Chapter 25: Frost in the Courtyard (VI)
The sun is shining brightly on Yong'an Lake, and the waves are shimmering.
The floating pier goes straight into the center of the lake and connects to a red-painted square pavilion with a pointed roof. There is a plaque on it that reads "Xie Chun". Willows on the west bank of the lake are shrouded in mist, and tall trees are green. The stone steps near the water are vaguely visible. Ni Su had wet his shoes there when he picked willow branches for Xu Hexue to wash her face.
In Xie Chun Pavilion, Ni Su placed the tea and fruit drinks on the stone table. Lin Zefeng stood in front of the railing with Xu Hexue and asked him, "Is this place still the same as you remember?"
If he hadn't remembered it so clearly, he probably wouldn't have mentioned this place to her.
“No difference.”
Xu Hexue was holding a piece of cake, which was given to him by Ni Su. He had not taken a bite of it during the entire journey.
The rippling waves on the lake, the willows on the shore, and the Xie Chun Pavilion standing in the middle of the lake were exactly the same as what he saw in his dream, except that he was more respectable now, no longer a mass of indescribable blood mist, but wearing clean clothes and with his hair neatly combed.
And all of this is because of the person who is standing shoulder to shoulder with him at this moment.
"Do you know what I'm thinking?"
Xu Hexue suddenly heard her ask.
"What?"
"I was thinking, I should pick more willow branches to take back later," Ni Su leaned her elbows on the railing, "If it rains, you can use the water boiled with willow leaves to bathe and remove dust."
There was a hint of sarcasm in her tone.
Xu Hexue looked at her. The breeze blew a few strands of light hair on her temples, gently brushing her fair cheeks. Along the way, Xu Hexue had seen her in many different looks: embarrassed, decent, injured, and with eyes often red and swollen.
The deaths of her two closest relatives had weighed heavily on her, but today, her usually straight and tense shoulders seemed to relax a little.
"Although Miao Yiyang's clue is useless, among the officials related to the winter exam arrested by the Night Servant, Zun Han Qing, there must be someone who is involved."
He said.
The torture methods of the Yiye Division are incomparable to those of the Guangning Prefecture Yamen. Han Qing showed his cunningness when he was a teenager. He was not concerned about this matter because of Ni Su's deceased brother Ni Qinglan, but was making plans with Meng Yunxian. This was why Xu Hexue was determined to send Ni Su from the prison of the Guangning Prefecture Silu Division to the Yiye Division.
The superiors may not really care about the death of a scholar, but if the death of this scholar can become a chess piece they can use, then the justice that Ni Su wants will be possible.
"You really know what's on my mind."
Ni Su stared at him for a moment, then turned her head and murmured, "What kind of official were you before? How can you see through people's hearts so well?"
Xu Hexue paused, then looked away and saw the boat approaching on the lake. The wind entangled the willow branches, making a rustling sound. The lake was full of clear light. He said, "I have been an official, but in fact, I was not an official."
"What does this mean?"
Ni Su didn't understand.
"My position as an official is not what my teacher and brother expected." Maybe it was because of the robe he was wearing, which was not well-fitting but clean and decent, or because she had combed his hair in front of the bronze mirror this morning, or because the woman named Cai Chunxu in the Taiwei Mansion reminded him of his offense again, and he suddenly wanted to mention something to her, "My teacher parted ways with me here."
Ni Suben thought that Xie Chunting in Yong'an Lake, which he missed so much, should be a place that carried all his hopes and joys in his lifetime.
But it turned out to be another place where dreams were shattered.
She tightened her grip on the bamboo cup with her knuckles and looked at him after a while.
Even though the man in front of him was skinny, he had a perfect bone structure. Wearing this round-necked robe with dark blue and silver patterns, he did not look like a ghost at all, but was full of elegance and gentlemanly demeanor.
"Then let me ask you,"
Ni Su asked, "Did you ever commit corruption, abuse of power, or harm innocent people during your lifetime?"
“No.”
Xu Hexue met her gaze, "But, I feel guilty towards many people. Even guilty."
"If it is not the above sins, then what kind of sins can it be?"
He didn't say anything, so Ni Su continued, "In this world, some people are good at blaming others, while others are good at blaming themselves. Xu Ziling, did you determine your guilt yourself?"
Xu Hexue was speechless for a moment.
In fact, he was carrying a heavier crime, but what really made him unable to let go after wandering in Youdu for nearly a hundred years was the sin he had committed on himself in his heart.
"I am different from you. I never sin."
Ni Su thought about it and smiled again, "Of course I never offend others, and I don't think you do either. People like you will only reflect on yourself and not offend others."
For example, he still felt bothered by the teeth mark on her neck.
"Just because your teacher disagrees with you doesn't mean he's wrong. The disagreement between you and your teacher isn't your fault either. Just like my father didn't agree with me learning the Ni family's medical skills because he valued the Ni family's family rules. I can't say he was wrong, but I don't think it was wrong for me to ask my brother to be my teacher to learn medicine. It's just that people are always different, and there's no need to distinguish right from wrong."
Ni Su was used to his silence and accepted his silence with his eyes downcast. She asked, "Do you want to see your teacher?"
Almost at the same time as Ni Su finished speaking, Xu Hexue suddenly raised his eyes.
There was a shimmering light in her clear eyes, but it was only for a moment. The inexplicable desolation enveloped him again. The breeze rustled the willows. He shook his head gently and said to her, "I can't see the teacher anymore."
If you dare to go to the frontier, don't come to see him again.
That year in Xie Chunting, the teacher stood where he was standing now and said these words to him solemnly.
He can come to Xie Chunting and think of his teacher here, but he can never see his teacher again.
Ni Su already understood his stubbornness and his consistency between what he knew and what he did. If he said he couldn't do it, it meant he really couldn't do it. Ni Su was unwilling to force him to accept her help in order to repay him. That was not true repayment.
It happened that the old man rowing the boat below was closer to Xie Chun Pavilion and was looking into the pavilion, so she said, "Then let's go play on the boat?"
The old man could not see the lonely soul beside the woman in the pavilion. He only saw the woman waving at him, so he immediately smiled and nodded, rowing over: "Girl, do you want to take a boat trip on the lake? I have some ink painting paper and fresh fruits in my boat. If you want fresh fish, I can also catch it and cook it for you on the boat."
"Then please catch a fish and cook it for us."
Ni Su was holding the unfinished snacks and two cups of fruit drinks, and was helped onto the boat by the old man. However, the edge of the boat was slippery, and she almost slipped on her embroidered shoes. The old man quickly held her steady. At the same time, Xu Hexue, who was following her, also held her wrist.
Ni Su turned his face to the side, the sunlight was bright, and his face was pale but clear-headed and handsome.
"Thanks."
Ni Su said.
Xu Hexue's eyelashes twitched slightly, and she pursed her lips without saying anything, but the old man hurriedly helped her onto the boat and said, "Miss, why are you thanking me? I don't know when the edge of the boat got stained with slippery moss. I'm sorry for you."
"You can't always see the edge."
Ni Su shook her head and sat down in the boat.
Just as the old man said, there were some ink painting paper and fresh fruits in the black-sailed boat. Ni Su saw the lake view painting that the passenger in front of him had drawn but did not take away.
She felt itchy for a moment, so she picked up her pen, dipped it in the pen wash filled with clean water for a few times, and then began to look at the scenery on the lake from afar.
Actually, Ni Su had no painting skills, and she didn't paint often at home. It's not that her brother Ni Qinglan didn't teach her, but she was so busy studying medical books that she didn't have much time for painting.
The small private school at home did not teach these things, it was just enough for her to learn to read and write. The Four Books and Five Classics that she read were taught by her brother.
The outline of the mountains in the distant fog was not well depicted, and the scenery of the lake and willows nearby was also not good. Ni Su simply focused all his attention on the nearest Xie Chun Pavilion.
The pavilion was now somewhat in shape. She turned around and whispered, "Xu Ziling, does the Xie Chun Pavilion I drew look good?"
Xu Hexue looked at the red-lacquered pavilion on the paper. During his lifetime, even though he usually enjoyed himself with friends, he had always been taught by Zhang Jing, who was quite strict in academics. He was meticulous about every detail, and even in calligraphy and painting, he tried his best to achieve both structure and form.
The Xie Chun Pavilion she painted was not really pretty. It had no shape or structure, but Xu Hexue met her interested gaze and nodded slightly: "Hmm."
Ni Su's eyes brightened up after receiving his praise, and she asked him again, "Can you draw?"
She forgot to lower her voice. The old man fishing in front of her turned around and asked, "Girl, what did you say?"
"Ah," Ni Suying responded to the old man's puzzled look and said quickly, "I was just talking to myself."
The old man listened and nodded.
"Come on, he's not looking here, you draw it."
Ni Su saw the old man turned around and concentrated on fishing again, so he put the pen into Xu Hexue's hand and whispered.
Holding a pen seems like a long time ago.
Xu Hexue examined the pen in his hand. It was very different from the pen he had used in his vague memory, because it was only made of bamboo and some uneven goat hair that was always falling off.
I feel timid when I am close to home.
He clenched it and then unclenched it.
It was not until the girl sitting next to him urged him in a low voice that he clenched his brush again, dipped it in paint, and sketched on the paper.
I don't know why, but it doesn't seem strange to me.
Ni Su knew that he must be very knowledgeable, but she had no idea that with just a few strokes he could make the charm of Xie Chun Pavilion come alive on paper. She watched him paint Xie Chun Pavilion in amazement, and then watched him repair her messy brushstrokes of the mountain outline and the scattered ink-like lake view.
Egrets playing in the water and willow branches swaying in the wind.
Every place is beautiful.
Ni Su was surprised to find that every stroke she made on the paper was dyed with the necessary colors by him.
Xu Hexue was almost addicted to this pen. Holding it, he even thought for a moment that he was not a ghost, but like the girl beside him, still living in the world of the living.
"Here, can I draw you and your teacher?"
Her hand suddenly pointed toward the Xie Chun Pavilion.
Xu Hexue paused in holding the pen. When he saw the old man at the bow of the boat catch a fish, he put the pen back into her hand.
The ice and snow have not melted when their fingers touch.
There was a gentle breeze here, and Xu Hexue turned his head to look at her, but he didn't notice that the light hair by her ear was blown up and gently brushed his cheek.
As soon as the two pairs of eyes met, the shimmering lake light seemed to be reflected in each other's eyes.
The old man's call made Ni Su turn her head immediately. She hurriedly told the old man what kind of fish she wanted to eat, then she looked back at the painting and whispered to the person next to her:
"If you don't want to, then you can just draw you and me in the pavilion just now."
