Due to the frequent raids of the Wokou pirates, Lu Paizhang, who was so busy that his feet barely touched the ground, received a letter sent from home by Madam Su.
Ever since their daughter Lu Baozhu was abducted, the couple’s relationship had been strained for a long time, maintaining only a superficial harmony. Lu Paizhang knew that Madam Su blamed him for being indifferent to family matters over the years.
Every family has its own messy accounts, and year after year, things carried on like this, until the rift between them had deepened even more.
Therefore, Lu Paizhang naturally didn’t believe that Madam Su had written to him out of concern.
His first thought was: What trouble has Lu Huaihai caused this time?
When he opened the letter, sure enough, its contents were about his second son.
Looking closer, huh? This time, it wasn’t about any trouble he had stirred up.
Seeing this, Lu Paizhang’s mood stabilized quite a bit. When he read further and saw that Lu Huaihai had been framed by Qian Wude’s younger sister, he remained quite calm.
Whatever. That county magistrate has always bullied the weak and feared the strong; he wouldn’t dare do anything to his son.
After finishing the letter, Lu Paizhang felt somewhat frustrated.
He turned the letter over and over again, reading it several times.
He was away on official duties and couldn’t return home often. If no letter had come, that would have been fine, but since Madam Su went out of her way to send one, couldn’t she have included even a single sentence of concern for him?
Originally, Lu Paizhang could still find some time every few days to return home for a visit, but this letter left him annoyed, so he decided to stay at the public office and not go home at all.
A few days later, Lu Paizhang received another letter.
This time, there were two.
The first was from Madam Su, telling him that their son had run away and his whereabouts were unknown—he should go find him quickly.
The second was from Meng Cheng, the Taizhou Prefect whom he had met before, informing him: “Your son is with me. He volunteered to enlist. What do you think of this, Brother Lu?”
Lu Paizhang: …..
He knew Meng Cheng was recruiting soldiers to fight the Wokou, but he never expected that among the recruits, he would find his own son!
Hot-tempered as he was, Lu Paizhang immediately went to the stables, mounted his prized horse, tightened the reins, and set off to catch Lu Huaihai.
Riding some distance, he reconsidered on horseback and realized he shouldn’t act impulsively.
Lu Huaihai was already grown; he would turn eighteen next year. As a father, he could control him for a moment but not for a lifetime. Unless he broke the boy’s legs, he would always find a way to escape.
It might be better to let him go this time. Under Meng Cheng’s supervision, it wasn’t likely that anything could go terribly wrong.
Moreover, Lu Paizhang thought, his son had always been fearless and naive. Growing up surrounded by pampered elder brothers in military camps, he had never truly suffered or faced anything brutal. The harshest thing he might have experienced was seeing a pig slaughtered in the countryside during the New Year; he had never encountered the real horrors of the battlefield.
This time, after hitting a hard wall, he probably wouldn’t be so stubborn in the future.
With this in mind, Lu Paizhang turned his horse back to the public office, wrote a reply to Meng Cheng, stating to let Lu Huaihai be, and informed his superior of the situation. Then, he immediately rode back to Taizhou Prefecture City, arriving at the Lu family residence by noon the next day.
There were some details in the letter that couldn’t be explained clearly, so he needed to return in person.
When Lu Paizhang dismounted, he handed the reins to a servant boy at the gate and headed straight to the main courtyard to see his mother.
It happened to be at an opportune time—Old Madam Lu had just finished throwing a tantrum. Mo Qing and a few young maidservants stood silently, cleaning up the shattered items on the floor.
Due to the old lady’s illness, the furnishings in the room were not made of delicate porcelain or jade, but mostly wood. However, Old Madam Lu had never been a frail and dainty woman, even before her marriage. She was still strong enough to smash wooden decorations when in a fit of rage.
Mo Qing straightened up and said, “Third Master, why have you returned?”
Lu Paizhang stood in the courtyard, hesitated for a moment, and asked, “Go check— is the Old Madam still lucid right now?”
Mo Qing responded promptly and soon returned with an answer: “Third Master, the Old Madam invites you in.”
Lu Paizhang nodded, stepped over the mess scattered across the ground, and walked in with steady strides.
Old Madam Lu sat on a redwood chair, her eyes slightly lowered, one hand supporting her temple, looking utterly exhausted.
She said, “You’re back?”
“Mm, back for the time being,” Lu Paizhang replied. “There’s something about my son that I must discuss with you.”
After explaining Lu Huaihai’s enlistment, the letter from Prefect Meng, and his current plans, Lu Paizhang suddenly realized that the Old Madam did not look the least bit surprised.
Lu Paizhang immediately understood and said helplessly, “Mother, you’ve been helping him keep this from me again, haven’t you?”
The Old Madam coughed lightly, her tone sharp and firm: “What have I hidden? You never even asked me about it.”
Faced with his own mother’s blunt words, Lu Paizhang was left speechless. All he could say was, “Then please rest for now. I’ll go talk to Madam Su and let her know, so she doesn’t worry.”
Old Madam Lu waved her hand impatiently, shooing her son away.
As soon as Lu Paizhang left, Old Madam Lu instructed Mo Qing to fetch Xie Miao’er.
In the years after her husband’s passing, Old Madam Lu had long grown accustomed to living alone. At night, not even Mo Qing was allowed to attend to her closely, so Mo Qing, like the other servants, slept in the servants’ quarters. Suddenly having Xie Miao’er appear in the courtyard made the old madam feel rather unaccustomed to the change.
Fortunately, now that news of Lu Huaihai had been received, Xie Miao’er no longer needed to hide in the main courtyard.
Old Madam Lu decided to take the opportunity to probe Xie Miao’er before she left.
After all, even now, she still didn’t know where exactly this girl had come from.
Xie Miao’er was brought over by the maid, and when she heard that the old madam was waiting for her in the study, she walked over quietly. She found the old madam looking well and sitting by the window, writing something.
Seeing this, Xie Miao’er held her breath, not daring to interrupt. The old madam, however, noticed her through the lattice window and beckoned her over with a wave.
Xie Miao’er didn’t hesitate, walking straight over and giving a polite bow. “Old Madam.”
Old Madam Lu squinted, examining her. “You’ve lost a lot of weight. Is it because you’re not used to the food in the main courtyard?”
Xie Miao’er shook her head. “No, it’s just that I’m a bit picky about beds, so I haven’t been sleeping very well.”
Of course, that was only a small part of the reason. The real issue was the long dream she’d had, which drained much of her energy. Each night afterward, she couldn’t help but think of Lu Huaihai, worrying about his safety so much that she couldn’t sleep.
With such concerns weighing on her, she naturally lost a significant amount of weight.
Old Madam Lu said, “Well then, you should move back today. Now that Huaihai’s whereabouts are known to his parents, there’s no need for you to stay here with this old woman to avoid trouble.”
“Thank you for taking care of me during these days,” Xie Miao’er said. She wasn’t surprised that they had already learned about Lu Huaihai’s situation.
As she spoke, she inadvertently glanced at what the old madam was writing.
It was a series of neat, unfamiliar symbols strung together, resembling the talismans used in Taoist temples.
Curious, Xie Miao’er asked, “Old Madam, is this a Taoist talisman? It looks a bit like the way peace talismans are drawn.”
Of course, it wasn’t a talisman or a spell. The string of symbols the old madam had written on the rice paper was English.
Having lived in Yongchao for decades, Old Madam Lu had long understood the situation here. This dynasty, which didn’t exist in her historical knowledge, bore a striking resemblance to the Ming Dynasty. During this period, a few obscure missionaries had already crossed the seas to reach these lands, but they hadn’t made much impact.
Thus, she had deliberately written a few English words. If her probing didn’t reveal anything suspicious, she could easily claim that these were things she had learned from missionaries, thereby protecting her identity.
However, Xie Miao’er’s reaction surprised Old Madam Lu. She had been observing Xie Miao’er coldly the entire time but saw no hint of surprise on her face.
Xie Miao’er genuinely seemed to believe that what the old madam was writing was some sort of unknown talisman. If not for Old Madam Lu’s firm belief in her initial judgment, she might have thought she was losing her mind or mistaken in her suspicions.
Without revealing anything, Old Madam Lu brushed the matter aside. “No, it’s just some foreign words I learned in the past.”
Xie Miao’er showed no further interest. She had no idea about the old madam’s tangled thoughts and quickly excused herself, leaving with Yue Chuang to pack her belongings and return to her previous quarters.
During her brief stay, aside from her clothes and a small ledger, the only thing Xie Miao’er needed to bring back was an almanac.
Every day, she would repeatedly calculate how long it would be until the date recorded for Lu Huaihai’s return, marking circles in the almanac day by day.
Yue Lian, who had been left alone to guard the small courtyard, was so bored she felt like she might grow moss on her head. When she saw Xie Miao’er returning with Yue Chuang, she eagerly ran out to greet them.
“Mistress, you’ve finally come back!”
Xie Miao’er gave her a gentle smile, but Yue Chuang scolded her younger sister. “Have you been slacking off? Have you finished cleaning properly?”
Yue Lian protested, “The sun was so good today that I moved all the bedding outside to dry.”
Yue Chuang glared at her. “Look at the time! It’s almost dark. Why haven’t you brought the bedding back yet? Do you want it to get damp again?”
Grabbing Yue Lian by the ear, Yue Chuang dragged her off to collect the bedding.
Xie Miao’er stood in the courtyard, gazing at the familiar plants and trees around her. Though she hadn’t been away for long, she couldn’t help but feel as though time had transformed everything, as if the world had undergone a vast upheaval.
In the corner of the courtyard’s eastern side, there used to be a sword leaning against the wall.
In the crevice of the sunken courtyard wall, he would always plant one foot there to vault over.
Here, he practiced his swordsmanship; there, he shared meals with her… These memories flooded her mind endlessly.
Even though he wasn’t here, it felt as though he had never left.
Xie Miao’er could almost see the figure of him under the moonlight, gracefully sheathing his sword.
With a soft sigh, she returned to her room, placed the almanac in the most prominent position in front of the mirror, and crossed out the day that had just passed.
The summer heat had gradually faded, and the autumn winds arrived silently. The ivy leaves clinging to the courtyard walls shivered in the breeze, quickly turning yellow and withering away in no time.
Autumn here came harsh and swift. Xie Miao’er, slow to add more layers, had already sneezed several times.
Yue Chuang brought her a bowl of ginger soup, which Xie Miao’er obediently drank.
After finishing, she placed the bowl down and found herself staring blankly at the corner of the courtyard where the young master used to train. Yue Chuang, seeing this, felt a pang of sadness and said with concern, “Mistress, be careful not to dwell too much—it’s bad for your health.”
Xie Miao’er replied honestly, “Actually, I don’t miss him that much anymore.”
She was simply waiting for him to come back.
The endless wait was more excruciating than anything else.
Yue Chuang, thinking she was just being stubborn, quickly and thoughtfully changed the subject. “Auntie, did the Third Madam grant her approval earlier?”
Xie Miao’er nodded. “She did. The Third Madam said it’s too much trouble for me to notify her every time I leave the house. From now on, on the first and fifteenth of each month, I only need to inform Qingzhu before heading out.”
Whether it was managing the fabric shop or caring for her younger siblings, Xie Miao’er had been keeping herself busy lately.
The business had been revived, and the fabric shop’s profits were steadily returning to the levels they had been during her father’s lifetime. With Xie Miao’er and Cheng Yuandao’s capable management, there even seemed to be signs of surpassing those previous achievements.
Her three-year-old half-sister, Xie Ying’er, had fallen ill recently. It was after overhearing a gossiping servant that Xie Miao’er found out about it. She immediately replaced the caretaker and comforted the little girl, cradling her in her arms. By some twist of fate, this infrequent interaction led the young child to grow more attached to her elder sister.
When one has things to do, the days seem to pass quickly.
The circles on the almanac increased day by day. Before long, the harsh winter arrived, bringing frost and bitter cold.
Xie Miao’er stared at the almanac, her gaze fixed as she drew a heavy mark on it.
If nothing went wrong, and factoring in the distance from Ninghai County to the prefecture, today—or at the latest, tomorrow—Lu Huaihai should be home.
However, something arrived even earlier than Lu Huaihai: the year’s first snowfall.
That evening, the moon hung faintly in the sky, and the snow began to fall.
Unlike the thick, goose-feather-like snow often seen in the capital, the snow in the Zhejiang region didn’t seem much like snow at all. Since it was the first snowfall, it was light—like tiny grains of salt. The smaller flakes melted almost immediately as they floated in the air.
Xie Miao’er, holding a bamboo umbrella, walked along the path from the corner gate back to her courtyard.
The corner gate was in the east, and her courtyard was in the south, requiring her to cross through the front courtyard.
Suddenly, the sound of commotion came from nearby. The frozen hinges of the gate creaked loudly, and the sleepy gatekeeper let out a big yawn as he opened it. Moments later, his voice rang out in joyful excitement, “The young master! The young master has returned!”
Whether it was because snow had slipped into her boots or because her feet suddenly felt as heavy as lead, Xie Miao’er found herself unable to take another step forward.