The Game of Life

Xia Mushi had been staying at the inn for four days, and on the third day, Wen Er bought him a train ticket for the following week, so he still had a few more days to spend in Xingcheng.

During those days, Xia Mushi had been wandering around Xingcheng without going to restaurants. When he was hungry, he would just buy some steamed buns or stuffed buns with a few copper coins. Despite this, some ill-fated thieves had set their sights on him.

In the dark, wind-swept alley, several thieves with faces that clearly read ‘I’m not a good person, I’m ferocious, hand over your money to big brother if you know what’s good for you,¹ surrounded Xia Mushi.

Then, Jiang Feng witnessed Xia Mushi’s spectacular one-against-five action sequence.

Blows landed with a thud, his moves were extremely ruthless, and instead of being robbed, the five thieves were robbed themselves. Left lying on the ground, barely alive and gasping for air, Xia Mushi still had the energy and time to tidy up his sleeves and search the thieves, emptying their pockets of any money before he walked away with a stride.

On the fourth day, Xia Mushi had no money left except for a few copper coins. He needed to dig out his bundle under the big tree to take out some silver coins.

Before leaving the city, he passed by a bun shop, and seeming to remember something, he stopped, buying five meat buns.

A meat bun cost two copper coins, and for buying five, the vendor gifted Xia Mushi with an oiled paper to wrap them in.

Xia Mushi left the city with the meat buns.

Instead of going to the big tree where he had buried his belongings, he headed straight to the Mountain God Temple where he had taken shelter from the rain before.

The Mountain God Temple was still as before, with half of it collapsed, extremely dilapidated, no incense burning, and from the outside, one could hardly tell that someone was living inside.

As soon as he stepped into the temple, Jiang Feng caught a thick, nauseating smell.  ⁵

It was like the stench of feces and urine mixed in a cesspit for several days and then left to ferment; don’t ask how he knew-when Jiang Feng was a child, the village still had those old-fashioned toilets, and he once fell into one while’ using it.

“Who’s there?” The young girl was still inside, but her voice had become very weak, listless.

It s me,” Xia Mushi said as he entered.

The smell inside was even more intense, clearly emanating from the young girl. Jiang Feng suspected she hadn’t moved from her spot for several days.

The young girl’s face was pale, and she lay limp on a pile of dry grass, looking as if she hadn’t eaten for several days.

The young girl recognized Xia Mushi. This time, she wasn’t scared and just asked, “What are you here for?”

“Where’s your brother?” Xia Mushi asked, tossing the oiled paper package a meter away onto the straw pile, “A few days ago, you gave me half of your cake; I’m returning the favor with five buns.”

Ravenous, the young girl no longer mentioned her brother. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the oiled paper package, and she swallowed her saliva.

“Could you please throw it over here?” the young girl asked.

He picked up the oiled paper package and threw it next to her hand.

The young girl eagerly opened the paper and grabbed the still-warm buns, shoving them into her mouth, devouring them hungrily.

Xia Mushi watched her eat quietly, not leaving.

After the young girl finished two buns, she looked up to see Xia Mushi still there and instinctively said, “Why haven’t you left yet? My brother will be back soon…”

She paused, suddenly freezing. She knew all too well that her brother wasn’t coming back.

Xia Mushi wasn’t a man of many words, but he found the girl interesting; it was remarkable how she had managed to survive until today despite her fears.

“If your brother is not coming back, are you just planning to stay here and starve to death?” Xia Mushi asked.

The young girl didn’t look at him, focusing on eating her buns instead.

“You haven’t eaten in days; eating so much at once could kill you,” Xia Mushi said.

“I’m going to die anyway, I might as well die full,” the younggirl replied, putting down the bun in her hands.

“Why haven’t you left? You can see I have nothing here. You can afford meat buns for me, so you must not be short of money. I’m paralyzed; even if you sold me, I’d fetch no price and would just waste your food,” the young girl said.

Paralyzed?

Jiang Feng suddenly understood why the girl, close to starving, refused to leave the ruined temple and why there was such a foul smell coming from her.

She was paralyzed, could not move, and without anyone to care for her, she could only wait for death.

Xia Mushi did not leave.

“Why haven’t you left yet? Do you really want to sell me?” the young woman said, “I told you I won’t fetch a good price, if I could, Mrs. Chen would have sold me long ago.”

“You look a bit like someone I know,” Xia Mushi said.

Jiang Feng:…

This familiar opening to a romantic drama…

The young woman suddenly laughed, her tone dripping with irony, “Then you must have seen me at Hongxiuge.”

In the past few days, Xia Mushi had been strolling around Xingcheng, and Jiang Feng, who had been following him, had seen Hongxiuge more than once.

That was the most upscale brothel in all of Xingcheng.

A place where fortunes were squandered.

Xia Mushi turned and walked away, ending the conversation.

Jiang Feng really couldn’t understand what Xia Mushi was trying to do; after delivering buns to the young woman and engaging in awkward conversation as if some exciting plot was about to unfold, he abruptly left, as if the awkward talk had been purely for the sake of talking.

Xia Mushi returned to the big tree, dug up the hole again, took out a dozen or so silver dollars and a small yellow croaker, then reburied the bundle.

He didn’t enter the city but went back to the Mountain God Temple.

When the young woman saw Xia Mushi, she reacted as if she had seen a ghost, “Why have you come back?”

Xia Mushi walked straight to her and lifted her in his arms, “You need to see a doctor.”

The young woman initially struggled, but when she heard his words, she stopped, her voice very low, “How did you know.”

“If you keep staying here, you will die.”

“So what if I die, aren’t there enough people dying these days? I don’t have money, I don’t have family; I deserve to die.”

“I have money.”

“You’re sick.”

Jiang Feng: ???

Xia Mushi, holding the young woman, entered the city without drawing anyone’s attention, for in this world, anything goes, even if someone were to kill a man in the street, no one would interfere.

“Mr. Xia, this…” Wen Er approached with a smiling face, unsure how to address the sight of Xia Mushi holding a woman.

Bring two buckets of hot water, get her some clothes, and call a doctor,” Xia Mushi said.

“Got it. Do you want a Western doctor?” Wen Er asked.

Although traditional Chinese medicine was being suppressed and newspapers were ranting daily that it was nothing but feudal superstition, when ordinary people had a headache or were seriously ill, they still needed to see a doctor, and they couldn’t afford Western hospitals.

“I don’t want a Western doctor,” the young woman said.

Xia Mushi held her and returned to their room, placing her on the bed.

You re not afraid that I, with my filthy body, will dirty your bed,” the young woman said, “What are you really after? I have no money, I’m a cripple, even if you sell me to the lowest Secret Brothel, those madams wouldn’t want me. You spending money on me is like throwing it into the water; if you’re doing this to repay me for that half bun, those five buns from earlier were already enough. To exchange a half bun for five buns, everyone in Xingcheng would line up to trade with you.”

“You look very much like someone I know,” Xia Mushi said.

“Probably someone you’re fond of,” the young woman said.

“Yes, someone I’m fond of,” Xia Mushi said.

The young woman burst into laughter, “I think you’ve watched too many plays, you’ve even gone foolish from it.”

What’s your name?” the young woman asked.

“Xia Mushi.”

“My name isYanzhi.”