Chapter 34: The Mistaken Couple

Xie Tingfeng’s home was located on the edge of the old city district, inside a relatively spacious, old-fashioned staff apartment building. It had two bedrooms and a living room, furnished simply. A few yellowed boxing posters and several heavy medals hung on the walls. The air was faintly tinged with the scent of sweat and aged leather, imbued with a rugged vitality.

Yang Rui lay prone on the old sofa in the living room, covered with a thick quilt. The gauze on his back had been changed, and the medicinal effect combined with the relatively safe environment of Xie Tingfeng’s home finally allowed his taut nerves a moment of respite. Su Jin sat on a small stool beside him, cautiously peeling an apple, her movements still somewhat clumsy.

“Hey, Old Yang,” Xie Tingfeng said as he carried a large basin of freshly washed grapes over and plopped down on a nearby low stool, shaking the floor slightly. He grabbed a bunch of grapes, stuffing them into his mouth as juice dribbled down. His eyes flicked between Yang Rui and Su Jin, his thick brows raised, a sly yet knowing smile spreading across his face. In a deep voice, he said, “You’re something else! Quiet as a mouse, and you go and bring home such a beautiful sister-in-law for your buddy? When did this happen? You sure kept it under wraps! If it weren’t for this recent incident, I’d still be clueless!” He grinned broadly at Su Jin, flashing a set of white teeth. “Professor Su, right? I’m Xie Tingfeng, Old Yang’s childhood pal—we’ve been peeing and playing in the mud together since we wore open-crotch pants! If he ever dares to bully you, just tell me. I’ll teach him a lesson!”

“Pfft…” Yang Rui nearly choked on his own saliva, the wound on his back flaring with pain, making him grimace. “Cough, cough… Xie Big Cannon! What nonsense are you spouting! Doctor Su is… is my partner in this whole ordeal! A lifesaver! None of this sister-in-law stuff! Don’t talk nonsense!”

Su Jin’s cheeks instantly flushed a deep crimson, the color spreading all the way to her ears. Her hand paused mid-peel, her head bowed, long lashes casting shadows over her eyes as she whispered softly, “Brother Xie, you’ve misunderstood… Yang Rui and I… we’re not that kind of relationship…”

“Ah? Not that kind?” Xie Tingfeng scratched his buzz cut, wearing an expression that said, “I get it, I get it.” He chuckled, “Alright, alright, partners in crime! Lifesavers! Got it, got it! Not now, but later, right? Old Yang here looks all weak and quiet, but when it counts, he’s got real guts! Professor Su, you don’t know this, but when he was a kid…” Fired up, Xie Tingfeng went on gleefully, spitting words as he began digging up Yang Rui’s past.

“Hey, hey! Xie Big Cannon! Shut up!” Yang Rui panicked, trying to stop him.

“Shut up? Where’s the fun in that!” Xie Tingfeng ignored him, animatedly telling Su Jin, “When he was seven or eight, he learned to read compasses from his grandfather, all mystical-like. One time, old Mrs. Li at the alley entrance lost a gold ring and was crying her eyes out. This kid wandered around her yard with a broken compass for ages, then pointed under the old locust tree in the corner, insisting the ring had been dragged into the tree root hole by a rat! Guess what? Mrs. Li half-believed him and dug around—and sure enough, she found it! Since then, this kid became famous around here, known as ‘Yang the Half-Immortal’! Hahaha!”

Su Jin couldn’t help but smile, pressing her lips together, her eyes secretly glancing at the embarrassed Yang Rui.

Yang Rui lay face down on the sofa, burying his face in the pillow, grumbling in a muffled voice, “Old stories and ancient gossip… Xie Big Cannon, can’t you say something nice for once?”

“Nice? Got plenty!” Xie Tingfeng slapped his thigh. “When he was twelve, some bullies from the class next door were picking on a girl in our class, stealing her allowance. Old Yang usually looked weak, but that time he really lost it! He grabbed a brick and charged at them, one against three! Though he ended up with a bruised and battered face, his fearless grit scared those bullies off! Now that was a real man! That girl later…” Xie Tingfeng winked mischievously.

“Stop, stop, enough!” Yang Rui hurriedly cut him off, ears turning red.

The living room echoed with Xie Tingfeng’s hearty laughter and Su Jin’s restrained chuckles. The gloom of recent days seemed to lift slightly in this brief, warm interlude. Under the dim light, Yang Rui looked at Su Jin’s rare, relaxed smile, feeling an inexplicable stir in his heart before heavier worries dragged him down once more.

Although the serpent Baishi had temporarily receded, it would never give up easily. Xie Tingfeng’s place was a big target and bound to attract attention sooner or later. He could not allow his brother to be dragged into this.

Late at night, silence reigned. Xie Tingfeng snored loudly in the next room. Su Jin lay on the living room sofa, dressed and asleep, breathing evenly. Yang Rui, however, could not sleep; the wound on his back throbbed faintly, his heart weighed down. He rose quietly and walked to the window, gazing out at the still city lights.

“What are you thinking about?” Su Jin’s soft voice came from behind him; she had woken without a sound.

Yang Rui did not turn around, his voice low and steady, “Can’t stay here long. Baishi’s men are everywhere. After this slip-up, they’ll only get more desperate. I can’t drag him into this.”

Su Jin was silent for a moment; moonlight filtered through the window and bathed her delicate face, lending it a calm resolve. “I know a place. Very safe.”

Meeting Yang Rui’s questioning gaze, she whispered, “Where my grandparents used to live—in a small village in the mountains of a neighboring city. Their old house is still there, very quiet, almost no one around. Sometimes I stay there for a few days. Baishi will never find it.”

A few days later, in Xishui Village surrounded by green mountains in the neighboring city.

A clear stream babbled through the front of the village, scattered among the hills were a few old houses with black tiles and white walls. The air was so fresh it felt as if you could squeeze water from it, carrying the fragrance of grass and earth. The old house left by Su Jin’s grandfather stood at the foot of the mountain at the village’s end—a small, independent courtyard with three tiled rooms. The stone walls of the yard were covered in moss and unknown vines. Inside the yard grew an old persimmon tree, its branches lush and full, with sparrows chirping merrily.

Yang Rui moved into the east wing. The room was modest but clean and tidy. The wooden latticed window was covered with white paper, letting warm sunlight filter through. Su Jin had come earlier to clean; the bed was made with fluffed, sun-dried cotton quilts that smelled of sunshine. On the table lay several books she had brought, along with some simple daily necessities.

Here, there was no city clamor, no shadow of Baishi, only the morning crow of roosters, evening smoke from cooking fires, and the night chorus of insects. Yang Rui’s tense nerves gradually unfurled like tea leaves steeped in warm water, relaxing little by little in the tranquil mountain wilderness.

His daily life became remarkably simple and orderly. He woke with the birds, slowly stretched in the courtyard, feeling the itch of his healing back wound under the cool mountain breeze and herbal remedies. In the mornings, he sat on the stone bench beneath the persimmon tree, basking in the sun, flipping through the books Su Jin left, or quietly gazing at the mist-shrouded mountains in the distance. In the afternoons, he strolled slowly along the path behind the house, gathering familiar herbs. In the evenings, Mrs. Zhou from next door would bring steaming hot meals—sometimes a fragrant bamboo shoot and cured meat soup, sometimes a few pieces of homemade tofu.