The rain was drizzling without end. He held the zither, sat upright and smiled faintly: "How about listening to a song?"
Zhao Pei held the hot cup of tea in her hand and nodded with a smile.
He lowered his eyebrows, smiled, and looked calm and indifferent. He slightly gathered his wide sleeves, and his slender fingers brushed across the ice string. A series of clear and cool sounds flowed down from his fingertips. Ding-dong-dong, it fell to the ground, bouncing and trembling.
Zhao Pei silently listened to the extremely familiar song. The song "Xizhou" made her dream about time and place. She had long since woken up from her dream. Listening to it now, it was like burning a bunch of incense in the middle of the night, with the smoke rising, the faint fragrance and the faint sadness.
His figure was still tall and thin, and his eyes became more indifferent and quiet. Zhao Pei's heart was as calm as still water, and she looked up at him quietly. The young love and the soul's search pieced together this complex face, reflecting all the fantasies of this world.
He raised his eyes to meet hers, and they smiled knowingly. It had nothing to do with romance, but just a sigh for the passing of youth and a comfort for the soul. At this moment, they reached the highest harmony.
Ji Jijiang stood not far away holding a bamboo and white satin umbrella, looking at the two people who had stopped. He could not help but feel sad. He knew that it was her and Xiao Tong's world, and there was no room for anyone else.
And I could only stand far away and watch silently.
After that, he always kept thinking of Zhao Pei's indifferent face, satisfied smile, and leisurely behavior at that time, as if he had forgotten all the sorrows and hardships, as if this life was only for this moment.
In his memory, she was always beautiful and self-sustaining, but with an irreversible sadness. The beauty of pain, the silence of loneliness. Although there was no perfect ending, he still did not regret his past and cherished the past confusion and infatuation.
Therefore, he also felt deeply sorry for her.
》》》》》》》》》
When Hanzhen came back, she happened to see a long guard of honor parked at the gate of Yaoguang Temple. She saw the familiar pattern from afar, and her heart trembled. Is it someone from the palace? Her steps could not help but speed up a lot. When she ran to the door, she saw Zhaopei slowly walking down the stairs with the support of several people. She had changed her clothes. The luxurious crimson purple peony and phoenix pattern brocade shirt set off her white skin, and the Hanyan lotus bun made her neck look slender and her eyebrows solemn. Her expression was cold and indifferent, without any ripples.
Hanzhen's throat choked, and she rushed to her side and grabbed her arm: "Mom!"
Zhao Pei saw Han Zhen and the people behind her and smiled faintly: "You are finally back, girl. I waited for you for so long."
"Mom, are you going back?" Hanzhen asked anxiously. She looked around but couldn't see Zhitong. She wondered in her heart, did we miss him like this
Zhao Pei took her arm and said helplessly, "That person has issued an order that we must go back. He said that an envoy from Wei State is coming and we must go to see him. Zhen'er, let's go back together."
Hanzhen bit her lip as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. Zhao Pei saw it but seemed not to notice. She looked at the people behind her with a smile. Among them was a man she did not recognize.
"Who is..." Zhao Pei asked with a smile and looked him up and down, "What a handsome girl. Is Zhen'er your friend?" Before Han Zhen could answer, Ye Feifan stepped forward and bowed politely, "My name is Ye Feifan, nice to meet you, Madam..." He saw that Zhao Pei was only about 28 or 29 years old, and she didn't look like the mother of a 20-year-old girl. He couldn't even call her "Auntie".
Zhao Pei looked at Han Zhen with a smile. It was rare for her to have a man around her, so she couldn't help but favor Ye Feifan. The more she looked at him, the more she liked him. Han Zhen was three parts embarrassed, three parts annoyed, and four parts anxious: "Mom, don't pay attention to him."
Ye Feifan took the initiative to talk to her and asked, "Madam and Miss Xiao, are you leaving?" His eyes fell on the long guard of honor, and he suddenly realized that Hanzhen's family was quite impressive. Hey, good guy, she still pretends to be poor every day to get his money? But he was willing to do it.
Zhao Pei nodded with a hint of regret: "I have to go because of something at home. When I have time, I will invite Master Ye to visit my house. It's rare for Zhen'er to make friends with a man."
Ye Feifan blushed and smiled awkwardly. Han Zhen got goosebumps and waved her hand, "Ye Pingfan, go back to where you came from."
He looked at Hanzhen's pretty face, and after a long pause, he took out a jade pendant from his arms and gave it to her, hesitatingly saying, "I don't have anything good to give you. This is what my mother left for me... I don't know when I will see you again, so I'll give this to you as a souvenir."
Hanzhen was stunned and didn't dare to take it: "Idiot, your mother gave it to you. What are you doing for me? I always feel reluctant to see you."
Ye Feifan scratched his head and said, "Then you can return it to me when we meet again in the future."
Hanzhen's face lit up when she heard this. She cursed, "You're so stingy." She took it carefully in her hand. He saw Hanzhen took it and smiled happily. Hanzhen's face turned slightly red, but she still stubbornly turned her head away and pretended to be cold.
Zhao Pei watched silently and laughed secretly, feeling relieved: "Zhen'er, let's go first. Master Ye, I will treat you well then." Ye Feifan nodded vigorously and smiled repeatedly.
Hanzhen saw Zhaopei was about to get on the car, so she quickly grabbed her sleeve and said, "Mom, wait, there's one thing I haven't told you yet. Actually, I want you to come to Yaoguang Temple because..."
Zhao Pei interrupted her with a smile and continued softly: "I have already met him. Zhen'er, thank you."
Hanzhen was standing in a daze, as if she was hallucinating. She just stared at Zhaopei's calm face, which seemed to say "I've eaten." How could she have such an expression? There was no excitement or sadness as she expected.
Zhao Pei saw through her thoughts, smiled lightly, held her hand tightly: "Zhen'er, some things... once missed, can never be recovered. I am already very content, my heart is satisfied and peaceful, and I don't ask for anything else." Zhao Pei smiled, like a stream of crystal light.
Hanzhen listened blankly, and subconsciously looked in the direction of Ye Feifan. His infatuated face smiled again when he saw her eyes, pure and sincere. Hanzhen bit her lip with complicated feelings, but saw a man in white hiding in the shade of a tree in the distance. Although he was wearing a bamboo hat, Hanzhen knew who he was.
She opened her mouth slightly to call Zhao Pei. But Zhao Pei had already looked away. After a long moment, she smiled and retracted her gaze, pulling Han Zhen with her, sighing, "Let's go."
Hanzhen kept staring at the figure of the man in white, wanting to speak but not knowing what to say. Finally, she looked at Ye Feifan and said, "Take care." Then she got into the car with Zhao Pei.
The carriage started moving immediately, as if unwilling to stay any longer. Hanzhen lifted the curtain and looked out with Zhaopei. Ye Feifan opened his arms and waved goodbye, but the lonely and melancholy figure under the shade of the tree was gone.
Hanzhen felt lost. She lowered the curtain and stared at Zhaopei's calm face. After a long while, she asked in a sullen tone, "Mother, have you really let it go?"
She did not answer. The carriage was so quiet that it was sad. Hanzhen shook herself, tears welling up in her eyes. Finally, she heard Zhaopei's voice as thin as a thread: "No matter what, we have to let it go, right..."
There are some places that you can never go back to in your lifetime. Even if you go back, they are no longer recognizable, and only endless sadness remains. The love and hate have disappeared, and she and he can only be strangers in the end.
It is better to let go of the things you least want to let go of. (To be continued)