Just past the Spring Equinox, the sun grew warmer with each passing day.
In the lands of Southern Liang, the spring waters were newly born, and vegetation was lush. Common folk delighted in planting flowers and tending to grass; among the fences and courtyard walls, wild orchids and quiet grasses could be seen everywhere, scattered thick and thin. Large clusters of peonies bloomed with abandon, layers of red and purple overlapping, spreading out like brocade.
It was nearing noon. The bright sun shone high as the carriage sped along, winding through mountain paths and forests. Inside the carriage, a maidservant wearing a green sleeveless vest lifted the curtain, poked her head out, and asked the driver, "Uncle Zhang, how much further until we reach Qinghe County?"
The driver replied heartily, "Not far now. Just one more ridge, at most half a watch, and we'll be there for sure!"
Only then did Qingluan let down the curtain and turn to look at her mistress.
She was a young woman, perhaps sixteen or seventeen years of age, with features as picturesque as a painting and skin whiter than snow, which made her dark, deep eyes stand out even more. Though she wore only a semi-old indigo skirt patterned with entwined lotuses, her temperament was cold and otherworldly. Hearing the driver's words, the young woman's eyelashes trembled slightly, and a ripple seemed to pass through the depths of her eyes.
Qingluan sighed inwardly.
She had been following Lu Li for over half a year and rarely saw her mistress reveal any emotion; her expression was always faint. It was as if all worldly matters were merely passing clouds in her eyes. Only as they drew closer to Qinghe County did Qingluan see a spark of life return to Lu Li's eyes, like a jade carving gradually being imbued with human spirit, acquiring some of the joys and sorrows of ordinary people.
It seemed that no matter how indifferent a person might be, when finally setting foot on the road home, their heart would inevitably be stirred.
Inside the carriage, Lu Li sat motionless.
The mountain road was rugged, and the carriage jolted, causing the basket of loquats Qingluan had brought to tip over, scattering the fruit across the floor. She lowered her eyes to look at the fruit on the ground, and her thoughts gradually drifted away.
Seven years ago, she had also left Qinghe County by carriage. At that time, she had only complained that the carriage was too fast; in the blink of an eye, she had arrived in a strange land where she knew no one. Now, the journey home seemed exceptionally long, as if it would never reach its end.
She had lived on the mountain with Aunt Yun for seven years. It was only after Aunt Yun passed away and she had buried her that she gained her freedom and was able to return to her hometown.
During these seven years, she had written letters home to her father, but she did not know if they had ever been delivered. She had left in such a hurry back then; perhaps her family all thought she was long dead...
Lu Li was lost in thought. Unknowingly, the shadow of the sun slanted westward. The carriage came to a smooth stop by the city gate, and the driver's voice came from outside, "Miss, we've arrived at Qinghe County!"
Qinghe County.
Qingluan helped Lu Li down from the carriage, paid the fare, and accompanied Lu Li toward the city.
Lu Li looked up, feeling momentarily dazed.
It was mid-spring, and the streets were bustling with traffic. Many new tea shops had been added on both sides of the street, some with sheds set up selling simple tea, with dried tangerine cakes and crisp candies placed on the tables. There were also fortune-tellers setting up stalls. Several waterside pavilions had been built by the river in the city, and weeping willows reflected in the water, dyeing it a clear, translucent green.
As far as the eye could see, the flow of people was like woven silk, noisy and lively.
A hint of joy appeared in Qingluan's eyes: "Miss, Qinghe County is so lively."
Lu Li, however, stood in a trance.
When she left home, the Black Death was raging, and it was the dead of winter. The whole city was silent and desolate. Now that she had returned, this small county town was actually much more prosperous than in the past, with visitors like woven silk. This instead gave rise to a trace of inexplicable fear in her heart.
After a pause, she said, "Let's go."
The streets of Qinghe County had been widened considerably. They used to be dirt roads, turning into mud that was hard to walk on during the Plum Rain season, but now they were all paved with bluestone slabs, making the carriage ride much smoother.
The rice shops and cloth stores that used to be on both sides of the street had long since disappeared, replaced by unfamiliar wine shops and teahouses, completely different from the street scene in her memory.
Lu Li walked forward slowly, relying on her memory, occasionally able to find some traces of the past. For instance, the old well at the entrance of the Dongyue Temple, and the bronze Pixiu statue in front of the altar in the center of the city.
Passing through a quiet, deep alley and walking another hundred or so steps forward, Lu Li's footsteps suddenly halted.
Qingluan looked along her line of sight and couldn't help but exclaim, "Miss..."
Before them lay a scene of broken walls and ruins.
The earthen wall by the door was blackened by fire tongues, and the house could no longer be distinguished in its original form; only a few charred wooden beams remained, faintly revealing the outline of a door frame. Leaning in to sniff, one could still smell the pungent scent of smoke.
Qingluan looked at Lu Li uneasily. Lu Li had stopped here; this should be Lu Li's home. But here there were only ruins left by a great fire... Where had the master of the house gone?
Lu Li stared fixedly at the charred door frame, her face pale as death. She felt as if her legs were filled with lead, too heavy to take a step.
Just then, a human voice came from behind: "Who are you? What are you standing there for?"
The two turned around and saw an old woman standing not far away, carrying a load of cloud-slice cakes on her shoulder, looking at them suspiciously.
Qingluan was quick-witted. She immediately put a smile on her face, stepped forward, took out a few coins to buy some cloud-slice cakes from her load, and asked casually, "Auntie, my mistress is a distant cousin of the Lu family here. We are passing through and came specially to seek them out. Why does it look like... there was a fire here? Do you know where the master of the house has moved to now?"
The old woman selling cloud-slice cakes heard Qingluan say "Lu family" outright and then took the money, so her expression softened a little. She said, "You're here to seek out the Lu family?" She glanced at Lu Li behind Qingluan, shook her head, and said, "Tell your mistress to go back early; there's no one here anymore."
"No one anymore?" Qingluan looked at Lu Li behind her and asked with a smile, "What do you mean by that?"
The old woman sighed. "You don't know? The entire Lu family was wiped out a year ago."