Hand in hand, they ascended the stone steps as the distant sun began to sink behind the mountains, casting a vast expanse of twilight. By this time, the pilgrims had nearly all vanished. Ye Pingjun laughed and said, "I told you to come earlier. Now look—if we arrive and the temple gate is closed, we’ll have to trudge back down in disappointment."
Jiang Xueting chuckled, "Even if the temple gate is shut, seeing you would make them open it."
Pingjun asked curiously, "What do you mean by that?"
Jiang Xueting looked at her, smiling, "Because you look just like Guanyin."
His words drew a laugh from Pingjun. She raised her hands in a helpless gesture, "If that’s the case, and I resemble Guanyin while you don’t look like the Buddha, then I might enter the Guanyin Pavilion, but you’d have to stay outside."
Jiang Xueting replied warmly, "If I can’t go in, I’ll wait right here on the stone path for you to come out." No sooner had he spoken than Pingjun stumbled, her foot slipping on a patch of moss on the step. Jiang Xueting quickly steadied her. Once she regained her balance, he said, "You’ve had this habit since childhood—always tripping while walking. These stone steps are hard; a fall would really hurt."
Seeing that Xueting looked even more nervous than she did, she smiled and withdrew her hand. The two continued up the mountain and found the temple gate still open. They stood together in the main hall of Guanyin Pavilion, lit candles, and offered incense before kneeling side by side on the prayer cushions. Pingjun had just bowed once when she heard Jiang Xueting praying softly beside her, "Avalokiteśvara, bless us. I wish to unite with Pingjun in lifelong devotion, never betraying her in this life or the next."
Pingjun forgot to complete her bow and turned to look at Jiang Xueting, who had pressed his palms together devoutly. He bowed three times before straightening up and turning to her with a gentle smile. Reaching out, he took her hand. Pingjun instinctively tried to pull away but felt something cool drop into her palm—a golden ring, gleaming with a bright yellow hue. She looked up, and he said to her softly:
"Pingjun, let’s get married."
Pingjun stared blankly at Jiang Xueting, her heart suddenly feeling hollow and still as stagnant water. She could feel the edges of the ring pressing lightly into her palm, the slight sting bringing her back to reality. Only then did she realize that Jiang Xueting had been watching her all along, his clear, chivalrous eyes filled with anticipation, as if she had already agreed.
His voice held both guilt and resolve as he said, "Because of my special circumstances, our marriage can’t be announced in the papers, and we can’t sign a marriage certificate. I’m also worried about your safety. In a few days, I’ll buy a house in Luzhou under your name. You and your aunt can move there. I’ll visit you whenever I have time."
Seeing Pingjun’s dazed expression, he knew his reasons sounded feeble and added hastily, "With this ring as our pledge, don’t you trust me? From today onward, you are my wife, and I am your husband."Pingjun suddenly whispered, "Husband?" A dazed look flickered through her eyes. Seeing her like this, Jiang Xueting panicked, afraid she might refuse. Casting all caution aside, he raised his right hand in a vow and declared resolutely, "Pingjun, even if I betray everyone else in this world, I will never betray you. If I ever break this promise, may I die a wretched death and find no peace in the afterlife!"
Finally hearing his words clearly, her heart fluttered with alarm, and she hurriedly said, "Don’t make such a vow before the Bodhisattva!"
Jiang Xueting was also taken aback. He instinctively turned to look at the lofty statue of Guanyin, its compassionate face veiled in swirling incense smoke. He couldn’t help but shudder. Yet, her concern for him filled his heart with joy, and he couldn’t resist taking her hand, murmuring softly, "Pingjun, I’m so happy you care for me like this."
Pingjun, however, kept her head lowered, her delicate profile softened by a gentle expression. No matter how fervent he was, she only replied quietly, "You fool, don’t talk nonsense from now on."
By evening, a pale yellow moon hung in the sky. Jiang Xueting drove Pingjun all the way to the flower shop before leaving. As Pingjun entered the shop, she saw her mother resting in a rattan chair by the window. Noticing Pingjun’s return, Madam Ye beckoned to her and said, "You’ve been out so long—come sit for a while."
Pingjun walked over, poured two cups of tea, placed one beside Madam Ye, and took the other to sit in a nearby rattan chair. After taking a sip, Madam Ye asked with a smile, "What scenery did you enjoy today?" Pingjun lowered her head slightly, slowly setting her cup on the table. "Mom, look," she said, taking out the ring and its box and placing them in the middle of the table. Madam Ye turned to look, but remained silent for a long while.
Pingjun kept her head down, her expression calm. Her long eyelashes drooped slightly, and she pressed her lips together softly, untangling the handkerchief fastened to her button and winding it silently around her fingers. After a long pause, Madam Ye finally said softly, "Ping’er, Xueting has changed."
Pingjun turned to her. "It’s not his fault—I’m the one who changed first."
Madam Ye asked, "Then, do you still want to be with him…?" Without a moment’s hesitation, Pingjun shook her head and said, "Mom, I don’t. I don’t want anything right now. He forced this ring on me today—I’ll return it to him tomorrow." Madam Ye nodded with a gentle smile. "Good, I’ll follow your lead." Seeing Pingjun breathe a soft sigh of relief, as if a weight had been lifted, Madam Ye felt considerably lighter herself. She added, "Li Yuan’s birthday is tomorrow—she’s invited you over." Pingjun nodded. "I’ll go tomorrow evening."
Madam Ye nodded again and rose to rest in the inner room. After her mother left, Pingjun sat alone in the flower shop, finally lowering her head and taking a gleaming object from her pocket. She laid a handkerchief across her palm and carefully placed the small item on it, handling it with the utmost care and caution.
When she left Maple Terrace, she had taken nothing with her—except this small white jade tiger.The jade tiger lay quietly in her palm. She stroked it with her fingers, feeling its smooth texture, and gazed at it in a daze without uttering a word for a long while. Her faint shadow was cast on the wall, and two pots of green bamboo by the window swayed in the night breeze. Unaware of how desolate her silent reverie appeared, she remained lost in thought. Madam Ye, who had intended to ask her to rest, saw her like this and thought: How could a daughter who had just turned twenty bear so many burdens, already like a fading rose, with her lifetime of happiness seemingly concluded? Overcome with sorrow, Madam Ye couldn’t hold back two streams of tears.
The next morning, Ye Pingjun carried a pot of newly bloomed dwarf plum bonsai to a newly opened antique shop at the front street corner. The weather was somewhat overcast, with a few snowflakes drifting down. Stalls selling fruits, rice cakes, and soybean milk lined both sides of the street. After walking a few steps with the bonsai in her hands, she suddenly stopped and glanced sideways. There stood an elegant man in a Western suit, holding a camera and taking a picture of her. Noticing she had seen him, he calmly put the camera away and gave her a friendly, refined smile, blurting out, “How do you do!” He then paused, patted his head as if worried she might not understand, and quickly added with a laugh, “Hello.”
Though Pingjun wasn’t fluent in English, she hadn’t forgotten what she had learned in school. Seeing his cheerful smile, she said nothing and turned to continue walking. Suddenly, she heard him shout, “Watch out!” He pulled her aside abruptly as a car with guards standing on all its running boards whizzed past her at high speed. Pingjun’s heart leaped in fright, and the dwarf plum bonsai in her hands fell to the ground, shattering to pieces.
The man exclaimed repeatedly, “What a pity, what a pity,” and hurriedly crouched down to clean up the debris, moving even faster than Pingjun. “It’s all my fault for being too hasty and ruining such a fine pot of flowers.” Pingjun, her face pale from the shock, finally collected herself and said, “Sir, it’s not your fault. You were trying to help me.”
Seeing the bonsai was beyond repair, the young man took out his wallet and began flipping through bills, saying, “How much does this bonsai cost? I’ll buy it to compensate you.” Pingjun replied in surprise, “Really, there’s no need.”
As she was about to turn and leave, she noticed the car that had nearly hit her had stopped not far away in front of a jewelry store. The guards from the car stepped down, rifles on their backs, and took positions on either side of the store. When the car door opened, a man got out first, then turned to offer his arm to a beautiful, fashionable woman. The woman giggled, “Didn’t we agree to go see a movie? What are we doing here?”
He smiled and said, “The diamond rings here are excellent. I wanted you to take a look.”
Tilting her head with a smile on her lips, she replied, “I don’t want to see them.” Holding her hand gently, he said with warmth and consideration, “That won’t do. How can I know the size if you don’t come personally?”The sky grew increasingly overcast, and the wind gradually picked up. Pingjun felt as if the chill had seeped deep into her bones, making even her joints ache painfully. The young man in front of her noticed her face turning paler and quickly asked, "Miss, are you all right?"
Pingjun shook her head lightly and whispered, "It's nothing. I need to go home." Seeing her poor complexion, the man tried to hail a rickshaw from the roadside to take her, but Pingjun declined, "I won't take a rickshaw."
She continued walking along the street and, as she passed by a jewelry store, overheard a woman's voice from inside: "I don't want this diamond—it looks so tacky. Jiang Xueting, come take a look at this one. Isn't it better?"
Pingjun lowered her head and slowly walked away.
In the afternoon, while Pingjun was sitting in the flower shop, she heard the sound of a car outside. A figure flashed past the door, and sure enough, Jiang Xueting walked in, bringing a gust of cold air with him. Shaking the snow off his overcoat, he smiled and said, "It's freezing outside, and the wind is fierce."
She was sitting by a small stove, cooking rice cakes, and upon hearing him, she smiled faintly. "Then come warm yourself by the fire. I've made some rice cakes—I'll serve you a bowl when they're ready."
He caught the aroma of the cooking rice cakes and grinned. "Great, I'm just hungry. Make sure to give me a big portion." Pulling up a stool to sit beside her, he warmed his hands over the stove and said cheerfully, "I came to tell you some good news. I've had someone find a nice house in Luzhou. We can go take a look in a day or two."
She smiled and asked, "Mother and I are doing just fine here. Why should we move to Luzhou?"
Jiang Xueting was taken aback. He glanced at Pingjun, then chuckled, "Don't be mischievous now. We made a promise before Guanyin—you can't go back on your word."
Pingjun gazed into the pot where the rice cakes were boiling. The fire was a bit too strong, causing the cakes to tumble in the broth like fish in boiling water. The steam warmed her face, stinging her eyes with its heat. Stirring the soup with a ladle, she suddenly let out a soft laugh. "When are you and Second Miss Tao getting married?"
Silence fell abruptly beside her.
The fire in the stove roared, and the wind howled outside the window, yet the room was filled with warmth. After what felt like an eternity, the surroundings grew eerily quiet. His face took on an indescribable complexity, looking utterly grim. Finally, he said, "Soon, by the end of next month."
Severing ties, burning passions to ashes.
The fire in the stove roared, and the wind howled outside the window, yet the room was filled with warmth. After what felt like an eternity, the surroundings grew eerily quiet. His face took on an indescribable complexity, looking utterly grim. Finally, he said, "Soon, by the end of next month."
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