Chapter 54

Huo Xiaoru gazed at Hu Xiaotian's eyes, which had suddenly become deep, and her heart stirred slightly; it seemed that Hu Xiaotian's inner nature was far more profound than the frivolity he displayed, perhaps he was using his surface frivolity and restlessness to conceal his sharpness. Huo Xiaoru lifted her wine cup and said, "Young Master Hu, I want to apologize to you with this cup of wine; that day I left the Smoke and Water Pavilion without saying goodbye…"

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "It's just a trifle; why apologize?"

Huo Xiaoru's pretty face flushed slightly as she said, "Are you angry with me?"

Hu Xiaotian countered, "Why would I be angry with you?" He had originally wanted to say, "You're so beautiful, how could I bear to be angry with you?" but the words rose to his lips and he thought better of it, feeling it too frivolous, so he stopped himself.

"You stood up for me, yet I fled the battlefield and abandoned you."

Hu Xiaotian said, "At first I was indeed puzzled, but after thinking it over I understood: you were worried that staying would cause me greater trouble, that someone would seize the opportunity to claim I fought them over you out of jealousy, which would only make things worse. So I wasn't angry at all; in fact, I'm grateful to you."

Huo Xiaoru never expected Hu Xiaotian to see the situation so clearly, to gauge her true thoughts with such precision; she had never in her life met a man who understood her so well. Her lovely eyes gazed steadily at Hu Xiaotian, she bit her cherry lip and said, "It's rare that Master Hu would consider others in everything."

Hu Xiaotian smiled, "I rarely think of others, but with Miss Huo I'm different."

Huo Xiaoru's heart fluttered; this fellow was basically revealing something to her. She dared not meet Hu Xiaotian's suddenly scorching gaze, her long black lashes drooping as she whispered, "Master Hu, your journey ahead will be long and distant; I don't know when you'll return to the capital." As she spoke, a reluctance lingered in her heart.

Hu Xiaotian narrowed his eyes and said, "It could be as short as a year or two, or as long as three to five years; I haven't gone yet, so everything remains unknown."

Huo Xiaoru said, "After I help the Bureau of Music arrange this dance, I will also leave the capital."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Miss Huo, if you're interested, why not pay a visit to Qingyun Xian in Xichuan? I've heard the scenery is lovely and the folkways simple; you shouldn't be disappointed." This fellow proactively extended the invitation, and he couldn't help admitting that facing a beautiful and intelligent woman like Huo Xiaoru, any normal man would be moved.

Huo Xiaoru naturally could read between the lines of his words; her pretty face involuntarily flushed with two blooms of color, her natural beauty suffused with shy charm that stirred the heart. Hu Xiaotian lifted his wine cup, gulped, and downed a large mouthful of liquor— in two lifetimes combined, he had never seen a woman so alluring; to have such a wife, what more could a husband ask for? Thinking of his own paralyzed, ugly fiancée, Hu Xiaotian wished he could dash his head against a wall; old man, his life is truly bitter.

Huo Xiaoru whispered, "After the Emperor's birthday celebration, I still have to go to Nan Jun to attend to some matters; I hope I might have time next year to make a trip to Xichuan." By this point she was overcome with shyness.

Hu Xiaotian's heart leapt with wild joy; Huo Xiaoru's saying this amounted to promising she would go to Xichuan to meet him— clearly she was giving him a chance. A year is neither long nor short; he still had that patience. As long as Huo Xiaoru came to Xichuan to find him, he would never let this golden opportunity slip. If their feelings were mutual, if you love me and I love you, Hu Xiaotian wouldn't mind throwing away everything he currently has, taking Huo Xiaoru with him to roam free as a pair of flying birds. This fellow, without realizing it, began to indulge in fantasies.

Seeing his gaze drift, Huo Xiaoru gave a soft cough and asked, "Master Hu, what are you thinking about?"

Only then did Hu Xiaotian realize he had lost his composure; he gave an embarrassed laugh and said, "Just thinking about leaving the capital makes me truly reluctant—I don't want to leave this place, I don't want to leave my parents and family, and I don't want to leave you… such a friend."

Huo Xiaoru smiled, "Master Hu and I have only met twice." She was reminding Hu Xiaotian that they weren't yet that familiar; his words carried a hint of insincerity.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Some people know each other a lifetime and still never become friends, while others meet just once and can share their innermost hearts. In Kangdu I have hardly any friends; I don't know why, but I feel a close affinity with Miss Huo."

Huo Xiaoru said, "Master Hu flatters me; I am merely a dancing girl, never having dreamed of rising above my station, nor of befriending a gentleman like you." What Huo Xiaoru said is true: in the present age, the status of dancing girls is extremely low; even though she has the reputation of a talented woman, in others' eyes she remains of humble standing, and those who associate with her do so only for her looks, not out of sincere, equal regard.

Hu Xiaotian said, "People are born equal, with no hierarchy of high or low, noble or base; why must you belittle yourself?"

Huo Xiaoru didn't want to pursue the topic further; she turned her lovely eyes to the window and said, "The rain has stopped!" The brief drizzle had just passed, leaving the sky washed clear and bright; many wisps of cloud hung low, draping the distant, majestic Imperial City as if veiling it in sheets of white gauze. A brilliant rainbow appeared unnoticed, arcing from the west to due south, spanning the entire moat, casting a gorgeous hue over the pedestrians on the street.

The scene was like a painting; Huo Xiaoru felt an urge to step into the artwork. Hu Xiaotian sensed this from her gaze and suggested they settle the bill and leave. Upon reaching the counter, they discovered that Murong Feiyan had already paid and left when she departed; although Murong Feiyan always ends up arguing with him whenever they meet, she is nonetheless a decent person.

After leaving Ziranju, Huo Xiaoru looked back at the unfinished couplet there and murmured, "Guests arrive at Ziranju, and indeed the guests are heavenly. I wonder which great scholar came up with this upper line?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Actually, I heard this couplet when I was a child; I don't know who proposed the upper line, but I heard a monk match the lower line."

Huo Xiaoru blinked her lovely eyes, secretly thinking, "Could it not be that saying about the poor having no meat to eat, and those who eat meat not being poor?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "The monk wanders the Cloud-Hidden Temple; the temple hides the wandering cloud monk!"

Huo Xiaoru's eyes lit up; she couldn't help clapping her hands in praise, saying this couplet was brilliantly clever. She laughed, "If you had just matched that couplet, we wouldn't have to pay for this meal."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Actually, your couplet is already quite well matched; the proprietor of Ziranju seems to be a not-so-straightforward fellow. The upper line has been left blank for so long that I don't believe past scholars and literati could fail to match it, and even if someone had, he wouldn't admit it—first, he's reluctant to give up this little food and drink; second, he uses it as a gimmick to lure more customers, merely a business tactic."

Huo Xiaoru nodded; Hu Xiaotian's mind is truly sharp. She curiously asked, "You say you heard this couplet when you were a child?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "There's nothing particularly remarkable about this couplet; I recall that the monk at the time had already matched two lower lines, and another one is: 'One passes the Great Buddha Temple, the temple's Buddha surpasses the person.' To me these famous couplets are all obvious, but to Huo Xiaoru they are quite fresh. Hu Xiaotian still retains a bit of propriety, so he only says it was a certain monk who gave the lower line, without shamelessly claiming it as his own creation."

Huo Xiaoru considered them carefully; both of those lower lines are more neat and ingenious than her own. She said with sincere admiration, "Sir, your talent is high; I, Huo Xiaoru, feel inadequate."

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "These couplets aren't mine to match, but seeing Miss Huo, I suddenly thought of another one; I'll give it to you before I depart, as a parting gift."

Huo Xiaoru smiled and nodded, her lovely eyes full of anticipation.

Hu Xiaotian said, "A brief stay is best— the little loft, spring-warmed, is fit for a brief stay and yet another brief stay; how to fare well, as you cherish and pity, do as you wish!"

Upon hearing him finish, Huo Xiaoru's pretty face instantly flushed crimson; this fellow is truly rash and bold, actually sending her such a couplet, its lines brimming with a heavy flirtatious tone. Yet she cannot help but acknowledge that the couplet's conception is ingenious, its parallelism flawless enough to be called an absolute of the ages— he actually wove her name into it skillfully, the first character of both upper and lower lines being "Xiaoru," with a total of four "Xiaoru" embedded throughout; this person is indeed a heaven-sent genius. No matter what he has in mind, he is undoubtedly the most talented person Huo Xiaoru has ever encountered.

Huo Xiaoru said, "Master Hu, as you go forth to take office, although the post of county magistrate is modest, your every move still governs the people's welfare; I also have a couplet to present."

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "I'm all ears!"

Huo Xiaoru said, "The county magistrate makes a living— gold wanted, silver wanted, banknotes wanted, red and black snatched up indiscriminately, north or south no matter. The poor folk ought to die, the grain not yet harvested, the wheat not yet harvested, the beans not yet harvested, green and yellow not meeting, what to send as a gift?" After saying this, she elegantly gave Hu Xiaotian a deep bow, turned and walked into the clear, rain-washed painting-like scene. Hu Xiaotian gazed at Huo Xiaoru's graceful, swaying figure, feeling a bit entranced; seeing her silhouette fade away, he suddenly said, "Miss Huo Valley, when you dance, have you ever thought of using the tips of your feet to support your body's weight?"

Huo Xiaoru's footsteps paused for a moment, then she slowly turned around; her bright eyes sent those alluring autumn waves far away, and in that instant they shone as brilliantly and movingly as stars.

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