When the fragrance of zongzi leaves drifted through the air, every household had already hung mugwort and calamus by their doors. Standing at the entrance of Denghua Lane and looking inward, one could see lush greenery, brimming with life.
Chu Mingse hugged the meticulously crafted “Artemisia Tiger Calamus Sword” she had made and stood before the Pei residence’s main gate, rising on her tiptoes to hang it on the lintel.
Morning light filtered through the pear tree by the courtyard wall, casting dappled shadows on her dodder-colored silk skirt.
“This is a craft passed down from my mother’s ancestors!” She turned and smiled at Pei Zhaoxue, who sat in the Plain Sedan Chair beside her, her brows curving like a crescent moon and her cheeks full like a red apple. “My mother’s family originally came from Penglai. Over there, they have the custom of weaving mugwort into tiger shapes and cutting calamus leaves into sword forms—they say it’s the most effective for warding off evil! Even though my mother’s family moved away from Penglai long ago, we’ve kept this tradition.”
Pei Zhaoxue reached out and lightly touched the rough edge of the mugwort leaf, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. “It does look more imposing than ordinary bundles of mugwort.”
His outstretched hand was immediately caught by two small hands, and a strand of five-colored silk thread was tied around his wrist. “This is a long-life cord I braided myself. When the Qiqiao Festival comes, we’ll go to Moon River together and toss it away. I go there to make a wish every year—it’s very effective.”
The five-colored silk thread loosely wrapped around his slightly prominent wrist bone, making his pale skin and slender bones appear even more refined against it.
As Chu Mingse moved, her sleeve slipped down, revealing her wrist adorned with the same five-colored silk thread—a full size smaller than Pei Zhaoxue’s.
Long-life cords were traditionally tied by elders for their juniors. Chu Mingse was clearly still a child with her hair in tufts, yet she put on the airs of a little adult to offer blessings for Pei Zhaoxue.
Had the uncles and aunties in the lane seen this, they would surely have laughed at her and corrected her misunderstanding of the festival customs. But Pei Zhaoxue simply watched her tie the long-life cord around his wrist, with no intention of interrupting or minding at all.
When someone sincerely prays for your protection from harm, what do age, status, or festival customs matter?
Chu Mingse carefully fastened the five-colored silk thread, then took out a sachet embroidered with orchids. “Wear this embroidered pouch. Inside are fragrant herbs my mother blended herself—not as pungent as the prescriptions from the medicine shop. Hang it by your bedside at night; it can also help calm your mind.”
Pei Zhaoxue: “Is this pouch of yours some kind of treasure bag? How do you have everything? If there’s more, bring it all out.”
Chu Mingse smiled and shook her head, spreading both hands. “I really don’t have anything else on me.”
“But there’s more at home!” She grinned as she looked into his pale, light eyes, her voice cheerful. “Come to my house today and eat zongzi! We have the honey-date filling I love, and the salty pork zongzi my father likes. Oh, and my mother’s homemade salted duck eggs—the kind where the yolks ooze oil. You must try them.”
“Or, what filling do you like? I’ll go tell my mother.”
A faint smile appeared in Pei Zhaoxue’s eyes. “I like honey-date too.”
“Perfect!” Chu Mingse clapped her hands. “Then we can—”
Before she could finish, the sound of dragon boat drums being tested drifted in from outside the lane.
“The dragon boat race is about to start! Let’s go wait by the river first—if we’re late, we won’t get a good spot!” Chu Mingse’s eyes lit up, and she headed toward the river with Pei Zhaoxue.
Hearing the drums, the children in the lane also popped out one by one, happily gathering around.
“Sese! Brother Pei!” Xiao Shitou led a few children alongside the Plain Sedan Chair, chattering noisily as they argued over which dragon boat was the prettiest and which one could win first place.
“Sese!” Lin Ergou chased after her and handed her a small pinwheel. The wind spun its colorful blades with a whirring sound, blurring into a rainbow-like trail.
Ah Hua peeked curiously at his hand from the side. “Brother Ergou, you’re so stingy—just one little pinwheel? What about mine?”
“This is the only one for today. I’ll make another when I get more materials,” Lin Ergou explained casually.
“Can Ah Hua play with it for a while?” Chu Mingse quickly held up the pinwheel and asked Lin Ergou.
“Once I give it to you, it’s yours. You can let anyone play with it.”
Chu Mingse promptly handed the pinwheel to Ah Hua, who took it happily.
Ah Hua: “Don’t just stand here talking—let’s go, before it gets too crowded.”
Lin Ergou waved his hand and said, “My uncle is on the town’s dragon boat team today, so I have to go watch him. I can’t join you all.”
He cast a displeased cold glance at Pei Zhaoxue. “Hey, you take good care of Sese.”
Pei Zhaoxue didn’t spare him a single glance, as if he hadn’t heard a word.
Lin Ergou: “Hey, what kind of attitude is that!”
Chu Mingse spoke up for him: “Ergou, Brother Xuetuan’s name isn’t ‘hey.’ You should call him ‘Brother Pei.'”
Lin Ergou’s face twisted as if he had a toothache. There was no way he was going to say that.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of Brother Xuetuan,” Chu Mingse vowed earnestly.
Lin Ergou: “Who’s worried about him… whatever. Sese, don’t squeeze into the crowded spots by the water. Every year, someone gets pushed into the river.”
“I know, I know. I’m with Brother Xuetuan, so nothing will happen. Go do your thing.”
Seeing Chu Mingse wave him off without a hint of reluctance, Lin Ergou felt deeply disappointed and walked away, glancing back every few steps.
The crowd heading toward the river soon blocked his view.
Pei Zhaoxue hadn’t been amid such a lively crowd in a long time, and sitting in the Plain Sedan Chair limited his view considerably. He furrowed his brow, somewhat uncomfortable with the clamor of voices around him.
But when Chu Mingse turned to speak with him, the crease between his brows smoothed away in an instant, softening as he listened to her.
“Brother Xuetuan, let’s go watch the dragon boat race from Arch Moon Bridge. There are fewer people there, and the view is great…”
“Yes, yes! Sese is really good at picking spots!” Xiao Shitou squeezed in beside them, nodding vigorously.
“Xiao Shitou!”
A middle-aged man covered in the dust of travel suddenly pushed through from the outside and scooped up Xiao Shitou.
“Second Uncle! You’re back!” Xiao Shitou greeted the man happily, kicking his legs to get down. “Second Uncle, my parents are at home—go find them. I’m going to watch the dragon boat race with Sese and Brother Pei…”
Before he could finish, his second uncle shot a wary, guarded glare at Pei Zhaoxue and carried Xiao Shitou back the way they came. “Come back with your second uncle first to see your parents. I’ll take you to watch the race afterward.”
Xiao Shitou was carried off looking utterly bewildered.
Pei Zhaoxue keenly caught the hidden hostility in Xiao Shitou’s second uncle’s eyes and asked Chu Mingse calmly, “What does Xiao Shitou’s second uncle do? I don’t think I’ve seen him before?”
“He’s a traveling merchant, roaming all over the place and rarely home. The last time I saw him was during the New Year, so of course you’ve never met him,” Chu Mingse replied, then stood on her tiptoes to greet an elderly woman in the distance.
She nudged Ah Hua beside her. “Ah Hua, your grandmother is here!”
“Here’s your pinwheel back—I’m off to find my grandparents!” Ah Hua quickly handed the pinwheel back to Chu Mingse and dashed off.
“Ah Hua’s grandparents live in the neighboring town. They’re getting on in years and don’t go out much, only occasionally visiting during festivals,” Chu Mingse explained to Pei Zhaoxue.
Brother Xuetuan had specifically asked about Xiao Shitou’s second uncle earlier—he must be getting curious about the neighbors and wanting to learn more. Father said that was a good thing, so she had to introduce everyone properly!
With that, Chu Mingse began pointing out familiar faces in the crowd to Pei Zhaoxue.
On ordinary days, everyone was busy making a living, but during festivals, there was naturally a reason to visit relatives and friends. As they walked toward the river, they kept running into relatives who had come to call. Before long, the group of children gathered around Chu Mingse and Pei Zhaoxue had all been scooped up by their respective elders.
Only then did Pei Zhaoxue realize that the Chu household seemed to consist of just three people, and he had never seen any other relatives of theirs. Yet judging by the neighbors’ behavior, they appeared to have settled here for many years…
“Don’t you need to go home?” Pei Zhaoxue asked tactfully.
“No need! Father said I should let you have a good time out here today before we head back,” Chu Mingse replied, not catching his underlying meaning.
Pei Zhaoxue had to be more direct: “Aren’t any of your other elders visiting today?”
Chu Mingse shook her head. “We don’t have any other elders. My father and mother eloped!”
Her tone was so matter-of-fact, as if she didn’t realize what a scandalous thing “eloping” was.
Before Pei Zhaoxue could say anything, Chu Mingse shook her head and added, “No, wait—it was my father who eloped on his own. My maternal grandfather and grandmother had agreed to their marriage. But they both passed away before I was born, so I never got to meet them.”
Pei Zhaoxue: “…Your father…”
“My father said his own father was an old stick-in-the-mud who wouldn’t let him marry my mother, so he just ran off secretly.” Chu Mingse suddenly remembered she had never told Pei Zhaoxue why he was her “savior,” and hurriedly shared the story her mother had told her.
Though she called it a story, she did know one thing: “My mother said that if it weren’t for your mother’s help, my mother and father wouldn’t have been able to be together.”
A flicker passed through Pei Zhaoxue’s eyes. He had never heard his mother mention old friends with the surnames Chu or Qu. Only once, when his father was drunk, had he vaguely overheard his father bitterly mention someone surnamed Chu… but surely it was just a coincidence.
For now, Pei Zhaoxue had only one piece of advice for Chu Mingse: “In the future, don’t follow your father’s example. It’s not easy for a woman to stand on her own—she faces too much criticism. If you ever encounter something like that, come tell me. Don’t act on impulse and elope with someone.”
“I know, Brother Xuetuan.” Chu Mingse said with utter seriousness, “My father also said I shouldn’t fall for some boy’s sweet talk about buying me candy and abandon my parents to leave home. Unless he’s willing to leave his own home for me and marry into our family—only then can I consider it.”
Pei Zhaoxue: “……”
What on earth was Uncle Chu teaching Sese every day?
He opened his mouth to say something, but didn’t know where to begin. He was only eleven—no matter how many books he had read or how much more mature he was than his peers, romance and marriage were still far too distant for him.
After thinking it over for a long while, he had to admit that Uncle Chu’s instructions to Sese didn’t seem to be lacking in anything—at the very least, Sese probably wouldn’t suddenly elope with someone.
He could only caution, “Then you should think it over carefully.”
Not everyone willing to marry into the family was necessarily a good person.
He glanced at Chu Mingse’s carefree profile and thought that it was still too early to discuss such matters now. After all, by the time she reached the age for marriage, he would be able to vet suitors for her.
Author’s note:
In the future, when Little Pei vets suitors: This one’s too pedantic, no. This one’s too rash, no. This one’s too dark, no.