Chapter 7: Evening Chat, Heart Guarding the Warm Sun
The setting sun dyed the eaves of the Fang Mansion a golden red, and the sunset glow, like a piece of unrolled brocade, filled the western sky. The pomegranate tree in the courtyard was laden with fruits that looked like red lanterns. The cicadas' chirping gradually faded, and the evening breeze, carrying the moisture of the lotus pond, blew away the day's heat.
Fang Ci crouched under a pomegranate tree, counting ants, clutching the sheet music for "Lotus Wind Tune," which she had only just learned. Her aquamarine skirt, draped across the bluestone slab, was stained with a few fallen pomegranate petals. She traced crooked musical notes on the ground with her fingers, humming a tuneless melody. From time to time, attracted by a passing firefly, she would run after the green light for a few steps before crouching back to continue her drawing.
"Ci'er, the ground's cold, get up quickly." Fang Yan came over, holding a bamboo fan with a few freehand landscape paintings on it. He reached out and pulled his sister up, using the fan to brush off the petals and dust on her skirt. "You've only learned half a piece, and you're already slacking off. Mr. Zhou said he'll test you on music reading tomorrow."
Fang Ci stuck out her tongue, snatched the fan from his hand and fanned herself vigorously. The wind blew the loose hair on her forehead: "Brother, it's so difficult to read music! Those tadpole-like symbols make my eyes dizzy. It's more interesting to count ants. They are lining up to move. Does it look like the musical notation you taught me?" She pointed to the rows of ants on the ground, her eyes sparkling and full of childish cunning.
Fang Yan was amused by her and reached out to ruffle her hair. "You're the only one with so many excuses. If you keep making trouble for a while, it'll be time for dinner. Mother made your favorite lotus seed soup and peeled some freshly picked lotus pods."
Speaking of lotus seed soup, Fang Ci's stomach growled. She quickly pulled Fang Yan's sleeve and ran to the main hall: "Let's go back quickly! What if Dad eats it all if we're late?" The light green hem of her skirt skimmed across the stone road like a light deer, and the jade pendant hanging around her waist jingled.
In the main hall, Fang Zhihang, the father of the Fang family, sat on a royal chair, looking over the account books. He wore a navy blue gown with his sleeves rolled up, revealing his sturdy wrists. A pair of thin-framed glasses perched on his nose, his eyes gentle and focused behind the lenses. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, removed his glasses, rubbed his brow, and smiled at his daughter who had run in. "Run slower, be careful not to bump into the pillars. Did you make any progress in your piano lessons today?"
"Dad!" Fang Ci ran up to him, holding up the sheet music in her hand like a treasure. "Mr. Zhou praised my nimble fingers! It's just that those little tadpoles are too hard to recognize." She stood on tiptoe and approached the account book, taking a curious look. The densely packed numbers on it made her frown. "Dad, these numbers are harder to recognize than music sheet music. Don't you get tired of looking at them every day?"
Fang Zhihang put down the account book and reached out to scratch her nose. "You'll understand when you become a housekeeper in the future. Although the daily necessities of life are trivial, they are the foundation of life." He picked up the lotus pod on the table, peeled out a plump lotus seed and handed it to her. "Try it. I picked it from the lotus pond today. It's sweet."
Fang Ci took the lotus seeds and put them into her mouth. The sweet juice spread on the tip of her tongue. She squinted her eyes like a satisfied kitten: "Sweet! Sweeter than the candied fruits in the palace!" As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she suddenly covered her mouth, and a trace of panic flashed in her eyes.
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became quiet. Fang Yan paused holding the teacup. Fang Zhihang and his wife exchanged glances, but remained silent. Fang's mother quickly smiled and tried to smooth things over: "This child, you're just talking nonsense. Where have you ever seen the candied fruits in the palace? You must have heard about them in operas." She picked up a piece of osmanthus cake and handed it to her daughter, "Hurry up and eat a piece of cake to press it down. Be careful not to choke."
Fang Ci lowered her head and quickly took a bite of the osmanthus cake, her cheeks flushing slightly. How could she have blurted it out again? The candied fruits she had eaten in the palace in her previous life, though exquisite, always carried an inexplicable sense of restraint. How could they compare to the sweet and free-flowing lotus pods at home? She secretly raised her eyes and saw her father looking at her gently, his eyes free of doubt, only loving kindness, and her heart finally felt a little at ease.
By the time dinner was served, lanterns had been hung in the courtyard, their orange glow filtering through the gossamer, casting hazy shadows on the ground. Fang Ci sipped a bowl of lotus seed soup while listening to her father and brother reminisce about interesting things in Jiangnan—whose lotus pond had blossomed with twin lotus flowers, whose scholar passed the imperial examination, whose embroiderer had come up with a new design.
"Oh, right," Fang Zhihang suddenly remembered something, put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth, "Brother Li will come from the capital to stay with us for a few days next month. He works in the Hanlin Academy, and this time he's back home to visit his family, so he made a special detour to come and see us."
"From the capital?" Fang Ci tightened her grip on the spoon, and the sweetness of the lotus seed soup suddenly became a little bland. She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow under her eyelids. "Dad, is he... is he an official in the palace?"
"Not in the palace, but as a civil servant editing books in the Hanlin Academy." Fang Zhihang didn't notice his daughter's strangeness and explained with a smile, "Your Uncle Li was Dad's classmate. He has a gentle personality and loves to discuss poetry and painting with others. You can ask him for advice on music, chess, calligraphy and painting."
Fang Ci's heart skipped a beat, and her fingertips felt a chill. The Imperial Academy... so close to the palace, even if the people who came weren't from the palace, they must be privy to court affairs. She didn't want to see or hear anything about the capital, about the palace. Those places held the memories she most wanted to escape.
"I don't want to!" She puffed out her cheeks and acted coquettishly. "He's a civil servant, and he must be a stern-faced old scholar. How can it be as fun as my brother teaching me?" She pulled Fang Yan's arm and shook it. "Brother, don't you agree?"
Fang Yan put down his chopsticks and smoothed her hair. He spoke soothingly, "Although Uncle Li is strict, he loves the younger generation very much. Last year, he even asked someone to bring you a wolf-hair brush." Seeing the resistance in his sister's eyes, he changed the subject and said, "But if you don't want to see him, I'll take you to the back mountain to pick mushrooms. You can just stay away."
"Really?" Fang Ci's eyes lit up and he immediately laughed, his previous nervousness swept away. "Brother is the best! The mushrooms in the back mountain are big and tender, and they will definitely be delicious when used to make chicken soup!"
Mother Fang shook her head helplessly. "You kid, you only know how to play. Uncle Li is an honored guest, we must not lose our manners." Although she said this, her eyes were full of doting. "If you really don't want to see him, then ask your brother to accompany you for a walk. The maple leaves on the back mountain should be red, perfect for enjoying the scenery."
Fang Ci nodded vigorously, picked up a lotus seed and put it in her mouth. This time, the sweet taste returned. She knew that her parents and brother would always go along with her. This was her home. No matter how many strange ideas she had, they would tolerate her and protect her.
After dinner, Fang Ci sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, clasping her guqin. By the light of a lantern, she tried to play the "Lotus Wind Tune" she had learned that day. Her fingertips were still raw, but the sound flowed much more smoothly than in the morning, like the gentle ripples in a lotus pond, carrying a warmth.
Fang Yan sat by, listening, fanning himself with a round fan, occasionally correcting her fingering. Fang's father and mother sat in the porch, talking softly, the moonlight casting a gentle light on them, as if painted.
Amidst the melody, Fang Ci suddenly recalled the nights of her past life trapped in the Cining Palace. The moonlight outside the window was similar, yet cold as ice. Back then, she huddled in a corner, thinking of Ziwei, Yongqi, and Xiao Jian, yet could only hear the whimpering of the wind against the palace walls. Now, the moonlight was warm, the melody sweet, and around her was the laughter of her family and the fragrance of the lotus pond.
She paused, looking at everything before her, the corners of her mouth curling up unconsciously. So good, so good. She didn't want wealth or status, just days like this, guarding her parents, her brother, and the moonlight and lotus breeze of Jiangnan. That was enough.
"Why don't you play anymore?" Fang Yan's voice sounded gently.
Fang Ci raised his head, his eyes sparkling in the moonlight. "Brother, do I play well? Does it sound like our lotus pond?"
"It sounds nice," Fang Yan nodded with a smile, the tenderness in his eyes almost overflowing, "It sounds even better than the wind in the lotus pond."
Moonlight filtered through the branches of the pomegranate tree, falling on the strings and the girl's smiling face. She raised her hand again, and the music flowed again. This time, there was no awkwardness, only a sense of security and cherishment. This was her new life, and she would hold on to it tightly and protect it with her whole life.
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