The horse-drawn carriage stopped on a dirt road, and the three friends stepped out. They grabbed their personal belongings from the carriage. Guo Baiyu paid the driver, and then the three friends looked up at the mountain trail.
"We have to walk the rest of the way," Zhao Renshu announced.
"How far?" Guo Baiyu asked, his gaze fixed on the ascent.
"About half an hour," Zhao Renshu replied, a hint of excitement in his voice.
"It's better be worth it," Guo Baiyu muttered, a slight skepticism in his tone.
"It will," Zhao Renshu promised with a confident smile.
The three friends hoisted their personal belongings onto their backs and ascended the mountain along the narrow path. The scenery was vibrant and colorful, with red, blue, yellow, pink, and white flowers blooming everywhere. Tall trees lined both sides of the narrow path. If they hadn't known there was a house hidden here, they would have thought it was just an ordinary, uninhabitable mountain area. After about thirty minutes of journeying up the mountain, they reached an ancient tree in the middle of the mountainside. Zhao Renshu stopped.
"We are here," he declared, his voice brimming with excitement.
Ping'an and Guo Baiyu exchanged puzzled glances.
"Renshu, this is just a tree..." Ping'an said confusedly, her brow furrowed.
"That's because you haven't entered yet," Zhao Renshu replied, a mischievous glint in his eye.
"I don't see a door," Ping'an pointed out, looking around the massive trunk.
Zhao Renshu smiled at Ping'an, amused by her confusion. "Don't be so surprised, I'm not crazy." Zhao Renshu placed a talisman on the tree. He closed his eyes and said, "Open."
Suddenly, the tall tree slowly slid to the left, revealing a hidden path inside the mountain. They heard the gentle sound of running water and the cheerful chirping of birds. Zhao Renshu stepped onto the platform first.
Zhao Renshu looked back at the two friends, who were still standing outside the opened entrance. "What are you two waiting for?" He smirked at them. "Welcome!"
Zhao Renshu led the way down four steps onto a small, immaculately clean walkway. It didn't look as deserted as Ping'an and Guo Baiyu had imagined.
Small white stones lined the path leading to an open area. To the right was a large pond with a small pavilion built into it, and a delicate waterfall flowed into the pond from the mountainside. Many peach trees surrounded the waterfall and pond, creating a magnificently beautiful scene.
When the three friends got closer to the house, they saw a large open area with a big wooden table.
"Here we are," Zhao Renshu announced, spreading his arms wide. "Welcome to my humble home."
"You live here?" Ping'an asked, her voice filled with surprise. She had never seen anything so beautiful. The open blue sky above and the beautiful peach blossom trees surrounding them. Whenever the wind blew through the peach blossom trees, their sweet fragrance filled the open area with the aroma of blossom.
"Yep," Zhao Renshu confirmed, smiling warmly. "Told you, you'd like it here."
"Can I really live here?" Ping'an asked, a hopeful note in her voice.
"You can live here as long as you want," Zhao Renshu replied. "There are only two of us here." He paused, then corrected himself. "The other person doesn't count because he isn't human. He is the spirit who guards the Spirit's Cave."
Guo Baiyu and Ping'an gave Zhao Renshu confused expressions.
"This is a bit complicated. I'll explain when we settle down," Zhao Renshu said, taking his left thumb and scratching his chin—a die-hard habit. Whenever he gets excited or thinks deeply, he scratches his chin with his thumb. "Anyway, I will show you two around."
The three friends threw their belongings on the table. Guo Baiyu and Ping'an followed Zhao Renshu as he showed them around. It was a very simple setup. On the left side near the pond was the kitchen, with only a roof and three walls. Then there was a dining table in the middle. Behind the kitchen was the bathroom. There were two bamboo sheds on the right. One was larger than the other.
"The first one belongs to my deceased master," he said, pointing to the two bamboo sheds. "The other one is my bedroom. Ping'an, if you don't mind, you can take my master's bedroom. Are you scared?" He joked, a twinkle in his eye.
"After all I've seen, I don't believe a room would scare me," Ping'an replied, a faint smile on her lips.
"You will share the room with me," Zhao Renshu said, putting his left arm around Guo Baiyu's shoulder, a mischievous glint in his eye.
They returned to the dining table and grabbed their belongings. Ping'an walked to the first shed. Guo Baiyu followed Zhao Renshu to his bedroom.
Ping'an opened the door to the first bamboo shed. Everything was very clean. It looked like someone cleaned it every day. When she put her bag on the table, a knock on the door startled Ping'an. She turned and opened the door. Zhao Renshu held a bucket of water in his right hand. In his left hand, he held four towels and a feather duster.
"Here, you have to clean it up yourself," Zhao Renshu said with a grin. "Sorry, I haven't returned for three years. Everything's a little messy."
"It looks very clean," Ping'an replied, genuinely surprised. "I don't think I need to clean it anymore. I should be the one saying sorry and also thank you."
"No..." Zhao Renshu dismissed her apology with a wave. "I always hoped that someone would live here with me. The spirit and I aren't on very good terms. Other than protecting the Spirit Cave, taking cases, and collecting money, the old man isn't allowed to go anywhere... Yeah, I'll explain it later since you're going to be living here."
"I haven't decided yet," Ping'an said softly.
"Why would you be his personal maid?" Zhao Renshu said seriously, his voice firm. "When you can stand equal next to me?"
"How is Baiyu?" Ping'an asked, skillfully changing the subject.
Zhao Renshu exhaled, knowing Ping'an was trying to change the subject. "He is fine; he is cleaning."
"Why aren't you helping him clean?" Ping'an inquired.
"I told him I'd catch some fish for dinner," Zhao Renshu replied. "He cleans up, and I will cook."
Before Ping'an could say more, he quickly walked out of the door and headed towards the pond.
After Ping'an finished unpacking, she walked into the kitchen. Zhao Renshu was nowhere to be found. She saw three fishes, four peaches, and a small amount of water spinach on the table. She looked around in the kitchen and found a big wooden barrel. When she opened the bucket, there was rice inside. She began to cook dinner. An hour later, she put three grilled fishes and a plate of fried water spinach on the table. When she began to peel the white peaches, she heard the quarrel between Zhao Renshu and Guo Baiyu in the distance.
"I told you that we need a better way to bring the deer back!" Guo Baiyu's voice carried clearly.
"This is fine! I'm not complaining. Why are you complaining? You're not the one who's soaked in blood!" Zhao Renshu retorted loudly.
"Look at how nasty you look right now!" Guo Baiyu's voice rose. "Soaked in blood, and you smell like blood!"
"Well, Young Master Guo," Zhao Renshu sneered, "I didn't grow up in a mansion. I don't have servants who will do everything for me. I have the sky as my blanket and ground as my bed. I can eat and sleep anywhere."
"There is no point in arguing with you," Guo Baiyu stated, his voice laced with exasperation. "Your annoying arrogance is to the point that it is unfixable. Your lips are faster than your brain."
"I'm not a scholar of poetry. Am I?" Zhao Renshu interrupted, mocking Guo Baiyu. When he saw Guo Baiyu walk farther and leave him behind, carrying the deer all alone, he felt that the deer was getting heavier. "Hey!... Hey!... Come back and help me!... No venison for you tonight!... Hey!... Come back!..." He shouted to Guo Baiyu, then murmured to himself, "Fuck."
Guo Baiyu shook his head and continued to walk farther and farther away from Zhao Renshu. He decided to the kitchen first.
Ping'an knew from the expression on Guo Baiyu's face that Zhao Renshu had definitely made him angry. She poured him a cup of tea to calm himself down. Guo Baiyu sat drinking the tea. Ping'an's heart beat faster and faster as she stared at Guo Baiyu. His handsome, white, flawless face. His slightly pink lips. His silky black hair was neatly combed and tied up with a piece of white jade at the front. No matter how she looked at him, he was perfect in every way. When they first met, she hadn't realized how handsome he was. As they sat across from each other, she looked at him, and then she realized that anyone who married him would be lucky.
"Renshu makes you angry again?" Ping'an asked softly.
Guo Baiyu nodded.
"Don't take it to heart," Ping'an advised gently. "He doesn't think before he speaks. It's not like you don't know him, but that's what makes him special. He doesn't have any bad intentions. He is a free spirit, roaming the world on his own terms." Ping'an chuckled.
Zhao Renshu dropped the dead deer to the ground with a loud thump that made Guo Baiyu and Ping'an stare at him. He was covered with blood from his shoulders to his shoes. The strong smell of blood emanated from Zhao Renshu. He walked into the kitchen, took out a knife, and then began to skin the deer.
"Can you wash your hands and eat first?" Ping'an suggested.
"Why? You two look great together sitting there," Zhao Renshu retorted, not looking at them but continuing to skin the deerskin. "Why don't you two enjoy your meal? These will make great gloves in the winter." He completely ignored Ping'an and Guo Baiyu.
Guo Baiyu had always been a calm person, but at this time, his blood was boiling in his body. He felt his heart beat faster and faster. He felt his chest would burst at any given minute. He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists to suppress his anger. He didn't know what was wrong with him. Since knowing Ping'an, he had developed a strong sense of protection for her. This was the second time he had been truly angry with someone. He exhaled and decided to be the better person.
"Ignore him," Guo Baiyu said, picking up his chopsticks. He chose some food and put it on Ping'an's bowl of rice. "Let's eat first. Keep your eyes on me. Let us adults talk, and let the child roam the world on his own terms."
"Who are you calling child?" Zhao Renshu stood up angrily, shouting and pointing the bloody kitchen knife at Guo Baiyu.
Then the two began to argue again. Everything from name-calling, pointing fingers at each other's faces, to debating who was better than whom. Ping'an could not help but start laughing. Her laughter stopped the two from yelling at each other and focused their attention on her.
"What is so funny?" Guo Baiyu demanded, a slight frown on his face.
"Yeah, what is so funny?" Zhao Renshu echoed, his anger momentarily forgotten.
Now, the two people who were once at each other's throats were teaming up against Ping'an.
Ping'an was still laughing to the point she almost choked on her food. She cleared her throat and said, "You two look so cute together. I have to laugh."
Hearing her laugh somehow made them forget what they were fighting about in the first place.
Ping'an smiled. "Then you go wash your hands and eat, and I will help you with that." She pointed to the half-skinned deer on the kitchen floor.
Zhao Renshu threw his knife on the floor beside the deer. He walked to the bathroom. Ping'an followed him. She grabbed the wooden pitcher, took some water, and then slowly poured the water onto Zhao Renshu's hands.
"No wonder Baiyu is angry... you are completely soaked in blood," Ping'an remarked. "After we skin the deerskin, you need to take a bath."
"Should we take a bath together?" Zhao Renshu teased, a sly grin spreading across his face.
"Stop your nonsense," Ping'an replied, her voice firm.
Zhao Renshu was being silly. "I'm telling the truth. Down there..." he pointed to the pond. "We can take a bath there. Taking a bath in the pond is much cleaner than here. Sitting on the rocks and sunbathing is really a wonderful feeling. We can also swim naked... you don't have to be shy, because no one will care, it will be only the two of us." He studied Ping'an's expression, watching for her reaction.
Ping'an did not make eye contact with him. "Uh...huh..." She dropped the wooden pitcher back into the large ceramic water pot.
"Unless..." Zhao Renshu began, a sly, flirtatious expression on his face.
"Unless what?" Ping'an turned around, curiosity getting the better of her.
With a flirty smirk, Zhao Renshu said, "Unless you want the three of us to take a bath together."
Ping'an remained calm, a faint smile on her lips. "I am not falling for it."
"Let us bet," Zhao Renshu countered, his eyes sparkling with challenge. "If he agrees, we will take a bath together."
"Deal," Ping'an said, a confident gleam in her eye. Ping'an knew deeply inside her heart that she would not lose, because Guo Baiyu was a gentleman, and he would never agree to swim naked especially if he has to swim naked with Zhao Renshu and her.