Retirement begins with summoning Yuan Tiangang

Lin Feng leaned against a big tree, his eyelids so heavy he could barely lift them.

He knew he should get up, find something to eat, and find a place to sleep.

But my legs wouldn't obey me, and I felt completely drained, lying there paralyzed and unwilling to move.

The lights in the village gradually came on, one by one, like scattered stars.

Footsteps.

Very lightly, approaching step by step.

Lin Feng opened his eyes.

The girl stood in front of him, looking down at him.

The lingering rays of the setting sun shone from behind her, gilding her silhouette with a golden edge.

Her face was still streaked with tears, but she had stopped crying. Her eyes were red as she carefully examined him.

Lin Feng and she made eye contact.

The girl paused for a moment, then panicked and quickly looked away.

After a moment, he moved back, pursed his lips, and spoke:

"Thank you so much for saving us."

The voice was soft, with a slight tremor.

Lin Feng didn't say anything, he just looked at her.

The girl took a deep breath, as if gathering her courage: "My name is Yue Mei. I'm eighteen years old."

She reached out her hand.

That hand was slender and white, and the fingertips were trembling slightly.

Lin Feng looked down at the hand, then looked up at her face.

He smiled wearily and reached out to hold her hand.

"Raymond Lam".

They didn't mention their age.

Yue Mei squeezed for a moment and then let go, her ears turning slightly red.

She glanced at Lin Feng's wounds; the cuts were still oozing blood, staining his clothes red.

"You're badly hurt..." she whispered.

"Let me bandage it for you."

Before Lin Feng could reply, she turned and ran.

He ran towards a low, earthen house not far away, pushed open the dilapidated wooden door, and crawled inside.

Lin Feng leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes.

Not long after, footsteps sounded again.

He opened his eyes and saw that Yue Mei had already run back, carrying a bunch of things in her arms: a few pieces of coarse cloth, a ball of hemp rope, and a small pottery jar.

She squatted down next to Lin Feng and put the things down.

"This is coarse cloth from my home, it might be a bit rough..."

She picked up a piece of cloth, looked at Lin Feng's wound, and her hand froze in mid-air, unsure of what to do.

Lin Feng didn't move; he just stared at her.

Yue Mei bit her lip and pressed the cloth against the wound on his arm.

Lin Feng gasped in pain.

"I'm so sorry!" Yue Mei quickly let go.

"I...I'll be gentle..."

She pressed it again, this time as lightly as a tickle. The cloth, stained with blood, quickly became red.

She replaced it with another piece and pressed it back on.

After a lot of effort, I finally managed to bandage up the few visible wounds.

It looked awful wrapped up like that.

In some places, it was too tight. In others, it was too loose. The knots in the hemp rope were crooked and looked like they might come undone at any moment.

Lin Feng looked down at his arm, which was wrapped up like a dumpling, and then at Yue Mei's serious expression, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Your bandage..." He paused.

"Like a bundle of firewood."

Yue Mei's face flushed red.

"It's...it's my first time bandaging someone..." she muttered softly.

"My mother always takes care of the chickens in the village when they get sick; I've never done it before..."

Raymond Lam smiled again.

This time the laughter was softer, but the weariness in the eyes seemed to have faded a bit.

Yue Mei gathered up the remaining cloth and hemp rope, then plopped down next to him, not caring that the ground was dirty.

"You were really amazing just now!" She turned her head, her eyes sparkling.

"One person took on more than a dozen! Swish, sw ... they all fell down!"

She gestured wildly, dancing with joy.

"Have you studied martial arts?"

Lin Feng nodded: "I've practiced a little bit, but it's nothing special."

"You're lying!" Yue Mei didn't believe her.

"You think you can beat a dozen people by just practicing a little bit? Then show me a little bit more practice you can do."

Raymond Lam: "..."

He didn't reply, but just leaned against the tree, looking at the dark mountain shadows in the distance.

Yue Mei didn't press the matter, and just sat quietly to the side for a few moments.

Then she asked again, "Where are your parents?"

Lin Feng turned to look at her.

Yue Mei realized what she had asked and quickly waved her hand, "I... I was just asking casually... If you don't want to say, that's fine..."

Lin Feng paused for a moment.

"My mom..." He paused.

I've never seen it.

Yue Mei was stunned.

"My dad..." Lin Feng thought for a moment about the man who spent all his time lying in the rocking chair.

"He's still here. In his hometown."

Yue Mei nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Both of them fell silent.

After a while, Yue Mei suddenly spoke, her voice soft:

My dad passed away when I was young.

Lin Feng turned to look at her.

She lowered her head, resting her chin on her knees, her eyes fixed on the yellow earth on the ground.

"I can't even remember what he looked like... I just remember he was pretty tall and liked to carry me on his shoulders..."

Her voice was a little unsteady.

"He went out and never came back."

She paused.

My mother raised me.

Lin Feng noticed that her shoulders trembled slightly.

He wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say.

He wanted to reach out and pat her shoulder to comfort her, but as soon as he raised his hand, he felt it was inappropriate and quietly withdrew it.

Yue Mei sniffed, looked up, and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"It's nothing," she said, forcing a smile.

"I'm all grown up now."

She looked at Lin Feng and changed the subject: "By the way, where are you staying tonight?"

Lin Feng was taken aback for a moment: "Me? Any place will do."

"Just find anywhere?" Yue Mei frowned.

"How can that be! You're so badly injured, what if you develop a fever tonight? What if someone causes you trouble?"

She thought for a moment and said, "There seems to be an abandoned house in our village that has been empty for many years. Why don't you go stay there?"

Is this okay?

"Alright!" Yue Mei stood up, patted the dirt off her bottom, "You're a great hero in our village! You can't even stay in a run-down house? Come on, I'll take you there!"

She reached out her hand to Lin Feng.

Lin Feng stared at the hand, momentarily stunned.

"Okay."

He grasped it and used it to stand up.

His legs went a little weak and he swayed, so Yue Mei quickly steadied him.

"Slow down, slow down..."

The two walked slowly through the village.

People on the road who saw them stopped and bowed to Lin Feng from a distance.

An old man knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times, muttering something under his breath.

Lin Feng tried to help him up, but the old man got up and ran away, faster than a rabbit.

Yue Mei smiled, pursing her lips: "They're afraid of you."

"Afraid of me?" Lin Feng asked, puzzled.

"I saved them."

"It's precisely because I saved her that I'm afraid," Yuemei said.

"You're so amazing, you killed over a dozen bandits all by yourself. They've never seen anything like it before, and they don't know how to face you. Their gratitude is genuine, but so is their fear."

Lin Feng remained silent.

At the end of the village, Yue Mei stopped in front of a low earthen house.

The house was old, with several cracks in the mud walls and half of the thatched roof collapsed.

There was a small courtyard, overgrown with weeds that were half a person tall.

Yue Mei pushed open the courtyard gate, which creaked open, startling several insects in the grass.

She walked ahead, parting the weeds with her hands to clear a path for Lin Feng.

When they arrived at the door, it was ajar.

She reached out and pushed.

"Cough cough cough!"

Dust rushed towards her, making her cough.

Lin Feng coughed a few times behind him.

Once the dust settles, the light filtering in from outside reveals the interior of the house.

A wooden plank bed, a crooked table, a broken pot, and cobwebs covering the corner of the wall.

There was a thick layer of dust on the ground, and it felt soft underfoot.

"Oh dear, it's so dirty..." Yue Mei covered her mouth.

"Let me clean it for you."

Before Lin Feng could refuse, she had already rolled up her sleeves, found a broom with bald bristles in the room, and started sweeping the floor.

"You sit and wait!" she said, turning around as she swept the room.

"Don't move, you're injured!"

Lin Feng could only lean against the door frame and watch her busy herself.

Yue Mei is quite efficient at her work.

Sweeping, wiping tables, cleaning cobwebs—after working for half an hour, the house was finally presentable. Although it was still dilapidated, at least it wasn't dirty anymore.

She put down the broom, clapped her hands, and nodded in satisfaction.

Then she looked at the bare wooden bed and frowned.

"There's a bed, but no blankets..."

She thought for a moment, then said to Lin Feng, "Wait for me!"

After saying that, he ran out.

Lin Feng stood inside the house, watching her figure disappear into the night.

About fifteen minutes later, she returned.

He was holding a quilt, a pillow, and a kerosene lamp in his arms.

The lights were turned on.

The bedding was washed until it was almost white, and the edges were frayed, but it was folded neatly.

"This is what my family used to use."

She placed the bedding on the bed, speaking as she did so.

"Later, we got a new one, so we put this one away. It's better to make do than nothing."

After making the bed, she stood up, turned around, and looked at Lin Feng.

"Thank you," Lin Feng said earnestly.

Yue Mei paused for a moment, then smiled.

She was smiling happily, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

"It's okay," she said.

"After all, you're my savior."

She walked to the door, then turned back: "You get some rest first. I still need to help the uncles and aunties in the village clean up; someone died today, and there's a lot to do."

After saying that, she waved and ran into the night.

Lin Feng stood inside the house, watching her figure disappear.

I stood there for quite a while.

Then he slowly walked to the bedside and sat down. The bed was hard and creaked.

He lay down.

Close your eyes.

The next morning, Lin Feng was awakened by the sound of the door being pushed open.

"Raymond Lam! Are you up yet!"

The door was pushed open with a bang, and Yue Mei stood in the doorway, carrying a bamboo basket in her hand.

Lin Feng sat up abruptly from his bed, looking completely bewildered.

"Oh my god, that scared me to death!" He clutched his chest. "Could you...could you please knock on the door?"

"Knock on the door?" Yue Mei tilted her head.

"Isn't the door open?"

Raymond Lam: "..."

Yue Mei walked in and placed the bamboo basket on the table.

The basket contained several rough porcelain bowls, a bowl of porridge, a dish of pickled vegetables, and two multigrain steamed buns.

It was still steaming.

"I cooked breakfast," she said.

"Want to grab something to eat? I'm at my place."

Lin Feng looked out the window; the sun had just risen, its rays golden.

"So early?"

"What do you mean 'early'?!" Yue Mei said, hands on her hips.

"Everyone in the village has been up for an hour! And you're still sleeping!"

Lin Feng rubbed his eyes and got up.

And so life went on.

Lin Feng settled down in Luohua Village.

They stayed for two months.

The injury is slowly healing.

The cuts on my chest and back scabbed over, then fell off, leaving a few shallow scars.

The cut on my leg has healed, and I can walk without limping anymore.

Yuemei would take him out to eat every day.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Not a single meal was missed.

"Let's go eat!"

"Raymond Lam, come quick! There's meat on the plate today!"

"Why are you just standing here daydreaming again? Come on, let's eat!"

Lin Feng went from being embarrassed at first, to getting used to it, and eventually, he would go to her house on his own when it was time to eat, without her having to call him.

Yuemei even dragged him to do the laundry.

There's a small river at the entrance of the village where the women wash.

Yue Mei was carrying a wooden basin filled with the clothes of two people, including Lin Feng's.

"Just sit and wait!" she said while washing the clothes. "Don't move, your hands are injured!"

Lin Feng sat on a rock by the river, watching her wash.

Yuemei even dragged him to pick wild fruit.

There is a wild fruit forest on the back hill, and the fruit is ripe this season.

Red, yellow, and purple flowers hung from the branches.

Yue Mei climbed the tree in front, while Lin Feng caught her below.

"then!"

A wild fruit fell down, and Lin Feng reached out and caught it.

"Keep going!"

Another one.

"Oh no, I can't catch it!"

Crash, crash, the fruit fell all over the ground.

Yue Mei sat on a tree branch, laughing so hard she almost fell over.

Moonlight still...

And they talk a lot.

"Lin Feng, did you know that Grandpa Wang's hen at the village entrance laid a double-yolk egg yesterday?"

"Raymond Lam, look at those clouds over there, doesn't it look like a rabbit?"

"Raymond Lam, what's it like outside the mountains? You've been to a lot of places, right? Tell me about it!"

Lin Feng would sometimes reply with a few words, and sometimes he would just listen.

As I listened, the corners of my mouth unconsciously curved into a smile.

Luohua Village is very small.

There are a total of thirteen households and fifty-two people.

Lin Feng stayed for two months and got to know almost everyone.

Grandpa Wang lives at the entrance of the village. He's over sixty and a little hard of hearing.

Every time Raymond Lam passed by, he would greet him loudly, "Good morning, young brother Lam!"

The sound was so loud that half the village could hear it.

In the middle of the village lived Aunt Li, who was in her forties. Her husband had died of illness a few years ago, and she was raising three children on her own.

She would smile whenever she saw Raymond Lam and insist on giving him something to eat, sometimes a handful of dates, sometimes a piece of cake.

There was another guy named Er Gouzi, in his early twenties, tall and thin, with an inexplicable sense of frustration on his face.

Every time I see Raymond Lam, I force a smile, say hello, and then run away.

Lin Feng didn't know why at first, but later Yue Mei told him: Er Gouzi liked her before and pursued her for a long time, but she ignored him.

"Now that you're here," Yue Mei said with a grin.

"He felt there was no hope."

Raymond Lam: "..."

There's also one called Little Tyrant.

The name sounds impressive, but he's actually just a seventeen or eighteen-year-old kid, though he's older than Lin Feng. He's quite strong and is the best fighter among his peers in the village, so he calls himself "Little Tyrant."

But every time he saw Lin Feng, he would keep a cold face, not say a word, and take a detour.

Yuemei said that Xiaobawang used to be the king of the village kids, and everyone had to listen to him.

After Lin Feng arrived, he saved the whole village. Everyone praised Lin Feng for his skill, but he felt resentful.

"Ignore him," Yuemei said.

"It'll be fine in a while."

Lin Feng didn't take it to heart.

That morning, after having breakfast at Yue Mei's house, Lin Feng sat down under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village.

The sun was warm, making people feel lazy.

He leaned against a big tree and looked up at the sky.

The sky was very blue, with a few white clouds drifting by.

The clouds drifted slowly and leisurely, sometimes resembling horses, sometimes mountains, and sometimes dispersing into wisps of fluff.

He stared at the clouds for a long time, lost in thought.

Master is still not awake.

For the past two months, he has called out to it in his heart every day and touched the silver ring every day.

no respond.

Master Yu Yuan was as if he were asleep, making no sound at all.

Lin Feng didn't know when he would wake up, nor did he know how to wake him up.

He could only wait.

He looked away and down at his hands.

Two months ago, these hands killed someone.

more than one.

There are fourteen.

The scene from that night still occasionally appears in my dreams: flashing blades, blood, screams, and pleas for mercy.

Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.

But it's much better now.

The village is quiet and warm.

Yue Mei chatters away all day long, as does Grandpa Wang's loud voice, Aunt Li stuffing dates into his mouth, and even Er Gouzi's aggrieved face. It's quite a scene.

Lin Feng looked up and gazed at the clouds again.

The clouds are still drifting.

He suddenly remembered his father.

I remember that little courtyard in Hexi Town, the rocking chair under the grape trellis, and my father squinting in the sun.

What is Dad doing now?

Are you sunbathing too?

Lin Feng didn't know.

He just looked at the clouds and wondered if they would drift to Hexi Town.

Should it float up to Dad's head so he can see it too?

The wind blew from the north, passing over the old locust tree, making the leaves rustle.

Yue Mei's voice came from afar:

"Raymond Lam! Time to eat!"

Lin Feng turned his head and saw her standing in the middle of the village, waving at him.

The sunlight shone on her, making her smiling face bright.

Lin Feng's lips curved into a smile.

He stood up, dusted himself off, and walked toward her.

The clouds are still drifting in the sky.