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

The north wind in December was biting and piercing, whistling through the bare branches of trees on the plains, and swirling dust and snowflakes in the air, stinging people's faces.

Li You bid farewell to his master Liu Shanghe and his two colleagues, and stepped out of the courtyard gate with great excitement. The biting cold of the past could not penetrate his surging and passionate emotions at this moment.

The thought of seeing his beloved junior sister Hong Fei soon made his steps lighter. He lightly tapped the ground with his riding pole and made his way forward along the country lanes he knew by heart.

Smoke curled from the chimneys of the surrounding villages, and the sounds of children playing, women chatting, dogs barking, and roosters crowing mingled in the streets and alleys, creating a lively atmosphere. But none of this noise could disturb the obsession in his heart.

Although his world was pitch black, his eyes were full of confidence, filled with images of Hong Fei—

It was her gentle smile when she first learned divination, her soft, sweet voice when she recited the divination text, and the warmth of her fingers when she reached out to help him.

Before long, the familiar scent of earthen walls wafted over. Li You stood steadily outside the Hong family's courtyard gate, his heart suddenly pounding faster, drumming against his chest.

He took a deep breath of the chilly air, raised his hand and gently knocked on the mottled wooden door, his voice carrying a tension and anticipation he himself was unaware of:

"Junior Sister... Junior Sister Hong Fei, it's me, Li You. I've come to see you."

The courtyard was initially deathly silent; even the slightest breeze could be heard clearly.

The next moment, hurried footsteps approached from afar, and the wooden door creaked open, letting in a blast of cold wind. But instead of Hong Fei, whom he had been longing for, he was greeted by Hong Fei's mother.

Before Li You could even offer a greeting, a harsh, shrill voice, like an icicle, lashed out, filled with undisguised disgust and contempt:

"Oh, I wondered what gust of wind blew our distinguished guest here, but it's just you, you blind fortune teller! What are you doing here in our house instead of swindling money on the street? Get out of here!"

Li You's heart tightened suddenly, his fingers gripped the horse pole tightly, and he hurriedly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of humble pleading:

"Auntie, I mean no harm. I just want to see Junior Sister Hong Fei. I have a few important things to say to her..."

"What do you mean, 'see what'!" Hong's mother interrupted sharply, her spittle almost hitting his face.

"Let me tell you, Li You, give up on that idea! Even if my Feifei never marries and dies at home, she'd never be with a blind man like you!"

These words pierced Li You's heart with a sharp pain, a surge of anger rushing to his head, and a stubborn streak crept into his usually gentle nature. He mustered his courage and retorted in a strained voice:

"Auntie! Didn't Hongfei tell you? We've been learning our skills from our master together, spending every day together, and we've developed feelings for each other. We're truly in love!"

"Feelings? Can feelings put food on the table?"

Hong's mother's face was mocking, and her foul language struck his heart like cold stones:

"Two blind men together, are they supposed to survive by groping around and starving? You should take a good look at yourself in the mirror. A blind, poor fortune teller dares to dream of making a move on my Feifei. It's like a toad trying to eat swan meat!"

Every word is piercing to the heart.

Li You froze, feeling his blood rush to his head, only to be frozen cold by the wind in the next second.

He wanted to explain, to recount the affection he and Hong Fei had shown each other in the darkness, to tell of the vow they had made to stay together for life, but his throat felt like it was being tightly choked by an invisible hand, and he couldn't utter a single word for a long time. Only endless grievances and raging anger surged wildly in his chest.

Just then, faint cries from Hong Fei, choked with sobs, could be heard from inside the courtyard:

"Mom! Don't talk to him like that! Let me go, let me out!"

Immediately following was a violent tug-of-war, the dull thud of things colliding, and Hong Fei's suppressed, intermittent sobs, which came through the courtyard gate, each word piercing Li You's heart.

Hearing her daughter's cries, Hong's mother became even more enraged, pointing her finger at Li You and shouting angrily:

"Did you hear me! My daughter doesn't want to see you! If you stay here any longer, I'll call the neighbors to beat you out! Get out of here!"

Before he could finish speaking, the courtyard gate was slammed shut with a loud bang, followed by the ear-piercing sound of the wooden bolt being dragged and scraped.

The heavy door was tightly shut, shutting out Hong Fei's cries from inside the courtyard and extinguishing the last glimmer of hope in Li You's heart.

He stood frozen in place, as if nailed to the cold wind, his hands gripping the horse pole tightly, his chest heaving violently, filled with anxiety and anger. His eyes instantly turned red, and hot tears rolled down uncontrollably, hitting the cold ground.

Overjoyed, I braved the snow to come, just to see my beloved.

In the end, he was publicly humiliated and driven away, unable to even see his beloved girl, and without a chance to defend himself.

As the world spun around him, a wave of bitterness and pain swept over his entire body, and an uncontrollable rage burned fiercely in his heart, scorching his internal organs.

Li You groped along the cold earthen wall, staggered around, his steps unsteady, and stumbled as he quickly made his way towards his senior brother Qiao Yang's house.

Along the way, he was constantly being pointed at and whispered among the passersby. Those whispers, mixed with curiosity and sarcasm, were like countless tiny needles pricking him.

But he paid no heed, his heart filled with grievance and resentment, and he only wanted to find his senior brother Qiao Yang as soon as possible.

Finally, Li You stumbled to Qiao Yang's door, raised his hand and frantically pounded on the door, his voice hoarse and filled with sobs:

"Brother Qiao... Senior Brother! Open the door, Brother!"

Hearing the noise, Su Yue quickly opened the door. Seeing Li You's distraught and tearful appearance, her heart sank. She immediately stepped forward and reached out to steady him.

"Brother Li You? What's wrong? Why are you crying like this? What happened?"

"I'm looking for Brother Qiao! I need to find Brother Qiao!" Li You's voice trembled, and he could barely stand.

Su Yue quickly helped him up, calling out loudly as she led him inside:

"Qiao Yang! Come out quickly, Brother Li You is here!"

Inside the room, Qiao Yang rushed out upon hearing the sound. Although he couldn't see, he instantly sensed Li You's breakdown through his hearing.

Upon hearing Qiao Yang's voice, Li You could no longer hold back. She threw herself into his arms, her long-suppressed emotions finally erupting as she burst into tears, sobbing and breaking into a series of broken words:

"Senior brother... I went... I went to Hong Fei's house... but her family wouldn't let me see her... and they... they verbally abused me... and publicly humiliated me..."

"My junior sister... she was inside crying, wanting to see me, but her mother stopped her... I didn't even get to see her face..."

He became more and more upset as he spoke, crying so hard that he trembled all over. His grievances and anger intertwined, almost making it hard for him to breathe.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Yang's already resolute and cold expression darkened, becoming as icy as solid ice in the dead of winter, and his aura instantly turned cold.

He hated nothing more than bullying others and forcing couples apart, especially since the one who was wronged was his fellow disciple, and the person he loved was his junior sister, Hong Fei.

Qiao Yang raised his hand and gently patted Li You's trembling back, whispering words of comfort:

"Junior brother, don't cry! This little grievance is nothing. With your senior brother here, I will definitely stand up for you and get justice for you!"

Su Yue, who was standing nearby, quickly and softly advised:

"Brother Li You, don't worry. As long as Miss Hong Fei truly loves you, you will eventually overcome any obstacle."

"When I insisted on marrying your senior brother, I argued with my family for a long time, but in the end, we still got married smoothly, didn't we? As long as you are determined, there is no obstacle you can't overcome."

Li You's sobs faltered, and he murmured in utter despair:

"I...I'm just worried that my junior sister doesn't have the same courage as my sister-in-law, and won't be able to withstand the pressure from her family..."

Qiao Yang remained silent for a moment, a look of certainty gradually appearing on his face, before he said:

"It seems the Hong family's refusal to see me and their insults are definitely not Hong Fei's intention. You stay here and wait patiently, don't go anywhere. I'll personally go to the Hong family to find out Junior Sister's true feelings!"

Li You's heart tightened, and he hurriedly asked anxiously:

"Brother, the Hong family is unreasonable and domineering. What if they won't let you in, or even attack you?"

Qiao Yang smiled slightly, his tone calm and confident:

"I have my own way. No matter how her family tries to stop me, no matter how much they throw a tantrum, I'm going to ask them face-to-face if Hong Fei truly loves you and if he's willing to spend his life with you!"

"If her heart remains unchanged and she insists on marrying you, then I, your senior brother, will do everything in my power to make your marriage a reality!"