Chapter 4: A Childhood Promise

The little girl Xioer came running from afar. When she saw the young man, she cried out with delight, "Oh, Ninth Brother, I finally found you!"

Xioer had grown much taller since he had first met her. Her delicate brows and eyes were lively and bright, her skin clear as jade. Because she had been running, her little face was flushed red, like two ripe apples.

The young man asked in confusion, "Didn't you go with your mother to Brother Li's house for the wedding feast? How are you back so soon?" As he spoke, he casually plucked a small leaf from Xioer's hair. Today the little girl was wearing a festive dark-red jacket, which made her seem even more exquisite, as though carved from pink jade, endearingly nimble and lovely.

Xioer said happily, "Ninth Brother, it's almost noon. I was afraid you'd be hungry, so after I finished eating I sneaked out. Look, I brought you some tasty things. When I got home, I couldn't find you anywhere, and I thought you must have come to the peach grove to practice. Hehe, and sure enough, I found you here."

As she chattered away, she took a clean handkerchief from her bosom and unfolded it layer by layer. Inside was a grayish-white meat bun, three broken pieces of osmanthus cake, and a small piece of candy.

The icy stillness in the young man's heart suddenly softened, and his throat tightened.

"Ninth Brother, hurry and eat." The little girl held the food out with both hands as if presenting a treasure, lifting herself onto her tiptoes to offer it to him. Her dark eyes, like black jewels, shone with expectation. "These things can only be eaten during festivals or happy occasions. They're very tasty."

The young man extended his slender fingers and picked up a small piece of osmanthus cake, placing it in his mouth. The rough pastry gave off a simple, old-fashioned fragrance. Compared with any delicacies of land or sea he had ever eaten before, it seemed all the more plain and lingering, with a flavor all its own.

"Ninth Brother, is it good? And these too, you should eat them all." When the little girl saw that he had finally eaten, she laughed with delight, her beautiful smile blooming like peach blossoms, radiant beyond measure.

The young man took the little girl's hand and sat beneath a peach tree, gently patting her small head. In a soft voice, he said, "Brother isn't hungry. Xioer should eat the rest."

"Ninth Brother, you eat this piece of candy. I'll save the rest for you." The little girl picked out the precious candy and stuffed it into the young man's mouth, then carefully wrapped up the handkerchief and tucked it back into her bosom.

A faint sweetness spread through the young man's mouth. It seemed he had not tasted candy in a very, very long time. When had he last eaten candy? For a moment, he was somewhat dazed.

Xioer clasped his hand affectionately and looked up at him with wide, blinking eyes. "Ninth Brother, what does getting married mean?"

"Getting married?" The young man came back to himself at last, and could not help but smile ruefully, his face turning a little red. After considering his words, he said, "It means... that a man and a woman who like each other hold a joining ceremony, and from then on live happily together. That joining ceremony is called getting married."

Xioer blinked her big eyes and asked, "Will Ninth Brother someday have someone he likes, and also get married?"

The young man answered shyly, "I... I don't know..."

He only had ten years to live. After ten years, when he would be fully grown, would he still even be in this world? A trace of sadness touched the young man's heart, and he drifted into thought.

The little girl tilted up her head and asked with innocent curiosity, "Then what about me? Ninth Brother, will I get married to someone else in the future?"

The young man took her hand and patiently explained, "When Xioer grows up, she'll naturally find someone she likes, hold a marriage ceremony, and then live happily with that person, growing old together slowly."

Suddenly, the little girl sprang up and cried, "I don't want to marry anyone else, I don't!"

Great tears rolled down her jade-like cheeks, her large eyes brimming with them. She was crying most miserably. "I only like Ninth Brother. I only want to marry Ninth Brother. I don't want to marry anyone else. I only want to grow old slowly together with Ninth Brother... Waaaah..."

Helplessly, the young man wiped away her tears and tried to comfort her. "All right, Xioer will marry Ninth Brother and not anyone else. Xioer is a good girl, don't cry now."

"Ninth Brother, you're lying. Mother said that once your injuries are healed, you'll be leaving. Waaaaah... I don't want Ninth Brother to leave. I want to grow up and marry Ninth Brother. I want to live happily with Ninth Brother forever. Waaaaaah..."

Deeply moved, he felt his heart grow warm enough to melt. While wiping her tears dry, he teased her, "Don't you think Ninth Brother is ugly?"

Xioer lifted her tearful eyes and carefully examined the young man's scar-covered face. With firm conviction, she said, "My Ninth Brother isn't ugly at all. Ninth Brother is the most handsome and clever person I've ever seen. When Xioer grows up, I'll study medicine and cure my Ninth Brother's illness. Even if I can't cure it, it doesn't matter. I won't despise you."

The young man's throat suddenly constricted. An indescribable feeling pressed in his chest. Was it moved? Or warmth? The softest part of his heart slowly melted away. Thinking that once his wounds had healed he would soon have to leave this place that had given him boundless warmth, he could not help feeling a little sorrowful, and a little lost.

Yes. In this vast sea of people, his poison had now reached its critical stage. If he left now, who knew whether he would ever have the chance to see her again in this life?

The young man gently patted the little girl's head and made up his mind. "Xioer, once Ninth Brother has recovered, I'll come back to find you, all right?" As he said this, bitterness welled up in his heart.

Ten years from now, would he still be in this world? By then, would Xioer still remember that once there had been a young man who sat with her beneath the peach tree, while she cried and shouted that she would wait until she grew up to marry him? Would she still remember that an ugly young man had once paused in her life?

The little girl stopped crying and looked at him with tear-filled eyes. Then, through her tears, she broke into a smile. "Really? Ninth Brother, I'll definitely wait for you to come back, definitely! When I grow up, I'll come find you. Let's make a pinky promise."

She held out her plump little pinky finger and hooked it with the young man's slender pale one, then lifted her head and sang cheerfully, "Pinky swear, hang yourself with a rope, one hundred years, no changing mind, whoever changes is a little puppy."

The young man gazed at her with smiling phoenix eyes, and together they made their vow beneath the peach blossoms of Hundred Flowers Village.

After thinking for a moment, the young man removed the jade phoenix from around his neck. Ancient and translucent, it gleamed in the sunlight. He gently put it around the little girl's neck and said, "Xioer, Ninth Brother is giving you this jade. If... if we ever have the chance to meet again in this life, then as long as you take out this jade phoenix, Ninth Brother will surely recognize you."

Xioer asked in surprise, "This beautiful jade phoenix is really for me?" She touched it; it was cool to the touch.

After a moment, she said, "Ninth Brother, when I grow up and have the chance to see you, I'll definitely be able to recognize you too."

The young man nodded and touched the little girl's plump cheek, thinking to himself, Xioer, if Ninth Brother is still alive ten years from now, I will surely come back to find you.

The sun was bright and beautiful. Buds on the peach trees were blooming in profusion, bees and butterflies hummed in flight, and fragrance drifted through the air. Hand in hand, the young man and the little girl walked toward the wooden hut, one tall and one short, their two figures stretching out beneath the blossoms.