When love draws near, it's like snow

Chapter 37

"It's certainly easier to cling to the Number One Manor under Heaven than to aimlessly search for a missing murderer. If you're right, great; if you're wrong, the Number One Manor will naturally settle things—no effort required! That's the usual practice of those so-called righteous sects!" Grandpa Guan rolled his eyes, clearly disdainful of so-called江湖道理 (jianghu yi, principles of chivalry and martial arts). "Kid, don't worry too much. With Xiao Huizi and me here, no one can hurt you!"—Is that so? Anyone with eyes could see what happened just now; as the saying goes, people die for wealth, birds die for food. Once we leave this room, who can guarantee anything? I couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Grandpa Guan." Yang Wanqing smiled gently and obediently stepped forward to greet him.

"Wait a minute, we're not that close yet." But Grandpa Guan turned his head away, ignoring her, "I can't accept your gift."

"Grandpa Guan!" Huaiyuan glanced at him with a wry smile, completely at a loss for words. "Miss Yang is Wufeng's junior sister, not an outsider."

Yang Wanqing's pretty face turned ashen, but she was good-natured and immediately pretended nothing was wrong, still smiling and saying, "It was the junior who overstepped her bounds; it has nothing to do with the senior."

"What are you thinking about? You seem so engrossed!" Huaiyuan nudged me lightly out of the blue. "Grandpa Guan is talking to you!"

"Ah? Oh." I quickly sat up straight, adopting an expression that said, "Please speak freely, Elder Guan." — Given Yang Wanqing's experience, I dared not presume to claim kinship.

"Little one, you should call me grandpa!" I never expected him to be so displeased. What a strange temper of his.

"Alright," I sighed helplessly, and readily changed my address, "Grandpa, is there something you need?"

"Why are you so concerned about that fellow, Mr. Ye?! What grudge do you have against him?" Grandpa Guan nodded with satisfaction, stroking his chin, and then asked with a puzzled look, "Mr. Ye didn't lie to you about this. A year ago, on the Mid-Autumn Festival, he did indeed kill the Three Devils of the Yellow River in Lizhou. That day was the wedding of Shao Keqiu, the richest man in Lizhou, and there were at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, guests who came to congratulate him. They can all testify to that."

"Really? Perhaps I've mistaken him for someone else. I have absolutely no relationship with him." I remained silent, bewildered and lost, but I could only keep quiet—even Huaiyuan wouldn't believe me if I told him, and others would just think I was spouting nonsense!

“Child, after what happened, I don’t think you can live in that little courtyard anymore—if it falls into the hands of those people outside, they’ll probably tear you apart and boil you into soup, skin and bones!” Grandpa Guan looked at me with a smile. “Why don’t you move in with me and keep me company?”

"Now that things have come to this, do I still have a choice?" I replied with a bitter smile.

Silently surveying my surroundings, I noticed the courtyard wasn't large. A tall osmanthus tree stood in the corner, its delicate fragrance refreshing and invigorating. Several banana trees grew beneath the window, and clumps of bamboo, growing densely both inside and outside the courtyard, swayed in the night breeze, evoking a sense of autumnal melancholy—was this the place where I would live?

Is this the meaning of "Alone I sit in the secluded bamboo grove, playing my zither and letting out a long sigh; deep in the forest, no one knows, only the bright moon shines upon me"? I have no idea. —My luggage was not much to begin with, and Huaiyuan had already sent someone to arrange everything for me, so I had sorted it out in almost no time.

I had slept all day, and was already tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. To make matters worse, around midnight it started to drizzle again, the sound of rain pattering on the banana leaves outside the window only adding to my anxieties. So I got up, put on my coat, and sat alone by the window. This was truly:

Who was so nosy as to plant banana trees?

It's raining in the morning and raining in the evening.

Outside the window, all was pitch black, without stars or moon, only the autumn rain, oblivious to any sentiment, relentlessly tapping at the window. The forced composure of the evening vanished in an instant.

"Seeking a good dream, yet the dream is hard to come by. Who knows my feelings at this moment? Tears on my pillow mingle with the rain on the steps, dripping through the window until dawn." I sang softly, a slight sorrow for my strange and bizarre experiences; for my loneliness with no one to confide in; and for the helplessness of being unable to return home. A deep pain welled up in my heart, engulfing my entire body, and I couldn't help but shed two lines of clear tears.

"Is something on your mind?" A male voice suddenly rang out from outside the window.

"Worries? Who doesn't have them?" I couldn't help but mock myself and others, staring blankly into his eyes. "Don't you have any? If you didn't, you wouldn't have stayed up all night to come and visit me in the rain."

A hint of embarrassment flashed in Huaiyuan's eyes. "Uh, I was worried you wouldn't be used to it, so I came to check on you." After a slight hesitation, he looked at me frankly. "May I come in?"

"Of course, this is your home, isn't it?" I remained silent—actually, I just wanted to be alone, so why wouldn't he let me have a moment of peace?!

“Mr. Ye, you’ve actually met him before, haven’t you?” Huaiyuan didn’t beat around the bush and went straight to the point. “I remember you mentioned to me when you were in Wushan that you were brought here last Mid-Autumn Festival because of an ‘accident,’ right?”

"So, you haven't forgotten what I told you." I was somewhat surprised—because he had been so nonchalant when I said those words, I thought he hadn't heard them at all, or had heard them but forgotten them—clearly, he was neither.

"I remember everything you said." Huaiyuan glanced at me and said calmly, "Was it important to you whether or not you saw Mr. Ye that day?"

"So what if it's important? So what if it's not?" I scoffed self-deprecatingly. "They have so many witnesses proving I'm wrong. Maybe I really am wrong, but people just look alike?!"

"What if we find the person who sold you the jade that day?" Huaiyuan stared at me intently—I seemed to see a hint of worry in his eyes?

“Yes, if I could find that person, maybe I could go home.” I looked at him frankly. “But it seems like I’m not very lucky. This person seems even harder to find than a needle in a haystack.”

Looking at his broad shoulders, I suddenly longed to lean on him—and the next second, my body was already slumped against his chest—it seems the body is always more honest than the mind. I was bewildered and murmured softly, almost in a whisper, "Huaiyuan, what should I do? It seems I really can't go back!"

"What does it matter if we can't go back?" Huaiyuan put her arm around my shoulder and smiled calmly. "You still have me."

"You still have me"—such simple and ordinary words! Yet, in that instant, these four ordinary words miraculously and easily soothed the pain in my heart. At that moment, I felt as if having him by my side made staying in the Song Dynasty seem like such a terrible thing after all!

This book was first published on Xiaoxiang Novel Original Website. Please retain this information when reprinting!

[Volume 2: Farewell Chapter 18 - Tea Serves as Wine for Guests (Part 1)]

Last night's rain made the trees even more lush. The banana leaves were so green they seemed to drip with oil, and the sweet fragrance of osmanthus blossoms, carried on a slightly chilly breeze, was intoxicating. The stone pavement was washed clean and lovely by the rain. Small puddles could be seen here and there in the roadside grass.

I slowly walked along the winding bluestone road and noticed that at many corners along the roadside, there were people who looked like gardeners digging holes with hoes. I wondered what they were doing. I pondered for a long time but couldn't figure it out. Finally, I shrugged and decided to give up.

After wandering around for most of the day, my feet were a little sore and I was thirsty—that's the downside of ancient times; everyone's house, no matter who they were, was incredibly large. And the population density was so low that I didn't see a single person for ages. It felt a bit like wandering alone in a park. Following a low wall covered in ivy, I arrived at a stone gate with three large characters in clerical script: "Caiyunxuan." The gate was narrow and covered in moss—it looked like no one had been there for a long time. I tiptoed and peered inside. The low wall revealed lush flowers and trees, and I could faintly hear the sound of flowing water.

"Is anyone home?" I called out several times from the doorway, but no one answered. I took out the 'guide map' Huaiyuan had given me and looked at it. This was a secluded corner of Jingyou Villa, near the lake. It was quite a distance from my residence, Youhuang Residence.

Never mind, I'll just go in first. I tried to push the door open, and it creaked open. I stepped inside—a small path paved with gravel, overgrown with weeds, winding its way into the depths of the flowers and trees.

I followed the path and turned a few corners until I came across a crystal-clear stream. Daisies were blooming along the stream banks, and after being washed by the rain, they looked especially fresh and delightful.

I squatted down, scooped up a handful of stream water, and drank a few mouthfuls—wow! The water, untouched by industrial pollution, was incredibly sweet. I drank my fill, wiped the water from my mouth with my sleeve, and then stood up, satisfied, ready to return the way I came—there wasn't a soul around, no fun at all.

"Who are you? How did you get in?" A clear voice rang out from behind me.

I turned around and saw a pretty, fresh-faced girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in colorful clothes. In her left hand she held a large bunch of daisies, and in her right hand she carried a delicate little bamboo basket containing a blue and white porcelain vase. She was tilting her head, looking at me with a puzzled expression.

"My name is Ye Qingyang, and I'm a guest at this resort." I replied with a smile, "What's your name?"

"My name is Banhe. But you still haven't told me how you got in?" The little girl stubbornly wanted an answer.

"Of course I walked in, did you think I flew in?" I pointed to the door I came in through, winked at her playfully, and smiled as I said, "I was just strolling around your estate, and I'm tired, thirsty, and hungry. I happened to see a door over there and heard the sound of water inside, so I came in to take a look. Little sister, do you live here?"

“Well, outsiders rarely come here.” Banhe’s innocent face showed a slight 'difficulty'. “Our master doesn’t like to be disturbed.”

"Just because 'few' people come in doesn't mean your master 'won' people come in, right?" I was starving, so I had to grab someone randomly to solve my 'livelihood' problem. "I promise to be quiet and won't disturb her." — Anyway, this is Huaiyuan's home, so his family lives here. They couldn't very well kick me out, could they?

"Alright then, young master, please follow me." As I expected, Banhe agreed to give me something to eat.