Chapter 25 - Snippets of Memories
In Jiading Prefecture, people did not let the cold weather stop them from going out to the streets. The marketplace was bustling with activity, as lively as ever.
Chi Nanwei cheerfully wove through the hustle and bustle of the crowded marketplace. Somewhere along the way, she had grabbed onto Ye Beizhi's hand to drag him through the crowd.
"Candied hawthorn, more sugar is more love!!"
"Sour plum soup, refreshingly cool!"
"Dumplings, hot meat buns!"
"Get your cakes here! Millet cakes, black rice cakes, buckwheat cakes, date cakes, cornmeal steamed cakes!"
Through the continuously changing calls of the various vendors, Chi Nanwei's constant giddy laughter became a guide. Ye Beizhi followed it along, feeling dazed. He simply never had the privilege of being an ordinary member of the crowd. He had no recollection of ever being part of such a boisterous and blissful atmosphere.
For as long as he could remember, he lived in a bloody world dominated by murder and slaughter.
He had grown up on a battlefield and could no longer remember when his first kill was. All he knew was that every day, he could only kill, lest others kill him.
He wasn't nearly as skilled back then as he was now, but after killing so much, everything grew numb. Each day became a gory repetition; he swung his blade, killing, swinging, killing, and swinging again! His enemies fell one by one, but it was never enough. One day, his comrades fell too.
And then? Snippets of memories flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern shining on a bloodstained screen. He didn't know when it happened, but eventually, he was the last one left alive.
Looking around, he realized he stood alone in a field of corpses. Whether they were enemies or his comrades, they had all disappeared.
The encampment flag with the character 'Mallard' lay tattered, drinking from the blood-soaked ground. A valiant camp of five hundred men was reduced to an emotionless report.
All five hundred men of the Flying Mallard Battalion fought bravely. One soldier survived. The rest perished.
With that, the Flying Mallard Battalion disappeared too.
Whenever someone asked him if he wanted to join another camp, he thought of the old camp leader, the taciturn middle-aged man, somewhat stooped with his concerns. After every battle, he would take a headcount, worrying which of his brothers-in-arms wouldn't make it back.
Then, he would silently calculate how much of his own military pay he could spare, sending his salary to the families of the fallen brothers-in-arms every month.
Ye Beizhi felt someone nudge him and he snapped back to reality.
Chi Nanwei was pouting at him.
"What’s happened?" Ye Beizhi asked.
"Is going out with me that boring?" Chi Nanwei asked while pouting.
"No… not at all."
"Then why aren't you here with me?" Chi Nanwei's brows were raised like willow leaves.
Ye Beizhi fell silent, giving Chi Nanwei an apologetic look.
Chi Nanwei didn’t press the matter further, instead she brought them to a restaurant and said, "This restaurant’s dishes are delicious. Let’s have lunch here."
Only then did Ye Beizhi realize it was midday already. Thus, with some curiosity, he asked Chi Nanwei, "Weren't we… going to see the show?"
"The shadow puppet show? Don't worry it starts later in the afternoon," Chi Nanwei replied readily.
The dishes arrived quickly.
Chi Nanwei ate elegantly, maintaining her ladylike demeanor while out in public.
"Let’s go to the post office later," Ye Beizhi suddenly said.
"The post office?" Chi Nanwei asked, "What for? Do you need to send a letter to someone?"
Ye Beizhi nodded.
"Who are you sending it to?" Chi Nanwei was intrigued. "Do you have friends?"
Friends. Hearing the word, Ye Beizhi paused, memories of two figures surfacing in his mind.
He nodded but then shook his head.
Seeing Ye Beizhi's reticence, Chi Nanwei wisely chose not to press further.
After finishing their meal and leaving the restaurant, Chi Nanwei led Ye Beizhi towards the post office.
At the post office, Ye Beizhi bought several envelopes and addressed them. He then took out a stack of silver notes from his pocket to place within the envelopes.
"Hey, where did you get all this money?" Chi Nanwei asked as she came closer, noticing the piles of silver notes.
"The money"—Ye Beizhi recalled his run in with Chief Chen—"was a bonus."
"Hmph, you're kidding me. If you don't want to say, then forget about it."
Chi Nanwei scrunched up her pretty little nose at him and changed the subject. "It’s about time. The shadow puppet play is starting soon."
Ye Beizhi nodded.
Fortunately, they went to a post office near the shadow puppet play venue, and reached their destination shortly.
The shadow play was performed in a large tent. They lifted the curtain and entered, finding that many people were already seated. Ye Beizhi and Chi Nanwei found a spot to watch the play from, and sat down as the performance began.
Only then did Ye Beizhi finally understand what Chi Nanwei meant by the shadow puppet show. He was wary of going to the show because whenever he heard the word 'puppet,' he always thought of Tang Jinnian, who controlled a number of deadly puppets.
As the performance gradually reached its climax, the hero of the story, a skilled martial artist, squared off against dozens of members of the notorious Ghostbane Association. Chi Nanwei was completely engrossed as she clapped and cheered with each clash. Ye Beizhi on the other hand, appeared a little bored. With nothing new to see, his gaze wandered as the curtains came to a close.
Even though the show was over, Chi Nanwei seemed like she was still raring for more. Although reluctant to return, it was getting late, and she was a bit tired from the day's activities. Ye Beizhi accompanied her in an unhurried manner.
The sky clouded and gradually darkened; winter nights came early. The streets calmed down, no longer bustling with daytime activity. The two walked down a mostly empty street while the houses around them slowly came to life.
"Dummy, you’re keeping a lot from me, aren’t you?" Chi Nanwei suddenly spoke up. "It feels like there are many things you aren't telling me."
Ye Beizhi turned to look at the girl beside him. The shifting lantern light cast a vigorous red-orange hue on her face, making her even more vivacious.
Ye Beizhi did not answer. Maybe he didn’t want to, or maybe there were too many things she didn’t know. Ye Beizhi didn’t even know where to start.
"Actually, I’m not a child anymore," Chi Nanwei said softly, "Grandpa Wu is the same, Big Brother Fang is the same, and you are the same too.
"You all treat me like I'm still a child, trying to shield me from the world."
Chi Nanwei smiled wistfully. "Actually, I know a great many things… There are things I can sense as well."
"There's a problem within the escort agency, right?" Chi Nanwei turned to look at Ye Beizhi. "Since the day you came back, the escort agency has been on edge."
"Hmm." Ye Beizhi looked down at the road beneath his feet. "I'll fix it."
Ye Beizhi suddenly turned toward Chi Nanwei and said with a grin, "I’m very strong."
"Mm!" It was Chi Nanwei's turn to be at a loss for words. Pleasantly surprised, she said, "This is the first time I’ve seen you smile— Actually, you look pretty handsome when you smile."
Ye Beizhi turned back to look at the ground, his face was noticeably red even in the dark.
Something steamed off of Ye Beizhi’s slightly warm face.
Ye Beizhi looked up. Snowflakes descended from the sky like loose feathers failing to take flight.
"It's snowing," Chi Nanwei murmured.
Chi Nanwei looked at the sky and held out her hands to embrace the falling snowflakes.
Ye Beizhi looked at the outskirts of the city, where thousands of refugees were still stuck outside the city walls.
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