New Leaves
Yunxiu was awakened long ago by the chirping of birds outside the yard.
She turned over, her fingertips touching only the warm bedding beside her.
Yan Xiu was already up. The morning light stained the window paper a pale golden hue, and the faint sound of sweeping could be heard from outside the courtyard.
Yunxiu wore a plain coat and walked barefoot on the slightly cool floor.
As soon as I opened the window, I saw Yan Xiu squatting under the old banyan tree, holding a bamboo broom in his hand, carefully avoiding the new buds that had just emerged at the roots of the tree.
The old banyan tree was planted by Yingtang in the past. It had been wilting in the past few years. After all the immortal power retreated back to the mountains and rivers, it began to sprout branches like crazy. Now its branches can cover half of the yard. When the wind blows, the leaves rustle.
"Awake?" Yan Xiu looked up. He put down the broom and said, "I'll make breakfast."
Yunxiu moved over to join in the fun, picked up a piece of dried fruit and put it in his mouth, the sweet taste spreading on his tongue.
Yingtang used to dry fruit in front of the bamboo hut, and Wuyi would sneak in to steal it, chased by Yingtang around the trees, his laughter drifting halfway up the mountain. Now the courtyard was peaceful and quiet, with only the wind blowing leaves onto the stone table, but it didn't feel lonely—the warmth left by those people seemed to blend into the fragrance of the porridge and the fruit.
"Let's go down the mountain and take a look today?" Yan Xiu said.
He wiped his hands and sat down across from Yunxiu. "A few days ago, I heard from the villagers down the mountain that the market in Luoxia Town is open again, and it's more lively than in previous years."
Yunxiu's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously before swallowing the dried fruit in his mouth.
She hadn't gone down the mountain for a long time. Ever since her immortal power retreated back to the mountains and rivers, she and Yan Xiu had been guarding the bamboo house on Yaoxi Mountain, watching the vegetation in the mountains grow lush day by day, and watching the smoke from cooking fires gradually appear in the distant villages, but they never dared to go down the mountain easily.
After packing up, the two walked down the mountain path.
The weeds on both sides of the road have grown to knee height, with small white wildflowers blooming, and occasionally a butterfly flutters by.
The mountain path is much easier to walk on now. The villagers have built stone steps on their own initiative. Fresh chisel marks are still left on the bluestone slabs. Occasionally, you can see villagers carrying bamboo baskets walking up. When you see them, you will greet them with a smile:
"Brother Yan, Miss Yun, are you going down the mountain to the market?"
Yan Xiu smiled and agreed, and Yun Xiu would pull a few dried banyan fruits from her sleeve pocket and hand them to the children who were traveling with her. The children took them, skipping and running ahead, shouting "Thank you, Miss Yun".
As we neared the foot of the mountain, we could smell the aroma of the market: the sweet fragrance of sugar paintings, the steam from the wonton stalls, and the voices of vendors hawking their wares, mixed with the laughter of children, drifting towards us from the direction of Luoxia Town.
Yunxiu paused and looked out. He saw the stone archway at the town entrance had been repaired. The newly engraved characters "Luoxia Town" were painted vermilion, shining brightly in the sunlight. Two strings of red lanterns hung beneath the archway, swaying in the wind.
"Let's go." Yan Xiu gently took her hand. Yun Xiu followed him forward, her steps gradually becoming lighter.
The market was even more lively than they had imagined. The bluestone-paved streets were lined with stalls of all kinds.
The master who sells sugar paintings sits on a small stool, holding a copper spoon in his hand, and uses melted syrup to draw various patterns on the bluestone slab - there are little rabbits, little butterflies, and birds with spread wings.
Yunxiu stood in front of the stall, unable to move, her eyes fixed on the copper spoon in the master's hand, watching him draw a chubby little bird. After the syrup solidified, the master picked it up with a bamboo stick and handed it to her: "Miss, do you want this?"
"Yes!" Yunxiu took it quickly, her fingertips touching the bamboo stick, which was still slightly warm. She turned around to buy one for Yan Xiu, but saw that he was already standing beside her, holding a little sugar-painted fox in his hand, smiling at her.
Yunxiu took a bite of the candy painting, and the sweet taste spread in his mouth.
Yan Xiu rubbed her hair, unable to hide the smile in his eyes: "You always said before that you wanted to turn back into a bird and go back to sleep in the tree."
"You can't change now!"
Yunxiu's cheeks flushed, and he lowered his head to chew on his sugar painting, not saying anything more. The two of them walked along the street and passed a wonton stand. The owner greeted them warmly:
"Would you two like a bowl of wontons? Freshly made, thin skin and big filling!"
Yan Xiu glanced at Yunxiu, and when she nodded, he found an empty seat and sat down. The wontons arrived quickly, scallions wafting from the porcelain bowl, and the aroma of meat wafted through the steam. Yunxiu blew on the wontons, took a bite, and the delicious broth spread throughout her mouth.
"Is it delicious?" Yan Xiu looked at her without moving the chopsticks in his hand.
"It's delicious." Yunxiu nodded and took another bite.
Yan Xiu smiled and started eating wontons.
An elderly couple was sitting at the next table, feeding wontons to their grandson, who had wontons all over his face.
Yunxiu frowned and looked at him, a little thoughtful. She looked at Yan Xiu's posture and slowed down her movements.
She is a grown-up girl, she can't have food all over her face.
After eating the wontons, the two continued walking forward.
The shops on both sides of the street were also open. In the cloth shop, colorful fabrics were hung. The owner was holding a piece of light blue cloth, showing a girl how to make a new dress. The owner of the grocery store was leaning over the counter, chatting with regular customers. There were all kinds of small items on the counter, including wooden rabbits, small pottery jars, and ingeniously woven bamboo baskets.
Yunxiu stopped in front of the grocery store and picked up a bamboo basket. The basket was neatly woven and still had a faint fragrance of bamboo strips.
She suddenly remembered how she used to love weaving bamboo baskets. At first, they were always difficult to weave; they were either crooked or easily fell apart. Yan Xiu would always help her fix them with a smile.
"This basket is so beautifully woven." Yunxiu said softly, gently touching the patterns on the bamboo basket with her fingertips.
"Buy one if you like it." Yan Xiu took out a few copper coins from his pocket and handed them to the boss.
The boss took the copper coin and said with a smile:
"Girl, you have good taste. This basket was woven by my old woman. She has been making it for decades."
Yunxiu carried the bamboo basket and continued walking forward, and saw a kite-making stall.
The kite-making master was holding bamboo strips and carefully making the frame. Several children were standing around him, watching with wide eyes and asking questions non-stop.
"Do you want to fly a kite?" Yan Xiu asked her, his eyes falling on a butterfly-shaped kite.
Yunxiu nodded, his eyes sparkling. Yanxiu then bought the butterfly kite and two rolls of kite string. The two of them walked to the open space outside the town, where many people were already flying kites.
The children were running with their kites, and the kites were flying in the sky, colorful like blooming flowers.
Yan Xiu held the kite string, while Yun Xiu ran a few steps holding the kite, then let go. The kite, fueled by the wind, slowly took flight, soaring higher and higher. Its butterfly-shaped wings fluttered gently in the wind, resembling a real butterfly soaring through the sky.
Yunxiu pulled the kite string, looked up, and couldn't help but smile.
"Look, it's flying so high!" Yunxiu pointed at the kite in the sky, his tone full of joy.
Yunxiu can no longer fly by herself, but she is still very happy.
After flying the kite for a while, the sun began to set and the market gradually filled up. The two men put away their kites and prepared to return to Yaoxi Mountain.
The two walked back along the mountain path. The setting sun stretched their shadows long, casting them on the stone steps. In the grass on both sides of the path, one could occasionally hear insects chirping, and unknown birds chirping in the branches, their voices crisp and clear.
When we returned to the bamboo house, the sun was almost setting behind the mountain. The leaves of the old banyan tree in the yard glowed golden red in the setting sun.
Yunxiu sat on a stone bench, and Yan Xiu watched the busy figures in the kitchen.
They used to be always struggling on the brink of life and death, always worried about the safety of the world. They had never been able to sit quietly in the yard like they do now, basking in the sunset and waiting for a pot of hot water to boil.
When Yan Xiu came out, the yard was very quiet, with only the sound of wind blowing leaves and a few insects chirping in the distance.
Yunxiu leaned on Yan Xiu's shoulder, looked at the stars in the sky, and suddenly felt that such a day was really good.
There is no war, no sacrifice, only the daily life of the world and the people around us.
"Do you think fairies will appear here again in a few decades?"
Yunxiu suddenly asked. She looked at a small sycamore tree by the roadside. Its trunk was still thin, but it had already sprouted many new leaves.
Yan Xiu followed her gaze, thought for a moment, and said, "Yes. The immortal power has returned to the mountains and rivers, and the plants and trees have absorbed the immortal power. Perhaps in a thousand or hundred years, new immortals will take shape."
"Perhaps there will be banyan tree spirits like Senior Sister Yingtang, or spirits like Senior Brother Yuwei. They will grow up in Yaoxi Mountain, practice swordsmanship together, and go down the mountain together, just like we did before."
Although Wu Yi, Ying Tang, Yu Wei and Master are all gone, the hope they left behind is still there.
One day, Yaoxi Mountain will be bustling again.
New fairies will grow up here, and new stories will happen here.
The full text is over.
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