Snow on the Eaves - Chapter 2

I wasn’t in the habit of pressing myself on people after being turned down, so I let him go.

I hadn’t expected him to stay out past dark.

Xu Chang’an always came home before dusk to cook. There had never been an exception.

Xiaoxiao sat on the stone step outside, staring down the road until her eyes must have ached.

Then she fetched a lantern and told me solemnly, “Stay home and be good, all right? I’ll go find my brother. I’ll bring you some sweets when we come back.”

With that, she made to leave.

To be honest, I didn’t care in the slightest whether Xu Chang’an was alive or dead. Everyone died eventually.

But what little conscience I possessed told me I couldn’t let Xiaoxiao go looking for him.

I stopped her and said lazily, “You. Stay here and be good.”

Then I took the lantern from her and walked into the night.

The cottage was very remote. Xu Chang’an had to walk a long way along the little paths every day to sell his herbs.

I used my spiritual energy to search as I walked, growing more impatient by the moment.

All this way?

Xu Chang’an certainly had endurance.

At last, I reached the end of the path and heard several voices.

“We finally come out for a little fun, and who do we rob? A pauper.”

“Tell me about it. What rotten luck. Not even enough for a round of drinks!”

“I told you he was Xu Chang’an, the poorest man around here. You wouldn’t listen.”

That told me most of what I needed to know. I stepped forward and blocked their way.

The men instantly took on the most lecherous expressions imaginable. The taunts began the moment they opened their mouths.

“Out having fun so late, little miss?”

“Want us to keep you company?”

They even started rubbing their hands together. Disgusting.

I smiled faintly. “You took Xu Chang’an’s money. And unless I’m mistaken, you beat him, too.”

They exchanged glances. What could a frail woman possibly do to them?

They went on spewing filth.

But as they talked, their eyes slowly widened, then rapidly lost their light.

My smile was reflected in their unblinking, dead eyes. Then their bodies began to dissolve, until all that remained was three puddles of blood.

I found Xu Chang’an at a crossroads, beaten unconscious. They had hurt him badly, but his arms were still locked around the herbs against his chest.

The herbs were all ruined.

He struggled to open his eyes. Even with all his strength, he could only manage a slit.

He stared when he saw me.

I rolled him over and scooped him up in my arms.

His surprise was plain. He tried haltingly to say something.

“You… you…”

“I… I…”

I showed no mercy. “Did they beat a stammer into you?”

He shut his mouth.

By the time we got back, Xiaoxiao had cooked supper. The sight of Xu Chang’an reduced her to tears at once.

“Brother, does it hurt?” Weeping, she reached out a little hand toward his wounds.

In the end, she couldn’t bring herself to touch them. She sniffled miserably, the poor thing.

Xu Chang’an was on the verge of passing out, yet he still forced himself to comfort her. “I’m all right, Xiaoxiao. It’s all thanks to—”

He turned toward me, only to realize he didn’t even know my name.

I was eating the hot food. At that, I offered a single word. “Yuan.”

He promptly finished, “Miss Yuan.”

Then he couldn’t hold on any longer and fell unconscious.

Xiaoxiao was beside herself. First, she came over especially to thank me with the utmost solemnity. Then she bustled about, boiling medicine for Xu Chang’an.

I had finished my meal, and she was still working away, fanning the fire under the medicine stove. Soot had smudged her fair little face.

“Leave it to me.”

I sighed and shooed her off to eat.

I’d visited the mortal world several times before. This was the first time I’d discovered that people could be this poor.

Even the worst off of my former acquaintances had been among the richest people in their region. When would I ever have seen a sight like this?

I propped my cheek in my hand and looked up.

A slightly stronger gust could probably take the roof clean off.

As if to prove my point, a moment later I was looking at a sky full of stars.

…

So that was what it meant to speak disaster into being.

Xiaoxiao had only just settled down to her meal. Instantly, her little face crumpled with worry again.

Neither of us slept that night. We spent it fixing the roof.

I say “we,” but I really just stood below and handed things up. Xiaoxiao climbed the wooden ladder and did the repairs.

It was nearly dawn when we finally dusted off our hands, finished.

In all my long life, this was also the first time I’d learned what it meant to be tired.

After washing my hands, I lay down on the bed and lost consciousness. Xiaoxiao lay beside me, afraid to come too close in case she made me uncomfortable.

Half asleep, I pulled her into my arms.

When I woke again, it was evening. I smelled cooking.

Xiaoxiao stirred in my arms and sat up.

I got up to investigate and found Xu Chang’an, swathed in bandages, stirring food in a wok.

His eyelids were still swollen. The way he struggled to keep his eyes wide enough to cook was rather comical.

It seemed to have hit exactly the right spot in my sense of humor. Laughing just then felt a little inappropriate, so I did my best to hold it in.

Xiaoxiao came over and took my hand. “Rest a little longer, Yuan. You can get up when the food’s ready. Leave this to me.”

She wouldn’t hear an argument, terrified I might tire myself out.

Xu Chang’an urged me to rest, too. “I truly don’t know how to repay you, Miss Yuan. Tomorrow, once I’ve sold some herbs, I’ll—”

I cut him off. “There’s no need. Don’t thank me, and don’t repay me.”

Xu Chang’an sighed softly.

Xiaoxiao tugged at my hand and blinked her bright, clear eyes.

“Please let him repay you. Otherwise, he won’t even be able to sleep.”

For no particular reason, irritation rose in me. I shook her hand off.

So much fuss. I didn’t like these endless exchanges of favors.

After I went back to the room, Xiaoxiao hid timidly behind the door, thinking I was angry.

I was used to coming and going alone, and my temper was atrocious. Phoenixes were hotheaded to begin with. Even among my clan, I was the one who would flare up at a touch.

Mother used to say that the women of our clan must take the greatest care when going out. Don’t cause trouble. Don’t fall in love. Most of all, don’t bring home men you find by the roadside.

Someone once asked, “You’ve repeated all this hundreds of times. Why doesn’t Yuan have to listen?”

Mother glared. “Do you think everyone is like her?”

Quite. Our family bred fools for love.

In the past hundred years alone, more than a dozen had eloped. Dozens more had been so set on marrying outsiders that they would rather die than give them up.

I was the sole exception. For all my years roaming the world, my heart had never stirred.

Once, a mortal and I had helped each other. I gave him wealth and status; he helped hide me from an enemy hunting me down. In the end, he actually tried to keep me, even threatening me to make me marry him.

He could have enjoyed a lifetime of wealth or a lifetime without worries. Instead, he chose an early meeting with the King of the Underworld.

It did indirectly lead my enemy to me. I still had no regrets.