Mount Drum was not in Kaifeng.
They had gone twenty miles before they finally reached the foot of the mountain.
The carriage stopped for a while and they took a break to eat. After that, they climbed the mountain road. As they looked upwards, they saw that the mountain was towering. Almost half of it was covered by clouds and fog. Its height was frightening.
Ming Yue muttered, “If you build a summer resort here, you’d get heatstroke just trying to climb up to it.”
Just as she was looking, a shadow came over her head. She looked to the side and saw Su Yunkai standing beside her with an umbrella in hand. He didn’t expect for the summer resort to be so high up on the mountain. “If the carriage can’t reach the villa directly, I think someone will faint along the way.”
After this comment, the two of them looked at Qin Fang in unison. His face was pale as he drank water. Qin Fang gave a small burp and then shook his head. “My cousin told me that the villa was recently reopened. The place is very good. At night, the temperature at the top of the mountain is lower than the temperature at the foot of the mountain. As soon as I heard this, I hurried to make plans. With a mountain so high, it’s no wonder it’s so cold.”
Su Yunkai heard the underlying meaning. “This summer resort is not your family’s?”
“No. It was recently purchased by a rich businessman who knows my cousin. The villa has always been here, but it was renovated recently.”
Su Yunkai still wanted to ask more questions. Then, he heard the sound of horse hooves in the distance. He immediately found that strange. He turned around to look. Indeed, he caught sight of chariots coming in their direction, also appearing to be heading up the mountain. “Qin Fang…are we not the only ones staying in the summer resort?”
Qin Fang laughed. “Of course not. How unwelcoming and cold would it be with just a few people? That rich merchant is hospitable. He likes it when things are lively, so he invited many capable people from afar, such as shadow play puppet show performers, jugglers, dancers, and storytellers.
Su Yunkai, who had wanted to find a quiet place to properly talk with Ming Yue, realized that he had forgotten Qin Fang’s character. In Qin Fang’s mind, the summer resort was just a cool place, whereas Su Yunkai had interpreted it to be a quiet place.
Su Yunkai, who was unable to figure out whether he had been tricked by Qin Fang or by himself, smiled bitterly. “Since there are so many people performing, the audience isn’t just comprised of the rich businessman and our party, right?”
Qin Fang said, “Of course not. I heard that there are still a few waves of people arriving.”
Sun Yunkai rubbed his temples, distressed. They were far from the capital and it would be a bumpy ride back. He looked at Ming Yue and saw that her eyes were expectant and clear. He suddenly realized that while he didn’t like these things, Ming Yue did. Otherwise, she would not have dragged him over to watch the opera troupe by the mob of people on Qixi.
Being able to watch from a close distance with only several groups of people around was much better. After thinking it through, Sun Yunkai’s frown loosened. He was glad Ming Yue was happy.
The carriage that came from far away had also arrived at the foot of the mountain. There was only one carriage, but there were ten servants. The carriage came to a halt. Although there were many servants around, none of them spoke. Everything seemed to be done in an orderly manner. It was clear that the family was strict.
The curtain was lifted slightly. A plump, middle-aged man leaned down to get off the carriage. His face was round and his eyes were crooked. His naturally smiling eyes appeared extremely kind.
Although it was hot, the man still wore an official hat. He was clothed in a round-collared robe made of brocade. The robe was embroidered with sedges, clouds, and cranes. Around his waist was a gold jade belt. A ribbon hung from the side. He sported white silk stockings and black leather shoes.
Su Yunkai had only one impression of him: disciplined. The man appeared to be a very fastidious person. The color coordination of his clothing was very appropriate.
Jin Fugui looked up towards the top of the mountain and then at Su Yunkai. He said with a smile, “I’m Jin Fugui. I believe you are also here at the invitation of Brother Shen?”
Qin Fang nodded. “Indeed. I am Qin Fang.” He introduced Su Yunkai and Ming Yue respectively, but did not reveal their identities.
Jin Fugui knew that those who came here were wealthy or of a high status. As a businessman, he hadn’t heard of them in the business community. He deduced that they must belong to the latter category, so he didn’t ask any further questions. “I suppose it can be considered fate that we met here. Since that is so, let’s go up together. The bottom of the mountain is truly quite hot. I hope it’s cooler at the top.”
At his suggestion, the party of three got back onto the carriage and headed up the mountain.
The mountain road was bumpy. Although the carriage was spacious, its breadth only made it more difficult to find a place to hold onto for stability.
Ming Yue gripped the wall of the carriage. Her hand was in pain. When they reached a steadier patch of land, she loosened her hold to discover that her entire palm was red. She frowned and wanted to continue grasping onto the wall, but then she heard Su Yunkai say, “Why don’t you hold onto my arm? That’s more stable.”
After thinking about it, Ming Yue decided to take his arm. She moved closer to him. After a while, her hand didn’t hurt anymore.
The two were so intimate that Qin Fang felt like his presence was a nuisance to them. He thought he should go to Jin Fugui’s carriage. Suddenly thinking of Jin Fugui, Qin Fang said, “I’ve heard his name. He’s a famous businessman in the capital.”
Su Yunkai was curious. “The aristocrats never like businessmen. How do you even know his name?”
“Because he deals in jewelry and jade ornaments.”
Su Yunkai understood. These were things sold to the daughters of nobility and high officials. Qin Fang had several younger sisters. He likely heard about these things.
“I also heard that Jin Fugui has two close friends. One is named Liang Fangdong and the other is named Shen Wei. He’s the owner of the villa.”
Su Yunkai asked, “Is Shen Wei the one who does tea business? The one who’s been offering high-quality tea in recent years?”
“Yes, that’s him. One day, my cousin chatted with him and learned that he was going to the summer resort. My cousin heard that he was inviting shadow play troupes and my cousin knows that I like the troupes, so he asked if Shen Wei could add another person to the party. Brother-in-law, you know that these businessmen like to make friends with us, the princes in the capital city, so Shen Wei immediately agreed.”
As long as there were shadow plays, Qin Fang was game. The previous time, he happened to meet Su Yunkai in Nanle County and…Bai Shui.
Thus, he wanted to bring Bai Shui to see the shadow play. On one hand, he wanted to make her happy; on the other hand, he wanted to let her relax. Thirdly, this trip served as a silent promise.
He hadn’t expected for Bai Shui to be unable to come…
Thinking of this, Qin Fang felt a sudden pang. Ming Yue noticed and said quietly, “Why does Little Monkey look like he’s about to cry?”
Su Yunkai, who was well aware of Qin Fang’s personality, laughed and said, “Without the woman he likes at this side, he misses her quite a lot.”
The wheels of the carriage rumbled along the empty mountain road and broke through the quiet of the mountain forest.
While getting bumped back and forth, Ming Yue nearly fell asleep. Suddenly, the carriage stopped and became stable. Ming Yue asked, “Have we arrived?”
The wind blew the curtain upwards and she caught a glimpse of the scene outside. She only saw an empty cliff. She was startled. “The horse walked to a cliff?”
“Someone just went down. I don’t think so.” Su Yunkai wanted to go and take a look first, but he noticed the way her gaze was fixed on the view outside, so he took her hand and led her down from the carriage.
Only after getting out of the carriage did Su Yunkai realize why the carriage stopped.
The road ahead was indeed a cliff, but the other side of the cliff was connected by a suspension bridge, which was about forty yards long. The two sides of the suspension bridge were made of a rope twisted into a guardrail only half a person high. If a taller person lost focus, that person would likely fall.
Ming Yue never thought that she would be afraid of the height. After all, she loved climbing trees and walls. As she looked at it, she felt her legs go a little limp. She held Su Yunkai’s arm and swallowed. “We have to go through here?”
It was the first time any of the three had come here, so they didn’t know. Jin Fugui had heard from his friends that this was the only way to the villa.
“The carriage can’t pass?”
“It doesn’t look like it can.”
Ming Yue took a look at the cliff. She couldn’t even see the bottom. The trees and vines crisscrossed and climbed up the cliff. She felt dizzier, but Su Yunkai’s face remained ordinary, as though he was not afraid at all. She asked, “Are you not afraid?”
“No.” Su Yunkai said. “Do you want me to… carry you on my back?”
“The suspension bridge will shake with each step. If you carry me on your back, I will be more scared.” Ming Yue thought for a while and said, “I could close my eyes and you could hold my hand.”
In fact, they had been holding hands since the carriage had reached the middle of the mountain. They hadn’t let go of each other since. Qin Fang wanted to join the party, but they didn’t wait for him at all. They had completely forgotten him, the great benefactor. Qin Fang was thus forced to cross with Jin Fugui. Trembling, Qin Fang held onto the shoulder of a bold servant. They were able to smoothly cross the bridge.
After the bridge, there was still another distance to walk. Jin Fugui was so tired that he nearly fell to the ground. Then, they finally saw the summer resort.
There was a servant who had been waiting at the door for a long time. Jin Fugui recognized that he was a servant of the Shen family. The moment he saw the servant, he demanded, “What’s up with your master? He said that the scenery here was quite good. Supposedly, it allows people to feel more relaxed and happier. I am nearly going crazy and he still hasn’t come to welcome me personally.”
At that, someone in the room laughed and walked out of the gate, saying with a smile, “I was just two steps late, but I still got scolded. It seems that Brother Jin has suffered a lot.”
The newcomer was over forty years old, but he was handsome. Compared with the younger Jin Fugui, Shen Wei actually looked younger. Seeing the others, he saluted and said to Qin Fang, “Greetings to the little marquis.”
“You recognize me?” Qin Fang asked.
“You look quite similar to the Qin family’s third master, so I thought that you must be the little marquis.”
Qin Fang was worn out from the long route, so he did not bother to make further small talk. He said, “It was a long and difficult journey. I’m terribly tired. Arrange for our living quarters first.”
Shen Wei turned to the side and let them in. Seeing Su Yunkai and Ming Yue, he gave a faint smile and invited them inside with Qin Fang.
.
A Hint of Spring 