Moonlit Reunion

As the young Taoist priest Mei Zhuyu carried the little girl out of the room, he suddenly had the illusion that he had gained a daughter.

He had dressed his shrunken wife in one of her own dresses—sleeves rolled up, skirt cut significantly shorter—so it finally looked somewhat presentable, no longer needing to drag around wrapped in a small blanket.

Tonight's moonlight was bright, spilling over the corridor the moment they stepped outside, turning the wooden floor silver-white. The summer night air was fresh, and at this hour, everyone had already fallen asleep. No human voices could be heard anywhere, only the endless croaking of frogs and chirping of insects. The faint scent of grass drifted into their noses, refreshing their spirits.

Little Wu Zhen, held in Mei Zhuyu's arms, looked around the courtyard and suddenly pouted. "No flowers—not pretty at all!" Her tone was full of disdain. Mei Zhuyu had actually been worried for a while that Wu Zhen would dislike his residence for lacking the colorful blooms that adorned Duke Yu's estate, where flowers bloomed in all seasons. But when he had once brought it up casually, Wu Zhen had waved it off generously, saying she loved the courtyard's elegant and unique charm, its lush greenery, and that there was no need to bother planting more flowers.

Since she had said so, Mei Zhuyu took her at her word and dismissed the idea of planting flowers in the courtyard.

Now, seeing the little girl's undisguised disdain, he realized—had Wu Zhen been lying earlier? Did she actually dislike the lack of beautiful flowers here? Mei Zhuyu wondered.

Little Wu Zhen, completely unaware she had just exposed herself, continued waving her tiny hand like a general directing troops. "Plant some peonies, hibiscus, or peonies over there—fragrant ones, like gardenias or jasmine would do too. And that empty spot over there—plant a couple of crabapple trees..."

Mei Zhuyu listened to her detailed suggestions and quietly committed them to memory.

After touring the small courtyard, the little girl's eyes rolled mischievously, and she suddenly pointed at the wall. "This wall doesn't look much taller than you. Go stand next to it and compare!"

Mei Zhuyu walked to the base of the wall, and the little girl exclaimed, "See? It really isn't much taller than you! You're so tall—even taller than my father! My dad can jump right onto our courtyard wall in one go. Can you do that?"

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, so Mei Zhuyu, holding her, leaped onto the wall. The little girl covered her mouth with a giggle, then deliberately lowered her voice in a hushed gasp. "You're amazing! You jumped up so high in one go! It's so high up here—can you jump down from this side? Aren't you scared?"

Under the little girl's enthusiastic praise, Mei Zhuyu jumped down from the wall, landing on the street outside the residence. The little girl continued her fervent admiration. "Now let's go that way!" Her chubby little finger pointed toward the street corner.

At that moment, Mei Zhuyu snapped back to reality. He realized he had been subtly tricked into leaving the courtyard. He had only agreed to let her look around the courtyard—not to leave it.

After a long silence, standing at the base of the wall outside his residence, Mei Zhuyu reflected on his earlier lapse in judgment. Then, resolutely, he leaped back into the courtyard with the little girl in his arms.

"Tch." As they returned to the courtyard, Mei Zhuyu faintly heard the little girl in his arms let out a sound dripping with disappointment—as if to say, "Damn, what a shame."

Mei Zhuyu: "..."He looked down at the little girl, who was adorably cupping her face, smiling like a tiny trumpet flower, showing no signs of unhappiness. It was as if the earlier sound had been his imagination.

Once set down on the ground, the little girl ran to the pond in the courtyard, stood on a large rock, and dipped her feet into the water.

Mei Zhuyu didn’t have time to stop her and quickly went over to hold her steady. "There might be snakes in the grass here, or bugs in the water. Don’t put your feet in. Come up now."

Pulled away from the pond, the little girl suddenly turned her head and crouched down, burying her face without a word. Mei Zhuyu thought she was angry—children could be so unreasonable. Clearly, Wu Zhen had been an even more unreasonable little girl when she was young. He tapped her shoulder lightly. "There really might be snakes in that water."

"If you want to play, how about we come back during the day?"

"Wu Zhen?"

Finally, the little girl stood up and turned back to look at Mei Zhuyu. Her expression wasn’t angry or sad but rather a sparkling, mischievous secrecy. She clasped her hands together and said to him, "Come closer, I’ll show you something fun!"

Mei Zhuyu couldn’t begin to guess what was going on in that little head of hers, so he leaned in, utterly baffled. As he got close, the little girl giggled and suddenly opened her hands, laughing gleefully. "Look!"

A tiny frog leaped out from between her fair, delicate palms, aiming straight for Mei Zhuyu’s face. With lightning reflexes, he snatched it by one leg mid-air and casually tossed it back into the pond with a loud plop , followed by an indignant croak.

The little girl clasped her hands behind her back and looked around innocently, pretending nothing had happened. Mei Zhuyu frowned down at her.

He had been mature and obedient since childhood, having practically raised most of the younger disciples in the temple. He wasn’t unfamiliar with mischievous children—every one of them had quickly learned obedience under his stern guidance. But this little girl was truly too unruly.

Just as he was thinking this, he met a pair of pitifully large eyes. Their owner seemed to sense something amiss and tugged at his sleeve, whining in a tiny, tearful voice, "I miss my parents and my sister~"

Rubbing her eyes, she sniffled and cried, looking so small and pitiful that in the blink of an eye, Daoist Mei’s heart melted into a puddle. No matter how much he knew she was putting on an act, he couldn’t bring himself to be stern.

Even in this form, just knowing she was Wu Zhen left him utterly at a loss for what to do with her.

"I’ll take you to see them tomorrow. Don’t be sad," he said, crouching in front of her and patting her head.

The little girl peeked at him with one eye, gauging his expression, then—like a small animal sensing the danger had passed—boldly lowered her arms and grinned again.

"I want those shiny little flying bugs!"

Soon, she was making demands again, insisting Mei Zhuyu help her catch fireflies in the courtyard. In the end, she fell asleep on his back, clutching a translucent gauze bag filled with flickering fireflies. Even in sleep, she snored softly and fidgeted, nearly rolling off his back.Mei Zhuyu swiftly reached back and barely managed to grab her by the foot, preventing her from rolling straight onto the floor. Despite all the commotion, she still didn’t wake up.

The next morning, Wu Zhen remained in the form of a little girl, not yet restored. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up in bed, hugging her knees with a cold, expressionless face as she glared at the bed and blankets before her, silent for a long while.

Mei Zhuyu had sat by the bed all night, reading for half of it. Now that she was awake, he had intended to call her to wash up and eat breakfast, but seeing her like this, he inexplicably felt a sudden tension, unsure what was wrong.

The little girl sat stiffly on the bed for a while, then suddenly snatched the pillow and hurled it to the ground, her small face dark with an unapproachable scowl.

At last, Mei Zhuyu understood—she was in the throes of morning grumpiness. In truth, on the second day of their marriage, when he had spoken with his father-in-law, Duke Yu, the duke had mentioned that his second daughter, Wu Zhen, had an extreme case of morning temper and was very difficult to soothe. But after sharing a bed with her for so long, Mei Zhuyu had never noticed any such temper. At most, she would be a little dazed upon waking, frowning briefly before quickly relaxing and becoming alert. If he happened to still be by the bed, she would even tease him a little while lying there.

Now, Mei Zhuyu was finally witnessing the morning temper Duke Yu had spoken of.

The little girl, her hair a tangled mess, sat fuming on the bed for a while before finally climbing down to pick up the pillow. Then, turning to Mei Zhuyu, she suddenly beamed. "I'm hungry!"

Mei Zhuyu had never encountered a child who could switch moods so swiftly—it was quite the revelation.

He led the little girl to wash up, set out food for her on a small table, and while she ate, he sat behind her to comb her hair.

Her hair was fine and soft, and mindful of her earlier complaint about his strength, he lightened his touch even further, afraid of pulling too hard. After managing to tie two small buns, he took her out, first buying her properly fitting clothes before heading to Duke Yu’s residence.

However, before entering the estate, he took out a talisman, folded it twice, and tied it with a red string around the little girl’s wrist.

"Don’t take this off," Mei Zhuyu instructed.

The little girl obediently agreed, her eyes fixed eagerly on the gates of Duke Yu’s residence. Holding her hand, Mei Zhuyu led her inside.

The servants of the estate, seeing the husband of their Second Lady arrive, assumed he had come to see her and greeted him warmly, informing him that the Second Lady was not home.

None of them seemed to notice the little girl beside Mei Zhuyu. And indeed, they couldn’t—thanks to the talisman and the fact that he never let go of her hand. Had he released her or had the talisman fallen, the ordinary people around them would have been able to see the tiny Wu Zhen. This was what the Daoist tradition called a "Concealment Talisman."Led by Mei Zhuyu into her own home, little Wu Zhen's eyes were filled with astonishment and curiosity. In her memory, this was indeed her home, but many small details had changed. The servants she knew had all aged significantly, and there were many new faces she didn't recognize. Moreover, both familiar and unfamiliar servants affectionately addressed the man beside her as "Langjun."

Realizing something was truly amiss, even the mischievous little girl grew frightened. When she reached the inner courtyard and couldn't find her parents or elder sister, she began sniffling, tears streaming down her cheeks in big drops.

Mei Zhuyu had never seen her cry like this—this was no pretend crying, but real tears—so he panicked. He crouched down, using his sleeve to wipe her tears, and promised to take her to her father immediately, finally managing to soothe her for the time being.

Wu Zhen's elder sister, Wu Huanghou, was currently in the imperial palace and not easily accessible. Her mother had already passed away, so naturally, she couldn't be seen either. Thus, Mei Zhuyu decided to take her to Xuti Temple at the foot of South Mountain outside the city to meet her father, Wu Chundao. Mei Zhuyu worried that the little girl might burst into tears again upon seeing her father with a shaved head.

With this concern weighing on him, they set off for Xuti Temple. The temple was located in a remote area, quite far from Chang'an. Even riding at full speed, they wouldn't arrive until evening.

With one hand gripping the reins and the other holding the squirming little girl, Mei Zhuyu galloped along the official road outside the city. The girl had been lively and curious, chattering nonstop as she looked around, but suddenly, she stiffened, as if she had seen something terrifying. Clamping her mouth shut, she shrank into Mei Zhuyu's arms, burying her face against his chest and trembling in fear.