‘Of course there is!’ The old man puts his straw hat on the cart. ‘It's warm by the stove. We'll hang them up when we get there.’
I look at Zuobituo, but she's already heading onto the bridge. I hurry after her. Every step squelches.
Across the river, the old man leads the way with his cart. The woman who waved us over walks beside me and asks whether I've got water in my shoes.
‘Only a bit.’
Squelch.
She looks down at my shoes. So do I.
‘Okay. A lot.’
The path through the fields curves round a bamboo grove. Leaves rustle overhead, and a blue-bellied bird darts out between the stems. Its long tail flicks above my head, then it's gone. A few stars are still shining in the daylight beyond the bamboo tops.
I glance back. The Tower's still there behind the mountains, rising through one layer of cloud after another. I tilt my chin a little higher. Still no top.
The village isn't far. Beyond the bamboo are a few houses with earth walls and thatched roofs, cooking smoke spreading slowly above them. White chickens scratch beside a fence. A black pig pushes its snout between the slats to sniff at the passing grain cart. I sniff too. Wood smoke and rice.
The woman glances at the pig. ‘At it again. I only nailed that slat back this morning.’ She pushes the crooked slat into place before walking on.
‘Guiniang, take the young ladies inside,’ the old man says. ‘I'll park the cart.’
‘By the wall, Uncle Younian. Leave the doorway clear.’
‘Yes, yes. I know.’
In the old man's courtyard, I take off my backpack. With the weight gone, I discover that my other shoulder aches too. Zuobituo bends to get through the doorway, her head so close to the frame that I duck as well.
Aunty Guiniang brings me a stool and adds a handful of firewood to the stove. Steam is already coming from the kettle.
‘Water's on. Get those wet shoes off first, young lady.’
I bend over my laces. Peeling the socks off my heels takes ages. By the time I've freed both feet, she's brought the kettle over and mixed the water in a basin. I try it with a toe, then slowly lower my feet all the way in.
Ohhh. Warm water.
I stretch my legs, draw them back again. Nobody hurries me. For a while I just sit there, holding the edges of the stool.
‘Is the water too hot?’ Zuobituo asks.
‘No. It's so nice.’
She moves my backpack from the doorway to beside the stool, with the straps towards me.
By the time my socks are hanging near the stove, Aunty Guiniang has put a bowl of hot soup on the table. Some white slices look like radish. Purple leaves with curled edges float beside them; I've no idea what those are. I cup the bowl in my hands and take a sip. It burns my tongue, but I don't want to put it down.
The old man sits opposite us. ‘Where are you two going?’
‘The imperial capital, Grandpa Younian,’ I say. ‘We're looking for someone.’
‘You've some walking ahead of you, then. You haven't even reached Liudu yet.’
Zuobituo raises her face. ‘Liudu is still there?’
‘Certainly is.’ He shifts his bowl further in to make room for Aunty Guiniang. ‘Been before, have you?’
‘I was there a long time ago.’
He smiles and encourages me to eat. My mouth's full of rice, so I nod. When Aunty Guiniang reaches to give me more, I quickly hug my bowl.
‘Let me finish this first. Really. I can't eat all that.’
She puts the serving spoon away.
The light in the courtyard fades. There's still half a bowl of soup on the table, and I'm taking longer and longer to get my words out.
‘Go and rest if you're sleepy,’ Aunty Guiniang says. ‘The bedding's ready.’
I get up with my empty bowl to help clear things away. She points towards the inner room, takes the bowl out of my hands, and sends me there instead.
The quilt is laid out in the little room. I sit on the edge of the bed. Zuobituo puts my backpack within reach and sits beside me. I line my shoes up underneath. Just knowing I don't have to put my feet back in them makes me happy.
‘Why did you ask about Liudu?’
‘I remember the place. In the past, it was usually five hundred to a thousand years before Shen needed the princesses to return. I did not expect to hear the same name again.’
‘Five hundred…’
I pull the quilt towards me and try to picture Taiwan five hundred years ago. Tamsui's Fort San Domingo wasn't even there yet, was it? All I can come up with is a map from my history textbook.
‘How long has it been this time?’
‘I have not established that yet.’
‘Oh.’
I drag my backpack closer and reach inside for my toy pig. I pull it out by one ear, but its belly gets stuck in the zip. A couple of squeezes and it's free. I pat it, straighten its ear and tuck it under the quilt.
Zuobituo turns her face towards me.
‘It helps me sleep, all right?’
‘I did not ask.’
I'm fifteen. I can sleep with a soft toy if I want to. I hug the pig a little tighter.
Then I lie down with it under my arm. My feet are still warm from the water, snug beneath the quilt.
‘Hey. This morning you said you found Princess Chenyue in a cave too.’
‘Yes.’
‘How did she end up there?’
‘Princess Chenyue was pursued by a demon army while she was on an outing. Her entire escort was killed; she alone was unharmed. Afterwards, she hid.’
‘How did she get away?’
‘She did not flee. She destroyed the demon army herself.’
I've squashed my pig's snout flat. I loosen my arm.
‘She was that strong?!’
‘She had not known she possessed such power. Afterwards, she could not explain it. She was afraid and did not know what to do, so she hid.’
I rub the edge of the quilt between my fingers. If I suddenly killed a whole army of demons with one wave of my hand, I don't think I'd feel much like celebrating either.
I wriggle into the pillow and let my shoulders relax. Zuobituo is still sitting at the edge of the bed, her back perfectly straight. I prop myself up a little.
‘Hey, Zuobituo. Aren't you coming to sleep?’
‘You can lie down. I do not need to. Sitting in meditation allows me to draw on the qi of the Five Elements and refresh myself.’
‘Oh. Right.’
I settle back onto the pillow.
‘Princess Chenyue once asked me to rest, too,’ she says suddenly.
‘Oh? How?’
‘She stood up and offered me her seat, then proposed that we exchange roles for a day. She would be the bodyguard and see to anything that needed doing.’
I lower the quilt a little. ‘Oh, good. Did you sit down?’
‘I first explained that the celestial beings call my role “Keeper of Records”, not “bodyguard”.’
‘…You corrected her first?’
‘She laughed too. In the end, I did as she asked and sat down.’
I tuck my chin under the quilt and laugh into it. My breath is warm against my face.
‘Did she go with you, then?’
‘I told her she might be the Earth Princess. She agreed to accompany me to the Celestial Tower and learn the truth about herself.’
‘Oh…’
I look at her hands resting on her knees. She'll tell me more while we're walking tomorrow, won't she?
‘Let's get an early start tomorrow, then.’
‘Yes. Your socks are still by the stove. We can collect them in the morning.’
‘Nearly forgot.’
‘Tomorrow, on the way, tell me more about the two of you—’
A yawn catches me halfway through and drags the words out.
‘Yes.’
Zuobituo shifts along the bed and sits cross-legged, her hands resting loosely on her knees. I lift the pig out from under my arm and hug it to my chest.
‘Goodnight.’
‘Goodnight, Peach.’
I close my eyes. The quilt is a little heavy, just right across my shoulders. People are talking quietly outside. I turn my face into the pillow and fall asleep.