0136 The Golden Winged Envoy (Part 1)
Spring in Chang'an is always a pale green, like the snow buds of Yangxian filtered through water, leaving a tiny pinch of emerald at the bottom of a white porcelain bowl. But when the spring breeze is carried south by birds and blown to the southern sky, it suddenly takes on a bright color, as if it has been soaked in clear oil, both rich and deep. People at that time made a kind of shirt, imitating the color of the southern sky, and named it Spring Color.
The day Zhan Yaoguang returned to the village, the weather was just as fine.
The villagers were as lively and enthusiastic as ever. From afar, some people stood on the upper floor and shouted, "You're back!" The village became lively, and a group of people, old and young, came out to welcome them.
The young man dismounted, and after taking only one step, someone came up and gently bumped his shoulder with a fist.
"You little rascal, you ran off without a word, leaving us who used to play with you to be scolded by our parents and have to swear oaths to the clan chief every day."
Zhan Yaoguang smiled and said "Sorry" and "Excuse me" twice.
In the midst of the commotion, someone reached out from the side and pinched his cheek, muttering in Miao language, asking him if he had lost weight.
He opened his mouth to deny it, but his leg seemed to be grabbed by something.
Zhan Yaoguang looked down and realized it was a big yellow dog.
The yellow dog pounced on him with a howl, then circled around him with its tail wagging, reluctant to leave.
"Ah Guang—"
The boy's eyes lit up, and he quickly squatted down and reached out to pluck its shiny, yellow fur.
Just then, a figure pushed through the crowd and walked towards them. Upon seeing the boy who was crouching down and holding a dog, he softly called out, "Thirteen Lang."
The woman had red lips and white teeth, radiant skin, and clear, deep eyes, like the boundless green clouds of the Miao region.
Zhan Yaoguang raised her head, her eyelashes drooping again, and said softly, "Cousin."
This person was Zhan Yuheng.
As soon as she arrived, the flamboyant young men and women all dispersed respectfully, making way for her.
Zhan Yuheng walked up to him, looked him up and down, and seeing that he was unharmed, he smiled slightly.
"It's good that you came back safe and sound. Don't think about anything else. Go back and rest early."
The boy nodded and said "hmm," then waited a while longer, but she still didn't mention anything about the old woman's whereabouts. He felt a sense of unease, as if a dark cloud had been cast over his heart.
After returning to her lodgings and quickly washing up, Zhan Yaoguang took out a well-preserved painted cloth from her bag. It was a plain cloth with a golden bird on a gold background, the very same white egret lantern that Shu Fu had won on the Thousand Autumn Festival.
That was a gift from Afu, and of course he wouldn't let her stay alone in Chang'an.
However, carrying a lantern on his journey south would be too much trouble, so he disassembled the frame and only brought back the painted cloth covering it.
Zhan Yaoguang's academic foundation was average, but he actually had some talent in this kind of thing. He only had to look at the lamp carefully from front to back a few times before he had memorized its structure.
Upon returning to Miao territory, he immediately drew a sketch based on his memory. He only needed to go up the mountain in a few days to split bamboo to make lamp ribs, and he should be able to recreate about 70-80% of the original.
After finishing these tasks, the boy tossed his pen aside, leaned back in his chair, and glanced out the window.
Everything here was very different from Chang'an. He lived in a stilted house, and looking down, he saw a lush and verdant forest. Birds would fly high in the forest from time to time. No matter how colorful their feathers were, they would become small specks of gray when they landed in the blue sky.
Zhan Yaoguang stared blankly for a long time, then suddenly blew a breath at the gray stain in the sky. When it didn't come off, he bent down and casually scratched A-Guang's chin.
The boy asked softly, "Do you think I should go find Grandma myself... If I do, I'll call out once; if I don't, I'll call out twice."
The yellow dog's big, dark eyes swept over him, making a gurgling sound in its throat, but it didn't bark.
It nudged his palm, forcing him to turn his wrist so his palm was facing up, before pressing its mouth against his palm and pushing down hard.
"What do you mean? You're telling me to make the decision myself too?"
As Zhan Yao tilted his bald head to one side, the slightly curled ends of his hair also lifted in a small arc.
As he pondered, he subconsciously reached for the silver moon in his hair, only to find it missing. He then remembered that he had left that thing with Afu before he left.
He had no choice but to put his hand down, recalling Shu Fu's words, and slowly said, "She also told me to think for myself... but what is my own thought worth? If Grandma wanted to see me, she would naturally send someone to call me."
Thinking of this, he became even more determined. He turned around, went into the room, put his hands behind his head, and lay down on the bedding.
“She wanted to use me for a marriage alliance that day, and I left the village to protect myself. I did nothing wrong, so there’s no need for me to go to her and apologize. If she wants to see me, she will naturally send someone to call me.”
Ah Guang wagged his tail and followed in, his paw patting his boots in a friendly gesture.
If you're really going to sleep, why wouldn't you even take off your boots?
Zhan Yaoguang, having his secret exposed, quickly pulled his leg back, but his boots remained on.
However, as they waited, the sun began to set in the west, and the golden hues of the evening sun painted the mountain streams and forests. The sounds of cooking gradually rose from the village.
Zhan Yaoguang had unknowingly fallen asleep. When he sat up again, he felt a chill in front of him, probably because the window was not closed.
He looked around and saw that the place was still empty, and a feeling of indescribable disappointment welled up in his chest.
He turned around and was about to walk out when he looked up and saw an old woman with gray hair standing at the door.
"Grandma?" Zhan Yaoguang was somewhat surprised. She stepped forward, took the woman's hand, and led her into the house. "Why have you come?"
The old woman smiled slightly: "Since my little thirteenth son won't come to see me, I have no choice but to go see him myself."
Zhan Yaoguang pursed her lips and didn't say anything. She just poured her a glass of warm water and then found some cold water to drink herself.
The old woman looked at him and suddenly sighed, "You're still like a child, you don't even know your hair is messed up from sleeping. Come here, let me comb it for you again."
Zhan Yaoguang hesitated for a moment, but eventually obediently walked over and squatted down.
The old woman made him turn his back, untied the red rope binding his hair with one hand, and then rummaged around in her wide sleeve with the other, finally finding a loosely toothed boxwood comb.
As she combed her hair, she sighed softly, "Grandma didn't have time to take care of you before you grew up on your own. Thirteen Lang is so handsome and good-looking, even more so than your father was back then."
Zhan Yaoguang's heart was already aching and she was starting to soften, but when she suddenly heard her sister say "I didn't have time to cherish you," all the barbs on her body immediately stood up.
He lowered his eyes and said blankly, "Grandmother has been taking care of my cousin since I was a child, so naturally she has no time to pay attention to me."
The old woman re-tied his hair, and seeing that he looked unhappy, she suddenly called out to him as he stood up to leave.
"Thirteenth Lang."
Zhan Yaoguang stopped walking, but still didn't turn around.
“In this world, it is difficult for those with many children to balance them. Yuheng is the first child that Grandma took in, and she is also the future clan leader. She has heavy responsibilities, so Grandma can't help but take extra care of her and worry about her more.”
Zhan Yaoguang pursed her lips and said after a long while, "I've known this for a long time, Grandma doesn't need to explain it to me."
The boy's words were very soft, as if they were blown in by the wind, and if another gust of wind came, they would seem to dissipate.
Ignoring his expression, the old woman continued, "For a long time, I've been unable to sleep at night, not knowing how to explain it to you. But think about it carefully, things are fine as they are now. There's no use in embellishing things."
Zhan Yaoguang remained still, but his hands were clenched into fists.
Although he had long guessed that his grandmother treated him and his cousin differently, hearing her admit it to him was still a bitter and unpleasant experience.
The old woman stood behind the boy, leaning on her cane, her gaze sweeping down to his hands, where his knuckles were white.
She placed her hand on his wrist, feeling the boy try to break free, but instead of doing so, she gripped it tightly, and in a daze, it seemed as if she had stuffed something into his palm.
Zhan Yaoguang glanced at it and was taken aback—
It seemed to be a letter from the grandmother to the Emperor of Dali, with words that vaguely mentioned sending him to Chang'an to receive the Emperor's favor, hoping that the Emperor would cherish him and grant him freedom in his marriage.
The old woman said slowly, "I'm not the best old woman, but I'm not that bad either. If Miao territory can't make you happy, I'll send you to someone who can."
As the clan leader, she dedicated her entire life to her people, and her personal desires were utterly insignificant.
What this young grandson wanted was the wholehearted and unconditional love and care of an elder, something she could never promise.
Since that's the case, let him go and pursue it himself.
Zhan Yaoguang sat alone until the moon was high in the sky, and only when the night owl cawed did he seem to gradually come back to his senses.
The boy picked up the thin piece of paper with two fingers, covered his face with it, obscuring the lower half of his face, leaving only his dark eyes visible.
Moonlight bathed the ground outside the window, and the slender tip of the moon swayed and fell into his eyes, rippling endlessly.
———
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