Poem for the Ink Lotus // 墨荷的诗

C3 - Xia Dan Xi | 夏沊夕

- Xia Dan Xi | 夏沊夕-

A sudden sting on his fingers jolted Dan Xi awake. As his eyes slowly regrew his vision, he could make out the outline of a yellow feathered bird on his lap. Oh, it was the gosling. It chirped and flapped its tiny wings. Dan Xi gave a smile and pet the gosling, savouring the softness and warmth from the bird's body.

It was also then did he realise the orange sky.

「The sun is setting, just how long have I slept?」

The gosling cocked its head, and in that moment Dan Xi felt amusement burst in him from the way the gosling turned its head. My wrist could do that, he thought. He kept a mental note to mimic the gosling's movement when writing next time.

But the bag of fertiliser lying next to him reminded him the reason he was here. His eyes trailed to the lonely lotus plants on the river, and he knew that if he left without doing the one thing he promised to do, his heart would ache.

Furrowing his eyebrows, he looked at the gosling.「Can you help me put these fertilisers on the lotus roots?」

The gosling stared back, confused, then gave a chirp and did nothing more than that. Dan Xi smiled, thinking of how silly he must look to be requesting a young goose to help him. Pushing the gosling off of him, he stood up and walked to the river's edge with the bag of fertiliser in hand.

Then, with all his strength, he grabbed a handful of the fertiliser and threw it into the river, praying that it would land close to the lotus.

「Well, I hope I didn't offend the spirits by doing this」Dan Xi muttered under his breath. While he went back to pack his things, he noticed the gosling still remained around him.「Go home. Your mother must be waiting.」

Feeling uncertain of the gosling's safety, he stayed with the gosling for a little longer, feeding the gosling with some more buns and caressing it with his finger. But he could not hear a mother goose's honks, and the gosling does not seem to be leaving. Seeing as how little sunlight remained (and how cold the night will be), he sighed and gently grabbed the gosling, holding it like a mother would with a baby in her arms.

And with that he went home.

That night, his parents looked at him as if he grew two heads. His father remained silent while his mother gave an awkward laugh.

「Uh. . . Ah Xi, are you sure you want to keep this duck?」

「Yes. Also, it isn't a duck, it's a gosling.」Dan Xi replied confidently.

His mother shared a look with Xia Zhi, who had his fingers on his temple. He sighed after a couple of moments and said,「Fine, you can keep it, but you must care for it yourself. Remember, Ah Xi, it is an animal. It will make noises, it will destroy things. You are aware of our job, it requires patience and silence.」

Dan Xi said nothing. He did not expect his father to say this much at all.

Looking at the gosling who nestled against his body and reconsidering his position, he finally made a decision.「I will bring the gosling back to the river tomorrow as to not disrupt our work.」

Xia Zhi—who was pleased—smiled at his son's answer.

☾☀︎

It had been three months since Dan Xi released the young gosling. And for three months, he visited the exact spot at the river to give fertiliser and also to feed the gosling.

He had named the gosling Bao Zi (包子), for it only eats buns and refuses to eat anything else. For many days Dan Xi had tried to change Bao Zi's diet to maximise the gosling's growth. But each time the gosling turned its head in disgust and refuses to eat one bite. This leaves Dan Xi defeated and continues to bring buns.

Besides being a gosling's babysitter, Dan Xi started to write more poems. The area here recharges his energy that he used up in the town. Not only was this place tranquil but it was also weirdly starting to become his "work place". The poems he wrote here would sell much more when compared to the poems he wrote in town.

Why? He often asks. Why? Why? Why?

It must not be the noises, he would tell himself. Sure it was noisy at home but here next to the river there is Bao Zi who honks and bites when it is bored.

Bao Zi. . . honks.

In just three months, Bao Zi's feathers have started to turn "adult". No longer does Bao Zi chirp, no longer does it waddle. It is now a proud young man who does not beg Dan Xi for buns, but instead orders Dan Xi to feed it with tiny little pieces. Still, Dan Xi still loves the little troublemaker with all his heart. It was like watching his own son grow up, and become more bratty.

As for the lotuses. . .

The lotuses, though look like fragile princesses, were actually big strong warriors who have withstood the harsh winter and the terrors of war. During these three months, there were weeks where Xia Zhi would not permit Dan Xi to leave, for there were too much work at home. Dan Xi would rush his work, and in his mind was filled with worry for Bao Zi and the lotuses. Rong Yao would walk in and see Dan Xi's face scrunched up with anxiety that even she was struck with concern.

And so his parents then allowed him to go to the river. His legs would not stop moving forward with such speed, causing passersby to give him odd looks.

When he reached the river and breathed in the air of the wild water, he felt his heart slow down and cease all worries. Bao Zi came running at him, in its mouth was a small fish, and the sight of that made Dan Xi smile. Finally, it ate something besides buns, it seems hunger will force something back to its nature. His eyes then wander over to the flowers on the river, and he smiled once more.

The lotuses bent their heads as if they were sad. They did not look good at all, even though he had not fertilises them in a week. In other people's eyes, they might see the lotuses who are at death's door, the lotuses' souls barely hanging and begging for release. But to Dan Xi, he saw strong and determined little warriors, even though dragged by death, their souls refused to let go.

「You're so strong.」Dan Xi spoke, rubbing Bao Zi's fluffy face as he looked at the lotuses. It could be his imagination, but he swore the lotuses lifted themselves at those words.

The sun was already setting in the background. Warm orange light illuminated his surroundings, blanketed itself onto the river surface as the sound of running water enters his ears. At that moment he suddenly realised just how fitting his name is to the scene right now.

The sound of water at a summer dusk.

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fun lil facts or just things i dump in for readers to enjoy :D

夏沊夕

夏(xià) = summer

沊(dàn) = water sounds

夕(xī) = evening/dusk