Unexpectedly, I didn’t see Shen Jianqing the next day.
I woke up very early, and when I opened my eyes, my back and waist ached. I had spent the entire night curled up inside the quilt in a fetal position.
The medicine stain on the bed had long dried, forming a dark, rigid, irregular circle across the mattress, emitting a faint, bitter smell, it was absurd and ridiculous.
I wasn’t sure if it was my robust constitution or the small amount of medicine Shen Jianqing had forced down on me yesterday, but my fever had subsided. My body temperature returned to normal, and strength flowed back into my limbs, only my foot injury remained the same.
I got out of bed and limped to the window, trying to pry at the bars in the middle of it. They were very sturdy; no matter how hard I tried, there was no sign of loosening at all.
Before, there were only a few grooves on the windowsill, but now, for my sake, unyielding bars had been installed within them.
When I first moved in, I joked that if bars were installed on this window, it would look like a prison. I never thought it would now come true.
I sat back on the bed, feeling somewhat deflated, and took a few deep breaths. Annoyance clung to me like a shadow. The injured area on my right foot began to itch, a sign of the wound slowly healing. If I couldn’t get it properly set and bandaged, it would definitely be affected in the future.
I had no choice now; I had to rely on Shen Jianqing.
This realization made me feel conflicted and pained. I despised such a weak version of myself, but I hated the culprit who caused all of this even more.
Just then, the sound of a lock turning came from the door. My heart instinctively shot up, and my breathing hitched. This had become a conditioned reflex whenever I heard the clanging of iron locks.
The door creaked open, and a tall figure entered.
The person wasn’t Shen Jianqing.
The words that had risen to my throat instantly died. A strange sense of relief welled up in my heart, like a death row inmate suddenly being told their execution was postponed. I could postpone facing Shen Jianqing for a little longer.
The man was dressed in a plain greenish-gray Miao ethnic costume, with only a circle of patterns on his lapel, unlike Shen Jianqing, who was adorned with jingling silver ornaments. His skin was dark, clearly accustomed to working in the fields. He had an honest, simple face, a square jaw, and very thick lips.
After all this time, I finally saw a new face and couldn’t help but feel both happy and nervous: “Hey, hello!”
He ignored me, busying himself with setting down the food he was carrying.
Hopping on my left foot, with my right foot gingerly off the ground, I bounced over to the man, eagerly saying, “I want to go out! Let me leave!”
With that, I quickly hopped towards the door.
But before I could even touch the edge of the door, the man grabbed me by the scruff of my neck.
“Dong nu!”
The man said something I didn’t understand, then pulled me back into the room with an undeniable force. He swiftly turned and left, closing the door behind him.
I hopped to the door, pounding on it. Even though I knew he wouldn’t understand, I stubbornly continued my futile efforts: “I don’t want to be here! This is illegal imprisonment, you guys will go to jail! Let me out!”
The man quickly locked the door and walked away. No matter how much I pounded, roared, or cursed inside, no one paid me any attention.
No one could understand my current helplessness and despair.
The moment my right leg touched the ground, it throbbed with piercing pain. My left leg, supporting my entire body weight, quickly grew weak and sore. I leaned against the door and slowly sat down, burying my head in my hands.
The people here didn’t understand me, and even if they did, they might not be willing to help either.
What should I do…?
And did Qiu Lu and the others get out? Were the things Shen Jianqing said yesterday true, or was he just trying to scare me? If they were infected with Gu, what about me?
Thinking of this, a cold sweat broke out all over me.
Ah Li had once accidentally let slip that the Miao people of Shidi Mountain could use Gu. Shen Jianqing’s statements also proved this. Could it be, could it be that I was already infected with Gu?
The more I thought about it, the more disheartened I became, feeling utterly cold. After an unknown amount of time, I struggled to get up and fumbled my way to the table.
Yesterday’s food had been cleared from the table, replaced by fresh dishes. There was glutinous rice cake, cured meat, and rice, all with a strong Miao ethnic flavor.
I hadn’t eaten or drunk almost all day yesterday, and now I was very hungry; my stomach had growled multiple times. But looking at the food, I had no appetite. My throat felt tight, and my mouth was bitter.
After a long hesitation, I picked up a piece of glutinous rice cake, put it in my mouth, and climbed back onto the bed.
The glutinous rice cake should have been sweet, with brown sugar inside. But it tasted like chewing wax to me; I couldn’t discern any flavor.
I lay in bed for a while and unexpectedly fell asleep again. When I woke up, the sky outside was streaked with red. The sun, hidden behind the clouds, descended slowly and reluctantly.
The door was pushed open again, and light footsteps entered. I thought it was the same Miao villager from the morning, so I lay languidly on the bed, not wanting to move or acknowledge them.
So, when I heard the voice, I was completely taken by surprise.
“You, lunch, no eat, no?”
Though stuttering, these were definitely Chinese words I could understand, and by the sound of it, it was clearly a girl!
I was so excited I almost shed tears. I flipped over and sat up and looked back.
A slender, elegant figure stood leaning against the door. Behind her was a sky filled with crimson clouds, the setting sun over the mountains, and tired birds returning to their nests. And all that boundless beauty was contained in the shallow curve of her dimple, making one overlook the surrounding splendor the moment their eyes met her exquisite face.
I remembered her name: Wan Ying.
My heart pounded fiercely twice because I heard the long-unheard Chinese words, but I also worried about experiencing the same cold treatment I received from the Miao villager earlier.
Wan Ying tilted her head and said, “You called, Li Yuze, is it? Why, no, speak? My Chinese is not good, you, not understand?”
My eyes widened, and I hesitated, saying, “I understand! You, I… You know my name?”
“Earlier, I heard, they, called, you this way, I, think this is, your name.” Wan Ying’s eyes sparkled with cunning.
So that’s how it was. There was so much to say at once that I didn’t know where to begin. I gathered my courage and, for the last time, asked with full expectation, “Can you let me leave here?”
Wan Ying walked into the room, closed the main door behind her, and shook her head: “Cannot. If, I let you go, Shen Jianqing, will be very, angry. He angry, consequences, very bad.”
See, I knew it. No one here would be on my side or help me.
Wan Ying saw my pale face and smiled, “Shen Jianqing, to you, not good?”
Good? How could she even ask such a question? The state I was in, looking so wretched and disheveled, wasn’t the answer obvious?!
That’s not right ah, doesn’t she like Shen Jianqing? She should be furious to see me, but she’s so calm. I thought about it, given that Shen Jianqing is full of lies and theatrics, maybe everything he said before was just him fabricating stories to gain sympathy.
“Where did Shen Jianqing go?” I asked, sidestepping her question.
Wan Ying said, “No need to worry about him. He went to catch, traitor.”
That last “traitor” was cut off, a single word that popped out of her mouth, filled with an indescribable eeriness.
Who cares about him? If he died out there, that would be for the best. I thought maliciously to myself.
I paused, then said, “Traitor?”
Wan Ying said, “Should, soon be, back.”
As soon as we left, there was a traitor in the Miao village? How could that be such a coincidence! I pressed on, “What kind of traitor?”
Wan Ying, however, smiled mysteriously: “Cannot, tell you. Traitor, is, traitor.”
As she spoke, she stood up, intending to leave.
“Wait!” I called out to Wan Ying. I didn’t know what I was thinking; my mouth just moved before my brain did. Perhaps I was too bored and lonely, desperately needing someone to talk to. Or perhaps I wanted to keep her here, thinking I might find an opportunity to escape.
Wan Ying turned back, looking at me curiously.
From this angle, her profile bore a slight resemblance to Shen Jianqing’s.
I racked my brain and came up with a topic: “Your Chinese is very good. Have you been outside? Have you spoken with people from the outside?”
This topic was truly awkward. As soon as I said it, I thought, she definitely won’t bother with me.
“Where am I good? Shen Jianqing is, truly very good!” Wan Ying said dismissively, but her eyes held a triumphant look. “I have not, been outside. Shen Siyuan Ah Nai[mfn]Uncle Shen Siyuan[/mfn], taught me.”
I keenly picked up on the crucial information.
“Shen Siyuan… Ah Nai?”
“It means uncle by marriage.”
I paused, an unsettling guess forming in my mind, but I still sought confirmation: “Shen Siyuan, is he Shen Jianqing’s father?”
Wan Ying nodded as if it were obvious: “Shen Jianqing, is an anomaly. For hundreds of years, we, have not intermarried, with outsiders. He is the first, child of a Miao person, and a Han person.”
Wan Ying referred to Shen Jianqing’s father as “uncle by marriage.”
A chill ran down my spine, and I felt like laughing.
Had Shen Jianqing ever told me a single truth? He claimed that Wan Ying and the leader were using their power to pressure him, constantly harassing him, and even oppressing his property. He had no choice but to retreat to the forest. But in reality, Wan Ying was his cousin, and the leader, if I hadn’t guessed wrong, should be his maternal grandfather!
From the very beginning, was there even one thing about this person that was real?
Full of lies, layer upon layer of deceit. I felt so much guilt after rejecting him, even fantasizing that if he were a girl, maybe I would… Now I only feel fortunate that I didn’t make some terrible decision when I wasn’t thinking clearly.
Wan Ying left at some point; perhaps she found me lost in thought and grew bored, so she departed. In any case, the door was locked, and the room quickly grew dark.
Actually, Shen Jianqing had left candles in the room, but now I just felt so exhausted I didn’t want to say a word or even move.
Every breath was an expenditure of energy, requiring all my strength.
I sat silently on the bed like that, letting the darkness swallow me bit by bit.
