Arknights story · Here A People Sows
HS-4 Dialogue of Silk and Linen
Grain Buds and He Sheng see strange visions while investigating the pollution in the fields. A mysterious trainee Tianshi asks Grain Buds to collect some unusually shaped rice for her.
2 scenes, 405 lines
1. Before Operation
224 linesAre you okay?
Duoxie, thank you so much.
I was transporting rare ore from the north and selling it in the south when I got waylaid. You really saved my hide there.
You shouldn't be traveling by side trails.
It was because we were in a hurry...
Anyway, thank you very much for your help. Please, accept this token of my appreciation.
Not interested. Bye.
Sir... sir!
I assume you're a martial artist of some renown...? That you walk in jianghu?
Do you want to spar?
Ah, that's not for a meek merchant like me.
But if you're a martial artist... as a matter of fact, I came across a rare tome on kung fu in the course of my travels. I think you might be interested.
What use do I have for kung fu books? Don't make me laugh.
How about just a look? I never sell anything my customers don't need.
I'll pass.
Just one look. It won't take much of your time. I promise, you won't regret it.
Enough is eno—
It's you...
If I beat you, will that make me the First Under Heaven?
You are already the First Under Heaven.
The First... I'm the First Under Heaven?
His heart feels like it is boiling. His fists still feel warm.
He has reached the summit, he has done what he sought to do all his life.
Wait, no.
Who is this man?
He feels dazed.
...What's going on?
Who are you?!
Like I said, a humble merchant.
I buy and sell everything.
How did he find me?
Why me?
I know you've trained for forty years with one opponent in mind.
You have the chance to close the gap by a few decades. Are you not interested?
I don't need your help!
Maybe you don't want anything from me, but you have something I want.
I heard you recently came into possession of a certain sword. Name your price. What can I offer you for it?
Get lost!
What the—
It appears you're not satisfied with my offer.
Now, now, there's no need to be hasty. There's room for negotiation.
There's nothing to negotiate!
You honored the sword, and you honored our promise. I knew my oath-brother could be trusted.
Forty years in search of the peak of kung fu perfection.
Is there no price you would pay to reach that peak?
Enough of your tricks!
Dad?
—!
Ah, yes. Everything is for sale. It's just about putting the right price on it.
How about... the life of your daughter?
Weiwei! This is a construction site. You can't enter without permission.
Long time no see, Nian.
Did you make all this? Very impressive.
Skip the flattery. What do you want?
Aw, it's been so long since we last saw each other and this is how you greet me?
Where would you have found the funding for your little toy, if I wasn't hard at work north and south, paying taxes on my hard-earned income?
You think I don't know where your money comes from? Speculation and inflated prices, not to mention you're not the one who made all that stuff.
There's a reason traders like you weren't respected in the old days.
What are you doing here? I thought you would go to see Shu first.
Just curious about this thing they say will let our family live in peace and comfort forever and ever.
Heard you ran into a bit of trouble. Need a hand?
If I did it, wouldn't be yours. What do you know about engineering?
I could help a little with Shu's side.
What are you planning?
I know that this energy core is more than just a construction project. It must be given the concept of 'life' in order for it to become the conceptual 'Feranmut' that enables our continued existence.
That's why you need our big sister's powers, but she already has so much to deal with here.
I've learned a trick or two from her. Wouldn't it be more efficient for me to take over?
So you care about her, after all... I thought you two had a split.
Perish the thought...
Can I take that as a yes?
Ai, my sisters really don't want to see me?
I'm just on guard against your bag of tricks. Don't wanna fall into your trap.
Wouldn't be the first time you cheated me out of something.
I was just helping you sell some of your things. You always got your fair cut.
Just stop. I don't have time for your smooth talking.
Go away, far away from my project. The last thing I need is even more complaining from the old men.
What if I really wanted to go and see?
...Wei.
...
Don't get so excited. Do I look like the kind of man who would steal from my little sister?
...
I'm just here to see my sisters. I'm glad you're all still alive and kicking.
Wei.
Hraaagh––
(Bite)
What's the matter? Not quite as spirited as the last time I saw you, eh?
You should not abuse your proxy powers like that...
Ah, give it a rest.
Did you think I would have come looking for the Sui Regulator if I didn't really, absolutely, definitely have to?
So he already found you.
What are you planning?
Why did he suddenly return to Dahuang, just as work on the Twelve Pagodas and Five Cities is beginning?
Why are you asking me? Aren't you the Candleholder?
I'll get to the bottom if it, of course...
And where do you intend to start?
I suspect there was someone behind the previous disaster... with the construction of the Twelve Pagodas and Five Cities looming, the offender may be in hiding nearby.
And what is a lone Candleholder going to do without help?
I'm not the only one the Sui Regulator has in Dahuang.
Then you can keep following the lead of others, completely oblivious to what's going on, just like you always do.
...
Looks like taking off that uniform has cleared your eyes a bit. Maybe there's hope for you yet.
I don't need your advice...
I don't like to deal with calculating types. I'm going to say this once, and only once.
The needle prick is smart. Very smart. He's not going to leave a trail for you to find. And you people know that, having been on his case for so many years.
Brute force is more effective when dealing with someone like that.
Force?
Here.
A picture scroll?
What do you think you can do on your own, even if you somehow catch him in the act?
This will at least keep his feet tied for a while.
It's a major violation of regulations for a Candleholder to have private contact with a proxy, never mind borrowing her power...
It's your choice.
You'd help me?
I've said enough. The ball is in your court now.
...Duoxie.
So you came here to play and saw me sleeping by the river?
But that doesn't make sense! Why would I still have flowers that I picked in a dream? My leg hurts too.
Leg cramps while dreaming means you're growing taller. Congrats. Yay.
Hmph, you haven't grown an inch these past few years. The only thing that's gotten bigger is your voice.
And you sneaked out of class, didn't you?
Shh, keep it down!
I knew it!
Are you really a student at the Tianshi Bureaus? Why do I always see you outside?
If I'm not at school, it means I have something more important to do than sit in school. None of your business.
I won't tell anyone you sneaked out of class if you don't tell anyone I came to the riverside. Deal?
Where's my fan? Give it back.
I already gave you your flute. What do you want?
You just cobbled it together from some bamboo lying around, and you only gave it to me after you were done playing it.
Cobbled it together?! You—
Listen to the sound! Look at the texture! Do you know how hard it was to give it away? Give it back, if you don't want it!
That's more like it...
Here, it's this stalk of rice.
See how pretty the red color is? It's the only one alive here. Is it some kind of new species?
Hey, why did you pull it out?!
My homework.
Do you know where else something like this grows? Any kind of crop will do, any that's pretty like this. Don't tell anyone, just let me know. I'll come and take a little bit.
Isn't that cheating?
And don't pick it yourself. Don't want you damaging it. Tell me and I'll come. Don't tell anyone else.
Fine, fine, just keep my name out of it, if the Tianshis catch you.
You worry about that time you gave the test stockbeasts diarrhea with the wrong feed.
You—!
I have a dream.
Dahuang is big, very big. It takes a whole day to walk from the east end to the west end. And you'll break your leg before you walk a full circle around its farmlands.
But Laoshi says Dahuang isn't big enough to feed everyone.
I've never been outside Dahuang. This is the northern border of Yan, with only rough roads through the mountains and rivers. The food produced here is the only link to the world outside.
The weight of the grain on the stalks in summer and autumn is the weight of the land. There is no sight like the sight of farmland during a bumper harvest.
Who's there?
An old farmer stands in the fields. Her facial features are unclear. There are tiny flowers in her hair.
Er... hello?
Here.
A hoe?
Till the earth.
Loosen the soil, plant the seeds, and let them grow.
Plough with focus.
The youth takes the hoe. The old farmer turns around and bends down to work the soil again.
The hoe is heavy. He raises it up high.
Then, he brings it down onto the earth.
Thump.
A rice seedling buds from the loosened soil. It grows rapidly, and soon flowers begin to bloom from its stalks.
The youth feels a strange sense of fatigue. He wipes the sweat from his forehead and raises the hoe again.
Thump.
In the blink of an eye, the blooming flowers fall, and grains start to fill the stalks.
The rice has borne grain. It should be ready for harvest soon.
...
The hoe seems to be getting heavier and heavier. He looks at his hand. Thick callouses have formed, and his arms and shoulders have grown creased and wrinkled.
The old farmer says nothing and continues to work the soil.
A seedling emerges from the earth, in the shadow of a patch of rice.
Thump.
Life, then death. Golden rice grains fall from the stalks, then fields after fields of crops fall lifeless onto the earth.
The youth freezes, just before he brings the hoe down, staring at the scene before him in shock.
Old timer... what happened to the rice...?
...*cough* *cough...
From spring to autumn, one harvest to the next.
What is a season to you, young man?
Reaping the fruit? Filling your belly? Planting the next batch of seeds?
The youth lifts the hoe and brings down on the earth again and again.
The rice seeds take root and sprout underneath his feet, blossoming and bearing grain, before wilting and returning to dust. He never gets the chance to hold the seeds in his hands.
He feels his strength fade. His hair grows rampant, from black and strong to soft and fragile, and his clothes rip and tatter, hanging on the back that he could no longer keep straight.
He brings the hoe down one last time, not having the strength to do it again. A knot of white hair drops down by his face.
I spent all my life farming here, but life is too short.
Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands... numbers that are too big for me.
I...
...I'm old?
He is standing on shambles.
I will never see them grow up. I don't have the time to wait for them to bear fruit.
It is beyond my lifespan.
The old farmer plants a tree on the levee and caresses the tree trunk, before disappearing into thin air.
Tree after tree appears on the levee. There are strands of red silk tied to them, wooded placards hanging off the silk, but the writing on the placards are too blurry for He Sheng to read.
Wind causes the forest to rustle.
What are those placards?
Why can't we keep the crops we grow from the earth?
Broken rice grains lie on the ground.
What did you see, young man?
Why... why don't I see the fruit?
He lifts the hoe again, bringing it down, wilting and growing old with each swing.
He pours his life into the earth so that it may nourish the crops, but the crops do not respond. They grow and wilt without leaving seed.
His long, white hair covers him like dried grass.
...
Does any of this really mean anything?
His back is hunched. The pain of age spreads across his back. Weakness has robbed him of the strength to speak. He can only mumble meaningless sounds.
He casts his cloudy eyes to the ground, where patches of rice seedlings lie.
Who... will see the day?
He Sheng turns around.
A white figure stands behind him, her long hair like an ancient old tree, blue as the river.
The figure waves her sleeves, and the rice starts to grow rapidly.
Before long, all He Sheng can see is growing rice.
The figure begins to stride, and everything is silent.
...
—!
——?————!!
He Sheng!
He Sheng? He Sheng! Wake up!
2. After Operation
181 lines
...
Rice paddies as far as the eye can see, all ethereal. Heaven and earth are expansive, but all is silent.
The whiff of liquor, and the dancing clouds flow into a goblet.
Down the goblet, and all is clear and bright.
Mm... what a dream.
How did you find the time to come?
Aren't things pretty exciting over here? I wanted to see whether the kaoliang liquor you promised me was ready.
How do I give it do you in a dream?
What year's vintage are you talking about? Which dream of yours is this?
At least let me sniff a whiff, if I don't get to taste it in a dream.
Or see if my hardest-working sister got a little thinner.
...
This is what Nian has made?
The poet waves her sleeves, and a pot of wine and two goblets appear out of thin air.
She cracks the mud seal on the pot, and the rich scent of liquor fills the air.
The poet turns around and peers out at the rice fields that stretch for tens of thousands of li and beyond. The seasons circle overhead, winter giving way to summer, spring giving way to autumn.
Is this what you see in this 'heart'?
Rice fields as far as the eye can see, the seasons rotating. You farm here day after day. Is it really possible to build what you talk about here?
Do you need a hand?
I just don't want you to turn this whole vessel in to a huge pot of wine, or suddenly get all philosophical and think you would rather dream forever than to wake up in a world without freedom.
You sure you don't need my help? I've almost forgotten how many years you spent here. You're gonna become my aged liquor if you don't get out and get some fresh air.
For our other brothers and sisters, I worry that they don't see things clear enough. For you, I worry that you see too clearly.
See too clearly, such that you fail to see 'yourself'.
I'm just farming here.
Everything has a heart, from the mountains to the rivers, to the trees and to the grass. To you, the trees and grass may not be any different from our own lives.
What is it that you still can't put down? What keeps your mind occupied?
Jie left behind so many scrolls and books. She wanted to teach everyone to read and write. But all those scrolls and books disappeared with her. No one remembers her, other than us.
But I've visited schools and the Tianshi Bureaus, and I've seen handwriting that looked exactly like hers in their books.
All of her things are no more. Even I didn't manage to keep a single one. But the words she said are now being said by students, and the words that she wrote are now being written by the pens of students.
She once told me, 'It's the things I leave behind that count.'
I just want to see what I can leave behind on the far end of all these fields of rice. What I can leave behind if the day comes that I am no more.
Has the end that you have been staring at for so long changed at all?
Never. Nothing but snow as far as the eye could see.
The spring harvest, the autumn harvest, all buried in snow.
Is life itself not a result?
Do the countless mortals of the world give up living just because they realize it will eventually come to an end?
Not all our siblings think that way... has our little brother come back?
Yes.
Where has the timid and docile Ji we knew and loved gone?
Little brothers and sisters are always cuter when they stay little.
...I'll go to him.
You wouldn't understand if I explained. Just shut up and keep looking.
That's not the right attitude when you're asking for help...
Say, Megaphone, I wanted to ask you something...
You're a student at the Tianshi Bureaus, right? Out of all my friends, you know more than anyone else, except for Shu and Xiaohe...
...
Well, what is it? Spit it out.
Have you... have you ever seen my parents?
...
Pi hua! How many people do you think there are in the Tianshi Bureaus? You think I remember everyone who passes through the doors like the security guards?
Did the mud ball give you a concussion or something?
You could've just said you don't know them. No need to be rude.
Why are you asking?
I saw a strange merchant today. He said he came from outside Dahuang, from very far away.
Oh?
Shu said my parents went to become Tianshis in a faraway place, but I never knew what they did, or why they never came back after all these years. No one ever talked about it.
Is there a chance you could ask for me, Megaphone?
I'm not asking them to come back. I just want to write to them and tell them that Dahuang is about to get moved onto mobile plates, so they won't lose their way when they come home.
...
...Don't you worry. The Tianshi Bureaus aren't stupid. Someone will bring them home when it's time for them to come home.
Hm...
Is this all the flood-affected plates?
Don't ask questions that don't concern you. You wouldn't understand the work of the Tianshi Bureaus, even if I explained it.
You just wait and see! Xiaohe said that with my talent for Arts, all I need to do is to read a few more books, and I'll get into the Tianshi Bureaus for sure! Then I'll wipe that cocky look off your face!
Sure, sure. If and when you do.
And don't tell anyone that I asked you to look for the rice stalks.
Hey... how have you been doing? Anyone bullying you?
Me? I'm pretty happy. Shu and Xiaohe take care of me, and all the farmers around here are really nice. I also made two new friends, Candlestick and Inkbrush.
Why do you ask? Are you worried about me?
Worried about you? Of course not! Nope!
Well, thanks for the help anyway. Take care of yourself.
If anyone bullies you, smack them on the head with your flute like I taught you.
Grow, flax, mulberry and fields, grow as the sun rises...
Drive away all evil, and bring new light to Heaven and earth...
Lalala... lalala...
...
I never liked this statue.
Who decided that Shennong should be shabby and weathered? She liked to look pretty. She always had flowers in her hair, and she liked the clothes I made.
And I remember how much her eyes looked like yours.
If only Dusk had a portrait of her... but that was before she started to paint.
I didn't think you would ever come back.
Come now, I'm already past the age for running away from home. When did I ever say I wouldn't come back?
The prodigal son starts to miss home when he's far away for long enough. And this is the one place that I felt like I could call home.
Now, though? At a time like this?
If only I came back two days earlier! I would've made it in time for this year's festival opera, and tasted your handmade dumplings.
Sure. 'Dumplings for the road, noodles for home.' Whatever you want to eat, we've got it at home.
Then, it's time for you to go.
I've hardly been back for two days, and you're already kicking me out?
You could stay for as long as you want, if you were only here to take a rest.
Are you only here to take a rest, though? That's what I want to ask.
...
Dahuang looks different every time I come back. Who would have thought that it was just a land of frozen soil a thousand years ago?
The people claimed this earth from a land of evil. Back then, the mountains and rivers were chaos, and the heavens knew no seasons, but hearts were brave and bright.
There were no differences in upbringing or nationality. Everyone looked out for one another. The only enemy was the barren soil before them, and the demonic threat that always loomed over their heads.
I dreamt of her a few days ago, and I dreamt of that old gentleman too. I thought maybe it was time I came home.
Fortunately, the way home was the same. Unfortunately, the same could not be said of people's hearts.
When was the last time you had a good look at the people here?
All under Heaven live for profit, and die for profit.
Where profit goes, so do the people. It's the same everywhere.
What do you think the imperial court spends its time discussing? How to protect our lives, or how to achieve an outcome that they believe to be safest?
Do you really think that Nian's toy can keep everyone safe?
It's the only way to save everyone's lives.
You're handing your life over to someone else.
It's not a fair partnership, if one side shoulders all the risk.
Both sides must bear the same risk, in order for the partnership to last.
Have you been away for so long that all you care about is profit and loss?
I care about you, my sister.
You're tired.
Helping out with Nian's project is incredibly taxing. As if you don't have enough on your plate already, in the fields and forests.
Otherwise, you would have noticed earlier.
...
How many Catastrophes have struck this land in the last thousand years? You knew when and where each and every one would strike beforehand. You feel everything that happens to this land, as though it was happening to you.
What are you holding onto?
Who's the one working against the laws of nature?
...
What did I see...?
I saw...
Wait... how did you know?
Zuo Le is holding a thread in his hand. It soon vanishes into thin air.
Maybe a practical joke... probably Originium Arts.
What you saw was an illusion, but it was something that he wanted you to see. Some kind of psychological suggestion... what did you see?
I saw an old farmer...
She... made me work the fields. I couldn't get any crops to grow. I grew old, and I couldn't lift the hoe anymore...
There were many placards on the trees across the river. No one ever went there, but there seemed to be names written on them... the old farmer disappeared.
He Sheng sighs and looks along the river into the distance.
The trees are green on the other side of the river. A gust of wind seems to rustle the leaves.
Xiaohe! Candlestick! There you are.
Grain Buds! Where were you?
I was looking for rice stalks...
Rice? I thought you went looking for stockbeasts. What kind of rice was it that you had to look for?
And don't tell anyone that I asked you to look for the rice stalks.
I promised I wouldn't tell anyone...
It's all so weird... I can't make heads or tails of it...
Who asked you to look for rice? What did it look like? Where did you find it?
Candlestick? Wh-What's the matter? You're starting to scare me...
Grain Buds!
Alright, alright...
It was a short little girl, a student at the Tianshi Bureaus, who said she was looking for a special kind of rice to submit for homework...
I didn't know what species it was... it was red, really red. There were some at the dam, and in the paddies not far from there.
...
The centralized granaries in the core city.
I need you to check on the granaries right now. No delay. Report anything unusual to the Xiangzhang immediately.
Wait, what's going on?
We might be too late already...
Today, the celebration's opera comes in three acts: The Great Hunt, Signs of Heaven, and Flourishing Life.
But there used to be another act between the first and second: Pacifying the North. It hasn't been sung for a long, long time.
Do you remember, Shu? Can you sing another verse?
Yes, hard to get in the mood when there's no audience.
And hard for the audience to get into a forgettable opera.
...
But I remember...
I remember this demonic fragment to the north is the result of the people at the time resorting to any means necessary to resist It. Now, Its incarnation is helping the people fend off demonic calamity. Fate works in mysterious ways, doesn't it?
We should not be conflated with It.
You're right. We shouldn't.
The people must never learn of the demonic presence. But how do you resist the lure of this one precious piece of unpolluted soil?
For a thousand years the people here have lived across the river from that blight. Here a people have sowed for a thousand years in blissful seclusion.
The time has come to reap what was sowed a thousand years ago. And it must be reaped by the right person.
Tell me... You didn't have anything to do with that disaster, did you?
I've never lied to you.
Like I said, I just felt like dropping by.
Just like old times, I want to ask: Will you come with me, sister?
My answer is the same. I will not leave. I can't leave.