The heavy snow fell without pause from the tail end of the twelfth lunar month all the way to the sixth day of the new year. Even at night, one could hear the rustling and creaking of snow on the roof ridges, like some nameless monster crawling overhead, the cold air turning into a spirit that burrowed everywhere.
By the seventh day of the new year, the sun finally emerged from behind the curtain of clouds, and a layer of dazzling light rippled across the accumulated snow on Red Jade Terrace.
With winter's arrival, the light had grown dim and murky, so Xie Jilian had ordered the window gauze at Red Jade Terrace replaced with mica sheets that were both warm and translucent. These thin, pearl-like sheets, delicate as cicada wings, shimmered with iridescent splendor, as if clouds had been trapped within each window pane.
His intentions had been good, but now that the sun was out, the snowlight reflected onto the mica sheets, and Xu Qiaoxi, sitting by the window, felt as though she were leaning against a great lantern, her eyes dazed and swimming.
Wang Mu'ai held a cup of hot tea and smiled as she watched Xu Qiaoxi rub her eyes. "Even using mica for a single screen would already be considered extravagant. The amount used here must equal twenty screens' worth. Isn't Brother Lingjia being far too generous?"
"Oh, this…"
Didn't Xu Qiaoxi know it all too well? She had tried to stop Xie Jilian, begged him not to be so recklessly extravagant. Looking at all the things he had arranged around her, Xu Qiaoxi was so alarmed she felt she would be paying off debts in hell after she died.
But Xie Jilian had been reading beneath her window at the time. Hearing her dissatisfied muttering, he set his book down on the table with a faint smile.
"Qiaoxi is kind-hearted and frugal. If you keep saving, you'll surely earn yourself a reputation for virtue. But… even I find my eyes growing sore reading in this dim light."
"Won't Qiaoxi think of me and set aside her virtuous heart for a while?"
What more could she say? She couldn't very well let Xie Jilian ruin his eyes, could she? Besides, it was his house—if the master wanted to change the windows, did she really have grounds to stop him?
Xu Qiaoxi always felt so powerless before Xie Jilian. He was too eloquent, too persuasive. Even if Xu Qiaoxi had a valid argument, in front of him it seemed to count for nothing, and she could only go along with him.
Xu Qiaoxi smiled faintly and lowered her hand from her eyes. "Let's not talk about him. Let's talk about our business. Have you read the letter I sent, miss? Do you agree?"
Wang Mu'ai hesitated, turning the teacup in her hands, then finally set it down gently on the table and drew a letter with crooked handwriting from her bosom.
"Little Madam…"
"Mu'ai doesn't understand—Brother Lingjia treats you with such care and devotion. Can you really bear to leave?"
Last night, braving the wind and snow, Red Jade Terrace had delivered a letter to Wang Mu'ai.
The handwriting was painful to look at. Wang Mu'ai guessed it must have been written by that peculiar Little Madam herself. And indeed, when she opened the letter, its contents were even more shocking.
Xu Qiaoxi hoped that when the Wang family traveled south, they could take her along. In exchange, she would soon leave Xie Jilian, giving Wang Mu'ai a clean and peaceful Xie household.
Once she went south, she would have no further connection with Xie Jilian whatsoever.
The letter was quite blunt, and its final line drew Wang Mu'ai in like a candle flame draws a moth. She held the letter, her heart pounding.
Of course she wanted Xu Qiaoxi to leave—the farther, the better.
But… Wang Mu'ai touched the smooth, fragile mica sheet in the window frame beside her, waves of doubt churning in her heart.
Fine clothes, fine food, favor and affection—could Xu Qiaoxi truly give all that up? The expenses Brother Lingjia lavished on his Little Madam were enough to make even her, a daughter of the Wang family, gasp.
If she left him, how would she survive?
"One has to try living first before finding the answer, doesn't one?"
Xu Qiaoxi replied naturally.
No breaking, no making—that was how all great truths in the world worked.
Wang Mu'ai shook her head, her expression pitying. "You're too naive. The world out there… take this snow, for instance."
She looked through the mica window at the snow piled in the courtyard, deep enough to reach mid-calf.
"We sit here by the fire, sipping tea, idly discussing the extravagance of mica and how the snowlight stings the eyes. But would you believe that at this very moment, there are not a few corpses lying in the streets of Luoyang? Snow is both the water for noble families to brew tea and cook meat, and the burial earth for the poor."
"Are you truly not afraid?"
Xu Qiaoxi's breath grew light, her gaze slowly dropping. Beneath the table, her fingers twisted together.
How could she not be afraid?
She had been born in the 21st century. Her family wasn't wealthy, but she had never gone hungry or known poverty. She had studied for over a decade and gotten into university. By this era's standards, Xu Qiaoxi's standard of living could absolutely be called "pampered and spoiled."
But precisely because she came from the 21st century, there were things more important to her than material comfort.
Xu Qiaoxi wasn't made of wood or stone. Xie Jilian was good to her without limits. She could hold out for a day, for two days—but a year? Two years?
Sometimes she was terrified, worried that one day she'd open her eyes and do something that even she would find strange and horrifying—like truly believing others didn't deserve to eat crab, truly believing mica sheets should cover every window, even as people outside were dying from cold and poverty…
What frightened her most was that she vaguely felt that day drawing closer and closer.
Treating all equally, believing all beings are born equal—that was the moral affliction of modern people.
Xu Qiaoxi was grateful this stubborn illness still clung to her.
"If you don't believe me, we can pick a day to look at houses in Luoyang. Would you accompany me to buy a small place to settle in?"
Her gaze was clear and composed, even carrying a hint of a smile, as relaxed as if they were going on a spring outing.
Wang Mu'ai gazed at her, finding herself completely unable to see through this young woman before her.
"…Very well."
"I'd also like to ask, miss, how soon can you set out?"
Wang Mu'ai pondered briefly, then counted off for Xu Qiaoxi one by one. "The first month is busy with New Year festivities, the second month will surely bring court matters of disaster relief, and in the third month my elder brother will bring our mother home from the Daoist temple. So counting it out, the earliest would be the fourth month, and at the latest, no later than the fifth."
The mother of the Wang siblings hailed from the Yuan clan of Chen Commandery. Two years after giving birth to Wang Mu'ai, she had entered a life of religious cultivation with her hair still bound. For their branch of the family to head south, they would inevitably bring their mother along to travel with them.
So even accounting for such interruptions of personal matters, it was still less than half a year away.
Hold on, and make it safely to Jiankang—that should be possible.
Xu Qiaoxi nodded silently, thinking to herself that she needed to do one other thing—go to Baojia Temple and pay respects to that White Jade Guanshiyin.
To beg it to show great mercy and forgive her for "selling" Xie Jilian to Wang Mu'ai in exchange for her own freedom.
In early February, the snowy season was nearly over. The heavy snows that had fallen around the New Year had stopped, and only scattered wet flakes drifted down from the sky.
Xie Jilian had prepared an ox cart, for today he was to enter the palace to discuss matters of disaster relief for the snow calamities in the northern regions.
Before he had even passed through the main gate of Qianchuan Chunting, he heard footsteps behind him, now near, now far, like a little mouse that didn't know its place.
Turning around, the corner of his eye caught a flash of lilac-purple cloak swaying by the arched gateway in the courtyard.
Xie Jilian let out a helpless, low laugh and walked toward that cloak, the thin snow crunching beneath his steps.
He stopped outside the archway, arms crossed, waiting for that "little mouse" to poke her head out, then watched with leisurely amusement as she gave a start.
"Jilian is going out on official business—why is Qiaoxi following?"
"Ah… I…"
Xu Qiaoxi had arranged to meet Wang Mu'ai today to look at houses, planning to slip out while Xie Jilian was at court, so she wouldn't have to lie in front of him and give herself away.
But honest folk have a rule: the moment they do something bad, they're caught immediately.
Xu Qiaoxi simply laid it out plainly: "I made plans with Lady Wang to go out and have some fun."
"The wet snow is falling thick—what fun is there to be had?"
"I haven't been out in months…"
Xie Jilian's amber pupils shifted slightly as he took in Xu Qiaoxi's faint discontent from above.
"You must go out?"
"Just for a walk."
He let out a soft sigh, as if he had no way to deal with her.
His jade-white fingers pinched the lilac-purple cloak, and his brow unconsciously pressed down.
"Too thin."
Xie Jilian called for Yu Pu to bring his silver-threaded fox fur coat, then unfastened the cloak and exchanged it, dressing her in it with his own hands.
The dense, silky fur seemed to carry warmth of its own. When Xu Qiaoxi put it on, she seemed wrapped in the balmy spring light of the third month.
Xie Jilian fastened the buttons for her, then carefully tucked the fur collar around her neck.
"Wet snow is the worst—the moment it lands on your clothes, it soaks right through. This fur coat is made from northwestern silver-black fox, the most resistant to wind and snow. Wear it properly while you're out, and don't take it off because you feel warm."
As he adjusted the collar, his fingertips brushed lightly, almost imperceptibly, across her soft cheek. Seeing her staring at him with dazed eyes, a mischievous urge suddenly rose in him to pinch her.
But he had no excuse to torment her, so he suppressed that spark of a thought.
She truly hadn't been out in over half a year. If he kept her confined any longer, he feared she'd grow resentful—and one day start gnawing at the cage and tearing the place apart.
"Are Lu Yun and Lan Yan not going with you?"
"They're busy cutting spring clothes soon. Lady Wang has her own attendants, so there's no need to worry."
Xie Jilian was about to say more when Xu Qiaoxi hurriedly pushed at his arm. "Aren't you supposed to be at court for discussions? You'll be late—go on, go on…"
Pushed along by her, Xie Jilian let out a silent, helpless laugh.
"One last thing."
He caught Xu Qiaoxi by the forearm, his eyes bright as if holding water, like a small yellow moon resting on a lake.
"Go early, return early."
The wind chime beneath the eaves of the ox cart rang softly, then gradually fell still.
Xu Qiaoxi held Wang Mu'ai's hand as they followed the property broker into a house.
"Honored lady, take a look at this dwelling. The main hall, the kitchen—all bright and airy, excellent natural light! Enclosed by walls on all sides, with doors and gates complete—you can move in without adding a thing. And come see this—a little pond! You could raise fish or shrimp if you like, even keep ducks!"
Wang Mu'ai's heart was stirred by the pitch. Peering around through her veil, she leaned her head toward Xu Qiaoxi. "This one's good—shall we settle on it?"
Beneath the veil's gauze, Xu Qiaoxi frowned and muttered, "Let's not… this one's… a bit too nice."
"Hah?" The broker was taken aback, his thin, sallow face breaking into a smile. "Honored lady, with the way you're dressed, I'm afraid this shabby place would be an insult to you—how could you…"
Wang Mu'ai shook Xu Qiaoxi's hand. "When you live on your own, you should live as well as you can. Are you afraid you can't afford the price?"
Then she could pay for it herself.
Xu Qiaoxi shook her head, her lips pressing together, unable to speak.
The aristocratic families who had crossed south all believed they were merely fleeing the wars in the north temporarily, that one day they could return. But Xu Qiaoxi knew: they would never return.
It would take several hundred years before the peoples of north and south were united again.
At a time like this, buying a nice, expensive house would just make you a fool—before long, the barbarians would torch it all anyway.
In chaotic times, it's best to skimp on housing.
Xu Qiaoxi asked the broker, "Is there anything smaller? I don't keep fish or fowl, and I'll be living alone."
"Well…" The broker seemed troubled. He licked his dry lips. "There are, certainly—plenty, in fact. After the plague last year, a lot of small houses in the southern ward were left empty."
"But it's rough over there, and the houses are scattered about with no one to tend to them."
"The young ladies won't be able to see them today, I'm afraid. Give me five or six days to make arrangements on my end."
"Fine, it's settled."
Xu Qiaoxi and the broker quickly agreed on a viewing date, and she took Wang Mu'ai's arm as they headed out.
The freedom to come felt like a bird on the horizon—far off, but Xu Qiaoxi could see it.
She was so eager her steps nearly bounced.
But the atmosphere by the ox cart shattered her joy in an instant.
A servant of the Wang household, club in hand, was snarling at a ragged young man:
"Scram! Get lost!"
"Dare to come begging at the Wang house? You've got a death wish!"
While the two had gone inside, a beggar had appeared before the cart.
He'd thrown himself around a wheel, refusing to budge, insisting the Wang family buy him, saying he'd serve them as a slave or maid.
"There's war up north—my parents both died last year. I brought my little brother and sister all the way begging to Luoyang, but then a heavy snow took them too. Please, just buy me!"
The young man wept bitterly, letting the blows land on his body, his arms locked around the wheel without flinching.
"Hey—stop! Quit hitting him!"
Xu Qiaoxi rushed over, face pale, blocking the servant's hand.
The young man was around twenty, with sharp, high-set features—lean and handsome, his frame taller and broader than most men's.
"Are you all right?"
She crouched down and saw his eyes were red, pitiful.
His gaze landed on her fox-fur coat, and as if snapping to his senses, he immediately kowtowed to her.
"Please, miss, just give me a bite to eat…"
"Don't—please, you…" Flustered, she pressed a hand to his shoulder and suddenly noticed many alarming old scars there.
Long, deep, as if cut by blades.
The new flesh growing over them was pinkish, glistening against his wheat-toned skin.
People from the north lived through years of war—it was hard not to bear some mark. Xu Qiaoxi glanced once and couldn't bear to look again.
"Take this."
She slipped the jade ring off her middle finger and pressed it into the young man's hand. "Sell it at a pawnshop—it'll feed you for a while."
A noble household wouldn't casually take in a beggar. Xu Qiaoxi and Wang Mu'ai couldn't buy him and bring him back, so all they could do was offer some help.
With the ring in hand, the young man stopped blocking the way. He watched them board the cart and kowtowed repeatedly behind them.
Inside the cart, Wang Mu'ai clutched her chest, tears of fright in her eyes. "That scared me to death!"
Seeing that Xu Qiaoxi seemed unfazed, Wang Mu'ai slapped her knee hard, exasperated:
"You were taken in by him!"
A cold wind lifted the cart curtain, and wet snow pattered down. Amid the drifting flakes, a face flashed past outside. Before Xu Qiaoxi could even register Wang Mu'ai's words, her heart gave a startled lurch.
Outside… that looked like Wei Zhao.