Chapter 32 : The Pleasure Boat Tour
32: The Pleasure Boat Tour
The next day, both Fu Peibai and Lu Yanran tacitly avoided mentioning last night's events. The two sat silently in the inn's main hall, drinking porridge.
A-Fu felt the atmosphere at the table was a bit strange. She glanced at Fu Peibai and asked, "Little Bai, did something happen?"
Fu Peibai's hand paused while reaching for pickled vegetables. "Nothing happened."
"Good then. We're staying in Xingyang City for a day, leaving tomorrow. The weather is fine today. If you have no other plans, why not come tour the lake with us?"
"You all go ahead. I'm going to check on my friends later. Drank too much last night, so I want to see how they're doing."
"Alright then."
Fu Peibai raised her porridge bowl and gulped it down in a few swallows. After wiping her mouth, she quickly said, "Peak Master, Sister A-Fu, Brother Xing, I'm done eating. You all take your time. I'm leaving now." Without waiting for anyone to respond, she left the inn.
A-Fu held a spoonful of porridge, about to bring it to her mouth. She stopped and looked toward the inn's entrance.
"What's gotten into Little Bai?"
Lu Yanran's expression remained indifferent. "Just eat."
After leaving the inn, Fu Peibai let out a breath of relief. When she woke this morning, memories of last night came flooding back like a tide. She looked at her own hands, unable to believe where she had found the courage to touch the Peak Master's face.
She stood outside the inn and sighed deeply, then headed toward Old Man Wen's courtyard.
When she arrived, sure enough, both men were still sleeping with their heads buried under covers. She placed the sesame cakes she'd bought on the way onto the table. The fragrance of the piping hot cakes soon filled the entire room.
Ding Yi was the first to wake, drawn by the smell. Seeing the large meat-filled sesame cakes on the table, his appetite was immediately stirred. Without even washing his face, he grabbed a cake and started gnawing.
Before long, Old Man Wen also slowly roused. He hadn't drunk so freely in many years, but the hangover was indeed unpleasant. His head ached terribly.
Seeing his discomfort, Fu Peibai took a hot cake over to him.
"Uncle Wen, eat some cake. I'll make you some hangover tea."
"Alright, thanks, Little Bai."
Fu Peibai went to the courtyard, skillfully chopping firewood and starting a fire. After brewing the tea, she brought it back into the room.
Ding Yi was impatient and quickly took a cup. But as soon as it touched his lips, he hastily set it down, exclaiming, "Hot, hot, hot!"
Old Man Wen was much calmer. He blew on it a few times before slowly sipping the hot tea, feeling considerably more comfortable.
"Little Bai, what are your plans for today?"
Fu Peibai was about to say she had none, but as the words reached her lips, she thought of something. "I stayed in Xingyang City for over half a month back then, but never properly toured the city. I heard there's an artificial lake in town with beautiful scenery. Why don't the three of us go for a walk together?"
Ding Yi clicked his tongue. "That place is just a big pond. What's so fun about it? Besides, renting a boat there is expensive. Costs this much." As he spoke, he made an exaggerated gesture with his fingers.
"We don't have to take a boat. Just walking by the lake is fine too. Uncle Wen, what do you think?"
Old Man Wen waved his hand. "It's a nice place, but I'm not feeling well today. I won't go with you young folks. You two go ahead."
Actually, Ding Yi didn't want to go either. The people who frequented that place were either scholars and poets or young lords and ladies from prominent families. He couldn't stand either of these pretentious sorts.
"I don't want to go either. Little Bai, you go by yourself."
Fu Peibai smiled. "If you come with me, I'll treat you to Wang Niang's crispy chicken from the south of the city. How about it?"
Ding Yi's eyes lit up. "Alright!"
The two agreed and were about to set off. Before leaving, Fu Peibai thought of something. She pushed and shoved Ding Yi into taking a bath, then made him change into clean clothes. She examined him carefully, confirming his appearance was reasonably tidy before taking him to the artificial lake in the city.
This lake was called Muxian Lake. It wasn't large, but creating such an oasis scene in the northwest region was no small feat, so naturally it became the preferred destination for the city's noble families to visit.
Today happened to be clear and pleasant, a fine day for an outing. The lake surface was already dotted with pleasure boats of various sizes, and the sounds of stringed instruments drifted from the vessels.
Ding Yi followed behind Fu Peibai, walking listlessly, yawning. "Little Bai, how much longer do we have to walk? This lake is just this big. You can see the whole thing at a glance. Once we're done looking, let's go south of the city to buy crispy chicken."
Fu Peibai scanned the various pleasure boats on the lake, as if searching for something. "No rush."
The two walked one complete circuit around the lake. Seeing that Fu Peibai looked ready to walk a second lap, Ding Yi had had enough. He went straight to a stone bench and sat down.
"I can't take it anymore, so tired. What's so great about this lake anyway?"
Fu Peibai pulled him up, putting on an apologetic smile. "One more lap. The last one."
Just as they were about to return to their starting point, Fu Peibai finally heard a call of "Little Bai" from not far away on the lake.
She immediately stopped and looked out. On a pleasure boat in the distance, A-Fu was standing at the railing, waving and calling out to her. Fu Peibai also waved both arms and shouted back, "Sister A-Fu!"
The boat soon approached. A-Fu leaned over the railing with a smile. "Little Bai, why are you here? I thought you went to see your friend."
Fu Peibai pulled Ding Yi forward and introduced him. "Here, this is him. The other one is an elderly man who's not feeling well, so he's resting at home."
Ding Yi looked at the smiling young woman on the boat and his face suddenly flushed. He stammered a greeting. "I... I'm called Ding Yi."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ye Fu. Since you're Little Bai's friend, just call me Sister A-Fu like he does. Come aboard and tour the lake with us."
Fu Peibai climbed up first using the rope ladder hanging from the boat. Once aboard, she saw Xing Guang was there too.
"Brother Xing."
Xing Guang gave a grunt, still wearing his cold, stern expression.
Fu Peibai looked around. Not seeing a familiar figure on the deck, her gaze fell upon the curtained cabin. She quietly asked A-Fu, "Is the Peak Master inside?"
"She is."
Fu Peibai hesitated about whether to go in. Just as she reached out to lift the curtain, the person inside pushed it open.
Lu Yanran and Fu Peibai came face to face.
"Peak Master..." Fu Peibai stammered.
Lu Yanran didn't look at her but turned her gaze to Ding Yi.
"Your friend?"
"Yes, this is Ding Yi, the one I told you about." As soon as the words left her mouth, Fu Peibai couldn't help but think of what she'd said and done last night. She furrowed her brow and cursed herself inwardly.
Ding Yi had just climbed aboard. Seeing Lu Yanran now, he froze again. In all his life, he'd never seen such a beautiful woman. To see two in one day was overwhelming, and he forgot to greet her.
Seeing his rudeness, Fu Peibai quickly walked over and nudged him with her elbow, whispering, "This is the Peak Master of Chaoquan Peak of the Heavenly Pole Sect. Greet her quickly."
Ding Yi made a few "oh oh" sounds, snapped back to attention, and made a showy bow. "I am Ding Yi. I greet, I greet... Peak Master." He wasn't accustomed to such formal greetings and mumbled awkwardly, looking extremely embarrassed.
Lu Yanran said indifferently, "You are not a member of my sect. No need to call me Peak Master. My surname is Lu. You may call me Miss Lu."
"I greet, I greet Miss Lu."
After Lu Yanran gave a soft acknowledgment, she walked to the front of the boat.
A-Fu laughed and teased, "Little Bai, does your friend have a stutter? Why does he keep speaking unclearly?"
Ding Yi's ears turned crimson. He lowered his head in shame, none of his usual casual demeanor remaining.
"No, he's probably just nervous," Fu Peibai explained.
"Nervous about what? We don't bite. Little brother, don't be nervous. Would you like some pastries?"
Ding Yi looked up at A-Fu's bright, lovely smile and nodded in a daze.
A-Fu asked Fu Peibai, "Little Bai, do you want some too?"
Fu Peibai shook her head, her peripheral vision constantly glancing at the white figure at the bow of the boat.
After A-Fu took Ding Yi into the cabin for pastries, Fu Peibai moved. First two steps, casually walking to the side of the boat, admiring the lake scenery. Then another two steps, shifting left, looking around as if taking in the view. Finally, two more steps, and she successfully stood beside Lu Yanran.
Above were white clouds, below was rippling green water, and along the shore willow branches swayed. Everything should have been relaxing, but Fu Peibai's heart was tightly wound. She could only vaguely recall about eighty percent of last night's events. There were still scattered fragments she couldn't remember no matter what. She was terrified that, emboldened by alcohol, she might have done something even more improper than touching her face, or accidentally confessed her feelings. Now she wanted to probe the Peak Master's reaction.
She glanced at Lu Yanran's calm profile and said, "Peak Master, last night, I was drunk."
Lu Yanran gave a noncommittal hum.
Seeing this reaction, Fu Peibai grew even more nervous. She swallowed and continued, "I didn't do anything unforgivable to you, did I?"
Only then did Lu Yanran turn her head, her expression composed. "What do you mean by unforgivable?"
Fu Peibai didn't dare meet her eyes. Staring at the lake, she said with feigned casualness, "Like whether I unintentionally offended you, or said anything I shouldn't have."
"You did."
Fu Peibai's heart shot into her throat. Her fingers gripped the boat's edge tightly as she asked in a dry voice, "What was it?"
Lu Yanran's lips curved into a slight smile. "Seems you really were quite drunk."
"I'm sorry... Peak Master. I'll never drink that much again." After saying this, Fu Peibai still wanted to know more about what happened. "Then what exactly did I do, and what did I say?"
"Figure it out yourself."
Lu Yanran turned and returned to the cabin. Soon Ding Yi came running out, standing beside Fu Peibai. He let out a breath. "Little Bai, your Peak Master looks terrifying. I didn't even dare look at her."
"But that Sister A-Fu is so gentle. She poured tea for me herself and chatted with me about interesting things on your peak. She didn't seem to look down on me at all." Ding Yi revealed a shy smile.
Fu Peibai was somewhat lost in thought, her heart unsettled. She responded to Ding Yi absently.
By the time the sun set, everyone disembarked from the pleasure boat. Ding Yi didn't dare say goodbye to Lu Yanran. He quietly told Fu Peibai he was leaving first, then took off like smoke.
After returning to the inn, Fu Peibai couldn't eat properly or sleep. Lu Yanran's "figure it out yourself" truly made her rack her brains.
She lay on the bed, tossing and turning, constantly replaying last night's events in her mind. First she came back from the streets, then met the Peak Master on the inn stairs. Then the Peak Master helped her back to her room. Then there was a small gap in her memory. Next she introduced Ding Yi and Uncle Wen to the Peak Master. After that she couldn't remember again. Then came the face-touching that horrified her when she recalled it. And after that, everything was blank.
She pounded the bed board, making thumping sounds. Then, driven by an impulse, she put on her outer robe, went to Lu Yanran's room, and knocked on the door.
For a while there was no sound from inside. By now Fu Peibai had calmed down and regretted disturbing the Peak Master in the middle of the night. Just as she was about to turn and leave, the door creaked open.
Lu Yanran looked tired as she glanced at Fu Peibai.
"Come in."
Fu Peibai hesitated, then took a long stride into the room.
Lu Yanran sat at the table in thin robes, propping up her chin with her hand. Her voice revealed exhaustion. "What is it?"
Now Fu Peibai truly regretted her impulsive behavior. She remembered A-Fu saying the Peak Master was a light sleeper. Seeing Lu Yanran's weary face, she knew she had disturbed her sleep. She said awkwardly, "I'm sorry, Peak Master. I disturbed your rest. You should go back to sleep. I'll find you in the morning."
"You've already woken me up. I can't sleep now anyway. If you have something to say, say it."
Fu Peibai looked at Lu Yanran's tired face in the dim candlelight, feeling both pained and guilty. "Ah, I really..."
Lu Yanran frowned. Last night, just as she was about to leave, the person on the bed had rolled over and tightly grabbed her hand, gripping it painfully. She couldn't pull free, and seeing how pitiful the other looked, she had sat down on the edge of the bed.
As a result, Fu Peibai held her hand for several hours. When she finally returned, she had lost all sleepiness and couldn't fall asleep no matter what. She had planned to exhaust herself by going out on the boat today so she could rest well tonight. Just as she was barely falling asleep, this person came to disturb her again. It was truly exasperating.
"Stop hemming and hawing. If you have something to say, say it directly. If not, then leave."
Seeing Lu Yanran's impatience, Fu Peibai could only summon her courage. "I... I just wanted to apologize for some things that happened after I got drunk last night. If I did anything improper last night, or said anything I shouldn't have, I hope you can forgive me, Peak Master. Whatever I said was all nonsense. Please don't take it to heart." As she spoke, she lowered her head further, looking like someone who had made a mistake and was waiting to be scolded.
Lu Yanran was almost ready to laugh from sheer exasperation. On the boat and now again here. So this person had been brooding over last night's events all this time?
Truly stubborn enough.
Her gaze landed lightly on Fu Peibai as she said indifferently, "Then tell me yourself. How should you be punished?"
"As the Peak Master sees fit."
Lu Yanran narrowed her eyes slightly. "I remember you already owe me one punishment."
Fu Peibai gave a hesitant hum.
"Then let it continue to be owed," Lu Yanran said calmly, then rose and walked back to the bed.
Fu Peibai quickly stood up and said earnestly, "Alright. Whenever the Peak Master wants to collect it, you may do so."
The door finally closed slowly as Fu Peibai exited the room. Through the closing gap, she gazed lingeringly at the slender back of the woman on the bed, and her anxious heart finally settled into peace.