Chapter One
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When Gu Yusheng returned home from outside, it was already deep into the night. He hurriedly removed his night attire, hid it away, and changed into his work clothes. He dared not lie on the bed, for fear of falling into a deep sleep. Instead, he sat on the wooden chair behind the window, waiting for the first crow of the rooster—salt workers always rose before dawn, beginning their labor at the very first crow.
Soon, the light in his younger sister Gu Yuru’s room flickered on. She had to go to the communal kitchen at the salt drying field every morning to prepare breakfast for the overseers, so she was always the first to rise and leave home. Gu Yuru had begun learning to cook at the age of six, her hands nimble and diligent—salt workers toiled through the night, making breakfast crucial. She had to prepare meals for dozens of people before dawn and deliver them to the worksite; without quick hands, the task would be impossible.
Next, there was movement in his father Gu Datong’s room—Gu Yusheng knew his father never turned on the light when rising in the morning. The first thing his father did was sit on a wooden stool and smoke a water pipe, producing a distinctive gurgling sound. In the quiet of night, the deep, resonant gurgle from his father’s room was like a string of wake-up chimes, often rousing Gu Yusheng from sleep. Each dawn, amidst the long “chime,” Gu Yusheng had to complete a series of actions—getting up, dressing, washing. By the time the “chime” stopped, Gu Yusheng would be standing at the door, shovel in hand, waiting for his father.
Today, however, he did not hear the gurgling.
He saw his father’s silhouette approach his window, speaking softly, “Yusheng, if you can’t make it, just sleep in for half the day. There are plenty of hands for ‘plowing the field’ today; one less won’t matter.”
Gu Yusheng quickly stood and replied in a low voice through the window, “I’m fine, thank you, Father.”
In the entire salt drying field, aside from Gu Yusheng himself, only his father knew what he did each night dressed in his night attire.
He left his room, locked the door, reached for a salt rake hidden at the base of the wall, slung it over his shoulder, and followed closely behind his father as they left the courtyard, stepping onto the road toward the salt fields.
On the way, his father informed him that in a few days, Miss Qiao Yao, the second daughter of the Qiao family salt shop, would be escorting the wagons to the salt drying field. He added that lately, the salt route had been unsafe and instructed Gu Yusheng to protect her discreetly.
At the mention of Qiao Yao’s name, Gu Yusheng’s face instantly grew warm, his heart pounding like a giant drum.
Miss Qiao Yao was the second daughter of Qiao Wei, the owner of the Qiao family salt shop in Yangcheng. Qiao Wei and his wife Yin Yuanyuan, along with Gu Datong, were disciples of the renowned eccentric swordsman Lou Sanfeng. Qiao Wei and Yin Yuanyuan had two daughters and a son. The eldest, Qiao Qiong, just turned twenty-three and was engaged to Gu Datong’s eldest son, Gu Yuren, though they had yet to marry. The second daughter, Qiao Yao, was born the same year as Gu Yusheng—he in spring, she a few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival—both now twenty-one. Their son, Qiao Guang, turned eighteen and was studying at Yangzhou Prefecture Academy.
The three Gu siblings and the three Qiao siblings had grown up together practicing Lou family swordsmanship. Gu Yusheng had long admired Qiao Yao, but she seemed uninterested in her “senior brother.” Especially since she encountered a masked swordsman who saved her on the salt road two years ago, she had grown even colder toward Gu Yusheng.
Walking, Gu Yusheng slowed his pace, wanting to distance himself from his father, afraid his pounding heart might be heard.
He asked, “Father, in the past, it was always Sister Qiong who escorted the wagons. Why did Uncle Qiao switch to Sister Yao this time?”
Gu Datong kept walking and replied, “I heard your Aunt Yin is handing over the salt shop’s accounts for Sister Qiong to manage. The transfer is underway.”
Gu Yusheng was delighted, saying, “That’s wonderful! Now I’ll have a way to borrow money.” Gu Datong turned his head and asked, “Boy, are you short of money? What do you need it for?”
Realizing he’d misspoken, Gu Yusheng quickly replied, “Father, I meant to say that with Sister Qiong as our future sister-in-law and now in charge of finances, we won’t have to worry about money if our family needs to handle something.”
Gu Datong shot him a glare. “When has Uncle Qiao ever let me worry about money?”
Gu Yusheng fell silent. He looked up at the sky. He noticed that the dawn sky was an enchanting shade of blue, the sea and sky merging into one, both azure. Though the sea’s surface revealed neither ships nor gulls, the bright tidal flats were empty, not a single figure in sight. Yet, the tender waves ceaselessly caressed the sand, murmuring soft, dreamlike whispers that filled Gu Yusheng’s heart with joy.
Everything at dawn seemed beautiful to Gu Yusheng.
Arriving at the salt pool, Gu Yusheng set down his salt rake, quickly removed his cloth shoes, and replaced them with leather boots.
He jumped into the brine pool, the saltwater refreshingly cool. His hands wielded the salt rake, splashing the brine with vigorous slaps, while the iron rake scraped the pool’s bottom with a distinctive “scritch-scritch” sound. Though he had not slept all night, energy coursed through him, for the major decision he had made while hiding atop a tree at Donghe Ferry last night kept him excited.
Soon, a section of the salt pool was finished. Gu Yusheng sat on the embankment to rest. He looked up; the stars still glimmered in the sky. Surveying his surroundings, he saw that under the starlit heavens, all the salt workers were busy: some pushing salt into piles, some carrying salt to heaps, some draining brine, and some “plowing the field”—Gu Yusheng among them, a skilled laborer.
“Plowing the field” meant that each worker, armed with a heavy salt rake, continually stirred the brine in the crystallization pools, much like farmers tilling soil—preventing the salt crystals from hardening together.
Gu Yusheng remembered his father saying that when he worked at the salt fields by the East Sea, there was no such “plowing” step. There, they used the ancient “whirl-flower salt” method—its purpose the same, to break up coarse salt crystals and refine the salt. The “whirl-flower” method was strenuous.
Ten years ago, Gu Yusheng had witnessed his father demonstrate “whirl-flower salt”—under moonlight, in a shimmering brine pool, a strong figure wielded a bamboo pole (with a long rope tied to one end), swinging it with full force: salt flowers splashing, pearls leaping, dazzling in its beauty!
“How robust Father was ten years ago!” Gu Yusheng sighed as he picked up his salt rake and continued “plowing.”
By the time “plowing” ended, dawn was breaking.
Gu Yusheng sat on a mound of sand at the breakfast site (where salt workers ate breakfast), waiting eagerly, hungry for an early meal.
Breakfast was prepared by two young women. One was his sister Gu Yuru, eighteen—a diligent, lovely girl. The other was Xiao Guimu, the only daughter of Xiao Tianjian, the salt field’s guardian, just seventeen, lively and graceful, her smile like a lotus bloom. Her skin was naturally fair, untouched by sunlight, growing even brighter the more she worked outside. She was nimble and efficient, adept at gathering seafood, the best at the salt field. She resembled her mother greatly.
Dawn approached. In the communal kitchen, Gu Yuru was packing the cooked rice into two large wooden buckets, stacking baskets of steamed buns atop each and covering them, forming a carrying load ready for delivery.
She glanced outside the door, then called into the other kitchen, “Guimu, is your dish ready?”
The two girls had divided the labor—Gu Yuru cooked the rice, Xiao Guimu prepared the dishes.
No answer came from Xiao Guimu, only the “ding-ding-dang” of spatula against pot.
Gu Yuru rushed in to find Xiao Guimu at the stove, flipping the spatula while calling to her mother, who was tending the bellows, “Mother, the fire’s too weak, add more... yes, just like that, steady…”
Her mother’s name was Zhao Rouya.
Zhao Rouya pumped the bellows harder, saying, “Girl, we’re not hosting a banquet, why so fussy?”
Xiao Guimu tasted a slice of chili, nodded, “Mother, you wouldn’t understand! This beef stir-fried with chili is my signature dish! Even though it’s for the salt workers, I can’t let my own reputation suffer on their account!”
“Ha, that’s Chef Xiao’s famous dish? Seems ordinary to me… Dawn’s here, hurry and finish up!” Gu Yuru teased.
Xiao Guimu replied slowly, “Yuru, do you smell that rich aroma? Spicy but not overpowering, fragrant and mellow?”
Gu Yuru remained silent.
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Xiao Guimu grinned mischievously at Gu Yuru, “Tempted? Want a taste first?”
Gu Yuru glared fiercely at her, turned, and carried her breakfast load toward the work site.
Gu Yusheng sat on the sand mound, eyes closed, resting.
“Folks, breakfast is ready!” It was his father’s voice, speaking in the central dialect.
After working through most of the night, the salt workers were famished. They quickly gathered at the breakfast site, filling their bowls with rice and dishes, each finding a spot to squat and devour their food.
Gu Yusheng carried a bowl of beef and a large bowl of rice back to his sand mound, sitting down to eat. Perhaps from hunger, he buried his face into the bowl—before long, the entire bowl of rice had vanished, his eating manner far from elegant.
Chewing, he stood up, bowl in hand, ready for more rice.
Xiao Guimu, seeing him, quickly ladled another big scoop of rice, hurrying over, “You eat so fast, you’ll choke!”
Gu Yusheng smiled, holding out his bowl, “Better to choke than starve!”
Xiao Guimu dumped the rice into his bowl, “Eat heartily! Make sure you gobble it down—when Miss Qiao arrives at the salt field, her eyes will be wide open!”
Xiao Guimu had long known of Gu Yusheng’s secret affection for Qiao Yao. She, too, was his childhood companion, and loved him deeply.
Gu Yusheng’s face flushed. He ignored Xiao Guimu and returned to his sand mound, focusing on his meal.
Xiao Guimu followed him, squatting beside him, “Why so angry? I came to refill your bowl, you know!”
Gu Yusheng put a piece of beef into his mouth, “Wouldn’t you be angry? You and Yuru were late today—the sun’s high and we just got breakfast. Were you trying to starve us?”
Xiao Guimu smiled sweetly, “So that’s why you were upset! But we had a reason for being late today.”
Gu Yusheng paused, “What reason?”
Xiao Guimu replied, “Because I wanted to present my signature dish—chili beef—which needed a little extra time.”
Gu Yusheng scoffed, “Chili beef? That’s just a common home dish, what’s so special?”
Xiao Guimu insisted, “Try another piece, chew thoroughly. See for yourself.”
Gu Yusheng complied.
Xiao Guimu watched him, “Isn’t today’s beef different from before? Isn’t it finely sliced, especially fragrant, especially tasty?”
Gu Yusheng nodded, “It is a bit different.”
Xiao Guimu beamed, “That’s right! In a few days, I’ll serve this dish to Miss Qiao and the salt shop brothers.”
Gu Yusheng said, “Qiao Yao doesn’t like chili beef. She prefers seafood, big lobsters…”
Xiao Guimu retorted, “Oh, you know all that so well! Then I won’t give her any lobsters…”
After breakfast, the salt workers rested briefly before resuming work until noon.
Work resumed. Gu Yusheng stood from the sand mound, grabbed his rake, and headed toward a crystallization pool, but Xiao Guimu called him back.
She approached and asked, “Yusheng, tell me the truth—was my chili beef good today?”
Usually, Xiao Guimu addressed him as “Old Second Gu” or “shameless fool,” rarely calling him “Yusheng.” Today, the formality meant something important.
Gu Yusheng responded earnestly, “It was really good.”
Xiao Guimu was delighted, “So the workers weren’t lying!” She drew closer, “Yusheng, I don’t want to stay at the salt field anymore.”
Gu Yusheng asked, “Where do you want to go?”
She replied seriously, “I want to go to Yangcheng.”
Gu Yusheng asked, “What for?”
Still serious, she answered, “I want to open a restaurant in Yangcheng, serve my signature chili beef and seafood like lobster, be a lady boss like your Aunt Yin Yuanyuan.”
Gu Yusheng scoffed, “A girl like you, becoming a lady boss? You think it’s so easy?”
She replied, “Even if I don’t become a boss, I must leave the salt field.”
Gu Yusheng recalled his own decision last night to leave, and wondered if Xiao Guimu had guessed it. Impossible—she could not know.
He continued dismissively, “That dream is easy to realize.”
She asked, “Really? How?”
He said, “Go home and ask Aunt Rouya to find you a good husband in Yangcheng, then marry you off…”
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Before Gu Yusheng could finish, Xiao Guimu kicked at his forehead. Anticipating this, he leapt several yards away, laughing, “Missed!” and went off to the crystallization pool to collect salt.
Xiao Guimu watched his retreating figure, shouting after him, “Old Second Gu, you shameless fool! I confided my plans, and you mocked me…”
In the crystallization pool, Gu Yusheng wore leather rain boots and a straw hat, energetically wielding his salt rake. He gathered the crystallized salt to the center of the pool, then used an iron shovel to load it into the salt carriers’ baskets. Bent over, his arms stretched long as he pushed the shovel. He was tall, with distinct features—a pair of black pearl-like eyes under two slanted brows; below his prominent nose, his dexterous lips, if a bit thinner, would make him a classical beauty.
Years of labor at the salt field and sword practice at the beach had bronzed his handsome face, a testament to his endurance and hard work. He was strong and fit. Though rarely seen reading, he was already a scholar. If not for illness two years ago missing the autumn exams, he might be a provincial graduate or even a metropolitan graduate by now.
At noon, as work ended, his father called him over.
His father led him to a mound of salt, bent down, and scooped up a handful of gleaming white salt, saying, “Yusheng, examine this closely.”
Gu Yusheng looked at his father’s hand, “Father, this salt is white enough. I see nothing amiss.”
Gu Datong relaxed his right hand, letting the salt fall back, then took salt with his left and went to another mound, scooping up a handful, “Compare—what’s different between the salt in my left and right hand?”
Gu Yusheng compared carefully, finding the right-hand salt more uniform, the left-hand salt varying in size, “The salt in your left hand has uneven grains.”
Gu Datong nodded approvingly, “You see! That mound is substandard. Tomorrow, when you bag the salt, don’t include it.”
Gu Yusheng said, “I’ll mark it now, so it’s easy to sort tomorrow.” With that, he inserted a marker into the mound.
His father looked at him with praise.
Returning home, his sister Gu Yuru had prepared lunch. She arranged the dishes on the round table, urging him to eat quickly, as the tide was receding and she planned to go gathering seafood with Guimu after clearing up.
Gu Yusheng ate two bowls of rice hastily, declaring himself full. He told Gu Yuru to clean up and wake him only for dinner. She nodded while clearing the dishes.
He washed up and lay in bed, feeling drowsy after his sleepless night, wanting to fall asleep quickly. Usually, he would instantly drift into deep slumber at this hour, but today, for some reason, sleep eluded him.
He reached for a copy of “Eight-Edged Blade,” flipping through it idly. The room was warm, so he fanned himself with a palm leaf while browsing…
Drowsy, he began to daydream—the fan and book tumbled to the floor.
…On a beach beneath blue skies and white clouds, a wedding procession stretched like a dragon from the distant cape, drums, suona, and waves mingling, echoing over the sea.
Gu Yusheng rode a tall steed beside the bridal palanquin, occasionally turning proudly to glance at the bride within. Today was his wedding day; inside the palanquin was Qiao Yao—the woman he had secretly loved for years, finally becoming his wife.
Home at last, after the ceremony, they entered the bridal chamber, and Gu Yusheng was elated.
Night fell, the guests departed.
Impatiently, Gu Yusheng entered the bridal room. In candlelight, the elegant bride was already making his heart flutter.
He approached the bed, trembling, and lifted the bride’s red veil. Instead, he was met by a pair of cold, large eyes.
Qiao Yao cursed, “Old Second Gu, you cruel, hypocritical scoundrel! You know I love the masked hero, yet you schemed to steal my heart! Let me tell you, though I’m in your hands today, no one but the masked hero will ever touch me, not even you, my so-called groom!”
Gu Yusheng hurriedly replied, “Yao, I am the masked man…” and tried to embrace her.
Qiao Yao jumped up, stepping back to the window, “Go to hell! Don’t touch me…” As she spoke, wings sprouted from her back, and she leapt out the window, flying away.
Gu Yusheng panicked, leaping after her, grabbing one of her wings.
Qiao Yao shouted, “Let go, or I’ll deal with you…”
Gu Yusheng replied, “No, never…”
“It’s already dark, time to get up for dinner!”
Gu Yusheng recognized another girl’s voice. He slowly opened his eyes to see Xiao Guimu sitting beside his bed, smiling at him.
He asked, “What are you doing here?”
She replied, “Your sister Yuru asked me to wake you for dinner.”
Gu Yusheng said, “You go out first, so I can get up.”
Still smiling, Xiao Guimu said, “Hehe, you’re holding my hand too tightly—how can I leave?”
Gu Yusheng glanced down, realizing his hand was gripping hers. Face flushed, he released her.
Xiao Guimu withdrew her hand, stood, “Hurry up for dinner—if you’re late, someone else will take over the big tree at Donghe Ferry…”
So this troublesome girl had long known about Gu Yusheng’s nightly excursions.
Gu Yusheng grumbled, “Get out! Hurry and get out…”