There were two other things in the chest: a bronze plate and… a set of clothes?
Qin Shu examined the bronze plate. It was heavy, reminding her of a particular material recorded in ancient scrolls. Its weight was several times that of gold.
Several words were engraved on its surface, resembling those etched on the jade ornament – neither of which did she recognise.
They did not look like traditional Chinese characters or oracle bone inscriptions…
Qin Shu reached into the wooden box, putting the bronze medal and jade ornament aside. The fabric felt soft and delicate, more so than even pure cotton. If she had to describe its texture, she would liken it to an infant’s skin. Anyone wearing the clothes stored in the chest would feel nothing but comfort.
She picked up the fabric and unfurled it. A baby blue shirt greeted her, a colour she thought well-suited for most skin tones.
Clothes of the same fabric filled the wooden chest. Therefore, Qin Shu was not surprised when she found a matching pair of pants to go with the shirt.
“Did Master buy this? Is it for Xiao Jiu?” It occurred to her that Jiuyan did not know who Xiao Jiu was, so she added, “I mean my son. His nickname is Xiao Jiu.”
“I guess so.” Jiu Yan had not known what was in the wooden chest at all.
Qin Shu: “…”
Perhaps, it was a greeting gift for her son.
Then again, did Master even know how to choose children’s clothes?
Sizing up the apparel, Qin Shu had the uncanny suspicion that they were tailor-made. How else could he have gotten her son’s measurements so accurately?
The clothes were incredibly soft.
Qin Shu waited for Jiuyan to elaborate, to which she received none. “Did Master leave a message for me?”
Jiuyan shook his head. “No.”
Qin Shu: “…”
Everyone believed that Master doted on her the most, yet why did not she think so? He did not even leave her a note.
Qin Shu eyed the child-sized clothes in her hand and then at the jade ornament and bronze medal lying on the coffee table. Master truly was very attentive.
Jiuyan sat in silence for some time. Qin Shu had not said anything in a while, so he took the initiative to ask her, “Do you have any message for Master?”
Qin Shu looked at Jiuyan thoughtfully. “I hope Master is happy and healthy. Smiles do wonders for a person’s youth. Other than that… Master really shouldn’t spend so much time cultivating on Mount Qi. He should venture out more often.”
Qin Shu worried her Master would develop dementia if he lived a life in seclusion. If Master continued his present lifestyle, he would certainly develop dementia.
She learnt this while watching the news. The broadcaster had said that the elderly were very likely to develop dementia if they stayed at home all day without any social interaction.
Jiuyan: “…”
Jiuyan thought better than to correct her.
–
Mount Qi…
The man picked up his freshly painted drawing and asked coldly, “What did she say?”
Jiuyan did not meet his Master’s eyes, simply repeating what Qin Shu had asked him to relay word for word.
Smiles did wonders for a person’s youth?
He should spend less time cultivating and more time socialising?
The man paused, his mouth twitching ever so slightly. His gaze fell on the painting, and it turned into a smile.
The man hung up the painting and walked out of the study.
A birdcage hung from the eaves of the porch. Two parrots were caged within. The man had bought them on a whim a few days ago as a means to relieve his boredom.
When he re-entered the room, he saw a woman hard at work. She was busy cutting a bale of cloth into several smaller pieces with her pair of scissors.
He had asked her two months ago what she would give her child if she were expecting children of her own. Her answer had been to provide a set of clothes.
When she learned that it was for his disciple’s son, the woman said she would make them herself since she had nothing else better to do. Thereafter, the woman had spent all her time pouring through online tutorials, learning what she could of the art.
She had even asked him to buy the cloth, machines and tools necessary for her to complete the self-imposed task.
“Aren’t you are done making clothes? Why are you making more?”
“I’m bored. There’s nothing to do all day, and I don’t want to waste the leftover materials you got for me. I like making them. It feels like time passes so quickly when I’m making clothes,” the woman replied, engrossed in her work as she was.
The man stood by her side and watched her cut the cloth into smaller pieces. He stayed her hand as she was about to put down the pair of scissors. Softly, he asked, “Do you truly find it boring staying here with me on the mountain?”
The woman looked at the man. His cold expression had not changed since they first met, his hand a comforting warmth. “No, I just wanted something to do. Don’t overthink things.”
The man stared at her unblinkingly as if he wanted to read her inner thoughts.
The short interlude did not stop her, but it did draw her attention to her dwindling supplies. “Please buy more materials for me. I watched a tutorial on making pyjamas for adults a few days ago. I want to make a set of pyjamas for you too. The material you got is fantastic; it’s perfect for sleeping. Would you like one?”
The woman stared at the man with her beautiful eyes, looking expectantly.
“I would.” Seeing her expression, the man softened. He pulled her into his embrace, the tips of their noses touching; the floral scent of shampoo tickled his nose.
Only then did he realise she had showered and washed her hair.
His voice dropped a tone lower. “Save these for tomorrow.”
The man was mere inches away from her, his warm breath caressing her neck as he spoke. It tingled against her skin, and she involuntarily turned away. “Okay.”
“I want to stay here tonight.”
The man’s voice was low. Every word entered her ears like the steady beat of a drum.
The woman’s body stiffened in his arms. The man hugged her tightly, waiting for a response, but when none was forthcoming, he leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I’m going to take a shower.”
The man disappeared into the bathroom as soon as he finished speaking.
Only after she heard the bathroom door close did she react. She could not help but secretly ridicule herself. Why was she so nervous?
She was not a little girl anymore. What need was there for her to be nervous?
She glanced in the direction of the bathroom. Hesitantly, she returned to her desk and sat down. Turning on the computer, she continued where she left off, watching a tutorial on making clothes.
…
…
…
That night…
Xiao Jiu was lying on the bed in his pull-up pants. His two small hands waved non-stop as he tried to grab hold of his blanket.
He took a while, but eventually, he caught it between his hands. He was reluctant to let go of it. Now that it was in his hands, he wanted to chew on it.
Qin Shu held onto Xiao Jiu’s baby clothes, trying to get him to wear them. She thought of buying a few more sets for her son and tried looking for the brand. Despite searching high and low, she could not find anything that would indicate its origins. It left her feeling rather puzzled.
How could such fine clothes be without a brand?
At this moment, the bedroom door opened. A tall straight-backed man entered the room. When he saw Qin Shu turning a set of clothes inside out, he asked, “What are you looking for?”
As he spoke, he drew closer to Qin Shu, inspecting the set of clothes with keen interest.
“This is Xiao Jiu’s gift from Master. I thought it was very well-made and hoped to buy a few more sets, but I don’t know what brand made them. There doesn’t seem to be any label or logo on it.”
Qin Shu continued examining the clothes but to no avail.
The man paused. “Was Master here just now?”
“No, it was a man called Jiuyan. He said that Master asked him to see me on his behalf.” Qin Shu pointed at the wooden chest on the bedside table and said, “That was given to Xiao Jiu by Master..”
There were two other things in the chest: a bronze plate and… a set of clothes?
Qin Shu examined the bronze plate. It was heavy, reminding her of a particular material recorded in ancient scrolls. Its weight was several times that of gold.
Several words were engraved on its surface, resembling those etched on the jade ornament – neither of which did she recognise.
They did not look like traditional Chinese characters or oracle bone inscriptions…
Qin Shu reached into the wooden box, putting the bronze medal and jade ornament aside. The fabric felt soft and delicate, more so than even pure cotton. If she had to describe its texture, she would liken it to an infant’s skin. Anyone wearing the clothes stored in the chest would feel nothing but comfort.
She picked up the fabric and unfurled it. A baby blue shirt greeted her, a colour she thought well-suited for most skin tones.
Clothes of the same fabric filled the wooden chest. Therefore, Qin Shu was not surprised when she found a matching pair of pants to go with the shirt.
“Did Master buy this? Is it for Xiao Jiu?” It occurred to her that Jiuyan did not know who Xiao Jiu was, so she added, “I mean my son. His nickname is Xiao Jiu.”
“I guess so.” Jiu Yan had not known what was in the wooden chest at all.
Qin Shu: “…”
Perhaps, it was a greeting gift for her son.
Then again, did Master even know how to choose children’s clothes?
Sizing up the apparel, Qin Shu had the uncanny suspicion that they were tailor-made. How else could he have gotten her son’s measurements so accurately?
The clothes were incredibly soft.
Qin Shu waited for Jiuyan to elaborate, to which she received none. “Did Master leave a message for me?”
Jiuyan shook his head. “No.”
Qin Shu: “…”
Everyone believed that Master doted on her the most, yet why did not she think so? He did not even leave her a note.
Qin Shu eyed the child-sized clothes in her hand and then at the jade ornament and bronze medal lying on the coffee table. Master truly was very attentive.
Jiuyan sat in silence for some time. Qin Shu had not said anything in a while, so he took the initiative to ask her, “Do you have any message for Master?”
Qin Shu looked at Jiuyan thoughtfully. “I hope Master is happy and healthy. Smiles do wonders for a person’s youth. Other than that… Master really shouldn’t spend so much time cultivating on Mount Qi. He should venture out more often.”
Qin Shu worried her Master would develop dementia if he lived a life in seclusion. If Master continued his present lifestyle, he would certainly develop dementia.
She learnt this while watching the news. The broadcaster had said that the elderly were very likely to develop dementia if they stayed at home all day without any social interaction.
Jiuyan: “…”
Jiuyan thought better than to correct her.
–
Mount Qi…
The man picked up his freshly painted drawing and asked coldly, “What did she say?”
Jiuyan did not meet his Master’s eyes, simply repeating what Qin Shu had asked him to relay word for word.
Smiles did wonders for a person’s youth?
He should spend less time cultivating and more time socialising?
The man paused, his mouth twitching ever so slightly. His gaze fell on the painting, and it turned into a smile.
The man hung up the painting and walked out of the study.
A birdcage hung from the eaves of the porch. Two parrots were caged within. The man had bought them on a whim a few days ago as a means to relieve his boredom.
When he re-entered the room, he saw a woman hard at work. She was busy cutting a bale of cloth into several smaller pieces with her pair of scissors.
He had asked her two months ago what she would give her child if she were expecting children of her own. Her answer had been to provide a set of clothes.
When she learned that it was for his disciple’s son, the woman said she would make them herself since she had nothing else better to do. Thereafter, the woman had spent all her time pouring through online tutorials, learning what she could of the art.
She had even asked him to buy the cloth, machines and tools necessary for her to complete the self-imposed task.
“Aren’t you are done making clothes? Why are you making more?”
“I’m bored. There’s nothing to do all day, and I don’t want to waste the leftover materials you got for me. I like making them. It feels like time passes so quickly when I’m making clothes,” the woman replied, engrossed in her work as she was.
The man stood by her side and watched her cut the cloth into smaller pieces. He stayed her hand as she was about to put down the pair of scissors. Softly, he asked, “Do you truly find it boring staying here with me on the mountain?”
The woman looked at the man. His cold expression had not changed since they first met, his hand a comforting warmth. “No, I just wanted something to do. Don’t overthink things.”
The man stared at her unblinkingly as if he wanted to read her inner thoughts.
The short interlude did not stop her, but it did draw her attention to her dwindling supplies. “Please buy more materials for me. I watched a tutorial on making pyjamas for adults a few days ago. I want to make a set of pyjamas for you too. The material you got is fantastic; it’s perfect for sleeping. Would you like one?”
The woman stared at the man with her beautiful eyes, looking expectantly.
“I would.” Seeing her expression, the man softened. He pulled her into his embrace, the tips of their noses touching; the floral scent of shampoo tickled his nose.
Only then did he realise she had showered and washed her hair.
His voice dropped a tone lower. “Save these for tomorrow.”
The man was mere inches away from her, his warm breath caressing her neck as he spoke. It tingled against her skin, and she involuntarily turned away. “Okay.”
“I want to stay here tonight.”
The man’s voice was low. Every word entered her ears like the steady beat of a drum.
The woman’s body stiffened in his arms. The man hugged her tightly, waiting for a response, but when none was forthcoming, he leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I’m going to take a shower.”
The man disappeared into the bathroom as soon as he finished speaking.
Only after she heard the bathroom door close did she react. She could not help but secretly ridicule herself. Why was she so nervous?
She was not a little girl anymore. What need was there for her to be nervous?
She glanced in the direction of the bathroom. Hesitantly, she returned to her desk and sat down. Turning on the computer, she continued where she left off, watching a tutorial on making clothes.
…
…
…
That night…
Xiao Jiu was lying on the bed in his pull-up pants. His two small hands waved non-stop as he tried to grab hold of his blanket.
He took a while, but eventually, he caught it between his hands. He was reluctant to let go of it. Now that it was in his hands, he wanted to chew on it.
Qin Shu held onto Xiao Jiu’s baby clothes, trying to get him to wear them. She thought of buying a few more sets for her son and tried looking for the brand. Despite searching high and low, she could not find anything that would indicate its origins. It left her feeling rather puzzled.
How could such fine clothes be without a brand?
At this moment, the bedroom door opened. A tall straight-backed man entered the room. When he saw Qin Shu turning a set of clothes inside out, he asked, “What are you looking for?”
As he spoke, he drew closer to Qin Shu, inspecting the set of clothes with keen interest.
“This is Xiao Jiu’s gift from Master. I thought it was very well-made and hoped to buy a few more sets, but I don’t know what brand made them. There doesn’t seem to be any label or logo on it.”
Qin Shu continued examining the clothes but to no avail.
The man paused. “Was Master here just now?”
“No, it was a man called Jiuyan. He said that Master asked him to see me on his behalf.” Qin Shu pointed at the wooden chest on the bedside table and said, “That was given to Xiao Jiu by Master..”
