meet
Looking at the porridge, which was reddish-brown with some white, and neither too thick nor too thin, Jiang Yan couldn't help but think of the meals she ate during the Chinese New Year in modern society.
Back then, there was an abundance of food: chicken, duck, fish, mutton, beef, all kinds of sausages, various vegetables and fruits, all sorts of stir-fried dishes, and all kinds of drinks and fruits.
During the Spring Festival, we wear new clothes, watch the Spring Festival Gala, set off firecrackers and fireworks, pay New Year's visits, and go out with friends. It's as lively and joyful as you can be.
But what about now?
More than twenty years have passed, and she can still eat radish and drink porridge during the New Year, while having to be careful not to freeze to death or be eaten by wild animals.
"Sigh!" Jiang Yan couldn't help but sigh.
Huang Ying has grown taller these days, but she has also become darker, especially her face, which is red like a cracked scab, just like Jiang Yan's. However, she is more energetic than before and looks more lively.
"Master, why are you sighing?" Huang Ying added some firewood to the pot with a chipped corner, sat down to her right, and took the special wooden stick for stirring the soup from her hand.
"Ugh, it's so frustrating! I never used to eat these things during Chinese New Year. Even dogs and cats wouldn't eat them!"
As Huang Ying stirred the soup and rice, she said, "Let's go down the mountain after the New Year."
"Yeah, I think so too. This mountain isn't a place for us to stay." Jiang Yan looked at the flickering flames with disappointment. After a while, she suddenly said seriously, "Things down the mountain should all be settled by now, right? They have nothing to do with us anymore, right?"
"It's been more than two months, it should all be over by now."
“That’s true. We’re not some important person, so there’s no need for them to keep looking for us. So, where do you think we should go after we get down the mountain? What should we do?” Jiang Yan said, then suddenly felt ashamed. “Huang Ying, I’m so sorry! I don’t think I can stand up for your young lady.”
Huang Ying smiled slightly at her: "Master, I understand, this is not your fault. We are all in a precarious situation now, what else can we do? I think Miss Ruyi will not blame you."
"Oh! I hope so! Now that I see it, I really am just like my grandma said, unreliable."
“Master, I know your intentions, and Miss Ruyi certainly knows them too. You have already tried your best, and no one will blame you.”
"Sigh!" Jiang Yan couldn't help but sigh again.
The New Year arrived quickly amidst Jiang Yan's self-reproach and the desolation of the mountains, and then it passed just as quickly.
Spring comes late in the mountains, and Jiang Yan and Huang Ying will have to endure another two months before they can go down the mountain, otherwise they will freeze to death on the road or be eaten by wild animals that have been starving all winter.
Xiao Yiqing was sad and upset because Shangguan Zeyu scolded her before the New Year, but after the New Year, she became happy and cheerful again.
Because she discovered that Shangguan Zeyu was slowly forgetting Jiang Yan and no longer considered finding Jiang Yan as the entirety of his life.
On this day, the night before the Lantern Festival, she took Chunhua in a carriage to see the lanterns.
In Beijing, there's nothing they can't make, only things you can't imagine. All sorts of lanterns, all kinds of lanterns, some fluttering in the air like kites, some floating on the water like blooming flowers, and others hanging on thin, almost invisible lines with riddles written on them for passersby to guess.
Fireworks burst open in the air from time to time, then bloom everywhere, red and green, colorful and varied in shape, along with firecrackers that went off intermittently, proclaiming people's joy and happiness.
Xiao Yiqing was both joyful and sorrowful at this moment.
She has lost her beloved father and her family.
Watching the fireworks blooming in the night sky, Xiao Yiqing got off the carriage and prepared to walk around. It was this action that led her to unintentionally run into a familiar acquaintance.
Along the lakeside pavilions and shores, music, songs, and dances rose and fell. People listened, watched, and joined in the dancing and singing.
Xiao Yiqing was not initially drawn to this, but as she gradually approached them, she inadvertently caught sight of the woman dancing in the pavilion, and her heart tightened, her eyes widening in shock.
"Master, isn't that Madam Wang?"
Indeed, she had seen that graceful dance before, and those captivating peach blossom eyes—wasn't that Wang Qianqian?
Didn't she disappear? How come she's here?
Xiao Yiqing unconsciously walked towards her. When she reached the pavilion and her eyes met Wang Qianqian's, she finally dared to confirm that this person was Wang Qianqian.
Wang Qianqian didn't seem sad or upset at all. Her dance moves were still graceful, her smile was still innocent, and her eyes were still bright.
And her?
Thinking of this, Xiao Yiqing felt a little inferior and lowered her eyes before looking at her again.
However, Wang Qianqian, who had just been dancing in front of her, had disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Where is he?" Xiao Yiqing looked around anxiously.
Chunhua also stood on tiptoe and looked around, but strangely enough, in the blink of an eye, the person who was just alive and well had disappeared.
"Master, she should have already left."
But she clearly sensed something different in her eyes just now. Did she really just leave like that?
This is right in the middle of the moat. Anyone walking across the bridge, even if they don't intend to pay attention, will be drawn to this place. Did Wang Qianqian choose to dance here because she was afraid of being discovered?
Xiao Yiqing didn't think Wang Qianqian would do that. If Wang Qianqian really did that, then she wouldn't be the Wang Qianqian she knew.
Xiao Yiqing didn't say anything. She carefully observed the area around the pavilion and came to the nearest alleyway. Without hesitation, she went in.
"Master, the light is dim, it's dangerous."
However, Xiao Yiqing only paused for a moment before ignoring everything and walking inside.
Sure enough, they found Wang Qianqian at the intersection with another alley.
Wang Qianqian seemed to be waiting for them on purpose, so before they even reached her, she smiled and said, "Long time no see, sister."
Xiao Yiqing's heart tightened, and she asked, "Are you alright?"
"Haha, what are you saying, sister? What do you want, little sister?"
Xiao Yiqing: "You don't just like dancing here, do you?"
"The older sister really knows her younger sister well."
"What exactly do you want? The Prince of Su's men have all been killed by the Prince!"
"Isn't this you too?" Wang Qianqian's smile was infuriating.
Xiao Yiqing sneered: "Don't dream! The Prince will never agree to let you into the manor."
"Why? The Prince allows elder sister to move freely in the manor, so why can't younger sister? Besides, younger sister knows what the Prince wants to know. Elder sister thinks that younger sister should go to the Prince herself to explain everything and then ask the Prince to allow younger sister to enter the manor, or elder sister should bring younger sister into the manor?"
Are you threatening me?
"Sister, this isn't a threat! I'm just telling the truth! If you don't believe me, think about it. Do you want me to come into the manor, or do you want that bitch Liu Ruyi to come in?"
"...How can you be so sure the prince will believe what you say?"
"Sister, you don't understand! Now, as long as there is any news about Liu Ruyi, whether it is true or false, the prince will believe it."
"Is what you know true or false?"
Wang Qianqian smiled and said, "Sister, don't worry about that! I've been out for a long time and I'm going back now. You can think about it some more." Then she turned to leave.
But Xiao Yiqing suddenly grabbed her left hand, which she was swinging behind her back: "I promise you."
Wang Qianqian couldn't help but scoff: "Sister, after going through so much, you still have a sincere heart for the Prince."
"And you? What are you doing all this for?"
Wang Qianqian remained silent, staring intently at Xiao Yiqing. After a while, she said, "I'm at Furong Tower. Sister, remember to come and pick me up as soon as possible." With a slight struggle, she broke free from Xiao Yiqing's grasp on her left hand with her right.
Xiao Yiqing never dreamed that she would be the only one left by Shangguan Zeyu's side. She never imagined that the missing person could reappear.
Thus, all her beautiful aspirations and hopes vanished.
She would never allow Wang Qianqian to return to the Prince's Mansion, nor would she allow her to tell Shangguan Zeyu even a single word about Liu Ruyi.
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