Chapter 67: Meeting a Clear Day Chapter 46: The World's First Ni Pi

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

In the sixth month, it is precisely when river shrimp are plump and delicious.

Ji Jin, sitting cross-legged by the river reading, heard the sound and turned his head. He saw Shan Gu carrying a fish basket, Mo Li carrying a net, Shaowei holding her shoes in both hands, and Zhan Zhan chattering and circling behind them. Three people and one bird returned fully laden, as if they had won a victorious battle.

Qingxiang lifted her skirt and went forward to inspect the spoils; Ji Jin also rolled up his bamboo slips and stood up.

In the scorching afternoon heat, it was most sweltering, and because they had gone down to the river to catch shrimp, Shaowei, like Shan Gu and the others, had rolled her sleeves past her elbows and folded her skirt up halfway, the hem casually tucked into the satin belt at her waist, revealing slender, strong, well-proportioned calves.

On the young girl's slightly rounded cheeks, it was impossible to tell whether it was sweat or river water. Her exceptionally black, smooth hair was tied at the back of her head with only a dark blue ribbon. She walked barefoot, light steps treading on the green grass, her wet skin glowing with a soft luster in the sunlight, like a blue-white orchid rooted deep between mountain rocks — stem and leaves straight, petals full, brimming with vitality. In these vast mountains only this one flower blooms; even swaying unsteadily in the wind, it carries a touch of solitary, carefree poise, because it has confidence — the mountain rocks and it both know clearly just how deep and firm its roots go.

This is the Shaowei in Ji Jin's eyes at this moment.

It is also at this moment that he suddenly realizes Shaowei is no longer the little child he used to call by that name.

When the barefoot Shaowei approached, Ji Jin somewhat hurriedly averted his gaze to look at the shrimp in the fish basket Shan Gu was carrying.

Qingxiang proposed that half be boiled plain, and half mixed with flour and pan-fried into shrimp cakes.

At the mention of shrimp cakes, Mo Li nodded repeatedly, her eyes expectant, concise and to the point: "I want to eat, hurry up and make them!"

But Qingxiang suddenly looked rather embarrassed, and said softly in a small voice: "... I don't dare cook live things."

She never dares watch things like killing chickens or slaughtering sheep; when live shrimp and crabs go into the pot she has to stay far away, not daring to hear the sounds of their struggle.

But when eating it is indeed very fragrant... that sounds very hypocritical, doesn't it?

Qingxiang felt ashamed of herself, and secretly glanced at Shaowei who was usually bold and decisive, yet saw not the slightest trace of contempt on Shaowei's face. Shaowei merely directed Mo Li: "Let Qingxiang Sister teach you; she speaks, you do."

"Oh, okay!" Mo Li snatched the fish basket from Shan Gu's arms and said to Qingxiang: "Let's go quickly!"

Mo Li was impatient to cook, and Qingxiang had to lift her skirt and trot to barely keep up.

Shaowei had mud on her legs and feet; carrying her shoes, she went to the shallow water to wash.

Shan Gu wanted to follow, but was called aside by Ji Jin, who brought him to another stretch of the river.

Facing Shan Gu's puzzled gaze, Ji Jin coughed lightly and said: "The water is good here; wash here."

Shan Gu lowered his head, looked, and subconsciously said: "Then A Jie should come over too."

Seeing him turn his head to call Shaowei, Ji Jin hurriedly said: "Shan Gu, improper!"

Shan Gu looked completely baffled. Ji Jin explained seriously in a low voice: "You are only a year or two older than Jiang Sister; you count as similar in age. Now that you are both gradually growing older, you should know the distinction between men and women; there must always be some distance..."

Hearing the word 'distance', Shan Gu suddenly felt heartbroken and fearful, and resisted with wide eyes: "But that's A Jie!"

"Yes, but A Jie is not A Brother." Ji Jin felt it was time to properly explain this principle. He pulled Shan Gu to sit by the river and said in a low voice: "Men and women are born different. Ordinarily we study and play together, which naturally needs no taboo, but washing feet together is too... too intimate."

"Qingxiang Sister and Jiang Sister are both girls, so they can naturally be intimate without reserve, even sleep on the same bed. But if you and I did such a thing, it would be a tremendous offense and bullying, absolutely impermissible."

Hearing this, Shan Gu still frowned, but was no longer as resistant as before. He merely said: "A Jie has great strength and a healthy body; no one can easily bully her." Though unhappy, he still had to add an explanation of A Jie's capabilities.

Ji Jin: "That is the principle. If it were an unfamiliar man, with even a hint of offensive intent, Jiang Sister would certainly not tolerate it; once she acts, it will be with the force of a waterfall pouring into fire —"

Shan Gu couldn't understand: "What is 'waterfall pouring into fire'?"

Ji Jin had to choose the most straightforward wording: "It means, one punch can knock them down."

He continued from his previous words: "But that is Jiang Sister's reaction toward outsiders. She is naturally guileless; toward familiar people she has much trust, and inevitably lacks some wariness. If you and I exploit that trust, and in our interactions observe no measure between men and women, silently offending her, would that not be despicable and base?"

This was truly an evaluation Shan Gu could not bear. He loved and cherished A Jie, valued this relationship beyond measure, and naturally did not wish to become the despicable person in Ji Jin's words.

Therefore, even though he still could not fully comprehend the distinction between men and women, he solemnly nodded in agreement. Moreover, besides restraining his own behavior, he also planned to keep a close watch on other men, lest A Jie suffer such silent offense.

Seeing Shan Gu had taken it to heart, Ji Jin breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Shaowei's voice suddenly came; she called: "Ji Jin, come here!"

Ji Jin answered and hurried over.

Shaowei had already washed her legs and feet clean, wiped the water traces away with her skirt hem, put her shoes back on, and let down her sleeves.

But there was still a smudge of mud on her face that she was unaware of. Ji Jin looked at that patch of mud and inexplicably felt it was exactly like a butterfly's shadow in the sunlight — also a different kind of gorgeous, variegated brilliance.

Ji Jin suddenly averted his gaze again.

"What were you two whispering about just now?" Shaowei picked up a pebble and asked.

Ji Jin hurriedly said: "Nothing, just idle talk..."

Shaowei didn't bother to pursue it deeply; her attention was on something else: "I'll write two characters; you help me see what they mean."

Ji Jin nodded, his gaze following Shaowei's hand holding the pebble.

She wrote stroke by stroke, writing two characters on the giant stone. Because her hands possessed inexhaustible ox-strength, these two characters were exceptionally clear.

"Ni, Pi?" Ji Jin subconsciously read them separately, and asked Shaowei doubtfully: "Hasn't Jiang Sister learned to recognize these two characters?"

"Separated, each going its own way, I naturally recognize them." Shaowei asked seriously: "But I don't know if they lean together in one place, combined into one, whether there is a different meaning?"

These two characters are none other than the driving force behind Shaowei's "vengeance-style learning."

As Ji Jin said, by now she is very familiar with these two characters, but has never seen them joining hands as a family in any scroll. Yet that day Jiang Fu wrote them together as one: 【Shaowei is the world's first Ni Pi —】

She originally didn't want to ask others, fearing she might hear some embarrassing answer that would make her lose all face. But she pondered on her own for a long time with no conclusion. Today she thought of it again, and finally steeled her heart to try asking Ji Jin for guidance.

And she truly asked the right person.

Ji Jin looked at those two characters, murmured them twice, and suddenly his face showed realization: "I know! I have indeed heard the term Ni Pi! This is a Shu dialect; my late Mother once said it!"

Shaowei immediately asked: "What does it mean?"