Chapter 33

Chapter 33

The Kite Soars High (Part Four)

Song Qi’s plan was detailed down to the last point, except it required a bit of acting from Yu Manyi. And indeed, in front of the Yu family, she performed a full display of runny nose, tears, and a hoarse voice.

News of the contagious disease had already spread through the village that afternoon. Everyone kept their distance from Yu Manyi in fear. Among them, Third Aunt, who had spent time with her that afternoon, looked especially pale.

To avoid raising suspicion, Fang Qian even stood by and loudly added:

“This illness shows no signs at first—then it suddenly erupts! One moment you’re full of energy, the next you’re completely weak. Manyi’s symptoms are worse than the other students’. Looks like she’s the kind that’s prone to a violent outbreak! Everyone stay away from her—far away!”

Leaning on Xiao Li’s shoulder, Yu Manyi heard someone in the distance ask, “You two came back with her and were with her in the carriage for so long—aren’t you going to catch it too?”

“We were infected once already back in Shanghai,” Fang Qian replied forcefully. “We’ve already developed immunity. Immunity means… Anyway! We won’t catch it. But Xiao Li was too close to her, so who knows. Xiao Li, after you’ve helped Manyi back to her room, go lie down in your own and don’t come out for a few days—just in case you suddenly break out!”

Then Xiao Li, who stood beside Yu Manyi, even nodded sincerely—everyone’s acting was truly convincing.

Yu Manyi walked unsteadily back to her room through the path the crowd had cleared for her. Fang Qian, still not out of character, stood behind her. As soon as Yu Manyi stepped one foot past the threshold, she heard Fang Qian’s fragmented voice continue:

“Third Young Madam… the textile workshop this afternoon and Manyi… this is serious… you’d best not see anyone anymore… everyone stay away from her…”

She couldn’t hold it in anymore and almost burst out laughing. She quickly turned it into a violent coughing fit. The room descended into chaos, and the youngest child shouted:

“Second Sister’s going to cough herself to death! Third Aunt spent so long with her—Third Aunt’s gonna die too! If Third Aunt dies, Third Uncle will hurry up and marry a concubine!”

“Pah!”

The youngest cried loudly, “Ma, Third Aunt just spat at me! I’m going to get sick too…”

Afraid she really would laugh out loud, Yu Manyi disappeared quickly, keeping up her sickly act all the way.Xiao Li was about the same size as Yu Manyi. When the two of them reached her room, they quickly swapped clothes and styled their hair to match each other. Yu Manyi knew that this trip of hers was only to register for the correspondence course in person—after all, Xiao Li couldn’t lie in her room forever. After they had helped each other tidy up, Yu Manyi said, “Thank you so much for this.”

“Safe travels,” Xiao Li replied, then lay down on her bed and pulled the quilt over herself, completely indistinguishable from the real thing. She stretched lazily and added, “I’ve been exhausted these past few months. Being able to lie down for a few days sounds pretty good.”

Yu Manyi watched her lie down, then looked down at the dress she was wearing, and finally turned her gaze to the bronze mirror on the dressing cabinet. She stared blankly at the young female student in the mirror with waist-length hair, and for a moment, she felt a strange disorientation—as if their identities had been swapped.

She quickly averted her eyes, let her hair fall over her face, and headed toward Xiao Li’s quarters.

The Yu household was already in chaos. She hid in Xiao Li’s room, listening to the servants boiling water, splashing hot water on the ground, disinfecting the carriage—all amid the youngest child’s loud sobbing.

In the midst of this noisy scene, Yu Manyi quietly sat in a chair, waiting for nightfall. As she sat in silence, all sorts of questions came to mind—how exactly was Song Qi going to take her there? What about the tuition she still hadn’t paid? After registering for the correspondence course, how would the teaching materials and her assignments be mailed back and forth?

She couldn’t figure it out. Perhaps she would understand once she met Song Qi.

Yu Manyi closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down—so much that she lost track of time.

By the time she opened her eyes again, it was already pitch-black outside the window. The noise that had filled the Yu household all evening seemed to vanish like a curtain dropping after a play, plunging everything into silence once more.

She didn’t take an oil lamp this time, because she wouldn’t be able to return it before sunrise. As she left the room, Yu Manyi packed two of her undergarments into Xiao Li’s bag and, of course, tucked in her money pouch as well.

She picked up her belongings and wrapped the lower half of her face with a cloth to avoid being recognized if anyone from the Yu household saw her. She blew out the lamp in Xiao Li’s room, closed her eyes again for a moment, and then, upon opening them, finally stood up and pushed open the door.

The place where the kite soars high—was behind the artificial hill in the backyard.

Relying on her seventeen years of familiarity with the courtyard, Yu Manyi groped through the darkness, feeling along the walls, and finally made her way from the guest rooms to the rockery. The backyard was much brighter—the moon hung high on the treetops, and on the artificial hill, a winding path shimmered with reflected moonlight. It was so smooth it looked like a road paved with silver foil.She used to climb that path often when she was a child, but later got punished by Third Aunt and didn’t dare anymore. As a kid, she would also climb from that path to the top of the wall. But ever since the pointed rock at the top of the artificial hill was knocked off by Third Aunt, she had never tried again.

Yu Manyi suddenly realized how foolish she had been. That knocked-off rock—it had already been seven years. She had grown a lot taller since then. Even without the pointed stone at the peak to boost her up, if she dared to jump, she could still reach the top of the wall.

Her arrival made the gravel on the ground crunch under her feet, and someone outside the wall heard her approach. Yu Manyi paused at the base of the artificial hill and heard, from the other side of the wall, a long, drawn-out whistle.

She almost laughed out loud from how infuriating Song Qi was.

Such a fine person, yet he had mastered all kinds of shady tricks—he even blew a rogue’s whistle loud and clear. With that whistle, he sent her their secret signal, and Yu Manyi didn’t hesitate to climb up the path on the artificial hill.

The hill was barely two meters high, and the Yu family’s wall only stood about half a person’s height taller. Why had she thought the wall was so tall before? This wall, like the crumbling Yu family estate, was old and all bluff.

She climbed the moonlit path up the hill, feeling as if her younger self had awakened again within her. Yu Manyi recalled how wild she had been when she had no memories… When had she started being shaped into someone so rule-abiding and proper?

One last jump remained. Yu Manyi raised her head and looked at the top of the wall of the Yu family courtyard. Song Qi had once jumped over it. She recalled his posture back then, took a slight step back, crouched down, and gathered her strength to launch upward. The moment her feet left the ground, Yu Manyi lifted her arms and dug her nails hard into the rubble at the wall’s edge, causing the rain-worn and rotted brick to crack with a loud ka-la.

Before the brick could completely break apart, she flipped herself up and straddled the wall. Dust covered her face and shoulders. Yu Manyi sneezed twice softly, then looked up to see Song Qi standing outside the wall, looking up at her with a smile.

She wanted to feel touched—but now was not the time for that.

Inside the wall, there was the artificial hill and raised tiles. But outside the wall, it was an open space. The nearly three-meter height made her dizzy just from looking down. Yu Manyi clung tightly to the top of the wall, refusing to move, until Song Qi noticed the fear in her expression. His smile didn’t fade—in fact, it grew even wider.

He was hateful! She had known he was hateful since the day she first rescued him!

He hadn’t planned on speaking before they left the Yu estate—the sound of voices in the dark night was far too noticeable, much more so than a bird-like whistle. But Yu Manyi’s current situation didn’t allow him to stay silent. Song Qi cupped his hands around his mouth to direct the sound, letting his breath carry the words further. He said:

“Jump. I’ll catch you.”Yu Manyi was about to cry. She realized she wasn’t as brave as when she climbed the artificial hill earlier. Truly, it was easier to go up the mountain than to come down the wall. She clung to the wall’s edge, contemplating life for a while, then realized that if she didn’t jump soon, the gatekeeper—who shirked his duties all day—would come around on his rounds again.

“Don’t miss the catch!” she whispered too, using only her breath.

“I won’t,” Song Qi swore solemnly. “Just aim properly and jump.”

“Hurry up and jump!”

“I’m—ah!”

Song Qi discovered that Yu Manyi lacked a sense of rhythm when doing things. After all that mental preparation, she jumped without any warning or setup—just shut her eyes and dropped. He lunged forward and caught her whole into his arms as she fell from the sky.

Her dress was light and thin, and as she fell, the hem fluttered like wings. Song Qi felt like he was catching a blue butterfly into his embrace. Her heart was pounding wildly as she landed, and through their two thin layers of clothing, it thumped directly against his chest, making his own heart race uncontrollably.

His arms tightened suddenly around her waist, then slowly relaxed as her feet touched the ground. Yu Manyi’s arms were draped over his shoulders, clinging tightly behind his neck out of fear, her chin tucked into the hollow of his shoulder. The downward force had pressed the two of them so close together that when she crashed into him, he gave a muffled grunt from the impact to his chest.

Song Qi really wanted to let his mind wander for a moment—but now was not the time.

From afar came the sound of a night watchman striking the time. He released Yu Manyi from his embrace, quickly took her hand, and led her away from the tall wall of the Yu family. He didn’t want gossip about a man and woman sneaking around outside the Yu family estate spreading through the market the next morning.

The two of them ran along the empty flagstone road, running until Yu Manyi was out of breath. Fortunately, they were finally far enough from the Yu family that she could speak louder.

“Are we taking the train into town?” she asked, panting.

“There’s a schedule for the train. If we take the train, we won’t make it in time,” Song Qi glanced back at her, then looked around before finally slowing down. “We’re taking a boat.”

“A boat?” Yu Manyi was astonished.

Song Qi nodded, finally coming to a stop at a deserted intersection. Yu Manyi looked around and realized—they were already almost at the eastern edge of the city.At this hour, the market was completely deserted. Few people lived around here. A light mist rose in the night. Song Qi looked off into the distance, then raised his knuckles to his lips and blew a loud, piercing whistle.

How did he even do that? Yu Manyi watched him for a while, then placed her own knuckles to her lips and tried. She failed the first time, and again. Unexpectedly, on the third attempt, she somehow managed to get the knack of it, blowing out a whistle even sharper and higher-pitched than his.

Song Qi was startled by her. Before he could even turn to ask, a figure riding a bicycle wobbled out of the mist.

A dark blur within deep blue, with a hint of green as it neared. The closer the figure came, the more shocked Yu Manyi grew. When she finally saw the ever-present mailbag at his waist, she suspected that she might have been the last person to learn about tonight’s plan.

“Little Postman!” Yu Manyi watched him glide several meters before stopping the bike next to them. “You knew too?”

“I only found out after I finished delivering the mail this evening,” the little postman grinned and handed the bike’s lock to Song Qi. Then he turned to Yu Manyi and added, “Not only do I know, but in the future, I’ll be the one delivering your coursework and assignments—through that doghole by the Yu family wall.”

Yu Manyi felt like her head was about to explode from the information overload, but this wasn’t the time to faint. Tonight, there was only one task: escape from the Yu family—nothing else mattered.

Song Qi took the bicycle from the little postman and confirmed with him the designated drop-off spot near the dock to return the postal property. Then he gestured for Yu Manyi to get on the rear seat and climbed onto the saddle himself. From walking to biking—the switch was quick. Yu Manyi clutched tightly at the fabric on Song Qi’s waist, then, as the bike jolted too much, ended up hugging his waist directly.

Neither of them fussed about propriety anymore—this wasn’t the moment for that.

Wind rushed past their ears. They were heading to the docks outside the city, where Sìbùxiàng and a fisherman had rented a boat to pick them up. Time was tight. Song Qi pedaled so hard the bike nearly lifted off the ground, but he still made the effort to ask Yu Manyi:

“Any other concerns?”

“Huh?”

“I said, do you still have any unresolved concerns about signing up for the correspondence course?”

“Ah, yes, yes,” Yu Manyi had been holding onto this question all evening. But since Song Qi was kind enough to think of her mental burden despite everything going on, she asked, “That condition for female students during registration—the one where a husband or older brother has to accompany them…”She felt that Song Qi’s biking speed subtly slowed down for a moment, but he quickly straightened his back and, as he sped up again, told her, “That’s easy to solve. Just tell them I’m your—”

“I got it!” Yu Manyi suddenly realized, “I’ll tell them you’re my older brother!”

Song Qi: …

“Then you’ll have to lie!” Yu Manyi hugged Song Qi’s waist tightly. As the wheels spun wildly and the wind howled around them, her mind felt completely clear. “You’ll have to tell them your surname is Yu, and your name is Yu Qi!”

…

One stick of incense later, at the dock outside the city.

Classmate Sìbùxiàng, after being called that nickname for so long during literacy lessons, had nearly forgotten his real name was Lu Xiangcang. A native of Shaoxing, Lu had been born in a township thirty li upstream from here. He was skilled in swimming and boating, and had rented a small boat from a fisherman tonight for their night journey, which had to be returned by sunrise.

Song Qi arrived earlier than expected, but his face didn’t show the joy of having safely met up—instead, it was covered with a layer of cold frost. Classmate Lu thoughtfully helped Yu Manyi onto the deck. She staggered her way into the cabin to sit, and only then did he turn around to look at Song Qi, who followed closely behind.

He asked, “Did everything go smoothly?”

Song Qi nodded, but gave no reply.

Classmate Lu sensed a subtle heaviness in the atmosphere. He didn’t know what had happened between the two, but voluntarily took up the responsibility of lightening the mood. He pushed the boat away from the shore with a bamboo pole, then, as the little boat rocked, he tried to cheer up the sulking Song Qi by showing him the fishing tools on board.

“I used to use this all the time as a kid,” he told Song Qi. “Where I’m from, there’s a custom—after catching a fish, one way to kill it is to tear off its fins…”

“Don’t talk to me about fish fins!” Song Qi suddenly stood up and said in a low, tense voice.“Fish fins?” Classmate Lu repeated in confusion.

“I said!” Song Qi, furious, shouted, “Don’t talk to me about Yu Qi!!”