Street Stories: A True Account of a Group of Blind Men in the Underworld

Among the blind storytellers and fortune tellers in North China, there are a few with distinctive "marks":

Yuanqi, who lives at the border of Baodi and Jixian, always carries a double-pronged walking stick when he goes out and walks with great caution.

Luanping Shenxin traveled all over the country, always carrying a wooden frame on his back, which contained his luggage and divination tools.

Li You's storytelling and fortune telling were inseparable from the sanxian (a three-stringed instrument); wherever he went, the sound of the sanxian followed.

Xinglong Ma Chen always carried a wooden stool the size of a blue brick on his back, so he never had to worry about having nowhere to sit when he wanted to rest...

Lu Geng from Ji County is unique – he uses a long iron rod as a cane, which is heavy and sturdy, making him highly recognizable among blind people.

Qiao Yang often heard his master Liu Shang say that this old man Lu was a righteous person and a tough guy worth getting to know in the underworld.

Lu Geng is in his early sixties, six or seven years older than his master. According to seniority, he should respectfully address him as "Grand Master".

This Master Shi had a difficult life and a life full of hardships. He contracted smallpox as a child, and his dark face was covered with fine pockmarks ever since.

Later, he was suddenly struck by a sharp pain in his eyes, so intense that cold sweat soaked his clothes. At first, he could still see the verdant, winding mountains several miles away from the village entrance, but gradually all that remained was a hazy, gray mist. In less than half a month, even objects a few feet away became indistinct, and eventually, for him, the world was nothing but boundless darkness.

After reaching adulthood, Lu Geng apprenticed under a storyteller in Tangshan, learning to interpret birth charts, interpret divination symbols, and sing storytelling with drum accompaniment. While others used bamboo poles and wooden sticks to probe the way, he found them too light and unwieldy, so he specially found an iron rod about two meters long, which gave him a dignified and imposing presence as he walked.

Could this be Lu Geng? Qiao Yang immediately spoke softly in the jargon of the blind:

"Hard."

This is the greeting between blind comrades upon first meeting; one word is enough to know they are one of us.

Lu Geng immediately responded:

"Thank you for your hard work. Where are you from, sir?"

"Master, it really is you!" Qiao Yang's face lit up with joy, and his voice became light and bright. "I am Qiao Yang from Baodi. My master, Liu Shang, often mentions your great name to me!"

Then he turned to the side and introduced, "This is Brother Lin Hai from Beijing. We went to Xinglong together to run errands, and we're on our way home now."

Upon hearing this, Lu Geng burst into laughter:

"Haha, so you are the esteemed disciples of Master Lin and Master Liu! I have long admired your names. One is a leader in the field, and the other is a rising talent. It is truly a stroke of luck to meet you here today!"

Now that you've arrived in Ji County, you absolutely must stay at my house for a couple of days, have a cup of hot tea and a hot meal to warm yourself up!

Qiao Yang and Lin Hai quickly expressed their gratitude, but, preoccupied with their return journey, they had to politely decline.

"Thank you for your kindness, Master Shi. We have been traveling for a long time, and our families are worried about us. They are eager to return home and will definitely pay a special visit another day."

"In that case, I won't insist." Lu Geng readily nodded. "The long-distance bus to Beijing has already started running today. I'll take Mr. Lin to the station in a bit, that'll be fine."

Changing the subject, he then addressed Qiao Yang:

"But Mr. Qiao, the journey back to Baodi won't be easy. The roads are covered in snow and ice, making them very slippery. And with your luggage, how will you manage?"

Qiao Yang smiled and said, "It's okay, I'll just find my way slowly, I'm used to it."

"Nonsense!" Lu Geng immediately straightened his face. "The snow is deep and the road is slippery. What if you fall and get hurt? How am I supposed to explain that to your master?"

"Perfect timing! My nephew is in town selling local produce today. I'll have him drive you home in his donkey cart later, and make sure you get home safely!"

Qiao Yang was about to decline, but Lu Geng waved his hand:

"It's settled then. We're all family, no need for formalities!"

After breakfast, we bowed and said goodbye.

Lu Geng's nephew quickly hitched up the donkey cart, got everything ready, and carried Qiao Yang all the way to Baodi.

Upon arriving in the county town, it was still early, so Lu Geng's nephew bid farewell and returned home.

Qiao Yang grabbed him:

"After running all this way in this freezing weather, you should definitely rest. Stay at my house for a day before heading back."

The nephew shook his head repeatedly:

"No, no, my family is waiting for me to go back. They're worried about me staying here."

"We should at least eat something before we go!" Qiao Yang said without further ado, pulling him into the famous Tongpuju Restaurant in the county town. As soon as they sat down, they called out to the restaurant owner:

"Bring me a few of my signature dishes, and a couple of ounces of good wine!"

After finishing their meal, Qiao Yang asked the restaurant to pack two freshly cooked, still steaming, smoked chickens and handed them to his nephew.

"This is a specialty of Baodi. I'm taking it back for Uncle Shi to try; it's just a small token of my appreciation."

The nephew couldn't refuse and had to accept it.

When Qiao Yang returned to his home in Southwest Village, he unloaded his luggage and touched it, then froze in shock—

Lu Geng had already secretly stuffed him with a large bag full of mountain produce, including walnuts, chestnuts, and black dates. It was heavy with the affection of an elder.

He had just entered the courtyard with his luggage on his back, and before he could even stand still, a crisp voice reached his ears first.

"Qiao Yang!"

It's Su Yue.

Qiao Yang felt a surge of warmth in his heart, and the chill brought by the wind and snow around him was instantly dispelled by that call. Although he couldn't see, he accurately pinpointed her location by relying on his hearing and the familiar scent in his heart.

Su Yue's eyes were red-rimmed, her bright eyes fixed on him. She rushed to him, looked him up and down at his slightly tired face, her voice choked with uncontrollable sobs:

"You're finally back... You've been gone for three months! I've been waiting for you day and night, thinking you wouldn't be back until the New Year!"

She reached out to help him, but when she touched the thick snow on his shoulder, it was icy cold, and her heart tightened.

Qiao Yang immediately raised his hand and firmly grasped her slightly cool and soft hand, gently stroking it with his fingertips, as if he wanted to hold all the longing he had felt over the past three months in his hand.

A slight smile played on his lips, his tone gentle, tinged with a hint of guilt:

"I'm sorry to have worried you. It snowed on the way, which delayed me for a few days. But I rushed back as fast as I could."

Qiao Yang held her hand firmly and tightly, and did not let go for a long time.

Su Yue felt a pang of sadness as he gripped her hand, and she forced back her tears, gently squeezing his hand in return, her voice tinged with a hint of reproach.

"Next time you go out for such a long time, you must send a message back in advance, otherwise I will not feel at ease."

Beside her, Wang Xiuming, the mother, came out of the house. Seeing her son return safely, her eyes reddened.

"It's good to be back, it's good to be back! We've been standing at the door every day looking forward to it, Yueyue and I were so worried! Did you get cold on the way? Did you fall down?"

Sister-in-law Han Ying also came out, laughing and joking:

"That's right! Every day at dusk, Yueyue stands at the village entrance waiting, and no matter how strong the north wind blows, she refuses to go inside. When asked who she's waiting for, she still refuses to admit it."

"Now that the real culprit is back, let's see if she's still ashamed!"

Su Yue's cheeks flushed instantly, but she didn't pull away from Qiao Yang's hand. Instead, she gently supported his arm, carefully brushing the snow off his shoulder and smoothing his wind-blown collar, her voice soft yet reproachful:

"Don't listen to your sister-in-law's nonsense... It's freezing outside, come inside quickly, have a bowl of hot tea first, and warm yourself up."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Yang gently patted her shoulder and chuckled softly:

"You still love me the most. When I'm away from home, all I want is the warmth of home."

Su Yue felt a sweet warmth in her heart from his words, her face burning even hotter, and she whispered:

"You're so good with words. Stop joking and come inside."

As they were talking, Qiao Yang's little niece ran home after playing outside. As soon as she saw him, she skipped over and grabbed his collar.

"Uncle, I miss you so much! Did you bring me anything delicious?"

Qiao Yang smiled and replied:

"There's plenty of good stuff this time. These two big bags of mountain produce are all you can eat. Just remember one thing: don't overdo it with black dates, or it'll hurt your health."

The little girl clung to him and wouldn't let go, so Han Ying reached out and pulled the child aside.

"Your uncle and aunt have something to do, don't come in and cause trouble."

Qiao Yang reminded everyone again that they should not eat too many black dates.

No one expected that their own family members, who had followed the instructions beforehand and were safe and sound, would later find themselves in trouble because of these small black dates, while two greedy villagers ignored the warnings and caused quite a stir.

Han Ying looked at the luggage and two large bags of mountain produce beside Qiao Yang and said with a smile:

"Mom and I can take care of these things. You two should come inside and have a good talk."

Su Yue simply smiled and carefully helped Qiao Yang up, while also carrying his satchel with her other hand. She walked very slowly, as if afraid he might lose his balance.

Qiao Yang followed her lead and slowly took steps, listening to her steady and gentle breathing, her warm and light fragrance wafting into his nostrils. The fatigue from days of trekking through wind and snow melted away in an instant.