Xiaoman and The Master of Xiangtang
[ Home ]"Little boy, would you like to come home with me?" The porcelain-skinned teenager clad in dusty, muddy Taoist robes beamed, deep dimples adorning his white, plump cheeks. The fortune-telling flag lay abandoned by his side, as the teenager turned to face the gently smiling man, also in Taoist robes, by his side. "Father, can he? Please?"
The ruddy-faced boy in ragged clothes tugged awkwardly at the teenager's robes. His mother peeked behind her torn scarf, hopeful, pleading eyes shining. The man nodded almost imperceptibly and flicked his fingers. The teenager straightened, respectfully bowed. "Thank you, father, for your grace!" He then ruffled the little boy's hair and lifted him onto his back.
"My name is Qi Tiezui, what's yours?" "My mother only calls me Xiaozi..." Qi Tiezui's eyes lit up and he pinched his fingers, as the little boy, precariously hanging from his neck, looked on curiously. "Okay! From today, I will call you Xiaoman, alright?" The boy smiled too, a bright toothy grin. "Alright!"
As the teenager walked away, the gentle man held out a pouch of coins to the woman, who scurried away after a hurried bow. He sighed heavily. What has the world come to, in which mothers sell their children, husbands sell their wives, simply for a bun to eat? He looked over to the teenager chatting happily with the boy he had just bought.
"My son, truly, in the world there are only shows to be seen, and nothing is scarier in the universe than the human heart. Learn this well." He whispered, before walking over to join them.
It was time to return home.
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Xiaoman hid in Qi Tiezui's arms, snuggled tight against the teenager's chest as they walked through the rowdy streets of Changsha. The steady, warm heartbeat calmed him, grounded him, especially when the crowds around them were so loud and vibrant. "Noodles, hot noodles!" "Kind sir, fabric for your wife!" "Fresh vegetables, fresh from the soil!"
He's never seen people look this lively; the people in his village always looked exhausted and haggard. The only times they were loud were when people from neighbouring villages came to celebrate festivals together.
Qi Tiezui noticed his discomfort, and continued his chatter from before. "At the Qi house, you can eat as many buns you want! Also osmanthus cake, eggs, fish, anything!" The tiny boy's eyes grew round. So much food! "C-can I real-really eat?"
His hair was ruffled again, and cheeks pinched. "Of course! Ah, but you'd need to wake up early... also learn to read and count...." Qi Tiezui grimaced apologetically, but he chuckled at Xiaoman's excited expression.
"I hope you'll stay by my side and take care of me too later, okay?"
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Xiaoman was 13 when Qi Tiezui became Qi Ba-ye of the Jiumen. 5 years had passed since the teenager picked him up, now the same teenager had grown into a bright-eyed, witty man, and he himself into a clever, active teenager.
But the day Qi Tiezui became Qi Ba-ye, Xiaoman saw the man grow up again. Qi Tiezui sat on the Eighth Lord's seat at 20, the youngest of the Jiumen at that time.
Seeing it was indescribable, and Xiaoman felt a little pain in his heart everytime he recalled that moment.
.
The peach blossom eyes on the man's white face were closed as he kneeled by his parents' bedside where both laid, breathing deeply; King Yama was ringing his bells impatiently, waiting to welcome them to his side.
Qi Tiezui grasped his mother's hand, listening to her murmuring. "Son... do not forget the taboos... live well, my beloved..." Her words faded away slowly, and the hand in Qi Tiezui's grasp went limp.
Qi Tiezui opened his eyes, glancing desperately at his father. "Father...." The man weakly waved his hand. "From today, you can only be alone, my son. Your mother and I... we're truly sorry, but we always pray you will have a long... decent life... remember, you leak the words of heavens... be careful, my son." Qi Tiezui froze as his father too, breathed his last.
...
Xiaoman, who was waiting at the door, gazed worriedly at the back who had been kneeling on the cold floor of the incense hall for almost five days and nights, hardly eating nor drinking. Suddenly he saw the man turning to face him, serene and calm. His eyes... it had a different depth to it from before....
"Xiaoman-ah, will you still stay by my side?"
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Xiaoman vividly remembered the time he was greedy and sold the Qi family's incense burner even after he was warned not to by Qi Tiezui.
He will especially never forget the look on the man's face at that time. The beautiful eyes hidden behind tortoishell glasses were freezing cold and burning ragingly at the same time, and the soft lips were bitten in despair and anger. But he didn't scold Xiaoman except for some stern words, nor did he punish him.
Qi Ba-ye immediately bowed to the ancestors and apologized for his mistakes in a low voice, before tiredly pinching his fingers, as Xiaoman wailed, hugging his legs. Gently shaking him off, Qi Tiezui then gently told him to follow his instructions and sent him to collect rent.
.
On his way back, battered and exhausted, Xiaoman promised himself never to go against Qi Tiezui's words again.
.
Qi Tiezui smiled smugly as he patted Xiaoman's cheeks. "Never repeat this mistake, stinky boy, greedy!" His smile faded. "Xiaoman, remember, never to be greedy, it's what changes humans hearts into evil the most."
Xiaoman, happy at being patted by his master, could only nod. Human hearts are the scariest, after all.
It's difficult to find Qi Ba-ye in his own Xiangtang anymore. It's either he's been over at the Zhang Mansion, discussing work (and dinner!), the Jieyulou or the other Jiumen courtyards. Xiaoman sighed in disappointment. It looks today he's eating alone again...
Suddenly the door to the courtyard opened with a creak. "Aiya, Xiaoman, still not asleep?" Qi Tiezui dusted off some snow from his shoulders and walked inside, grinning cheerily. "Here, I brought you some osmanthus cake and chestnuts."
Xiaoman jumped up immediately, exclaiming "Ba-ye!!!" and ran over to the man, hugging his waist excitedly. Qi Tiezui swatted at him exasperatedly. "Oi, stinky boy, embarrassing! What's a big boy like you doing, hugging an old grandpa like me so stickily!!!"
Ah, that's right. Xiaoman is almost 20 years old already. Qi Tiezui was 28 that year. He still was alone, single. Sometimes Xiaoman lamented the loneliness of the Qi house to his friends, but deep inside, he was glad to be the only one by his master's side.
"I'll always take care of you, Ba-ye!!"
----
Xiaoman couldn't keep his promise.
Xiaoman didn't even know whether his master was alive or dead.
Xiaoman missed him a lot.
"Ba-ye, take me home again with you..."