I Am Immortal in Great Yu

Chapter 209: Chapter 87: Picking Flowers (2)

—The paints and other supplies had all been made by Fang Rui; they were their birthday gifts from last year.

Fang Rui was fishing a short distance ahead. Unbothered that he hadn’t caught anything, he swayed the Yellow Gourd at his waist and occasionally took a sip of wine.

The head maidservant, Qing Yun, sat on a nearby blanket, looking after the two little girls and tilting her head to glance at Fang Rui every so often.

”What are you looking at, Qing Yun?”

”I’m looking at you, Master! The way you are now... you’re like a character out of a story. Your presence... I’m not good with words, but it just feels so nice.”

”Hahaha!”

Fang Rui laughed. ”I’m just being myself, doing as I please. Resembling a character from a story is purely a coincidence.”

”Well said, young friend!”

Just then, Ge Changgeng of White Cloud Temple, also known as Scholar Fu Yun, arrived with a Child in tow.

The two were what you might call fishing buddies.

Fang Rui suspected Ge Changgeng was a Spirit Cultivator, but he had no desire to covet the man’s heritage. Even before he had access to channels through the Government Office, back when he had no connections at all, he had never harbored any malicious intent.

As an Immortal, he was naturally patient. He simply treated him as a friend; true character is revealed through shared hardships and the test of time.

If it led to something more, great. If not, it didn’t matter.

So, Fang Rui never made a special effort to get close to Ge Changgeng. Their few encounters were always casual. They might share a meal and exchange a few words before quickly going their separate ways.

It was a perfect example of the saying: a gentleman’s friendship is as mild as water.

Ge Changgeng greeted Fang Rui, then led the Child to another spot to begin fishing on their own.

The landscape of mountains and water unfolded before them, the surrounding wilderness vast and empty. Water birds occasionally took flight only to land again.

In this way, time slowly drifted by.

Noon.

Fang Rui hadn’t caught a single fish.

Fang Ling and Nannan, on the other hand, had lost patience with their painting. They had gone off to play, breaking the ice and using a hot poker from the fire to melt a hole, through which they managed to catch a few small fish.

Just then, the two little girls were huddled together with their backs to Fang Rui, whispering conspiratorially.

”Our brother didn’t catch any fish all morning. The poor thing!”

”Yeah! Yeah! Brother Ah Rui didn’t catch any fish. He must be so sad!”

...

A moment later, their discussion concluded, Fang Ling and Nannan came over hand-in-hand. They told Fang Rui that he could have the little fish they’d caught for lunch, and they would just eat pastries.

”Haha, no need for that,” Fang Rui said with a laugh. ”I said I’d grill fish for you, and that’s what we’ll have. Just watch, I’ll go borrow a big fish for you!”

”Are you going to borrow from Grandpa Daoist?” Fang Ling asked, a smug ’we already thought of that’ look on her face. ”We just went over to look, and he’s only caught a few little fish too!”

”Little fish! Little fish!” Nannan bobbed her head, echoing her friend as always.

”I’m not borrowing from that Daoist.”

Fang Rui shook his head and looked out over the water. ”Here comes the fish!”

Just then, a White-headed Gull flew overhead, a large fish clutched in its beak. A pebble shot through the air and struck the fish, which fell, still flapping, directly into Fang Rui’s hands.

”Whoa, Brother, you’re so mean! You stole the White-headed Gull’s fish!” Fang Ling cried out.

”Mean! Mean!” Nannan, as always, was Fang Ling’s faithful echo.

”What do you mean, ’stole’? I borrowed it. I’m the one who broke open the fishing holes they’re using. Besides, I can always give it half after I grill it.”

As he spoke, Fang Rui gutted the large fish, seasoned it, skewered it on a stick, and began to grill it over the fire.

And so, the two little girls who had just sworn they wouldn’t touch this ”ill-gotten fish” were soon eating with such gusto that their faces shone with grease.

The White-headed Gull circled overhead.

True to his word, Fang Rui tossed a large piece of the grilled fish up to it.

SQUAWK!

After the White-headed Gull snatched the piece of fish and flew off, it returned a short while later. As if in thanks—or perhaps hoping Fang Rui would grill some more—it dropped two or three more large fish near them.

Fang Rui didn’t mind in the slightest. He turned into a grill master, roasting all three fish at once.

”White Cloud Scholar, have you eaten? Come join us!” he called out.

”Coming!”

Ge Changgeng didn’t stand on ceremony. He brought Tong’Er over, and they ate and drank heartily. He even exchanged a drink from his gourd with Fang Rui. When they were finished, they returned to their spot.

In the end, the four of them—Fang Rui, the head maidservant Qing Yun, Ge Changgeng, and his Tong’Er—ate two of the grilled fish. The last one was given back to the White-headed Gull.

...

Midafternoon.

The clouds grew dark and heavy. A flurry of snow pellets danced on the wind as the snow began to fall again.

Fang Rui got up with Fang Ling, Nannan, and the head maidservant Qing Yun, ready to return to the city.

”Aren’t you leaving, Daoist?” he called out in Ge Changgeng’s direction.

Just then, Ge Changgeng’s attendant, Tong’Er, brought out straw rain capes for his master and himself, and they each put one on.

”In slanted wind and gentle snow, there is no need to return,” Ge Changgeng said.

”Are you leaving, young friend?” he then asked.

”I came on a whim, and with the snow starting, my whim is satisfied. It is time to return.”

Fang Rui waved a hand, signaling that Ge Changgeng needn’t see them off. He then led Fang Ling, Nannan, and the head maidservant Qing Yun away, departing with a carefree air as they went their separate ways from Ge Changgeng’s party.

SQUAWK! SQUAWK!

Just then, the White-headed Gull flew over and dropped two more large, flopping fish.

”Haha, so much for dinner!”

Fang Rui picked up the fish and walked away, laughing heartily.

Tong’Er watched Fang Rui’s party leave. ”Master,” he said, ”that man is so strange!”

”He is a remarkable man,” Ge Changgeng said, lightly stroking his beard.

When the group reached their horse-drawn carriage.

Fang Rui looked back to see Ge Changgeng and his Tong’Er still fishing by the shore of Mochou Lake. Amidst the vast, swirling snow, they blended into the scenery with an ineffable sense of harmony.

The scene strongly evoked the famous line of poetry: ’An old man in a lone boat and straw cape, fishing alone in the cold river’s snow.’

”Master, that Daoist is a very interesting man!” the head maidservant Qing Yun said with a smile.

”He is. A man of character.”

Fang Rui helped Fang Ling, Nannan, and the head maidservant Qing Yun into the carriage. He then took the reins himself, and the carriage swayed along, making its unhurried way back toward the city.