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The ocean stretched calm and level, without any sign of a storm. Under the sway of Shi Wudu’s water fan, it wouldn’t dare misbehave by so much as a ripple.
Shi Wudu had been especially protective lately, not wanting to let Shi Qingxuan out of his sight. And so it was that Shi Qingxuan ended up accompanying his brother and his usual two friends on their visit to a drinking-house in the mortal realm. They were seated in a seaside pavilion, where they could drink wine while admiring the view. But Shi Qingxuan had wandered away from the table, instead taking his cup to a seat on the edge of the pavilion where he wouldn’t be annoyed by Pei Ming’s boisterous laughter and Ling Wen’s cutting gossip. They even made his ge annoying when he was with them. His ge should find better friends!
Shi Qingxuan drank from his cup—the wine was good, at least—and peered over the edge of the pavilion onto the sand. Little red crabs were scurrying here and there. One stopped close to Shi Qingxuan’s feet, waving its small claws. How cute! Shi Qingxuan set down his cup. Holding back his trailing sleeve with his left hand, he made a quick darting motion and caught the little crab by its shell. Success!
Finding itself lifted into the air, the crab went still in surprise. Shi Qingxuan admired its curled little legs and delicate claws. He wondered if his brother would let him keep it. He reached out a finger and gently poked the crab, which promptly folded itself up and retreated into its shell.
“Oh, come on out,” he coaxed it. “You’re such a pretty little crab. Come out and keep me company! We can have our own party. More fun than my brother when he’s with those two.”
The crab finally began to peek out again. Shi Qingxuan couldn’t resist trying to pet it again. The little crab, apparently tiring of the game, gave him a sharp pinch with one of its claws. He yelped and dropped it. The crab wasted no time in scurrying to the edge of the pavilion and hopping back onto the sand, taking refuge in a crab-sized hole that he hadn’t previously noticed.
“Qingxuan.” His brother had finally noticed his absence.
Shi Qingxuan gave up on trying to see where the little crab had gone and looked back towards the table. “Yes, ge?”
“Come back here and sit properly. What are you doing? You’re getting sand on your robe.”
Shi Qingxuan sighed and made his way back to the table. “I found a little crab, ge! About this big, with legs like this and a shell like this—” He waved his hands around, trying to show what it had looked like.
“Don’t bring animals to the table,” Shi Wudu said automatically.
“I didn’t, ge! It’s back on the beach. If I catch one, can I bring it home?” He looked at his brother hopefully.
Shi Wudu glanced at Ling Wen.
“A hermit crab,” she said, her voice clear and precise in spite of how much wine she’d had to drink. “It lives in the discarded shells of other creatures. As it grows, it finds larger shells to move into. If it can’t find a suitable shell, it will fight another crab and steal its shell.”
That made Shi Wudu glare at her, for some reason. “No,” he said in a clipped tone. “No crabs.”
“Fish, then? We could get some decorative fish for the pool. Think how elegant they would look, with their swishy fins!” Shi Qingxuan swished his sleeves demonstratively.
“If you like,” Shi Wudu said curtly. “Now stop waving your arms around and act like a gentleman.”
Shi Qingxuan sighed and settled himself back at the table. A waitress came along to pour them more wine, and Shi Qingxuan held up his cup for her with a smile.
Pei Ming leaned forward to flirt extravagantly with the waitress when she came to him, and Shi Qingxuan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Was this what his brother called acting like a gentleman? As the waitress left their table, Shi Qingxuan glanced wistfully at her hairpin, with its flowers and dangling strands. He’d like to have a hairpin like that, but his brother probably wouldn’t let him. Shi Qingxuan didn’t see why it should matter if it was a men’s or women’s hairpin, if it looked good on him!
Shi Qingxuan took another sip of his wine. His ge had picked this place, meaning that the wine was good, and the light breeze from the sea was pleasant. He gazed out at the ocean and started thinking about what kind of fish they should get.
At the end of the evening, as they approached the gates of his heavenly palace, Shi Wudu said without looking at him, “Don’t worry, Qingxuan. I’ll find a way to bring you up to heaven and make you safe permanently.” Holding the elemental water fan in his hand and with his dark blue robes trailing behind him, his ge seemed to embody divine authority.
“I know,” Shi Qingxuan said confidently. “I trust you, ge.” And maybe he could sneak in just one little crab without his brother noticing.