In time, this peaceful existence made Shen San feel as though he was losing his kung fu skills. He dedicated a significant part of each day to sword practice, but—perhaps because now there was someone off to the side watching, distracting his mind and heart—his wooden sword somehow seemed heavier by the day. There were days when he simply lacked the energy to continue, but he didn’t think much of it. So what if he didn’t have enough energy? He was retired now. All he had to do was hunt, and his remaining skills were plenty good enough for that.
The two of them took their meals together and bedded down together, and in no time at all, a whole year had passed. New Year was approaching, and snow was once again falling north of the river.
Shen San disguised himself and traveled through the mountains to buy supplies at the nearest market. A snowfall was a good sign for the coming year, and the year that had just passed had been uncommonly peaceful. True, the emperor was as unreliable as ever, and true, corrupt officials continued to abuse their power, but at least the battles just past the borders had calmed down. It seemed the Heavens had rewarded the people with a smooth year, and much like grass growing on the cliffside, a tiny gust of spring wind was all it took for them to start to thrive once again.
The market was busier than in past years as well. Shen San’s first step was to sell his hides and mountain delicacies, after which he went in search of good food and good fun. He wanted to empty his money pouch right back out again. It wasn’t long before his horse was carrying all manner of New Year’s goods and snacks. Finally, when he’d bought all they could possibly carry, he decided to head home. He bought a few sweets that his Yao-xiong liked, fresh off the stove and wrapped in thick wax paper. He tucked them inside his clothes, where they might stay warm until he got home if he rushed quickly enough. The woman selling the sweets smiled at how handsome he was and wrapped him a few extra white sugar cakes.
Shen San still had some copper coins, so he threw a handful to a beggar on the street. Then he spotted a little bookstore and decided to buy a few interesting books to take back to his Yao-xiong to help keep boredom at bay.
As he perused the store’s wares, he stumbled across something unexpected at the bottom of the trunk: a heavily illustrated book called Tales of a Bitten Peach.20 When he opened it, he froze. The detailed pictures and text left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Somehow, it had managed to shamelessly sneak its way into a pile of serious literary works, where it sat, unabashed, as if it had every right to be there.
The bookseller’s eyes were keen. He came closer and murmured, “I see you’re very discerning, sir. This is the only copy of this work.”
Shen San burst out laughing. “This so-called ‘work’ is nothing but an insult to common decency.” With a sweep of his sleeves, he left.
But less than ten minutes later, this “decent” individual was back. He pretended to pick through the books, looking very serious, then pulled that book out as quickly as a thief. He threw down a few coins and ran away with the book tucked close to his chest.
Carrying this secret, he raced all the way home through the heavy snow. He and his horse were both soaked with sweat when they arrived, and between that and the freezing cold, he started to shiver uncontrollably. Afraid that he’d take seriously ill, Wei rushed to get him a change of clothes and have him take a hot bath. Shen San, confident in his own health, paid this no mind. Instead, he chased Wei in circles, teasing him and feeding him the sweets. Shen San wanted his Yao-xiong to go to bed early so he could carefully study his new book.