Chapter Forty-Six: New Year's Eve

The heavy snow had been falling for several days, and the chill grew ever more intense. On New Year’s Eve, the entire family gathered together to stay up through the night. Her brother and sister-in-law behaved as usual, making small talk with neither warmth nor coldness. Their parents watched the lively scene, faces alight with gentle smiles. Qianzhi flitted among them, the jade pendant at her waist ringing with every step. The table was laden with snacks and sweets—ten varieties of candies, crystal rice balls, candied fruits, honeyed ginger beans, soap cakes, honey crisps, small abalone pastries, market cakes, five-colored beans, roasted chestnuts, ginkgo nuts, and more. There were also small toys, tiles, and cards for entertainment. The red candles cast a warm glow across the room, illuminating faces flushed with joy and laughter—a scene of perfect merriment.

Around the hour of the Boar, the night had deepened. Looking through the papered windows, one could see the sky blanketed with swirling snow, the world outside draped in silver. The steward hurried in carrying a letter, announcing it was for the young lady. Under the curious gaze of all present, Ye Qianran accepted the letter. Inside was a jade pendant, bound with a lover’s knot—a piece far too familiar to her. She had once snatched it from her brother’s hand, intending to use it for a meeting with Liuyun. Yet at the time, the pendant had not been hers—it was something she had taken by force. In the days after Lianxin’s departure, she had often imagined Liuyun placing it in her hand, telling her that she was his only love in this life. But he had never said such things. She could sense his feelings, yet without the pendant, her heart was always uneasy. He never spoke words of love or made vows of everlasting togetherness. Though she knew such words were often empty, she still longed for them, foolishly believing that if he would only say them, they would truly never be apart.

Now, gazing at the pendant in her hand, she felt a warmth so piercing it brought tears to her eyes. She thought that having this pendant was enough. Perhaps Lianxin would always be an irreparable pain in his heart, but if she truly loved him, she should not dwell on such matters. Perhaps, had there never been a Lianxin, she would never have fallen for him.

Wen Qiumei rose with a smile, weaving through the crowd to the window where Ye Qianran stood lost in thought, staring at the jade pendant. Guessing the situation, she gently took the pendant and said with a laugh, “Who could be so considerate as to remember our Qianran on New Year’s Eve? Could it be he knows today is your birthday, and he sent this as a special gift?”

Hearing her mother speak so openly, Ye Qianran blushed. At that moment, Ye An stood up. “Let me take a look. Perhaps I can tell everyone who sent it.” Ye Qianran shot him a fierce glare, warning him not to speak out of turn, but Ye An, undeterred, took the pendant from their mother’s hand. “Oh—isn’t this just like his?” he drawled, drawing out the suspense.

“Whose?” Wen Qiumei asked, curiosity piqued.

Ye Qianran glared again. Ye An feigned innocence, then turned to the eager faces around them. “I remember Liuyun has a jade pendant just like this. Could it be from him?” At once, Ye Qianran’s cheeks flushed crimson, and she cast a furtive glance at her parents. A glint flickered in Ye Yuandao’s eyes. “You mean the son of the Minister of War, the commander of the Imperial Guards?”

Ye An nodded. Their mother looked down and asked softly, “Is what your brother says true?”

Ye Qianran, too embarrassed to answer, neither nodded nor shook her head, tacitly admitting it. Ye Yuandao stroked his beard and laughed heartily, while Wen Qiumei pulled her to a seat with a cheerful smile. “This is a good thing—no need to be shy about it.”

After a moment’s thought, Ye Yuandao turned and asked, “If I recall, he and An’er are the same age, aren’t they?” Ye An grinned. “Father, you have such a good memory. Liuyun and I are indeed the same age.”

“Yes,” Ye Yuandao mused, stroking his beard. “He’s a rare talent—so young, yet already commander of the Imperial Guards. And the Minister is a high-ranking official of the court. Truly a family worthy of trust.”

Hearing her father’s words, Ye Qianran blushed even deeper. Qianzhi darted over, peered at her downcast sister, and clapped her hands with glee. “Sister is blushing! She’s shy, so shy!” Ye Qianran glared, pretending to chase her, but Qianzhi leapt away, diving into Meng Lanyi’s embrace, making faces in defiance. Ye Qianran put on her fiercest expression, but Qianzhi only grew bolder. Meng Lanyi watched them and shook her head with a smile. “Qianran, you’re acting just like a child,” she chided, her tone gentle, as in the days when their relationship was warm.

As soon as the words left her mouth, both Meng Lanyi and Ye Qianran were startled into silence.

Wen Qiumei smiled at her daughter, then turned to her husband. “Husband, after today, Qianran will be sixteen. We should start thinking about her marriage,” she said warmly.

Snapping out of her daze, Ye Qianran cast a complicated look at Meng Lanyi, who had already suppressed her smile, her gaze calm as water.

Ye Yuandao’s brown eyes, sunken with years, crinkled at the corners as he smiled. “Qianran, do you think we should simply wait for the Minister’s family to propose?”

From afar came the sound of firecrackers. Crimson paper-cuts adorned the windows, the great character for ‘fortune’ swaying in the candlelight. The air was thick with festivity. For a moment, Ye Qianran felt lost, unsure how to answer her father’s question.

As the air quietly shifted, she remembered a promise in a bamboo cottage on the western outskirts, when he had said, “Trust me.”

She nodded.

Her parents’ smiles bloomed anew, and the family fell into lively discussion. Yet Ye Qianran’s thoughts wandered far, lost in reverie.

In the courtyard, firecrackers rang out, and under the curtain of snow, brilliant fireworks blossomed. Standing in the covered walkway, Ye Qianran watched the snowflakes drifting down, each flake’s pattern distinct. Her mother stood beside her father, watching the girls play in the snow. Warmth radiated from her face, gentle as a quiet stream. Laughter echoed, ringing in their ears. It seemed as though, despite the passage of years, this happiness would never fade.

The old year had passed; the new year begun.

Tonight, this year ends; tomorrow, a new dawn hastens.

———

On the morning of the first day of the new year, the doors were thrown open for good fortune, firecrackers set off, leaving the ground carpeted with red—bright as clouds at sunrise—known as “Full Hall of Red,” filling the courtyard with auspicious joy.

After her morning toilette, Ye Qianran went to Qinghui Hall to serve tea and offer New Year’s greetings to her parents. Her father and mother, dressed in festive attire, beamed with renewed vigor. Her brother and sister-in-law soon joined them. After breakfast, the stream of guests arriving to pay respects seemed endless, greeting cards flying everywhere. Her father and brother were kept busy tending to the visitors, while Ye Qianran, her mother, and Meng Lanyi took a carriage out to Guangji Temple to offer prayers for blessings. Word had it the Bodhisattva at Guangji Temple was especially efficacious—every wish made there would be granted. Though the journey was long, it was well worth it.

By the time they reached Guangji Temple, the sun was high in the sky. After alighting from the carriage, they passed through a grove of peach trees—already long past blooming. From there, the temple gates came into view, the stone steps alive with people, from dignified ladies and silver-haired elders to youthful maidens, innocent children, and affectionate couples. The place bustled with excitement.

Ye Qianran and Meng Lanyi walked on either side of their mother, ascending the stone steps. Looking up, the sky was a flawless blue dotted with a few white clouds. The snow sparkled in the sunlight, like dew on summer leaves. Shrubs lined the steps, some tinged with green, others bare. After a while, the three golden characters for Guangji Temple appeared, shining under the sun. Crossing the threshold, they finally entered the temple grounds.

Snow lay in drifts around the temple. The bodhi trees, lush even in winter, gleamed in the sunlight filtering through the leaves, casting patterns like subtle embroidery on their robes. In the swirling incense smoke, faces blurred; in the distance, the steady chant of sutras could be heard. When they had finished their offerings, the abbot invited her mother to rest in the meditation quarters—a courtesy extended because her father donated generously each year for the temple’s repairs and expansions.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ye Qianran slipped away to wander.

At first, she had no particular aim, but soon found herself with a fair understanding of Guangji Temple’s layout: facing north, it was arranged with the Gate Hall, Maitreya Hall, Great Hero Hall, Hall of Universal Response, and Hall of Many Treasures in succession. On either side stood bell and drum towers, along with orderly side halls. In the northwest corner rose the Ordination Hall, with its white marble altar. The courtyards were artfully arranged, winding paths leading through tranquil groves.

Following a small path, Ye Qianran walked until she reached the temple’s rear mountain, where rocks jutted upward and a spring trickled down from the summit. Halfway down, the stream split in two—one branch flowing east, the other west. Smooth pebbles lined the banks, and looking east, distant blue mountains came into view; to the west, dense thickets. It was a scene of seclusion, as though an ancient shrine lay hidden in the wilderness. Unlike the bustling temple, here only a few people gazed into the distance—most of them scholars.

After a quick survey, Ye Qianran decided it was time to return. She turned—almost colliding with someone—and, without seeing clearly, hurriedly apologized. Raising her head, she found herself face to face with an exceedingly handsome man, his lips curved in a faint smile that struck her heart in an instant.