You Yuji had a dream. In her dream, she was thirteen years old again. Early in the morning, she left home with her second brother through the back door, riding her favorite horse, Xuanying.
Her second brother turned back and smiled at her, “Yuan Yuan, be careful not to fall into the water!”
She shouted back against the wind, “I won’t!”
The horse’s hooves splashed through the Yuan River, the cool water spraying everywhere. The summer morning sun was warm, shining on the splashing water droplets, creating a soft glow that wet her skirt and little leather boots.
After crossing the Yuan River, an endless grassland stretched out before them.
She leaned down and patted Xuanying’s neck, saying, “Come on, let’s catch up to second brother!”
Xuanying seemed to understand her words and neighed in response.
She was just about to catch up to her second brother when she saw a large herd of cattle and sheep driven by herdsmen, separating her from him. Despite her reluctance, she had to urgently pull the reins.
Her second brother laughed heartily at her through the bleating cattle and sheep.
An old shepherd smiled at her, wearing clothes washed to a faded white.
“Second brother, you’re cheating! This isn’t fair!” She smiled with her eyes squinting, the soft morning light kissing the curves of her smiling eyes.
“Hahaha, Yuan Yuan, don’t be mad. Here, this is for you!” Her second brother took a book from the bag on the carriage and tossed it to her.
Curious, she opened it and found it contained new poems written by Princess Que. Forgetting the horse race with her brother, she let Xuanying slow down, leisurely wandering across the grassland. She pointed at the words on the page, reading them one by one.
As she read Princess Que’s new poems, she thought about turning them into dance tunes…
She only needed to read them twice to memorize them.
Her second brother urged her to hurry up. She patted Xuanying, sped up, and happily followed him to watch a wrestling match.
The day was lively.
She stood in the crowd, cheering and laughing along.
Someone recognized her and jokingly invited her, “Want to give it a try?”
Without needing to say a word, her second brother shot a stern glance, and the person who had been teasing immediately backed off, claiming it was just a joke.
“Yuan Yuan!” Jiang Chun waved vigorously at her. She squeezed through the crowd, stuffing her arms full of sour jujube candies.
The candies were sweet and sour.
As the evening glow filled the sky, she reluctantly bid farewell to Jiang Chun and followed her second brother home. On the way back, they talked and laughed, planning to go out again the day after. Crossing the courtyard gate, she saw her eldest cousin with a stern face and immediately straightened up and greeted him properly.
“Skipping class again, copy the teacher’s article three times from yesterday!”
She lowered her eyes and obediently agreed, then skipped happily inside.
“Mother! I picked a bunch of flowers from the Yuan River for you! They’re so pretty!”
She peeked through the door into the room and saw her father pinning flowers into her mother’s hair. Her mother turned and smiled at her, gentle as water, “Tonight, we’ll have your favorite gardenia cakes.”
Her father also looked over, smiling, and said, “Go wash that little black face of yours!”
“Yes!” she replied, walking out with her hands behind her back. She ran into Jiamu, who was still very young, with his short little arms and legs. He looked up at her and complained in a childish voice, “Sister, you went out to play and didn’t take me!”
She laughed and pinched Jiamu’s soft little cheek, thinking to herself that in two years, her younger brother would be able to help her copy books.
…
You Yuji opened her eyes.
Everything in the dream was so beautiful and real. What now seemed like a distant and unattainable happiness was just an ordinary, everyday occurrence in her past.
“Madam, you’re awake?” Zhenxu looked at You Yuji with concern. “You had such a high fever and didn’t say anything.”
The smile in You Yuji’s eyes slowly faded, reluctant to leave the dream. She wanted to sit up, and Zhenxu quickly helped her.
Zhenxu sat by the beauty couch, picked up the medicine for the cold from the small table, blew on it gently, and said, “It’s just right. Quickly, drink the medicine.”
You Yuji took the bowl of medicine and silently drank it all.
Zhenxu could tell it was bitter, but You Yuji didn’t even frown. Zhenxu took the empty bowl and quickly handed over the preserved fruit she had prepared earlier. “It’s so bitter, have a piece of preserved fruit to take the edge off.”
You Yuji took the preserved fruit and only then noticed the bitterness in her mouth. When she drank the medicine earlier, she didn’t even feel how bitter it was.
“Madam, the doctor said your cold came on suddenly and fiercely. You need to take good care of yourself,” Zhenxu said, seeing You Yuji’s expression and knowing she probably didn’t want to talk much. She didn’t say more, instead pouring a cup of warm water and handing it to You Yuji. “Madam, drink more hot water to warm up your body.”
Although You Yuji’s body had thawed out from being in the warm room for so long, she still felt cold inside. Even though she didn’t want to drink water, she still took the cup and drank it sip by sip. She couldn’t stay sick like this; there were many things waiting for her, and she needed to get better quickly.
Outside, the wind was howling, slamming against the windows, and the window paper made a whimpering sound. You Yuji turned her head to look outside. Although it was still afternoon, it was very dark outside.
“Why am I sleeping here?” she asked.
Zhenxu sighed, “Because you were sick. I called a doctor, and when I came back, I found you asleep on the beauty couch. I thought you had fainted and scared me to death.”
Zhenxu patted her chest, still feeling a lingering fear.
You Yuji looked down at the velvet blanket and quilt wrapped around her, with a hand warmer lying nearby. Gradually, she remembered what had happened before she fell asleep.
It was Si Que who had helped her back.
He had wrapped her in the quilt, moved the brazier, and tucked in the hand warmer. He had also said…
A sudden realization struck You Yuji. She quickly moved from sitting to kneeling, scooting to the window, and forcefully pushed it open. The outside wind and snow, mixed with biting cold, rushed in immediately.
Zhenxu exclaimed in surprise, “Madam, why are you opening the window? You can’t let yourself get cold again!”
She didn’t dare to close the window directly and quickly knelt on the beauty couch, wrapping the quilt around You Yuji.
You Yuji looked out the window.
Dark clouds covered the sky, blocking the sunlight, and the wind and snow changed the color of the world. Before long, she indeed saw the figure of Si Que. The cold wind blew his skirt, and in the wind and snow, his figure appeared extremely thin, his hair already covered with snow. In such a heavy snowfall, it was impossible to hold an umbrella. He had put away the silk umbrella, holding it in his hand.
Si Que also saw You Yuji, looking over from a distance.
Outside, it was a world of ice and snow, while the soft light from the window illuminated a different world. As he walked closer, the distance between them gradually shortened, until the dark sky and snow could no longer obscure their gaze.
Si Que withdrew his gaze.
You Yuji closed the window and slowly sat down, leaning lightly against the wall.
Zhenxu had already reached the door, meeting Si Que, wanting to help brush off the snow on him. Si Que raised his hand, stopping her.
He walked toward You Yuji, bringing in the cold wrapped in wind and snow.
You Yuji looked up, quietly watching him stand in front of her.
Si Que said nothing, simply opening his hand in front of her.
The purple pearl, dampened by the snow, lay quietly in his palm.
He said he would find it for her, and he really did.
You Yuji was astonished, staring blankly at the purple pearl for a moment without taking it.
“The princess actually found it!” Zhenxu exclaimed happily beside them.
You Yuji’s hands, wrapped in the quilt, rested on her knees. Her fingertips trembled before she reached out to take the pearl from his palm.
“Thank you…” As she took the pearl, her fingertip brushed against his palm, immediately feeling a chill.
You Yuji pursed her lips, slightly turned her face away, and tightly clenched the pearl in her slender fingers, saying in a low voice, “You shouldn’t have gone to find it.”
It was too cold outside.
Si Que said nothing.
Even Zhenxu left the room to prepare hot water, leaving only the two of them inside. After a long silence, You Yuji still didn’t hear Si Que speak.
Naturally, as his smile faded, he spoke less and less.
You Yuji turned her gaze towards him, looking at the snow on his hair and shoulders, her brows slightly furrowed with a hint of confusion and bewilderment.
“Where… where did you find it?” she asked softly, her voice carrying a faint rasp.
Si Que finally spoke, “In the crack of a brick at the entrance of the palace.”
Zhenxu entered the bathing room with maids carrying hot water for a bath. You Yuji silently listened to their footsteps.
Zhenxu walked over and said, “Madam, it would be best for you to soak in a hot bath and rest early.”
You Yuji nodded. Her clothes were still damp with snow, making her uncomfortable.
Baohe called Zhenxu from the bathing room, needing assistance with something. Zhenxu hurried over to help.
You Yuji pushed off the quilt wrapped around her and moved her legs to the edge of the beauty couch. But she couldn’t see her shoes. Her old pair had been soaked through with snow and taken away by the servants. With everyone busy due to her illness, no one had remembered to bring her a new pair.
She turned her head towards the bathing room, waiting for Zhenxu to finish and come help her.
A pair of shoes was placed in front of her.
She smelled Si Que’s familiar scent before she saw him. Before she could turn her head, her ankle was already being held.
You Yuji looked over and saw Si Que squatting in front of her, putting her shoes on for her.
Up close, she could see that his clothes were soaked through. She wanted to say something but ended up saying nothing, just pressing her lips together.
Si Que’s face showed no expression as he finished putting on one shoe and then took her other foot. His gaze fell on the small red mole on her ankle.
It was this little, fierce mole that had originally captivated him.
His gaze lingered for a moment longer before he finished putting on her shoe.
“Oh, I forgot to bring Madam’s shoes…” Zhenxu hurried out of the bathing room, just in time to see Si Que standing up after putting on You Yuji’s shoes.
Zhenxu paused for a moment, and it wasn’t until You Yuji looked over that she quickly went to support You Yuji, helping her into the bathing room.
You Yuji didn’t like being attended to by maids while bathing, even when she was sick. She dismissed them and undressed by herself, stepping into the hot water.
Zhenxu was a bit worried, fearing that You Yuji might not have the strength or might slip and fall.
Baohe pulled her hand and quickly whispered in her ear, “What are you worried about? Didn’t you see Princess Que is still here?”
Zhenxu thought about it and agreed, feeling somewhat reassured.
You Yuji struggled to take off her clothes and unwrapped the layers of silk binding her chest. She sat in the hot water, feeling its warmth envelop her chilled body, gradually easing the cold inside her.
She soaked in the hot water for a long time before carefully supporting herself against the edge of the tub to get out. She changed into loose nightclothes and walked out.
You Yuji was a bit surprised to find Si Que still outside, sitting in a rattan chair opposite the beauty couch. He must have heard her come out of the bathing room, yet he didn’t look over, instead repeatedly tossing a copper coin with a blank expression.
You Yuji stood silently for a moment before stepping forward and sitting on the beauty couch, gently drying her damp hair with a cotton towel.
Only the sound of the wind continuously rustled the paper on the window behind her.
You Yuji glanced at Si Que several times. She wanted to tell him that he should go back to change clothes, to take a bath, and even to drink some soup to ward off the cold.
Her movements slowed down.
“You…” You Yuji frowned, suddenly unsure of what to say.
Si Que caught the falling copper coin and looked over.
“Why… aren’t you saying anything?” You Yuji felt a bit uncomfortable with the quiet atmosphere in the room.
“I’ve never been one to talk much.” Si Que expressionlessly tossed the coin again, this time not catching it, letting it fall to the ground and roll under the table. He looked at You Yuji, slowly curling one side of his lips into a smile. “If you want to hear, I can say a few more words?”
