Looking at the chaos before him, Yi Shangjun exclaimed in surprise, "Yan'er... Why are you here so late? Sister, what are you doing holding that ruler in your hand...?"
Before Yi Shangjun could finish speaking, and before Yi Shangxue could even begin to argue, Yan'er, wiping away tears that seemed to be from fear or anxiety, knelt down with a thud and pleaded pitifully, "Young Master, Yan'er begs you to save my young lady!"
Seeing the situation, Yi Shangjun hurriedly walked down the stone steps and rushed towards Yan'er. He helped her up and said, "Yan'er, get up and talk slowly. What happened to your elder sister?"
Upon seeing the scene before her, Yi Shangxue was so angry that she seemed about to vomit blood. She stomped her feet repeatedly and roared, "Brother, what do you care if that bitch in the courtyard is alive or dead? She's a jinx; the sooner she dies, the sooner it'll be over."
"Shut up! You're not allowed to slander and curse my elder sister like that again. Without my elder sister, I, Yi Shangjun, wouldn't be where I am today. If you continue to be so stubborn, don't call me elder brother anymore." Yi Shangjun turned around and sternly reprimanded Yi Shangxue.
Yi Shangxue gritted her teeth in anger, and in desperation, she slammed the ruler in her hand down in front of Yan'er and Yi Shangjun. Then, she angrily ran towards the innermost room on the far east side, crying and shouting for her mother.
"Aren't you all about to leave? Are you just gathering here to get a beating?" After Yi Shangxue left, Yi Shangjun turned his gaze to the group of maids and servants who were gathered to watch the commotion and scolded them.
After everyone dispersed, Yi Shangjun asked Yan'er, "What exactly happened to my eldest sister? Come on, let's go to my room and talk."
At this moment, Yan'er wished she had wings and hurriedly said, "No, no, it's too late, young master, Yan'er begs you, please save the young lady quickly. If it's too late, I'm afraid, I'm afraid the young lady's life will be in danger."
"What's so serious? You need to explain it to me clearly. How do you want me to help you?" Yi Shangjun asked, his face full of doubt.
Yan'er said, "Young Master, take Yan'er to Wanjiao Pavilion in the south of the city right away. Now, immediately, right away."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangjun was immediately stunned. "'Wanjiao Pavilion'? How could I possibly go to a place like that? If my father finds out, he will surely kill me."
Yan'er said, "Young Master, please go with peace of mind. Master has personally agreed. I will explain the details to you on the way."
"What? Father agreed..."
Before Yi Shangjun could figure out what had happened, Yan'er dragged him into the carriage that Aunt Lai Lan had arranged beforehand.
As soon as their carriage left the gates of the Yi residence, a bolt of lightning suddenly streaked across the sky, as if it were about to tear the entire night sky apart.
On the upper floor of the Yi Mansion, Yi Shangkun stood by the window with one hand behind his back, watching the carriage depart. Upon seeing this bolt of lightning in the clear sky, he suddenly felt uneasy.
...
While most people in the Western Qin Kingdom were still immersed in their sweet dreams, in a small village called Taohuadian, located on the southeastern border of the Western Qin Kingdom and the lowest-lying area in the country, the sun had already slowly risen above the horizon.
Taohuadian Village has only a dozen or so households in total. The people here are simple and honest, and almost all of them are hardworking, simple and honest farmers who work at sunrise and rest at sunset.
At the eastern entrance of the village, there is a large river flowing from north to south, meandering eastward.
There is a crystal-clear stream in the village, and the water is drawn from this river.
The river flows gently, passing through the entire Peach Blossom Village, nourishing the lives and work of the happy people in the village.
As the first rays of morning sunlight gently fell upon this tranquil land, a respected old woman in the village, as always, slowly and precisely opened her eyes.
Just then, the old woman's door creaked open, and a little girl with an oval face, about thirteen or fourteen years old, walked in, carrying a wooden basin of water for her to use for dressing.
The little girl wore a pale yellow dress and had her hair styled in two buns. The corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, revealing a comfortable and carefree smile. She looked very well-behaved and lively, and was very content with her simple and leisurely life. As she walked, she said happily, "Madam... it's time to get up."
Upon hearing this, the old woman sat up from the bed and said sternly with displeasure, "You brat, after all these years, how come you're still so careless and speak so carelessly? Be careful, or I might get rid of you one day in a fit of anger."
The young maid knew she had gotten carried away and spoken carelessly, but she also knew that her mistress was always kind-hearted despite her sharp tongue, and had never truly blamed her. So she took the old woman's clothes from the side, approached her, and said with a smile, "Madam, please don't be angry. Huan'er will never dare to do it again."
The old woman glared at her fiercely, but Huan'er remained innocent and gazing at the old woman's big, seemingly carefree eyes with a silly smile, looking at the old woman's eyes that always held a hint of melancholy.
In the past, at this time every year, the old woman's anger would eventually dissipate in this way, as she felt helpless against the girl. This had been the case for the seven or eight years she had lived in Taohuadian Village.
As they spoke, the little maid had already quickly helped her mistress change into a purple dress and finished washing her.
At this moment, the old woman shifted her body and sat in front of a mirror. Although she was over forty years old, she still retained her charm, and there were not many traces of the ravages of time on her face.
However, over the past seven or eight years, the melancholy in her heart that she had never dared to express had become increasingly profound. Now, gazing at her sorrowful reflection in the mirror, it seemed as if her brows would never unfurrow in this lifetime.
After a long while, the old woman suddenly spoke slowly and asked the little girl, "Do you know why I named you 'Huan'er'?"
The young maid, holding a strand of the woman's hair in one hand and carefully combing it with a comb in the other, hesitated slightly upon hearing the voice, then shook her head and said, "Huan'er doesn't know. Huan'er only knows that many years ago, when Huan'er's parents died in an accident and Huan'er was all alone, it was the old lady who saved Huan'er's life, preventing Huan'er from freezing and starving to death on the streets. Huan'er is willing to serve the old lady as a servant and a slave for the rest of her life to repay her kindness."
"Huan'er, you are a good child. After I rescued you, I renamed you 'Huan'er' because 'Huan' means 'happy' or 'joyful,' and I hoped you could forget the pain of the past and live happily in the future. 'Huan' also means 'to like, to like someone,' and I hoped you would grow up to be someone everyone loves. 'Huan' also means active, energetic, and vigorous. Now, you have indeed grown into a quick-witted, lively, and outspoken person, and you have gradually forgotten the shadow of your parents' accidental death. But as the saying goes, 'trouble comes from the mouth.' You may be happy now, but being outspoken can easily bring disaster. Therefore, you must know what to say and what not to say, and keep this firmly in mind so that you can truly live a carefree life. I hope you can be happy, but I hope even more that you can be happy for a long, long time." The old woman turned around, took Huan'er's two small, tender hands, and said to her meaningfully.
Upon hearing this, Huan'er pursed her lips and silently stared at the old woman's serious eyes. As if she understood what she was saying, she became quiet and serious this time, no longer showing the silly smile she used to have.
In Peach Blossom Village, a remote and almost forgotten village isolated from the world, only the owner of this small courtyard has servants. Yet even so, it is only a master and a servant, and no one else. Rather than a master and servant, they are more like a mother and daughter who depend on each other for survival.
Moreover, neither of the two people in this courtyard are native villagers.
The master and servant had been brought here by a highly respected monk from the most popular City God Temple in the southern suburbs of Xiqin City about seven or eight years ago, who helped them settle down.
At first, the old woman lived alone here. Later, she accidentally saved this unfortunate little girl and gave her this name. It was a blessing for Huan'er, but also a constant reminder to herself!
In the local community, there is a long-standing and strong belief in deities such as highly accomplished monks. The old woman's connection to Buddhism, coupled with the fact that she was the only literate person in the entire village, meant that whenever any household or village member faced a problem they couldn't handle or were unsure about, they would gather in her courtyard to ask for her help.
In this way, through frequent visits and interactions, she naturally became the most capable person in this unremarkable little village.
To the ignorant villagers, she was almost a deity, like a highly virtuous monk. They respected and revered her, helping her with everything in the fields. In return, she gave almost all of her harvest to those struggling in poverty around her.
However, with the guidance of this divine being whom the whole village calls a 'living bodhisattva', every household in Taohuadian Village is now well-fed and clothed, and the entire village presents a thriving and prosperous scene where doors are left unlocked at night.
At this moment, under Huan'er's care, the old woman had just finished a simple meal of coarse tea and plain rice, millet porridge, vegetarian buns, seasonal fresh vegetables... all of which were farm-style snacks that she had prepared with her own sweat and effort.
After breakfast, Huan'er quickly and skillfully tidied up the house and then helped the old woman walk slowly to the crabapple trees in the corner of the yard. The two looked at the branches full of buds that were about to bloom, and the old woman said happily, "Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, it's crabapple season again. Spring seems to have come earlier this year than in previous years."
As she spoke, something seemed to come to mind, and suddenly her eyes filled with tears.
Just then, a burly middle-aged man dressed in a gray short-sleeved shirt stumbled in as if he had seen a ghost. He rushed to the old woman's side, panting and clutching his chest, saying, "Madam...you...you must come and see, something terrible has happened in the village."
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