__
The morning after the festival came too soon. The bright joy of the lantern-lit streets had faded, replaced by the somber quiet of departure. Chi Yu stood by the cart as her parents loaded the last of their belongings, her fingers toying with the bracelet Huayiang had given her the night before. Its intricate beads seemed to pulse with life, a tangible reminder of the fleeting connection she’d made.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjJDvhTIBP
“Chi Yu, stop daydreaming and help your father with the chest!” her mother scolded, her tone sharp from the stress of the move.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDtaCd670CU
“Yes, Mama,” Chi Yu replied, slipping the bracelet back under her sleeve and hurrying to help.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynirYqk0sZ
The chest was heavy, its weight biting into her hands as she and her father hoisted it onto the cart. The reality of leaving struck her again, each movement making it more real. This wasn’t just a morning chore—this was goodbye. Goodbye to the streets she’d memorized, the neighbors she knew by name, and the city she’d always thought she’d grow old in.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhlZvcdNg8
As they secured the chest, her younger brother, Ming, bounded up, his cheeks flushed with excitement. “Do you think Sizhou will have dragons?” he asked, his eyes wide.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRXnCWoDHP
“Not real ones,” Chi Yu said, forcing a smile. “But maybe dragon kites or carvings.”
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9O8bDRCDUN
Ming’s enthusiasm was undeterred. “I’ll find a dragon one day,” he declared, racing off to inspect the cart wheels.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0JRwPxMXr
Her father chuckled. “That boy’s head is always in the clouds,” he said, patting Chi Yu on the shoulder.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzfiFqUffl
Chi Yu nodded absently, her thoughts elsewhere. She glanced back toward the direction of last night’s festival, half-expecting to see Huayiang standing there, his dark changshan stark against the morning light. But the streets were empty save for a stray dog nosing through discarded wrappers.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpkWFBfGLe
“Chi Yu!” her mother called again. “It’s time!”
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV3iLka3dhL
With a final look at her childhood home, Chi Yu climbed into the cart, settling beside Ming. The wheels creaked as the ox began its slow march forward, and Chang’an started to shrink behind them.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvbBNwrfYk
As the city disappeared from view, Chi Yu reached into her sleeve, letting her fingers trace the bracelet. Last night felt like a dream—a brief, impossible connection in the midst of a sea of celebration. Yet the bracelet was real, and so was the promise they’d made.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoi7Z6AaWiD
“Chi Yu, why are you so quiet?” Ming asked, tugging at her sleeve.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYzQoMdFCw
“I’m just thinking,” she replied.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxzw9CXyyw
“About what?”
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9geJqk1YkJ
“About dragons,” she lied, smiling at him.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCuyXvEhxF
Ming grinned, satisfied, and returned to peering over the side of the cart.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5qpDvZssU
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHhxEtoxVp
---
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mIJHk92QU
The journey to Sizhou was long and uneventful, the days marked by the steady rhythm of the ox’s hooves and the occasional chatter of passing travelers. Sizhou, when they finally arrived, was a different world entirely. Its streets were narrower, its buildings taller, and its air heavy with the scent of river water and freshly ground spices.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbR4PYr2wv
Their new home was modest but comfortable, nestled at the end of a bustling street lined with food stalls and fabric merchants. Chi Yu’s mother wasted no time organizing the household, barking orders as Chi Yu and Ming unpacked.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKDz0QQ5A4
Days turned into weeks, and life in Sizhou settled into a routine. Chi Yu helped her mother in the kitchen, ran errands for her father, and kept Ming out of trouble. Yet, no matter how busy she was, her thoughts often wandered back to Huayiang and the night of the lantern festival.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEyHoxUFRnf
She hadn’t told anyone about him—not her parents, not even Ming. It felt too personal, too precious to share. But at night, when the house was quiet and the city’s noises softened to a distant hum, she would hold the bracelet and wonder.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnMlYdITkf
Did he still have her hairpin? Did he think about her the way she thought about him? Would he keep his promise?
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7GwxZLDUP
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgncxg98YWG
---
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWO4tSyAVqL
One particularly humid evening, Chi Yu was sent to the market to fetch dried lotus seeds for dinner. The street was alive with activity—merchants calling out prices, children darting between stalls, and the scent of roasting chestnuts thick in the air.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7jNwyqYQk3
As she haggled with a vendor over the price, a flash of maroon and gold caught her eye. Her heart skipped. For a fleeting moment, she thought she saw Huayiang, his dark silhouette weaving through the crowd.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXVML21hNw
“Miss, are you buying or not?” the vendor asked impatiently.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoIZIvzpnSk
“Sorry,” Chi Yu muttered, handing over the coins.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymybcp0SU9
She grabbed the pouch of seeds and hurried after the figure, her pulse quickening. She darted through the throng, her eyes scanning for the familiar dark changshan and quiet confidence. But when she reached the end of the street, there was no one there.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFnytPKZtm
She stood still, catching her breath, her heart sinking. It wasn’t him. It couldn’t have been. Sizhou was far from Chang’an, and the idea of him being here was impossible.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3UeHntLiY
“Chi Yu!” a voice called.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBTro4qpv3
Startled, she turned, expecting to see her mother or Ming. Instead, a stranger stood there—a boy about her age, holding a small folded piece of parchment. He looked nervous, shifting from foot to foot.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLvXpiTEWV
“Are you Chi Yu?” he asked.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe145f0TspC
“Yes,” she said cautiously.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqRoRo27Lb
“This is for you,” he said, handing her the parchment before disappearing into the crowd.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcrv0QEiWP
Chi Yu unfolded it, her fingers trembling. The handwriting was neat and deliberate, the words simple but clear:
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKJWvbrOUf
"From Xinghua Mountain, to Sizhou. All happy events have a return. Wait for me."
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy4fXzH0l3T
She clutched the note, her heart racing. For the first time in weeks, she smiled—a small, hopeful smile that lit up her face.
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3lssgFpmE
Huayiang hadn’t forgotten. Neither would she.
__
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeB3wScpR99
→ Request update
and then Add to home screen.