The Lament of Autumn

Yu Changxuan sat there in silence.

Seeing his furrowed brow remained unchanged, Li Boren approached with a smile. "You've been overwhelmed with work lately. The Western Hunan Hotel has a new dancer named Bai Lu—absolutely stunning. How about we go have some fun tonight?" Yu Changxuan lit his cigarette with a lighter, tossed it onto the coffee table with a clatter, and shook his head. "Where did you get such a terrible idea? My father is watching me closely. Going to such a place now would be like walking right into the line of fire."

Li Boren, a natural expert in entertainment, saw Yu Changxuan's distress as a perfect opportunity to flaunt his skills and curry favor. Leaning in, he suggested, "Then why not come to my place? The movie star Shi Manman is my wife's sworn sister—just a phone call away. We can set up a mahjong game. I'll arrange for Shi Manman to sit next to Fifth Master, and the rest will be up to you."

Yu Changxuan glanced at Li Boren's obsequious expression and chuckled. "I'll only go if I can sit next to your wife."

Li Boren immediately replied, "If Fifth Master truly prefers my wife over Shi Manman, I have no objections. It would save my wife the trouble of going out of her way to find sisters for you—much more convenient."

Upon hearing this, Yu Changxuan stood up and aimed a playful kick at Li Boren, laughing as he scolded, "Look at you! Why bother being an advisor? You might as well become a pimp!"

Once the two had settled their plans, they left the study. Adjutant Wu Zuoxiao was already waiting outside. As Yu Changxuan looked up, he saw a young maid descending the stairs with an enamel tray, the food on it completely untouched. He stopped her and asked, "Why didn't she eat?" The maid replied, "Miss Ye said she had no appetite and went to sleep."

Yu Changxuan paused, glancing upstairs. Noticing his concern, Li Boren teased with a smile, "Fifth Master, feeling heartache again?" Yu Changxuan turned to him, saw his grinning face, and averted his gaze. "You're getting far too talkative!" With that, he strode out of the hall, followed closely by Adjutant Wu Zuoxiao and the others.

That night, a heavy rain fell, bringing a chill of autumn. Ye Pingjun was drifting in and out of sleep when the sound of the door opening startled her awake. In an instant, she switched on the bedside lamp, wrapped herself in the blanket, and sat up, her gaze sharp and alert toward the bedroom door. There stood the senior maid Qiu Luo, holding an enamel tray with a bowl of ginseng soup, smiling as she said, "Miss Ye, have some ginseng soup before you sleep."

Ye Pingjun visibly relaxed and said, "I don't want any." Qiu Luo acted as if she hadn't heard, walking to the bedside and insisting, "This is excellent for nourishing the body. Since you didn't eat dinner, some ginseng soup will help you sleep better."Ye Pingjun, seeing her like this, reached out to take the bowl of ginseng soup. Qiu Luo glanced at Pingjun, noticing she was wrapped in a quilt and still fully dressed, then smiled meaningfully and said, "Miss Ye is so properly dressed. Can you sleep comfortably like this?" Ye Pingjun didn’t respond. She took a sip of the ginseng soup, frowned, and said, "It’s too bitter. Is there any sugar?"

Qiu Luo immediately laughed and said, "Does Miss Ye not know? Adding sugar to this ginseng soup might ruin its medicinal effects. I almost forgot, this stuff is quite precious. I suppose Miss Ye has never even seen it before, let alone tasted it."

Ye Pingjun looked up and quietly stared at Qiu Luo, who was still smiling, a hint of smugness on her face. Ye Pingjun then placed the bowl of ginseng soup back on her tray and said calmly, "Go add some sugar!"

Qiu Luo replied, "Didn’t I just tell Miss Ye? Adding sugar will make it lose its medicinal properties."

This time, Ye Pingjun didn’t even glance at Qiu Luo. She simply turned, picked up a box of sparkling little beads by the bed, took a needle and thread, and continued stringing the beads, ignoring Qiu Luo completely. Qiu Luo, having been snubbed, let her face fall in displeasure. She turned and walked out of the bedroom. As soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she stood at the landing and snorted coldly, saying, "So she’s the type to throw a tantrum. What’s so great about her? Sooner or later, I’ll make her pay."

The young maids nearby were tidying the flower stands and, seeing Qiu Luo’s angry expression, asked, "Sister Qiu Luo, who are you talking about?"

Qiu Luo sneered and deliberately raised her voice, "Who else? Even the real mistress has never ordered me around like that. And what is she, anyway? What kind of lady is she? Just a poor girl who thinks she’s a phoenix just because she’s pretty!"

Hearing these words, the young maids immediately knew whom she was referring to. They didn’t dare respond and quietly dispersed. Qiu Luo was still grumbling angrily when the door to the guards’ room suddenly opened. Gu Ruitong stepped out holding a file, glanced at Qiu Luo, and said, "What’s all the noise?"

Qiu Luo was startled and flustered, saying, "Officer Gu."

Gu Ruitong noticed the tray in her hands and caught the bitter scent of ginseng. He couldn’t help but say coldly, "Nonsense! It’s so late—why are you delivering ginseng soup upstairs?!" Qiu Luo didn’t dare say another word. She merely acknowledged his words and hurried off to the kitchen. After reprimanding Qiu Luo, Gu Ruitong glanced upstairs, hearing only silence from above. He lowered his head and turned back into the guards’ room.

Late into the night, the rain grew heavier, and the sky was pitch black. The Li residence, however, was brightly lit. Li Boren came running down from upstairs and caught up with Yu Changxuan, who was putting on a raincoat by the front door. "We’ve only played a few rounds of cards—why are you leaving already? You’ve left Miss Shi hanging, Fifth Master. You’ve really broken her heart this time."Yu Changxuan said, "My apologies, elder brother, but I'm utterly exhausted and must return to rest." Li Boren replied, "It's pouring outside—no need to go back. Just stay at our place for the night." After speaking, he smirked obsequiously and leaned in to whisper into Yu Changxuan's ear. Yu Changxuan detested such behavior and turned his head slightly to avoid Li Boren, his face showing clear impatience as he said, "If you have something to say, just say it."

Li Boren chuckled, "Miss Shi happens to be here still. I can arrange something for Fifth Master—wouldn't that be perfect?"

Yu Changxuan simply tossed out a "No need" and strode out into the rain. Adjutant Wu Zuoxiao led the guards following closely behind. The downpour was intense, with the sound of rain pattering everywhere, and the accumulated water on the ground was already one or two feet deep. By the time they got into the car, everyone was drenched. Adjutant Wu Zuoxiao instructed the driver, "Back to Maple Terrace." But from the back seat, Yu Changxuan interjected, "Where did you arrange for Ye Pingjun's mother to stay?"

Wu Zuoxiao, who had handled the matter, promptly replied, "At a residence in East Benevolence Bridge. I've also assigned two maids to attend to Madam Ye and a gatekeeper."

Yu Changxuan gave a noncommittal "Hmm" and said, "Let's go take a look there now."

The car headed straight for East Benevolence Bridge. The streets were flooded, rushing like treacherous rapids toward the lower areas. The sky was pitch black, illuminated only by the car's headlights casting a stark, bright beam. After driving for a while, they arrived at the residence in East Benevolence Bridge. Wu Zuoxiao suggested, "The rain is too heavy, Fifth Master. Please stay in the car—I'll go call Madam Ye out!"

Just as Yu Changxuan was about to step out, he turned and snapped at the remark, "What nonsense are you spouting! That's no way to do things!"

The reprimand silenced Wu Zuoxiao, who quickly got out to hold an umbrella for Yu Changxuan. Meanwhile, a guard went to knock on the gate. After several attempts, the gatekeeper—an old man—emerged and froze in fear at the sight before him. Yu Changxuan had already entered and saw a light on in the east wing room, where a maid came to open the door. He walked into the outer room and, hearing movement from the inner chamber, said, "No need to get up, Madam Ye. I just have one question, then I'll be on my way."

The sounds from the inner room ceased.

Standing in the outer room, raindrops pattered down from his raincoat. Outside, the rain intensified, cascading from the eaves like a waterfall. Yu Changxuan wiped the rain from his face, remained silent for a long moment, and then slowly asked, "What does she like to eat?"

There was still no response from the inner room. For a time, both inner and outer rooms fell into silence, broken only by the relentless downpour outside. After what felt like an eternity—long enough for the rainwater on his raincoat to drip away completely—a soft sigh came from the inner room, carrying the helpless sorrow of Madam Ye.

Late into the night, Ye Pingjun, unsettled by Qiu Luo's earlier disturbance, found herself unable to sleep. She leaned against the bed, continuing to string beads—only to have each completed strand come undone, forcing her to start over. Repeating this task kept her busy, allowing her to avoid thinking, as if granting herself a reprieve from the pain. Perhaps, she thought, these three years would pass by just like this, slowly and uneventfully.The rain outside the window grew heavier, yet it made Maple Terrace even more serene. In this silence, the door creaked open. Ye Pingjun was intently threading a needle through a small bead, assuming it was Qiu Luo returning with the ginseng soup, and said casually, "Just leave it on the table."

The footsteps at the door paused, then fell silent. A moment later, she heard him chuckle, "How did you know I brought you something?"

Her fingers trembled, and the small bead dropped into the bead box. Without looking up, she pulled the half-covered quilt up to her chest, shrinking back against the headboard as far as she could. When she finally raised her eyes to look at him, her gaze was as wary as a small beast chased by a hunter.

He watched her series of movements, noticing she was still neatly dressed in her tightly fastened outer clothes. After staring at her for a moment, he took a few steps forward and slowly sat down on the purple velvet sofa. Lowering his head slightly, he placed something in his hand on the coffee table. In the stalemate-like silence, he kept his eyes fixed on the table and suddenly laughed, "You don’t have a knife hidden under your pillow, do you?"

Ye Pingjun pressed her lips together and remained silent.

Yu Changxuan glanced at her, seeing her indifferent expression, and simply stood up, unfastening his outer belt with a sharp "snap."" He then loosened his shoulder straps and began unbuttoning his military uniform jacket. After undoing just one or two buttons, he noticed Ye Pingjun turn her head to stare at him, her face paling. As he took another step forward, she panicked and jumped off the bed, exclaiming, "What are you doing?"

Yu Changxuan smiled, "What do you think?"

Seeing him standing by the door, Ye Pingjun knew she had no chance of escaping. No matter how calm she usually was, in this situation, she felt utterly lost. Instinctively, she grabbed a nearby vase, raising it as if to smash it. He sneered coldly and pointed at the vase she held defensively, saying calmly, "Put that down!"

Her lips quivered, her gaze scattered with panic. Yu Changxuan tossed his weapon belt onto the bed and glanced at the tense Ye Pingjun. "Don’t forget who you are."

The begonia remains unchanged, yet a thousand threads of tenderness linger.

Those words blocked all her escape routes. Who was she? She was the gold thread sparrow he kept in a cage, destined for such a day sooner or later. What else could she do? Despair gradually filled Ye Pingjun’s clear eyes as she stood there stiffly, like a block of wood. He reached out, took the vase from her hand, and then grasped her right wrist. She instinctively tried to pull back, but he yanked her toward him.

Tears immediately welled up in Ye Pingjun’s eyes as she fearfully choked out, "No…" His movements paused for a moment, but then he let out a light laugh. In her panic, he pulled her to sit on the sofa, taking a seat beside her. He casually opened the item he had brought back—a steamer of chicken broth soup dumplings, still steaming hot. Pushing the steamer toward her, he said, "I bought these on a whim. Try them."