Xiangzhi had never eaten a person.
She did not want to leave her first eating-a-person memory with Lu Jianping.
He reeked too much.
The forest was filled with foul-smelling “miasma”, Lu Jianping’s vision gradually lost sight of Xiangzhi’s form.
He reached out his hand to find it in darkness, stumbling, he walked toward a ravine. Lu Jianping could not help recalling stories of ghosts and ghouls, and to bolster his courage, he kept calling out for “Cao Xiangqin.”
Xiangzhi stood in a tree, taking in his complete predicament.
She had sensed danger just then, coming from this man. Not only did his body reek of rot, but he suddenly released a foul musk smell, making Xiangzhi nauseous.
Xiangzhi could vaguely guess what he intended to do. She was no longer an unexposed little flower spirit, she knew what it meant for a woman to lose her chastity in this era.
Lu Jianping shouted until his voice was hoarse, but no one appeared. He regretted taking “Cao Xiangqin” so far that neither hunters nor villagers would come here. After all, they had just dug up some bones.
Could what he was facing be resentful spirits?
Lu Jianping was led astray by his own thoughts, his foot slipped and he fell face-first into mud. Just as he raised his head, he saw an enormous white flower, as if from the underworld itself, showing teeth and grinning at him, as if both hesitating and threatening.
Lu Jianping was so scared he lost control, but looking again, the enormous white flower was gone, replaced by a gentle woman’s voice: “Is anyone there?”
Xiangzhi hid behind a pine tree, on her shoulder stood a cute little sparrow. They watched Qin Zhixin and her friend come up the mountain path together.
Qin Zhixin’s aura of virtue broke through the “miasma’s” deception, and since Xiangzhi saw it was her and did not want to hurt her, she quickly suppressed her spells and hid.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” asked Qin Zhixin, looking at the young man before her covered in mud and grass roots, looking utterly bedraggled.
Lu Jianping hurriedly ran up to her, pointing at where the flower had appeared and saying: “Did you see a man-eating flower here? Yes, a carnivorous flower!”
Qin Zhixin looked at her companion, a psychiatrist from the municipal hospital’s sixth department, who had come to see the family of a trauma victim and unexpectedly encountered this lunatic.
Doctor Li walked to Lu Jianping, rolled up his eyelid and looked, pulled out a bottle of sedatives and said: “Swallow it.”
Lu Jianping: “…Thank you.”
While he took the medicine, he noticed these two women were dressed in a way that marked them as not from ordinary families, so he suppressed his frustration and panic and calculated how best to explain his appearance here.
“I, I came to lay flowers for the victim, I did not expect to lose my way in the big mountains,” said Lu Jianping, cleaning and replacing his glasses, reverting to his cultured scoundrel appearance.
“Thank you for your consideration, that’s very thoughtful. But you alone? By bicycle?”
Qin Zhixin had come upon the overturned bicycle, otherwise she would not have continued this far. She had assumed that in the thick fog, perhaps someone who had lost their way might be here.
“Yes, just me.”
Lu Jianping would absolutely not admit to bringing “Cao Xiangqin” here, otherwise anyone with eyes could guess at his intentions. And “Cao Xiangqin” had already disappeared, who knew if she had fallen off a cliff or met a wild beast, or even been eaten by a carnivorous flower?
“Then let us go down together,” said Qin Zhixin, her heart kind, personally helping Lu Jianping brush the dirt from his sleeves and pointing to the path down: “This way.”
When they reached the foot of the mountain, they happened to see Gu Wenshan’s convoy there, soldiers standing guard with real weapons and ammunition.
The adjutant spotted people coming down from the mountain from afar and reported it to Gu Wenshan, Gu Wenshan’s vision was excellent and he spotted his mother, Qin Zhixin, among them.
Seeing Gu Wenshan, Lu Jianping thought at most he might be a small company commander. But glancing at Gu Wenshan’s insignia and seeing two adjutants following him, he learned he was an important person, and immediately began bowing and scraping with thanks.
Lu Jianping rode in the truck at the rear of the convoy, the empty truck bed contained nothing. He could not guess what the convoy was doing, nor did he care. Getting back to the city quickly was the priority, he did not even need the bicycle.
He was too clever by half, accidentally encountering strange circumstances that let “Cao Xiangqin” escape the calamity.
If she had been harmed, such a lovely creature with such a short lifespan—it was a pity. If her fate was good and she returned safely to Yanxia Village, Lu Jianping would be sure that next time he would not fail so hastily!
The more he thought about it, the more his spirits rose, next time he would have her willingly nestled in his arms.
In the jeep leading the convoy.
The mist dispersed, and the road before them returned to normal. The thick gardenia scent receded like the tide, Gu Wenshan got down from the jeep and knocked on the window of the truck behind.
Lu Jianping calmly rolled down the window: “Regiment Commander Gu?”
Gu Wenshan asked: “You say you went up the mountain alone? But did you encounter anyone or experience anything on the mountain?”
Lu Jianping’s pupils contracted slightly, he struggled to control his breathing and said with a smile: “Just me losing my way alone, I encountered no one else and experienced nothing else.”
Gu Wenshan said nothing more, simply nodded and walked back to the leading jeep, closed the door heavily, and scoffed to himself: “Not being honest.”
The convoy reorganized and departed, leaving the foot of South Mountain.
***
“Are you stupid?!” Yeshanyinying scolded Xiangzhi for missing a good opportunity to eat a person, having lectured for half an hour.
Xiangzhi transformed back into gardenia and rooted herself deeply in the soil, humming comfortably: “He really reeked too much, I could not eat him.”
Yeshanyinying said with a cold laugh: “The more it reeks, the better it tastes. Chairman Mao himself praised the stinky tofu at Fire Palace as delicious, you have no taste!”
Xiangzhi pouted, her petals curling inward, to demonstrate she could eat a person, she made an excuse: “Perhaps I need some seasoning dip.”
Yeshanyinying shook her branches full of dead leaves, dropping golden leaves all over: “That’s right—humans love dipping things when they eat, stinky tofu has it too. If you cannot eat a person, get some dip and it’s best.”
Hongguo slowly said from afar: “Could it be that the other party was too nervous? I heard that prey that is relaxed versus nervous has different meat quality.”
Yeshanyinying said: “Then let it relax before you eat.”
Xiangzhi asked puzzled: “How can you make prey relax?”
Yeshanyinying said: “Are you stupid? Male humans cannot resist temptation. You face him, stick your butt up and wiggle it a bit, and he will give you his life.”
Xiangzhi scratched her head: “Really?”
Yeshanyinying asked: “Lower your head and look at what you see.”
Xiangzhi lowered her head: “Roots.”
Yeshanyinying said in frustration: “Your human form, lower your head.”
Xiangzhi thought for a moment: “My belly button.”
Yeshanyinying said angrily: “You’re something—your belly button is rounder than your breasts. I think your brain lives in your heels, wherever you go it drags behind.”
Xiangzhi: “…You’re calling who’s brain water?”
“Oh, you caught on?” Yeshanyinying sighed and said helplessly: “Do you understand what ‘four ounces deflect a thousand pounds [1]four ounces deflect a thousand pounds (si liang bo qian jin, 四兩撥千斤) Idiom, using a small amount of cleverness or leverage to overcome much greater force jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3398836_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3398836_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });’ means?”
Xiangzhi shook her head.
Yeshanyinying said: “A woman’s four ounces of breasts—if you use them well, you can make men do whatever you want.”
Xiangzhi squinted at it: “You’re so dirty.”
Yeshanyinying closed its mouth, it did not want to give advice to the stupid flower anymore.
Xiangzhi took the opportunity to absorb the land’s spiritual energy, nourishing her meridians.
To tell the truth, could dipping sauce really turn something rotten into something wonderful [2]could dipping sauce really turn something rotten into something wonderful (hua fuxiu wei shenqi, 化腐朽為神奇) Idiom, to transform something bad/worthless into something amazing jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3398836_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3398836_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });?
Yeshanyinying actually had no idea what a seasoning dip was, but Xiangzhi thought it knew everything and believed it. It was not until she returned down the mountain to the sent-down youth dormitory that she was still muttering “dip” and “dip.”
You Xiu had not seen her for a whole afternoon and thought something had happened, she pulled Xiangzhi’s arm and said: “Where did you go? The rice I left for you got cold.”
Xiangzhi’s eyes brightened when she saw You Xiu: “Have you eaten seasoning dip? Is it sweet or spicy?”
You Xiu was stunned, she led her to the canteen, saying as they walked: “Seasoning dip you have not tried? You mix it yourself—if you want sweet, add more sugar, if you want spicy, add more chili.”
Xiangzhi thought for a moment: “What if you want to eat meat?”
You Xiu slapped her thigh and said: “Then you use sesame oil! Sesame oil with meat, garlic paste, sesame, cilantro, and a couple drops of fermented tofu juice—I can eat half a catty of blanched pork at one meal.”
Xiangzhi estimated that man’s weight and swallowed: “If there were over a hundred catties, how much sesame oil would be needed?”
You Xiu was silent for a long moment, then said quietly: “Which neighbor’s pig-slaughtering are you planning to attend without inviting me?”
Xiangzhi laughed: “No, I am just curious.”
You Xiu did not care and planned to stick with “Cao Xiangqin” these next few days, if she had thick enough skin, she was sure to get some meat.
Seeing her plotting, Xiangzhi anxiously said: “How much exactly?”
This was important—it concerned her revenge plan. She did not want to end up like today, finally finding the person but unable to eat.
“At least three catties,” said You Xiu, arriving at the canteen and casually pointing at the empty clay pot: “See? You need this much of a jar.”
Xiangzhi picked up the clay jar and looked it over: “It is not that much.”
You Xiu said: “I call you a fairy descended to earth, and you really act like one. Do you know how many ounces of sesame oil ration each household gets a year? Three ounces! You want three catties—you would have to save for ten years!”
“Tsk tsk, impressive,” said Xiangzhi, setting down the jar and being forced by You Xiu to eat.
You Xiu thrust chopsticks at her: “Even if it does not suit your taste, you must eat, man is iron, rice is steel [3]man is iron, rice is steel (ren shi tie, fan shi gang, 人是鐵，飯是鋼) Idiom, you must eat properly to keep your strength up jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3398836_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3398836_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, understand?”
“Okay,” sighed the little spirit—another day of not wanting to be human.
The canteen’s Aunt Zhao and Aunt Li came in carrying a winnowing basket full of dried radish strips.
Aunt Zhao, seeing “Cao Xiangqin” had not eaten on schedule again, joked: “Still no appetite? Which male comrade has you unable to eat or sleep?”
Aunt Li untied her triangle scarf and shook it: “I saw Comrade Cao going into the mountain woods with a male comrade, I thought she was pining for a man.”
Xiangzhi, unfamiliar with rural women’s joking scale, thought they were not wrong—she was indeed thinking about that man day and night.
But a familiar voice suddenly came from outside, after Qin Zhixin had sent Doctor Li to visit her friend’s family, she came looking for “Cao Xiangqin.”
Without entering, she heard such talk and chimed in: “You should be more careful with your words, if rumors spread about a young girl, what would she do? If you say such things again, I will call the brigade secretary directly.”
Aunt Zhao and Aunt Li quickly closed their mouths and went inside to work.
Seeing it was Qin Zhixin, Xiangzhi put down her chopsticks and said coquettishly: “Auntie, I waited for you for so long at noon.”
Qin Zhixin walked over with concern, affectionately touching Xiangzhi’s forehead and saying: “The road had fog, luckily I ran into my son’s convoy and they gave me a ride back. Do not go wandering in the mountains these days, I encountered a young man halfway who lost his way and got so scared he nearly died.”
Xiangzhi thought to herself—it was not the lost way that scared him, it was seeing her deliberately enlarged original form that had him fleeing in panic. Now there was drama.
“Would you like to come to my house for a bit? I can get you leave,” said Qin Zhixin.
Qin Zhixin’s old home was not in the village but adjacent to the national highway, four or five kilometers from Yanxia Village.
The Gu family was a household of loyal martyrs, four generations of high-ranking generals who had made great contributions to new China. When the national highway was being built, to show respect, they did not demolish the century-old ancestral home but rather the provincial government paid to renovate it, and the national highway was rerouted to honor the hero’s home.
“Yes,” said Xiangzhi, standing up at once. Turning to see You Xiu’s resentful gaze, as if the Gu family had just slaughtered a pig.
No choice—to find the man, she had to infiltrate the enemy’s lair.
Seeing the girl agree without hesitation, Qin Zhixin was satisfied.
She actually wanted to cook some good food for the girl, look at what was in her bowl—not a bit of oil.
After a short while, You Xiu sadly watched Xiangzhi leave, then saw her run back: “Come on, Auntie Qin got us all leave, let’s go together!”
You Xiu’s sadness vanished at once, she spiritedly changed into clean clothes for visiting and waddled after Xiangzhi.
The Gu family ancestral home was solemn and dignified.
Two enormous trees stood at the entrance that could not be spanned by two people’s arms, proving the Gu family’s ancient lineage.
The ancient wooden structure and grand arrangement had Xiangzhi looking around, admiring without end.
The Gu ancestral home had a helping woman who maintained and cleaned when no one lived there, and cooked and did laundry when people stayed.
Xiangzhi successfully ate a meal of two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes and immediately felt You Xiu was right—it was not that human food was not good, but that the canteen auntie’s cooking was abysmal.
After eating, Xiangzhi and You Xiu were shown around the ancestral home by Qin Zhixin.
Walking to the reception room, she saw a photo album on the tea table. With Qin Zhixin’s permission, Xiangzhi opened the album and at one glance saw that man.
“This is my son’s photo when he first joined the military,” said Qin Zhixin, pointing at the photo with a smile: “He was only sixteen that year.”
Xiangzhi asked: “What is your son’s name? Is he in a nearby army division? Is this the address?” She recited the military address she had memorized, making You Xiu look over.
“His name is Gu Wenshan,” said Qin Zhixin: “The army division you mentioned is correct. By the way, he said the shrimp crackers this time he forgot to bring out, but tomorrow he will come personally to deliver them and thank you.”
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