Taohua Town had many mountains. Two li from their courtyard stood a small hill.
It was spring, the season when mountain flowers bloomed in wild profusion. Only after reaching the foot of the hill did Xie Zhi lift Yuan Yingti down from his shoulder.
Yuan Yingti did not fuss or make a scene. She merely blinked her large eyes and clutched tightly at his sleeve.
She was quiet in a way that struck him as odd. Xie Zhi lowered his head and asked her, "Why has the young lady gone silent?"
Yuan Yingti said softly, "Making a scene outside is not proper."
Xie Zhi's lips curved upward, and he let out a light laugh. "The young lady may make a scene now. This mountain is very remote—there is no one here but us."
"Truly?" Yuan Yingti tilted her head up to ask him.
"Truly."
Yuan Yingti's shoulders finally relaxed, and she let out a long breath of relief. Her whole body seemed to go soft, and she did not blame him at all for his earlier high-handedness and coercion.
Xie Zhi looked at her meek, pliant appearance and asked, "Is the young lady willing to climb the mountain now?"
"…We're already here." Yuan Yingti nodded slowly. There was no one here to see her, anyway.
At Xie Zhi's pace, this small hill would take about a quarter of an hour to reach the top. The mountain was not tall, and because quite a few fruit trees grew on it, there was a neat path worn into the earth by the orchard farmers.
Xie Zhi placed his arm beside Yuan Yingti's hand, and she gently took hold of it.
Sunlight slanted down through the canopy, dappled shadows falling across the snowy white of her hand. Xie Zhi supported her and guided her upward.
Yuan Yingti walked with small, careful steps, her free hand lightly lifting the hem of her skirt.
Xie Zhi held her steady. Watching her shift her feet with such caution, he assumed she was still unwilling and simply did not dare refuse.
But he did not know how utterly novel this moment was to Yuan Yingti's heart.
Since her eyes had failed her at the age of seven, she had not walked outside for a very, very long time.
Though she left the estate once a year, it was only to offer incense at the temple. Matrons and maids would surround her, and she would be tucked into a small sedan chair, swaying as she was carried there and carried back.
This seemed to be the first time she had truly set foot outside.
The sensation beneath her feet was strange. Though the mountain path was smooth, it was not flat. Now and then gravel dug into the soft soles of her shoes. Her feet hurt a little, but it was not unbearable.
Yuan Yingti walked slowly, one small step at a time.
In this season of blooming mountain flowers, fragrance hung everywhere. She heard the buzzing of bees and the chattering clamor of birds.
Yuan Yingti held her breath and focused. Xie Zhi kept his eyes down, watching her steps intently.
If a large stone blocked her path ahead, he would kick it aside for her in advance.
And so the two of them climbed in silence. Half an hour later, they finally reached the summit.
A gentle breeze blew, and sunlight bathed the mountaintop.
Yuan Yingti's face was flushed pink, as though brushed with a light layer of rouge. A thin sheen of sweat covered her body, and her collar was slightly damp.
Her fingers were still clamped tightly around Xie Zhi's arm, her fingernails tinged pink as well.
Xie Zhi was neither red in the face nor short of breath. Climbing this mountain was like a stroll to him—unlike Yuan Yingti, who was so exhausted that she panted in his ear, breath after breath, her warm exhalations seeming to brush against the side of his face.
Xie Zhi raised a hand and tugged at the rim of his ear. "Does the young lady want to rest here a while?"
Yuan Yingti nodded, still catching her breath. Xie Zhi removed his outer robe and spread it over a flat rock to ward off the chill, then helped her sit down slowly.
The mountain was not high, and the summit was not cool. Wildflowers bloomed brilliantly here, nameless blossoms swaying gently right by Yuan Yingti's feet. She reached out a finger and softly touched the petals, but did not pick them.
A warm breeze drifted over, and Yuan Yingti's long hair fluttered gently. A strand of hair swept across her full lips, and the corners of her mouth curved upward.
Xie Zhi asked her, "Is the young lady happy?"
Yuan Yingti nodded.
"Shall we come climb the mountain again next time?"
Yuan Yingti's face showed conflict. "Isn't this once enough?"
"The doctor said the young lady needs more exercise."
"But Father said…"
"Young lady, drink some water." Xie Zhi interrupted her, pressing the waterskin into her hands and casually opening the stopper for her.
In an instant, Yuan Yingti forgot their conversation and obediently held the waterskin, drinking her water.
Xie Zhi sat beside her, watching her with a half-smile.
Sooner or later, he would make the young miss understand that her father was wrong about everything.
…
The two rested at the summit for a full half-hour or more. Yuan Yingti ate a little something and drank half a flask of water. Once her strength recovered, she and Xie Zhi headed down the mountain together.
But going down was not as easy as going up. Even bracing herself on Xie Zhi's arm, her body still pitched forward involuntarily, her whole frame swaying unsteadily. She had nearly fallen just a moment ago.
She was so frightened her face went pale.
"A-Nu, I'm a little scared."
She clutched his arm, hesitating, not daring to walk on.
"Young lady, don't be afraid."
Xie Zhi turned around, lifted her hand from his arm, and placed it quite naturally into his own palm. "I'll hold the young lady's hand and lead her down."
He spoke calmly and evenly, his voice without a ripple. By the time Yuan Yingti reacted, her hand had already fallen completely into his palm.
He had actually taken her hand.
"A-Nu…" Yuan Yingti instinctively felt this was not quite right. Her wrist stiffened as she tried to pull her hand back, but she stammered, not knowing what to say.
Xie Zhi said, "The path down is hard to walk. If I hold the young lady's hand, she can better control her balance."
His tone was no different from usual, entirely out of consideration for her. Yuan Yingti's hand, which had been pulling back, paused.
A-Nu meant well. Was she overthinking things?
Yuan Yingti's mind went a little blank.
But with his hand holding hers, she indeed walked more steadily. That forward-pitching force was firmly pulled back by him.
And so Yuan Yingti, muddled and confused, stopped resisting and obediently let him hold her hand.
…After all, it wasn't as if he had never touched her hands before. He was the one who trimmed her nails.
Yuan Yingti convinced herself this way.
Xie Zhi wore a smile at the corner of his lips that she could not see.
The hand in his palm was soft and smooth, like the finest congealed cream, making one want to stroke it again and again.
He tightened his grip on her, bit by bit.
And Yuan Yingti was feeling him too. His palm was broad, his fingers long, his knuckles prominent, his fingertips somewhat rough. Held in his grip, her hand hurt a little.
A-Nu's hands are so big… Are all men's hands this big? He's gripping so hard… Yuan Yingti thought in a jumble.
The mountain path wound along, sunlight scattering broken gold through the gaps in the trees.
The two passed through dappled shade, light and shadow flowing over them.
Before long, Yuan Yingti grew short of breath again, gradually losing the attention to spare for their overlapping hands.
So tired. She couldn't walk anymore.
Yuan Yingti leaned most of her body against Xie Zhi. "A-Nu, how much longer until we're down the mountain?"
"Almost there."
And so Yuan Yingti persevered in silence.
She was so close to him that her long strands of hair had tangled onto his body. Xie Zhi lowered his head slightly and could smell the fragrance on her.
That fragrance was very quiet and secluded, like the scent of an orchid.
Xie Zhi lowered his eyes.
He and the young lady used the same soapberry to wash clothes—why did she and he have different scents?
Where did her scent come from?
…
By the time they got home, it was exactly noon. After Xie Zhi finished helping Yuan Yingti change clothes, he rolled up his sleeves and busied himself with cooking.
For lunch he made a plate of pork belly, seared until the edges curled slightly and browned, paired with green vegetables and black fermented soybeans. Yuan Yingti actually ate an entire bowl of rice.
After eating, Yuan Yingti went back to her room to sleep. Xie Zhi washed the dishes, then made a trip to the market. When he returned home, he found that Yuan Yingti was still asleep.
By this time it was already evening, and red sunset clouds filled the sky. If she slept any longer, she wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
Xie Zhi knocked on her door and called her: "Miss, time to get up."
Yuan Yingti didn't have any grumpiness from being woken up. She woke as soon as he called. She sat up in a daze, then suddenly let out a muffled groan.
It hurt so much—her body hurt so much. Both her legs ached with soreness, and the soles of her feet hurt too, burning hot.
What was going on?
Yuan Yingti propped herself against the bed and called outside: "A-Nu, A-Nu, come in quickly."
Her call was very anxious, with hidden panic. Xie Zhi's brows furrowed, and he pushed open her door in one stride, walking quickly to her bedside. "What's wrong?"
He bent down, his gaze quickly sweeping over her entire body.
Yuan Yingti raised her eyes with reddened rims, the corners glistening with moisture, and said to him: "It hurts."
"Where does it hurt?"
"Here, here, and here." Yuan Yingti extended her finger, pointing from her calf all the way to the base of her thigh. "My feet hurt too, and my waist hurts a bit as well."
Xie Zhi understood what was going on. His taut shoulder line relaxed all at once, and he couldn't help but chuckle softly, though he still patiently explained to her: "The young lady has never climbed a mountain before. Climbing one for the first time, you'll always be sore for a while after coming down. It'll be better tomorrow."
"But it's so sore, it hurts so much." Yuan Yingti hugged her legs with her knees bent, her chin resting on her knees.
Her tone was soft and sticky, with a nasal quality, as if she were acting coquettishly.
A strange smile spread across Xie Zhi's lips: "Shall I rub it for the young lady?"
"Will rubbing make it better?"
"It will."
"Alright, then you rub it for me." She hadn't noticed the deliberate offense and malice in his tone at all, and just openly stretched her legs out toward him.
Xie Zhi's gaze drifted to her legs.
Even through the thick inner trousers, he could still easily tell that she had a pair of very beautiful legs.
Her calves were slender and long, slightly bent on the bed, opening outward. Above, her thighs were closed together, the skirt piled up at the base of her legs. Her thighs were actually fuller than he had imagined.
Xie Zhi's breathing paused for a moment. The deliberate malice and offense from before suddenly became stiff.
He asked in a low voice: "Where does the young lady hurt the most?"
Yuan Yingti pointed to her calf. "Here."
Xie Zhi bent over and slowly reached out, his fingers covering the spot.
He forgot to control his strength for a moment, and it was a bit heavy. Yuan Yingti furrowed her brows and let out a soft whimper.
The soft, tender hum reached his ears. Xie Zhi lowered his head and looked at himself.
"Why did you stop?" Yuan Yingti lifted her head and urged, "I can bear it."
Xie Zhi's eyelid twitched.
He stood up. Although she couldn't see, he still turned his back to conceal it: "I'm going out for a moment."
"Going out to do what?" The young lady, knowing nothing, asked with concern.
He took a deep breath and answered, "Taking a shower."