APSIL -Chapter 53 Though a Thousand Miles Apart, We Share the Same Moon

Under the brilliant moonlight of the fourteenth day of the eighth lunar month, silence blanketed the village homes on either side of the road.

A handsome young scholar and a beautiful young lady walked side by side, welcoming the approach of a birthday they happened to share.

It should have been a perfect scene.

If not for the endlessly bickering master and disciple trailing behind them.

Unable to bear the sarcastic exchanges drifting over from the rear any longer, Zhu Ying suddenly stopped, turned around, and snapped, “Uncle Hua, are you done yet? A-Liu’s still young! Can’t you be a little more accommodating?”

Zhang Shou was equally helpless about the childish argument. Turning around, he caught Hua Qi giving Zhu Ying a rather peculiar look. Retracting his gaze, he instead scolded A-Liu.

“A-Liu. Respect your elders. Stop deliberately provoking him.”

“Oh.”

A-Liu shot Hua Qi a sidelong glance before giving a quiet snort.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

It was rare for Zhang Shou to see such an expressive look on A-Liu’s usually emotionless face.

Before he could react, A-Liu had already kicked off the ground. With a single leap, he landed atop the village rooftops and disappeared into the night.

Zhang Shou blinked in surprise.

The next moment, Hua Qi rubbed his nose, muttered something under his breath, and also vanished after him in a graceful bound.

Watching the pair disappear, Zhang Shou couldn’t help laughing.

So A-Liu was mocking Hua Qi for being a third wheel… Turns out the kid isn’t dull at all.

Beside him, Zhu Ying huffed unhappily.

“Honestly… Uncle Hua has no shame at his age.”

Realizing she’d figured it out as well, Zhang Shou smiled.

In such an atmosphere—perfect for romance—he thought for a moment before deciding to begin with the least romantic topic imaginable.

“Those prisoners we captured said they’d left ten men guarding the foot of the hill. But when we came down just now, there wasn’t a single person… or even a single horse.”

He shook his head.

“If the village uncles really dealt with them… then after living among these people for so many years, what kind of extraordinary folks have I actually been living with?”

Zhu Ying, however, much preferred hearing him talk about the villagers’ everyday lives.

Especially when he marveled at their fighting ability.

“The most surprising one isn’t the villagers,” she declared with a snort.

“It’s A-Liu! When he brought me to Qi Liang’s place to find you, he was so quiet and dull. Who would’ve guessed he was Uncle Hua’s disciple—and such a skilled one at that?”

Zhang Shou wholeheartedly agreed.

“Exactly! That brat is a master at pretending to be slow-witted. He fooled me for years!”

He sounded thoroughly aggrieved.

“When we get back, I’m interrogating him properly. And Old Yang… Xiao Dai’s father Deng Erniu… everyone in this village keeps their mouths sealed tighter than vaults. I’m going to pry every one of them open!”

He looked hopefully at Zhu Ying.

“Yingying, you have to help me. Without the fearsome authority of the Young Lady, I won’t get a single answer.”

“Deal!”

Hearing him naturally call her Yingying, Zhu Ying’s eyes curved into happy crescents.

She agreed without hesitation.

Moonlight bathed her smooth face, making her already long eyelashes appear even more graceful, while her bright black eyes looked directly into Zhang Shou’s.

“I want to know too.”

“My father’s former subordinates… Uncle Hua’s disciple… why are they all here?”

“Because the future son-in-law is here, of course!”

The sudden voice startled both Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying.

Turning around, they saw Old Yang seemingly materialize from nowhere, his face covered with an ingratiating grin.

Zhang Shou was so embarrassed he almost became angry.

“Old Yang,” he said dangerously, “haven’t you ever heard the saying, ‘See nothing improper, hear nothing improper’?”

“Of course not.”

Old Yang chuckled shamelessly.

“But now that Young Master has said it, I understand perfectly.”

He nodded solemnly.

“I should’ve hidden a little longer and waited until Young Master and Young Lady had finished talking before showing myself.”

Zhu Ying hadn’t thought there was anything particularly intimate about their conversation.

But hearing Old Yang put it that way, even someone as bold as she was couldn’t help blushing.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

she scolded.

“Hurry up and tell us the important part! A-Shou was just wondering—what happened to the ten men Ding Hai left guarding the bamboo grove entrance?”

Zhang Shou also asked, “And did they manage to send any messages? Were there reinforcements waiting outside the village?”

Old Yang lightly slapped his own mouth.

“This loose tongue of mine! The Duke used to scold me for it, and after all these years I still can’t help myself.”

Then he smiled brightly.

“Business first, business first.”

“As soon as we heard the fighting up the hill, a few of us made our move.”

“We used blow darts from the Miao regions. One shot each, and taking down those ten men wasn’t difficult at all.”

“And we used anesthetic poison.”

He looked rather pleased.

“The few horses that got hit should recover after a while. Those military horses are worth a tidy sum!”

Zhang Shou was speechless.

Those are military horses from Linhai Camp! And this old man is already calculating how much money they’ll fetch? He’s hopelessly obsessed with money…

Old Yang continued proudly, “As for outside the village, Deng Erniu personally took people to search the area.”

“And when Master Hua met me, he said he’d also brought a force of his own that’s patrolling outside.”

“No fish will slip through the net to disturb the village again.”

Hearing that, Zhang Shou finally relaxed.

Still…

This is the capital region. Where exactly did Hua Qi find a private force he could casually deploy?

Then another thought occurred to him.

Since A-Liu wasn’t at home, only Old Liu and Aunt Liu would be with his mother.

“How’s my family?”

Old Yang laughed.

“I knew you’d ask.”

“Don’t worry. Old Liu is slippery as an eel. Nobody could guard a gate better.”

“His wife is just as capable.”

“As for Madam Wu… naturally she’s worried about you.”

“But once she sees you’re safe, she’ll be perfectly fine.”

“If you’re still concerned, I’ll have someone bring her the news immediately.”

Before Zhang Shou could even respond, Old Yang puffed out his cheeks and let out a shrill cry resembling the call of a night bird.

From somewhere in the distance came an identical reply.

Only then did Zhang Shou realize…

The old man had already answered everything before he’d even had the chance to ask.

But Old Yang wasn’t finished.

Seeing Zhu Ying’s brief annoyance had already vanished, he grinned.

“Young Lady, you have no idea how considerate our future son-in-law is toward the villagers.”

Afraid she didn’t understand Zhang Shou’s arrangements, he enthusiastically elaborated.

“Young Master was worried we’d suffer casualties fighting the rebels head-on. Since he also wanted to fight alongside you personally, he deliberately lured the enemy deep into the village…”

“If you don’t speak, nobody will mistake you for mute!”

Zhang Shou almost wanted to chase the old man away.

Where did he learn to act like a matchmaker?

Realizing he’d gone too far, Old Yang hurriedly changed the subject.

“I just met Master Hua.”

“He said hardly anyone was hurt in the bamboo grove.”

“We did pretty well ourselves! Capturing those ten men was so smooth that not even a scratch was left on anyone.”

He laughed heartily.

“If all rebel troops were this easy to deal with, I’d gladly take on another hundred!”

Zhu Ying had already forgotten she’d been annoyed at the old man spying on them.

Her face lit up with delight.

“Exactly! There weren’t even enough of them to fill the gaps between my teeth.”

Seeing Zhu Ying enthusiastically agreeing with him made Zhang Shou’s temples throb.

Having already suffered once tonight because of his own careless words, he quickly coughed loudly, interrupting the old man and the young lady.

“It’s almost midnight.”

(In reality, it wasn’t even nine o’clock yet.)

“Tomorrow is Yingying’s birthday.”

“The Dowager Madam of the Zhao State Duke’s residence even sent longevity noodles over.”

“But there aren’t enough for the entire village.”

(The silver-thread noodles had arrived by the cartload—more than enough for everyone to have a bowl.)

“So, Old Yang.”

“Go spread the word.”

“Tomorrow we’ll hold a grand village banquet.”

“We’re celebrating Yingying’s birthday.”

Enough thinking about rebels. Go think about birthday preparations instead!

His clumsy attempt to change the subject actually worked.

Old Yang repeatedly agreed before slipping away.

After running some distance, however, he suddenly turned back and shouted, “Tomorrow isn’t just the Young Lady’s birthday!”

“It’s also yours, Young Master!”

“We should celebrate both of them properly!”

Although Zhu Ying’s face glowed with happiness, she still hesitated.

“Wouldn’t that be making too much fuss?”

Zhang Shou answered with complete seriousness.

“What’s so excessive about it?”

“I’ve heard that in many places, when an elderly villager celebrates a birthday, long banquet tables stretch across the entire street for three days and three nights.”

“We’ve just survived a major crisis.”

“It only makes sense to reward everyone’s hard work with a feast and put everyone’s minds at ease.”

“This isn’t making a fuss.”

“It’s celebrating together.”

“All right.”

Zhu Ying smiled sweetly and nodded.

Then she looked up at the full moon hanging high in the sky.

The smile on her face slowly faded into melancholy.

“A-Shou…”

“Did you know?”

“My father said my name came from the full moon on the night I was born.”

“Most people compare white jade to purity.”

“But Father always preferred to say…”

“Luminous as the moon.”

Her voice grew softer.

“Every birthday before this, Father, Elder Brother, Grandmother, and Second Brother celebrated with me.”

“But this year…”

As he watched the cheerful young lady’s eyes gradually redden, Zhang Shou instinctively reached out.

Yet just before his hand touched her beautiful face, he stopped.

Instead, he withdrew a handkerchief from his sleeve and offered it to her.

“Su Dongpo said it best in Prelude to Water Melody.”

He recited quietly,

“People know sorrow and joy, parting and reunion;
The moon waxes and wanes, full and bright or dim.
Such perfection has never existed since ancient times.
May we all be blessed with long lives,
Though a thousand miles apart, we share the same moon.”

Smiling gently, he continued, “If I were your father…”

“With a daughter as wonderful as you, I’d overcome every hardship and return victorious.”

“If I were your elder brother…”

“With a sister like you, even if I had to grow wings, I’d fly safely across every obstacle.”

“Yingying…”

“Believe in them.”

“Nothing can truly separate people bound by blood.”

Not even life and death…

Zhu Ying turned toward him.

The tears shimmering in her eyes transformed into joy.

After wiping them away with the handkerchief, she nodded vigorously.

“You’re right.”

“A-Shou…”

“I think when your parents gave you your name, they must have wished for you to live a long, healthy, pain-free life.”

“We were born on the same day.”

“Our names both carry our elders’ greatest hopes for us.”

“So…”

“We have to live well.”

The moment Zhu Ying smiled through her tears, Zhang Shou felt it clearly.

The heart that had lain dormant for so long…

Stirred, ever so slightly.