Encountering a Snake - Chapter 25

V3C25

 

The first snow arrived as promised, drifting and spreading like goose feathers in the cold wind, blanketing everything. The mountains and rivers remained unchanged, yet everything seemed unfamiliar. The house was warmed by a charcoal fire, burning brightly. Liu Yan stood by the window, pulling his collar tighter against the cold. Behind him, the sound of sparks crackling from the brazier filled the room, and the cold wind swept across his cheeks, creating a contrast between the warmth and the chill.

 

Shen Jue brought in some peanuts and chestnuts. When the door opened, snowflakes and cold wind rushed in together. He quickly turned around, closed the door, and threw the dried fruits into the brazier. Using the fire tongs, he stirred the fire and glanced at the person by the window, saying, “It’s cold tonight. Father, would you like me to heat up some wine?”

 

Liu Yan nodded and replied, “Heat up a pot for Xu Mingshi as well.”

 

Shen Jue heated two pots of wine and brought some pastries to Xu Mingshi’s room. Xu Mingshi was wrapped in a thick cotton blanket, huddled at the head of the bed, half asleep and half awake, when he heard the door open. The room, dimly lit by only a single oil lamp, cast shadows, and in the faint light, he saw a tall figure standing at the table, bending slightly to place the items on it.

 

Xu Mingshi opened his eyes, watching for a long time. When the figure finished arranging the pastries and was about to leave, he called out, “Xiao Bao.”

 

The figure paused, turned around, and the bright, clear eyes of a young man shone in the dimness, like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, piercing straight toward him.

 

The heavy blanket seemed to lose its warmth against the piercing gaze. Xu Mingshi instinctively tightened his grip on the blanket, wrapping himself even more tightly. He fell silent. He knew this was the time to lower his head. This father and son had been kind to him, and their gratitude was deep. Moreover, in front of this young and strong man, he was nothing but an old, useless fool.

 

Perhaps he really was old, his mind muddled, foolish with age. Xu Mingshi realized he had provoked him again, saying, “Xiao Bao.”

 

The shadow perfectly hid Shen Jue’s face. Shen Jue stood for a moment without speaking, then turned and left.

 

He walked quickly. If it weren’t for the cold air that followed him in when the door opened, Xu Mingshi might have thought it was all just a dream. In the dream, he had called out the child’s name, just like before. If this wasn’t a dream, then Xu Mingshi felt like he had been dreaming a long dream from long ago.

 

In that dream, there were his close friends, his confidants, and the little child, who happily accepted the gifts he brought, calling him with childish joy — “Uncle Xu.”

 

Xu Mingshi felt he was really getting old, old enough to be useless, left only with memories of the past. The little details from those memories, things he thought he had forgotten, now resurfaced as he aged, clear and vivid, as if they had happened just yesterday.

 

He realized, he had never forgotten.

 

After bathing, Liu Yan put on his cotton clothes and sat by the brazier to dry his damp hair. He stirred the fire with the tongs, picking up the fruits that had been roasted in the ashes and placing them into a bowl. Shen Jue took some peanuts, cracked the shells, and the red skins scattered as he rubbed them. He gently blew on them, and the red skins fell to the ground, leaving the fragrant nuts in his palm.

 

When they were in the military camp during winters without battles, they often did this, no matter how harsh the snow and cold outside. Inside the tents, the air was filled with the aroma of food and the warmth of the fire.

 

And the lingering fragrance of wine, like a hot spring in the ice and snow, soaking into the body.

 

Shen Jue shared this with Liu Yan. Liu Yan listened and drank, smiling.

 

Shen Jue didn’t understand what made him smile and felt somewhat puzzled. Liu Yan said, “At that time, I always thought of one sentence.”

 

“What sentence?” Shen Jue asked.

 

Liu Yan shook his head, simply smiling without answering, mysteriously.

 

Shen Jue saw his expression and didn’t ask further, just said, “If you don’t want to say it, don’t. Anyway, Father, you’re not saying anything good.”

 

Liu Yan glanced at him and said, “You really don’t want to know?”

 

“No,” Shen Jue shook his head firmly.

 

“Really don’t want to?” Liu Yan asked again.

 

“I won’t listen even if you say it,” Shen Jue replied.

 

Liu Yan squinted, waited a moment, then said, “Actually, it’s not anything bad. That sentence you’ve heard before.”

 

“Really?” Shen Jue leaned over, “I’ve heard it? Is it from a book?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What is it?”

 

Liu Yan reached out and ruffled his hair, casually rubbing peanut shells into it, and smiled, “At that time, I kept thinking that this sentence really applied to you…”

 

“That sentence?” Shen Jue asked.

 

“‘Learn both civil and military arts, and offer them to the emperor.’”

 

“…” Shen Jue suddenly understood, his face, illuminated by the firelight, turned redder. He turned away and whispered, “Was Father really thinking about this back then? So improper.”

 

Liu Yan, accused of being disrespectful in old age, was unashamed, instead defending himself with righteous words: “Outside there’s romance and flowers, but inside the tent it’s as warm as Jiangnan. There’s no war, no shortage of supplies. If I occasionally think of something improper, what’s wrong with that?”

 

His sharp tongue left Shen Jue speechless, and it seemed like Shen Jue had made a mountain out of a molehill. Shen Jue turned his gaze back to him, stared for a while, and said, “Then, why didn’t you say it in front of me in the past life?”

 

Liu Yan was instantly speechless.

 

Seeing Liu Yan unable to retort, Shen Jue felt a subtle sense of triumph, as if he had finally defeated the adult, and smiled, “Now I realize, Father was also quite improper in the past life, but the times were tough. Even if he wanted to be improper, he could only do so in his heart, while outwardly maintaining the dignity of a general.”

 

Liu Yan pursed his lips. The father and son stared at each other for a while.

 

Liu Yan changed the subject, “How’s Xu Mingshi?”

 

Shen Jue didn’t mention what had just happened, but said, “He’s fine, just very sensitive to the cold because of his age.”

 

“Put two more braziers in his room, and if there are any spare hand warmers, take one to him.”

 

“I already sent one when the snow started last night,” Shen Jue said, “Father, don’t worry.”

 

“What about his cotton clothes?”

 

“They’ve already been prepared, all made from new cotton this year. They’re very warm.”

 

Liu Yan looked at him, his brow furrowed slightly, a thoughtful expression on his face, which made Shen Jue uneasy. He asked, “Could it be that Father thinks there’s something else that hasn’t been handled properly?”

 

Naturally, there was nothing wrong, but it was precisely because everything was so well arranged that Liu Yan found it strange.

 

After all, ever since Shen Jue learned about his background, his attitude towards Xu Mingshi had never been good. While he never shouted or acted violently, he always kept a cold demeanor. Xu Mingshi made several attempts to be kind, but the young Shen Jue rejected them at the door. In the following years, Xu Mingshi came less frequently, and their relationship grew even more distant.

 

Liu Yan asked, “Do you pity him?”

 

Shen Jue replied in confusion, “Why should I pity him? Old age, illness, and death are part of life. If he can’t become an immortal, he will eventually die.”

 

As they were speaking, the black snake, which had curled up by the brazier and was waking up, slithered over and coiled up next to Liu Yan’s legs.

 

Liu Yan shifted his attention and, holding a wine cup, asked the black snake, “Do you want some wine?”

 

The black snake, perhaps confused from its sleep or habituated to being fed, didn’t think much about it. It extended its tongue and soaked it in the warm wine before retracting and swallowing it.

 

The taste was so strange that Yi Mo seemed puzzled by it. It curled up in Liu Yan’s arms, staring at the wine cup for a long time.

 

Shen Jue chuckled quietly, refilled the cup, and leaned in to Liu Yan’s ear, whispering, “Father, if you let it drink, will we see a drunk snake?”

 

Liu Yan squinted and grabbed the snake’s head, which was about to retreat after tasting the wine, saying gently, “Good, drink it.” He pressed its head lightly into the cup.

 

The black snake understood his intention and slowly licked up most of the wine with its tongue. Honestly, it didn’t taste bad.

 

And so, it became drunk.

 

Shen Jue watched the “snake drinking wine” show and, not knowing what a drunk snake would do, decided it was time to leave before anything escalated. He hurriedly said, “It’s late, Father should rest early.” With that, he quickly walked out.

 

He slipped away so fast that when Liu Yan looked up, he only heard the sound but saw no one.

 

Liu Yan stoked the fire a little more, set the fire rake aside, and cradled the drunk black snake, which was playfully wrapping its tail around his neck, walking to the bed and sitting down. He had long since grown tired of commenting on Shen Jue’s escape and looked down at the black snake’s small eyes, asking, “Are you really drunk?”

 

The snake’s response was to bite his face as he leaned in, but stopped as its teeth grazed his skin. Then it flicked its tongue and crawled up his face, starting to play on Liu Yan’s head.

 

Liu Yan leaned back on the bed, and the black snake followed, curling up on the pillow, then wrapping around his body. It seemed truly drunk. It slithered from Liu Yan’s armpit to his neck, then to the other side of his body, its tail happily whipping around in the air. It even slid to the end of the bed, coiling around Liu Yan’s calf and biting his toes.

 

Liu Yan let out a laugh, feeling both pain and itching, and sat up to remove it. However, the snake joyfully moved to a different spot, aimed at his sole, and bit down. It stuck out its tongue and licked it. Liu Yan couldn’t help but laugh, calling out, “Stop it, don’t bite,” but the snake, already deeply drunk, either didn’t understand or didn’t care. It continued biting joyfully, making Liu Yan twitch and his legs flail wildly on the bed. He couldn’t sit still and kept laughing, rolling around. Even though he didn’t have martial arts skills in this life, he couldn’t stop it, so after a while, he was left laughing weakly, unable to move, only kicking at the nuisance. The pillow was kicked away, and most of the bedding fell to the floor. Despite this, the snake still clung to his leg, unbothered, as it bit and licked.

 

Liu Yan laughed so hard he couldn’t stop the tears from falling. His body twisted as he writhed in laughter. He rolled over, curled up against the wall, still laughing and kicking at the snake, “Go away, go away,” trying to catch his breath.

 

The drunk snake, still enjoying the effects of the wine, had a great time, as if it had forgotten its usual winter hibernation. It had drunk enough warm wine and acted as though it were a spring day in the South. It continued playing joyfully until it was satisfied. By the time it stopped, Liu Yan was curled up against the wall, still laughing uncontrollably, with tears streaming down his face. His mind was a blank, as if he had just survived some catastrophe.

 

After a long while, Liu Yan, his body weak, sat up and grabbed the black snake that had coiled around his calf, raising it to meet his gaze. After thinking for a moment, he spoke in frustration, “You are really annoying!”

 

The black snake innocently stared at him for a while, then stretched its neck and licked his face before coiling back around.

 

Liu Yan flopped back onto the bed, one hand grabbing the blanket at the edge and pulling it over him, thinking about how to deal with Shen Jue tomorrow. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

 

The next morning, the snow had stopped, and the winter sunlight bathed the white world in a golden glow, reflecting a dazzling light. It was so beautiful, it was flawless. Liu Yan had forgotten about the previous night. After washing up, he unfolded a piece of paper, intending to paint by the window. He stood there for a long while, then put the brush down, gathered his inkstone, and set the paper aside. The scenery before him was too captivating to be captured in a painting.

 

After lunch, Xu Mingshi rinsed his mouth with tea, walked to the courtyard, and sat in a sunny spot, wrapping himself in a cloak to bask in the sunlight.

 

His hair was snow-white, but the bright sunlight didn’t give it a sheen. Instead, it made it look more dry and withered. Liu Yan watched him from the window for a long time, sighing silently. It was clear that he was near the end, his vitality spent.

 

Perhaps sensing Liu Yan’s gaze, Xu Mingshi turned his head, looking at him from afar, and smiled. After smiling, he stood up unsteadily, following the angle of the sun, and moved to another corner of the courtyard. He leaned against the wall and curled up, closing his eyes to sleep. The dirt at the corners of his eyes and the drooling that wouldn’t stop made him seem like a dying old dog.

 

Liu Yan was about to leave when he caught sight of Shen Jue walking toward Xu Mingshi with a basin of hot water in hand. He crouched in front of the old man, unfolded a clean towel, and wiped the grime from his eyes and face.

 

Xu Mingshi opened his eyes in a daze and stared blankly for a long time before hoarsely saying, “Xiao Bao.”

 

Shen Jue didn’t mock him or respond. He wrung the towel out again, picked up the basin, and walked out of the courtyard. The sound of water splashing was like a heavy downpour, breaking the silence of the courtyard. Shen Jue soon returned, holding a white fox fur coat that had originally been intended as a New Year’s gift for Liu Yan. The fox fur was pristine, and the stitching was flawless. He draped the coat over the old man, who was chasing the sunlight.

 

He really was an old man now, Liu Yan thought, yet he kept remembering that year outside the Shen residence when the young man wielded a sword to defeat a demon, and the energetic young man who had been running around in front of him.

 

Time flies, nothing more than this.

 

“Xiao Bao,” Liu Yan heard Xu Mingshi’s frail voice call from not far away. “Call me Uncle again.”

 

His tone was desolate, his gaze warm, as if he held a lingering attachment. But Shen Jue turned around and walked away without slowing his pace.