Luzhou Moon - Chapter 150
Lian Junchu was in turmoil. He turned his head and saw the trunk beside the bed. He used his remaining arm to prop himself up on the edge of the bed, silently took off his boots, and opened the trunk.
The clothes were still intact, but they smelled musty. He used his feet to take out the short-sleeved shirts that had accompanied him through his childhood.
He remembered every single garment she wore, and which time he had worn it during their last meeting. He even remembered her words and expressions during every argument or joke…
But upon closer inspection, it was discovered that one item was missing.
That light gray top, the one whose sleeves she had mended.
Lian Junchu's heart suddenly skipped a beat. He rushed out without even putting on his boots, but the courtyard was still empty. Just then, a gust of wind blew, stirring the clump of February orchids in the corner. Sometime during the day, the February orchids, which had been on the verge of death, sprouted new shoots, and at their roots, the damp soil showed clear signs of being disturbed.
Lian Junchu paused for a moment, then ran towards the outside of the courtyard.
Barefoot, he ran aimlessly along the slippery mountain path. The forest was lush and green, the pines rustling in the breeze. He didn't know when she had been here, nor dared he think about how long she had been gone, or if she had already left Nan Yandang. But he couldn't stop; he could only keep running, keep searching…
Peach groves, icy pools, cliffs… she was nowhere to be found. Lian Junchu gasped for breath, stumbling and chasing after her down the mountain. In a daze, he thought he saw that familiar figure not far away, but when he caught up, he found nothing.
You can't catch anything.
His shoulders trembled as he leaned against the cold rock wall and slowly slid down until he finally collapsed to the ground, powerless.
"Ruzheng!" he cried out in a desperate, sorrowful voice.
The sound echoed through the valley. Endless loneliness.
...
A faint fragrance suddenly wafted through the fresh air after the rain. He looked up in surprise and saw a woman dressed in plain clothes not far away.
She seemed caught off guard by his presence, her expression one of panic. In her arms she was still holding a wild violet cress uprooted, its roots wrapped in his light gray short jacket.
Lian Junchu tried to stand up, but her legs gave way. Yue Ruzheng, panicked and at a loss, turned and walked away. He struggled to his feet, staggered a few steps, and caught up with her, saying, "Ruzheng, don't take my flowers or my clothes."
Yue Ruzheng's shoulders trembled as she tightly hugged the February orchid, her voice trembling as she said, "I just wanted to keep it as a memento; I won't bother you again."
Lian Junchu stepped forward, forced a smile, and said, "My people are right here. Why are you only taking these things?"
Tears welled up in Yue Ruzheng's eyes, but she still stubbornly kept walking forward.
"Ruzheng!" Lian Junchu suddenly shouted, her voice trembling and tinged with tears.
Yue Ruzheng covered her mouth with her hand, but she couldn't help but sob. She slowly turned around and saw Lian Junchu standing motionless in the puddle, her clothes disheveled, her expression sorrowful, and clear tears streaming from her dark, clear eyes.
Yue Ruzheng felt as if her heart had been brutally crushed, contracting in pain. Holding Er Yuelan, she slowly walked towards him.
"Xiao Tang, don't cry." She reached out and gently wiped away his tears.
"Come home with me. Whether it's Seven Star Island or Nan Yandang, wherever you want to go, I'll go." Lian Junchu looked at her with tear-filled eyes, as if trying to see into the depths of her heart.
"Go back by yourself, take good care of yourself, don't make me worry..." Yue Ruzheng's hands were trembling, but she still refused to look him in the eye.
Lian Junchu's tears slid down onto the back of her hand. "Our house hasn't been cleaned. Don't you want to go see it again?"
"Xiao Tang! Don't be so foolish!" Yue Ruzheng resolutely withdrew her hand, clenching her fist tightly, trying to stop his delusions.
Lian Junchu, suppressing her grief, looked at her with clear eyes and questioned, "Why did you have to leave me?"
Yue Ruzheng trembled all over, looking at his drooping sleeves, feeling an overwhelming pang of heartache. Her long-suppressed pain finally erupted, and she screamed, "I don't know how to face you! You lost your arm because of me, what can I do?! What can I possibly do?!"
"But I don't care anymore." Tears still glistened in Lian Junchu's eyes, but she forced a smile. "I just want to be with you, to gather herbs in the deep mountains, to fish in the cold pools, to fetch water, to cook, to eat snacks. I promised you I'd mend your clothes when they're torn. I haven't given you anything yet, how can you just leave like this?"
Yue Ruzheng was stunned. As she listened to these words that she had once spoken, she wanted to bloom with a smile, but tears flowed down her face instead.
He lowered his head, held his breath, as if afraid that any noise would scare her away, then turned his face slightly and gently kissed her tear stains.
His kisses were a little awkward, yet they were the most tender melody in the world.
××××××
Red clouds hang low over the green glass. A drowsy cry echoes from the flowers. Quietly, I watch the long branches brush against the corner of the building. The morning chill brushes against my verdant brows.
Cease writing, and instead compose a poem. Every year, when the willow catkins drift in the wind, embroidered robes are moved at midnight by the grass-leaf talisman. Under the moon, two oars return home.
-- Jiang Kui, "Ruan Lang Gui"
[End of text]
[Bonus Chapter: Holding Hands and Growing Old Together]
Side Story: A Perfect Union (Part 1)
Regarding the matter of marriage, Lian Junchu had once asked Yue Ruzheng for his opinion. Although he was not a person who liked crowds, he always felt that for a woman, marriage was the most important event in her life and should not be taken lightly. Subconsciously, because his mother had never formally married into the family, he actually hoped that he could give Ruzheng a proper ceremony.
"Isn't it true that the groom needs to go to the bride's house to pick up the bridal sedan chair for the wedding?" Yue Ruzheng asked him, sitting on the bed and turning to the side.
The two had returned to the courtyard and spent several days cleaning it up, finally making it feel like home again.
Lian Junchu sat down beside her, looked down at her, and said, "That should be the case..."
"Then do I have to go back to Luzhou, and you have to rush over from Seven Star Island to bring me back?" Yue Ruzheng felt that this seemed like a waste of energy. After thinking for a moment, she added, "For the wedding ceremony, don't we need ancestors to be present? That would require going to Seven Star Island!"
Lian Junchu pondered for a moment and said, "That's indeed the case."
She rested her head on his shoulder, frowning. "Don't you find it troublesome?"
"But I hope you can marry me openly and honestly." Lian Junchu understood her meaning and felt a little disappointed.
"We can get married here too!" Yue Ruzheng said, kneeling on the bed and tugging at his sleeve. "Look, if we kowtow together, it can be considered a marriage."