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墨書 Inktalez
Itch!
My nostrils were suddenly overwhelmed by an unbearable itch!
I couldn't hold back any longer and let out several thunderous sneezes... The drowsiness was gone, and it was already bright outside, filled with the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers.
As soon as I woke up, I saw two big eyes staring at me. Wasn't that a bowl? She was using a bear's fur to tickle my nostrils, and unexpectedly, my sneezing startled her so much that she huffed, "I'm not talking to you anymore!"
What?
Is there no talking now? Clearly, you were teasing me, yet somehow I ended up offending you!
At that moment, I was fully awake. The bowl pulled me along to the edge of a pond where we built a barrier with stones. A group of dazed Trout were bumping around inside.
To ensure the fish wouldn't get hurt when caught, the bowl and I went upstream to find a narrow creek entrance. We built another stone barrier to block their way back upstream.
Now these Trout in the creek could only dart back and forth in a short stretch of water. I just had to lift the trap I had prepared and planned to easily catch them. I watched the big fish in the pond, their white bellies rolling. Those fish were like the Turtle of the Elder, and weren't we just like the island's turtles?
I found it amusing, not knowing why such thoughts crossed my mind.
Soon, we forced the fish into a narrow space and began our catching operation. The bowl rolled up her pant legs; her flawless white legs stood out beautifully in the creek water. She held a slender branch in her hand, coaxing the fish like one would herd ducks.
"You need to use your feet; you can't drive them with a stick!" I thought it was ridiculous; what was she doing waving a stick over the water when the fish were swimming?
The bowl followed my advice. The Trout seemed to suddenly realize we were there; they began to struggle violently and swam downstream. Meanwhile, I stood ahead of these silly creatures, waiting for them to swim into my net.
I saw some Trout swimming toward me, took off my trap from my waist, and quickly snapped it down. Several hefty Trout were caught! A few others slipped past me between my legs, their slippery scales making my ankles itch.
I lifted the trap and surprisingly caught three big fat fish. The bowl also dropped her stick and ran over with a cheerful smile when she saw I had caught some fish. She squatted in front of the Basket, peering inside with her curious big eyes blinking at me incessantly. She reached into the trap to grab a big fish but accidentally let it slip away...
I initially wanted to scold her for being clumsy, but when I saw her innocent eyes, I held my tongue.
"Wasting food is shameful; two will be enough!" I reassured the bowl and decided not to fish any longer. For us, living in the wilderness, food was the most precious resource and should never be wasted.
"I'll give you a chance to atone. Hold the basket tightly and don’t let the fish escape!" With that, I handed her the wooden frame, which she clutched tightly.
Although we had caught the fish, it wasn't time to eat them yet. To ensure we had fresher ingredients, I decided to dig a mud pit nearby to store some fresh water and place the fish inside.
Due to the slippery skin of the trout, I had to grasp its gills and tail with both hands to pull it out carefully and place it into the pit beside me.
"Brother Xia, I promise I won’t be clumsy anymore! How about we catch a few more fish?" She shrugged her shoulders, and I could only express my helplessness. Reluctantly, I went back into the river. She picked up a stick and started splashing in the water, shouting, "Use your feet! Use your feet!" Unable to hold back, I called her a "silly pig!" She stuck out her tongue at me innocently and made a funny face.
After several attempts back and forth, we managed to catch over twenty trout. Their terrified black eyes stared wide as they crowded in the pit, bubbling white foam. Their grayish-blue tails stirred up the murky water continuously. When I reached in, several of them thrashed powerfully with their tails, rolling towards the edge of the pit while getting their mouths filled with mud.
I originally intended to catch just one or two for our meal. I never expected to catch so many; figuring out how to bring them back to our cave was another challenge. If we left them here overnight, they would surely be eaten by some wild beast. My basket wasn’t big enough; honestly, I was pondering how to preserve these creatures since it would be a waste to leave them behind!
"Wan, do you have any ideas on how we can take these fish with us?"
After hearing my question, Wan placed a hand on her pouting lips and began to think seriously.
After a while of contemplation, she scratched her head and suddenly brightened up but then quickly darkened again. She shook her head vigorously like a rattle drum and sighed deeply; clearly, she had no idea. I was even more convinced that her spiritual energy had diminished, causing her mind to falter!
Fish cannot survive without water; transporting them over short distances can be tricky without a basin or bucket. Thus, someone invented a method of transporting fish by covering their eyes with wet paper. This way, they could survive out of water for at least fifteen minutes. The problem was that we didn’t have any paper at all, so I thought of another method.
"Let’s line the bottom of the basket with mugwort grass, place the trout inside, and cover them with damp mugwort grass on top. That way, when we return to the cave, the trout won’t die." I shared this folk remedy with Wan.
Upon hearing my plan, she exclaimed excitedly, "Brother Xia is amazing! You’re the best person in the world!" Wan clapped her hands and jumped up in joy. I truly couldn’t tell if she was genuinely happy or just pretending; she seemed like a completely different person from that calm and experienced Wei Chi Wan Er who once possessed me.
Following my method, we packed the trout into the basket and began our journey back to the cave.
The bowl was clearly excited, playfully walking ahead of me, shaking the stick she had just used to catch fish. Her tiny pink feet occasionally splashed water in the stream. It was evident that she was still riding the high from her recent catch.
I followed behind her, holding the basket filled with Trout, admiring her slender back and tall figure. I couldn't help but glance at her a few more times; she looked nothing like the person I knew. I was at a loss for how to approach her! Yet, at that moment, a vague sense of foreboding began to rise within me, as if this bowl was not the one I recognized.
However, seeing her so genuinely herself quickly dispelled my doubts!
I asked her, "Can you sing?" She suddenly slowed her pace and replied, "I can, but I won't sing for you. Haha, it will drive Brother Xia crazy!"
I inquired why she wouldn't sing for me. She said, "It's a song for my lover; my mother taught it to me."
I responded, "Go ahead and sing; am I not your lover?" At this, she abruptly stopped walking, clearly a bit annoyed. She glanced back at me and then lowered her head, slowly saying, "Then I'll sing one for you: 'You were born before I was.'"
"You were born before I was; I lived while you grew old. You resent my late arrival; I resent your early birth."
This was an ancient folk song long lost to time, popular among the people during the Tang Dynasty. The poetry inscribed on Tang Dynasty porcelain might have been created by the potters themselves or derived from popular street ballads of the time; it wasn't even included in the Complete Poems of Tang.
She sang with an exquisite melancholy and sorrowful tone that resonated deeply. It carried a sense of desolation and nostalgia that seemed entirely at odds with her usual personality. There had to be some story behind this girl or perhaps a hidden tale buried deep within her heart.
"You sang this song to me; what does that make me to you?"
"You are my groom!" She looked at me blankly for a moment but then smiled again. "Brother Xia, don't ask such questions; it makes me angry!"
"Then I want you to sleep with me!"
The bowl's head drooped even lower, and her body trembled slightly as if caught in a memory.
"Speak!" I shouted impatiently.
"Brother Xia, don't be like that... I'm... I'm really scared."
I repeated the words again, showing no sign of retreat.
Wang pouted, slowly raising her trembling hand to fumble with the buttons at her collar. Tears began to swirl in her big eyes, and her long eyelashes fluttered.
Seeing her like this, I couldn't help but chuckle, "Alright! Alright, silly girl, I was just teasing you. I won't forget our promise!" In truth, I had the heart of a thief but lacked the courage; I wouldn't dare provoke such a Spirit Ghost, so I decided to drop the subject.
Wang was momentarily stunned, unable to gather her thoughts.
"Silly girl, if Trout gets killed, all our efforts will be in vain. Let's go," I said as I picked up the Basket and walked ahead. By the time Wang regained her senses, I had already taken more than ten steps. The sound of splashing water followed behind as she hurried to catch up.
"Are you joking with me?" she asked tentatively. "Actually, it's not entirely impossible..." Her voice trailed off, but I interrupted her: "Wang, we have a promise!" After hearing this, she lowered her head shyly, and I could see her cheeks turning red.
The journey was silent; in fact, we were both quite awkward. When we returned to the cave, Xiao Xiao had already cooked Bear Meat and was waiting for us with a smile!
The Trout in the basket was well protected by Damp Artemisia. As soon as it was poured into the Pit Pool, it immediately started thrashing its tail and diving down to the bottom. The depth of this pool was something it had never experienced in the stream. Once the Trout sank to the Stratum below, it might have thought it had successfully traced its origins, unaware that this was just the beginning of its fate as food for others.
Just as we stepped into the cave, dark clouds gathered unexpectedly outside, and soon a heavy rain began to pour.
With thunder rumbling outside, we sat inside enjoying Bear Meat. Suddenly, amidst a loud Thunderstorm crash, I heard a strange Thumping Sound coming from within the cave. The sound was ethereal as if it came from underground, sending chills down our spines and causing our faces to change dramatically.
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