As He Yiyi and I strolled and chatted in the garden, she smiled, her dimples deepening. She said, "Qi Xiang, I'm painting a little figure's clothes. Look, it's about this size. When I return to the capital next spring, I'll have an embroidery workshop make them."
She gestured with her fingers in the air to indicate a garment, saying that the skirt should be embroidered with crabapple patterns.
The verdant green is tinged with frost, and winter is gradually approaching.
The girl who once clung to her beloved's arm, saying she wanted to elope with him, has now become a wife and mother.
I originally intended to pawn the ivory fan He Yiyi had given me to collect some silver and travel around, but instead I received a letter from Da Fengdai.
There was only one line of text on it, written by the Third Master: Girl, your master is not doing well.
My heart skipped a beat; it was just as I had guessed.
[49] The wind of testing the lamps
As winter approaches, a thin layer of snow and sand settles on the eaves of the house.
I packed my things, intending to say goodbye to He Yiyi. As I walked to the window, I saw her rise to get a teacup, her body swaying slightly, as if she were about to stumble. A hand steadied her shoulder, and I carefully pulled her closer. Lou Junyan, holding the teacup, watched her with a smile in his eyes. He Yiyi lowered her eyes, her thick, butterfly-wing-like eyelashes casting a blush across her cheeks like a sunset.
I walked to the gate of the He residence, intending to open my paper umbrella, when I saw Lou Xiyue dressed in a fine blue robe, with a few white magnolias sparsely embroidered on the collar, holding a bamboo-ribbed silk fan-shaped umbrella, standing under the eaves. Behind him, a sprig of winter plum blossoms slanted out, adorned with two or three red stamens.
I said, "You weren't waiting for me, were you?"
He nodded slightly. "What do you think?"
I was a little confused. "You know where I'm going?"
He shrugged. "I don't know."
I said, "Then why are you waiting for me?"
Lou Xiyue smiled slightly, "I'll walk with you."
I said, "You don't even know where I'm going, how can you come with me?"
He tilted his head and said softly, "Oh, may I ask where you are going, young lady?"
I thought for a moment and said, "I need to go to the East to find Qi Xiao."
Lou Xiyue nodded seriously and said, "I'm also going to the Eastern Lands, so it's on my way."
I said, "..."
I had been worried when I first learned that Lou Zhao's poison was still not cured, but my master's complexion improved after taking the medicine, and he seemed to remember things from the past. I originally thought he was cured, but judging from the letter from the Three Dukes, his condition is not good. I think Qi Xiao must be hiding something from me. If she is really a princess, she must know the antidote for wolfsbane.
Lou Xiyue said to me, "I heard that the Emperor of the Eastern Lands was unable to refine the elixir of immortality, so he followed the ancient books and wanted to collect the four guardian spirit talismans to prolong his life. I borrowed the Xie Zhi white jade from my fifth brother."
I said, "You want to offer it to the Emperor?"
Lou Xiyue replied, "Firstly, there are still some suspicious things about my third uncle's matter, and I need to find out the truth. Secondly—" He paused, glanced at me, "and also want to know about your background."
In the winter of the thirty-third year of Chongyuan, Lou Xiyue and I, along with Dafeng, drove a carriage from Yangzhou to the east.
As the snow fell heavier that day, frost covered the eaves of the black-walled, blue-tiled houses in Yangzhou.
I pulled my clothes tighter and looked out through the wooden lattice window of the carriage. The streets and alleys were bustling with activity, probably because it was almost New Year's. I could hear firecrackers exploding at the gates of houses, eliciting laughter from children.
Looking back at Lou Xiyue, he was fiddling with something with his head down.
I leaned closer and saw him hand me a cloth robe with a scholar-like shadow puppet figure.
Lou Xiyue looked up at me. "Last time you said you didn't like the Great General, but this time you've dressed up as a scholar. Do you like it?"
I stared blankly at him, then turned my face away and said, "I still prefer someone like the Great General."
He rubbed his forehead, both amused and exasperated, and handed over the shadow puppet he had made last time. "You keep doing the same thing over and over again, it's really frustrating."
I paused for a moment, then turned around and leaned against the window without saying a word.
When hiking through the mountains at night, there are no inns to rest at.
I leaned against the corner of the car, listening to the sound of the wheels grinding against the gravel, and dozed off to catch up on some sleep.
The window frame was so sharp that I put my hand under my head as a pillow.
Outside the car was a dark, misty night. The flowers and grass had all withered in the cold daylight, and it was very desolate. Our car was the only one traveling on the mountain road.
Lou Xiyue took my hand off and helped me rest my head on his shoulder.
I opened my eyes a crack and stole a glance at him.
The sky was completely dark, and with the sparse starlight, one could vaguely see his eyes closed, his brows relaxed, and a faint smile playing on his lips.
I tried to move my head back a little from his shoulder, and just as I raised it halfway up, he seemed to move up a bit, shifting his body so that I could rest my head on it perfectly.
I straightened my head, remained silent, and moved to the side, but Lou Xiyue pulled me back with one hand.
Despite the sound of the wind outside, he kept his eyes closed, his voice laced with laughter, "If you move any further, you'll end up outside the car."
I couldn't make out his features very well, so I could only stammer, "There's not much space in the car, so there's no way to stretch out."
He gave a very soft "hmm," sounding somewhat weary, and with a gentle pull, turned me over so that I could rest my head on his shoulder.
I felt a little embarrassed and tried to move away, but he placed one hand on my shoulder, and looked like he was asleep.
I said in a low voice, "Lou Xiyue, um, I have something to tell you. Let me sit up straight first."
He seemed to be truly asleep, his face shrouded in a soft shadow. His hand casually draped over me as he lazily said, "I'm tired. Let's talk about it tomorrow."