Chapter 78: Mid-Autumn Festival
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
For four or five consecutive days, He Yan didn’t go to the martial arts field for practice.
She didn’t really pay much attention to the injury on her leg, but the young female doctor from the Liangzhou Garrison, Shen Muxue, came to deliver medicine to her diligently every day. She repeatedly cautioned He Yan not to engage in strenuous activities. Hong Shan would also tease her, saying, “You should listen to the female doctor. If you keep overexerting yourself and end up unable to get the top spot in the flag competition, you won’t be able to enter the Vanguard Camp. Don’t cry about it later.”
Thinking it over, He Yan decided to take a break for a day or two.
During this time, her room was always filled with people. Many came to visit her, bringing gifts and well wishes. Jiang Jiao brought some sour and astringent plums, Huang Xiong brought overcooked roasted quails, and what left people speechless the most was Wang Ba. Unable to lower his own face, he had one of the recruits in his room bring a half-eaten dry bun, clearly a plundered prize from someone else. He really treated the military camp as his own backyard.
Instructor Liang came to visit twice. Each time he saw He Yan surrounded by people and the abundance of food on her table, he commented sarcastically, “Oh, living quite the comfortable life, aren’t you?” before leaving. He Yan found it quite helpless.
Amidst the hustle and bustle, as He Yan’s elbow injury scabbed over and her leg started feeling better, about seven or eight days had passed, and the day of the flag competition was drawing nearer.
On this day, before the sun had completely set, Hong Shan and the others returned. He Yan was puzzled and asked, “Isn’t it time for evening practice on the martial arts field? Why are you back so early?”
“Today is the 14th of the seventh month, the Mid-Autumn Festival,” Xiao Mai quickly answered. “The Chief Instructor told us to finish practice early and then go to the riverbank to release water lanterns to honor our ancestors.”
“The Liangzhou Garrison is pretty good, actually giving time for people to honor their ancestors,” Hong Shan exclaimed.
He Yan smiled, realizing that this was a traditional practice in military camps. Back when she was in the Fuyue Army, every Mid-Autumn Festival, local officials would set up an altar to specifically honor fallen soldiers from the war. Now, the Liangzhou Garrison was situated near a mountain and by the river, making it convenient to release water lanterns.
“My elder brother and I are going to release water lanterns for our parents,” Xiao Mai mentioned his deceased parents with a hint of melancholy, not overwhelmed by sadness, only a faint trace of sorrow. Likely because his parents had passed away early, his memories were already quite faded. He asked Hong Shan, “Brother Shan, are you going to participate?”
“Yes, I’ll release a lantern for my mother. She passed away early.”
The others turned to look at He Yan simultaneously. “What about you, Brother Ah He? Will you join us?”
He Yan’s identity here was probably the most mysterious. She didn’t like talking about her family with Xiao Mai and the others. Hong Shan only knew that He Yan had come to the army due to her family’s decline, but witnessing her confident and spirited performance on the martial arts field, he felt that He Yan wasn’t just an ordinary person.
“I… I’ll go too,” He Yan murmured, her voice soft and low. “I also have someone to honor.”
Noticing the change in the atmosphere, Xiao Mai and the others didn’t press further. They changed the topic immediately, discussing more lighthearted matters.
After dinner, when the sun had completely set and the moonlight emerged from behind the clouds, the new recruits of the Liangzhou Garrison had almost all gathered.
Water lanterns had to be folded by themselves, and stacks of paper were piled in large baskets on the martial arts field. He Yan also went to get a piece. She wasn’t very skilled at handcrafting, so Xiao Mai saw her struggling and quickly folded one into the shape of a lotus lantern, then placed a short white candle in the center, handing it to He Yan. “It’s done!”
“Thank you,” He Yan praised, “You’re quite skilled.”
Xiao Mai blushed in embarrassment. “During previous Mid-Autumn Festivals, my elder brother and I folded many paper lanterns to sell. I got used to it. If the paper were larger, I could fold an even more beautiful and bigger one!”
Shitou knocked his head and disagreed, saying, “This isn’t the time to show off.”
Xiao Mai stuck out his tongue and ran to the Five Deer River with the lantern in his hand. “I’ll release the lantern first. Brother Ah He, hurry up!”
After the first day of autumn, the nights in Liangzhou became cooler. The morning rain hadn’t completely dissipated, and a layer of cool dew covered the dense forest on the mountain. The moon and stars were scattered in the sky, reflecting on the surface of the river like silver.
The riverbank was already crowded with people, the flickering candlelight creating the appearance of countless silver flowers shining over the great river, illuminating the dancing flames. Lotus lanterns carrying the yearnings of those who paid their respects to their ancestors floated into the distance, becoming brilliant dots of light where water met sky, gradually fading away.
“Here is good enough, Brother Ah He…” Xiao Mai turned around and suddenly froze. “Where’s Brother Ah He?”
Hong Shan and Shitou exchanged glances. “We don’t know. He was just here.”
At the innermost part of the riverside, He Yan sat on a stone. This wasn’t the most spacious location, so there weren’t many people here releasing lanterns. He Yan silently looked at the lotus lantern in her hand, feeling a bittersweet and indescribable emotion.
Suddenly, she remembered the moment when He Wanru had drowned her in the water and said, “You’re pregnant.”
In that moment, she had actually felt more joyful than bewildered.
However, the joy hadn’t lasted long before she and her unborn child sank into the pond of the Xu family, just before they died.
He Yan had always felt that in her past life, she hadn’t wronged anyone. She had done her best for the He family, for He Rufei, for Xu Zhiheng. Yet, the only thing she felt guilty about was the child in her womb. She had given him life, but before bringing him into the world, she had snuffed out that possibility due to her own actions. Perhaps it was because she had caused so many deaths as a general in her past life, accumulating countless sins, that fate was punishing her like this. But while it was right for her to be punished, why should an innocent child be punished as well? She didn’t even know whether the child in her womb was a boy or a girl, yet their life was cut short.
He Yan took out a flint, and a spark from the flint landed on the candle, instantly igniting the flame. The water lantern slowly opened in her hands, the firelight reflecting in her eyes, forming a small flickering flame. It seemed as if tears were about to fall, but they were quickly blurred away.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured softly, full of sorrow. “We, mother and child, have no fate in this lifetime. If there’s a next life, I hope you’ll be born into a good family, a life filled with joy and free of worries. Please, never encounter me again.”
“I will…” She placed the water lantern into the river. “Seek revenge for you.”
The river flowed gently, carrying the small water lantern forward. He Yan watched it as it swayed, blending with numerous other lights until they merged into one, making it impossible to distinguish one from another. She finally looked away, rubbing her eyes.
“Big Brother He, didn’t expect to find you here!” An excited voice sounded behind her. “What a coincidence, you’re releasing water lanterns too!”
He Yan turned around and saw a fair-skinned young man holding a lantern in his arms, happily walking towards her. It was Cheng Lisu.
He was neatly dressed, and when he approached He Yan, he carefully lifted the hem of his robe, afraid it might get splashed by the river. He handed He Yan a handful of water lanterns.
He Yan asked, “….Are you releasing these lanterns?”
“Yes!”
“Why do you have so many?” He Yan was speechless.
“I didn’t originally have this many to release. I don’t even know our Cheng family ancestors. But I thought since my uncle probably won’t come today, I’ll release lanterns on his behalf. This one is for my uncle’s grandmother, this is for my uncle’s grandfather, this one is for my…”
He counted them off one by one, displaying no hint of sadness. He seemed exuberant, as if he were releasing lanterns for the Lantern Festival, not the Mid-Autumn Festival.
“Wait,” He Yan interrupted him, “Why are you releasing lanterns on your uncle’s behalf? Can’t he come himself?”
“With so many people here, he definitely won’t come,” Cheng Lisu sighed, looking like he was greatly distressed. He shook his head. “Since I’m here, I might as well do it. After all, he’s my uncle.”
He Yan found this quite amusing. The pain she felt from her past memories had been diluted quite a bit. Although Cheng Lisu appeared a bit slower than others in certain matters, he was taking the task of releasing water lanterns quite seriously. He carefully lit each lantern, placed them into the water with great solemnity, and nervously prayed that they wouldn’t be blown out by the wind or overturned by the waves. Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and the water lanterns floated away gradually.
After Cheng Lisu released the last lantern and breathed a sigh of relief, he took out a piece of coarse cloth from his robes and placed it on the stone to sit on.
“It’s quite cool in Liangzhou Garrison at night,” he grumbled, “It was so hot before. I’ve never experienced such heat in all my life.”
He Yan couldn’t help but smile internally. In the past, Cheng Lisu must have been used to the summer heat with cooling ice blocks at the Cheng residence. He spent his days in the mansion and was shielded from the sun, so naturally, it wasn’t as tough as enduring the heat in the Liangzhou Garrison. She said, “If that’s the case, why did you come here to suffer with your uncle?”
“No choice,” Cheng Lisu spread his hands, “If I didn’t come with my uncle, I’d have been forced into an arranged marriage.”
He Yan was stunned. “What?”
“Let me tell you a secret, I ran away to avoid getting married.” Cheng Lisu pouted, “I’m still young. How could I possibly get married? Besides, I don’t even like her, so I ran away.”
He Yan: “…”
This child was quite straightforward. What surprised He Yan even more was that Xiao Jue actually agreed to take Cheng Lisu along. He wasn’t afraid that the Cheng family would hold a grudge against him for abducting their young master. Even if they were relatives, secretly taking someone’s young master and helping him elope might lead to some animosity.
“Your relationship with Commander Xiao seems quite good,” He Yan carefully chose her words.
“It’s alright,” Cheng Lisu said smugly. “I’m the one who actively approached him.”
He Yan found this puzzling. “With your uncle’s difficult temperament, how could you willingly approach him?” Truly impressive, contrary to the notion that Cheng Lisu was a “worthless young master.” Not everyone could endure and carry such burdens.
“My uncle is actually quite formidable. If it weren’t for him when I was young, I might not be who I am now.”
Perhaps it was the moonlit night, but Cheng Lisu seemed surprisingly enthusiastic as he recounted the past.
Cheng Lisu’s mother, Madam Cheng, was actually not much older than Xiao Jue’s mother. So, when Xiao Jue was born, Madam Cheng was already married, and although Cheng Lisu and Xiao Jue were of different generations, their age difference wasn’t significant.
While the Cheng family had interactions with the Xiao family, it wasn’t frequent. However, during Cheng Lisu’s childhood, he hadn’t seen Xiao Jue much. Most of the time, he interacted more with his elder uncle, Xiao Jing.
Xiao Zhongwu had two sons. The elder son, Xiao Jue’s older brother, Xiao Jing, had been delicate and sickly in his youth, unfit for martial training. By the time his health improved, he had already passed the prime age for martial training. Moreover, Madam Xiao didn’t want Xiao Jing to join the military, so he took a different path and pursued a career as a civil official.
After Xiao Jue was born, Xiao Zhongwu paid special attention to him.
Xiao Jue didn’t disappoint Xiao Zhongwu’s expectations and had already shown extraordinary talent from a young age. Xiao Zhongwu took Xiao Jue to the mountains, where four eminent scholars personally instructed him. As for the specific mountain and the identities of these scholars, Cheng Lisu wasn’t quite sure. In any case, they might only see each other once a year, and sometimes not even that.
When Xiao Jue turned fourteen, he returned to Shuojing from the mountains and entered the Xianchang Academy to study both the literary and martial arts alongside other noble children. At that time, Cheng Lisu was nine years old and had been abducted by kidnappers while playing with friends during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Considering his age, it was strange for kidnappers to target him, but Cheng Lisu’s delicate and exquisite appearance made him look like a silver doll from a New Year painting. Kidnappers took him away in a carriage, and he trembled with fear, calling out in vain.
He woke up and cried, ate a little while shedding tears, then went back to sleep. He couldn’t tell how much time had passed when he heard sounds of fighting outside the carriage. Cheng Lisu’s face was swollen and bruised from the rough ride.
When the carriage stopped, he quickly lifted the curtain and crawled out, only to find dead bodies strewn on the ground, all killed by sword wounds. There were several dozens of kidnappers in total, and the kidnapped children were tied up and stuffed into the carriage. Some had fallen out, while others remained inside, and the group was wailing and crying. Amid the chaos, Cheng Lisu crawled out shakily and bumped into a glimpse of snow-white robe.
He looked up to see a handsome young man in a silver crown and white robe standing before him, holding a long sword. The sword resembled frosty snow, dripping with blood. The red blood was vibrant, but not as striking as the youth’s rosy lips. The young man appeared calm, his gaze fixed on Cheng Lisu.
It was an eerie scene, yet Cheng Lisu inexplicably felt a sense of relief. He shakily reached out to grasp the young man’s leg and imitated the fawning tone he had heard his mother use with others, “D-Distinguished hero, may I know your name and residence? I’m the young master of the Right Division Director. You’ve saved me, and our mansion will surely reward you generously.”
The young man’s lips twitched as he looked down at him from above, his clear eyes devoid of ripples. He coldly replied, “I’m your uncle.”
“That was when I realized he was the elusive little uncle I had rarely seen,” Cheng Lisu mused, looking at the moon. “At that moment, I thought, this little uncle is really amazing.”
Xiao Jue had saved him and the other kidnapped children. Cheng Lisu felt that having such an uncle was an honor, and he wanted to stick by his side. However, Xiao Jue wasn’t particularly fond of his young nephew. After returning Cheng Lisu to the Cheng family, Xiao Jue never visited him again. Cheng Lisu sent him invitations, but Xiao Jue never came. Besides, Xiao Jue was always busy, so Cheng Lisu seldom had the chance to see him.
Thinking about the scene Cheng Lisu described, He Yan couldn’t help but smile. Indeed, having Cheng Lisu as an unexpected nephew was quite an inconvenience for Xiao Jue.
“So, how did you two become close later on?” He Yan asked.
If it was merely a matter of saving his life, as Cheng Lisu had said, that alone wouldn’t have greatly improved their relationship. Something must have happened later on to bring these uncle and nephew to Liangzhou Garrison together.
“Well, in our Cheng family, including my mother and our relatives who knew the Xiao family, everyone preferred my elder uncle,” Cheng Lisu explained.
Both of the Xiaos’ sons were exceptionally handsome, with Xiao Eldest Master, Xiao Jing, possessing a stunning appearance that radiated humility and purity. In terms of temperament alone, it would certainly be more comfortable to get along with Xiao Jing but it wasn’t to the extent of disliking Xiao Jue.
“Why?” asked He Yan, “Didn’t General Xiao save your life? Even if you have reservations about him as a relative, your mother shouldn’t outright dislike him, right?”
“Well, that’s true, but our interactions with Uncle and our relatives have been few and far between. No one really knows much about him.”
Until he was fourteen, Xiao Jue spent very little time in Shuojing, and after he turned fourteen, he entered Xianchang Academy. Even his own mother, Madam Xiao, wasn’t very close to this son. Cheng Lisu knew that there were several instances where Madam Xiao spoke to his mother with a troubled expression, struggling to figure out how to get along with her younger son.
Lack of understanding naturally gave rise to biases. Xiao Jue was already indifferent and didn’t particularly enjoy socializing. Compared to his brother, who was warm and refined, the contrast was even more striking. But as He Yan had said, this didn’t quite equate to dislike. True dislike might have only begun after Xiao Zhongwu’s death in the Battle of Mingshui.
Xiao Zhongwu’s sudden death was a great blow to the Xiao family. Madam Xiao had never experienced hardships, and she had always held her husband in the highest regard. After Xiao Zhongwu’s death, Madam Xiao took her own life while no one was paying attention, choosing to follow her husband in death and leaving behind their two sons.
Xiao Eldest Master, Xiao Jing, was devastated, while Xiao Jue didn’t shed a single tear. Soon after the funerals of the general couple, Xiao Jue’s first act was to present a petition at the Golden Luang Palace, seeking to control the power of the Nanfu guards.
Before even seven days had passed since Madam Xiao’s funeral, he led the Nanfu Guards to suppress the southern barbarian rebellion. Xiao Zhongwu had died in battle against the southern barbarians, and opinions about whether he was seeking revenge for his father or merely pursuing quick achievements varied. Regardless of his father’s death or his mother’s sacrifice, Xiao Jue hadn’t shown an excessive amount of grief. His cold and unfeeling demeanor, his heart as hard as iron, had become his defining trait.
With the disappearance of the Xiao family’s dignified and noble Second Young Master, others could only learn about Xiao Jue’s current situation from the snippets of information that trickled back from the battlefield. Rumors circulated that he, as a young man, was adept at killing enemies, with countless lives claimed by his sword. He was known for his strictness, his disregard for human sentiment.
“Have you ever heard of Zhao Nuo?” Cheng Lisu asked.
He Yan faintly felt that the name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t recall where she had heard it. She shook her head, saying, “I don’t know.”
“Zhao Nuo is the eldest son of the current Minister of Revenue, and he was previously the governor of Jingzhou,” Cheng Lisu continued, his expression turning somber. “In fact, the misunderstandings between our Cheng family, the Xiao family’s family and friends, and Uncle stem from this person.”
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
