Cherry Blossoms Upon a Wintry Sword

The Fu family head enthusiastically introduced the black horse, saying that this horse was the best Ferghana horse bought from the west. It was exceptionally handsome and not only was it fast, but its endurance was also one of the best. But today wasn’t the day they wanted to introduce the horse to Lin Rufei, they wanted to let him try something new.

As he spoke, the servant standing next to him picked up a ladle. He scooped up a spoonful of hot soup and walked towards the black horse. Lin Rufei immediately frowned at the sight and said, “Wait.” He turned his head to look at the owner of the Fu family and said, “Are you going to make poured donkey meat[1]?”

The owner of the Fu family showed his joy at his words and said frankly, “Lin gongzi is really knowledgeable, you even know this!”

Poured donkey meat was a very famous dish, not because of how delicious it tasted, but because of the cruel way of making this dish. First, they had to boil a pot of hot soup and then the soup would be directly poured onto the body of the live donkey. They would wait until the hot soup cooked the donkey meat and then use a sharp knife to cut off the donkey meat just like that. So until the end of consumption, the donkey would still be alive. This way of eating can guarantee the freshness of the ingredients to the maximum. Thus, even though it was very cruel, some people would still want to try.

Lin Rufei had seen it in books and seeing the man’s movements, he immediately understood what they wanted to do.

The Fu family head laughed and said, “It’s just that we are tired of eating donkey meat, so we want to try something else and we think this horse is very handsome, so it must taste good. Today there just so happened to be an important guest, so we told the chef to set up this dish.”

Lin Rufei made a gesture that told him to stop, “No need.”

The Fu family head wanted to persuade again, but when he saw Lin Rufei’s cold expression that even his eyes showed a strong firmness, he could only say embarrassingly, “Since Lin gongzi does not like it, then let’s not eat it.”

(t/n: Bless LRF, I was going to cry if they ate the poor horse ;A;)

“But this animal eats grass and people eat animals, it’s all a matter of the cycle of life.” The family head seemed to be worried that Lin Rufei would take offense so he quickly explained, “Lin gongzi please don’t take offense to it.”

“Yes.” Lin Rufei’s face had little expression and his tone was also very light, “There is nothing wrong with a horse eating grass or a man eating a horse, However, as the leader of all things, man should always have some etiquette and moral restraint. Don’t follow the example of the brutal beasts in the wilderness that have no wisdom and use such cruel methods to satisfy their appetite.”

He did not give face to the Fu family this time and his words were very heavy. The Fu family head’s smile was frozen on his face and he was speechless for a long time

Because of this, Lin Rufei’s expression was not very good during the rest of the banquet. Furthermore, the food on the table were not quite to his taste. Most of them were overly luxurious and greasy dishes. The Fu family head even persuaded him a few times at first, but when he didn’t give face, he stopped talking.

After finishing dinner, Lin Rufei asked when Fu Yu would be back and after that, he got up and said goodbye. When he walked to the main hall, he saw that the man in purple was still in place, sizing up Lin Rufei with an unpleasant gaze.

Lin Rufei stared over expressionlessly.

The man laughed: “Lin gongzi is full just like that?”

Lin Rufei nodded slightly and he was about to leave when he heard the man behind him say indifferently, “I think Lin gongzi’s heart is too good.”

“What does it matter to you?” Lin Rufei said coldly. Although he was good-tempered, he wasn’t someone that allowed himself to be pushed around. The first time he saw this Fu family young master’s eyes, it made him feel very unhappy, so when he spoke now, he did not give a single point of politeness.

The young master of the Fu family said with a smile: “Donkeys or horses, they are born to be eaten. As for the way to eat them, that is also the freedom of the diners. Whether it is food or Jianghu, it’s the same logic.”

Lin Rufei understood the Fu family young master’s words. He raised his eyebrows and gave a forced smile: “Then what Fu family young master means that as long as one is powerful enough, they can do anything?”

The Fu family young master said, “Naturally so.”

Lin Rufei turned around and walked in front of him. He said coldly, “Since the Fu family young master means that the strongest is the most respected, then if I turn you into a waste here, you shouldn’t complain about anything, right?” After he finished speaking, he raised his hand and pulled out Gu Yu that was on the side of his waist. The cold sword blade landed on the Fu family young master’s shoulder the next moment.

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The Fu family young master looked at Lin Rufei baffled. He didn’t expect that the seemingly weak and gentle Lin family’s gongzi would suddenly do something so excessive, not giving him any face as a young master.

“I came here only to deliver an invitation to Fu Yu.” Lin Rufei’s face was expressionless. There was a cold frost condensed in his eyes as he continued, “Well water does not interfere with river water[2], I don’t reason with you guys, so don’t talk about your reasoning with me.” After saying that, he withdrew his sword blade and sneered, “Lest I really take it to heart and use your reasoning to ‘treat’ you.”

The young master of the Fu family no longer had that vain smile, but he also didn’t seem to be afraid. He sighed and said that this Lin gongzi turned out to have such a big temper, what a surprise.

Lin Rufei didn’t bother to talk to him anymore and he turned around to leave.

This was probably the first time Lin Rufei got so angry after leaving Kunlun. The Fu family was full of strangeness everywhere. Whether it was those farmers, who seemed to be dying of hunger outside, or the lavishly exaggerated mansion interior, all of it gave people an uncomfortable feeling. Since Lin Rufei arrived here, his mood had not been good.

The Fu family young master’s words kind of set him on fire and after he let out this anger, did he feel a little better.

When Gu Xuandu saw Lin Rufei’s angry look, he couldn’t help but laugh: “Why are you so angry?”

Lin Rufei said, “Looking makes me agitated.”

Gu Xuandu looked around and said thoughtfully, “This place, indeed, is not suitable for permanent residence.” Although luxurious decorations were everywhere, the whole courtyard was garish. And most of the tones were dark, so people couldn’t help but feel dry and depressed looking at this scenery. 

Lin Rufei sighed: “Fu Yu will not be back for another ten days or so, I really don’t feel comfortable giving this invitation to his family.” These family members don’t seem to be very reliable, so it was probably better to hand over the invitation to Fu Yu himself.

Gu Xuandu said, “You’re right, so let’s just stay here for a few days?”

Lin Rufei frowned: “Or live outside instead. If I have to deal with this every day…….”  

Gu Xuandu could not help but laugh: “Then pull out the sword and cut off their heads!”

The two returned to the room they were staying in and saw Fu Hua and Yu Rui teasing Mo Mo. Mo Mo’s state was much better than before. Although he was still hiding in the blanket, at least he was not shivering anymore.

Fu Hua smiled when she saw Lin Rufei return. She quickly rose and said, “Young master is back, how come you don’t look very happy?”

Lin Rufei shook his head to indicate that he was fine, “Have you eaten?”

“Yes. Just now a servant brought in some food and Mo Mo also ate a lot. If you think the food there is not to your liking, why don’t I go and make some porridge for you?” Fu Hua asked, “And make two small side dishes?” She was very experienced and she could tell right away that Lin Rufei hadn’t moved his chopsticks much.

Lin Rufei said, “Alright.”

Fu Hua and Yu Rui got up and went out, leaving only Lin Rufei and the well-behaved Mo Mo in the room. Lin Rufei could not help but reach out and pinch his cheeks and Mo Mo, who was pinched, also did not struggle. He simply looked at Lin Rufei helplessly and blinked his big dark eyes innocently.

When Lin Rufei felt happy with the pinching, he took out a candy from his sleeve and stuffed it into his mouth, whispering, “Mo Mo don’t tell sister that brother pinched you.”

Mo Mo gave a small muffled sound of agreement and chewed the candy in his mouth seriously.

Lin Rufei then revealed a smile. Gu Xuandu, who watched Lin Rufei bully the child from the side, sourly said: “Is pinching his face comfortable?”  

Lin Rufei said, “Not very comfortable.” The meat was too little.

Gu Xuandu’s spirits lifted: “How about you pinch me. I can guarantee that mine is more comfortable than his.” As he said this, he brought his beautiful face closer, indicating Lin Rufei to hurry up and do it.

Lin Rufei revealed a helpless expression saying, ‘senior is already hundreds of years old, can you please not compare himself to a little doll that was only a few years old?’ Gu Xuandu looked stunned and he seemed to be struck by the words, “hundreds of years old.” He stared at Lin Rufei for a while and did not say anything. When Lin Rufei saw this appearance of his, he was reflecting on whether his words were a bit too mean or not. However, he ended up seeing Gu Xuandu, this “stable” senior, reach out with lightning speed to fiercely pinch Mo Mo on the face.

Mo Mo was still eating candy with his cheeks puffed out, but now his face had a red handprint left by Gu Xuandu when he pinched. Although he was pinched like this, he actually did not cry. It probably hurt a little but his eyes only accumulated a thin layer of vapor. After chewing two mouthfuls of sweet candy, the vapor gradually faded as he muttered to himself that it was not painful. 

It just so happened that his maid, Fu Hua, came back. When she saw the red marks on Mo Mo’s face, she said, “Young master, you must be gentle, the child’s flesh is tender, don’t pinch it badly.”

Lin Rufei couldn’t argue and could only glare at the childish senior.

Gu Xuandu laughed unrestrainedly and said, “Hey, it seems that the feeling was pretty good.”

Lin Rufei muttered in a low voice: “Your action was too mean.” 

Gu Xuandu shamelessly said, “I didn’t use any force.”

In Lin Rufei’s heart, he thought: Who could stand your strength, ah? He is just a little doll of a few years old, if you really use your strength, you would pull his face completely off. 

After Mo Mo ate a full meal, he felt sleepy again. Fu Hua and Yu Rui went to find underlings to bring hot water to give him a simple bath.  After he was thoroughly washed, they found out that this child was actually born very cute. They didn’t know what was on his face, but if they didn’t clean it for a long while, they would have not seen his face clearly. However, his body was really thin. His arms and legs were like straws and it made people’s hearts ache. 

(t/n: Straw as in the hay kind.)

Because there was no children’s clothing, Mo Mo simply wore a loose outerwear. He was held in Fu Hua’s arms and she said that he was going to sleep with her tonight. 

Lin Rufei also wanted to sleep with Mo Mo, but there was a senior who was eyeing covetously next to him. In order to avoid Mo Mo having a few extra red marks the next morning, Lin Rufei had to let Mo Mo follow Fu Hua. But a girl’s heart was indeed much more meticulous than a man’s. Although they both have not yet married, they were doing a good job taking care of Mo Mo.

The day was already dark, but the Fu family was still very lively. Through the wall, he could hear the sound of laughter from outside. Lin Rufei strolled around in the courtyard where he was staying at and he always felt that this courtyard looked strange. However, for the moment, he could not find exactly what it was that was strange. In the end, it was Gu Xuandu who woke him up, “There is not a single blade of grass in this courtyard, so it is naturally not too comfortable living here.” 

Lin Rufei was stunned and only then did he realize that there really wasn’t a single weed in the entire courtyard, let alone trees.

“That’s strange.” Lin Rufei bent down and rubbed a bit of the soil. After taking a closer look, he was puzzled, “This soil doesn’t look right.” The black soil was interspersed with some white granular things, which at first glance looked a bit like salt, “There’s salt …… inside the soil?”

Gu Xuandu said, “It seems to be.”

Lin Rufei wondered, “How can there be salt in the soil?”

Although salt was not a rare thing on their continent, it still costed money to buy. Who would deliberately sprinkle salt into the soil?

After thinking for a moment, Gu Xuandu said, “I do know a kind of soil that will contain a lot of salt and after it rains, the salt inside the soil will precipitate out and surface to the top.”

Lin Rufei frowned: “There is such a ground?”

“Yes.” Gu Xuandu said, “Such a ground is where no grass grows and even the most tenacious weeds have no way to survive on it.”

The reason for the lack of grass and trees was found. Lin Rufei threw away the dirt in his hand and wondered, “Is it only their Fu family’s yard where the dirt is like this?”

Gu Xuandu shook his head, indicating that he did not know.

Lin Rufei then planned to find time tomorrow to leave the Fu family to look around. Anyway, there are still about ten days before Fu Yu returns. If he stayed with the Fu family every day, he was afraid he would go crazy.  

In the middle of the night, the noises outside subsided. Lin Rufei lay down on the couch and fell asleep.

After entering the Summer season, the weather was getting hotter and hotter every day. Just as the sun rose in the morning, it made people feel its great power. Plus, there was no shade in the courtyard so it was really hot and irritating.

This kind of weather made Lin Rufei lose his appetite and he could not eat anything. He barely drank half a bowl of thin porridge for breakfast before putting his chopsticks away.

But although he couldn’t eat, Mo Mo’s appetite was excellent. Almost all the leftover food on the table went into his stomach. If not for Lin Rufei stopping him, he could have drunk to the bottom of the pot. His little belly seemed to be connected to something remarkable, it was already bulging, but it seemed to be able to fit some more in.

After Lin Rufei ate, he then found an excuse to take the maids out of the Fu family and as for Mo Mo—he was put into a small pocket by Fu Hua and brought out together.

When they reached the street, the suffocating atmosphere of the Fu family was finally eased. Although the buildings along the road were still exaggerated, at least it was much better than the ancestral house of the Fu family.

Lin Rufei first went to the store to buy Mo Mo a few small clothes that he could wear. He found a corner for him to change and then went to see if there were any interesting snacks around.

But to Lin Rufei’s disappointment, after he strolled the entire village, he did not see any interesting things. The stores were either selling jade or silk, they were almost all expensive items. Places to eat were also formal restaurants and there wasn’t a street vendor to be seen. These things, to Lin Rufei, weren’t interesting at all. He wandered around bored, so he casually found a teahouse and ordered a few cups of tea to kill the heat.

“What the hell is wrong with this Fu Family Village, there is not even a snack.” Lin Rufei has started to miss the malt candy in Gusu city.

Gu Xuandu expressed his agreement. 

Fu Hua and Yu Rui were also too hot to be energetic and said, “Not only are there no snacks, this Fu Family Village actually doesn’t even have a tree.”

“Not only is there no tree, but there’s also no grass either.” Lin Rufei incoherently sipped his tea, “It’s almost like living in the desert.”

“Yes.” Yu Rui said listlessly, “But look outside the village, the grass is very lush, ah …… and crops are also good, ah. There’s just a wall in between, how did it become this way?”

Lin Rufei shook his head, indicating that he did not know.

They then looked at Mo Mo, who was a local, and noticed that he didn’t show the slightest hint of discomfort. He was holding a bowl of tea and drinking it enthusiastically. The taste of this tea was actually not good. Not only was it bitter, but there was also no pleasant aftertaste. Logically speaking, children wouldn’t like to drink it, but apparently, Mo Mo was not the average child. He, who had suffered enough, did not feel the slightest discomfort when he drank the tea. He downed the cup in a breath without any problems. 

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Lin Rufei looked as he seriously drank the tea with his cheeks bulging and his fingers suddenly felt a little itchy. However, given that there was a senior, who liked to create trouble at his side, in the end, he did not dare extend his hand.

“What, is gongzi sleepy?” Fu Hua asked.

“Yes, I’m a bit tired.” Lin Rufei rubbed the corners of his eyes and said weakly, “Is it because it’s too hot?”

“It seems to be a little hot.” Fu Hua said, “Shall I ask them for some ice later? Let’s cool down the room first?”

Lin Rufei nodded and said yes.

The Fu family’s ancestral home was uninteresting and the manor was even more boring, so Lin Rufei wandered around for a while. When he saw the sun getting bigger, he went back.

On his way back, he saw some chubby little children playing in the corner of the Fu family’s manor. From their clothes, they should also be Fu family members and they were quite well-off. They were wearing gorgeous silk and exaggerated jade pendants on their waists with several servants following behind them.

Lin Rufei looked at them a few more times. Those servants also noticed his gaze and glanced towards him. After seeing Lin Rufei, they smiled ingratiatingly and also called out a “Lin gongzi.”

Lin Rufei was a little surprised: “Oh? You know me” He had only been in the Fu family for a day, and he was already recognized.

“It’s because we just received honored guests and the master has instructed us to be in good spirits.” The servant smiled ingratiatingly.

“These children are also from the Fu family?” Lin Rufei asked casually.

“Yes, yes.” The servant replied, “They are the children of the eldest young master, Fu Yu.”

Lin Rufei said, “Fu Yu’s children? Which one?”

The servant hesitated for a moment before answering in a whisper, “All of them ……”

Lin Rufei was stunned. There were five children in this group and they all looked about the same age, but they were all Fu Yu’s children. This Fu Yu was really something.

The servant, seeing Lin Rufei’s look of surprise, had to explain: “Lin gongzi, you do not know, my eldest young master has a total of more than a dozen wives …… so ……”

So it seemed nothing strange to have five children at once.

Lin Rufei originally thought that the superb swordsman Fu Yu would be somewhat different, but now after hearing the servant’s words, his expectations of him instantly dropped to the bottom. Most of the great swordsmen Lin Rufei knew were the kind that was like his second brother—dedicated. Very few of them would indulge in mundane things, but he didn’t expect Fu Yu to be an exception among them.

But in the end, they were in someone else’s territory. Lin Rufei didn’t have a say in this matter, he nodded and then turned to leave. 

“Married a dozen wives …… he really is something, ah.” Yu Rui clicked her tongue in astonishment, “If I have a dozen wives, why would I still practice the sword.” As she said this, she looked at Lin Rufei and blinked, “Speaking of which, young master is almost at the age of marriage, right?”

If a person was in his twenties and had passed the fifth level of cultivation, it was indeed time to start thinking about marrying. However, Lin Rufei’s situation was special. His health was not good and his whole family spoiled him. If he wanted to find a wife, they could probably find one for him immediately. If he didn’t want one, his family certainly would not force him. 

“Next time[3].” Lin Rufei was not interested in this, “If I have that free time ……” might as well practice swordplay with Gu Xuandu. Of course, that last part, Lin Rufei did not say aloud.

The few children looked curiously at Lin Rufei who was an outsider. Their chubby faces were a sharp contrast with Mo Mo’s. However, Lin Rufei didn’t want to have too deep of a contact with the Fu family, so he didn’t say hello to the children and directly went away.

He returned to the room under the blazing sun and Lin Rufei felt his whole body was covered in sweat. When Fu Hua went to go ask for ice, she also asked for a tub of bathing water for Lin Rufei which was just convenient for Lin Rufei to wash his body.

Mo Mo crawled out of the bag and sat obediently on the side. Seeing that he was bored, Fu Hua took a piece of pastry on the table and handed it to him, giving him something to eat and play with. With food, Mo Mo could almost stay quietly on that stool for a day. He was not hungry at the moment, so he didn’t wolf it down like usual and just took small bites as he gnawed on the pastry. After gnawing half of it and seeing that no one was around, he quietly tucked the rest into his clothes. Fu Hua and the others were busy and did not see this action. If they had seen it, their hearts would most likely ache again. 

After Lin Rufei bathed, he changed into fresh clothes and Mo Mo was wiped clean by Yu Rui. He looked at Mo Mo and asked curiously, “Does Mo Mo still remember his given name?”

Mo Mo looked at Lin Rufei blankly.

Lin Rufei said, “It’s one of those three-word names.”

(t/n: Most Chinese names are three characters—Their surname as one character and two characters for their given name.)

Mo Mo stammered, “No, No, I don’t remember.”

Lin Rufei said, “Then who gave Mo Mo this name?”

Mo Mo thought for a long while before seriously saying, “It was …… daddy who gave it……” 

Lin Rufei said, “Daddy? Your father is still around?”

Mo Mo nodded and then shook his head. He looked very confused and cocked his head in distress, “Daddy gave Mo Mo …… so my name is…… Mo Mo.”

The words he spoke were very strange but Lin Rufei did understand. Most likely when Mo Mo’s father left him, he gave him a piece of steam bun in his arms and after that, he took on that name. Mo Mo was still young, so it was normal for him to not remember these kinds of things.  

As he was thinking about this, he heard Gu Xuandu, who was standing next to him, let out a soft sigh.

“Senior, what’s wrong?” Lin Rufei asked.

“This child probably has some sort of relationship with the Fu family.” Gu Xuandu said.

“Why do you suddenly say that?” Lin Rufei wondered.

Gu Xuandu said, “When Mo Mo saw those kids, he kept trembling.”

Lin Rufei said, “Trembling!?” He didn’t even notice. But he didn’t expect Gu Xuandu to actually be so attentive.

Gu Xuandu said, “If Mo Mo didn’t know those kids, I don’t think he should have this kind of reaction.”

When Lin Rufei heard this, his expression instantly became serious. If Mo Mo was really a member of the Fu family, then things have become a bit troublesome. He must have been sent out of the village for some reason and left to fend for himself. He even brought Mo Mo in so rashly. If the Fu family saw this, it would probably lead to disputes……

********

The author has something to say:

Gu Xuandu: I’ll pinch whoever you pinch. 

Lin Rufei: Really?

Gu Xuandu: Yes.

Lin Rufei reached out and pinched Gu Xuandu on the cheek: Who told you to bully the child——

Gu Xuandu: ………….

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[1] Ughhh, I wouldn’t recommend anyone to google this, it’s too cruel. Good thing it’s no longer allowed, but trust me. Don’t. Do. It. 

[2] Idiom: Everyone minds their own business. 

[3] Hard to write it in a few words to match the raws, but the implication here is that LRF says to talk about this matter when the time comes.