Fanfiction3: A-Li's Three Lives, Three Worlds - Chapter 20 (Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花)
Chapter 20 - BOOK 2 PROLOGUE
written by LigayaCroftedited by panda and kakashi
It had rained hard the night before.
A-Li carefully moved up the terrain, one hemp-bound foot in front of the other, and he leaned heavily on his walking stick so as not to slip and fall. He passed by rows and rows of tea shrubs he had planted more about a year ago, and by force of habit, reached out to examine a stalk using the light from his lantern. They had trimmed the shrubs a fortnight ago and he was glad to note that this particular shrub had developed its new stems and leaves to his satisfaction.
A-Li turned around, and observed how the fog he passed by below made the rows of shrubs barely visible in the low light of dawn. The sky cast its grayish-blue hue. Some stars and the moon were still out although they barely held on against the creeping light of sunrise.
The town of Huicūn should have been up and about for a while now but today, the plantation was devoid of tea pickers, save for a few youngsters he passed by whose job was to stay up overnight to watch out for big pests on their designated plots. A-Li smiled, waved back at one who waved at him, and continued his trek upwards.
Finally, he reached his destination, just as the first rays of sun broke through the clouds and mountain range of Southern Kunlun. He unrolled a straw mat, laid it on a grassy piece of land, took off his sandals and sat down facing the sunrise.
Since yesterday had been so dank, sighting the sun this early further lifted A-Li’s mood. He retrieved his incense burner and joss sticks from his straw bag. Once the incense sticks were lit and propped inside the burner, he sat down and momentarily watched as the fragrant smoke drifted up to its destination in the sky.
“5’000 immortal years. How do you even count that in mortal days, Jai’er?” Like he had done so many times before, he spoke to her. “Did you ever imagine I would end up a farmer, of all professions?” A-Li held up his sunburnt arms, examined his hemp clothing that no longer irritated his skin when he wore it, and thought nothing much of his muddied feet. “But I’ve become one. I’ve actually chosen to be one.”
A flock of birds flew overhead, cawing as they chased after one another. A-Li was temporarily arrested by the sight, of how much closer they were to Heaven than he was right now.
But as these past months had taught him, Heaven could be found elsewhere too.
“I’ve talked to you for thousands of years even though you have never given me a response, not even a sign. But it is good because you were right. It did heal me, bit by bit. The belief that you were somewhere, listening, helped me. It was hard at first, but you’ve seen me try to move on.”
The breaking sun washed the hazy sky with soft orange, yellow and pink light. The color of persimmon, A-Li noted, and remembered the time when Xue Jiaolong bought and fed him some. Ah, it felt just like yesterday, and yet he was also glad to note that his grief about anything that reminded him of her had calmed down by now.
From where A-Li sat, the sun’s growing blaze against the lightening blue sky scattered on the dew drops that still sat on leaves, and made them glisten like tiny transparent golden pearls against a sea of shades of green. From the distance, the shadows the mountains made on the river cast its waters with a deep green hue, somber and still, and it reflected part of A-Li’s heart at that very moment.
Because for the first time in a long, long while, he was at peace.
As if chased by the light, the remaining dark clouds from last night’s rain drifted farther away. It was an auspicious day, and A-Li was glad that the weather decided to cooperate even without his Celestial interference.
“I will do it right this time. I will not hold anything back.” He promised as he spoke to the smoke that continued to waft upwards and joined the slowly-dissipating fog. “Because of you, I learned I could love. Because of you, I could be a better man. Thank you, Jia’er.”
The sun rose uninterrupted in the sky as the last of the incenses burned through the tail-end of the hour of the rabbit [1].
“A-Li! A-Li!”
A small crowd of men gathered at the bottom of the incline where A-Li sat. With the pack was Gun Gun, and he held a drum.
Some men from behind the group fled after they wrapped a long, snake-like firecracker around a tall cotton tree. Warnings to run for safety were yelled before the long firecracker exploded in a noisy succession of cracks, pops, and finally, a resonating bang that echoed all throughout the valley and hills beyond.
Triggered by the bang from the snake-like firecracker, more firecrackers set off in various parts of the valley soon after. The noise served a dual purpose: to ward off evil spirits and to rouse those who were still asleep to join the festivities.
Not that the village needed the former. Unknown to these mortals, the land inhibited magick and evil spirits.
And not that the town needed the latter. Work began before the middle of the hour of the tiger [2], and even though there were no workers who tended the tea farm today, everybody was already busy before the crack of dawn as they did their own share for today’s festivities.
Huicūn.
What a strange village. But for the past year, it had also been home.
A-Li turned the incense burner over and collected the ashes in the palm of his hand. Then he let go and scattered it to the breeze that blew along the mountainside.
It was a fitting goodbye as he finally closed this chapter of his long life.
And said hello to a new one.
The descent was faster than his ascent and A-Li rejoined the festive group a few breaths later.
Gun Gun wrapped an arm around A-Li’s shoulders. Ah, the thirty-six heavens should see his nephew right now. Gun Gun looked comfortable even though he was dressed in hemp fabric just like A-Li was, his hair up in an unruly knot, and his cheeks bright.
It made A-Li happier to see his nephew look happy.
“Let’s get you married, shall we?” Gun Gun asked eagerly.
To which the small crowd answered with a loud cheer as they joyously pushed A-Li forward to what was to become his new life.
Chapter 21
____________________________
Endnotes
1. Between 5am-7am2. Between 3am-5am