Chapter 111: The lights go out in the academy, and the sisters talk about family matters
Dusk, like a thin veil, gently enveloped the blue bricks and gray tiles of Jingxin Academy. The occasional tinkle of a copper bell on the eaves rang softly in the evening breeze, creating a tranquil scene from the hustle and bustle of the distant street market.
Little Swallow paced back and forth beneath the old locust tree, the sleeves of her moon-white gown pulled high, revealing her slender yet powerful wrists. The mutton-fat jade bracelets on her wrists swayed with her movements. "Why hasn't she come out yet..." She stood on tiptoe, gazing at the closed vermilion lacquer gate of the academy, muttering softly, "It's so late, the dean won't ask her to stay for dinner, will he? Ziwei would be too embarrassed to refuse..."
Xiao Jian stood aside, his dark blue robe appearing even more composed in the twilight. Seeing his sister frantically scrambling, he shook his head helplessly and reached out to hold her back. "Stop shaking! You'll knock down the leaves if you keep shaking. The headmaster is a kind man. He said he'd take care of her, so he won't embarrass her."
"I know..." Xiaoyanzi was pulled to a stop by him, but she couldn't help but look in. "But I'm just worried! Do you think Ziwei will be too nervous to speak? Will she take the wrong token from mother?"
Xiao Jian was amused by her series of questions and raised his hand to rub her hair: "You, what do you think of Ziwei? She is much more careful than you." As soon as he finished speaking, the door of the academy creaked open.
"Ziwei!" Little Swallow's eyes lit up, and she instantly forgot her previous anxiety and rushed over like a happy little bird.
Inside the door, Ziwei was saying goodbye to an old man with white hair and beard. She was wearing a lavender dress, the hem of which was tinged with the coolness of dusk. In her hand, she clutched a small cloth bag. When she heard Xiaoyanzi's voice, she turned her head in surprise, a gentle smile immediately breaking out on her face: "Xiaoyanzi!"
"Ziwei! You're finally out!" Xiaoyanzi ran up to her, took her hand, and looked her up and down. "How is it? Is everything okay in there? Did the headmaster give you any trouble?"
Ziwei was amused and touched by her question, and shook her head. "The headmaster is a very nice person. He... he and my mother are old acquaintances. We talked a lot about my mother's youth." When she mentioned her mother, her eyes reddened slightly, but she smiled again. "He even invited me to dinner."
"That's good, that's good!" Xiaoyanzi finally breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to the old man and bowed respectfully, "Thank you, Headmaster, for taking care of my sister!"
The dean stroked his beard, looking at the affectionate pair of sisters before him, and smiled gently, "Miss Fang, you are too polite. I will take good care of Yuhe's daughter. Miss Ziwei is smart and gentle, quite like her mother in her youth." He looked at Ziwei again, "Be careful on your journey. If you have time, please come to the academy again."
"Thank you for your kindness, Principal. Ziwei will remember it." Ziwei bowed respectfully and said goodbye.
Xiao Jian also stepped forward and bowed to the headmaster: "Sorry to bother you, headmaster."
The three of them thanked the headmaster and turned to head for the carriage. Little Swallow held onto Ziwei's hand the whole way, chattering non-stop, "What did the headmaster say to you? Did he mention... the Emperor? Did he even look at the token you brought with you?"
Ziwei's cheeks flushed slightly at her question, and she nodded gently. "The headmaster saw my mother's jade pendant, and he said...he said he would help me keep an eye out for opportunities." She paused, then pulled out a thin booklet from her cloth bag. "He also gave me a few pages of poetry that my mother left behind at the academy, saying it was a keepsake for me."
Xiaoyanzi leaned over to take a look. The pages of the manuscript had already yellowed, but the handwriting was elegant and gentle, exactly Xia Yuhe's. She was so excited that she quickly pulled out the "Shu Yu Ci" from her sleeve pocket and said, "Ziwei, look! I got something good today too!"
Ziwei took the poetry collection curiously. When she saw the three characters "Shu Yu Ci" on the cover and the familiar annotations inside, she covered her mouth in surprise: "This... this is..."
"This is... an old item I found by chance," Xiaoyanzi almost let slip, but quickly corrected herself, unable to conceal the excitement in her eyes. "There's your mother's annotation inside! Don't you think so?"
Ziwei flipped open the poetry collection with trembling fingers, reading each page through the delicate, small characters. Tears could no longer be held back, streaming down her cheeks. The handwriting was identical to her mother's in her memory. The emotion and insight between the lines made her feel as if she could see her mother reading under the lamp. "It's... it's my mother's handwriting..." she choked out, her voice filled with longing and joy.
"Do you like it?" Xiaoyanzi patted her back gently and asked softly.
Ziwei nodded vigorously and hugged the poetry collection tightly in her arms. Tears blurred her vision, but she smiled brightly: "I like it... I like it very much... Xiaoyanzi, thank you..."
"Why are you thanking me?" Little Swallow smiled and wiped away her tears. "We are sisters!"
Xiao Jian looked at them, a gentle smile on his face. He reached out and lifted the carriage curtain for them: "Okay, get in first. It's cold outside. If you have anything to say, we can talk about it when we get home."
"Yeah!" The two responded and got into the warm carriage together.
The carriage slowly moved on, carrying a load of warmth and anticipation, disappearing into the deepening night of the capital. The lanterns on the street corners remained lit, illuminating the way home and the quietly growing hope in the sisters' hearts.
Dusk thickened the eaves and corners of Jingxin Academy. Lanterns lit up in the corridors one after another, a warm yellow glow filtering through the window paper, casting dappled shadows on the bluestone pavement. The leaves of the old locust tree rustled in the evening breeze. Little swallows circled beneath the tree, the hem of their moon-white gowns sweeping the fallen leaves on the ground. The mutton-fat jade bracelets on their wrists jingled, as if counting the minutes of waiting.
"Brother, do you think the dean will invite Ziwei to dinner?" She stood on tiptoe for the nth time, looking towards the academy gate, her brows slightly furrowed. "It's already this late, will something go wrong?"
Xiao Jian leaned against the tree trunk, his dark blue robe blending into the darkening sky. He twirled a locust leaf between his fingertips, gently turning it. "Don't worry, the Emperor has given us a heads-up, and the headmaster will definitely take care of it. If you keep turning, the soles of your shoes will wear out."
"I'm just worried!" Xiaoyanzi stopped and tugged at his sleeve. "Ziwei is timid. What if the headmaster asks about the emperor and she gets too nervous to speak?"
As soon as the words fell, the vermilion lacquer door of the academy creaked open. Xiaoyanzi's eyes lit up instantly, and she jumped out like a frightened deer: "Ziwei!"
Ziwei, inside the door, bowed her head as she bid farewell to the headmaster. The hem of her lavender dress was tinged with the coolness of dusk, and she clutched a small plain cloth bag tightly in her hand. Hearing the familiar voice, she looked up in surprise, a gentle smile immediately breaking across her slightly tired face, her eyes and brows tinged with warmth: "Little Swallow!"
"Finally out!" Xiaoyanzi rushed to her, grabbed her hand without saying anything, looked her up and down, and when her fingertips touched her slightly cold hand, she quickly handed her heater to her. "How is it? Headmaster, are you okay? Didn't I give you any trouble?"
Ziwei was amused by her string of questions. She gathered the heat from the stove with her fingertips and shook her head gently. "The headmaster is a very nice person. He... he said he knew my mother and told me a lot about her time studying at the academy when she was young." When she mentioned her mother, her voice softened, a glint in her eyes. "He even invited me to dinner, saying it was all Jinan-style dishes."
"That's good, that's good!" Xiaoyanzi finally breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to the white-haired old man and bowed politely. "Thank you, Headmaster, for taking care of my sister! I'll have my father come to thank you someday!"
The headmaster stroked his silver beard, looking at the noisy yet concerned girl before him, then at Ziwei, who was smiling gently beside him, his eyes full of kindness. "Miss Fang, there's no need to be so polite. I will take good care of Yuhe's daughter. Miss Ziwei has a kind nature and embodies much of Yuhe's spiritual energy." He turned to Ziwei and handed her a lantern. "It's a cold road, so use it to light the way. If you have time someday, come to the academy and talk with me."
"Thank you for your kindness, Headmaster." Ziwei took the lantern with both hands. The warm yellow light reflected on her face, soft as a painting. "Ziwei will definitely come to visit again."
Xiao Jian stepped forward and bowed to the headmaster, saying goodbye. The three of them walked towards the carriage in the twilight. Xiaoyanzi held Ziwei's hand tightly all the way, her steps as light as the wind. "Did the headmaster see the token? Did he say anything? Did he mention...the emperor?"
Ziwei's cheeks turned slightly red when she asked this question. She nodded gently and took out a few pages of yellowed poetry manuscripts from the cloth bag: "The headmaster saw my mother's jade pendant, and he said he would help me look out for opportunities. He also gave me the poetry manuscripts that my mother left in the academy that year, saying that I should keep them as a souvenir." She stroked the beautiful handwriting on the poetry manuscripts with her fingertips, and her eyes flashed with cherishment.
Xiaoyanzi leaned over to take a look. Seeing that the handwriting was exactly the same as Xia Yuhe's in her memory, her heart was boiling with heat. She suddenly pulled out the "Shu Yu Ci" from her sleeve pocket and said, "Ziwei, look! I have something good today too!"
Ziwei took the poetry collection curiously. When she saw the words "Shu Yu Ci" on the cover and the familiar graceful annotations on the margins, she suddenly raised her eyes, her pupils slightly dilated, and her fingers trembled a little: "This... This is my mother's handwriting!"
"Yes!" Xiaoyanzi raised her chin proudly, her voice low and low, "It's the Emperor... I asked someone to find it with great difficulty, and it even has Auntie's annotations inside!" She was afraid to let it slip, so she quickly added, "Look at this page. Doesn't it look very similar to your mother's poem?"
Ziwei's fingertips traced the annotations, her eyes gradually moistening. Warm tears fell onto the yellowed pages, leaving a small stain. She sniffed, but smiled tenderly, "It's... so similar. Xiaoyanzi, thank you..."
"Why are you thanking me?" Xiaoyanzi reached out to wipe her tears, her own eyes also warming. "We are sisters! There will be more good things in the future!"
Xiao Jian walked beside them, lantern in hand, a faint smile playing on his lips as he watched the two sisters sharing their poems head to head. The lantern's halo flowed across their faces, illuminating Ziwei's gentleness and Xiaoyanzi's agility with a warm glow.
Warm ginger tea had already been prepared in the carriage. Xiaoyanzi pressed Ziwei onto the cushion and handed her the teacup herself: "Hurry up and drink some to warm yourself up. Your hands are cold." Then she turned to Xiao Jian and said, "Brother, tell the driver to go faster. I have a lot to tell Ziwei!"
Xiao Jian smiled and nodded, giving the driver a wink. The carriage moved slowly, the wheels rolling over the bluestone pavement with a remarkably steady sound. Ziwei, sipping her ginger tea, looked across at the chattering little swallow, then glanced down at the manuscript and collection of poems in her arms. The slight apprehension she felt about finding her family had already been completely filled by this sudden warmth.
The night deepened outside the window, and the lights of the capital city lit up one after another, like scattered diamonds on black velvet. Ziwei gently stroked her mother's handwriting on the manuscript of the poem, and suddenly felt that the long journey to find her relatives didn't seem so difficult. At least this time, she was not alone.
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