Chapter 3Forest
(1)
Swally would sneak off by himself two or three times a month. Nobody knew where he went, and they had no idea what he did.
Every time he came back, he would always bring back a few strange items.
Sometimes it would be a pair of new socks, an embroidered handkerchief, maybe a pot of braised beef, or a jar of home-brewed rice wine.
There were times when he even brought back a tortoiseshell cat, a canary bird, or a few live fish.
But out of all the strange things he would bring back, they were never as strange as what he brought back this time.
This time, he actually brought back a person.
A living, breathing person.
His name was Forest. He was easy going, but after his arrival, their days were anything but easy going.
(2)
Some people love winter. In winter you can enjoy the snow, admire the plum blossoms, eat from a sizzling hotpot, hide in your cozy blankets, read forbidden books, and sleep all day.
Its hard to enjoy such pleasures when it's not winter.
Poor people certainly don't enjoy the winter; life is terribly hard. Poor people are always hoping that winter will arrive late, or better yet, not at all.
Sadly, winter always seems to come early for the poor.
× × ×
Winter had already arrived.
The snow of Prosperity Villa's courtyard was just as white as anywhere else, there were even a few plum trees. But if somebody was still wearing thin spring clothes, and all that was in their belly were noodles from the day before; all they could hope to admire were things they could put into their mouths, something to fill their stomachs, definitely not snow or plum blossoms.
Big G was looking at the snow and the plum blossoms in the courtyard, "If only these plum blossoms were hot peppers," he muttered.
Dash: "What good would that do?"
Big G: "Look, doesn't all this snow look like flour, if there were some red hot peppers, we could make a spicy hot noodle soup."
Dash sighed, "You are so primitive, if Bu Lin heard you say that, he would die from indignation."
Big G: "Who is Bu Lin?"
Dash: "You haven't even heard of Bu Lin?"
Big G: "I have only heard of Bubu jerky, pork jerky, beef jerky, deer meat jerky, and they all go great with alcohol."
Dash: "Bu Lin's name was Junfu Lin or Hejing Lin, he was a recluse during the Song dynasty. He lived on the Lonely Mountain of the West Lake, and according to legend he stayed there for twenty years without leaving once. All he did was plant plum blossoms and raise cranes. The people of that time said he was married to the plum blossoms, and the cranes were his children. He had a famous poem "Ode to the Plum Blossom," two famous lines were passed down through the ages: glimpses of clear, shallow water through the scattered shadows, a subtle fragrance floating through the moon lit twilight."
"When you put it like that, he really was quite talented," Big G gave a thoughtful reply.
Dash: "Extremely talented."
Big G: "Well if his stomach was as empty as mine is right now, would he still have time to be so talented?"
Dash thought about it, "Well in times like this, perhaps he would be even more primitive than you are now," he suddenly smiled.
Big G laughed.
He suddenly realized that no matter how cold or how hungry you are, laughing will always make you feel better.
At that very moment, Dash suddenly jumped up from his bed, "All this talk about Hejing Lin reminded me of something," he shouted loudly.
This was no laughing matter, something actually caused Dash to jump up from his bed.
Big G couldn't help but ask, "What were you reminded of? Are you thinking about marrying plum blossoms as well?"
Dash: "The plum blossoms I'm thinking about are better than any wife... its wine."
Big G's jaw nearly hit the floor, "Alcohol? From where?" he muttered.
Dash: "Under the Plum Blossom tree."
Big G laughed bitterly: "Marrying plum blossoms was already crazy enough, now this guy is really going overboard."
But, there was in fact a jug of wine buried under the tree.
Dash: "I buried this wine more than ten years ago. That year I had heard the story about Hejing Lin and fell in love with plum blossoms, so I buried a jug of wine under the plum blossoms, hoping it would soak up some of that fragrance."
No matter where you buried a jug of wine, after more than ten years, it would have aged amazingly well.
Big G broke open the clay seal, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "This doesn't smell good, it smells heavenly," he exclaimed.
Dash smiled: "Looks like you should be grateful to Mr. Lin now. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have buried this jug of wine; if it wasn't for him, I would have forgot all about this wine."
Big G was too busy to reply. If there was good drink around, his mouth wouldn't be busy doing anything else.
He held up the jug and was about to take a swig.
Dash pulled his arm back: "Wait a second."
Big G: "Wait for what?"
Dash: "Swally has already been gone for two days, he should be coming back soon. Shouldn't we wait for him."
Big G: "Wait for how long? By the time he gets back we might have already frozen to death."
He didn't have to wait very long.
They could already hear Swally's loud voice from beyond the courtyard: "Too bad you guys didn't die, I could have enjoyed this wine all to myself."
Dash smiled: "This guy not only has big ears, he has a large nose, I knew he would rush back the moment he smelt something good."
"I wonder what this large nosed person brought back that goes well with wine," Big G replied jokingly.
Swally: "I didn't bring anything back that goes well with wine, I only brought back something that can drink wine."
Forest could drink. Anybody who took a look at Forest, would never have believed that he could drink so much.
Big G was no exception.
Forest was a pretty boy, elegant and fragile. If Swally was a little on the feminine side, then Forest was overtly so.
He had a small mouth, a little cherry mouth would be an appropriate description.
When Big G first saw him, his mouth was tightly shut, and his lips were blue. It took a lot of effort for him to pry open his mouth and a have a drink.
He was half frozen and nearly starved to death.
It was hard for Big G to imagine anybody being colder and hungrier, "Where did you find him?" Big G smiled awkwardly.
Swally: "The road."
The first time you found a cat on the road, the second time you brought back a dog, and now you managed to find a person. At this rate, you're likely to bring back a gorilla next time," Big G exclaimed.
"Better be a female gorilla, just the right match for you," Dash laughed.
Big G didn't mind, "A female monkey would be the worst, then I would have to put up with your new wife," he laughed.
He had a large frame, at least a head taller than Dash. He had always been very proud of this. So if someone tried to make fun of his size, he not only wouldn't get angry, but would happily gloat.
He always felt that to be a real man that's the way it should be.
Swally had already found a broken bowl, scooped out half a bowl of wine, and forced it down Forest's throat.
After the second bowl, his pale face started to show some color, but his eyes were still shut. He slowly relished the taste in his mouth, only then saying, "This wine was made from bamboo greens, and aged for 30 years."
This was Forest's first sentence.
Dash and Big G both laughed. With this one sentence, they already considered Forest to be their friend.
"Never thought our new friend would be a wine expert," Big G replied laughing.
Forest slowly opened his eyes and looked at the broken bowl in Swally's hands. He frowned in disappointment, "You drink your wine with a bowl like this?" he cried out.
His tone of voice was as if he just saw someone trying to eat with their nose, or use chopsticks with their feet.
Big G: "What else are you supposed to drink it with?"
Forest: "Wine made from bamboo greens should be drank with small cups made from jade jasper. Drinking from an old, broken bowl is simply an insult to good wine."
Big G laughed, "I think you have to make do, just shut your eyes, and there really isn't much difference between that and a jade cup."
Forest thought about it, "I suppose that makes sense, but I would rather drink strait from the jug," he replied.
The jug was right in front of him, he actually took it in both hands, put his head back and started to chug.
Big G just stood there and stared directly at him.
When it was half gone, he finally stopped to wipe his mouth, "Great wine, where is the food?"
Big G: "Food?"
Forest: "When you drink, don't you have any food that goes well will with the wine?"
Big G smiled, "I have to disagree with you there, people who really know how to drink, don't need any food to go with it."
Forest thought about it, "Yeah, that makes sense."
He put his head back again, and finished off the whole jug of wine.
That jug of wine had been buried for more than ten years. It was very concentrated, and even though the jug wasn't entirely full to begin with, the alcohol content was stronger than any other two jugs of normal wine.
"Do you have any more of this stuff?" Forest asked with a straight face.
Big G forced himself to smile, "I am so sorry, but this jug of wine was not only an entire days worth of food for the three of us, it was pretty much everything we own."
Forest was shocked, "You normally just drink wine without eating anything all day?"
Big G: "We don't eat very often."
Forest sighed, "Looks like you guys really are alcoholics, you know just drinking alcohol is bad for your health, you have to eat something occasionally."
Stretching lazily he looked around, "Do you normally all sleep on this bed?"
Dash: "Hmm."
Forest frowned, "People can actually sleep on this bed?"
Dash: "At least it's better than sleeping on the road."
Forest thought about it, "Makes sense, most of what you all say seems to make sense, I think we can be friends," he replied smiling.
Dash: "Thank you thank you, you flatter me."
Forest: "I need to sleep, but when I sleep I don't like being disturbed, it's best if you all go out for a stroll."
With a big yawn he reclined on the bed. He turned over and instantly fell asleep.
Big G looked at Dash, "It appears he can drink more than you, and is just as good at sleeping," he smiled awkwardly.
Swally was just staring at the empty jug, he finally muttered, "Is this person I brought back even human? Maybe he is a horse?"
"Horses can't drink that much wine," Big G sighed.
Swally: "Why didn't you stop him from drinking so much?"
Big G: "Sure I am poor, but I am definitely not stingy."
"I find him to be quite interesting," Dash suddenly said.
Swally: "Interesting?"
Dash: "You saved his life, brought him home, and then he drank all the three of us had for food, and then he took over the only bed in the house. He didn't even say thank you, but instead was nit picking about this and that. Then he behaves as having him as a friend is some kind of honor."
Dash was laughing, "Where can you find a person like this?" he added.
So Forest stayed.
If you mention Prosperity Villa in martial arts circles, you aren't talking about a villa by a cemetery, a chimney that never has smoke, or an empty house that doesn't even have any lights on half the time.
All you had to say is Prosperity Villa, and anyone who practiced martial arts, would know you are talking about an intriguing group of people—an empty house and four people. Amazing friendship and joyful stories of indiscriminate love; this was the outcome of their brotherly adventures.
(3)
These friends had a peculiar understanding, which meant not asking about each other's past, and they never talked about their own past in front of each other.
But on the eve of Forest's arrival, Big G broke this unspoken agreement.
On that evening the snow had started to melt.
Forest was snoring loudly and Dash clearly wasn't going to be shown up. All Big G could do was grab Swally and head down the mountain to go "hunting."
Hunting meant looking around for an opportunity to make some money.
Nothing.
When the snow was melting it was even colder than when it was actually snowing. Having a good meal and going to bed would have been the smartest thing to do. There was hardly even a single person out on the streets.
Big G and Swally were just two lonely souls. They walked up and down in the muddy snow, Big G was staring at Swally's boots.
"Did you get new soles for your boots?" he finally had to ask.
"Yeah."
"I never asked you how the soles of your boots could have been worth a thousand silver taels, did I?"
"Nope."
"And I never asked you how you died seven times, did I?"
"Nope, you never asked."
Big G had a hopeful look in his eyes, "If I asked, would you tell me?"
"Perhaps... but I know you wouldn't ask me, because I never ask you those type of questions."
With a straight face, Big G was forcing himself to be quiet.
"What do you think about Forest?" Swally suddenly asked.
"I don't know and I don't want to ask," he replied with a straight face.
Swally smiled, "Of course we wouldn't ask, but taking a guess is harmless. Maybe he secretly left his family because of something that happened. His clothes are very light, which means he is probably from somewhere warm. He didn't have anything with him, which means he probably left in a hurry, he probably was running away from something."
"I never realized you were so attentive."
Swally smiled, "All alone in the cold with nothing to eat, you wouldn't last very long."
"Maybe you could last two or three days at the most," he sighed.
"If you could only last for three days, then he would probably have a day and a half at most."
"True, I am used to it, but he looks like a spoilt rich kid," Big G smiled.
"In this weather, within a day and a half from here, you couldn't walk very far."
"Are you implying that his family lives not too far from here?"
"Yeah."
"How many wealthy families live around here?"
"Not many, and even fewer with a background in martial arts."
"Why would he have to be from a family that studies martial arts? Does someone that refined and elegant actually know kung fu?"
"He not only knows Kung Fu, he is very advanced."
"How can you tell?"
"I just can." He didn't wait for Big G to reply, "Based on what I know, there are only two families nearby who practice martial arts."
"Which ones with his family name?"
"Forest Lin isn't necessarily his real name. Since he most likely ran away, why would he tell people his real name?"
"What are the two names of those families?"
"There is one with the surname Xiong, he is known for having countless disciples, as he is the master of a martial arts training academy. He does have a lot of disciples, but he is single, no kids, not even a wife."
"And the other family?"
"The Mei family. There is a son and daughter, but their son Rujia Mei, is called 'The Rock,' and he has been famous in martial arts circles for a long time. He is also much older than Forest."
"Why does he call himself The Rock?"
"Apparently their family practices a special kind of kung fu, and all of their weapons are made out of rocks. So his dad is called 'Rock God,' and he is called The Rock."
Big G laughed, "So if they have another son what are they going to call him? The Rock Dog?"
× × ×
The town by the mountain was very tranquil, the roads were quite narrow and a little steep.
The houses on both sides of the streets were very ordinary buildings. The evening was still young, but most of the lights were already out. Most of the shops were already closed for the day. Even the few windows with lights inside were burning dim. Very seldom would any house have two lamps burning, and candles were even rarer, because lamp oil was always cheaper than candles.
Big G sighed: "This place sure is poor. Anyone who stays here long enough is not only going to become poor, but lazy as well."
"You are wrong, I happen to like this place."
"Oh?"
"No matter where I go, I always feel anxious. Only when I am here, do I feel unrestrained, free to be myself."
"Because the people here are so poor they can't even take care of themselves. They certainly don't have the time to pay any attention to you."
"Wrong again, this place is definitely not poor."
Big G laughed, "Compared to us, they are obviously not poor, but... "
Swally interrupted him, "You think that the people here are poor, but that's only because they are not willing to show off. For example, Dash knows the owner of the pawnshop, his is not only not poor, he most certainly is well connected."
"What kind of connections?"
"I would guess that he is either an infamous pirate or a famous person from the world of martial arts. I am not sure if he is hiding away to avoid his enemies and run from danger, or he is just tired from a life of violence."
"There are quite a few people like this hiding here. When I retire, I will most likely live here as well," Swally added.
"So what you are saying is this place is basically like 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon'."
"That's right."
"Why haven't I noticed that?"
Swally smiled, "Someone who has died seven times, naturally sees more than a normal person would. "
"But you still can't tell where Forest is from. He is not from the Mei family, and he is not from the Xiong family, all these guesses and you are still nowhere."
Swally went silent for a long time, "Have you ever heard of the name Earth Dragon King?" he suddenly asked.
Big G laughed, "Only deaf people have never heard of this name. Perhaps I am a little ignorant and ill-informed, but I am definitely not deaf."
"I heard that the Earth Dragon King has a villa nearby."
"Do you actually suspect that Forest is his son?"
"Maybe."
"No way, that's impossible."
"Why?"
"Everyone in the martial arts world knows that the Earth Dragon King is huge, and manly, how could his son be so girly?"
"Being a real man has nothing to do with physical appearance."
Big G gave him a look, "Of course not, but..." he replied laughing.
He suddenly shut his mouth, as if is whole body was frozen.
× × ×
There wasn't a single person on the street a moment ago; but now, there was a curvaceous and delicate figure approaching.
Big G's eyes were glued to her the moment he saw her.
It was obviously a very pretty woman that caused Big G to stare.
She wasn't just pretty, but extremely gorgeous.
Although her clothes were made from coarse material, anything she wore would have looked amazing. Her body was nicer than anything Big G had ever seen before.
She was carrying two large baskets. Anyone with two large baskets, one in each hand, would have looked like a crab when they walked.
But she still had a graceful bearing to her walk. More than enough to make men stare. If she wasn't carrying two big baskets, he might have kept staring until his eyes fell out.
She hadn't seen them at first, but suddenly noticed Big G's helpless gaze, and a delicate, beautiful smile appeared on her face.
Big G's heart started to thump as if being beaten with a drumstick, and kept beating until she turned the corner. He was still standing there like an idiot.
After a long while, he finally took a long sigh, "It seems like this place is just like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon."
"More like a hidden phoenix, not a dragon."
"Yes, yes, yes, absolutely right. A sage once said, 'within ten paces there will be fragrant grass', this saying is exactly right." He puffed out his chest and asked, "How do I look?"
Swally looked him up and down for a few seconds, "Not bad, very tall, big eyes, and a charming smile."
"If you were a young women, would you be attracted to me?"
Swally smiled with his mouth closed, "Perhaps... "
Big G suddenly noticed how charming his smile was, very feminine. He couldn't help but laugh, "If you were a women, there wouldn't be a man in the world who could stand you."
"And what women could stand you," he replied with a straight face.
"Why not? Didn't you just say I was attractive?"
"But you are dirty, lazy, and unreliable. Most women definitely do not like this kind of man."
Big G smiled, "That's only because you are not a women. Women actually like it just like that, they like manly men."
Swally looked like he was going to vomit, "Do you think that women found you attractive?" he asked bitterly.
"Of course, otherwise why did she smile at me?"
Swally couldn't help but laugh, "Women smile for many different reasons, like if they see a stupid block head, an ugly toad, or a fat pig, "
Big G lost it, "You think I am a... " he was practically yelling.
He suddenly shut his mouth. Because at that moment, the young lady came back around the corner. The baskets she was carrying had been empty, but now they were full. She was visibly struggling and the ground was muddy. She suddenly slipped and went flying forward, baskets up in the air.
Fortunately Swally and Big G were there.
Swally had quick reflexes and Big G wasn't slow, as soon as she slipped, they shot over like two arrows.
Before the baskets hit the ground, Swally had already caught them; before she took a tumble, Big G was already there to support her.
It took her a while to catch her breath and regain her calm. All of a sudden she realized a strange man was supporting her, and she instantly started to blush.
Big G's heart was thumping, "Are you ok?" he quickly grasped.
The young lady was blushing, looking down at her feet, "I... ... really don't know how to thank you two."
Swally already had noticed that the baskets were full of food, smoked chicken, beef, and freshly roasted seedcakes.
He really wanted to say, "That's easy, a chicken and some seedcakes will do."
But seeing how love struck Big G was, he didn't want to lose a friend.
Not to mention, Big G was already rushing to say, "No problem, such a small matter, really nothing."
The young women suddenly lifted her head, looking at him, "You two sure are nice," she said smiling.
Even though she said "you two," she was only staring at Big G.
Big G's heart melted, his body weak, "Lady you... ... you... no... no need to be... ... so polite," he barely managed to get out.
The young lady took the baskets, with her head lowered she kept walking, suddenly she looked back and gave them a charming smile.
With this one smile, what was left of his mind and soul flew away with her.
Although his body was left there, as if nailed in place, his soul seemed to have been carried away in her basket.
"Such a good opportunity, why don't you hurry on after her?"
"You really think I am some kind of pervert?" he exhaled loudly.
"Even if you aren't a pervert, there is not much of a difference," Swally replied casually.
The young lady was already some distance away, but she suddenly stopped, and turned around with a smile on her face, "I bought a lot of food, would you two honor me with your presence and come have a drink with me?"
Such a request, such a beautiful women; two starving men freezing in the cold, this certainly sounded ten times better to their ears than the most exquisite symphony.
You would have to be a fool to refuse such a request.
Swally wasn't a fool, neither was Big G.
Although his mouth was saying, "How could we intrude?" his feet were already taking big strides in her direction.
× × ×
Ah, why is it that heroes can never refuse a beautiful women?
Why didn't Big G have the sense to ask where this young lady was taking them?
Even if she was planning on selling him, it appears that Big G would happily follow her.