Chapter 131 A poignant recollection of an old friend, a surprising reunion
Yang Xiao had walked this road countless times and knew it by heart. She ran to the front of Zhu Yang Palace with ease, only to find that the usually magnificent palace was completely dark.
By the moonlight, she looked closely and saw Xiao Yan pacing back and forth in the darkness not far away, arms crossed, seemingly lost in thought.
Xiao Yan seemed not to hear the sound of horses' hooves at all. She looked up at the crescent moon in the sky and strolled slowly, letting the evening breeze gently lift her wide sleeves.
Yang Xiao frowned slightly, then dismounted and walked towards Xiao Yan. "Why aren't you celebrating New Year's Eve in the palace? Why are you wandering around outside by yourself?"
"You startled me." Xiao Yan was startled by Yang Xiao's sudden voice and quickly turned around. She chuckled and shook her head, then stepped forward to greet Yang Xiao, "Why are you here so early? Shouldn't you spend more time with General Yang?"
"Didn't you ask me to come?" Yang Xiao smiled and glanced at Xiao Yan, then looked up at the moon and sighed softly, "I don't know why, but I always feel a little... uncomfortable staying in the manor. So I came directly to find you."
Xiao Yan looked at the ground in front of him and nodded. "In that case, come with me to the pavilion over there and sit for a while to clear your mind."
"That's fine. Just be careful not to catch a chill on New Year's Eve."
“I’m not some sickly young lady,” Xiao Yan said with a smile, waving her hand. “I was exposed to the cold a lot when I was little, so I’m used to it.”
Yang Xiao smiled thoughtfully and sighed, then fell silent.
In the pavilion, servants had already laid out snacks and cushions beforehand, and then withdrew early, leaving only a few plates of steaming hot food on the small table. There was not a soul around, and the atmosphere was incredibly relaxed.
“This is indeed a good place to relax,” Yang Xiao said, looking at the pavilion with interest. “Why did you only tell me about such a nice place today?”
“You used to compete with me at every turn, how could I possibly have the chance?” Xiao Yan shook his head with a smile. “Besides, you’re terrible with directions, how could you possibly find your way?”
Yang Xiao glanced back at Xiao Yan's all-knowing gaze and couldn't help but laugh. "A scholar should be viewed with new respect after three days of separation. If you walk the same path many times, even a blind person can find their way, let alone someone who is directionally challenged?"
"Fine, it's New Year's Eve, I won't argue with you anymore." Xiao Yan shrugged, relieved. "I specially asked the servants to make some snacks, want to try them?"
Yang Xiao stepped onto the pavilion, glancing down at the plates on the table. "You really are..."
She stared at the plates of pastries, then suddenly felt a lump in her throat and her mind went blank.
"What?" Xiao Yan looked at Yang Xiao, who was standing there in a daze, with a puzzled expression.
Yang Xiao stood still, looking down at the hemp leaves and glutinous rice balls on the plate.
“The snacks that you people in Jizhou like to eat are also available in Chang’an, but not many.” Xiao Yan sat on the stool, rested his chin on his hand, and pointed to the plate in front of him. “I sent people to inquire in the city for a long time before I finally found a chef who could make them authentically.”
The plate in front of Yang Xiao swayed slightly, and she blinked her sore eyes, sighing softly, "Thank you for your thoughtfulness."
"It's alright," Xiao Yan said with a smile, shaking his head. "Sit down and have a taste."
Yang Xiao gently clenched her fist and bent down to sit.
The aroma of fried sesame leaves and the sweetness of glutinous rice balls immediately filled her nostrils. Her hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly, and the sesame leaves in front of her instantly pulled her thoughts back to three years ago.
The noise from the camp still lingered in her ears. She pushed open the tent door and saw Mu Fei running towards her with a large basket of freshly fried hemp leaves. His face and head were covered in flour, and he couldn't wait to share his catch with her and the brothers in the camp. Even though he had fried three whole batches, he hadn't eaten a single bite himself.
A tear involuntarily welled up in her eye and slammed onto the table. She took a deep breath, but swallowed some crumbs of hemp leaves, causing her to cough repeatedly.
"Yang Xiao? Are you alright?" Upon seeing this, Xiao Yan quickly reached out to pat Yang Xiao's back. She frowned slightly as she looked at Yang Xiao, "Slow down, how come you choked on a sesame leaf?"
Yang Xiao leaned over the table, her cough gradually subsiding, but her back still trembled slightly. The sound of her sniffling was barely perceptible in the quiet night, but her hands gripped the chopsticks tightly, as if forcing herself to calm her emotions.
Xiao Yan sensed something was wrong, sighed, and gently patted Yang Xiao's back.
The faint moonlight slowly spilled onto the small table, making the brown sugar drizzled on the meatballs sparkle.
The barely perceptible sobs gradually subsided. After a long while, Yang Xiao took a deep breath, then, with red eyes, climbed up from the table. She wiped her tears with her hand, waved at Xiao Yan, her voice still nasal and choked with sobs, "It's alright, I'm fine." She sniffed, "You don't have to be like this."
Xiao Yan looked at her slightly red nose and sighed with a smile, "What, missing Jizhou?"
Yang Xiao gently shook her head. "I miss my apprentice."
"Hmm?" Xiao Yan suddenly became curious. She leaned on the table and glanced at Yang Xiao. "So you have an apprentice? Is he in Jizhou?"
“He’s in Lujiang,” Yang Xiao replied expressionlessly, then choked up with a bitter laugh, “and he’s stayed in Lujiang forever.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan immediately understood a thing or two. She squeezed Yang Xiao's hand and remained silent.
"Is this all you're eating for dinner?" Yang Xiao suppressed her emotions and changed the subject, looking at Xiao Yan. "Not even any staple food?"
"How could that be?" Xiao Yan shook his head with a smile, raising his hand to point towards the back of the hall. "I sent someone to make crescent-shaped wontons, but I was afraid you'd be slow, so I haven't cooked them yet. What's wrong, are you hungry?"
Yang Xiao looked up at the crescent moon, smiled with relief, and sighed, "Do you know how to wrap it?"
"Why are you suddenly asking this?" Xiao Yan followed her gaze and looked at the moon. "Back when Mother was still alive, I made quite a few packages."
"Any tips?" Yang Xiao rested her elbow on the backrest and looked back at Xiao Yan.
"Practice makes perfect." Xiao Yan looked at Yang Xiao with interest. "You want to learn?"
“It’s not like I haven’t learned it before,” Yang Xiao chuckled and shook her head. “I just spent an afternoon cooking up a pot of noodle soup.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan burst out laughing, "What, did they all break apart during cooking?"
“There’s nothing I can do,” Yang Xiao said with a smile and a shrug. “It’s normal that I didn’t know how to wrap it since it was my first time in the kitchen. I was even thinking of learning a few tricks from him, but I never expected this…” She lowered her eyes and gave a bitter smile, then pointed at Xiao Yan, “You’re just not going to have any luck with this.”
Xiao Yan sighed and nodded, "It is indeed a pity."
Yang Xiao leaned back in her chair, relieved, and stopped talking.
I wonder how Bai Ming is doing right now. Her beloved, as gentle and radiant as moonlight, must have already recovered from their previous standoff. Perhaps, after seeing the terrain map she sent, he's still, as before, keeping Zhang Ping and his deputy in hand, drilling the troops day and night, or perhaps…
Her gaze involuntarily fell on the silver spear, the gleaming shaft radiating a warmth under the hazy moonlight.
Or perhaps, like himself, he was gazing at this crescent moon, longing for each other.
She leaned back in her chair, smiling freely as she gazed at the hazy crescent moon, just as she gazed into his vast, boundless eyes.
A thought struck her, and she reached out to grab it, only to see the moon's shadow vanish instantly, turning into wisps of light that flowed from between her fingers.
"Very well," Yang Xiao sighed with a smile, rubbed her forehead, and pulled her thoughts back to reality. She turned to look at Xiao Yan and asked, "How is Xiao Yun? Has he sent anyone to the Northern Qiang?"
“Hmm,” Xiao Yan nodded, “They sent eight envoys with five hundred men to rush towards the Northern Qiang. However, it would be a shame to mention them on such a festive occasion.”
She lowered her head, pondered for a long while, then looked up at Yang Xiao inquiringly, "Yang Xiao, I'm wondering, if you were me, would you make the same choice?"
Yang Xiao was taken aback and turned to look into Xiao Yan's eyes. She had never seen Xiao Yan with such an expression before, a mixture of ease and helplessness, his usual confident smile completely gone.
A sudden, indescribable pang of sadness swept through her heart.
"Probably," Yang Xiao said, gazing at the moon thoughtfully. "If you hadn't killed the tyrannical emperor, I probably would have overthrown the court on my own. Besides, by killing that emperor, you've avenged both national and personal grievances. What's there to hesitate about?"
"Perhaps." Xiao Yan smiled and shook his head, his lowered eyelashes concealing his former sharpness.
Seeing her like this, Yang Xiao couldn't help but sigh. "You can't judge a book by its cover. Hearsay can never compare to firsthand experience." She leaned back in her chair and looked at Xiao Yan. "If I were you, I might have gone even further than you."
“I’m not dwelling on that,” Xiao Yan smiled and looked up. “I’ve already figured these things out, otherwise I wouldn’t be where I am today.” She looked at the moon and sighed softly. “I just feel that in such a bustling place, looking back on the past, I can’t help but feel a little empty inside.”
"Don't even mention it, I just calmed down." Yang Xiao glanced at Xiao Yan with a wry smile. "Where's Lu Qi? Didn't he come to keep you company?"
Xiao Yan waved her hand, "You're not coming home to keep me company during the New Year, so I have to show some sincerity, right?" She tilted her head mysteriously at Yang Xiao, "Just you wait and see."
No sooner had they finished speaking than someone sneezed nearby, followed by Lu Qi's voice, "Hey you two, weren't you supposed to wait inside the hall? Why are you in the pavilion now?"
He stepped into the pavilion, enveloped in a chill. "Come here, Lingyu," he said, his breath steaming in the air, and handed a box to Yang Xiao with a smile. "His Highness had a sudden idea yesterday to have some jewelry made for you. I spent the whole day finding a craftsman."
“It has to be you again,” Xiao Yan nodded with a smile, her eyes filled with her usual carefree expression. “You’re so quick.” She gestured to Yang Xiao, “Quick, open it and take a look.”
Yang Xiao took the box with both hands, pulled off the red ribbon on top, and opened it to find a gold bracelet inside, shining brightly in the moonlight.
"Why did you suddenly decide to send me a bracelet?" Yang Xiao closed the box and turned to look at Xiao Yan.
“I noticed you don’t usually wear jewelry, so I’ll make you one to wear for fun.”
"What a waste." Yang Xiao chuckled lightly, then opened the lid and looked at the flowing patterns inside, feeling a warmth in her heart. "Thank you for your trouble."
She carefully took out the bracelet, looked up at the moonlight, and sighed, "Bracelet, keep it, the endless silk contains boundless meaning, be cautious from beginning to end, and live on forever."
"How is it? Does it resemble you?"
“Like me?” Yang Xiao turned her head to look at Xiao Yan, paused for two seconds, then smiled. “It’s not just like me. This bracelet is like everyone who has held on to this point: the scholars of Chang’an, the generals of Jizhou, and the people of the world who have never retreated.” She looked up at the crescent moon. “This chaotic world should be settled.”
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