Chapter 336 New Life
Qiu Heng traveled under the stars and moon until she returned to Yunfeng Village.
It was afternoon when we arrived there.
Instead of going straight home, she went to the hillside where her adoptive parents were buried.
In late autumn, the vegetation in the south is still lush, with deep green interspersed with golden hues.
She thought her adoptive parents' graves would be overgrown with weeds, but to her surprise, they were very clean, with obvious signs of being tended.
Are people from the village visiting their adoptive parents' graves?
Qiu Heng kowtowed to the grave.
"Father, Mother, Aheng has come back to see you. Your daughter is unfilial for coming back."
Silence reigned all around, broken only by the rustling of the wind through the branches and the mournful chirping of insects.
"I lost Fangzhou." Qiu Heng's forehead was pressed against the slightly damp soil in front of the grave, and her tears fell into the soil. "I brought Fangzhou back."
She brought back a set of clothes that Fangzhou often wore, her favorite hairpin, and a fragrant pendant that Fangzhou never parted with.
Fangzhou was buried in the capital, but she knew that Fangzhou missed Yunfeng Village and the youthful days they spent together.
She wanted to build a cenotaph for Fangzhou next to her parents' graves, so that Fangzhou could be in the capital or in Yunfeng Village whenever she wanted.
Qiu Heng tied the horse to the tree and went home.
The house, which had been uninhabited for a long time, smelled musty, and was covered in cobwebs, withered grass, and decay.
Qiu Heng stood there, lost in thought, her mind filled with images of her adoptive father coaxing her with the wild rabbit he had hunted, and her adoptive mother watching tenderly as she bit off the thread she was sewing for her. Fang Zhou ran out of the kitchen, grinning, and stuffed a freshly made red bean cake into her mouth.
"Heng'er, look how plump the rabbit Daddy hunted is! Do you want it roasted or grilled?"
"Heng'er, come here and try on the skirt to see if it fits."
"Girl, is my red bean cake delicious?"
Qiu Heng covered her face and cried silently.
Why do people have so many tears? It turns out that tears can never be completely shed.
She went to the woodshed, picked up a hoe, and went back to the hillside. Next to her adoptive parents' graves, she began digging a pit and finally buried the wooden box containing Fangzhou's clothes inside.
By the time we finished, it was already dusk. The setting sun, like blood, blanketed the horizon, a scene of poignant beauty and wild abandon.
"Aheng, is that you?" A hesitant voice came from behind.
Qiu Heng turned her head away.
"Aheng, it really is you! You're back!" The young man walked over with a look of surprise and joy.
"Brother Xiaoshan".
"Aheng, when did you get back?" Noticing the small mound that had just appeared, Xiaoshan's expression changed. "Aheng, this, this is—"
"Fangzhou is gone."
Xiaoshan was stunned for a long time, her eyes reddening: "How could this be? Ah Heng, don't be too sad. If you can't make it in the capital, don't leave."
"Brother Xiaoshan, who takes care of my parents' graves?"
“Sometimes I come here to weed, and the uncles and aunts in the village also come to burn paper money for Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen…”
Thank you all.
"No need to thank me, we're from the same village."
Xiaoshan didn't ask about Qiuheng's situation in the capital. In his opinion, Qiuheng had returned alone, and Fangzhou was no longer there, so it must be a sad story for her in the capital.
Qiu Heng was dragged by Xiao Shan to his house for dinner, where she met Xiao Shan's wife.
Xiaoshan's mother greeted Qiuheng warmly and told her, "Your brother Xiaoshan got married last year and will be a father soon."
Xiaoshan smiled shyly, and his wife blushed even more.
Qiu Heng ate her fill in the warm atmosphere, then politely declined to stay overnight and returned to her own home.
The hard bed smelled musty and rotten, but she lay down and fell asleep immediately.
The next morning, Xiaoshan came to invite Qiuheng to his house for dinner.
"Please thank your aunt and sister-in-law for me. I have other things to do, so I won't be going."
Qiu Heng entered the mountain and came to the pool.
The pool was deep and still, with withered flowers and leaves floating on it, and people's reflections were clearly visible.
Qiu Heng sat by the pool, staring motionlessly at the water.
It was this deep pool that transformed her from a carefree country girl into a pawn, a sharp knife, in the hands of Master Changqing. After her return, the fates of many began to change.
What would happen if she were to sink back into that deep pool?
Will we go back to that future Great Xia again?
If we actually get there, at what point in time will we return?
Could it be... that we can save Fangzhou?
The moment this thought arose, it was as if a bewitching water demon lurked beneath the calm surface, beckoning people closer.
Qiu Heng subconsciously took a step forward, then stepped back.
She can't do that.
If everything started over, could she guarantee that she would have the same great situation as she does now?
She can't.
Any slight change could lead to unpredictable consequences. Starting over would mean failing and plunging countless people of the Great Xia into misery—a gamble she couldn't afford, nor could she bear the loss.
But it really hurts, and I'm so unwilling to accept it.
This unwillingness led Qiu Heng to stay in Yunfeng Village.
She knew she would eventually return to the capital, but not now.
She cleaned up her dilapidated home, and villagers often brought her food, sometimes a bunch of scallions, sometimes a few cabbages.
Every day she would walk around the village, talk to her adoptive parents and Fangzhou at their graves, and sit by the deep pool.
Letters kept arriving from the capital, from the old lady, Master Qiu, her brothers and sisters, Princess Rongning, and Princess Jiayi.
As the days went by, the emptiness in Qiu Heng's heart was gradually filled by these letters and the wisps of smoke rising from the village chimneys.
The weather grew colder, and fine snowflakes fell like cotton wool into the deep pool that had not yet frozen.
Qiu Heng still remembers that every spring, peach petals would fall into this pool, making it extremely beautiful.
Footsteps approached, and a familiar voice called out from behind: "Aheng."
As Qiu Heng turned around, she bumped into an embrace covered in snow.
"Aheng, I'm here." Xue Han's dark cloak wrapped tightly around the slender girl. "I missed you."
Qiu Heng hugged Xue Han back and remained silent for a while before saying, "I missed you too."
The snowflakes fell softly, growing larger as they landed in the deep, unfathomable pool, and also on the two people's hair and clothes.
"Have you finished dealing with the matters at the border?"
"Yes, we didn't alert him. We've placed some people around him. Once he's plotting with Northern Qi, we can turn the tables and trap him..."
Qiu Heng listened to Xue Han's arrangements and put down her last burden.
"How did you find your way here?" Qiu Heng asked as they walked out hand in hand.
"First they asked where you lived, then they asked your neighbors, and that young man said you go to the mountain pool every day."
"It should be Brother Xiaoshan."
"Your two families have a good relationship, right?"
"Um."
"Then we should go back early. When I asked him, his wife was in labor."
Qiu Heng didn't have time to say anything more and grabbed Xue Han as they ran. When they arrived at Xiao Shan's house, Xiao Shan was pacing anxiously in the yard.
A woman's screams came from inside the house, heart-wrenching to hear. Qiu Heng unconsciously gripped Xue Han's hand tightly.
After an unknown amount of time, the baby's cries rang out, followed by joyful shouts: "It's born! It's born!"
Xiaoshan rushed in.
Qiu Heng saw the baby in swaddling clothes.
Small and wrinkled, yet it can soften one's heart completely.
This is what it means to be a freshman.
Life may still be tough, but at least you won't grow up in a turbulent and unstable place.
The last void in Qiu Heng's heart was filled at this moment with the arrival of the baby.
Regardless of the reasons or justifications, what she did was worthwhile.
From now on, she can live only for herself.
On the day of the baby's third-day celebration, Qiu Heng delivered a gift for the baby's birth, and when she returned, Xue Han was coming out of the kitchen.
The two of them had been cooking together for the past few days, and Qiu Heng wasn't surprised. She smiled and asked him, "What delicious food have you made?"
My gaze fell on the plate, and I froze.
It's red bean cake.
"Aheng, my cooking might not be very good. I'll practice more in the future and cook for you until you're old." Xue Han said this with some trepidation and awkwardness.
He was afraid that Aheng would dislike the red bean cakes he made, but he wanted Aheng to know that as long as he was there, there would always be someone to make red bean cakes for Aheng.
Qiu Heng picked up the red bean cake and took a bite.
There was too much sugar, it's a bit too sweet, but she needs a little more sweetness right now.
"Then don't forget what you said today, and keep it up until you're old."
"good."
Qiu Heng ate one piece after another.
"Aheng, let's go back to the capital."
Qiu Heng looked up and met the man's expectant eyes.
"good."
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