Magnificent Five Watches Welcome New Year

  Zhang Yan dreamed of Guan Er.

  A faint smile on her face, she stood with her hands inserted in a place far away from her.

  She was overjoyed, ran to him with a smile, wanting to cry in his arms, telling him about the fright she had experienced, saying that she thought she would never see him again, and cried for a long time. Finally, she also blamed him for not coming to find her earlier, leaving her alone in the desolate and strange space to worry and be frightened.

  It's a bit unreasonable, but in front of her, she has this qualification.

  She thought, and only thought of being unreasonable with one person.

  However long she ran, Guan Er's figure was still far away in the distance. It seemed as if taking just one more step would allow her to reach his fingertips, but this one step, however, could never be taken.

  This step is called "a thousand miles apart".

  "Guai er," she cried out in a flustered tone.

  Look at me, touch me, and say something to me.

  Even just one sentence is fine.

  He just smiled.

  A faint smile seemed to be so sad, he gazed at himself from afar and said something. The detestable wind scattered his few words, the fragments fell to the ground, a carpet of pear blossoms.

  "What did you say?" she cried out in a hoarse voice, tears falling wildly. "I couldn't hear." But his figure was irretrievably fading away, until finally, she saw him mouth moving silently, and woke up with a start, crying.

  When dreams become reality, then former reality becomes a dream.

  Zhang Yan learned to make the same mouth shape as Xiang Ye in her dreams, guessing what he wanted to tell her. After a long time, she roughly guessed that Xiang Ye wanted to say "live well".

  Live well, even if you look back and see scars all over the ground, wipe away your tears and smile as you move forward. "Don't look back, or you'll only see the past; don't just remember the pain, but also the happiness." That's my brother, my dearest brother, my most beloved brother, his last words to me before we parted forever.

  The sunlight filtered through the beaded curtain and shone onto the bed, Zhang Yan wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, and gently consoled herself in mid-air, "Be happy."

  "Master," asked Tong Piao cautiously from outside the tent, "are you getting up?"

  She sat up and replied softly, "Mm."

  As she lifted her head, a bright smile spread across her face.

  The maid brought over a copper basin filled with water, and the servant girl handed her a towel. She stood by, smiling, and said, "Just now, Princess Chang came to visit Master Yong, but saw that he was sleeping soundly and didn't let him be woken up. She only instructed you to go find her later."

  Zhang Yan casually replied, "Got it." She took off her nightgown, revealing a white silk camisole underneath, which was quite different from the undergarments of later generations. The fabric was exquisite and expensive, clinging to her body as if it were invisible.

  "Master," said the servant, presenting a white single-layer garment that had been warmed by the fire, "it's so cold in winter, aren't you chilly standing there with your back exposed?" He shook out the garment and helped Zhang Yan put it on. Then he brought out a second set of white silk garments, which were padded with down and thicker than the previous one. The last piece was a light yellow deep jacket with a pattern of jasmine flowers and pomegranate blossoms, lined with yellow silk and interlined with silk floss, with a one-inch wide red satin trim along the edges of the sleeves and collar. The round collar had a right lapel, and the neckline was flat and overlapping, opening very low to reveal the collars of the two layers of clothing underneath, layered on top of each other, known as "three-layered clothing". The servant lifted up the garment's hem, covered it behind Zhang Yan's back, then wrapped it around her again and tied the belt, revealing Zhang Yan's slender waist, innocent and charming.

  "It's indeed beautiful." Chui Mo smiled and praised, "It was worth the empress sending it over specially. I heard it was made by the best flower Luo in Qi Lu." Zhang Yan, however, was a bit speechless because she had just discovered a very serious problem - the pants she was currently wearing didn't have a crotch, but were instead two separate legs of split pants, also known as "kun". In other words, under her long skirt, there was a part between her legs that was cool and almost without any fabric covering.

  This, this, this, is simply making it difficult for her to take a step.

  In her silence, a maid brought out a copper mirror, another held a crimson lacquer dressing box, and they stood on either side of the table. The maid led Zhang Yan to the front of the bed, took out a sandalwood comb, and gently combed Zhang Yan's long black hair that reached down to her waist. The copper mirror reflected only a faint shadow. Zhang Yan looked at herself in the mirror, her eyebrows and eyes were still those of her childhood self, lovely as jade and snow, with a bean-sized mole on the upper part of her left earlobe, like a newly pricked needle, red and shiny like blood that was about to fall, very bright.

  She reached out and touched it, the copper mirror reflecting herself, lost in thought.

  That was where she got her ears pierced on that day.

  Zhang Yan puckered her lips, bewildered and unaware of the subtleties involved. Just as she was lost in thought, she suddenly felt her hair being pulled, let out a cry of pain, furrowed her brow, and complained, "Ow."

  "I'm sorry, Master," said the maid with a hint of embarrassment, and then looked puzzled. "Master's hair is more difficult to comb than usual today." She didn't know that Zhang Yan's hair quality was not very good, and she slept restlessly, so her long hair had many knots. The maid could only use some hot water to loosen it, and then combed it into the same double buns as yesterday. After finishing, she held up a copper mirror in front of Zhang Yan, "Master, take a look if you're satisfied."

  Zhang Yan looked at her own delicate face in the mirror and the two large buns on either side of her head, which were out of proportion, and pursed her lips.

  Doesn't it look like the two horns on an ox's head?

  Mooooo!

  "Take it off," Zhang Yan endured and endured, but finally couldn't bear it, and said decisively, "Leave a layer of hair at the back, only braid the two sides of the hair into a bun, and make the bun smaller."

  "This... is it." Chui Lian led the order to re-braid her hair and re-examine herself in the mirror. Only then was Zhang Yan satisfied, nodding her head. This way, she looked even more delicate.

  She was about to get up with a jump, and Cui Man hurriedly pulled her back, teasing, "Madam Weng, you haven't wiped off your powder yet."

  She lifted her veil, opened the powder box, picked up a bit and pinched it in her palm.

  She turned back and Zhang Yan had already retreated far away, "What is that thing, is it really useful?" She looked at the white powder in her palm with disgust.

  "I know, Master Weng, you want to apply powder," Tong Hua grabbed her and forcibly patted her face, "but it's not possible, Master Weng, don't you see how old you are? Can you start applying powder so early? The powder on my hand is already the best in the world."

  "Hmph, I'd never apply lead powder." Zhang Yan blurted out in disgust. She absolutely had to clear up her own taste, that lead powder which harmed people's skin was something she wouldn't let near her face even if the wind blew it. As she spoke, accidentally, some white powder entered her mouth and she hastily pushed away the cosmetic box, bursting into a thunderous cough.

  "What a wonder." Suddenly, someone outside the hall clapped and laughed, "I've seen all sorts of ways to die, but I've never seen anyone suffocate to death from the powder on their own face."

  Zhang Yan turned back in surprise, and a girl slightly older than herself stood under the curtain, wearing a yellow brocade jacket with scattered flowers on top of a green gauze skirt, with a bright and beautiful face.

  She didn't know how to react for a moment and could only continue to pretend to cough with her sleeve covering her mouth.

  In just a few more minutes, the New Year's bell will ring.

  Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous Year of the Ox. May this year bring you great luck, joy and good fortune.

  Tomorrow everyone will go out to visit relatives and friends, Jiang Ming will also go to his grandmother's house to celebrate the New Year.

  Tomorrow I will be leaving and can only post once. However, before I leave, I will definitely post again. Bye everyone.

  The first day of the new year