Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn

Chapter 11

“Madam Mo, I’ve come to get the embroidery from you,” Aunt Wu said cheerfully. “I heard that a lot of new cotton has arrived at Chen’s shop on Bahu Street. A few young wives just said they’d like to go take a look and buy some good cotton to make winter clothes. Why don’t you come along too?”

The aunt hung the quilts up one by one, her face beaming with excitement. She said repeatedly, "Great! I was just about to make clothes for the two children. They've been living in the south all this time, and this is their first winter in the north. We need to make sure they're warm."

So, Auntie took the finished embroidery from her room and went out with Aunt Wu.

I was clearing away the fallen leaves from the chrysanthemum garden in the yard when I happened to turn around and noticed that Zinuo looked a little strange. I couldn't help but ask, "Zinuo, what's wrong?"

"Sister, you and Mother have been acting a little different lately, haven't you?" Zi Nuo thought for a while before finally asking.

I gave an awkward laugh: "It's my fault, sister, for bringing up something unpleasant."

Zinuo hurriedly grabbed me and said, "I heard everything you said, and I've heard some of it before..." She paused and then said, "Actually, I still miss home a little, but I'm afraid of upsetting my mother." As she spoke, Zinuo's eyes reddened.

My heart suddenly ached. That place meant something different to me than to Zinuo. But then I heard him say, "However, I prefer things now. Although I have fewer relatives, my closest ones are still here."

I looked at him closely, and his youthful face still couldn't completely hide the lie.

She gently hugged him and comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, the young master said he'll find a way to take us back once the Marquis stops caring so much."

Upon hearing this, Zinuo raised her head, her clear eyes shining with hope.

I should be able to go back, right? Even if Marquis Qiyun doesn't care about me, Zi Nuo is his son. Didn't boys value a lot in ancient times? I thought to myself with relief.

To liven things up and to prevent my aunt from seeing Zinuo's disappointment today, I moved a long bench and sat with Zinuo on it to tell him stories. I told him the few fairy tales and ghost stories I remembered... It seems like it's been a long time since I told Zinuo a story. Since arriving in the Holy City, I've often unconsciously neglected him, simply enjoying the happiness of my new home and ignoring his feelings.

After hearing a story, Zinuo felt much better. He looked at me intently and said, "Sister, how come you have so many stories? Even Li Momo has never heard of them."

I smiled and said, "Aren't all stories made up by people? Can't I just change and make up my own stories after hearing them from others?"

Zinuo nodded, but still said with resentment, "That's true, but you made up so much at once. You didn't just read it in some book I don't know to fool me, did you?"

I smiled happily, and Zinuo, having regained his clever and quick-witted demeanor, changed the subject, saying, "I'm in a good mood today, let me teach you a song." Zinuo stood up excitedly, and I took his hand and cheerfully sang "The Smurfs," a song I loved as a child:

"Over there, beyond the mountains and the sea, lives a group of Smurfs. They are lively and clever, mischievous and agile. They live freely in the green forest. They are kind and brave, and they all love each other. Oh... lovely Smurfs... lovely Smurfs! They work together, use their brains, and defeat Gargamel. They sing and dance, so happy and joyful..."

I sang it with Zinuo again and again. His innocent joy deeply touched me. I seemed to see myself singing and dancing with my friends in kindergarten many years ago. It was so far away that I couldn't remember their faces. Only the feeling of that past emotion remained in my mind.

In the evening, no one wanted to go to bed too early. My aunt carefully selected the cotton she had bought that morning by candlelight. Zinuo and I followed her and imitated her. We chatted about random things while selecting the cotton.

"Does Mother like her current life?" Zi Nuo suddenly blurted out, and I was immediately stunned, as the scene from the daytime flashed into my mind.

The aunt said nonchalantly, "I like it very much."

Zinuo said "Oh," and I thought the topic was over, but then he asked, "Is this the kind of life Mother dreams of?"

Auntie then looked at Zinuo with a puzzled expression and asked, "What's wrong today?"

"If this is the life Mother wants, Nuo'er will stay with Mother and protect it. If not, Nuo'er will work hard to make Mother live the life she wants." Zi Nuo said in a childish but firm voice. I was shocked once again. I never had such courage and confidence before. In this life, I am still selfish and think more about myself. I only think about how to live the life I like, and I even unconsciously ignore Zi Nuo's feelings.

Auntie smiled and said, "Zinuo has grown up so fast. What your mother wants most now is to watch you all grow up and live a peaceful life together. Just be less naughty." Zinuo obediently replied.

I clearly saw a hint of sadness in my aunt's eyes, perhaps even a sense of desolation. I didn't know for whom it was for, but I knew that our current lives weren't what anyone truly wanted. It's just that since leaving that place, none of us have found our place yet. At least, my aunt once hoped that Zinuo would achieve something great, but now he's only at peace. It turns out that we can control so little.

It was getting late, and my aunt kept urging us to go to bed. Zino and I reluctantly got up; Zino climbed into bed, and I went back to my room. Lying in bed, I pondered some questions I had almost forgotten, and gradually drifted off to sleep.

Perhaps this day was destined to be anything but peaceful.

Half-asleep, I was choked awake by thick smoke, coughing violently, and smelling a burning odor. I immediately became fully awake, then panicked. Without even putting on my clothes, I jumped out of bed and rushed outside, only to see flames shooting into the sky. The left side of the house was ablaze—that was my aunt and Zinuo's room. Half of the living room was also burned, and further to the left, an even more ferocious fire dragon had spread for who knows how far.

I was the only one in the courtyard; my aunt and Zinuo were still inside. I ran outside and, disregarding the flames, slammed the door open. I immediately smelled something burning on my clothes, but the scene inside horrified me: Zinuo was lying on the ground, crying and pulling at something. Then I saw that my aunt was trapped under a piece of wood that had fallen from the roof. The fire was too intense, and the smoke was so thick I could barely open my eyes. I rushed back to my room, which wasn't affected yet, grabbed a quilt, and soaked it in the water vat in the kitchen. When I finally carried it out, it was incredibly heavy. Ignoring the cold, I soaked myself as well, and then ran towards my aunt's room with the wet quilt—a quilt that had just been aired out that day!

I ran to my aunt's room, shouting for Zinuo. Zinuo turned around in a panic. The cotton on the table was burning fiercely, and Zinuo's clothes seemed to be scorched, but he still stood between my aunt and the raging fire. Fortunately, the cotton burned out quickly. I gritted my teeth and rushed into the room, pulling Zinuo up and tucking him under the blanket. I saw that the piece of wood pinning my aunt wasn't very thick; she was probably injured and unable to move, and had also inhaled too much toxic gas and was unconscious. Together, Zinuo and I kicked away the half-burnt wood, used the wet blanket to extinguish the fire on my aunt's back, and then struggled to drag her out step by step. For the first time, I was grateful that we had so little furniture, giving us time to get out safely.

I dragged my aunt to a safe, well-ventilated area where the flames could no longer reach us, but the intense heat still lingered, so much so that even though I was soaked to the bone, I didn't feel any coolness in this late autumn night. I carefully examined my aunt's wounds; a large area of burns covered her back, emitting a burnt smell, and her left leg, presumably crushed and then burned, was no longer a mangled mess of flesh, just a charred black patch. Seeing that her breathing was still steady, I went to the well, drew half a bucket of water, and used it to carefully wash her face and wounds. Zinuo helped me, her dark little face streaked with tears, revealing streaks of white skin, but she didn't cry out.

"Mother won't die, will she?" Zi Nuo asked softly, but her tone was certain.

I nodded and said "Mm".

The fire had already spread through our yard to several neighboring houses. It took a while before we heard any noise from that side, followed by increasingly loud shouts. People in the distance must have woken up and started to escape to fight the fire.

Looking at this inexplicable fire, I felt no joy at surviving. How did it happen? Why didn't anyone call for help before, and why did it take so long to react? Was it because the wind was strong tonight and the fire spread too quickly, leaving no time to escape? Or were we all sleeping too soundly, letting our lives silently vanish in our sleep? If I hadn't been a light sleeper tonight and hadn't had some basic fire safety knowledge, would the three of us have also disappeared silently?

I then felt a chill of fear and lay limply on the ground.

Zinuo quickly tried to pull me up, saying urgently, "Sister, your clothes are wet. Don't lie down. Get closer to the fire and dry your clothes."

I slowly sat up, poured some water into my aunt's mouth, and told Zinuo, "Keep an eye on your mother. Call me if she gets cold. I'm going to lie down by the fire for a while."

I lay down on the hot stone slab, exhausted, unwilling to move. I had barely slept, having been tense while rescuing people. Now that I could relax, I quickly fell asleep.

Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 011

Chapter word count: 3528 Update time: 09-07-25 14:00

I woke up shivering. Dawn was breaking, and the first thing I saw was a patch of charred blackness smoldering in the air. Then I remembered everything that had happened last night. It wasn't a nightmare after all; it was stark reality. I forced a bitter smile as I climbed off the now-cold stone slab. My head throbbed slightly. "Please don't catch a cold at a time like this," I prayed silently.

Not far away was Zinuo's thin, frail body, tightly hugging his mother, his head buried in her chest with his eyes closed. I went over, picked him up from his aunt's arms and placed him on my own, gently calling his name. The temperature was at its lowest now, and he was dressed too lightly; he couldn't sleep.

Zi Nuo's long eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes, looking at me with a confused expression.

"Zinuo, be good. It's too cold now. Don't sleep, or you'll catch a cold," I said softly.

Zinuo then remembered something, looked around in a panic, and saw the scene I had seen before, as well as his unconscious mother.

“Sister, it’s true.” Zi Nuo lowered her eyelids.