Chapter 18: Wine
Actually, when Jiang Changbai had been preparing to inform the old woman of her daughter's death, she'd predicted all sorts of developments of the matter. But, among these countless possibilities, there hadn't been any developments like this.
The old woman's tone was unexpectedly level, as if she was asking whether a passing traveller wanted to drink tea. Jiang Changbai was rather puzzled; her gaze shifted unconsciously towards Song Juguang. The two exchanged a glance, merely taking it as her method of facing sorrow, and so nodded, saying quiet thanks.
The old woman stood up, trembling and swaying, from the side of the bed, feeling around in the darkness of the cabinet for something. Jiang Changbai wanted to light a lamp for her, but Song Juguang reached a hand out to stop her. The oil lamp's flame swayed, and beneath the dusky yellow lamplight, Jiang Changbai saw Song Juguang shaking her head.
She didn't understand why, but she chose to believe her.
The old woman seemed to be utterly unrestricted by the darkness, and when Jiang Changbai turned her head around once more, she'd already taken out a spade, heading towards the courtyard. Her stooped figure looked exceedingly frail under the dusky yellow lamplight, as if bearing the weight of countless years of sorrow. It seemed as if, were the wind to blow lightly, she'd be knocked over.
In Jiang Changbai's heart, a forlornness rose without any reason, and, in the end, she lit the bamboo torch carried by her side. A rare, slight chill in the summer night wrapped around her, the light flickering in the wind. Jiang Changbai walked quietly to her side, and illuminated it for her.
Song Juguang, seeing this, sighed, but still strolled in pursuit.
A tree was planted in the corner of the courtyard, its trunk not at all thick or solid, but it was approximately at least twenty or thirty years of age. The sound of the spade scraping the earth was exceptionally clear in the darkness, the flame reflecting off the old woman's face, lighting up the mottled wrinkles and tear tracks at the corners of her eyes.
"Da-niang, let me help you," Jiang Changbai said softly, striving to make no emotion visible in her words. She knew that, at this time, the old woman definitely didn't need a stranger's comfort.
The old woman, hearing this, stopped the motion of her hands, and raised her head, looking at Jiang Changbai, a degree of thankfulness apparent in her eyes. But her head still swayed in rejection, and then her head hung ddown and she continued digging. The pit beneath the tree became deeper and deeper, and a jar which had been sealed beneath the earth for who knew how many years finally became visible. The old woman suddenly dropped the spade, using her hands to dig the jar out. She only carefully held it, turning her head to look towards Jiang Changbai.
"This is the wine I buried when my daughter was born; I wanted to wait until she married to drink it," the old woman's voice trembled. "Afterwards, when she said she didn't want to take a husband, this wine was buried ever since, and I never found an opportunity to drink it."
Jiang Changbai gazed into the old woman's eyes, for a while not knowing what to say. She only held the bamboo torch as before, and followed after the old woman back inside. The earthen seal was broken, and the rich scent of wine permeated the room. The old woman turned to the teacups on the shelf; her hands trembled faintly, and she was inexplicably hesitant. She lowered her head, and her actions as she poured the wine into the cups were stiff and slow, as if this jar was invaluable. If, at this moment, there were someone standing before her, they could see her empty, expressionless gaze, and the faintly trembling corners of her mouth. Alas, right now, she was facing the wall, and no one could see the expression on her face.
Jiang Changbai inexplicably felt something strange, as if this old woman before her wasn't truly as pitiful as she appeared. So, she furtively glanced at Song Juguang; by chance, at this moment, Song Juguang was just looking at her. The two's gazes met, and between them, some misgivings emerged.
At this moment, the old woman had already picked up the wine-filled cups, and staggered towards them. The two walked over, one after the other, to support her, but the old woman unexpectedly avoided all of it. Song Juguang's mind immediately sounded with alarms, instinctively telling her that this old woman wasn't simple at all.
"Go on, drink," the old woman said with a low tone, her voice hoarse, as if her entire soul had disengaged.
Jiang Changbai was somewhat hesitant, her hand rising slowly and then falling slowly as well. But, before she could touch the cup, she noticed Song Juguang's hand on her leg. Jiang Changbai could easily read the intent in Song Juguang's eyes, and so she drew her hand back once more, only quietly and attentively watching the old woman.
The old woman, seeing their hesitance and motionlessness, sighed. "With the two of your statuses, I'd think you look down on this unfiltered village rice wine of mine."
Jiang Changbai's gaze twitched, and she raised her hand, taking the cup before Song Juguang, waving her arm to scatter all the liquid of the wine on the ground in the direction of Mount Tongshan. "We'll first pay respects to your daughter."
The old woman had clearly not anticipated this, and the pleasant surprise in her eyes was mixed with astonishment, the corners of her lips pulling into a curve. "Thank you, she liked to drink wine; she'd definitely be happy."
When she finished speaking, she raised her own cup, raising her head to drink the entirety of the wine in a single mouthful. Her eyes were hazy, and her hand rubbed lightly along the rim of the cup, glistening teardrops spreading in her eyes, as if she'd sunk into memories. "My A Fu was the best child in the world," the old woman said, her voice choked with emotion, tears rolling down her cheeks, and then into the cup. "Even when she was young, she'd make money to supplement our family expenses, and then once she was an adult, she was the greatest hunter for ten li and in eight villages.
"The older I became, I had to take a lot of medicine daily. Hearing a doctor say that bear gall could treat my illness, she ascended the mountain without a word to hunt a bear." The old woman gradually sobbed until she couldn't speak, her sentences also becoming disjointed. "I knew from the start, if I knew from the start—" the old woman spoke to herself, not paying attention to whether or not Jiang Changbai and Song Juguang, before her, were listening. But, where she couldn't see, Song Juguang had long since grasped her folding fan beneath the table.
At this moment, her and Jiang Changbai's trip was utterly low-profile; their clothes were simple, and almost all of their accessories had been removed. If this old woman was only an average commoner, there wasn't the possibility that she could see they were out of the ordinary. But with the words she'd spoken just then, before drinking the wine, made it clear that she'd discovered their identities.
Suddenly, the old woman's body began to shudder, her face going wan, fine beads of sweat on her forehead. Her voice became weaker and weaker, such that even Song Juguang and Jiang Changbai, separated from her by only a table, could barely make out her voice. But the old woman's mouth was still moving, who she was speaking for unknown.
"Da-niang, what's wrong?" Jiang Changbai took a few steps forward in searching, some concern in her voice.
At this moment, a great deal of red lines suddenly appearing on the old woman's wan face, blood slowly trickling from the corners of her mouth. Her voice shook as she said, "You were those with means, she didn't need to be a hunter. Farming, although farming is painstaking, it could still scrape out a meager living. But afterwards, afterwards, an official from the capital took our land away. Clearly, it was clearly ours, our land, how could it become his?"
At this moment, Song Juguang couldn't keep sitting, and rose, blocking the space between Jiang Changbai and the old woman, gazing fixedly at the old woman. It was just that, although her face was cold, her mind was still deeply troubled.
"I know you're wealthy people from the capital; I truly, truly thank you. He's not a good person, stay far away from him…" The old woman's voice was as thin as a mosquito's, and it could only be heard by leaning close.
"Who are you speaking of?" Song Juguang asked, bringing her ear close to the old woman's mouth. Jiang Changbai also came around, leaning a bit closer, simply waiting for the old woman's answer.
"Liu, Liu Zi—"
Before she finished speaking, the old woman's hands fell completely down. But naturally, everyone within this room knew who she was speaking of.
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