Chapter Four: Sleep!
Tang Fei returned to the living room, where the old man and the chubby boy sat at the table, each cradling a large bowl as they drank mutton soup.
“Hey, big brother, come eat,” the chubby boy greeted him, tipping his face up. “We’ve set the meat soup out for you to cool.”
“Alright.”
Tang Fei went over, sat down, and eagerly started on his bowl. With soup and meat, a touch of salt, and a handful of chilies for flavor, today’s meal was a rare improvement on their usual fare.
“That young woman—did you take care of her?” the old man asked, not looking up as he slurped his soup.
“She’s settled,” Tang Fei replied.
“What’s your plan?” the old man pressed.
Tang Fei glanced at him, puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“She came from the New Star, and arrived in an escape pod. Why did she need to flee? Who would want her dead?” The old man chewed a hefty piece of lamb liver, eyes fixed on Tang Fei. “Most importantly, will those people come looking for her?”
“We’ve agreed—once she’s healed a bit, she’ll leave,” Tang Fei said.
“That’s one way,” the old man nodded. “But it’s not like you.”
“What?”
“Someone as cautious and timid as you wouldn’t just bring a stranger home on a whim. What’s gotten into you today?” The old man’s tone was accusatory.
“I’m not timid, just prudent,” Tang Fei argued, aggrieved. After a pause, he explained, “It didn’t seem right to abandon her in the wilderness, especially with her injuries. She’d have no chance of survival out there...”
“Speak plainly.”
“I was going to leave her, but she looked at me, and for a moment, our eyes met…” Tang Fei grew a bit embarrassed. “She looked rather pretty, so I brought her back.”
“Big brother, I think she’s pretty too,” the chubby boy piped up. “She’s just too skinny—doesn’t look strong enough for stone hunting.”
Smack!
The old man rapped the boy’s head. “And what’s it got to do with you?”
The chubby boy looked aggrieved, but dared not argue. He quickly buried his face in his bowl and slurped his soup.
“You shouldn’t always hit him,” Tang Fei frowned. “And not on the head—he’ll grow up addled.”
“With his brains, a few knocks might smarten him up,” the old man grumbled, resenting Tang Fei’s interference in his way of raising the boy. “But let’s get back to you. You think she’s pretty, so you brought her home. Do you want her to stay?”
“Do you think I could make her stay?” Tang Fei asked.
“Not a chance.”
...
“I’m not trying to bring you down,” the old man softened when Tang Fei fell silent, thinking he’d wounded his tender heart. It was only natural for a young man to be drawn to a pretty girl. “But think about it—her looks, her poise, her clothing, her very bearing… Do you think a place as barren as this could keep her?”
“Would she be drawn by your habit of never bathing, or your refusal to cut your hair for years? Or maybe she craves the thrill of never knowing where her next meal comes from? One must know oneself,” the old man continued.
“When did you see her move so gracefully?” Tang Fei retorted, annoyed with the old man’s know-it-all airs. “She was unconscious when you met her.”
“Imagination, lad. With her looks and bearing, picture her in a gown slashed to here…” The old man traced a deep V on his chest, leering. “Or in a dazzling Phoenix Empire officer’s uniform… She’d be radiant.”
“By the way, she said her name is Phoenix…” Tang Fei remarked.
The old man’s expression stiffened, then relaxed. “There must be thousands named Phoenix in the Empire. Nothing special.”
Tang Fei raised an eyebrow. “You seem familiar with the Phoenix Empire. You talk as if you’ve been to the New Star.”
“I’ve never tasted pork, but I know what a pig looks like. Don’t forget what I am—a famed guide of the Hate Mountain settlement! When those nobles from New Star come exploring or tomb-hunting, who do they need? Me. I’ve heard plenty about that place.”
“You sound so proud,” Tang Fei couldn’t help but throw cold water on him. “Just repeating what you’ve heard, as if you’ve lived there yourself.”
“I wouldn’t want to go. What’s so great about New Star? Our Hate Mountain is better. Here, we eat what we want, hunt when we want, bathe when we want—or not. They can’t compare.”
“There aren’t wild beasts or acid rain on New Star, and no daily stone hunting. They say machines do all the work…” the chubby boy muttered.
“You know nothing!” the old man sneered. “There are people up there, packed tighter than sardines. And human nature is more terrifying than a beast’s fangs.”
“You’ve never hunted a beast; what would you know?” Tang Fei jabbed.
Since he could remember, he’d been digging worms and mountain rats with a shovel, shouldering the family’s burdens from childhood.
“Rubbish. When you two were little, who raised you, fed you, changed you? Did you pop out of the womb knowing how to hunt? If I hadn’t hunted, what would you have eaten? What would you have drunk?” the old man fumed.
Tang Fei and the chubby boy fell silent. The old man spoke the truth; they couldn’t refute him.
He looked at Tang Fei and said, “Don’t be sad. Someone who doesn’t belong here is only passing through, like the game you bring home—today a two-headed sheep, tomorrow a wild boar. In the end, you eat it and move on.”
Tang Fei was startled. “We agreed not to eat people, remember?”
Smack!
The old man slapped Tang Fei’s head, exasperated. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
“Sleep with her. That’s what I meant.”
“Why would I sleep with her? I have my own bed—big and wide. I can sprawl however I like…”
…
The old man looked at Tang Fei, then at the chubby boy with his head in his bowl, and mused that perhaps he should pay more attention to these two rascals’ adolescent troubles.
But how does one teach such things? He couldn’t just find a woman to give them a demonstration. Besides, there weren’t any women around anyway…
Of course, there were women in the settlements. With his burly build and stone-masonry skills, plenty would share his bed—if he wanted them. But he didn’t.
“In any case, what I mean by ‘eating’ and ‘sleeping’ isn’t what you’re thinking. Once the young lady leaves, just don’t go crying over it,” the old man huffed.
“As if! I can’t wait for her to go,” Tang Fei replied.
The old man eyed him skeptically. “Why’s that?”
“We made a deal. When she gets back to New Star, to thank me for saving her, she’ll give me a flyer, three pulse rifles, and a ton of supplies…”
“Just think—once I have all that, I’ll be out hunting in my flyer, brandishing a pulse gun. Nothing will stand in my way. Even if I run into a mutated golden tiger, I’ll roast its hind leg for you…”
“Are you stupid?” The old man stared at Tang Fei, dismayed. “You believe a woman’s promises?”
…
“I told you the story of the Celestial Sword and Dragon Saber, didn’t I? What did Zhang Wuji’s mother tell him? Never trust a woman—especially a beautiful one. The prettier, the better the liar. That girl you brought home—pretty face, fine figure—she’s bound to be a good liar.”
Tang Fei smiled at the old man. “Even without all that, I’d still have brought her back, wouldn’t I?”
“That’s true,” the old man nodded. “You’ve always had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. If you didn’t spend all your time helping widows and orphans, our lives wouldn’t be so hard…”
“And they’ve helped us plenty too, patching our clothes and mending things for us three men. It’s only fair. Since we’ve already rescued her, if she wants to repay us with things we need, all the better. If not, well, it’s like saving a stray cat or dog. Wouldn’t you agree?”
The old man looked at Tang Fei. “She really promised you all that?”
“She did,” Tang Fei nodded. “At least, that’s what she said.”
“Go get a bowl and bring her some soup,” the old man urged.
“Why?”
“We can’t let our distinguished guest go hungry. She’s too weak to eat meat, so give her more broth. Mutton’s nourishing—it’ll help her recover and return home sooner. A girl as lovely as a flower—her family must be beside themselves with worry.”
“Alright,” Tang Fei agreed.
The chubby boy looked from the old man to Tang Fei, who was busy ladling soup, and let out a soft sigh.