There was a great deal more to Hibiscus Town than Xu Hao had expected to see in one evening.
The streets beyond the gate were still crowded. Lanterns swung beneath the shop awnings, lighting up bolts of patterned cloth, baskets of fruit and copper utensils polished bright enough to reflect the passing customers. A man at a roadside stall was turning a little wooden bird by a crank. Its wings beat so convincingly that Xu Hao slowed to see whether it might actually take flight.
A tug on the strap of his bag brought him back to the street. Er Bao had caught it before a porter pushing a cart could brush past him.
"Keep close," Er Bao said. "The crowd gets worse nearer the market. We can look around properly tomorrow."
Xu Hao nodded, though his attention had already wandered to a cook tossing noodles in a smoking iron pan. The smell was wonderful. He had eaten roasted meat, roots and whatever else the forest offered for so long that even the sight of a clean bowl made him hungry.
Da Bao had been quiet since the gate. Now he noticed where Xu Hao was looking.
"Come on. There's a woman near our house who makes dumplings. We always stop when we're in town, and if we're lucky she hasn't sold out."
"I thought we were going straight to the house," Er Bao said.
"We will. It's only a street out of the way, and Xu Hao hasn't stopped looking at the food stalls since we came through the gate."
Xu Hao could hardly deny it. He'd been trying to decide whether the smell came from the noodles or the little pastries frying farther down the street.
Er Bao took one look at him and gave in. "All right, then. We could all do with something warm."
Xu Hao followed them through the crowds, privately grateful that his eldest brother had recovered enough spirits to take an interest in supper.
The dumpling stall stood at the corner of a narrower street. Steam billowed from a stack of bamboo baskets, and several men sat on low stools eating from bowls they held close to their faces. The woman behind the counter spotted the brothers before they reached her.
"Well, look who's finally come down from the mountain! I'd begun to think the forest had swallowed you."
"Not yet, Auntie," Da Bao said, smiling for the first time since the gate. "Have you got any dumplings left?"
"For you? A few, if the other customers are fortunate." She looked past him at Xu Hao. "And who's the boy?"
"Our little brother," Da Bao said. He seemed rather pleased to be able to say it.
The woman looked from one giant to the other, then back at Xu Hao.
"Little indeed. Have you two been feeding him properly?"
"We've been feeding him plenty," Er Bao said. "He's just started training with us."
"Then sit him down before he falls over. You can tell me the rest when I've got the food out."
Xu Hao thanked her and sat. When the first basket arrived, the dumplings were so hot that he nearly burned his tongue. He waited for the steam to clear, then took another bite. The filling was rich with minced meat and herbs, and the wrapper was softer than anything he had eaten in weeks.
Da Bao watched his expression with evident satisfaction.
"Good, aren't they? She says the secret is in the filling, but I've watched her make them and I still can't tell what she puts inside."
"That's because you watch the basket instead of my hands," the woman called from the stove.
"I watch both!"
"Then learn to count. You've eaten half the basket while your brother is still on his first."
Da Bao looked down, apparently surprised by the evidence.
Xu Hao hid a smile and reached for another dumpling. He wanted to ask what went into the filling, but he suspected the woman would give him much the same answer she'd given Da Bao. Some knowledge required repeated visits.
By the time they finished, Da Bao's shoulders had relaxed. Er Bao paid, despite an objection from the woman that they always left too much, and guided them back into the street.
The shops grew smaller as they moved away from the market. There were homes behind low walls, gardens squeezed between buildings and lamps shining through paper windows. Somewhere nearby, a child was practising the same four notes on a flute with impressive determination.
Xu Hao found the noise oddly comforting. It was the sort of thing no traveller would bother to put in a description of a town, yet it told him people were living ordinary lives here. After the forest, ordinary seemed a considerable luxury.
Da Bao stopped at a narrow gate near the outer wall.
"Here we are."
Behind the fence stood a modest wooden house with a shallow porch and a small yard. One corner of the roof had been repaired with newer timber, and a pond caught the last of the lantern light beyond the back wall. It wasn't grand, but the walls looked sound and the shutters were intact.
Da Bao pushed the gate open, then stood aside.
"Welcome home, little brother."
Xu Hao looked at him. He'd known they had a house in town; Er Bao had mentioned it on the road. Hearing Da Bao call it home was different.
"Are you sure? I thought you only intended to let me stay for a while."
"As long as you need," Da Bao said. "We're hardly ever here. It makes more sense for someone to live in it than for the place to sit empty."
Er Bao opened the front door and lit a lamp. "Come in. There's something you ought to know before we leave."
Inside were a table, a hearth, two narrow beds and a few storage chests. Xu Hao set his bag down, surprised at how quickly he had begun to think of where he might put his things.
Er Bao waited until Da Bao had shut the door.
"The house isn't registered under the Wang name," he explained. "We used our mother's maiden name when we bought it. As far as the neighbours are concerned, we're hunters who come to town to trade. We haven't given anyone a reason to look closer."
Xu Hao understood why he was telling him. The men who had destroyed the Wang family were still out there, and safety did not become certain merely because there was a town wall between them and the forest.
"If anyone asks about me, I'll say I'm staying with family friends."
"That would be best. Don't go discussing our history with strangers, even if they seem friendly. Most people mean no harm, but they talk, and sometimes that's enough."
Er Bao took a folded document from inside his vest and laid it on the table.
"Here's the deed. Keep it hidden and don't take it to a clerk unless we've spoken first. You'll be living here, so you ought to know where the papers are."
Xu Hao unfolded it carefully. There were names and boundaries, an official seal, and several legal phrases he would need to learn. It was reassuring to find that property documents in this world looked much as property documents ought to look.
"I'll take good care of it," he said, folding it again.
Er Bao nodded. Then he set a leather pouch beside the deed. The coins inside made a heavy sound against the wood.
"There's forty gold in there. We kept enough for the next journey, so don't worry about us. Use this to get yourself settled."
Xu Hao did not touch the pouch at first.
"Forty gold? Brother Er Bao, that's a great deal of money. You still have supplies to replace, and I know how long you've been saving."
"We've been saving to keep ourselves alive," Er Bao said. "That includes you now. You'll need clothes that fit, proper shoes, food, and probably half a dozen things I haven't thought of. Until you understand the town, I'd rather you had enough to manage without having to ask the first stranger you meet for work."
Da Bao had been inspecting the door latch. He turned around.
"And make sure you eat. I'm serious about that. You've only just begun to build some strength. I don't want to come back and find all our training wasted because you've decided meals are too expensive."
Xu Hao glanced at the pouch. The brothers had taught him to hunt, protected him, and shared their food with him. They had brought him into their family when they had every reason to be wary of strangers. The money was almost the smallest part of what they were giving him.
"I don't know how to thank you properly," he admitted. "When I'm earning something of my own, I'd like to return what you've spent on me."
Da Bao looked genuinely confused.
"Why would you do that? You're our little brother. If you're determined to give me something, cook us a proper meal when we visit. I'm tired of eating the same thing in the forest."
Xu Hao smiled despite himself. Trust Da Bao to turn a solemn promise into a discussion about dinner. But he understood what his brother meant. A younger brother wasn't a debt to be repaid.
He picked up the pouch.
"I'll be careful with it. I promise."
"Be careful who you buy from, too," Er Bao said. "Some merchants will recognise that you're new. If someone offers you an expensive cultivation pill, find out what it does before you part with your money."
"I intend to ask a great many questions."
"That," Da Bao said, "I believe."
Er Bao's expression grew more serious.
"There's one other thing. I saw you speaking to Su Jin at the gate. I know you were trying to keep Da Bao out of trouble, and I'm grateful. But don't let what happened draw you into anything foolish."
Xu Hao rested a hand on the pouch. He could still see Da Bao counting out those extra coins, each one landing in Er Bao's palm. It hadn't been the money alone. It had been watching his brother swallow an insult he could easily have answered with force.
"I haven't forgotten," he said. "But I won't go looking for Su Jin. I know what his family could do to us."
"Good. I don't expect you to like it. Neither do I." Er Bao paused. "We've lost enough people by thinking strength was all that mattered. I'd sooner see you walk away from ten insults than have to come looking for you after one fight."
Xu Hao met his eyes.
"I understand, Brother Er Bao."
Er Bao seemed satisfied. He returned the deed to Xu Hao and stood.
"We'll head back into the forest at first light. We have hides to sell tonight and provisions to collect before we go. Three weeks, perhaps a month, and we should be back. If we're delayed, don't assume something's happened to us. You know what the forest is like."
Xu Hao did know. That did not make the thought of them leaving any easier.
"I'll be here," he said. "Although if you return and find I've bought a better pair of shoes, try not to look too disappointed."
Da Bao grinned. "Buy sturdy ones. And don't stop practising your footwork just because I'm not standing over you. When I get back, I want to see you stay on your feet for an entire sparring session."
"I'll practise," Xu Hao promised. He had no intention of asking how many times Da Bao expected him to fall before that happened.
Er Bao came over and drew Xu Hao into a brief embrace.
"Look after yourself. If there's real trouble, find somewhere safe and wait for us. There's no shame in retreating when you're outmatched."
"I remember."
Da Bao was less restrained. He wrapped both arms around Xu Hao and lifted him from the floor. Xu Hao's feet swung uselessly above the boards.
"Take care, little brother," Da Bao said, holding him for a moment longer than usual. "We'll be back before you know it."
Xu Hao patted his shoulder, which was about all he could reach.
"I'll be counting on that. Though I would appreciate surviving the farewell first."
Da Bao laughed and set him down.
They gathered their bags and went out into the lane. Da Bao turned at the gate to give him another wave; Er Bao raised a hand beside him. Then they walked towards the town's brighter streets, talking quietly between themselves.
Xu Hao watched until they disappeared around the corner.
He had been looking forward to a room of his own. No morning runs before he was ready, no Da Bao tossing him across a clearing in the name of training, no Er Bao telling him that his footwork was dreadful. He could arrange his days however he liked.
He ought to have felt delighted.
Instead, with the brothers gone, the little house seemed very quiet indeed.
Xu Hao remained in the doorway another moment, the key cool against his fingers. Then he stepped inside and closed the door.