Go to Lantai

Xi Chun had just finished drinking and was sitting in front of the stove when she felt a little hot. She lowered her head and untied the orange vest with the magpie perched on a branch pattern that she was wearing.

Miao Wendao looked at Xichun's flushed face from drinking, feeling a surge of heat within him. Seeing Xichun undressing in front of him, he quickly turned his head away, looking at the blazing charcoal fire in the bronze stove. His heart was now no different from that fire, burning intensely. After spending these past few months with Xichun, he understood her better. Xichun was kind and innocent; although she could be a bit foolish and stubborn at times, it was precisely this naiveté that made her unique.

He had lived a carefree and unrestrained life for the first half of his life, and in Xinjiang, he would often spend his nights in taverns, drinking and listening to music, all with the money his father gave him. Because of his parents' discord, he had never had any longing for marriage, let alone any woman he admired. But then he met Xichun in Xinjiang. She was like a ray of warm sunshine in the winter. They only exchanged a few words, and he didn't even know her name, yet his heart was already captivated by her.

He had thought then that if he could marry a woman like Xichun, he would be willing to get married; otherwise, he would rather remain unmarried for life. He would treat her well for the rest of his life and would never be like his father, whose mother brought home three concubines less than a year after marrying into the family. He would cherish her gently, and the two of them would love each other dearly until they grew old together.

As Xichun ate the winter dates she had bought on the street that day, she recalled the story about dates that Miao Wendao had told her last time. He had only told her half of the story last time, and she had always wanted to know what happened to the emperor who ate the Queen Mother of the West's dates.

Just as she was about to ask him a question, Miao Wendao, who had been staring at the charcoal fire, suddenly turned to look at her. Meeting his gaze, Xichun smiled sweetly at him.

Miao Wendao was startled by her laughter and awkwardly lowered his head, coughing lightly twice.

"Brother Miao, have you caught a cold?" Xi Chun asked worriedly. She had never seen anyone as unafraid of the cold as Brother Miao. It was December now, and although it didn't snow much in the capital, a cold wind blew every day. Whenever Brother Miao took off his official robes, he wore a jade-white Taoist robe at home, with a cicada-patterned headscarf on his head. He did look ethereal, but she felt chilled just looking at him. You see, she had already worn a cloak in early winter, and now she was wearing three layers upon three layers, afraid of catching a chill.

When Aunt Feng saw Xi Chun's surprise at Miao Wendao's clothes, she explained to her, "Your brother Miao is like that. Even when it's snowing heavily, he only wears three layers of clothes. I've never seen him catch a cold, so don't worry."

Brother Miao had never caught a cold before, but this winter has been particularly cold, and the wind has been howling these past few days, so it's possible that he might have caught a cold.

Miao Wendao whispered "No," but Xichun didn't hear him. She reached out and gently touched Miao Wendao's forehead with the back of her hand, then touched her own, to make sure he didn't have a fever. Seeing that Miao Wendao wasn't sick, Xichun turned around and sat back down in her seat.

When the back of her hand touched his forehead, Miao Wendao's heart skipped a beat. Yu Sheng had previously said that she had fallen for a girl, and that seeing her before she even spoke made her heart pound wildly, her mind go completely blank, and she couldn't utter a single word. He had previously thought Yu Sheng was talking nonsense; he had never felt this way before. Now, he understood.

It's just that your heart flutters, it's just that you like someone, it's just that you feel completely helpless in front of that person.

To hide his nervousness, he picked up the tea beside him, took a sip, and went over the words he had been pondering in his mind again before turning to look at Xichun beside him.

"Xichun, I have something to tell you."

Xi Chun smiled and looked back at him, "Brother Miao, please feel free to speak your mind."

Looking into her pure eyes, Miao Wendao took a deep breath and asked, "Xichun, what do you think of Brother Miao?"

"Brother Miao, you are very good. You are very capable, know a lot of things, are filial, and are very kind to people."

Hearing Xichun praise him so directly, Miao Wendao blushed a little. "That's not what I'm asking. I... I wanted to ask, what do you think of me as your husband?"

"Huh?" Xi Chun opened her mouth in surprise upon hearing this. She had always regarded Miao Wendao as an older brother and had never thought of anything else.

“I know you’re surprised, Xichun. This isn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing; I’ve liked you for a long time. I was touched when you gave me the silver bracelet. I don’t know why you entered the palace or why you left, and I don’t care about those things, nor will I ask. I just want to tell you that I like you, and I really want to marry you.”

Miao Wendao's words were very sincere, and Xichun was somewhat moved. Now that she had left Wei Qiao, she understood that she wanted to get married and live a good life. However, she truly felt no attraction to Miao Wendao; it was purely the affection of a younger sister for her older brother. Besides, she knew that someone else still existed in her heart, and she couldn't possibly agree to Miao Wendao's request.

"Brother Miao, you're a good person, but I don't like you yet. I..."

"No need to say anything, I know. Brother Miao was being presumptuous." Miao Wendao reached out and patted Xichun's shoulder. He had thought that Xichun would reject him, but hearing it with his own ears still made him feel disappointed.

Forcing a smile, she said to her, "Brother Miao has been drinking and is feeling a bit dizzy, so I'll go back to my room first. Xichun, you should get some rest too." After Miao Wendao finished speaking, he turned and left the main room. Watching that white figure drift away like a feather, Xichun felt a mix of emotions she couldn't quite describe.

She rarely drank, but had a high tolerance for alcohol, and the more she drank, the more energetic she became. After returning to her room, she couldn't fall asleep, so she got up and read a storybook until the fourth watch of the night before finally going to sleep.

As if nothing had happened yesterday, Miao Wendao continued to treat her as kindly as ever. Xichun knew that Miao Wendao was an upright gentleman, so she didn't deliberately avoid spending time with him, and the two remained as close as ever.

Two days later, Miao Wendao's pageboy, Miao Sheng, led a middle-aged couple of servants to the capital.

Miao Sheng smiled and said to Miao Wendao, "Young Master, Uncle He and Aunt Liu are the ones Master sent to look after the house. When you went to Lantai County to be the magistrate, Master said that you still need someone to serve you, so he called me here as well."

Miao Sheng was in his early twenties. Unlike Miao Wendao's heroic appearance, he had fair skin and wore a blue cloth robe, making him look more like a refined scholar. Miao Sheng was witty and easy to get along with, and quickly became acquainted with Xi Chun. Miao Sheng's grandfather was a famous storyteller in their area, and Miao Sheng had listened to many stories from his grandfather since childhood, able to recite one offhand. Xi Chun and Aunt Feng loved to pull Miao Sheng aside to listen to his stories whenever they had free time.

Miao Wendao's duties at the Ministry of Rites were finally completed on the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month. Miao Sheng and Uncle He had already hired three carriages for the trip to Lantai County.

After breakfast on the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the group loaded their luggage into the carriages and set off for Lantai County. Miao Wendao and Miao Sheng rode in one carriage, while Xichun and Aunt Feng rode in another. They also hired two drivers from a carriage company to help them drive the two carriages to Lantai County.

The carriage traveled from Yongding Street through Zhuque Avenue, finally exiting the capital through the South Gate. Looking at the words "Capital" inscribed on the majestic city wall, Xichun felt a surge of emotion. Three years ago, she had passed through this very gate, and now she was leaving from the same place. Three years ago, she arrived in the capital full of hope, hoping to find someone to rely on for the rest of her life. Now, having experienced many trials and tribulations, she was leaving this place that had given her both tears and joy. She believed her future was still full of hope; she would live well, carrying the hopes her grandfather had given her, and live happily ever after.

Seeing that Xichun kept looking out the car window, Aunt Feng smiled and asked, "Xichun, what's wrong? Are you reluctant to leave?"

Hearing Aunt Feng speak, Xi Chun lowered the curtain, turned around to look at her, and smiled, "I'm happy. The capital is very nice, but after a few years, I always feel that it's not as good as my hometown."

Aunt Feng nodded in agreement, "Who says otherwise? This capital city is big, but even after living here for so many years, I still haven't gotten used to it. If I had to say what's good, it's still my hometown. The soil and water feel familiar, and even the food suits my taste better. This time, we'll settle down in Lantai County first, and then I'll have Suqing send someone to Fuping County to inquire about your hometown. If that corrupt official is no longer around, you can go home and visit him."

Xichun smiled and nodded at her, then continued, "Auntie has inquired and found that it takes more than half a month to travel from the capital to Lantai County by carriage. We can still make it to Lantai County to celebrate the Spring Festival. Auntie will make you some yellow millet and jujube cake from my hometown. It's sweet, soft, and delicious."

Xichun hadn't had a lively Spring Festival in a long time, and she nodded with a smile as she listened to Aunt Feng's description. It was truly wonderful to spend the Spring Festival with Aunt Feng and Brother Miao, who were like family.

The journey went smoothly, and Aunt Feng and Xichun had endless conversations every day. Miao Sheng would sometimes come over and switch drivers with them, listening to Miao Sheng tell stories, and the journey was filled with laughter.

On the eighth day, the group stayed at a farmer's house outside Puban County. The hospitable farmer prepared a table full of food to welcome them and offered them his homemade sorghum wine. Xichun couldn't resist the host's hospitality and drank a couple of cups. That night, unable to sleep, she put on her cloak and looked at the moon at the door. The next day, she felt dizzy and lightheaded in the carriage and fell asleep leaning against the wall.

At first, Aunt Feng thought Xichun hadn't slept well, but then she noticed her flushed face and touched her forehead, discovering she had a persistent high fever. She quickly stopped the carriage and consulted with Miao Wendao, "Suqing, Xichun has a fever; it seems she's caught a chill. How long until we reach the next town? We need to find a doctor for Xichun quickly and get her some medicine."

"We're only twenty li away from Puban City. Let's speed up and get there before noon."

Xi Chun hadn't been sick in a long time, but her illness struck suddenly and fiercely. She was completely listless, dizzy, and weak all over. Before noon, the group settled into an inn in Puban City, and Miao Wendao immediately went to find a doctor in the city. After taking her pulse, the doctor diagnosed it as a common cold and prescribed some medicine for Xi Chun. Aunt Feng borrowed the inn's kitchen to prepare the medicine for Xi Chun, and Miao Wendao stayed by her bedside. Seeing her haggard and sickly appearance, he felt waves of heartache.

Every time Xichun woke up, she would see Miao Wendao or Aunt Feng by her side. After leaving her grandfather and Lanxiang, she never thought she could receive such warmth.

Fortunately, Xichun was in good health and took the medicine in time. She recovered after three days of medication. Seeing that Xichun had regained her original energetic self, Aunt Feng smiled and said, "That's good. You should wear more clothes in the future and not catch a cold again."

Xichun took Aunt Feng's hand and said apologetically, "It's just that my illness came at the wrong time, which has delayed everyone's time. Aunt and Brother Miao took care of me all night. I really feel bad about it."

"Silly child, your aunt and your brother Miao treat you like family. It's only natural for family members to take care of each other. Don't say such formal things in the future, or your aunt will be sad."

Xichun rested her head on Aunt Feng's chest, "Aunt Feng is so kind."

Seven days later, the carriage finally entered its destination, the county seat of Lantai County, in the afternoon.