The Taming of the Ruffian Hero

It was still drizzling outside. Zhao Yuan raised the torch in his hand and the fire swayed in the fine rain. The two of them put on their clothes. Lin Wenxi’s clothes were now dry but Zhao Yuan’s clothes were still soaked. Only then did he recall that Zhao Yuan had placed his clothes in front of the campfire and his behind.

Lin Wenxi touched the lapel of his clothes to try and wring it dry. Zhao Yuan looked at him like he was a complete idiot.

Out of the blue, Lin Wenxi grabbed his torch and placed it in front of him to illuminate the way. Zhao Yuan got dressed and chased after him. “I think we’re still get soaked in the rain walking the trail. Let’s speed up.”

Lin Wenxi laughed. “The saying goes that, ‘Flowers are blooming on your way home, so enjoy them while ambling along’ but look at you. You won’t even let me catch a break.”

“The only thing blossoming now is rainwater. What’s there to be happy about?” While tugging Lin Wenxi, Zhao Yuan sped down the trail. Inadvertently, he spotted the crescent moon looming behind the dark clouds at the far end.

Giggling, Lin Wenxi began running with the torch high up. The flame illuminated his face, highlighting a pair of eyes that were lit up with joy. In the darkness of the night, his beautiful face gleamed as brightly as the moon hanging high in the sky. Zhao Yuan smiled. He pressed gently on the flute in his hand, his fingers dancing up and down. A mellow and melodious song reverberated all around the trail and the sky.

Lin Wenxi was surprised by his flute-playing skills. Moreover, he could tell that he was playing the song “Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon”.

With its gentle rhythm that gave way to a cadence toward the end, Lin Wenxi felt like he could hear the vicissitudes of life and overwhelming sorrow of parting from the song. Perhaps, the song also spoke of a kind of melancholic blessing.

Lin Wenxi’s footsteps gradually quietened. A faint smile danced on his lips.

Their wind-swept hair danced in the air. In the quiet and empty sky, the moon suddenly brightened as if it had been awakened. The weather was clear when the full moon abruptly arrived and showered the world with rays of moonlight. Fireflies fluttered in the clear night, their light crisscrossing and swirling in the air. In a limpid, insignificant pocket of the universe, the two of them walked as freely as the air through the wilderness. One led the way with a torch in hand, a pair of clear eyes, and an engrossed expression on his face. The other took the rear, playing a song on the flute that sounded as distant as a flowing river. The tunes overlapped again and again, rising and dipping as the song continued. The song made them feel like space-time had all but disappeared here. Even the fleeting time felt like it had come to a standstill, making them feel as if there was no end to their journey.

The colorful clouds had different meanings; the bright moon was elegant. The bright moon and the colorful clouds depended on each other to illuminate the sky, mountains, flowers, and flowing rivers. Lin Wenxi, who took the lead with his raised torch, listened to such a song and stared at such a person. He threw his arms wide open and strolled through the wilderness under the drizzle. Even if it was nighttime, he felt as if he could see the rainbow in the bright sky. Zhao Yuan was smiling with an occasional raised eyebrow. Following the rhythm of the song, he sometimes walked a few paces faster and sometimes moved slowly. One led the way with a torch in hand, while the other played the song “Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon” on the flute behind him.

The two of them ran back into the house but they were still engrossed in their mood. They sat shoulder-to-shoulder outside the house and stared at the stars that occasionally showed themselves in the night sky.

“Look at the cluster of stars in the sky. They appear so close to each other but the reality is that even the distance between two of the nearest stars must be measured in light years. Even if we put together the distance we’ll walk in our lifetime, we’ll never cover the distance between two stars. Yet our life gradually slips away while we’re still on our way to our destination.” Wenxi spoke pensively.

He asked, “Do you think we’ll turn out that way when we leave separately?”

Zhao Yuan chuckled. “The stars don’t have phones but we do. We can keep in touch…”

Lin Wenxi was reminded of how Zhao Yuan would always have a way to pacify him. He could only smile helplessly.

“Wenxi, I’ll find a way. I promise. Besides, even if… even if we can’t stay in the same city for the next few years, won’t we be able to make our own choices after we graduate, join the workforce, and earn our freedom?” Zhao Yuan said. His eyes were as vibrant as ever. They carried an irresistible force.

“Will you forget about me?” Lin Wenxi asked. He didn’t think Zhao Yuan would be able to find a way to do so.

Zhao Yuan stood up and wrapped Lin Wenxi’s fist with his hand. He held tight onto his hand and said earnestly, “I promise you that I’ll be the last to ever forget about you! My good… good younger brother…”

Lin Wenxi’s lips trembled and he pulled his hand out of Zhao Yuan’s grip. Suddenly, he pointed to Zhao Yuan and laughed. “Why does this feel like a scene out of a TV show, where the guy would always treat the girl who had a crush on him like a sister?”

Zhao Yuan had more to say but he considered himself a scorpion right now, a scorpion that was pointing its stinger to painfully jab Lin Wenxi’s chest. Before the stinger could come into contact with Lin Wenxi’s beating heart, he chose to restrain himself.

Zhao Yuan had gradually calmed down as the day came to an end. He lost his previous panic and the urge to flee with Lin Wenxi. He knew that abnormal feelings had taken root between him and Lin Wenxi a long time ago. Yet, he also knew that once he pokes into certain issues, things would develop in an unimaginable direction. Perhaps, things would combust until all that was left were ashes. He understood that what would remain was waiting as well as time. If he didn’t want Wenxi and himself to be repeatedly tormented by various issues, he should let everything end now.

He smiled and said, “Look. I didn’t treat you like a sister, did I?” Then, he leisurely hummed, “Sister Lin falls from the sky…” Lin Wenxi smiled but didn’t reply. He picked up a wilted branch and tugged it across the ground. He was neither writing nor drawing—but it was as if he was scribbling someone’s name.

The tiled house built with mud-bricks was warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The window covered with a decorative film allowed light to pour freely into the house. Paper cuttings of the words “Safe and sound”, characteristic to the country folk, were pasted on both sides of the window. They seemed vivid and lifelike.

The underground heating tunnel was covered with dry straw that was harvested last year. In the lower temperatures of the night, the faint fragrance of grass coupled with the smell of earth was both nostalgic and warm. Atop the dry straw was a thin, pleasantly soft cotton-padded mattress that the country folk made themselves as well as a newly-woven mat of reed and bamboo that emanated a faint reed fragrance. Under the heated brick bed was the water storage system. It would turn cold once nighttime arrived. When night fell, the source of light would be a yellowed light bulb covered with a bright red casing fashioned out of paste, the only one in the house. The entire house was quiet and tranquil. Coupled with the steam rising from the underground heating tunnel, they felt like they were on a bamboo raft flowing down a calm and large river. At this point, the skylight on the red-tiled roof with a decorative film fixed on the glass was being moved. The moonlight poured into the house little by little through the skylight, gently and thoroughly encompassing the heatable brick bed.

Even deep into the night, the two of them couldn’t find sleep even as they lay on the bed. Lin Wenxi’s shoulder was pressed close to Zhao Yuan’s. His eyes were wide open.

“Are you asleep?” Zhao Yuan asked softly.

“Not yet.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t dare to sleep. I fear that the night would just pass once I wake up.”

Zhao Yuan couldn’t help sighing.

Like him, Lin Wenxi didn’t know how many days they still have. It would barely take any effort for a person of Hong Xuan’s caliber to find someone in this small village. It was only a matter of time.

The two of them locked themselves in a tight embrace as they unknowingly slip into dreamland.