The Jianghu is Full of Vests (GL) - Chapter 4

The two of them returned to the alley, and Ding Yi kept glancing at the limp arm hanging by Fu Peibai’s side, his expression hesitant.

After a long while, he took off his straw sandals, reached under the insole, and pulled out a string of copper coins, holding them up to Fu Peibai with a nod. “Come on, let’s go see a doctor.”

Fu Peibai was a little surprised. How had he kept such hard copper coins hidden under his feet? Didn’t it hurt to walk with them pressed against his soles?

She waved her hand, declining. “No need.”

They had only known each other for a few hours, and yet Ding Yi was willing to offer up his “entire wealth” to help her see a doctor. It was impossible not to feel touched. But after her parents were poisoned and killed because of a betrayal in Huai Liu Village, she had learned to keep a layer of wariness and caution when interacting with others.

“Ah, don’t be so modest,” Ding Yi said, laughing. “I told you, we’re just meant to be! Come on, let’s go check that arm of yours. What if it causes some lasting damage? You’ll end up crippled. Besides, didn’t you say you wanted to learn martial arts? How are you going to use weapons with a broken arm?”

Fu Peibai’s gaze flickered. She hesitated for a moment, then softly agreed, “Alright. Thank you, I’ll repay you a hundredfold in the future.”

Ding Yi didn’t take her words to heart. He led Fu Peibai toward the West Market. By this hour, most clinics were closed, but he knew of a place that would still be open.

After walking around for a quarter of an hour, they stopped outside a simple, rural courtyard. Ding Yi swaggered up to the gate, pushed it open, and, seeing that the wooden house was brightly lit inside, kicked open the door and shouted, “Old Wen, I’m here!”

Inside the house, an elderly man with a white beard was carefully studying a small object. The loud noise startled him, and he sucked in a sharp breath. He blew his beard in annoyance, but when he saw who it was, he immediately pushed Ding Yi out of the door. “Go away, go away! You brat are going to scare me to death one of these days!”

Ding Yi grinned. “Don’t be like that, I’m here for something serious. I’ll buy you some wine to make up for it later.”

The old man grumbled, “You beggar want to buy wine? Stop blowing smoke! Just get to the point. My ‘Eight-sided Clever Dice’ still isn’t solved.”

Seeing that the old man was distracted, Ding Yi quickly dragged the thin, scrawny person standing in the courtyard over and pointed at Fu Peibai. “Here, take a look at her arm. Is it broken or what?”

The old man gave Fu Peibai a fleeting glance, his tone softening. “Come inside.”

The three of them entered the small house, which could barely be described as anything but bare. There was a set of table and chairs in the center, a broken cupboard, and in the corners, a few layers of dry straw covered by a mat—barely a “bed” by any means.

“Sit down. Try to lift your arm and see how it feels.”

Fu Peibai sat down as instructed and tried to raise her arm. The moment she applied any force, a sharp pain shot through her elbow.

“That’s enough,” the old man waved his hand and stopped her. He lifted her limp arm and began feeling along it. After a moment, he placed his hand over the joint and suddenly muttered, “Look over there.”

Fu Peibai and Ding Yi turned their heads just in time to see the old man press down on her arm with one hand and, with the other, twist her joint back into place. A loud crack echoed through the room as her dislocated joint snapped back into position.

Fu Peibai stifled a grunt, nearly crying out, but she gritted her teeth and swallowed the pain. Her face turned pale, and a few beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead.

The old man glanced at her, surprised. “This girl has a high pain tolerance.”

“Girl?” Ding Yi’s mouth hung open, his face filled with disbelief. “You’re a girl?”

Fu Peibai retracted her arm and answered flatly, “I never said I was a man.”

Ding Yi stood up and began walking around her, inspecting her from every angle. “This… this… this doesn’t look like the way a girl should look.”

The old man chuckled. “This girl’s bone structure is more robust than most women’s. She has a bit of a heroic air to her features. No wonder you didn’t recognize her.”

Ding Yi, still struggling to accept the revelation, looked like he had just been punched in the stomach. After a long silence, he finally asked the old man, “How did you figure it out?”

The old man stroked his beard, clearly pleased with himself. “What’s so difficult about it? I’m the world’s greatest physician. I’ve seen countless people. You can fake being a man, but you can’t change your bone structure. Most people wouldn’t notice, but I can tell at a glance.”

Ding Yi rolled his eyes and leaned toward Fu Peibai, whispering, “Don’t mind him. He’s just dreaming. He’s full of nonsense about being the greatest physician.”

The old man continued his monologue, puffing himself up with pride as he noticed Fu Peibai’s eyes glued to the Eight-sided Clever Dice on the table. He asked, “Do you know how to play with these?”

Fu Peibai silently extended a hand and picked up the oddly-shaped dice. Her fingers nimbly flipped it, rotating it so that each side returned to its original position, all the numbers aligning perfectly.

The old man’s eyes widened in shock. He snatched the dice from her hands and examined it closely. This clever little puzzle had confounded him for days, yet she had solved it so easily?

“How… how did you do that?”

Fu Peibai lowered her eyelids and gazed at the corner of the table. “My younger brother liked to play with these. I used to play with him a lot. After watching him, I got the hang of it.”

The old man was about to ask if her brother was also good at solving it when Ding Yi subtly tugged at his sleeve and whispered, “She’s from the West.”

The old man’s excitement faded immediately. He scratched his head and said, “I spent three days on this and couldn’t crack it. But you, little girl, solved it in no time. I truly admire you.”

“It’s nothing,” Fu Peibai replied casually. “It’s all about technique. Once you know the trick, you can apply it to similar puzzles.”

“Oh? There’s a shortcut? Tell me, tell me!”

“Hey, Old Wen,” Ding Yi interrupted, “I brought her here to see a doctor, not to teach you tricks. Once you’re done with her arm, you need to look at her face too. Her eye’s swollen to the size of a dumpling. What if she goes blind? You need to check for internal injuries too, hurry up.”

With that, Ding Yi pulled a string of copper coins from his pocket and slapped them down on the table.

The old man smacked his forehead, realizing he’d gotten too caught up in the puzzle. Medical treatment came first. He rushed outside and rummaged through a large jar for a moment, then returned with some dried herbs. He chewed them for a while, spat them out, and slapped the resulting paste onto Fu Peibai’s wound.

Ding Yi grimaced and shouted, “That’s disgusting!”

The old man paid him no mind. “When your head was split open two years ago, I treated you like this.”

Ding Yi quickly spat a few times in disgust.

Fu Peibai remained perfectly still, not even blinking, as she sat quietly while the old man applied the medicine to her wounds.

Once the treatment was done, she thanked him softly, “Thank you, old sir.”

“It’s nothing, no need to thank me,” the old man replied dismissively.

Ding Yi saw that the external injuries had been treated, so he urged, “Old man, check her pulse, see if she has any internal injuries?”

In truth, there was no need to check her pulse to know. The moment the old man looked at Fu Peibai, he saw her pale face, hollow eyes, cracked lips—she was clearly malnourished. A little meat would fix her right up.

The old man hesitated, conflicted for a while, before finally going to the yard and cutting off a piece of dried cured meat.

Ding Yi’s eyes lit up as he followed the meat with his gaze.

The old man sighed and waved the meat in front of Fu Peibai’s face. “This two liang of meat is from the finest pork belly. I’ve kept it for months but never had the heart to eat it. Now, I’ll make a deal with you. If you help me crack this puzzle, I’ll trade you this meat.”

Fu Peibai didn’t respond, but Ding Yi was quick to speak up, eager to agree on her behalf. “Yes, yes, yes! Cook it up already.”

The old man kicked him lightly. “Mind your own business. I’m asking the lady here, not you. This meat isn’t for you.”

Fu Peibai glanced at Ding Yi, meeting his expectant look. She nodded slightly in response.

Before long, smoke from the cooking fire rose into the night sky of the little farmhouse courtyard.

The three of them sat on empty wine jars like makeshift stools, gathered around the stone table, staring at the blackened dish in front of them.

Ding Yi hesitated, unsure if he could eat. He asked suspiciously, “Is this even edible?”

The old man, too, was a bit uncertain. He could only guarantee that the meat was cooked thoroughly, but the rest was anyone’s guess. Still, it was his own cooking, and he couldn’t let himself lose face. He picked up his chopsticks first.

“Well, it won’t kill you.”

He picked up a piece of the blackened meat and chewed slowly. It was tough enough to almost knock out one of his old teeth. The surface was burnt, and the taste was slightly bitter. He hastily followed it up with a bite of cold cornbread, chewing and swallowing it all with difficulty.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he casually said, “Hmm, not bad, not bad. Looks like my cooking skills are improving.”

Ding Yi, still suspicious, picked up a piece and reluctantly put it in his mouth. After a moment, his face twisted in disgust, and he spat it out. “Pfft, what is this? Is this meat or stone? Old man Wen, are you trying to fool us with rocks?”

While the two of them bickered, Fu Peibai, with a calm expression, began eating. She ate steadily, bite after bite, with the cornbread. She didn’t rush, her pace slow but steady. As she ate, her eyes reddened, and her throat tightened.

This was probably the best meal she’d had in over half a month. During that time, she had been living off wild vegetables and fruits, sometimes so hungry that she almost chewed on tree bark.

Seeing this, the other two stopped their arguing. They fell silent, and the three of them quietly finished the dish of cooked meat.

Afterward, the old man, eager to continue his work, dragged Fu Peibai back into the house. He pulled a large box out of the corner, as if showing off a treasure, and placed it on the ground. He opened the box grandly and waved his arm. “These are all the intricate items I’ve collected over the years. The ones on the left are the ones I’ve figured out, and the ones on the right are still unsolved. Take a look and see if you can help me with these.”

Ding Yi, scratching his head, now unsure how to address Fu Peibai, said, “Old man, it’s late. Even the landlord doesn’t exploit people like this. Fu, Fu…,” he paused, unsure, now that he knew Fu Peibai was a woman. Calling her “bro” didn’t feel right.

“How should I address you?”

“Just call me Peibai.”

Ding Yi frowned, “Just calling you by your name feels too distant. You look younger than me, so I’ll call you Xiao Bai from now on.”

Ding Yi continued, “Now, Xiao Bai, let’s head back. We’ve been at this all night, it’s time to rest.”

The old man glared at him. “Where are you going? Back to your drafty alleyway? Please, stop bothering. She’s a girl, and there’s a difference between men and women. You’re not trying to sleep with her, are you?”

Ding Yi’s eyes widened. “Of course not! I always considered Xiao Bai a brother! She’s got nowhere else to go, so she’ll have to stay with me for now. But I, Ding Yi, may be a beggar, but I’m upright and honorable. I won’t take advantage of anyone. Xiao Bai, you can trust me.”

Before Fu Peibai could speak, the old man cut in again. “No, no, no. Here’s the thing, I have a space that used to be a herbal shop, and now it’s empty. It’s not much, but it’s clean and sheltered. Fu, you can stay here for now. It’ll also give me a chance to ask you more about your puzzle-solving skills.”

Ding Yi couldn’t help but protest, “What’s this, favoritism? I’ve asked you to let me sleep in there many times, but you always refused. Now, Xiao Bai comes, and you just let her in? What’s going on here?”

The old man waved him off. “Go, go, go. What’s it to you? You don’t even wash for ten days at a time. You smell awful. I’m letting her in to save my life. Besides, you’re a grown man. You shouldn’t be comparing yourself to a lady. A man should live under the sky and sleep on the ground. What’s wrong with that? Hurry up and leave, or I’ll throw you out.”

As the two of them continued bickering, Fu Peibai quietly sat to the side, feeling no need to interrupt. She had planned to say that she didn’t need the shelter and that she could sleep in the alley, but the matter was settled between the two men before she could speak.

In the end, Fu Peibai ended up staying in the old man’s herbal shop.

She had no objections. Having a roof over her head was already a great stroke of luck.

After Ding Yi left, she raised her now-healed arm and, recalling the proper gestures her father had taught her, made a standard bow of thanks.

“Thank you, sir.”

The old man, noticing Fu Peibai’s frail frame, didn’t need to ask what kind of hardships she had endured to get here. He spoke gently, “It’s nothing, young lady. I haven’t even asked your full name yet. What is it?”

“Fu Peibai.”

The old man chuckled. “I’m Wen Xuefeng. Just call me Wen Bo.”

“Thank you, Wen Bo.”