Chapter 2: Mountain Rain
Du Shisan Niang seemed to hear the desperate shouting, and for a moment, she looked up in confusion towards the shadows of the bamboo. In the midst of the pouring rain, she suddenly saw a figure dressed in a raincoat and wearing a bamboo hat standing there, and she couldn't help but be stunned. It was not until the figure lifted the hat with his hand that she clearly recognized it was indeed her brother, whom she had been watching over day and night these past few days. Tears immediately filled her eyes, and she moved her lips as if to say something. Finally, when Du Shiyi walked up to her, she instinctively grasped his arms tightly.
When Du Shiyi was about to call her, he had already heard the sound of the door opening outside, the sound of an umbrella being opened, and footsteps rushing into the rain. After thinking it over, he finally managed to sit up straight. This action, which he had attempted many times that evening, was completed without any hesitation. As he struggled to get up, he felt his legs trembling, as if they would not be able to support his body in the next moment. It was not until he walked a few circles in the cramped space, like a toddler taking its first steps, that he barely regained the feeling of walking steadily. However, after walking back and forth for an unknown amount of time, all he could hear was the sound of the pouring rain, and the bamboo shadows that had been gone for a long time were still nowhere to be seen, causing him to feel increasingly anxious.
He did not know how long he had been walking in the rain, when suddenly the dense woods on both sides became sparse. After walking several dozen more steps, the view ahead opened up dramatically, revealing a towering wall that seemed endless in the rain. With green tiles and flying eaves supported by brackets, the sounds of music could be heard clearly from within, evoking a sense of elegance and depth. It turned out to be an extremely vast palace complex.
Seeing Du Shiyi spit out such a remark with displeasure, Zhu Ying recalled the struggles of Du Shisan Niang over the past few days. Mistaking him for still indulging in self-pity, she gently bit her lip and boldly said: "My lord, the lady has traveled thousands of miles from Jingzhao to Songshan to seek medical help for you. She has been frugal every day, even saving the only egg for you. Now that you are able to speak, please remember the lady's heartfelt efforts, gather your spirits, eat more, and take good care of your health. It would not be in vain for the lady to visit Songyang Temple daily to seek medicine and treatment."
Moreover, setting aside whether he can endure the journey in the rain, the most crucial point is that he does not know where Songyang Temple is located
Congratulations, my dear sir, you can finally speak!
Upon hearing these words, Du Shiyi was immediately taken aback. Over the past few days, Du Shisan's daughter had often kept vigil by his bedside, attending to him with care—wiping his face, feeding him, bringing water, and administering medicine. All of this was a testament to her affection and concern for her brother. Even though he was entirely different from the person who should have existed in this body, and despite his reluctance to acknowledge the memories that had inexplicably surfaced, he ultimately felt gratitude towards that little girl. After all, if it had not been for her diligent care and companionship, he would not have been able to endure these days.
Having come from the muddy path in the heavy rain to the stone road outside, Du Shiyi felt a wave of dizziness beneath his feet. Fortunately, although the bamboo hat and raincoat appeared to be covered in dust for a long time, they were far more effective in this downpour than the tattered oil paper umbrella. Seeing the maid, drenched to the skin, holding onto him with one hand while struggling to hold the umbrella with the other, her face pale yet still holding on, he felt an increasing anger in his heart.
Stop rambling, support me!
Despite having reluctantly decided to calmly accept this life and to accept his sister Du Shisi, upon hearing such preaching, Du Shiyi immediately raised an eyebrow. He could clearly remember those days that felt like years. Having fallen into this strange era and unfamiliar place, he inexplicably became another person. All of this was due to that person who was said to have lost his talent and faded into obscurity, who had given up on himself and sought death! Just because of a serious illness that led to the loss of his talent, he could no longer produce poetry or prose worthy of praise, and he had the heart to abandon his only remaining sister!
What is there to congratulate? I am not a mute by birth
The sunlight streamed in through the window
Brother... is it really you, Brother! I must not be dreaming!
My lord, I implore you to persuade my wife! I have already told her that you can speak, yet no matter how I try to convince her, she refuses to listen or believe. She stubbornly kneels in front of Songyang Temple, but the temple doors are already closed!
You are not dreaming, come on, let's go back
The condition of this body is truly terrible
The shadow of the bamboo swiftly released the hand supporting Du Shiyi, and in a few quick steps, raised a broken umbrella to shield Du Shisan Niang's head. Seeing her lips turning blue and purple from the cold, and her state becoming somewhat dazed, she stubbornly refused to get up despite being dragged. In a fit of exasperation, she cried out: "My lady, the young master can already speak and get out of bed. Look, he has come to find you! My lady, if you exhaust yourself to the point of falling ill, who will take care of the young master? Do you intend to leave the young master and the book all alone?"
Although she did not know how Du Shiyi suddenly regained the ability to speak and walk, Zhu Ying could no longer afford to ponder over such matters. She had no time to care about her own half-soaked body; gritting her teeth, she stepped forward and supported Du Shiyi's right arm. After walking just a few steps, she felt as if most of the weight of the person beside her was pressing down on her, causing her to break out in a cold sweat. However, recalling the precarious state of Du Shisan Niang kneeling in the rain earlier, she felt a surge of urgency and quickly took a deep breath to hasten her pace.
Until this moment, the tightly closed gate of Songyang Temple remained silent, but on the road to the south of the gate, a sound emerged from the curtain of rain. Du Shiyi turned to look and discovered that a group of seven or eight people was escorting a horse-drawn carriage as it slowly approached.
Du Shiyi, standing before Du Shisan Niang, sighed and replied, then immediately attempted to pull her up. With a forceful tug amidst the bamboo shadows, Du Shisan Niang, whose entire body had long been numb and stiff, finally stood up involuntarily. However, the pain in her knees, sharp as needles, caused her to involuntarily moan, though she quickly gritted her teeth.
This is Songyang Temple
Madam, Madam!
As the bamboo shadows stretched like an umbrella to the front of the house, she was momentarily taken aback upon seeing the figure in a bamboo hat and raincoat standing at the door. However, when she noticed the person lift the brim of the hat, she immediately rushed over and knelt down in the rain.
Upon hearing these simple four words, Zhu Ying was momentarily taken aback, but soon revealed a look of mixed surprise and joy. In the later stages of Du Shiyi's illness, although he could still eat and drink, he required assistance with everything else. Now, being able to speak at last surely indicated a turning point. She took a deep breath, set down the food tray in her hand, and then knelt beside the bed.
Just as he hesitated, it seemed that at the end of the rain curtain, a person with an umbrella was stumbling back. As the umbrella-wielding figure gradually approached, Du Shiyi immediately recognized that the person, drenched and with a large tear in the umbrella, was none other than Zhu Ying.
At that moment, he suddenly felt a blinding white light flash before his eyes, followed by a deafening roar from outside the window. After lying in bed for dozens of days, his reactions had slowed considerably, and it took him a moment to realize that it was thunder. Meanwhile, Zhu Ying abruptly turned to look outside and, with a pale face, said, "Oh no, my wife is still kneeling in front of Songyang Temple! This mountain rain comes quickly; I must go check!" Saying this, Zhu Ying quickly stood up and hurried outside in a few swift steps.
Consider the scene of a young girl, Du Shisan Niang, shivering in the rain. After much contemplation, he finally dragged his heavy steps around the lattice door to the outer room. The outer room contained only a few pieces of simple furniture. He searched laboriously for a while and eventually found a dusty straw hat and a raincoat. He hastily put them on, not bothering to look for wooden clogs, and opened the door. At the moment he opened the door, the howling mountain wind swept countless raindrops onto him, chilling him to the bone, causing him to involuntarily shiver.
However, at this moment, he, drenched by the relentless wind and rain, could not afford to marvel at the grandeur of the Songyang Temple. Following the bamboo shadows, he finally managed to navigate around the long high wall, and at a glance, he saw the frail figure kneeling in the heavy rain. From time to time, a gust of wind would sweep by, whipping up the large raindrops that splashed against the bluestone ground in front of her, yet that seemingly precarious figure remained steadfast there even after the storm.
Du Shiyi lay on the bed, his eyes gazing out at the verdant bamboo forest. His health had improved in recent days, and after making an effort, he was gradually able to turn over and even sit up. He was also beginning to consider revealing the truth to Du Shisan Niang, who had been by his side all along. Therefore, when he heard a commotion outside and looked up to see a figure in green resembling bamboo shadows, he instinctively glanced at the few dishes on the food tray in the figure's hand. Noticing it was again corn rice, two vegetable dishes, and an egg, he couldn't help but look behind the figure and suddenly asked, "Where is Shisan Niang?"
Seeing Du Shiyi lost in thought and silent, Zhu Ying recalled what Du Shisan Niang had said when she left today, and could not help but speak earnestly: "My lord, I have not received an education and cannot articulate those profound principles. However, you have merely fallen ill; it is not something you cannot recover from. Why be so despondent? The lady has always put on a brave face in front of you, yet how many times has she cried in private? Did you not just ask where she was going? Today, she is determined to kneel at Songyang Temple to plead; unless she can get that Daoist Sun to come out, she intends to kneel there until she dies! Since you fell ill, the lady, despite her young age, has endured hardships and troubles without a single complaint. Even if you do not think of yourself, please consider her and take good care of your health!"