Chapter Nine: Reborn

Chen Xiaofu was, of course, unaware that his fiancée’s train of thought was so unconventional.

He had entrusted Cuihong to mail the first letter of his life that could truly be called a love letter. Enclosed within it was that couplet. He was certain that once his fiancée read the letter and the couplet, she would develop a profound interest in him and would surely reject all other temptations while awaiting his arrival in the Imperial Capital.

That was a beautiful prospect. Chen Xiaofu looked forward to meeting such a talented and graceful lady in the Imperial Capital. In his past life, he had never married, nor had he even held a girl’s hand. A girl’s hand should be soft, he imagined, and certainly not as hard and cold as the barrel of a rifle. If they met and found their interests aligned, then falling in love in this world would certainly be worth it.

In this era, mail relied on pack mules or even human porters on foot. A letter sent from Lin'an to the Imperial Capital could take two months at best, or up to half a year at worst. There was no sense in rushing; it would arrive eventually. Feeling that he had accomplished his first truly meaningful task since arriving in this world, Chen Xiaofu was in high spirits. Remembering that there were still so many books he hadn't read in the library, he left the South Courtyard once again and headed toward the library in the North Courtyard.

Standing among the flowers and plants outside, he looked toward the library’s location. There was supposed to be a three-story wooden building there! But now... Chen Xiaofu widened his eyes and looked left and right, confirming he hadn't come to the wrong place. Yet, there was no trace of the library anywhere! Not even broken walls or rubble remained! The foundation had been covered with fresh soil, and a few saplings had even been recently planted.

This was utterly ridiculous. He just wanted to read books! He wasn't thinking about jumping off a building again! The grandmother had been ruthless; she had dismantled the entire building, so the books... were naturally no longer available to read. Chen Xiaofu shook his head with a bitter smile and turned back to the South Courtyard.

Passing by the gate, he still didn't see Old Huang. That irresponsible gatekeeper. He had intended to ask him about martial arts if he had shown up last night, but the old man had failed to appear by his bedside. He had hoped to learn something about martial arts from the books in the library, but now the library was gone, and he couldn't very well ask his grandmother where she had hidden the books. Standing by the lotus pond, Chen Xiaofu felt a faint sense of melancholy.

A moment later, he smiled in resignation. The one thing he didn't lack right now was time! What he needed most was to strengthen his frail body. Whether it was for practicing martial arts or for his wedding night, a strong constitution was the foundation of everything. As for the rest, he would figure it out later; surely his grandmother hadn't hidden every book in the entire city of Lin'an.

Thus, in the days that followed, the South Courtyard of the Huaxi Villa began to teem with vitality.

***

This was something the maid, Cuihong, had never expected. The young master no longer engaged in cricket fighting. Er Gouzi had brought the cricket cage over a few times, but the young master had merely glanced at it once and then ignored him completely. He no longer squatted under the banyan tree to watch the ants, either.

The young master now slept at the hour of the Dog and woke at the hour of the Rabbit with absolute punctuality. After washing up, he would go to the back garden. At first, she thought he was going to admire the flowers, but to her surprise, he would begin walking briskly around the lotus pond. Initially, Cuihong was quite astonished, wondering how he could possibly appreciate the morning scenery while walking so fast.

Ten days later, the young master began to jog around the lotus pond. At first, it was only slightly faster than a brisk walk, and he only did three laps. Ten days after that, he ran faster and added two more laps. Another ten days later, he was running even faster and could complete a full ten laps!

Cuihong estimated the distance by walking it herself. She took about six steps to cover a zhang, and one lap around the pond took her about six hundred steps, meaning one lap was roughly one hundred zhang. Ten laps for the young master... that was one thousand zhang! No wonder his appetite had increased so much lately; she felt exhausted just walking a few laps herself.

She reported this to the old mistress in a timely manner. The old mistress was extremely surprised and came with the old master to see for themselves. After watching... the look in the old mistress’s eyes was complex. She seemed surprised, comforted, and perhaps a little worried. After much thought, she ultimately did not stop the young master.

The next day, it was the old master who came to watch the young master run. He said the old mistress had some business to attend to and would be away for a while. That day, after his run, the young master shared a pot of tea with the old master in the pavilion. The grandfather and grandson had a discussion about the running—mostly the old master worrying that the young master might injure himself, and the young master explaining the benefits of doing so. The old master seemed to understand only half of it, and upon leaving, he only offered one piece of advice: "Perhaps you are right, but be careful not to overdo it."

The young master smiled and nodded, but he didn't pay much heed to the warning about "too much of a good thing." He even intensified his training! For instance, he began running in the evenings as well. After running, he would perform exercises on the grass south of the lotus pond that she had never seen before—sometimes stretching his legs, sometimes supporting his body with his arms and moving up and down. Sometimes... Cuihong couldn't understand them, but she found the movements strange yet strangely graceful.

The young master’s complexion had turned from pale to rosy.

***

His energy did not wane from such sweat-drenched exercise; on the contrary, the young master’s spirit seemed more abundant than ever. It appeared to be a good thing. The young master had been reborn and had become even more handsome.

Nearly two months passed quietly. On this morning, Chen Xiaofu woke at the hour of the Rabbit as usual. He ran his twenty-some laps around the lotus pond but did not go to the grass to exercise further. After bathing, he came to the pavilion and brewed a pot of tea—this was the young master’s new hobby. In the young master’s own words, one always needs something to do to pass the boring time.

The young master’s tea-brewing skills were not very good; it was either too strong or too weak. But he drank it with great relish. At this moment, he was holding a teacup, and Cuihong could smell that this pot had been steeped a bit too long.

"I am going out today." Chen Xiaofu used the word "am" rather than "want."

Cuihong was slightly startled. "Young master, the old mistress has not yet returned."

Chen Xiaofu sipped his tea, thinking that his grandmother had been gone for over a month... In his memory, she had never been away from the villa for this long. Of course, she had gone months without visiting the South Courtyard before, and his predecessor had no idea where she went.

"Whether I go out has nothing to do with whether Grandmother is back." Setting down the teacup, Chen Xiaofu looked at Cuihong.

As their eyes met, Cuihong lowered her head instantly. She felt a glint in the young master’s eyes that she dared not refuse.

"Old Huang is not home, so tell Er Gouzi to ready the carriage. You... you stay at the manor."

Just as Chen Xiaofu finished speaking, a voice drifted in from the moon gate leading to the back garden:

"Young master, this old servant... has returned!"

The voice sounded slightly weary. Chen Xiaofu looked up and saw Old Huang limping toward him, leaning on his black cane. He looked dusty and travel-worn. There was a faint smile on his stubbled face.

But Chen Xiaofu’s brow suddenly furrowed. On that face, there was a shocking, hideous scar!

"Where were you planning to go, young master?"

Chen Xiaofu stared at that face, the teacup in his hand shattering with a *crack* as he gripped it too hard.

"Who hurt you?!"