Hairpin
Xi Chun didn't want to talk to Wei Qiao, so she lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and looked at the street scene outside the window.
Wei Qiao looked up and examined her closely. Xi Chun was wearing a long, pine-yellow padded jacket over a grass-green cloak, seemingly the same outfit she had worn the night before when she came to his room. Below, she wore an embroidered horse-face skirt, but she was still wearing those red satin shoes. The stitching on the shoes was very rough, and Wei Qiao looked away in disgust.
Xi Chun's eyes were fixed outside, but her heart was preoccupied inside. She constantly felt Wei Qiao watching her, and she dared not relax for a moment. Ever since Wei Qiao forcibly kissed her at the rockery, her opinion of him had undergone a dramatic change. She had always thought Wei Qiao was a good person, but now she wasn't so sure.
Seeing Xi Chun's stiff body and her hand awkwardly hanging in the air while holding the carriage curtain, Wei Qiao chuckled. Xi Chun, puzzled, turned to look at him. "What are you laughing at?"
Wei Qiao shook his head and did not answer.
Xi Chun's hands, which had been supporting her for so long, were now a little sore and numb. She simply lowered the curtain and massaged her arms. After massaging them, she glanced at Wei Qiao; his eyes were closed, and he seemed to be asleep. His attire today was different from usual. He wore a jade crown on his head, a pale white cross-collar Taoist robe, and a dark cloak with subtle gold patterns. On his feet were a pair of dark blue cloth boots. Wei Qiao's attire made his already handsome face even more dazzling.
Feeling Xi Chun's intense gaze, Wei Qiao felt a surge of pride, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his face. Xi Chun caught that smile, knowing that Wei Qiao wasn't asleep, and then asked, "Uncle, where are we going today?"
"Let's go hiking." Wei Qiao uttered these words calmly without opening his eyes.
Xi Chun's knowledge of the capital was limited to the Persian acrobatic performance she saw when she first arrived and the Guangyun Temple that Zhang Yunyao had taken her to a couple of days ago. Wei Qiao vaguely mentioned climbing a mountain, and she had no idea which mountain he meant, but knowing what she was going to do gave her a clue, so she followed Wei Qiao's example and leaned against the carriage wall, closing her eyes to rest.
The carriage traveled north along the bustling Yongding Street, exiting the city gate and continuing along the main road for a while before turning onto a less traveled side road. About half an hour later, it stopped at the foot of a mountain. A-Gui drove the carriage smoothly. Xi-Chun, who hadn't slept well the night before because of her appointment with Wei-Qiao, actually fell asleep leaning against the carriage wall.
"Sister-in-law, wake up, we're here." Wei Qiao saw Xi Chun sleeping soundly with her head tilted to the side, so he walked over to her and gently nudged her arm. Hearing him call her name, Xi Chun slowly woke up and opened her eyes to see Wei Qiao smiling down at her. His eyes were sparkling, like a sky full of stars, and Xi Chun, like a little girl gazing at the stars, was instantly captivated by him.
"Sister-in-law." Wei Qiao called out to Xi Chun again when he saw her staring at him.
Xi Chun then came to her senses and gave him a shy smile. Wei Qiao lifted the curtain and waited for Xi Chun to get out of the carriage before getting off himself.
After nearly two hours in the carriage, Xichun was stiff all over. She stretched her arms to relax. She looked around at her surroundings; they were at the foot of a mountain, which didn't look very high, but its terrain stretched far and wide. A few trees on the mountain were withered and yellow, but most were still lush and green, a scene full of life.
Xi Chun looked up, wanting to ask Wei Qiao where they were, but before she could speak, Wei Qiao had already started walking on the mountain path. She had no choice but to lift her skirt and quickly follow. Unlike the dirt path she had expected, the mountain path was paved with bluestone slabs.
Wei Qiao wasn't walking fast. After a few steps, Xi Chun caught up with him. "Uncle, what mountain is this?"
Wei Qiao glanced at her: "Qingquan Mountain."
"Is there a spring on the mountain?" Xichun asked expectantly.
"Yes, there is a spring on the mountainside that never dries up. The spring water is clear and sweet, perfect for brewing tea."
Seeing that he spoke so eloquently, Xichun asked, "Uncle seems to be very familiar with this place."
“I used to come here often when I was a child,” Wei Qiao replied. Looking around at the scenery, the same trees, time seemed unchanged. He recalled how his father often brought him here to climb the mountain when he was young. The mountain was only half an hour's drive from his father's villa, and his father would come for a walk on it almost every month. He said that he and his mother first met on this mountain, and that walking there always brought back fond memories of their time together.
This mountain wasn't exactly close to the Wei residence, so Xi Chun was puzzled that Wei Qiao frequently came to climb it. Even though she didn't have many connections in the Wei household, she knew that Wei Qiao was born out of wedlock and had never been favored by Wei Changsong. So she asked, "Did Father-in-law accompany my uncle here?"
When Wei Qiao saw that she guessed it was Wei Changsong, he snorted and changed the subject, "I've heard that Fuping County is also a mountainous area. Has your sister-in-law ever climbed mountains in Fuping County?"
Hearing her mention this, Xichun perked up immediately and laughed, "Of course! There's a high mountain near my home called Mao'er Mountain. There are lots of wild rabbits and pheasants on that mountain, and the hunters from the neighborhood often hunt them and sell them in the county. There are also a lot of mushrooms on the mountain. When the mushroom season comes, many people will bring their tools and go into the mountain to look for mushrooms. My grandfather often took me there. He was really good at finding mushrooms; he could always find a whole basketful. Let me tell you, those freshly picked mushrooms are especially delicious when stewed with chicken. I can drink several bowls of them every time!"
Hearing Xichun's cheerful words, Wei Qiao couldn't help but smile as well. The two climbed the steps and, after walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, arrived at a stone pavilion for resting. The pavilion was located on a flat piece of land on the right side of the road, and inside there was a square stone table and four stone benches.
Wei Qiao pointed to the stone pavilion and said to Xi Chun beside him, "The spring is right next to the stone pavilion. Would you like to go and take a look, sister-in-law?"
"Really?" Xi Chun lifted her skirt and quickly walked into the stone pavilion. Standing inside, she looked to her right and indeed saw a pool of clear spring water. She lifted her sleeve and bent down to touch the water, the sudden coolness on her fingertips making her shiver. She stood up and smiled at Wei Qiao, who was waiting for her on the road, "Uncle, this spring water is really clear, but it's too cold."
Wei Qiao smiled and nodded at her. Xi Chun quickly walked across the stone pavilion to Wei Qiao's side. "Let's go, let's continue climbing the mountain. How much longer until we reach the top?"
"About half an hour, this mountain isn't high."
Half an hour later, the two were nearing the summit when a sudden burst of colorful camellias appeared on both sides of the mountain path. The camellias, in their myriad forms, bloomed proudly in the cold wind. A faint honey fragrance permeated the air.
Xi Chun's eyes widened with excitement as she looked left and right, admiring the scenery. She never imagined such beauty could be found on this unassuming little hill. However, judging from the appearance of the camellias, there seemed to be several varieties, suggesting they were planted by humans. Xi Chun turned to Wei Qiao, who was slowly strolling behind her. "Uncle, do you know who planted these camellias?"
Wei Qiao knew, of course, that these trees were planted by his father, one by one, after his mother, the Crown Princess, died in childbirth. Every year during the flowering season, his father would bring him here to pay respects to his mother. However, he didn't intend to tell Xi Chun this. He casually made up another version.
"This mountain was originally the property of a young lady, who would sometimes brew tea with spring water in the stone pavilion. One day, a scholar was traveling through this place and met the young lady in the stone pavilion. The two chatted over tea and hit it off immediately. They both had feelings for each other and often met secretly in the stone pavilion."
One day, a scholar bought a beautiful camellia tree (known as the "Eighteen Scholars") on the street, intending to give it to his mistress. The mistress, however, felt that flowers grown in pots were never as good as those grown in the soil. So, she and the scholar climbed to the top of the mountain and found a spot to plant the first camellia there. Later, the scholar and the mistress married, and their marriage was filled with joy and harmony; they were an enviable couple. But then…
Xi Chun, engrossed in the story, eagerly asked, "What happened next?"
"Later, the young lady had a difficult childbirth and died. To remember her, the scholar bought many camellias and planted them near the place where he and the young lady had planted the flowers."
"Alas, how could this happen? The scholar and the young lady should have grown old together. They loved each other so much," Xichun sighed.
Seeing the sad expression on Xichun's face, Wei Qiao took two steps to Xichun's side, tugged at Xichun's sleeve, and said, "There is a beautiful white camellia on the top of the mountain. I'll take you to see it." After saying that, he pulled Xichun forward.
When Xichun saw him tugging at her sleeve, she wanted to stop him, but Wei Qiao probably just wanted to take her to see the flowers as soon as possible, so she pursed her lips and didn't say anything.
After walking about a hundred steps, I reached the top of the mountain, where a camellia tree covered in white blossoms came into view. The trunk of the camellia tree was as large as an adult man's embrace. Snowflake-like white flowers densely adorned the branches, and when a gentle breeze blew, the pure white petals trembled slightly, like a beautiful woman shyly veiling her face.
Wei Qiao saw that she was engrossed in watching, her face full of surprise and admiration. He walked closer to the camellia tree, picked a camellia in full bloom from a branch, and put it in Xi Chun's hair.
Feeling the stinging pain of her hair pulling on her scalp, Xichun snapped out of her daze and realized that Wei Qiao had unknowingly stood beside her. She cautiously took a step to the side before raising her hand to touch her hair bun, where it felt soft and cool to the touch.
Just as she was wondering, Wei Qiao, who was standing next to her, said, "I put a camellia flower in my sister-in-law's hair."
Xichun lowered her hand, wanting to tear off the camellia in her hair but feeling it was making a fuss over nothing. She remained silent, looking down at the withered flowers on the ground.
"Is your sister-in-law unhappy?" Wei Qiao asked as he walked up to her.
Xi Chun felt the distance between them had narrowed again, so she pretended to look at the flowers and took a step to the side, saying, "No."
"Really?" Wei Qiao picked another camellia from the branch in front of her and pretended to put it in her hair.
Startled by him, Xichun quickly dodged away. Wei Qiao was amused by her frightened appearance and casually put the camellia back on the branch.
This white camellia was planted by his father when he was five years old, longing for his mother. It was planted by his father himself, more than twenty years ago. He gazed at the camellia tree before him, as if his father's presence was still yesterday, yet reality had long since changed. Wei Qiao looked at the tree full of blossoms and sighed softly.
Hearing him sigh, Xichun turned her head and saw the sorrowful expression on Wei Qiao's face. Xichun asked with concern, "Uncle, are you unhappy?"
"I was just thinking about my family."
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