Chapter 36: Wishing to Send Plum Blossoms
Daoist priest Chuyun stood outside the tent, her gaze directed at the people coming out one by one. Some looked excited, some embarrassed, and some both excited and embarrassed, occasionally glancing down at the little girl beside her.
The little girl stood next to her, not even half her height. Her little clothes were clean and tidy. Her eyes darted around, taking in the crowds of people, the novel sights, and the noisy places. However, her face lacked the rich expressions typical of normal humans. Perhaps she had not taken human form for long and not yet learned the full range of human expressions. When encountering something surprising, she would widen her eyes slightly at most.
With a swish, the tent’s curtain was lifted, and a group of Daoists emerged.
Daoist priest Chuyun couldn’t help observing everyone’s expressions.
Leading the group was Senior Daoist Brother Song. His expression remained unchanged, as if nothing could shock or disgust him and that there was nothing special.
However, the expressions of her elders and fellow disciples behind him were somewhat different from before.
The elders’ faces showed a mix of awkwardness and embarrassment, while her fellow disciples were blushing deeply. Some were even mumbling softly about how they should have asked what was inside before going in, calling things “unsightly.”
Both Chuyun and the cat were full of curiosity.
Lady Calico leaned over and craned her neck with wide eyes, trying to peek inside the tent through the lifted curtain.
Daoist priest Chuyun approached Daoist priest Yingfeng. “Senior Brother, what’s inside this tent?”
Daoist priest Yingfeng’s face turned even redder.
“Nothing... nothing much...”
“Then why that expression?”
“Don’t ask.”
“What on earth is it? So strange! You’re making me even more curious with your look!”
Daoist priest Yingfeng stammered, still unable to answer.
Even though Daoists were supposed to be unconstrained, how could he talk about such things in front of his Junior Sister without shame in these times?
Then they heard Daoist priest Chuyun’s master scold, “What else could it be? Just those unsightly things! Why keep pressing? What’s there to ask about?”
“Oh...” Daoist priest Chuyun couldn’t help shrinking back.
Thinking of the things she had seen in previous tents such as stinking mummies and twisted, deformed human bodies, she still felt a bit nauseous.
However, Song You smiled and said to Daoist priest Chuyun. “The Dao follows nature.[1]. Why be concerned with the superficial?”
As he spoke, he noticed Lady Calico trying to sneak inside.
“Swish!” Song You grabbed the back of her collar, pulling her back. Then he looked at the others, and cupped his hands. “My fellow Daoists, it’s getting late.”
“We all should also return to Qingxiao Temple.”
“Then let us say goodbye here.”
“Hope to see you again.”
“Hope to see you again.”
Lady Calico also mimicked Song You, saying “Hope to see you again” in her childish voice. If not for being held by the collar, she might have seemed more formal.
Since they were not heading the same way, they parted there.
Daoist priest Chuyun looked away, feeling a bit regretful, and a bit reluctant to part. “Senior Daoist Brother Song has the strongest willpower after all.”
The middle-aged Daoist priest was dazed and frowned in deep thought for a moment.
Reflecting on the evening, Song You indeed seemed more composed than everyone else. Not just compared to the younger ones, but even more so than those who had seen such things before. Previously, it didn’t seem significant, but looking back now, it showed his cultivation. The phrase “The Dao follows nature. Why be concerned with the superficial?” seemed directed at Chuyun and the other younger disciples, but it actually also preserved the dignity of the older ones.
After a long while, he stopped frowning. “Sigh...”
“Master, why do you sigh? Are you troubled?”
“It’s not sorrow, but realization.”
“Realization about what?”
“I just felt that we’ve been studying Daoist classics and Daoist arts hard and been immersed in them all day. Yet we have forgotten the principle that the Dao follows nature. Ultimately, we actually still had to rely on fellow Daoist Song to enlighten us.”
“What do you mean?”
“All living things in this world contain the Dao. If you look with wise eyes, you’ll find insights everywhere. If we limit our vision to Daoist classics and just think hard about their profound meanings, we would have neglected things outside the classics. When observing all the living things in the world, if you only look at the surface and do not think deeply, wouldn't that be inferior?”
The Daoist priests were not slow-witted either. They had some understanding earlier, but after hearing this, their minds immediately became clear. They then felt deeply ashamed and hurriedly cupped their hands toward the direction in which Song You had left.
This single sentence of guidance could surpass ten years of arduous contemplation for the ignorant.
“So what was really inside?” Daoist priest Chuyun still couldn’t help asking as she lowered her hands.
***
“Just the desires of ordinary people.”
“Desires?” Lady Calico didn’t quite understand the term.
“For example, when you’re hungry, you want to eat. When you’re thirsty, you want to drink water. When you’re bored and have too much energy, you want to run around. When you see a mouse scurrying by or an insect flying in front of you, it’s hard to resist the urge to catch them,” Song You patiently explained. “Desires are more or less similar. They are the most normal things. If you can think of ways to eliminate them, you’ll feel free. If you can’t eliminate them, you’ll feel all sorts of discomforts just like feeling hunger or thirst. How you handle your desires is the best reflection of your cultivation.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Then let it be.”
“Was it very fun inside?”
“Why do you ask this?”
“You seemed very happy when you came out.”
“Lady Calico has sharp eyes.”
“Was it very fun?”
“It was the joy of gaining insights.”
“What kind of joy?”
But Song You didn’t answer, instead stopping in his tracks.
After bidding farewell to the Fuqing Temple Daoist priests, they had walked back to the liveliest part of the fair without noticing it. Besides the daytime performers, and scallion pancake[2] vendors, there were now opera singers, stilt walkers, dragon dancers, lion dancers, and molten iron fireworks performers[3]">https://www.thinkchina.sg/culture/video-striking-iron-flowers-art-brave[/ref].
Molten lava-like iron at 1600 degrees Celsius was poured into a hollow mallet, and then a shirtless strong man struck it with force.
“Bang!” A shower of sparks flew, resembling a cascade of stars and fireflies in the sky.
This breathtaking beauty surpassed even modern fireworks.
Song You couldn’t help being entranced.
He stayed there for a long time, watching as one tree of iron flowers bloomed after another. Only then did he lower his head, patting the head of the equally wide-eyed and entranced Lady Calico beside him, saying, “It’s like seeing silver flowers falling in the night. One’s heart is moved and gains insights, naturally feeling joy.”
“Like stars falling down…”
“Yes.”
“Will they have this again tomorrow?”
“I don’t know.”
“I want to come see it again tomorrow!”
“Alright.”
“And the monkey show!”
“Alright.”
“Can you buy me some mouse poison?”
“Why?”
“So I can kill all the mice and eat them without having to catch them myself.”
“We’ll see.”
The two figures, one large and one small, slowly walked away.
Returning to the courtyard, they found another delight.
The yellow plum blossoms in the courtyard had bloomed.
Opening the door to the courtyard, they were greeted by a subtle fragrance in the night that vaguely enchanted their hearts. There was also an unreal figure wandering and singing under the tree, her voice cold and clear like the yellow plum blossoms themselves. The two complemented each other, creating a pure transcendent beauty rarely found in the mortal world for the moment.
Lady Calico spoke in a soft voice. “The flowers have bloomed.”
Song You only looked straight ahead, and replied quietly, “Yes.”
“These flowers are yellow.”
“Yes.”
“But you painted red ones.”
“You still remember.”
“I’m very smart.”
“Yes.”
“Why did you paint red ones?”
“I just painted on a whim.”
At that moment, the ghostly figure vanished with a sudden poof.
Song You could only shake his head with regret.
Beautiful things in this world never last long.
He then brought out an oil lamp, intending to admire the flowers by night.
In fact, yellow plum was what was known in his previous world as wax plum.[4] Originally called “yellow plum”, it was said that Su Dongpo[5] and Huang Shangu[6] saw that the petals of the yellow plum blossoms resembled beeswax, hence naming it “wax plum.” Another story says that Huang Tingjian thought the petals looked like they were made by a woman pinching wax, so it was later called “wax plum.” In any case, it was because its petals were curiously and beautifully translucent like wax that it earned this name.
Since it also bloomed in the twelfth lunar month[7], it was often written as “lamei”[8] later on.
Wax plum and plum blossoms were different. Wax plum mostly bloomed in the cold wintry twelfth lunar month and was usually yellow, while plum blossoms mostly bloomed in spring and were mostly red. In modern classification, one belonged to the wax plum family, while the other belonged to the rose family. Later generations often couldn’t tell whether the plums in ancient poems referred to wax plum or plum blossoms. Song You had not yet met a member of the literati, but if he met one composing poetry, he could at least get one line clarified.
Actually, Song You rarely saw plum blossoms in his previous world but he often saw wax plum, frequently scenting its fragrance.
The fragrance of wax plum was a deeply ingrained memory for people from his previous world’s hometown…
The gardenias in spring, the champak[9] flowers in summer, the osmanthus in autumn, and the wax plum in winter were fragrances frequently encountered each year. Even in the city, there was no need to worry. Once the season came, many elderly people would sell these fragrant flowers on the streets, either carrying them in baskets or pushing carts.
The most fragrant was this wax plum.
It was a sweet yet cold fragrance, sweeter than osmanthus but not as cloying. It was fresh and delightful, a scent embedded in old memories, the fragrance of home.
Song You was really delighted, and reluctant to go inside.
He couldn’t help but pick a flower and place it on Lady Calico’s head. He couldn’t help but pick another and bring it to his nose to sniff the scent closely. He couldn’t help but stand for a long time under the plum tree, holding the oil lamp up to admire it closely. If it weren’t for the inconvenient transportation and postal systems of this era, he would have picked a twig to send to the old Daoist at the temple to express his longing. Since it wasn’t convenient, he had to let the twig remain on the branch, unwilling to pick it anymore.
The oil lamp illuminated the wax plum blossoms, creating a unique sense of beauty.
As the night grew deeper, the courtyard became colder. The wax plum blossoms all over the tree bloomed fully one by one in the chill air, becoming even more pure and beautiful.
Song You felt very peaceful, not wanting to leave for the moment.
If someone passed by outside, they could also enjoy the fragrance from within the courtyard at that moment. If they stopped, they would be able to hear the faint conversation within.
“It’s getting colder, Daoist priest.”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you go to bed?”
“I can’t bear to go.”
“Pick a branch to look at indoors.”
“I can’t bear to pick it either.”
Silence.
“Why aren’t you talking?” Lady Calico asked.
“You aren’t talking either.” Song You replied.
“I am watching you.”
“I’m watching the flowers.”
“What are you thinking about?”
“Some old friends.”
“Thinking of your master?”
“How did you know, Lady Calico?”
“I’m very smart.”
“Indeed.”
At that moment, Song You did not just recall his master.
This floral fragrance had come from the depths of his memories so it naturally brought forth things from deep within his memories. In ancient times, there was a tradition of sending plum blossoms to express longing, but even if Song You picked the plum blossoms, he didn’t know where to send them.
Fortunately, he had Lady Calico for company.
It alleviated much of the loneliness.
1. Quotation from Dao De Jing, a foundational Daoist classic attributed to Laozi. ☜
2. Traditional Chinese savory unleavened flatbread made with dough and minced scallions which is pan-fried. ☜
3. “Striking Iron Flowers” (Datiehua) is a traditional Chinese folk art display which consists of splashing molten metal to create sparkling streaks of light like fireworks. ☜
4. Lamei, literally “wax plum”, is a Chinese name for wintersweet. ☜
5. Celebrated Song dynasty poet. ☜
6. Style name of Huang Tingjian. Song dynasty calligrapher, painter and poet who was a friend of Su Dongpo. ☜
7. “Layue” in Chinese. The “la” refers to cured meat because the weather of this month was suitable for making cured meats. ☜
8. Another Chinese name for wintersweet. Same pronunciation as “wax plum” but using the character meaning “cured meat.” ☜
9. Native to many countries, including southern China. Known for its fragrant flowers. ☜
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