Coming of age
On the seventh day of the eleventh month, the snow that had been falling for several days suddenly stopped. The world seemed to have been stripped of all its moisture, leaving only a dry, clear chill. Suddenly, Wen Xiang'er's clear voice came from outside the door: "Senior Sister Xuanji, open the door quickly!"
As soon as the door opened, Wen Xiang'er hopped in, holding a brocade box. Her apricot-colored jacket and skirt were still covered in morning dew. "Senior Sister, look!" Inside the box was a jade hairpin, the tip of which was carved into a budding plum blossom. The jade was as warm and smooth as fresh snow after a rain.
"This is..."
"Happy birthday!" Wen Xiang'er tucked a hairpin into her hair. "Father said today is Senior Sister's coming-of-age ceremony."
Xuanji was stunned. She had never mentioned her birthday to anyone—she herself had almost forgotten it.
Wen Xiang'er led Xuanji to Madam Wen's inner room. "Xuanji," Madam Wen smiled, holding a lotus-colored embroidered plum blossom jacket in her hands. "Try it on to see if it fits." Xuanji put on the new clothes. When she went out, she saw her master and fellow disciples waiting for her in the courtyard.
Madam Wen smiled and nodded, and Wen Tingyun signaled for the ceremony to begin. Although it was not a grand banquet like those of a large family, the formalities were not diminished in the slightest.
An altar had already been set up in the hall, with tablets of Heaven and Earth enshrined. Madam Wen personally combed Xuanji's hair, loosening her loose, girlish hairstyle, and reciting a blessing: "On this auspicious day of this month, you begin your coming-of-age ceremony. Cast aside your childish ways, and follow your virtuous path. May you live a long and blessed life." After combing, she gathered her long hair on top of her head and coiled it into a bun.
Lu Jingxiu, acting as the officiant, presented a handkerchief and a hairpin. Wen Tingyun rose, took the warm, lustrous jade plum blossom hairpin, and solemnly placed it on Xuanji's head, completing her coming-of-age ceremony.
Afterwards, Granny Li served tea, which Xuanji knelt before his master and mistress. The couple drank the tea with smiles.
Li Yi took out a paulownia wood book wrapped in blue cloth from his sleeve: "This is a selection of poems from the Book of Songs that I copied. I hope... Junior Sister will not reject it." A hint of embarrassment appeared on his usually cold face, and even the knuckles holding the book turned slightly white.
Xuanji took the letter and opened it. Inside were more than a dozen sheets of yellowed hemp paper, each with a chapter from the Book of Songs copied in Ouyang Xun's small regular script. The edges of the paper were trimmed very neatly, and the ink was evenly distributed, showing that it had been carefully made.
The last page is inscribed: "Selected elegant and refined sounds of traditional Chinese music, respectfully written by Li Yi of Longxi in the winter of the year Yiwei (1895)."
Wen Jue chuckled and joked, "Senior Brother Li has been working on this for several nights in a row. He even forgot to return the copy of 'Collected Annotations on the Songs of Chu' that I borrowed from him. The other day I went to his room and saw piles of discarded hemp paper on the floor. It must have taken him half a ream of paper to copy all this."
Upon hearing this, Li Yi blushed even more, but forced himself to keep a straight face and said, "It's just practicing calligraphy." His eyes flickered, and he dared not look directly at Xuanji.
Amidst laughter from the audience, Du Mubai presented a guqin: "I've heard that my junior sister is skilled at playing the guqin. This 'Nine Heavens' guqin, though not a famous piece, has a decent tone."
Lu Jingxiu then presented a Qingtian stone seal with the inscription "Only in the cold of winter do we know the pine and cypress."
Wen Jue's gift was an inkstone that he had polished himself.
Xuanji's eyes welled up with tears. These gifts may not have been expensive, but each one showed genuine sincerity.
Wen Tingyun took out a scroll of bamboo slips: "This is a fragment of Lady Liu's poetry collection, the only one of its kind remaining in the world. I hope you will carry on the legacy of our ancestors."
Xuanji accepted the bamboo slips with both hands; they were heavy and emitted a faint sandalwood scent. She suddenly knelt and performed a deep bow: "Xuanji will certainly not fail your high expectations, sir."
"How did you know it was my birthday today, sir?" Xuanji's voice trembled slightly.
Wen Tingyun: "That day you wrote 'My home is in Suzhou, but I have long been a traveler in Chang'an,' so I went to the music academy to check your records."
"Thank you... thank you, sir..." She hurriedly lowered her head, but a tear still fell onto the bamboo slip.
Madam Wen gently put her arm around her shoulder: "Silly child, why are you crying? Today is your special day." The faint scent of sandalwood on her body reminded Xuanji of a vague childhood memory where her mother seemed to have a similar scent.
A small midday feast was held in the warm pavilion. Wen Xiang'er clamored for longevity noodles, and when the steaming bowl of soup noodles was placed before her, Xuanji stared at the two poached eggs floating on top. Suddenly, she heard Wen Tingyun say, "It's time to choose a name for you now that you've reached marriageable age. I've chosen the name 'Youwei' for you, taken from the line 'Gathering ferns, gathering ferns, the ferns are tender and soft.'"
"Youwei..." Xuanji murmured softly, as if she could see the little musician named "Xuanji" gradually walking away, while a brand new Yu Youwei stood up in the morning light.
The snow outside the window was getting heavier, and the red calyxes on the old plum branches looked even more vibrant in the snow.
That day, in the courtyard of the Wen residence, Xuanji and Wen Xiang'er chatted idly, "Has Senior Brother Du gone out on business? We haven't seen him for the past few days."
Wen Xiang'er looked around and replied, "Senior Brother Du, he went home! His family is the extremely powerful Du family of Jingzhao, with very strict rules."
As the eldest grandson, he had to return to his ancestral home in Luoyang every year to pay respects to his ancestors, visit relatives and friends—a whole host of things to do. Before leaving, he complained that he would be tested on his studies by the clan elders and had to learn to manage clan affairs, which was incredibly annoying. He said it was much more comfortable to stay here with us. Xiang'er imitated Du Mubai's impatient yet slightly boastful tone vividly.
Upon hearing this, Xuanji gave a soft "Oh". Although she knew that Du Mubai came from an extraordinary background, she did not expect it to be such a prestigious family.
"Then... what about Senior Brother Lu? He seems to have been at the manor the whole time." Xuanji asked again, recalling Lu Jingxiu's always gentle and smiling appearance.
Wen Xiang'er's expression softened slightly, revealing a hint of sympathy: "Brother Jingxiu is different. His father was my father's closest friend, but unfortunately he passed away a long time ago."
He doesn't seem to have any other relatives, so he's always lived with us. Father treats him like a son. We celebrate the New Year here, of course. Mother even made him new clothes, saying she didn't want him to feel lonely. Xiang'er sighed, "But Brother Jingxiu has a good temperament; he never complains, and he studies very hard. Father often praises him for being calm and composed."
Xuanji suddenly realized that behind Senior Brother Lu's gentle and composed demeanor lay such a background. Although living in the sect and receiving care, he was ultimately different from children with families. She couldn't help but feel a sense of shared experience with Lu Jingxiu, both of them wanderers on the world's edge.
"Then... what about Senior Brother Li?" Xuanji hesitated for a moment before asking. "Why hasn't he returned home either? The Li family of Longxi is a prestigious family; why isn't he going home for the New Year?"
Mentioning Li Yi, Wen Xiang'er lowered her voice, her expression somewhat mysterious: "Senior Brother Li... his situation is a bit special. He is indeed from the Longxi Li clan, but I heard Father mention him casually, it seems he's from a collateral branch."
I don't know the specifics, and my father forbade me from asking. Anyway, after he came to study with my father, he rarely went back home. Even for the New Year, he probably felt it was pointless to go back. You see him always has such a cold face; maybe he's unhappy because of things at home.”
As Xiang'er spoke, she nodded to herself, finding the conjecture quite reasonable.
The mystery remained unsolved.
She suddenly realized that these three senior brothers, who seemed carefree, gentle, or aloof, each had their own backgrounds and hardships, and were not as simple as they appeared. "So... everyone has their own difficulties."
Wen Xiang'er didn't notice her deeper thoughts, and simply echoed, "Yes, yes! That's why Father and Mother are the best, and our home is the warmest!"
The days passed slowly by in reading, practicing calligraphy, and engaging in leisurely conversations. Before long, it was December.
Because of the New Year holiday, Wen Tingyun gave his disciples a holiday, and even the most rigorous morning lessons were temporarily suspended.
Wen Xiang'er was overjoyed, like a bird released from its cage, pulling Xuanji into her mother's room every day. She ostensibly learned needlework from her mother, but in reality, she mostly lay on the warm couch, holding snacks, pestering Madam Wen to tell her stories.
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