Chapter 11 of Volume 4: Chrysanthemums Bloom All Over the Road in September

  The river is vast, and when the mountain wind blows through the leaves, it makes a sound like waves. On such a warm autumn afternoon, I feel like a flower basking in the gentle sunlight, my thoughts are pleasant and relaxed. Faintly, I hear the sound of singing coming from afar, as if someone is singing a mountain song. I glance at Xuan Qing standing shoulder to shoulder with me, seeing him with a hint of a smile, leaning his ear to listen, knowing he also heard it.

  A gentle singing voice floated from afar, though distant, the voice was clear and crisp, enunciating each word distinctly, making it clearly audible that:

  Little sister is waiting for her lover - the affection is deep, don't let little sister down - a romantic affair, when you see her face - treat her well, when you don't see her face - think of her every day seventeen or eighteen times!

  The singing voice grew closer, and the tone still carried a bit of childishness, but it was very clear. I saw Xuán Qīng press his lips together to listen, lost in thought, with a shallow gaze that swept over the swaying reeds, over the layered green mountains, over the turbulent river water, slowly revealing a warm smile, as if he were a child whose secrets had been uncovered, and the smile carried a hint of shyness, like ripples spreading gently from his handsome lips.

  I lowered my head and saw his tall and straight figure overlapping with the ripples on the water, covering my lonely reflection standing alone.

  My heart skipped a beat as I saw a young girl singing the mountain song from earlier, leisurely rowing her boat with one oar, swaying back and forth as she drew near. The girl was only fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing a long blue printed dress and pants, with a thick braid tied up with a red string, happily singing to herself. Her figure was not yet fully developed, with a pale complexion and slightly greenish tint, but her almond-shaped eyes were bright and lively, rolling round and round, making one feel an instant liking for her.

  "Miss, is this boat carrying people?"

  The ferry girl's voice was clean and sweet as she replied loudly: "Of course! Young master wants to cross the river?"

  Xuan Qing smiled and said to me, "The misty peak ahead is where my other residence, the Clear and Cool Pavilion, is located. I usually spend around ten days a month there. Now, let this young lady take you across."

  "So what about Yufeng?"

  He said: "The old horse knows the way, recognizes the road to Qingliangtai, wait for it to eat and drink enough, it will return by itself."

  I thought for a moment and smiled: "Then, Prince Wang, smooth sailing."

  He smiled and his wide sleeves fluttered in the wind, as if dancing with the breeze. He gazed at me and said softly, "My lady, would you like to see Qing off on his journey and take a stroll along the lakeside to enjoy the scenery?"

  I hesitated slightly, but thinking of his kindness towards me, I couldn't bear to refuse and softly said: "Alright."

  Then Xuan Qing took the package from the horse, jumped onto the ferry girl's small boat, and pulled me on board. It was a very ordinary action, but when my fingers touched his palm for a moment, I only felt that his hand was warm and dry, as if I could feel the blood vessels under his skin beating slightly. And my hand, however, was icy cold and wet.

  He and I sat at the bow and stern of the boat respectively, but the woman rowing the boat was unhappy. She rested her oars and said: "You two are acquaintances, sitting at both ends like this, later when you want to talk, I'll be standing in the middle, it's very awkward."

  Xuan Qing burst out laughing and said: "Miss is right. In that case, I'll go to the stern of the boat and keep the young lady company."

  "Miss?" The young girl looked at my Buddhist nun attire and asked curiously, "Judging from her appearance, she's a nun from Ganlu Temple. Why do you call her 'miss'?"

  I felt slightly embarrassed and could only say: "I am a monk with hair."

  The girl exclaimed "Oh" and suddenly understood, clapping her hands: "That's right, my mother is a nun, so people call her Dharma name 'Mo Yan' or aunt. But you are just a lay Buddhist."

  I was slightly surprised and saw the girl say, "Is Mo Yan your mother?" Looking closely at her, although she was not tall enough, but her eyebrows, eyes, and expression were exactly the same as Mo Yan's.

  She nodded and said happily: "Yes, do you know my mother?"

  I nodded, "She took good care of me." She stopped rowing and looked at me curiously, saying: "My mother said that there was a girl named 'Mo Chou' who had a very sad and pitiful life. Is she talking about you?" I didn't know how to respond and felt slightly embarrassed. The young girl continued on her own, "I see that your face is pale and thin, you must not be eating well or sleeping well, no wonder my mother said you were sad and pitiful."

  A young girl's thoughts are simple and straightforward, thinking that not eating enough or sleeping poorly is the hardship of life. But who knew that in this world, as one journeys on, there are even more unspoken sorrows that are difficult to express.

  But Mo Yan said I'm pitiful, and indeed it's true. Although she is also in the Buddhist circle, her daughter is nearby, and she can see her at any time. Unlike me, except for this painting in my hand, I will never see my only daughter's face again in this life, nor hear her cry or laugh, and become a stranger forever.

  The maiden rower is heartless, still rowing her boat. My melancholy is thus easily stirred up, feeling depressed and unhappy.

  Xuan Qing sat beside me and softly asked, "Was her mother the girl who was sweeping the floor with you just now?" I nodded slightly in response. His worried expression spread across his usually warm eyes as he said, "You've lost a lot of weight. I saw how hard you were working sweeping the floor today. Do you have to do such heavy labor every day?"

  I shook my head and said briefly: "No." 1stk novel 1st published in text version

  That girl chimed in from the side: "Are you wiping the floor in the main hall? That's a punishment for doing something wrong, it's hard work. My mother said that after half a day of wiping, even your bones will be scattered." She glanced at Xueming and said: "I heard my mother say that Mo Chou is new here, those girls always bully her, every day she has to wash many clothes, and also do chores like washing hay and starching, it's the hardest work."

  Xuan Qing looked at me with a gaze that had a hint of pity, "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't anyone help you uphold justice, allowing people to bully you?"

  I lowered my head, and my expression became calm. "It was my own wish." I looked at him calmly. "Although it's hard work in Ganlu Temple, there are few heart-wrenching struggles. I'm tired of the various struggles in the palace, so I'm willing to practice here. Besides..." I said softly: "Once the body is exhausted and tired, there will be no more thoughts of past hardships and pains. So, I'd rather work harder myself."

  Xuan Qing's eyes had a hint of hidden pain, as if a leaf or something else was suspended in the crystal clear amber. As I drew closer, I suddenly realized that his eyes were not the usual black, but rather a lighter shade with a warm, amber-like color.

  He said: "Being able to gain a moment of peace in hard work is also good. What I fear most is being trapped in it and unable to extricate myself."

  The wind blows through my hair, making it itch slightly. I look up at the clear blue sky and smile faintly: "It's easy to understand, but hard to do."

  "So", the sunlight dyed with the color of the mountains and rivers projected onto his face, with soft lines. He said to Yan Dao: "Let's sit together for a moment, look at the clouds across the sky, talk, or be silent, quietly enjoy this brief peace."

  "Sitting together, gazing at clouds in the sky, chatting or being silent..." I murmured softly.

  "Yes", his tone was affirmative and gentle, like a soft breeze filled with the moisture of a river, "At this moment, I only want to be with you like this."

  She gently lowered her delicate eyelashes, and the peace and turmoil in her heart intertwined like the clear ripples of water beside her, gradually calming down. On the boat, there were soft, shimmering waves of light refracted by the sunlight, and I silently sighed to myself, if my life from now on often had moments of serenity and comfort like this, like a river flowing eastward with a fixed direction, peaceful and calm, it would not be a bad ending either.

  I stood silently with him, gazing at the same sky, feeling peaceful in our hearts.

  The ferry girl giggled like a silver bell, "As the ancient saying goes, ten years of cultivation can make you share the same boat, and a hundred years of cultivation can make you sleep together. You two are sharing the same boat, but why don't you even talk to each other? I won't bother with you, I'll just sing my own song, don't mind if it's hard to listen."

  After ten years of cultivation, they can cross the same boat; after a hundred years of cultivation, they can sleep on the same pillow.

  My mind suddenly became a complete blank, and I felt as if I had been struck by lightning. This was something that I had often heard before, but never really paid attention to, even occasionally using it as a joke with others. But now, hearing it suddenly, I felt like I was in a state of deep contemplation, my head bowed, slowly savoring the flavor of these words, lost in thought. It was as if, in the depths of a dark night, a flash of lightning had illuminated something, but everything remained shrouded in darkness, and I couldn't see anything clearly.

  I stole a glance at Xu Qing, seeing that he too was silently lowering his head, as if thinking about something, with an expression that seemed to be both happy and not, but couldn't be clearly discerned. All I could hear was his voice slowly falling into my ears, "Judging from this, I've shared the same boat with Madam twice, it seems like we've also cultivated together for twenty years in our past life."

  I turned my head to splash the river water. The September river water had already cooled down a bit, and that coolness penetrated into my skin. I said, "You're kidding."

  The girl, however, looked up and continued to sing the same song over and over again. Although she was still young and didn't understand the subtleties of the lyrics, her voice was full of joyful abandon, without a hint of deep longing or sentimentality. After all, she was still just a youngster!

  My mind is heavy with thoughts, but in fact, I don't even understand what I'm thinking about. What I want to think about, it's all obscure. Only in the midst of obscurity do I clearly recall that except for those few months when we were inseparable in the palace, I never thought about Xuan Ling every day, seventeen or eighteen times a day.

  Ripples stretched out, like folds of silk, the misty peaks and the Temple of Sweet Dew on Lingyun Peak were already very close, and in a flash, they had arrived.

  Xuan Qing stepped ashore, pointed to the mountain top building and said: "This is Qingliangtai. If you need help in the future, just send someone to Qingliangtai and mention it, I will do my best."

  I smiled and bowed: "Thank you. Being able to see Rouyue's portrait is already a great joy, I have no other wishes."

  Xuan Qing's entire person was shrouded in the misty light of the mountains and waters, making him appear even more calm and unruffled. His eyes gleamed with a hint of wave-like ripples as he said, "I'm saying this because I have something to ask for your help, Madam. Next month on the sixth day of the first lunar month is Meng Yue's first birthday. There's something I'd like to ask for your assistance in, to lend me a helping hand."

  "What?" I exclaimed in surprise.

  He took out a package of fabrics from his bundle, handing them to me one by one: rose-purple satin, water-red figured brocade, dark green woven with hidden flowers and bamboo leaves, square-grid flowered Shu brocade, bird-beak auspicious flower brocade, treasure-reflecting large flower brocade. Xuan Qing saw that I didn't understand, so he smiled and said, "Next month on the sixth day is Rong Yue's birthday, as her uncle I must send some clothes and socks as gifts, unfortunately the seamstresses in the Qinghe Wangfu are not skilled, so I can only trouble you to take care of it."

  He spoke with courtesy and naturalness, my heart was both sad and joyful, I could hardly believe it, my hands were slightly trembling with excitement, and asked: "Really? Can I make it for Rong Yue myself?"

  He said with a gentle and light tone, "You are her mother, so naturally the clothes you make fit her best. Meng Yue is your daughter, if she can wear the clothes made by your own hands, it's better than anything else."

  I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease, and hesitated before saying: "But every royal family and noble household sends so many clothes as gifts, can my Rouyue wear them?"

  His eyes shone with a warm light, and he smiled: "You can rest assured of this, I have already spoken to Empress Jing. On Rouyue's birthday, your heart as her mother will surely be satisfied." He took out a small piece of paper from his sleeve and said: "This is Rouyue's measurements, two days before Rouyue's birthday, I will come personally to take them, and wait for you here." He spoke warmly: "It's all up to you, madam, when the time comes, just send her into the palace quietly, it's just a matter of borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha."

  I carefully held those fabrics in my arms, as if I was holding my soft and tiny Mengyue, excited beyond words.

  Xuan Qing turned his head and asked the girl, "Excuse me, what's your name?"

  "Anu," said the girl with a bright smile as she tilted her head, "that's what everyone here calls me."

  Xuan Qing smiled faintly and handed a few pieces of silver to Ah Nu, "Alright, Ah Nu, please send this lady back."

  Anu nodded slightly, the bamboo pole exerted a bit of force, I turned my head to look back, and Xuan Qing's figure stood still on the shore, getting farther and farther away, gradually disappearing.

  As I returned, Mo Yan was also in my room, quietly telling me: "How did you go out for so long? Fortunately, Jing Bai and the others didn't discover it. I've already helped you clean up the Jing Shen Temple." She furrowed her brow and said: "Why were you out with a man for so long?"

  I thanked him and said in a low voice: "He is my daughter's uncle."

  Mo Yan uttered an "oh" and suddenly understood, no longer asking questions. I smiled and said: "I met your daughter Anu today."

  "She blushed slightly and said with a mix of embarrassment and pride, 'I'm almost a grown woman now, still making a living by showing off my skills, but being self-sufficient is good too.'"

  I smiled: "In two more years it will be time for me to go to my wife's family."

  Mo Yan's face sank as he said: "My daughter would rather not marry a stinky man, it's better to live a clean and simple life."

  I exclaimed in surprise: "You may think so, but Anu is still young and in her prime, she may not agree."

  Mo Yan shook his head and said, "My daughter is even more perceptive than I am in this regard."

  I chatted with her for a few sentences and then we went our separate ways.