Following He's Past
Jingzhou has a long history. The State of Chu made it its capital, and it was a frequent site of military conflicts during the Three Kingdoms period.
But for Sui-hyuk during her teenage years, it was an indescribable hometown.
In Jingzhou dialect, "Suihe" means "a wild girl who runs around wildly in the village."
"Mother, brother, sister, I'm back!" As the sun set, Sui He, carrying a basket on his back, stood on the earthen slope, put his hand to his mouth, and shouted loudly.
"Sister!"
The two little ones took off running towards Sui He, while their mother smiled helplessly behind them and continued embroidering the handkerchief in her hands.
"Sister, sister."
"Are you tired today...?"
Little Suishan didn't grow as fast as Little Suili, and he kept stumbling and falling beside Suihe.
Sui He pressed down on their heads, "Stop! No one is allowed to shout. And don't you dare trip over me!"
"Oh." After being scolded, the two little rascals obediently followed behind He.
Of course, when Sui He couldn't see them, the two of them were playfully bickering.
"Mother, I'm back." A clear voice arrived before she even stepped inside.
Sui He took the basket off his back and put it aside, then walked over to her. "It's getting dark, why don't you turn on a lamp?"
"That's such a waste. There's still some light outside, I can see clearly."
Sui He disagreed and sat down next to her. "That won't do. Your eyes are almost ruined from staying up so long. Didn't you say your eyes were always watering the day before yesterday? I'll take you to town to get checked out tomorrow."
"It's nothing serious, no need to see a doctor. Besides, we don't have any money in the house."
She clapped her hands, took out some money from her pocket and counted it. "Don't worry, I still have some money to buy groceries these days."
Her mother snatched the money from her hand and locked it in a box. "No, this money is all saved up for your schooling. People from the clan have come and said that the head of the family is going to select a few children from the collateral branches to study at the clan school. You must make the most of this opportunity."
Sui He jumped up in a panic, reaching out to grab the box in her hands. "What's there to read in books? Male generals can take the imperial examinations, what can I do?!"
"Studying is not just for passing the imperial examinations, but also to broaden your horizons and understand the principles in the classics."
Her mother slapped her hand away, saying, "You have to go anyway! Don't you even listen to me anymore?! You don't need to worry about things at home."
"I understand." Sui He lowered her head, her mind already calculating: if she wasn't selected, she could just come back.
It'll only take a few days anyway.
On that day, Suihe was surprised to find that her mother had used her dowry to bribe the steward, promising to get him admitted as long as he met the standards.
"What are you doing? That's your dowry!"
When she saw Sui He off early in the morning, she specifically told him about this.
"You refused to give your dowry back then, even at the cost of your life..."
"You're only twelve years old. Are you going to waste three years in the fields and then just marry anyone? Since you know I've already given you your dowry, then go and study hard for the exam. Let them see that the girl I've taught is no worse than anyone else! I know what you're thinking—you want to fail the exam and come back empty-handed? Don't even think about it!"
As Suihe was pushed away by her mother, two younger children behind her kept calling out, "Big sister."
Her mother slapped them on the back, saying, "What are you crying for! Your sister is going to school, that's a happy thing, no crying allowed!"
Her voice was sharp, and her glare at the two children was filled with resentment towards them.
She would send He away without even visiting her, and would go straight home with her two children in her arms.
He walked halfway and wanted to look back, but when he saw his mother's thin back, he sniffed, turned around and ran into the distance.
The wind blew across her sallow face. Before leaving with her mother, she had combed her hair neatly. The wind occasionally lifted a few strands of her hair, as if it couldn't bear to mess up her hairstyle.
She was born into a scholarly family, but her family fell into decline, and she eventually married her father, who had a family that was only nominally a reclusive one.
He was a gambler and an alcoholic who often stole his mother's dowry. When his children, Xiao Suishan and Xiao Suili, were born, he had already gambled away almost everything in the house.
He set his sights on his mother's jade bracelet. It was during that fight that his mother and he got into a huge brawl. Sui He's father was a heavy drinker and was thin and frail. His mother was working in the fields, and the fight went back and forth with him, leaving her covered in bruises.
When Sui He was five years old and had only a short memory, he imitated his mother by picking up a wine bottle and smashing it on the back of his head. The force was neither too light nor too heavy, but he lost consciousness.
The moment he fell to the ground, Sui's mother was so frightened that she quickly hugged Sui He and told her not to be afraid.
Later that night, she and her mother took him to the edge of a cliff in a car and threw him off. After that, she acted as if nothing had happened, standing at the village entrance as usual waiting for him to come back, greeting and chatting with the villagers who passed by.
It wasn't until her father's body started to decompose and was discovered that she had another good cry and went to the funeral in mourning clothes.
No one knows how he died. Perhaps the pleasures of Pingcheng know, but they will eventually be buried under the grass on his grave, unknown to anyone.
The Sui family branch in Pingcheng had a large number of members. Sui He hugged his bundle tightly and huddled in a corner of the courtyard, waiting for the manager to arrange the assessment.
During the exam, the person in charge stood behind her and glanced at her, seemingly confirming that she was indeed Yang Jiuyan—the young lady of the family who had given away her dowry in exchange for the opportunity to attend the clan school.
Sui He lowered her head and saw a section of jade bracelet peeking out from the steward's sleeve. She forced back her tears and picked up her pen to answer the question.
The person in charge was the dowry maid from the wealthiest family in the Sui family branch of Pingcheng. Her mistress was also going to the clan school this year, and the lady wanted to find someone to accompany her.
Because He was efficient and filial to his mother, and because Yang Jiuyan came from a scholarly family and spoke sincerely, the lady agreed.
The outcome was already predetermined; despite her fame, she was sent to the steward's wife's side.
The young lady was very happy to enter the Sui family's main residence, but Sui He was unusually sullen.
She was a little unhappy, not knowing where her mother had found her this saw-mouthed gourd, which made her incredibly sullen.
"Go away and stay out of my way. Don't bother me."
Hearing her say that, Sui Heqing raised her eyebrows casually.
She didn't come in to play the part of a mistress in a master-servant relationship. Yang Jiuyan had traded her dowry for this, so she didn't care what the lady's intentions were. From now on, they would go their separate ways.
The clan school had not yet started, so Sui He did not dare to wander around and sat in the pavilion in the garden to admire the flowers.
Even though he and his family had gone into seclusion, their wealth remained. Just look at these elegant and refined decorations. Sui He tapped the side of the teacup with his fingertip; they looked like fine items.
I don't know how things are at home. My younger brother and sister are fighting fiercely. The seven-year-old kid is a nuisance. I hope he doesn't disturb my mother.
Being far from home, she increasingly longed for the low earthen slope at the entrance of Pingcheng Village, the gentle breeze blowing across the rice paddies and caressing her face, and her younger siblings and mother who were always waiting for her at home.
Mother, why did you leave without even looking back?
Tears streamed down her cheeks, and Sui He hurriedly wiped them away haphazardly with her hands.
"Here." Through her hazy eyes, she saw a snow-white robe. The young man stood tall and straight, his face gentle. Seeing her in a daze, he handed her the handkerchief. "Wipe yourself."
Sui He suddenly remembered the spring breeze in the rice paddies in March, and she reached out to take it.
When the fabric of the cuffs touched, she quickly pulled back. The young woman felt out of place next to her and threw her some old clothes. The cuffs of the young woman's clothes were a bit too short for her.
Sui He didn't recognize many fabrics. She used to think that the young lady's clothes were already good enough, but seeing them today, she realized that they were nothing compared to what she was wearing.
"Everyone else is out having fun and socializing, why are you hiding here crying all by yourself? Are you homesick?"
Sui He lowered his head, his cheeks flushed. For some reason, when he spoke, he sounded like a celestial being, making people feel ashamed of themselves.
She nodded slightly, and someone across from her laughed, "Don't be afraid, there are many people here with you."
It was like he said nothing at all. Of course she knew, but she couldn't help but wonder how he could be so handsome.
Sui He looked up and saw his stunned expression, only then realizing that he had unconsciously spoken aloud.
She covered her mouth.
In the other person's eyes, the young woman, who was estimated to be no bigger than chest-high, stood up and took two steps back, covered her mouth with both hands, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, and her eyeballs kept rolling around.
For some reason, he suddenly remembered the little orange tree he had raised when he was a child.
"It's okay, it's my fault. I'm really not good at comforting people."
He bowed in apology, his snow-white sleeves hanging down to the ground.
At this moment, Sui He could clearly see the crown on his head.
"No, there's no need to apologize. I'm the one who should apologize."
"It should be me."
The two bowed to apologize to each other, and soon smiled at each other.
Sui He asked him, "Who are you? Why are you here?"
“My name is Suicheng. Today the clan school is open and there are many people. The front yard is very busy. I took this opportunity to sneak out and relax.”
Sui He asked in surprise, "Aren't the disciples of the main family busy?"
Am I obvious?
He spread his arms wide, but he never revealed his identity. How could she know?
Sui He rolled his eyes. "If someone as ethereal as you isn't even a disciple of our main family, then does that mean all disciples who advocate seclusion and withdrawal from the world must attain immortality?"
A smile appeared on Sui Cheng's face. "You're very interesting. What about you? You asked for my name, so why didn't you tell me your own?"
“Pingcheng Suihe,” she said casually, waving her hand.
"It seems that only two girls came to Pingcheng this time. Logically, you shouldn't be staying together. Why are you the only one here?"
Sui He shook his head. "He likes things to be lively, I prefer things to be quiet. Is there a problem?"
Sui Cheng's lips never fell. Although the cousin in front of him was born in Pingcheng, she was quite bold. Her reckless nature was very similar to that of Xiao Ju, whom he had raised when he was young.
"My lord!"
Sui Cheng turned his head, his brows furrowed with irritation. He turned back with a look of apology and pulled off the jade pendant from his body, giving it to her. "I'm sorry, someone came looking for me. If you need anything, you can take my jade pendant to Yuheng Academy, and they will help you."
He moved quickly, and the jade pendant was stuffed into Sui He's hand in the next second.
Sui He's first reaction was that the jade pendant was worth a lot of money. Seeing that he was about to leave, Sui He waved his hand, just like he used to wave to his mother at the village entrance in the morning mist on countless occasions.
Sui Cheng smiled and waved at him.
After he left, Sui He weighed the jade pendant in her hand, patted her forehead, and looked down on herself. She was indeed different from the wealthy young masters of her family. They wore it to show their elegance and nobility, but in her hands...
Sui He chuckled, the light reflected from the jade pendant illuminating her face. It was of good quality; she could definitely get a good price for it if she pawned it.
If you add the title of a reclusive young master, some pretentious people might double the price.
Sui He had never considered asking him for help with the jade pendant, much less expect that one day she would meet this celestial young master from her own clan.
Her original intention was to stay quietly in the clan school. Her family treated her well, and she received a relatively generous monthly salary. She could save up the money and send it home to help support her family.
Contrary to her wishes, her initial intention was simply to obey her mother's orders to study hard, learn the wisdom of sages from books, and incidentally earn some money to help support the family. Unexpectedly, disaster struck just three months later.
"Officer! I want to report Sui He for being dishonest and cheating in this exam! She comes from a small place in Pingcheng, and her foundation was much weaker than ours when she entered the school. How could she possibly become the top student in just three months!"
"And I'm reporting her for theft! She stole the young master's personal jade pendant and tried to pawn it!"
Sui He blushed and said, "I didn't."
She did consider pawning the jade pendant, and even went to the pawnshop once, but her family provided her with enough money each month to supplement her household income and support herself, so she didn't go into the pawnshop.
She gritted her teeth; it must have been that one and only time she was discovered.
After accepting the jade pendant, she never revealed it to anyone.
"Regarding the cheating, I have a question. Why does this cousin insist that I cheated? I admit that I was indeed not very well-educated before entering the clan school, but I am a scholar with rich knowledge and a thorough understanding of the books. I can explain them in a simple and easy-to-understand way. Outside of class, students also study diligently in order not to waste this opportunity of the clan school."
"The student believes that he is still inferior to his elder cousins, and that this examination was simply a matter of chance, as the students had just reviewed the material. As for the claim of cheating, it is utter nonsense."
The cousin slammed his fist on the table and stood up, shouting, "How can you prove you didn't cheat?!"
"Why should I prove I didn't cheat? This is all just your side of the story."
"Silence! I will investigate this matter thoroughly. As for the jade pendant, after class, Sui He, come with me." The old scholar with a long, flowing beard stopped them, and his cloudy, sharp eyes made the two of them sit down with their legs weak.
After school, the scholar led Sui He into the house and made her hand over the jade pendant.
Sui He took two steps back, sensing something was wrong. "Wasn't the scholar supposed to be investigating this examination? Why wasn't he present?"
"He'll be here soon. Give me the jade pendant first, and I'll verify it with the people in the young master's courtyard."
Sui He met his gaze, and the next second she took off running. Unfortunately, she didn't know where Yuheng Academy was, so she wandered around aimlessly, grabbing the maids by the roadside to ask for directions. After several twists and turns, she finally arrived at Yuheng Academy and saw the old scholar who had arrived early at the corner.
She had no choice but to run as fast as she could, running and running, afraid that the people behind her would find her. That damned teacher would definitely tell them that her jade pendant was stolen. Now she could only go to Sui Cheng.
But the young master of the Sui family is not someone she can see whenever she wants.
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