Chapter 1 Part 1 Lovesick Vine
Yu Ji’s tavern located in a small corner at the end of the eastern of Bianliang (1) city. The hall was not large, only had three rosewood tables, a tall wooden counter and a simplicity row of wine racks filled with large and small harsh pottery. The pots were full of wine, some can only hold a mouthful of wine, some can be stuffed with a seven-feet strong man.
Of course, what we do here was just business, so the utensils here were full of wine, all kinds of mellow, clean and countless.
In the kitchen behind the rolling curtain, there were all kinds of delicacies for drinking. As long as the guests can tell, the kitchens here can be made, excepted the only kind that they did not make - Fish. Even though the shop decoration was so simple, there were endless drinkers coming and going.
When the shop opened, Lao Banniang (2) Yu Ji always lied behind the counter, which was very smooth because of its long history. Occasionally, she lazily moved her eyes to the street to saw the lively scene outside.
Such a simple and shabby tavern look a little cold, especially when compared to the opposite Liujin Pavilion (Golden Pavilion).
Liujin Pavilion was the most famous brothel in Bianliang city, which gathered the most charming and gentle guniang under the heaven. They were said that even the Emperor Huizong of the present dynasty once subjected himself to this “toured of inspection, observation of the people’s situation” (3) and left his calligraphy. Afterwards, the higher-rank officials and nobles, even the merchants and lowly privates, they were happy to spend money, admire the value calligraphy, By the way, it's seemed to provoke of emperor’s anger.
So, even if it was very cloudy and rained continually day after day, the group of guniang of the Liujin Pavilion waved their silk handkerchiefs upstairs to attract passers-by. Occasionally, the rain splashed the guniang‘s gauze, half of the body was exposed, so that the men walking on the street could not help but walk into their soft legs unconsciously.
Of course, there were exceptions, such as someone with an oil-paper umbrella standing on the street.
The man had been standing there for almost two burn-incense sticks (4), staring at Liujin pavilion. After a long time, he took two steps towards the pavilion. Then he hesitatingly stopped. He turned around and walked into the tavern. He kept his oil-paper umbrella and said, “Yu banniang, a jug of Lihoushao.” (5)
Yu Ji looked up and smiled. “So, it is you, Long Butou?” (Head of Buster surname Long) Then she got up and warmed a jug of wine and brought it to the table. She smoothly handed out four kinds of delicacies. “Long Butou hasn’t been here for nearly three months, do you perform a noncombatant duty?”
“Not nearly three months, but three months and seven days have not tasted the delicious food and wine of the Yu banniang.” Long Butou took a deep breath at the top of the bottle, his dark eyebrows stretched out and murmuring, “It’s good to be able to come back and drink this kind of wine.”
Yu Ji slowly moved back behind the counter, chuckled and said: “Look at this sweet mouth, is there anything an interesting story? Tell me about it to relieve your boredom."
Long Butou forced himself smile bitterly. “Yu banniang have a good mood. Do you really want to listen?”
“Of course.” She shouted. “You do not pay for wine today if you tell a wonderful story.”
Long Butou sighed slightly, “Okay, I bother Yu banniang, steadily sit down first…”
The story begins with the leader of the buster, Longya, who received an order to capture the great robber of the Yangtze River, Feng Qilin.
Three months ago, the Leader, Longya and bukuai(6) participated in capture Feng Qilin at the narrow boundary of Miaoling Mountain (7), Guizhou. Two battles, Three Hundred rounds, the winners and losers were not decided. Finally, Feng Qilin escaped into the jungle, Longya and four people chased after him to catch up but lost his trace. Plus, the terrain was not familiar, turning to east and west. Finally, they lost direction.
The four bukuai were brothers and all surnamed Li. They were Li Da, Li Er, Li San and Li Si, according to their age. Although they were not very good at Kung Fu (8), they were still quick wit. Five people spent a day and a night in the forest. Although they couldn’t find a way out, there were many rabbits and birds in the woods, so they could not hungry with their abilities.
汴梁 (biàn liáng) Bian refers to the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, Bianliang, today’s Kaifeng.老板娘(lǎobǎnniáng) – Businesswoman体察民情 (tǐ chá mín qínɡ)炷香时间 (Zhù xiāng shíjiān) burn incense stick time = 15 minutes离喉烧 (Lí hóu shāo) means Burning throat捕快 (bǔ kuài) called captor (constable for catching criminals) or buster in the china ancient time苗岭贵州 (Miáo lǐng, Guìzhōu) 功夫[gōng fu] workmanship; skill; art; abilityTranslator’s talk corner:
Hello. This is my side project. That means I do not update every day!
This novel kind of a short story of a supernatural story. There is no protagonist in the story. If you want to know.
It has 2 volume. (Publisher) And still, have Vol.3 but do not know if it releases yet.
Vol. 1 combined 10 short stories together. I did not say about vol.2 Because it seems too far. lol