With each autumn rain comes a chill, and winter is fast approaching. A minor incident occurred in Junzhou City, one that many would discuss before and after meals.
Junzhou is a city of craftsmen, with the Yu family’s carpentry in the west of the city being the most famous. However, the craftsmanship of the old master Yu, passed down to his son, plummeted in popularity. The old master Yu even switched to a pawnshop to barely keep the family afloat.
Speaking of the Yu family, one must mention Yu Shishu—the second son of the old master Yu. While not exactly pampered, he was certainly not from an ordinary family. He had been engaged since childhood to Shuang’er from the Liang family, a cloth-producing family in the south of the city. Everyone thought they were a perfect match.
But no one expected that the night before their wedding, Shuang’er, under the cover of darkness, left a letter filled with resentment towards Yu Shishu and eloped with an unknown man. No one knows where they went.
The letter claimed that Yu Shishu was only with her for the sake of their families’ business interests, and that there was no affection between them whatsoever. Shuang’er would rather gamble her entire life and ruin her reputation than marry such a boring man!
Master Yu was ashamed of him, and his in-laws felt it was all Yu Shishu’s fault. His father’s slap, his father-in-law’s angry curses, and both families’ doors were closed to him—he instantly went from a wealthy young master to a pitiful unwanted son.
“Sigh, I wonder if this is true or not. Yu Shishu doesn’t seem like a heartless man…”
“You can know a person’s face but not their heart. Who knows what he’s like behind the scenes? He’s no good if he can make Shuang’er lose face!”
Several people drinking tea under the eaves discussed the matter animatedly, their opinions varied. No one noticed a chubby little bird on the eaves listening intently to their conversation.
The little bird opened its beak; its red beak resembled a honeysuckle berry from the mountains outside the city, but was brighter and more translucent than a red gemstone from the South China Sea.
A pair of small, bright green eyes glanced at the people below who had stopped discussing Yu Shishu. He spread his short, colorful wings, trailing a long, multicolored tail, and flew towards a house in the west of the city.
After passing the courtyard wall, the chubby little bird folded its wings and landed vertically in the yard. In an instant, it transformed from a tiny, palm-sized bird into a handsome young man. Fortunately, no one witnessed this miraculous scene; otherwise, they would have been terrified, or at the very least, rushed to report it to the authorities.
The man straightened his feather-like robes, his dark eyes calm as still water. He glanced at the still empty courtyard, intending to go to the city gate to see why his luggage hadn’t arrived yet, when he heard someone knock on the door: “Young Master He? Young Master He, are you home?”
“You’re here.” He Fangchuan curled his lips and stepped forward to open the gate. The coachman waiting outside breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him. “Young Master He, I’ve brought you the things. I rushed here as fast as I could, afraid that these little creatures might get into trouble on my carriage… I’ll unload them for you right away!”
As he spoke, he lifted the tarpaulin on the carriage, revealing a dozen or so birdcages. In each cage were one or two birds curiously looking around. There were no orioles or other birds that ordinary people would keep. They were all wild birds from the mountains, and there was even a hawk with drooping wings. It seemed that its wings were injured. It was huddled in the largest cage, its claws gripping the branches under its feet tightly. It calmly glanced at the trembling coachman and then tucked its head into its wings and pretended to sleep.
The coachman helped He Fangchuan carry all the birdcages from the carriage to the courtyard. After confirming that each bird was alright, he wiped his sweat in the autumn wind and asked curiously, “Young Master He, is this your line of work?”
He pointed to the birds as he spoke. He Fangchuan nodded noncommittally, “I like raising birds.”
The coachman assumed that he liked raising birds and also sold them, which was not uncommon in Junzhou City.
“Consider this a small token of my appreciation for your hard work.” He Fangchuan placed two silver melon seeds in the coachman’s hand. The coachman immediately smiled and his eyes narrowed, “Of course, of course. By the way… I noticed that Young Master’s home hasn’t been furnished yet. Go through this street, turn at the second intersection, and you’ll find Dongyang Street. They have everything there!”
He Fangchuan smiled and gave him another silver melon seed, “Thank you, Master.”
After seeing the coachman off, He Fangchuan listened to the creaking of the carriage gradually fading into the distance before closing the gate. As he turned around, the chirping of birds rose and fell in waves.
He Fangchuan squatted in front of the eagle’s cage and asked softly, “Do you want to live in the tree or in the backyard?”
The eagle poked its head out, its sharp eyes sweeping over the withered tree in the yard. He Fangchuan understood, stood up, lifted the huge cage, and gently hung it on the tree. The eagle then curled up to rest.
He Fangchuan then went to another birdcage, this one containing a pair of red-crowned finches. The smaller one came up and rubbed against He Fangchuan’s fingers. He Fangchuan nodded and placed them on the stone table in the yard, where there was a protruding branch, perfect for hanging the birdcage.
“Chirp, chirp!” The little red-crowned finches nestled comfortably against the wings of the larger ones. He Fangchuan waved his hand and opened the cage door for them. “No need for thanks between us. I’m going out to buy some things now. The rest is up to you.”
The larger finches chirped twice and flew out of the cage with the other one. The two birds landed and transformed into a pair of teenage siblings, mimicking He Fangchuan’s actions. They quietly asked each bird in the cage where they wanted to live, and after settling them in, they opened the cage doors again, letting them explore the yard.
Seeing this, He Fangchuan closed the gate and turned to head towards Dongyang Street, as the coachman had mentioned.
The chirping of birds behind him made He Fangchuan’s steps lighter—he was originally a little phoenix born in the South China Sea, bringing many of his “kindred spirits” who were willing to follow him or whom he had rescued to Junzhou. People believed that there were no spirits or gods in the world, but they didn’t know that these sentient beings had long since transformed into humans and integrated into the crowd.
He Fangchuan was counting the intersections, preparing to turn a corner to replenish the food supplies for his birds, when he heard a commotion not far ahead. A few steps further, he could hear people angrily shouting and cursing.
He hadn’t intended to get involved; being a newcomer to Junzhou City, it was best to keep a low profile. However, when he saw one of the men raise a chair about to smash it down, he couldn’t help but stop and walk towards the scene.
“Hey, you surnamed Yu, don’t think you’re still the second young master of the Yu family! You’re just a stinking beggar now. Try looking at me like that again!”
The one who made the move was a young man in his twenties, his face full of anger. As He Fangchuan squeezed through the crowd, he overheard someone say that this man was the eldest young master of the Liang family—he had also heard about the farce involving the Yu family, and he figured this man was Shuang’er’s brother, Liang Chuan, the eldest young master of the Liang family.
He Fangchuan finally managed to squeeze through the crowd and get a clear view of the scene, but when his eyes inadvertently met those of the disheveled man on the ground, he froze.
Such bright eyes.
Was this Yu Shishu, the one who had been kicked out of his home?
He didn’t look very old, maybe just over nineteen. Because he had been beaten, his face and body were covered in mud and grass, obscuring his features, except for his frighteningly bright eyes.
Liang Chuan raised the stool high, ready to smash it down, but just as Yu Shishu curled up on the ground, covering his head with his hands, a flock of swallows suddenly rushed out and pounced on Liang Chuan.
The latter had never seen anything like this before, and in his anger, he loosened his grip, and the stool almost hit his own foot.
Still shaken, Liang Chuan assumed the birds had gone mad. By the time he realized what was happening, Yu Shishu had vanished. Furious, he jumped up and down, but to no avail. He had no choice but to return home in full view
of everyone. Everyone assumed it was just a coincidence, but no one saw a swallow affectionately land on He Fangchuan’s shoulder, nuzzling his cheek before flying away.
He Fangchuan watched helplessly as the fledgling swallow, barely able to fly, flew off with its parents. He glanced at the dispersed crowd, not dwelling on the incident, and turned to walk towards Dongyang Street.
He had spent a considerable amount of money buying various things, but it was all worthwhile. He Fangchuan happily held the piece of paulownia wood he had bought. He hoped he could find a skilled craftsman to make some small trinket; Junzhou City shouldn’t lack talent.
He hailed a carriage to deliver his belongings home as quickly as possible, then leisurely began his return journey. However, just as he stepped onto the path home, a gaze suddenly appeared behind him. He glanced back but saw nothing. His intuition, however, was unmistakable. With a hint of doubt, he walked a little further, and the gaze, seemingly burning a hole in his back, reappeared.
He whirled around and, sure enough, saw a glimpse of clothing brush past an abandoned carriage.
A pair of eyes, bright as stars, peeked out from behind the carriage, their gaze filled with astonishment and confusion upon discovering the man was gone.
A chubby, colorful little bird perched on a paulownia tree branch on the roof, watching the man stumble out from behind the carriage on the path below. It tilted its head and let out a questioning chirp.
Wasn’t that Yu Shishu?
Why was he following him? Could it be that he wanted to repay a debt of gratitude?
The little chubby bird was completely baffled when it saw Yu Shishu sway and spin around twice, then inexplicably lean against the wall and slowly kneel down.
He Fangchuan, seeing him collapse against the wall, was utterly shocked—had he fainted?!
“Chirp chirp?” The little chubby bird stomped its left paw on its right, remembering those eyes brighter than the sunlight, gritted its teeth, flew down from the eaves, grabbed Yu Shishu by the back of his collar, and dragged the not-so-light man home.
A little while later, it flew back and brought back the paulownia wood as well. Back at the house, it saw birds of all sizes gathered in the yard, chirping and staring at the unconscious Yu Shishu. The
largest bird, the eagle, tucked its injured wing behind its back, and when it opened its beak, it didn’t cry out, but rather spoke in a low, human voice: “Phoenix Master, is this the reserve food?”