Xu Yanqiu, focused on his role as a little gardener, only heard Li Ting head out. A moment later, the door slammed shut. He paused and asked, “Brother Li?”
“Your Brother Li is busy welcoming guests,” Bai Qianjing said, rubbing the boy’s head. “You carry on. I think I will go have a cup of tea.”
Xu Yanqiu did not suspect a thing. Since Li Ting was speaking with guests, it would be inappropriate to disturb him. He took the opportunity to move the remaining seedlings into the pots. Driven by the desire to be helpful, he worked with newfound energy. As he filled pot after pot, his movements became more practiced. As long as he felt for the position of the seedling and dug gently, he could extract the root system intact.
Bai Qianjing circled the kitchen door, but he did not go for tea as he had told Xu Yanqiu. Instead, he leaped silently onto the roof and moved along the courtyard wall to the gate. From his vantage point, he could see everyone below. He glanced back at Xu Yanqiu, who was working diligently, and then refocused on the crowd at the gate.
Li Ting finally had the heart to move his foot, scuffing his shoe on the ground with disgust. “What evidence do you want? Is it the woman named Wang whom you met at the entertainment house? Or the miscarriage medicine you took from Midwife Liu? I heard you spent all your money pleasing Mistress Wang and did not have enough left for the proper dose, so you took a cheap, diluted batch from Midwife Liu instead.”
The crowd was shocked. Xu Wu usually appeared to be an honest man who cared for his wife. The villagers all thought he was looking forward to the birth of his child. No one expected him to be the one trying to kill it.
“Is this true or false?”
“Look at Xu Wu’s face; it has turned pale. It must be true.”
“People really are not what they seem. I even played mahjong with him! Pui!”
Xu Wu had not expected Li Ting to know so many details. Gao Cheng had told him to find Xu Yanqiu, but he had mentioned nothing of this. His face turned ashen, and he tried to crawl away in a panic, but he only succeeded in covering himself in dust.
“Oh, do you remember your little lover?” Li Ting continued relentlessly. “I heard she was redeemed by a passing wealthy merchant two days ago to be his concubine.”
Xu Wu slumped to the ground, his face turning from pale to a sickly gray. He clawed at the dirt feebly with one hand.
“Was he not sent to the authorities recently?”
“Yes! Why was he released?”
“He probably escaped on his own! Come on, let us send this bastard back!”
When a wall is about to fall, everyone gives it a push. The villagers, who had recently called him an honest man, surged forward to bind the defeated Xu Wu and take him back to the yamen. The villagers might be common folk who followed the crowd, but they had no tolerance for crimes against children. Whether it was kidnapping or selling them, they hated it to the bone, let alone harming an unborn child.
The women showed some pity, clearly thinking of the suffering Wang Juaner, but no one remembered the innocent Xu Yanqiu. Li Ting swept a cold gaze over their faces. As he prepared to head back inside, he heard a voice call from around the corner, “Boss! Boss!”
Li Ting recognized Gao Ke’s voice. He looked back to see a tree branch waving from around the corner. He sighed and walked over openly. Gao Ke dropped the branch and was startled when a pair of shoes appeared before him. He looked up, saw Li Ting, and gave a silly grin. “Boss, my brother told me to bring you a letter. Is everything going smoothly?”
“Tell your brother everything went well,” Li Ting said, taking the envelope. The wax seal on it gave him a headache. “Xu Wu was terrified and will surely confess his crimes. However, I will not involve myself with Wang Juaner.”
Although Wang Juaner was also a victim of Xu Wu, she had harmed Xu Yanqiu. Li Ting had no right to forgive her on the boy’s behalf. The best outcome was for the two families to never associate again.
“Also, thank your brother for the information.” Li Ting nodded to Gao Ke. “Will your brother be implicated?”
“No, the magistrate is a lazy, wealthy muddlehead. My brother handles everything,” Gao Ke said, wiping his hands on his clothes. “I will head back now. Take care, Boss.”
Gao Ke had indeed turned over a new leaf. Recently, he had been working for Gao Cheng, helping with errands. When he had free time, he would wander over to the Li house, often bringing treats for Xu Yanqiu.
Li Ting felt a rare sense of gratification as he returned to the courtyard. He did not see Bai Qianjing, but Xu Yanqiu was still diligently moving flowers. Sensing something, the little fox looked up and met Bai Qianjing’s grinning face on the roof.
Li Ting ignored him and flicked the letter into his friend’s hand before walking to Xu Yanqiu. “Alright, I will handle the rest.”
“Oh.” Although Xu Yanqiu was a bit reluctant, his wrists were indeed tired. He handed the small shovel to Li Ting and squatted obediently, listening to the sound of digging. He could not help but ask, “Brother Li, how did I do?”
“These are seedlings of Small Leaf Silver. When they grow, they bloom into silver white clusters. They are top grade for making incense.” Li Ting’s sudden introduction caught Xu Yanqiu by surprise. Once he understood, he nodded quickly. “Small Leaf Silver? I will remember that.”
“You did very well,” Li Ting laughed. “I was teasing you earlier, but what I said is true. The scent of the flowers also repels insects. You will be able to smell it by summer.”
Xu Yanqiu nodded repeatedly. “Good, I will look forward to it.”
“Go wash your hands. I will take you to buy groceries later,” Li Ting said. Xu Yanqiu’s eyes lit up, but when he tried to stand, he realized his legs had gone numb from squatting. He hissed as he squatted back down. However, once he tried to rise again, the numbness returned, and he could not sit back down. The little blind boy made a face, frozen in an awkward position.
Li Ting stood up quickly. “Are your legs numb?”
“Mm,” Xu Yanqiu nodded tearfully. “What should I do?”
“I will help you.” Li Ting squatted in front of him and pressed his hand against the boy’s calf. Xu Yanqiu could not help but cry out, “No, no, it is too numb! Waaah!”
Li Ting fell silent.
“Brother Li, why are you not talking?” Xu Yanqiu asked, unaware that Li Ting was struggling with his own internal heat. “Is it hard to fix?”
“It will be better soon.” Li Ting sighed silently and gave the muscle a skillful squeeze. Xu Yanqiu felt much better and tried to stand up in surprise. However, he lost his balance and accidentally tackled Li Ting to the ground.
“Brother Li, are you okay?” Xu Yanqiu scrambled to get up. A moment later, Bai Qianjing’s voice sounded above them. “Li Ting, your father says he will be here in five or six days. Should you two get up and prepare?”
Before Li Ting could respond, Bai Qianjing added, “Anyway, I am leaving today. Your father insisted on plucking my tail feathers last time. Farewell!”
The little fox looked up to see the peacock clutching a small bundle and his Phoenix Wood, leaping over the walls and fleeing in a panic.
Li Ting shouted, “Are we even brothers?!”
The letter fluttered down onto his face. Li Ting picked it up and saw that Bai Qianjing was right. Li Dongtang was traveling and just happened to be heading toward Dongxu Village. Li Ting looked at the direction Bai Qianjing had fled, then at Xu Yanqiu, who was trying to pull him up. He was speechless. He could only pray that his growth period would not arrive so soon.
“So Brother Li’s parents are such remarkable people.”
Xu Yanqiu sat on a small stool by the kitchen door, peeling garlic. Five or six cloves already sat in the bowl at his feet. Bai Qianjing had only stayed for one night, and Xu Yanqiu felt no sense of loss at his departure, only thinking that he must host him well the next time he visited.
Li Ting was skillfully cleaning a large fish. He stopped and looked at Xu Yanqiu. He had intended to ask why the boy was not curious about the tail feathers Bai Qianjing had mentioned, but the words became, “My father will be here in two days. He will like you.”
“Now that you say that, I am a bit nervous,” Xu Yanqiu chuckled. “The garlic is peeled. Is there anything else you need me to do?”
“You seem very energetic today,” Li Ting said, crushing a clove of garlic with his knife and tossing it into a pan of sizzling ginger. “Did something good happen?”
Xu Yanqiu nodded. “I had a good dream. Does that count? I dreamed of Brother Li. You turned into a little animal with many tails. But I could not see your face clearly, and I could not tell exactly what you had become.”
Li Ting paused. The little blind boy was much smarter than he had imagined, using a dream to hint at the truth. If Li Ting played along, he would have to keep acting. But if he admitted it, what would Xu Yanqiu do? Two choices lay before him, and he could not decide. Just then, Xu Yanqiu leaned in. “Brother Li, do you think my dream was real or fake?”
“What is real or fake about a dream? A dream is just a dream,” Li Ting said, taking the exit the boy had provided. “Do not overthink it.”
The little blind boy breathed a silent sigh of relief. He had been afraid Li Ting would press him for details, and he would not have known how to answer.
“Alright, I will not think too much,” Xu Yanqiu nodded. “What are you cooking today?”
“Braised fish.” Li Ting removed the fried ginger and garlic from the pan. As he prepared to add the fish, the boy murmured to himself, “It was close. Actually, those tails were quite nice to touch.”
At that moment, a gust of wind blew the fire low. Li Ting did not put the fish in immediately, and the sound of sizzling oil faded, allowing the boy’s words to fall clearly on both their ears. Li Ting slammed the fish back onto the cutting board. To Xu Yanqiu, it felt as though he were the one being pressed against the board.
“You know?” Li Ting said in a deep voice. “How much do you know?”