The place that Jiang Xichu had rented wasn’t far from Chen Man’s home, the two places separated only by two kilometres, and both were only one kilometre away from the office; if one looked at a map, they would be able to see an isosceles triangle. Jiang Xichu had planned to first move, then go to discuss the matter of ending the lease with the landlord; in the morning, Chen Man drove, and, arriving at Jiang Xichu’s home, the two packed up four full suitcases, and only then packed up all of Jiang Xichu’s small suitcases; what remained were the large items, like electrical appliances, furniture, exercise machines, and so forth, all of which were also at Chen Man’s, so they didn’t need to be moved urgently; when the time came, a moving company could be found, and everything could be moved in one go. After moving everything back to Chen Man’s home, Jiang Xichu hadn’t rested even two minutes when she twisted the lid of the mineral water bottle shut, taking a large mouthful of water, and, sw...

A Yin had already seen the matter on the young lady’s mind, but had not necessarily seen the resplendently blossoming spring flowers wilted by frost. Song Shijiu’s gaze was thoroughly perplexed, her face even whiter than wallpaste, her face numb as she said, “Tu, Tu Laoyao?” The image of Tu Laoyao’s beady eyes and large belly passed her mind, his sturdy hands and grinning appearance, unable to resist wiping his neck. A Yin leaned her body to the side, her wrist supporting her head, and said with a smile, “If it’s not, is it possible that it’s me?” She raised her hand to touch Song Shijiu’s chin, and shook her head. “I won’t do; I’m a courtyard full of peaches and plums, and you’re just a small cape jasmine flower.” Song Shijiu bit her lip, half her face hidden beneath the quilt, and paused a moment, before declaring in a small voice, “It’s not you either.” A Yin narrowed her charming eyes and gazed at her for a bit, the corners of her lips seeming to rise a bit, and she laughed softly,...

Chen Man sat at Jiang Xichu’s side, once again watching television. But because of what Jiang Xichu had said, now Chen Man couldn’t watch anymore; the pure, gentle, pleasant younger sister immediately turned into a head demon of a villain; this had originally been a suspense drama, and now, knowing who the worst person was, she naturally couldn’t watch it any longer. Turning off the television, Chen Man began to ponder; should she get that quilt for Jiang Xichu, or should she carry Jiang Xichu to bed to sleep? Considering it for a few moments, Chen Man made her decision; she may as well get the quilt—although Jiang Xichu was very thin, she couldn’t move her herself. Chen Man left, and only after five minutes did she come out of her own room, holding a quilt in hand; although the down quilt was light, it was very fluffy, and as Chen Man brought it over, her line of sight was entirely covered by the quilt, and she truly couldn’t see the surroundings before her; only by the time she got t...

Passing the journey walking and stopping, it was only after ten days that they entered Jiaodongdao, and its waterfront, which, although it wasn’t as dry as Xi’an City, was quite a bit colder. Arriving in Zhucheng county, the sky had just been painted black, and the roads were covered in a thin layer of ice, and even the leaves had fragments of ice suspended on them; on the north face, the waves roared faintly, and beat against the craggy rocks, lacquer-dark and bottomless as an Asura field, [1] and the clouds that flowed from the snow-covered hilltops were unexpectedly clear, the dense trees suffused with a pale, cold light. Li Shiyi and the others arrived late, and the weather was cold, the evil wind blowing from all four directions and pouring directly down the neck; there weren’t any passersby on the road, and even the small shops weren’t many, and it was quite easy to see the inn ahead, lit brightly by lamplight; Li Shiyi hurriedly lifted her hands and entered. There wasn’t anyone...

The second day, Lian Ma no longer waited for A Chun. Li Shiyi steeped a pot of the Taiping houkui that she had bought yesterday, tidying things up in preparation for leaving on the journey back. A Yin had long since arranged her suitcase, and sat at the table, prodding the stove. “This winter day is getting longer and longer,” A Yin said with a yawn. Li Shiyi gave her a cup of tea, listening to the sound of Lian Ma moving outside, picking greens. A Yin glanced at her, and said, “Have you thought of what time next month it is?” Li Shiyi sat at her side, and asked, “What do you mean?” A Yin put her hands over the warm stove, and said, “Next month is the anniversary of my shifu’s death; since interring her, it’s unexpectedly been a great number of years since I’ve gone to see her family; this time, it’s to loosen my old bones, so if you have the time, come accompany me.” Seeing Li Shiyi properly considering it, she added, “Your shifu is buried there, too; let’s go see both at once; it’ll ...

A soundless sob rang through the tomb; it wasn’t clear whether it was the sound of the wind, or those who had once been so close scattering apart. The kerosene lamp made no sound from start to finish, and the inverted image upon the glass was distinctly and extremely harsh and cruel, clearly reminding everyone gathered that the magnificence had already passed by, one thousand three hundred or more years before. “Ai.” Tu Laoyao, that young master, crouching on the ground, let out the sound of a sigh. A Yin, on the other hand, was leaning against the wall, like Li Shiyi, head lowered, what she was thinking unknown; only after a great deal of time did she put on a fake smile, the corners of her lips rising, both sneering and lonely. Li Shiyi’s throat bobbed, a faint aching, sour sense of unwellness apparent, but she only silently gathered up the snuffed-out smoking pipe. When being able to meet in person wasn’t as good as not being able to meet, one should remember that it may not necessa...

Jiang Xichu’s scolding was completely unreasonable; Chen Man was stunned stupid by it; only after great while did she finally react, raising her brows high, and said, “Jiang Xichu, explain it to me clearly! What did I do that you’re scolding me like this!” Jiang Xichu gazed at her, and after a few seconds, she let out a long breath, eyes slowly lowering, feeling that the heavy frustrations in her heart had more or less been dispelled; she raised her head, easily wiping her eyes, which had turned a light pink from the tears shed; being looked at by this pair of eyes of hers, Chen Man couldn’t get out a single harsh word, hesitating for quite a while, intending to act softly and coax her Secretary Jiang. But before she could open her mouth, Jiang Xichu spoke first. “Nothing; last night I had a nightmare of the two of us being chased and killed, and you pushed me to make me bait, running away yourself; when I woke up, I was still very upset, and so I came looking for you to get my revenge...

“I remember.” Yue Niang’s gaze was fixed, as if being pulled by an incorporeal string, passing the long-corroded coffin, and falling onto her long-departed homeland. “I am Taiping; my father’s reign name was Gaozong, and my mother, Zetian’s, clan name was Wu. The person in there is A Wan.” She pointed at the coffin before her, her voice remaining weak, pausing without brooking intervention as she related the entirety. “A Wan?” Li Shiyi asked, disbelieving. Yue Niang nodded, the jut of her jaw showing a haughtiness of the descent from heavenly aristocrats, and said, “Zhongzong-zhaorong, [1] Shangguan Wan’er.” [2] Remaining in her slim-fitting Western-style dress, her proud sparrow’s neck adding to her resplendence, the worry deepening between her brows, it made her seem as if she had travelled for many years and become an extremely graceful and tactful person. She said, “From childhood, I was doted on by many, wearing foreign outfit, men’s clothes, with a belt and jade, and a gauze he...