Volume 1 Chapter 100: Jade Burial Mound Fragrance (Part 1)

  Chapter 100: Jade Burial Mound Fragrance (Part 1)

  This morning, there was light rain.

  The boat sailed on the river, with a fine rain mixed with wind, like countless small needles slanting and piercing, even more swift and powerful.

  Mei Zi covered her face with a cold towel, and the remaining sleepiness disappeared. She changed into an old blue-bottomed floral skirt and walked out of their cabin, passing through the dimly lit corridor and pushing open the wooden door. The raindrops that came face to face with her instantly splashed a layer of water mist on her skirt, making her rub her arms coldly.

  After half a month on the official road, five days ago, the advance team sent out to scout ahead found that the towns near the Yuling border were not peaceful, and there might be bandits among the refugees. Xiao Wei decided to change their route to waterways.

  Actually, from Luozhou all the way north, taking the water route to enter Shangdu in less than twenty days is much faster than taking the land route with fast horses and traveling day and night. However, Wei Yiniang has always had a severe case of seasickness, so she chose to take the slower route. Logically, the road conditions were poor in ancient times, and horse-drawn carriages were more bumpy. But Wei Yiniang was adapted to the short and frequent bumps, but not to the long and wavy sways, which is also an unavoidable thing.

  Madam Wei reluctantly boarded the ship for safety. The boat had been sailing for five days, and she had been dizzy for five days, vomiting whatever she ate on the boat.

  Weidu Liuniang also got seasick and threw up on the first day.

  Xiao Wei had no choice but to let the boatmen enter every port, allowing Wei Niang and his nominal cousin to disembark for food and rest for a day or two. As a result, the two-day journey took five days, slower than taking a horse-drawn carriage.

  The two women of the Wei family were suffering, but for Mozi it was a pleasure. Especially on this trip, there were no worries to bear, sleeping at night was as comfortable as being in a cradle, and during the day, they couldn't get enough of the cultural scenery along both banks, and the fun of drifting with the current. Without having to scheme or plot, without having to take every step carefully, it was actually the most relaxing few days since following Jiulian, even feeling like there was a bit more flesh around her waist.

  As for whether Xiao Weishi would recognize himself, he was indeed nervous at first. Then, however, he discovered that those two big shots didn't even give a maidservant a straight glance, and came to the conclusion that having a low status also had its advantages. For example, in these few days on the boat, no one had looked him straight in the face.

  "The girl got up early." Da, the boatman wearing a raincoat and conical hat, held a bamboo pole with water droplets falling from its tip.

  They were on a passenger ship, three or four times larger than the Yongfu, with eight or nine sailors led by Ah Da. In terms of structure, it uses large and small sails to harness the wind, reduces speed, steers the rudder, and uses bamboo poles to navigate into the harbor without using oars. How far they can travel in a day depends mainly on whether the weather is favorable.

  "Ah Dai, is today auspicious?" Not daring to reveal his own secrets, he only asked about things that everyone knew.

  "Today the wind is slightly east, which is good. After passing through this gorge, we will enter Lutong Port, where we will rest for two hours, and then we will have to sail continuously for two days." Ship Ah Da wiped his face with his hand, the gorge was narrow, the wind formed small whirlpools, and fine rain suddenly came from all directions.

  "Lùzhèn?" Mòzǐ thought for a moment, "Isn't it close to the Yùlíng border? Shǎozì"

  "Three waters and five peaks away, the boat arrived in two days." Boatman Da was familiar with this area as he often traveled long distances. "Before I set off, I heard from returning sailors that many refugees from Yuling had escaped to Hua Prefecture, and the scenery along the shore was very desolate. Lüzhèn is a big town under Hua Prefecture, but I don't know if there are any refugees there."

  "Where there are many people, even refugees are not afraid." Mu Zi didn't have any special thoughts or feelings at this moment. Where there is war, there is avoidance of war, and she herself was one of the refugees.

  Suddenly smelled something burning, "What's this smell?"

  The boatman's face suddenly looked a bit strange, pointing to the back of the boat, "There is a girl burning paper over there... I see she is one of Miss's people, I don't dare say anything. I think you're a nice talker, otherwise, would you go and tell her? It's unlucky to do this on the boat. We who sail, most taboo are dead people and these inauspicious things."

  Chuan Da said the two words "paper money" in a muddled way, but Mozi heard what he said afterwards and roughly understood what he meant.

  Someone is burning paper money on the boat.

  Who could it be?

  Mozi was also very curious, and after a hum, she walked towards the back of the boat. At the corner, she heard that person speaking in a low voice.

  “…I know you left with hatred in your heart, unwilling to accept your fate. When we were young, you said you wanted to be the master of your own destiny. I advised you to be content with your lot, but you never listened. Now that you're gone, your eyes are still open, showing your unyielding spirit. It's hard to say anything about this stubbornness of yours; it's just a matter of fate. If something isn't meant for you, no amount of effort will make a difference. I hope you can let go and be reborn soon, starting anew. Every year on Qingming Festival, I'll burn incense and offer money to you, but I'm afraid your stubbornness might offend the little demons in the underworld...” She said this while sobbing.

  Mozhu took a step forward, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the girl in white was dancing on the ship's railing, her hair wet from the rain, one hand wiping away tears from the corners of her eyes, and the other hand holding a paper money that had been burned into ashes. On the wooden stump, there was a qilin incense burner with three sticks of incense inside, which were burning weakly in the wind and rain.

  "What's Baihe doing?" After seeing the woman clearly, Tai let Mozi be shocked. Last night was Xiaoyi and Lüjing in Qiu Sanniang's cabin on duty, and when they woke up in the morning, only she was there, thinking that Baihe had gone to serve the young lady again, but unexpectedly doing such a strange thing here.

  "Indigo purple?" Bai He was somewhat flustered, and his hand slowed down a step, the fire burning to his fingertips, scorching his earlobe. "You got up so early?"

  "Who died that you're so heartbroken?" Mozi remembered that Baihe, apart from Liu Pozi this dry mother, didn't have any other relatives. "I haven't heard you mention it at all."

  "Hmm...that...that is...nobody." Bai He hastily scattered the paper money into the river.

  "Aileen." A voice from above.

  Xiao Yi didn't climb trees, so she climbed a flagpole instead? Mo Zi couldn't help but laugh, "What?"

  "Ailian is gone." Xiao Yi sat cross-legged on the railing of the second floor cabin, expressionless and stiff.

  Aileen is gone, which means Aileen died.

  "How is that possible……" Although Ailian's situation that night was not optimistic, she and her parents left the Qiu Mansion. Mozi thought that at least it was better than staying in a place where people were eaten without spitting out bones, with relatives to take care of her, maybe she would slowly recover. "We've been on the road for over ten days, what news has arrived?"

  Xiao Yi looked up at the sky, waiting for the blank face of the pancake.

  "Ailian left the mansion on the second night and never came back." Baihe saw Xiao Yi say this, no longer panicked, "Her parents cried at the entrance of the mansion, but were blocked outside. This is what Xiao Yi heard."

  Every corner of the Qiu mansion might have a pair of quietly listening cat ears.

  Although Ailian is not a weak and kind woman, she is not cruel either. It can be said that she is greedy for vanity, and it can also be said that she is too calculating, but after experiencing the pride of being a mistress, the reasonableness of being a third party, and the surging material desires in the civilized world after a thousand years, Mozi's criticism of these two points is not as fierce as those of ancient people. As for Ailian's ambition to become the master, it is not something she can despise. At most, she thinks that Ailian is not smart enough and could have obtained her status without relying on Qiuwu, a flower idiot.

  Ai Lian is a victim of the strict hierarchical system, an unlucky devil who failed to execute her conspiracy. If we talk about someone worse than her, Zhang's family should be the first to bear the blame. If we talk about someone more ruthless than her, there are many people, including Si Nai, Qiu San Niang, and even Mo Zi herself.

  Mei Zi walked forward, took the last paper money from Bai He's hand, lit it with incense, "Why burn it today?"

  "Xiao Yi just told me last night." Bai He's eyes turned red again.

  "The young lady doesn't let me speak." Probably afraid someone will feel uncomfortable.

  "Ailian and I entered the mansion around the same time, learning etiquette together. We were still young maids then, sharing all our secrets. Later, she followed the madam, while I was originally bought by my mistress, and that's when we gradually drifted apart. Two years ago, she had Fourth Master take in a concubine, and once ran into me in the peach grove, chatting excitedly for a long time. I thought her good days were starting, who knew it would end so miserably. I think, if only I could have asked my mistress to use Ailian back then, not letting her follow the madam, things might be better. People leave like lamps going out, and Ailian's light hadn't even shone brightly before becoming a wisp of smoke. Why is that?"

  "Bai He, this has nothing to do with you. If Ailian had wanted to be the mistress back then, even if she followed the young lady, she would have found a way to get close to Qiu Si and Qiu Wu. You and she were never on the same path, so it was destined that your outcomes would be different. Don't blame yourself for things that aren't your fault." Mozi and Ailian had no intersection at all, but he couldn't help but sigh. If Ailian had followed Qiu San Niang instead of Zhang Shi, perhaps she could have walked out with a different air about her.

  But if only it were.

  Just like when she was about to die and met Qiu San Niang, escaping death, who knows if she will lose her life because of Qiu San Niang in the future?

  All I can say is that when you have the ability to make a choice, think carefully before making a decision, so as not to regret it later. Once you've thought it through and taken action, even if the outcome isn't good, you won't feel regretful.

  "But I feel so sad..." Bai He whispered softly, and for some reason, the more she cried, the more heartbroken she became.

  Cherish that youthful affection even more, for the sake of the lonely lotus.

  Mozi unwittingly did something for Ailian, but thought to comfort the crying Baihe. The paper money in her hand turned into ashes and scattered in all directions. She pulled out a stick of incense from the censer, joined her palms together, and bowed deeply towards the cold gray sky.

  "Ailian, if your spirit does not disperse, it will only bring sorrow to those who miss you. Life is like a dream, one scene ends and another begins. We are all the same as servants, deeply understanding your suffering. Here, I pray to heaven and earth for you..." Second bow.

  Bai He hastily picked up the incense.

  Xiao Yi jumped down amidst the eager and expectant gazes of Mo Zi and Bai He, also picking up a strip of incense.

  "May Elaine soon enter reincarnation, and in her next life be extremely auspicious and prosperous. May she have a lifetime of peace and happiness." Third bow.

  Three people finished their nine bows, and suddenly a strong gust of wind came from the river, blowing them to cover their faces and lower their eyes. After the wind passed, they lifted their heads to see that the dark clouds at the horizon had suddenly brightened, and rose-colored sunlight shone through, casting a sparkling golden light on the surface of the river. The raindrops in the sky were as light as snowflakes, gradually rising into the air.

  This strange sight came just in time.

  Bai He clasped his hands together and knelt down on both knees, exclaiming "Great Compassion, Great Mercy".

  The boat emerged from the gorge and entered the inland river of Lùzhèn. Mòzǐ was already deeply shocked by the scenery that had appeared before his eyes, without knowing whether there really were gods or spirits.

  That is——

  Bitter flowers bloom on both shores

  Chapter 100: Jade Burial Mound Fragrance (Part 1)

  Chapter 100: Jade Burial Mound Fragrance, Arriving at the Website