Breathing in deeply, he proceeded onward, eventually arriving at the shore of the North Sea. He looked down, and on the surface of the calm lake, he could see his reflection in the water. He was no longer a youth. He looked to be about 20 years of age. His face appeared steadfast and resolute, completely different from the ignorant, immature Meng Hao of the past.
Amidst the silence, a warm, hearty laugh rang out, breaking Meng Hao’s train of thought.
“Hello, young sir, do you wish to cross the sea?” A small boat slid across the water, guided toward Meng Hao by an old man wearing a woven rush raincoat. His face was covered with the evidence of a life of hardship, but he spoke with a smile.
“I do not wish to trouble you, old sir,” said Meng Hao, looking surprised. He hadn’t been called ‘young sir’ for three years now.
“It’s no trouble,” said the old man. “I’ve been ferrying people across the ocean for many years. I really admire young, talented scholars like yourself.” He pushed the boat up next to Meng Hao, who leaped easily onto the deck, offering his thanks.
There was a young girl inside the boat, seven or eight years old, her hair done up in two pigtails. She squatted in front of a little oven, tannings its flames as she boiled water. Steam wafted up.
Inside the pot of water was a bottle of alcohol.
“This is my granddaughter,” said the old man as he turned the boat around. “Too bad she’s a girl. If she were a boy, I would have sent her off to be a scholar. Young sir,” he said with a smile, “where are you from?” The boat headed out toward the center of the lake. As the wind sprang up, the old man sat down next to the oven.
The little girl looked up at Meng Hao, her wide eyes innocent and charming.
“I am a young scholar from Yunjie County,” Meng Hao said with a smile. “Below Mount Daqing.” This type of mortal life caused him to think of his life from before, three years ago.
“Yunjie County, that’s a good place! Great men lend their glory to a location. Many years ago, an auspicious sign appeared there. It even arose the notice of the officials.” The old man picked up the bottle of alcohol. “This weather is turning cold and my body can’t take it. Here, have a drink.” He extended the bottle toward Meng Hao. “Can you drink?”
Meng Hao knew the auspicious sign to which he referred. It had been ten years before, the day before his parents went missing. When he thought of this, his heart grew a bit melancholy. He hesitated for a moment, looking at the bottle. He had never drank alcohol before. Back in Yunjie County, he had lived in poverty, and there had been no alcohol in the Reliance Sect. He lifted up a glass and allowed the man to fill it, then took a drink.
A spicy warmth suddenly filled his heart, then slowly spread out through his body.
“Old sir, your conversation topics are somewhat out of the ordinary. Have you been running a ferry here for a long time?” Meng Hao gazed at the rippling green waves, then took another drink of alcohol. The alcohol burned its way down, and he thought of the Reliance Sect, of Elder Sister Xu, Elder Brother Chen and Fatty.
“Twenty years,” replied the old man with a laugh. “In my life, I’ve ferried many, many people across this North Sea. I’ve seen a lot of things, and of course, I’ve learned a lot about how people tend to have conversations. Please, don’t laugh at me. Who knows how many years this lake has been here? It’s seen a lot of people too. People remember it, and it remembers the people.” The old man lifted his glass and took a drink.
Meng Hao stared at him for a moment. This was the first time he had ever heard someone speak in such a fashion. He looked back at the lake, muttering to himself, seemingly lost in thought.
“This is obviously a lake,” he said suddenly. “Why do people call it the North Sea?”
The old man thought for a moment, then smiled. “Lakes can dry up, grow quiet, and become still. If that happened, no living things would remain. But seas last forever, and can contain the water of countless rivers and lakes. Maybe people just didn’t want the lake to ever go away, so they named it that way. When all is said and done, if you believe it’s a lake, then it’s a lake. If you believe it’s a sea, then it’s a sea.”
When he heard the old man’s words, Meng Hao’s mind suddenly trembled. The hand holding the glass of alcohol began to quiver, and he stared out at the lake water, almost in a trance. He seemed to lose track of time.