Ger, So Proud

Chapter 79

“What’s wrong?”

“Your husband can’t write poems.” He had anticipated that the final question would involve composing a poem about the Lantern Festival. He could recall only the classic poem by Xin Qiji, and he had hoped to borrow from it. Unfortunately, fate did not align with his hopes.

Writing a poem and composing a poetic line may seem similar, but they are worlds apart.

Asking him to compete in poetry against those who had been studying the Four Books and Five Classics, and poetry and songs since childhood, with his limited knowledge of classical Chinese literature…

He Ze: Haha, I just laugh and say nothing ヽー_ーノ.

“Really can’t do it?” Lin Yu had grown used to the term “husband” after hearing it so often. He was just a bit disappointed.

Indeed, after overcoming all the previous challenges, failing at the final hurdle was a letdown for anyone.

“It’s okay, there are a few new pastry shops that opened near the South Street intersection. After this, we can take a stroll there and buy some treats to cheer Xiao An up,” Lin Yu suggested after a pause.

“Hmm, and cheer you up too.” He Ze chuckled. He was somewhat interested in the lantern, but it was more about his competitive spirit. Since he couldn’t win, he would let it go.

However…

“I can’t give you the lantern prize, but I’ll give you something else.” He Ze rolled up his sleeves and picked up the brush on the table.

“What are you doing?”

Lin Yu leaned over to watch He Ze start writing on the paper. He Ze seemed to be putting his utmost effort into it. While the first few characters were no different from before, the later strokes became more full and meticulous. Even Lin Yu, who was illiterate, could see the improvement.

As he continued writing, He Ze’s strokes became increasingly smooth and fluid. It was as if he had returned to his childhood practice sessions, with the ink flowing effortlessly.

In no time, Xin Qiji’s “Green Jade Table·Lantern Festival” appeared on the paper. He Ze put down the brush, picked up the paper, blew on it gently, and then turned to Lin Yu, “Shall I read it to you?”

“Mm.”

“The east wind scatters thousands of flowers at night, blowing them down like rain of stars. On the scented path, horses and carriages pass by, with phoenix flutes playing, turning lights, and a night of dragon and fish dances.” He Ze paused, his deliberately slow and magnetic voice like a lover’s soft whisper, “Moths and snow willows in golden threads, smiling and fragrant, disappear quietly. Amidst the crowd, I searched for him thousands of times, but suddenly turned around, there he was, under the dim lights.”

As he recited, he gazed intently at Lin Yu, his eyes like a deep pool reflecting only the lanterns and the person in front of him.

Lin Yu didn’t fully understand what He Ze was reciting, but the intense gaze made him feel as if he was melting. He stood there dazed, only able to see He Ze’s lips moving, like the strings of a guqin he once heard, plucking a melody that resonated deeply in his heart.

Suddenly, he had an inexplicable urge… he wanted to kiss him!

He Ze didn’t notice his wife’s desire to take advantage of him. He reached out to tuck a stray lock of Lin Yu’s hair behind his ear, feeling a mix of sour and swelling emotions. “This is a love poem. The last line means that I searched for you for a long, long time, but didn’t realize you were right here all along. Xiao Yu, let’s ask my father to set a date for our wedding when we get home, okay?”

Lin Yu nodded blankly, like a chick pecking at grains.

He Ze laughed, “We agreed, so you can’t go back on your word!”

“Mm… What? What did you just say?”

“Of course, you’re going to marry me. I just said we should schedule our wedding, and you agreed! No backing out.”

“…”

“Sir, your poem, please.” Just then, the attendant approached. The competition time was up while He Ze was writing and reading the love poem.

“You can leave now,” He Ze carefully folded the paper on the table and placed it into Lin Yu’s hand. “I’m withdrawing from this round.”

“Huh?” The attendant was bewildered. He had never seen someone reach the final round of the lantern riddle contest and then withdraw voluntarily, especially not after having written a full poem. He couldn’t understand why anyone would do such a thing unless they were crazy.

“Go on.” He Ze waved him off. The attendant, helpless, headed towards the table of contestant number nine.

With only two poems left to evaluate, the result was soon revealed. The middle-aged man’s poem was average, while Qian Sun’s poem stood out with the line “To connect the Han and suspect the stars have fallen, to lean against the building and resemble the moon hanging,” which won him the contest.

As the final victor was decided and the competition concluded, the crowd began to disperse, chattering among themselves.

When Shopkeeper Song handed the exquisite horse lantern to Qian Sun, the latter showed little joy. Instead, it was Guan Du behind him who smiled slightly. Their eyes met, and Guan Du nodded at He Ze, a gesture that seemed to return the previous nod He Ze had given.

“What are you looking at?”

“Nothing,” He Ze replied, turning back and casually taking Lin Yu’s hand. “Let’s go. We’re not leaving empty-handed. Didn’t Xiao An bet on Qian Sun’s victory? I wonder what the odds were…”

He suddenly stopped in his tracks. “Wait! Why hasn’t Xiao An returned yet? It’s been more than a quarter of an hour!”

Lin Yu’s face also showed concern at He Ze’s reminder.

“Someone fell into the water! Someone fell into the water!”

At that moment, a commotion erupted outside the courtyard. Hearing the shouts, He Ze and Lin Yu’s expressions changed drastically, and they immediately ran towards the source of the noise.

“Make way! Make way… Please make way!”

The lantern festival had just ended, and people were filing out. With someone falling into the water outside, a large crowd had gathered to watch, making it hard to get through.

“Move! Move, damn it!” He Ze elbowed his way past a man who was chatting merrily, with Lin Yu following closely behind.

After struggling to the front, they saw bubbles rising in the middle of the pond. Nearby, a head was bobbing closer to the surface. On the shore, a servant was anxiously calling out “Young Master! Young Master!” Relieved, He Ze calmly set down his basket, then removed his belt and outer clothes, handing them to Lin Yu. “Is it your young master who fell into the water?”

“Yes, yes, please help… He- He Ze? Was that person earlier…”

Before the servant could finish, He Ze had a sudden premonition, quickening his pace as he stripped off his trousers. “Does the person rescuing him look a lot like me?”

“Yes, yes!”

“Damn it!”

He Ze cursed again and, under the servant’s stunned gaze, quickly jumped into the water. Lin Yu, holding the clothes, took a few anxious steps forward, his shoes soaking in the muddy water. “Be careful!” he called out.

Thanks to his experience diving for fish, He Ze’s original body was an excellent swimmer. Having struggled for survival for ten years in the apocalypse, swimming was almost a mandatory survival skill for him. There was no way he couldn’t swim. His speed in the water was significantly faster than the previous rescuer, which made the servant feel slightly more at ease.

Just as He Ze jumped into the water, He An was also dragging someone back. The two quickly met up, and it really was He An! At that moment, He Ze didn’t have time to scold him. Each of them grabbed one of the drowning person’s arms, and they quickly made it to the shore.

Only after the person was lying flat on the ground did He Ze recognize him. It was Luo Zhanming, whom he had previously encountered twice—once on Flower Bird Street and again at the jade shop. No wonder the servant had looked familiar earlier.

He Ze ignored Luo Zhanming for now and touched his fingertip to Luo’s nose. From behind, He An called out softly, “Brother…”

The servant knelt on the other side of Luo Zhanming, looking at him with a face full of fear.

“He’s fine, still breathing.”

As soon as He Ze said this, both He An and the servant let out a sigh of relief, visibly shaken. The servant carefully shook Luo Zhanming’s shoulder, calling out “Young Master” loudly a couple of times before looking at He Ze again.

“Thank you, Young Master He, for saving my young master. I have one more favor to ask. Could you help me take my young master to the medical clinic? I would be eternally grateful!” The servant was about to bow down when He Ze instinctively frowned.

“That’s enough. Step aside a bit. I can save him.”

He still remembered that Luo Zhanming had given him a discount when he bought jade last time. This was a chance to repay that favor.

As soon as He Ze finished speaking, a gentle breeze picked up. The nearby willow tree shook, and the surrounding bushes followed suit, as tiny green lights, like fireflies, floated from them towards Luo Zhanming, disappearing into his body.

“Is this real?!”

He Ze didn’t say anything more. Lin Yu looked at He Ze’s wet clothes and muddy trousers with concern but didn’t say a word. Instead, he took off his outer garment and draped it over He An. “Hang on a bit, don’t catch a cold.”

He Ze examined Luo Zhanming’s nose and mouth, relieved to find no mud or debris. His actions of loosening his belt and tearing his shirt were swift and smooth. The servant watched his actions with suspicion but ultimately did not interfere.

“Hold his hand and place your young master’s abdomen on my knee.” He Ze maintained a one-knee posture and pressed down hard on Luo Zhanming’s back a few times. Water spurted from Luo’s mouth, but he did not regain consciousness.

“Young Master He, this…”

Laying Luo Zhanming flat on the ground, He Ze continued pressing on his chest, persisting for several minutes, but there was no response. He An’s face turned pale, and the servant was on the verge of tears, “Young Master, you can’t be in trouble! Young Master…”

“Come here, pinch his nose, take a deep breath, and blow into his mouth!”

“Huh?”

“Quickly, if you hesitate any longer, your young master won’t make it.” He Ze’s impatience showed.

“Oh, oh!” The servant followed the instructions.

“Yes, just like that. Every time I stop, you blow air into his mouth. Your young master’s life is in your hands.”

The two of them worked in close coordination. After about fifteen minutes, the crowd gradually began to disperse, leaving only a few curious onlookers who murmured, “Kid, what kind of nonsense are you doing? Hey, you should hurry and get your young master to the medical clinic before he really stops breathing!”

“He won’t, he won’t!”

“Don’t get distracted, keep going!”

After another round of chest compressions, Luo Zhanming’s eyelids twitched.

“Young Master He, he’s responding, he’s responding!” The servant’s eyes widened with sudden joy. Behind him, He An also looked relieved and squeezed Lin Yu’s hand.

He Ze continued pressing on Luo Zhanming’s chest, causing more water to spurt from his mouth. After the last compression, Luo Zhanming’s eyes opened, and he tilted his head back, vomiting a large mouthful of water.

“Young master, you’re awake! You’re finally awake!”

“Hey! He really woke up, the kid did a good job!”

“He’s awake, that’s good, that’s good. Let’s go, let’s go…”

Seeing Luo Zhanming regain consciousness, the remaining onlookers lost interest and finally dispersed.

Luo Zhanming coughed twice, and the servant gently patted his back. “How do you feel? Is there anywhere else uncomfortable?”

Shaking his head, Luo Zhanming wiggled his fingers and took a few deep breaths, feeling much better. With the servant’s help, he slowly sat up and looked at He Ze and his companions, finally fixing his gaze on He An, his eyes flickering with an indescribable light.

He An’s lips moved, and he looked down at the ground. The servant quickly explained, “Young master, it was Young Master He and this gentleman who saved you!”

Luo Zhanming first made a weak salute to He Ze, “So it was Brother He. We haven’t met in a while, and now upon meeting again, Brother He has saved my life. I am truly grateful.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“And this gentleman is…?” Luo Zhanming looked at He An again.

“This is my younger brother, He An. And my fiancée, Lin Yu,” He Ze introduced briefly as he put on the clothes Lin Yu handed to him.

“So, it’s your younger brother. No wonder I thought he looked quite like you! Cough… I must also thank your brother for risking his life to save me,” Luo Zhanming said, his eyes full of gratitude as he looked at He An.

He An kept his head down and pouted slightly upon hearing this.

He Ze didn’t notice the strange atmosphere between them and quickly said, “Since you have regained consciousness, I have some matters to attend to at home, so I will take my leave.”

He picked up his basket from the ground and was about to leave with Lin Yu and He An when Luo Zhanming suddenly blocked his way. It was surprising how fast he moved for someone who had just been ill.

“Brother He may not be aware, but earlier, your brother and I had some unpleasant interactions. Given that he just saved me by jumping into the water, it might affect his reputation. But don’t worry, I am willing to take full responsibility.” Luo Zhanming spoke with a tone full of righteousness.