Eileenburg (27)
One year
A year later, Ailian returned to Ailian Castle. The entire castle was as lush and green as ever, and a few golden mimosa flowers still hung on the golden mimosa trees in the courtyard, emitting a faint fragrance. The old steward was so excited to see Ailian return that he couldn't speak. He could only push the plump cook and ask her to prepare the sweet soup that the young lady liked.
Ailian rummaged through her old clothes in her room and finally chose the emerald green dress she wore on the first day she met Mi. Mi always said that this dress best suited Ailian's eyes, the color of the sea and the sky. Mi never described Ailian as anything in particular, but always said she was like something else: she smiled like a little fox, acted like a mischievous kitten, was as quiet as a little mouse, and followed behind like a shadow.
Ellen Castle was the same as before, except that it was without an owner. The old butler was as capable as ever, and his eyes crinkled with a smile when he saw Ellen return. The gardener, carrying a bouquet, bowed to Ellen: "Miss, the vases are ready for today."
The plump cook quickly came out of the kitchen to greet Ailian, until the smell of burning meat wafted out. The plump cook shouted and turned back into the kitchen: "Ah, my stewed meat."
Ailian was overjoyed to see the elderly people who had been with her for decades. "Alright, alright, everyone go about your business. Let Miss rest for a while." Xiaowei pointed to a maid, "Go and bring Miss some hot water." The maid obeyed and went to do so.
Ailian went up to the second floor, and Xiaowei opened the bedroom window. The mimosa tree in the yard had long since lost its new buds, and the remaining mimosa flowers and leaves radiated a golden light, stubbornly trying to illuminate this small patch of world. Under the window was a dahlia trellis, where Ailian sang "Evening Breeze." Ailian couldn't help but sing along softly, and Xiaowei quietly retreated.
Ailian strolled through Ailian Castle, arriving at the Lotus Lake. A small boat lay quietly moored at the shore, the lake shimmering with lotus leaves and blooming flowers. A cool evening breeze blew through the air, and Ailian seemed to hear that helpless voice again, saying, "It's cold outside, shall we go back?"
"It's cold outside, Mi, are you home yet?" Ailian took a deep breath, until the icy air froze her entire abdomen, before she forced back the tears: "I'm fine, Mi must be fine too."
At dinner, Ailian looked at everyone's faces, searched around, and asked, "Where's Xiaobai?"
"Miss, Xiaobai has been taken back by his father to get married." The plump cook looked at Ailian with a smile, as if she were looking at her daughter who had been away from home for a long time and had finally returned.
"When did this happen?" Ailian wiped her mouth with a napkin. "It was delicious, dinner was delicious tonight."
"Miss, there will be sweet soup later. Have a bowl before you go to bed," the plump cook said with a smile.
"Okay, tell me about Xiaobai." Ailian put down her napkin and got up to walk towards the living room.
“Shortly after your wedding with Lord Sway, Little White’s father came,” the plump cook recalled. “We couldn’t leave at the time, but Little White’s father could come and go as he pleased, so we let Little White go to get married. Little White’s husband was a shepherd who herded sheep with his father.”
“Is that so?” Ailian thought for a moment. “Butler, could you send someone to check on Xiaobai?”
“Yes, Miss.” The butler bowed. “Miss has had a long day. Please give me your instructions tomorrow.”
"Yes, butler."
Xiaowei lit the candles in the room and watched Ailian climb into bed. The plump cook brought over some sweet soup: "Miss, you must stay for a few more days this time. These boys in the castle are so bored they're practically melting."
"Elian Castle is very well tidied up," Elian praised. "The rooms are spotless, just as they were when I left. Xiaowei, give everyone an extra month's salary."
"Yes, Miss." Xiao Wei watched Ai Lian yawn with her eyes half-closed, and then she pulled the plump cook away.
The plump cook grabbed Xiaowei and pulled her all the way to the kitchen, where everyone was waiting at the dining table: "Xiaowei, tell us quickly, how is Miss's life in the palace?"
"Has anyone been bullying our young lady? I've heard that those nobles have the worst tempers. Oh dear, my young lady is so delicate, I'm really worried about her."
Old cook Sampson sat in the corner of the kitchen, pipe in hand. His young mistress had never been away from Ellen Castle for so long before; long-lived people couldn't stay away from their fiefdoms for extended periods—it wasn't good for their health. Old Sampson put away his pipe and asked, "Is Miss staying at Ellen Castle for an extended period?"
“Miss will be staying until the eve of the New Year’s celebration,” Xiaowei replied. “Everyone should tidy up Eileen Castle tomorrow.”
"Okay." The plump cook almost burst out laughing. She walked back and forth with light steps, directing the boy to go to the cellar and bring out the treasured water bucket. It was water left over from the rice harvest, which could only be used by the young lady.
The night in Ellen Castle was quiet, not suddenly becoming lively with the return of its master. The blue moon was as deep and still as ever. In this quiet night, Ellen quietly got up, clutching her pillow, and walked barefoot to the next room to climb into bed. The curtains in the next room were half-open, letting in the cold light of the blue moon. On the night Ellen jumped over the wall years ago, she gazed at the moonlight through the window for a while, then slowly walked into the moonlight and sat down: "Mi, are you home? I'm back."
The next day, Xiaowei found Ailian in Mi's room. Mi's room hadn't been cleaned in a long time; the floor was covered in dust, and the person who had lived there had never returned. As the Duchess of Sway, Ailian had two maidservant positions. Xiaowei was definitely going to accompany her, and Xiaowei reserved the other position for Mi. Xiaobai was left at Ailian Castle. However, Miss Mi disappeared the day before Ailian's wedding, and Ailian waited until she boarded the carriage but never saw Mi. Ailian lived in Lihua Castle for the rest of the year, while Xiaowei returned a few times, but the old butler always shook his head at her.
"Miss, please get up. Miss Mi's room needs to be cleaned."
"Okay, Mi doesn't like people touching her things, so don't touch them."
"Please rest assured, Miss, the weather is lovely today. Many flowers are in bloom at Lotus Lake. Would you like to go and take a look?"
"Okay, release the boat, let's go boating on the lake, remember to bring a blanket."
"Yes, Miss, yes." Xiao Wei lowered her head. Miss Mi was here, and every summer she would take Miss to swim in the lake. Miss had even learned to swim, which worried everyone in the entire Ailian Castle to death. Ailian's parents were buried at the bottom of the lotus lake. No one in the castle dared to go into the water. All the lotus seeds were picked by Miss Ailian herself. That place was the sacred ground of Ailian Castle.
Lotus leaves covered the lake, and pink lotus flowers stood tall and graceful. The continuous expanse of green leaves and red flowers covered the entire surface of the water, and the lake water beneath the lotus leaves emitted a bluish-black light. Ai Lian stared at the deep lake for a moment in a daze: "Let's go boating on the lake."
"Should I call someone to row the boat?"
"No need, I'll just sit for a while." Ailian boarded the small boat, took the thin blanket from her hand, looked around, and sat alone at the bow. She placed the blanket on her knees, and the bamboo pole gently touched the water as the boat glided into the lotus leaves. Soon, the lotus leaves concealed Ailian's figure. There was no one there. Ailian could no longer hold back her tears and buried her face in her knees. She looked at the dark reflection on the water, tears falling drop by drop into the lake. Every time she cried, Mi would always agree to her request, but now, no matter how much she cried, no one would urgently say, "Okay, okay."
"Mi, I miss you so much. There's a hole in my heart, and it will never beat so fast again." Ailian put her hand into the water; the cool water felt like Mi's skin. Ailian always asked her, "How come you're so soft and fragrant?" Mi always smiled and replied, "Women are made of water."
Lotus pods had already formed in the lotus pond. Ailian broke off a pod and peeled off the lotus seeds one by one. She took a bite, chewed silently for a while, and then said, "Mi, these lotus seeds aren't very tasty. I'll peel another one for you." Ailian finished the entire lotus pod by herself. She let the small boat drift on the lotus pond, then lay down in the cabin with her thin diaper in her arms. A fish leaped out of the water and met Ailian's gaze. Water droplets from its tail fell on Ailian's face, indistinguishable between lake water and tears.
Ailian spent the entire day at Lotus Lake. As night fell, the old steward and Xiaowei anxiously searched the lakeside with torches before Ailian finally rowed her small boat back. The old steward carefully examined Ailian's complexion. After a day at Lotus Lake, Ailian's face was no longer as pale as it had been the day before. The old steward nodded in relief, while Xiaowei looked worriedly at Ailian's reddened eyes. Ailian's eyes were slightly swollen. She slightly turned her head away from the glaring firelight. Xiaowei whispered, "Miss, would you like to have dinner at the treehouse? There's sweet soup."
“Okay.” Ailian’s voice was a little hoarse. She didn’t return to Ailian Castle, but turned and went to the treehouse in the woods. Xiaowei had already cleaned the treehouse during the day. The rope ladder hung beside the branches, and new weeds had sprouted on the ground, trampled and twisted. Ailian stared at the ground beside the grass, where there were several footprints. The soil was compacted. Ailian remembered the dust that had been scattered everywhere by the rice. The large pit in the ground had been filled in, and grass had grown back. She twisted her feet a couple of times on the ground, making a small pit again, before climbing the rope ladder. She climbed quickly, then jumped hurriedly to the treehouse, landing with a thud on the floor, hitting her head. Ailian covered her head, looking up with a wronged expression. The figure who had worried about her injury and rushed to catch her was no longer there.
"Miss?" Xiao Wei called to her from under the tree. After a while, Ai Lian poked her head out of the treehouse: "Bring me the sweet soup."
Sunlight streamed into the treehouse, and several small birds perched on the branches, chirping and calling out to it. Ailian remained asleep, the sunlight casting a rosy blush on her face. The old butler returned to the treehouse, but the plump cook rushed over and pulled him away, saying, "Don't disturb Miss."
"Hey, hey, don't pull me." The old butler broke free from his wife's hand. "Miss will catch a cold like this, the night breeze is quite chilly." The old butler put his hand on his head, squinting at the sky where dense, clustered clouds piled up like a castle, with some white clouds at the top and dark gray clouds below: "It looks like a downpour is about to happen, we should call Miss down."
"Alright, alright, I understand. I'll go call Xiaowei." The plump cook pulled the old housekeeper away. "Don't worry about that. But tell me again what happened to Xiaobai."
A sudden downpour shattered Ailian's sweet dream. The pattering raindrops jolted her awake. Raindrops drifted in through the open doorway, and Ailian heard Mi's anxious voice again: "Are you crazy? Come inside quickly, you'll get sick if you get wet." Ailian let Mi pull her into the treehouse. A light rain dripped from the eaves, and Ailian heard herself complaining: "It's your fault for not building the treehouse properly! Look, it's raining inside, everywhere! I can't find shelter." Mi gently wrapped Ailian in her arms, the rain sliding down Ailian's head as if a small umbrella were above her. Ailian wiped away the raindrops, hugged her knees, and began to sob again: "Mi, I'm wet! The rain is so cold! I'm going to get sick! Without you, I can't take care of myself."
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