Chapter 00218: Rain Beats the Tattered Banana Leaves (2)
# Rain Beats the Tattered Banana Leaves (2)
Chapter 218
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 218: Rain Beats the Tattered Banana Leaves (2)
"Since it's called World, it should have content from both home and abroad. First, adapt Taiji into a novel. Then, look into those ancient historical romances and the works of the eight great masters of old-school martial arts—Wang Dulu, Bai Yu, Zhu Zhenmu—see which ones are suitable and rewrite them. For example, in Wang Dulu's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, there's a character named Yu Jiaolong. Sort out her storyline and make it a standalone piece. When I get to Hong Kong, I’ll find some Western short stories and novellas to send back for you to publish. We’ll also include some bizarre tales, like assassins targeting Chuan Bao, how Chuan Bao is the chosen one destined for restoration… Then, we’ll put out a call for submissions to attract contributions from the public. That should just about cover it..."
Aside from this, Chen Qi also provided an "original outline" called Five Phoenixes Facing the Sun Blade.
This martial arts novel was a rare masterpiece by a mainland author, later adapted into a storytelling performance, but it hadn’t been published yet.
World Tales was set to be a bimonthly publication, with two serialized novels and three short-to-medium-length stories per issue—plenty of content.
Reprinting Western fiction was a major source of material—both for its novelty and the fact that, in those days, they didn’t have to pay copyright fees.
Liang Xiaosheng agreed to take on the role of editor-in-chief and soon threw himself into the magazine.
He probably wouldn’t have time to write serious literature anymore—his life’s path had been thoroughly derailed by Chen Qi.
But at least he’d make money much earlier.
As they ate and drank, the sky gradually darkened.
Outside, a light drizzle began to fall.
Liang Xiaosheng raised his glass and proposed, "It’s getting late. We should call it a night. One last toast—to Comrade Chen Qi’s journey to Hong Kong! May it be smooth sailing and success at every turn!"
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Beer, liquor, and soda—all were downed in one go.
As the dinner ended, the group offered to help clean up, but Chen Qi laughed and said, "Forget it. You men can stay out late, but she can’t. Hurry up and take Jiao Dan home!"
"It’s fine, I’ll help clean up before leaving!" Jiao Dan insisted.
After some back-and-forth, Liang Xiaosheng finally drove off with Jiao Dan.
Li Lianjie also wanted to help, but Ji Chunhua suddenly had a burst of cleverness and shot him a look, saying, "Brother Qi, we have an early shoot tomorrow, so we should get going too."
"Oh, alright. Be careful on the road—it’s raining!"
"Got it. We’ll throw you a welcome-back party when you return from Hong Kong!"
With that, Ji Chunhua dragged Li Lianjie away.
The vast courtyard was suddenly left with just the two of them.
Chen Qi closed the main gate and walked back inside.
Gong Xue glanced at the lights on either side and the empty rooms, rubbing her arms.
"It was a good idea to have them move in. Otherwise, it’d be terrifying at night."
"Yeah. I stayed here alone the other night and woke up in the middle of it, feeling like someone was watching me from the shadows. I turned on all the lights and planned to stay awake till dawn, but then—poof—they all went out at once. Just like that... Ah!"
Chen Qi suddenly startled her.
Gong Xue jumped, her hair standing on end.
"Are you out of your mind?!"
She ignored him and headed straight for the backyard.
Chen Qi followed, grinning as he helped her clean up.
There was still plenty of food left, and Gong Xue scooped the leftovers into a large bowl.
"Should I put this in your Wanli cabinet?"
"No, no! That thing’s hundreds of years old—you can’t just dump leftovers in it!"
"But isn’t that what cabinets are for?"
"Not this one. It’s an antique now—just for display. I even have to maintain it regularly. It’s more precious than I am."
Gong Xue rolled her eyes and covered the leftovers with a bamboo lid to keep bugs away.
"Check it tomorrow. It’s not too hot today, so it might not spoil. If it does, don’t eat it. It’s late. I should go."
"Wait, come with me."
"What for?"
"I have something for you."
They entered the main bedroom in the backyard.
Unlike the rest of the house, this room was thoroughly modern—a large bed with an imported mattress, a television, a radio, an electric fan, and so on.
The lights were bright, their reflections clear in the large glass windows.
Chen Qi pulled three keys from a drawer.
"One for the main gate, one for the inner gate, and one for the side gate. I’m giving them all to you."
"Why are you giving them to me?"
Gong Xue’s face flushed.
"I finally finished building this place, and now I can’t even live in it. I’ll be gone for months, leaving it full of outsiders. No matter how close we are, I’d still worry. But you’re different. While I’m away, you can make decisions here on my behalf."
"Then I’ll sell everything while you’re gone!"
She huffed.
"Sell whatever you don’t like. It’s all yours now... Oh, right!"
He pulled out a thick envelope.
"There’s five thousand yuan inside, plus some overseas remittance coupons... Let me finish! When I’m not around, I’ll worry about you. If something happens, I might not be able to get back in time, or you might need money urgently. If you have this, I’ll feel better. I know I’m rambling, but you get what I mean, right?"
"I do, but I can’t take your money."
"Come on!"
Chen Qi grabbed her bag and stuffed the envelope inside, then checked if he’d forgotten anything.
"Alright, that’s everything settled. Now I can leave with peace of mind."
"Don’t say things like that—it’s bad luck!"
Boom!
A loud clap of thunder rolled across the sky, and the rain outside intensified.
Gong Xue chuckled.
"See? Don’t speak carelessly. The heavens are watching—"
Boom!
Another thunderclap cut her off, and then—flicker—the lights went out.
Both of them jumped.
Chen Qi cursed, "Damn it! The power’s so unreliable—always cutting out during storms. It’s like they want ghosts to show up!"
"Stop talking! Light the candles!"
Gong Xue was clearly frightened.
Chen Qi fumbled for a pack of candles, lit three, and the room brightened again.
But the flickering light against the windows only made the courtyard outside seem eerier.
He quickly yanked the curtains shut.
"..."
Gong Xue glanced at the curtains, then at him, biting her lip.
"I should go."
She turned to leave but didn’t get far before Chen Qi grabbed her.
"Leave in this weather? Stay here."
"That’s not proper!"
"You can sleep in the opposite room. It’s just as nice."
"..."
Her face burned red to the tips of her ears, though the candlelight mercifully hid it.
After a long pause, she finally gave a soft, "Mm."
…………
The only good thing about this era was that a power outage didn’t stop you from doing plenty of things—like boiling water.
A small stove and some coal briquettes quickly heated a full kettle.
The guest bedroom also had a large bed with an imported mattress, though it lacked a television.
In the dim candlelight, Gong Xue washed up, removed her blouse to reveal a small undershirt, then took off her pants, leaving her legs bare beneath a pair of vintage floral-patterned underwear.
She sat on the bed, her mind blank, lost in thought.
Then—footsteps.
She startled, looking around frantically before diving under the covers, wrapping herself tightly in a thin blanket.
"Done washing up? Oh, already in bed?"
Chen Qi walked in with a candle, amused to see her cocooned like a silkworm.
"I was going to help you with the water."
"No need. It’s still raining."
"Oh, well, here’s some hot water. Drink if you’re thirsty—I’ll leave the cup here. Should I blow out the candle?"
"No! I’ll be scared if it’s dark."
"Then leave it lit. Call if you need anything."
But instead of leaving, he just stood there, staring at her.
"What are you looking at?!"
She felt like his gaze was melting her, like the burning wax of the candles.
Her body grew warm, and she couldn’t take it anymore—with a soft whimper, she buried herself under the blanket.
Then, she felt him approach, his familiar scent enveloping her.
She reached out and pulled him close, murmuring, "Xiao Chen... Xiao Chen..."
"Ah Qi~"
That night, the wind howled through fallen leaves, and the rain beat down upon tattered banana leaves.
(Thanks to Confused Zhang for the alliance...
That’s all!)
(End of Chapter.)