Chapter 115: An old friend visits with a sense of Zen, chess and tea bring back memories
Afternoons at the Fang residence were always bathed in the faint fragrance of lotus. Grapevines covered the trellises in the west wing, bunches of green grapes dangling from the emerald leaves, glistening in the sun. Ziwei sat beneath the trellis, embroidering a lotus sachet. On the pristine white silk, a lotus flower was halfway embroidered. The silver needle flew across her fingertips, the thread as fine and precise as a spring silkworm sifting through mulberry trees.
With a creak, the corner door swung open, and Falcon appeared at the entrance to the moon cave. He wore a dark blue uniform, his sleeves rolled up a half-inch, revealing his muscular forearms. He was clearly in a hurry, and though his collar was dusty, it couldn't conceal the heroic spirit between his brows. He carried a rosewood box and walked briskly across the bluestone pavement. When he saw Ziwei, the fatigue in his eyes melted, and a gentle smile spread across his face.
"Brother Erkang!" Ziwei raised her head, the needle in her hand dropped onto the embroidery frame with a thud, and her cheeks flushed like a peach scorched by the sun. She quickly stood up, her skirt sweeping over the spool of thread on the stone bench, and the spool rolled to Fu Erkang's feet.
Falcon bent down to pick up the spool of thread, his fingertips accidentally touching the hem of her skirt. He said gently, "I haven't seen you for a few days. Miss Ziwei has lost weight." He handed the spool back and his eyes fell on the embroidery frame. "This lotus is embroidered beautifully, so lifelike."
"No way..." Ziwei took the spool and twisted the silk thread with her fingertips, her voice as thin as a mosquito.
"Oh, isn't this Lord Falcon who forgot about our Ziwei?" Little Swallow emerged from the Moon Gate, holding a jar of freshly brewed plum wine. She was wearing a lake blue blouse with a light blue orchid embroidered around the collar. It was the same one her mother had embroidered for her when she visited Hanshan Temple last year. "Are you finally willing to come back from Suzhou? I thought you were so busy investigating the corruption case that you'd forgotten there was a Ziwei in Jinan!"
As she spoke, the wine jar swayed in her arms, and the sour aroma of plums mixed with the aroma of wine wafted over. Fu Erkang was helplessly laughed at her retort, and he took out a small yellow silk bag from his arms and handed it to Ziwei. "How could I forget? This is the amulet I asked for Ziwei at Hanshan Temple. The abbot personally blessed it."
The small bag was embroidered with a swastika pattern, and a small bodhi seed was adorned on the corner. Ziwei took it with both hands, and her fingertips touched the hard object inside the bag. She guessed it was a jade pendant, and her heart warmed as if a small sun had risen in her heart. "Thank you, Brother Erkang."
"Hanshan Temple?" Xiaoyanzi's eyes lit up, and she placed the wine jar on the stone table with a thud. "Did you go to Hanshan Temple? Has the abbot improved his chess skills recently? I gave him the 'Bells and Chimes' music sheet last year, and he said he wants to play chess with me once he's perfected it!"
When Fu Erkang heard her mention the abbot, his brows danced with joy. He couldn't help but smile and said, "Master Abbot is in good health and still mentioned you. He said that your 'Plum Blossom Game' last year was very powerful. I'm afraid it will be even more difficult to deal with now."
These words were like a key, suddenly unlocking the floodgates of Xiaoyanzi's memory. She seemed to be standing in the Zen room of Hanshan Temple again, the morning mist wrapped in sandalwood inclining through the window, the abbot twirling the white chess piece and laughing at her for "ending too hastily," the cloud pieces in the bamboo chess basket gleaming with a brilliant white sheen. She recalled practicing the qin in the temple that afternoon, the sound of the bell echoing from afar, mingling with the overtones of the strings, and the abbot saying, "This is the true sound of heaven and earth"...
"Of course!" She came back to her senses, patting her chest, the orchids on her lake-blue cuffs fluttering with her movements. "I haven't been lazy these past six months. The 'Double Flying Swallow' chess game my father taught me will surely impress Master! By the way, when you went to Hanshan Temple, did you see the old plum tree in the backyard? I carved a little swallow on it last year. I wonder if it's still there..."
"Carved on a plum tree?" Ziwei was amused by her, and the lotus on the embroidery frame seemed to be tinged with smiles as well. "Master Abbot loves peace and quiet so much, didn't he punish you by making you copy scriptures?"
"I'm punished!" Little Swallow stuck out her tongue, picked up a green grape and popped it into her mouth, squinting her eyes from the sour taste. "He punished me by making me copy the Heart Sutra three times, saying I was 'stubborn.' But he turned around and painted my carved swallow cinnabar, saying it would 'add some life.'" She suddenly leaned closer to Falcon. "Did you play chess with the abbot? His 'Immortal Pointing the Way' move looks slow and leisurely, but it's actually a trap at every step. I fell for it last year!"
Falcon recalled his chess match with the abbot, nodded, and smiled. "Indeed, he's amazing. I wanted to learn a few moves from my newly acquired chess manual, but ended up losing two games in a row. The abbot said my moves were too rigid, lacking your agility." He looked at Ziwei with a gentle gaze. "He also said that when you two arrive in Beijing, he'll invite you to play the qin at the temple."
"Really?" Xiaoyanzi's eyes widened, and she swung the wine jar back and forth in her arms. "That's great! I've just been practicing 'Fishing Alone on a Cold River' and I'm looking forward to playing it for Master!"
Ziwei watched her joyfully, her fingertips stroking the amulet, and suddenly remembered what Xiaoyanzi often said about "previous life fate." Perhaps there really was a mysterious connection, otherwise how could two people who had never met before develop such a deep bond over an ancient temple and a game of chess?
"By the way, how's the progress on that corruption case you're investigating?" Xiaoyanzi suddenly remembered something important and spat the grape pits into a celadon dish on the stone table. "Have those corrupt officials been apprehended? I heard from Dad that the Suzhou prefect was so greedy he even dared to touch disaster relief grain!"
Speaking of official business, Fulcon's expression grew serious. "It's been verified. The officials involved have been taken into custody. The Emperor is furious. This successful case was solved thanks to the clues provided by the abbot of Hanshan Temple. Last year, the prefect went to the temple to burn incense and accidentally revealed some accounting issues. The master took note of it and quietly informed me when he saw me investigating the case."
"Master is truly amazing!" Little Swallow clapped her hands. "I was wondering how he knew so much about folk affairs. Turns out he's been keeping his eyes peeled for a long time!"
Ziwei finished embroidering the last stitch and gently smoothed the lotus bag: "It seems that this amulet is really blessed." She put the lotus bag close to her body, and her fingertips touched the warm jade pendant, and she felt much more at ease.
The setting sun cast a long shadow over the flower stand. Falcon watched the wind sweep the strands of hair from Ziwei's temples and whispered, "I have a day off tomorrow. If you don't mind, I'll take you to Wanxianglou in the capital. The lotus pastries there are very similar to those in Jinan."
"Okay, okay!" Xiaoyanzi agreed quickly, her eyes flicking between Ziwei and Falcon, and she smiled mischievously, "It's a good opportunity for Ziwei to have a taste of home, so she won't keep nagging about the lotus seed soup from Jinan."
Ziwei's cheeks flushed, and she gently hit Xiaoyanzi, but she didn't refute. Falcon looked at her shy appearance, and the smile in his eyes was like honey that couldn't be melted, and even the afternoon lotus fragrance was stained with a bit of sweetness.
As dusk deepened, Falcon said goodbye and left, still holding the plum wine Xiaoyanzi had forced upon him. Ziwei stood at the door and watched him go, clutching the amulet tightly in her hand. Suddenly, she felt that no matter how many twists and turns the road ahead, as long as she had such a friend and such care by her side, she would fear nothing.
Little Swallow came up to her and nudged her with her elbow. "What are you looking at? You're so distracted." She looked up at the sunset glow in the sky, which was like a splash-ink painting, a fiery red. "I think this amulet can not only protect my safety, but also bring me luck in marriage."
Ziwei's cheeks flushed even more red at her words, but she couldn't help but smile, the light in her eyes brighter than the sunset. The green grapes beneath the flower trellis shimmered in the twilight, as if hiding countless secrets about to mature, quietly brewing in this warm summer in the Fang Mansion.
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