Eileenburg (17)
Life at Ellen Castle was leisurely and carefree. After winning the Flower Nightingale crown, Ellen returned to her carefree ways. She only released a new song every two or three months. Now, Ellen's voice is as sweet as honey, and Mi can't write a love song that suits her current state.
It was only then that Mi realized that the Longevity Seeds were a type of people who were very focused on their own feelings. They would give longevity seeds to their destined individuals, and as long as they could stay by their destined person's side, they would be happy. This happiness was more like a one-sided love. They didn't care whether their destined person would reciprocate their enthusiasm. According to Ai Lian, "The Longevity Seeds love their destined person, not their actions." They wouldn't try to change their destined person's thoughts or behavior. Longevity seeds possessed vitality, and the destined person possessed a special vitality. What exactly was this vitality? Seeing Mi's curiosity, Ai Lian told her some stories about the Longevity Seeds.
“What if the destined person is a murderer?” Mi couldn’t help but ask.
“We are peace-loving people,” Ailian said with a smile. “Our destined person must be a special and precious good person.”
“Good people?” Mi shook his head, thinking of those destined people that Mrs. Aldrich used to swindle longevity seeds. When longevity seeds become a commodity, there won’t be only good destined people in this world.
The afternoon sun filtered through the mimosa tree, casting dappled patterns. A cool breeze made the wind chimes tinkle. Ailian sat under the mimosa tree again, telling Mi stories. Ever since Mi learned that Ailian was a long-lived species, she had studied it carefully, treating it as a rare species. Sometimes she felt like she had become an observer.
Ailian possesses a unique set of senses; food prepared by anyone else tastes the same to her. This is likely why Old Sanpusun, the cook at Ailian Castle, has been able to manage the kitchen for decades. The master doesn't find anything wrong with Old Sanpusun's cooking, nor does he find anything better in the cooking of others. For long-lived beings, unless they are destined for greatness, there is no difference. Since learning of Ailian's trait, Mi has once again become the cook at Ailian Castle, responsible for Ailian's three meals a day. Ailian has an exceptionally large appetite, yet she never seems to gain weight, causing Mi to often worry about her health. Whenever this happens, Ailian will take out a lotus seed, which becomes even rounder and more translucent.
Xiaowei was the only one who received special treatment from Ailian, because Ailian's father had prepared this loyal servant for his daughter even before she was born. Xiaowei had no children of her own; she accompanied Ailian as she grew up, solving any problems Ailian faced and becoming the elder in Ailian's life, replacing Ailian's mother.
"Why doesn't Xiaowei get married?" Mi watched as Xiaowei protected Ailian like a mother hen for decades, arranging everything for her. Even the decision to hide Ailian's long-lived species identity from Mi in the beginning was made by Xiaowei.
“Xiao Wei looks down on the people in the castle,” Ai Lian has always been very lenient with Xiao Wei. She even advised Xiao Wei to have a child because many of the destined people of the Long-lived Race are children. In their eyes, children are the most vibrant little creatures, full of allure.
"Can't she get married?" Mi knew that nobles had to arrange marriages for men and women in their fiefdoms, since population was very important to them.
“I won’t go out, and neither will Xiaowei.” Ailian shook her head. In the annex of Ailian Castle, there was a storage room containing portraits of Ailian’s ancestors and some of her adventurer friends. Xiaowei maintained this storage room daily, keeping it spotless. Ailian’s father was a very refined young man. He smiled as he looked at the baby in Ailian’s mother’s arms—the only family portrait. Ailian’s mother’s eyes were half-closed, revealing only her broad forehead and pointed chin. Her entire face was turned towards the baby in her arms. Ailian was chubby, reaching out to grasp a strand of her mother’s hair, her feet dangling in the air. Ailian’s father, holding onto the back of a chair, looked at the baby with equal tenderness.
In the storage room, there was also a portrait of Ailian's father. Ailian was seven or eight years old then; her mother had passed away, and her father was making arrangements for her. Xiaowei asked for another portrait to be painted. Even among long-lived species, the bond between father and daughter, mother and daughter, wasn't particularly strong. Before her heartbeat stopped, Ailian was more like an autistic child, living quietly in her own world.
There are many portraits of Eileen, and she rarely smiles. In each portrait, you can see that she has grown up. But she is almost always expressionless, an expression that Mi first saw when dining with Eileen at Eileen Castle—it's like, "I don't want to eat, but I have to." Growing up is like completing a task for Eileen.
"Does every long-lived species grow up like this?" Mi sometimes felt that long-lived species were also a kind of pitiful creature. Their lives seemed to be about handing over something called a long-lived seed. Only after handing it over could they begin their own lives.
“The Adventurers’ Guild has the most special people, and they also know the most long-lived species.” Ailian said with longing. “There are also long-lived species who live with adventurers. Their lives must be much more interesting. As long as they don’t give their long-lived species to their children, they will be born as ordinary children. It might be very interesting for them to travel around with adventurers.”
Ever since Ailian learned that Mi wanted to go on an adventure, she had considered whether to go with him, even though Mi didn't seem to particularly enjoy life at Ailian Castle. However, Ailian's hands and feet were really too weak. She tried to learn martial arts from Mi, but eventually Mi told her to run around Lotus Lake. Ailian couldn't run more than a few steps before she started to refuse. If Mi didn't run with her, she wouldn't run; if Mi ran with her, her heart would pound so hard that Mi worried her heart couldn't handle it.
The truly long-lived species are very quiet. Mi couldn't help but ask, "Where did your ancestors come from?" The long-lived species is too strange. It's like they're sending a life to someone. This isn't longevity; it's more like a cage.
Ailian didn't know where the long-lived species came from; she said perhaps those long-lived species that existed since the beginning of time would know. She inherited the knowledge from her mother that humans are different kinds of light, and the light in the air condenses into everything. Ailian said, "There is a force that binds everything together."
"What force?"
“Points of light that attract each other will gather. The world is inherently composed of different points of light, and some that attract each other will coalesce. A vacuum isn't really a vacuum; it's just that forces create greater distances between certain points of light. That space without points of light is what you perceive as a vacuum.” Ailian held up two fingers. “When two people attract each other, they will come together. This doesn't mean that other people don't attract you. Just like now, you're standing in front of me, and the people and things that attract you still exist, only their power is weaker now. The air is full of attraction; a vacuum is simply a matter of increasing the distance between forces. When the attraction increases, space compresses, and the points of light will meet.”
What makes light points attract each other?
“I think it’s the desire for the power to sprout,” Ai Lian said. “You see, trees like to grow into forests, and a person wants to meet another person, because meeting represents growth.”
The Flower Kingdom also had a beginning. For some reason, Mi felt that the Flower Kingdom was also an experimental box. She walked from one experimental box to another, unable to find the beginning and end of humanity.
Eileen didn't care about any of that; she felt she had grown up freely in Eileen Castle. Eileen's parents lived during the reign of Derek I. They had followed Derek I through much of the Flower Kingdom before finally settling in Sun City, where they chose to have a new life. Mi thought that perhaps Eileen's parents were tired of their long, boring lives, which was why they wanted to have a child. Children are the most vibrant group of people; they use all their energy to grow up to be cute and lovable.
Now, Ellen, with a beating heart, is like a lovable child, taking Mi around Ellen Castle. She'll excitedly present Mi with every flower and fallen leaf she finds, sharing everything she discovers. Mi, unable to find her own feelings, often drapes the witch's threads over Ellen, basking in that pure joy. It's at this moment that Mi understands El's words—the witch merely widens the road; the road was originally made by people walking on it.
"Mi, the lotus seeds in the lake are ready to eat. Would you like to go boating on the lake?" There is a large lotus field in Ailian Castle, and every year there are many lotus seeds. In previous years, these lotus seeds would be harvested and sorted by the servants, keeping the best ones and selling the rest.
The lake shimmered with golden light in August. Xiaowei had arranged a small boat with a canopy. Ailian reached out and picked a few lotus pods, peeling them by the pavilion in the middle of the lake. Every time she peeled a lotus seed, Ailian would first put a small piece in her mouth, chew it, and then say, "Delicious." She would then stuff the rest into Mi's mouth. Mi held a lotus flower, playing with it, accepting Ailian's feeding. Suddenly, she remembered something, stopped eating, and said, "Let me teach you a new song."
What night is this, that I row this boat on the middle of the river? What day is this, that I am able to share a boat with the prince?
I am ashamed but I am grateful. I do not care about the criticism or disgrace, but my heart is troubled and restless because I have learned of the prince.
The mountain has trees, and the trees have no branches; I love you, but you do not know.
As Ailian peeled lotus seeds, she listened to the lyrics. After listening, she looked up, puzzled, and asked, "Why wouldn't the prince know?"
This is a legend from Earth. It is said that in the land of E, there once lived a handsome and charming prince who traveled far and wide. One day, he came to the banks of the Yangtze River. The river churned, and the mountains on both banks stretched endlessly, covered in lush forests. Monkeys howled and roared in the forests, and birds sang in the treetops. The prince was captivated by the beautiful scenery and, with his entourage, ventured across the river. In the distance, he saw a small boat appearing and disappearing on the water. The boat rode the waves, then remained still in the middle of the river. The prince was amazed by the boatman's skill and couldn't resist boarding. The boat was steered by a dark-skinned, exquisitely muscular young man. His arms, wielding the oars, were full of power; the lines on his arms were like those of a young calf. His strong body had a slender waist, and he exuded both strength and refined beauty. The prince was mesmerized in the cabin, completely forgetting the picturesque scenery on both sides of the river, only feeling a sense of unease as the small boat rocked and swayed.
The young man rowing the boat had never seen such a handsome prince. His eyes were like shimmering autumn waters, his eyebrows like verdant mountains, his nose like a cliff by the river, his lips naturally red, and despite wearing a brocade robe, his face was serene and his entire being exuded elegance and charm. The young man rowed while singing a boat song that delicately expressed his feelings. Alas, the boatman was from Yue, and the Yangtze River was like the boundary between the Land of Flowers and the Edge of Stars. The prince of E could not understand the Yue boat song, and the people of the Land of Flowers could not speak the language of the Edge of Stars.
"What should we do then?" Ailian frowned, worried about the two young people.
Mi raised her hand, clenched it into a fist, and covered her mouth to hide the smile that was about to spill out. She coughed lightly twice before continuing, "The prince had an interpreter. The interpreter was admiring the beautiful scenery on both banks of the river at the stern, thoroughly enjoying the boatmen's melodious singing, until the prince tugged at the interpreter's sleeve and asked, 'What is that song?'"
"How do you say 'interpreter'?" Ailian asked, her round eyes wide open.
"The interpreter said, 'The young man says he's rowing hard so he can get the prince to the other side quickly.'"
"No, you're talking nonsense." Ailian glared at Mi angrily. "Speak properly!"
“Speak properly,” Mi chuckled. “These days, when telling stories, you have to tell people what they want to hear.” Mi waved her hand. “I’m not teasing you anymore, speak properly. The interpreter, the interpreter, then says to the prince, ‘The young man sings: What a beautiful day it is today, the little boat sails on the river, what a beautiful day it is today, the prince and I sit in the same little boat; I suppress my shame and loudly proclaim that the prince is my beloved, my heart is filled with boundless turmoil, I don’t know how to tell the prince, so I can only sing that there are trees on the distant mountains, branches on the trees, I love the prince in my heart, but the prince doesn’t know.’”
"Then what?"
"Then the prince took out his brocade quilt, wrapped the young man up, and carried him into the cabin—this story is called 'The Embroidered Quilt of the Prince of E'," Mi laughed. "The prince of E always carried a brocade quilt with him, hahahahahaha." Mi laughed so hard she couldn't continue. Ailian rolled her eyes and waved to Xiaowei on the shore. Xiaowei obediently handed her a colorful thin blanket.
"Mi, this is the Lotus Maiden's Colorful Carpet!" With that, she wrapped the person up and carried them into the cabin. The small boat gently swayed away from the shore, leaving only ripples in the lakeside pavilion.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
