Liu Lanniang shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Remembering the contents of the letter, Wei Qinghuai said excitedly, “Sister asked if we want to come to her. Mother, let’s go. No matter where it is, I want to go find Sister.”
Liu Lanniang murmured, “Yes, let’s go find her. The family should stay together.”
As she spoke, her tears fell again. “My poor child—in this cruel world, who knows how much she’s suffering. And A Li too, born of such noble status…”
Although the note said they were doing well, in such troubled times, how could a widow and her orphans possibly be doing well? It was merely words meant to reassure them.
Wei Qinghuai pressed his lips together. He thought the same, though he regretted that the situation in Ying Commandery was hardly promising—otherwise he would have wanted to bring his sister over instead.
Seeing his mother quietly sobbing, he felt pained as well and gently comforted her. “We’ll go next spring when it warms up. Only… we don’t know where Sister is.”
Liu Lanniang wiped the corner of her eye with a handkerchief. “Right, right—didn’t it say we could reply? Let’s ask where she is.”
Then, remembering something, she turned and went into the inner room. Before long, she came back carrying a wooden box. She opened it gently, revealing an exquisite full set of hair ornaments.
She stroked them softly, her voice filled with endless nostalgia. “These were my hair ornaments when I married your father. Take them and sell them.”
Wei Qinghuai’s nose stung. He closed the lid. “Mother, not yet. Let’s write back first and see what the situation is.”
Liu Lanniang insisted. “No, sell them now, just in case. If the messenger asks for money, at least we’ll have something to give.”
She was worried that the one delivering her daughter’s letters might demand payment, and if she couldn’t produce it in time and lost contact with her daughter, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
Yet in these times, such items were not easy to sell, and the price offered would be pitifully low.
“I wonder where she is now. A whole winter is so long—I just hope she’s safe,” she said, full of worry.
Wei Qinghuai tried to reassure her. “The note said she’s doing well, so she must be in territory controlled by Han forces. It’s just unclear which faction, or which prefecture.”
“Still, if Sizhou is in this bad a shape, I fear the other Han forces might be no better…” he hesitated.
Liu Lanniang shook her head. “No matter where she is, I want to go to her. In times like these, family should stay together.”
“It’s all your father’s fault. He ruined Ah Ran’s life.” Her eyes reddened again. “And he ruined that young man from the Meng family too.”
Speaking of the Meng family, she gritted her teeth. “What if… we bring the Mengs along as well?”
Wei Qinghuai thought it over, then shook his head. “We still don’t know how things are on Sister’s side. What if it’s bad? Then we’d only drag the Meng family into trouble.”
He was ten years younger than Wei Qingran and had always loved tagging along behind his elder sister as a child.
That was how he knew Meng Chong too.
Their families had been quite close, until his sister entered the palace—and Meng Chong entered it after her. After that, the Mengs and his family gradually drifted apart, though still maintaining cordial relations on the surface.
Yet for some reason, ever since they fled to Ying Commandery, the Meng family had started to rekindle their association with his kin.
Liu Lanniang wasn’t bothered by it. “Fine. We won’t tell the Mengs for now. We’ll decide later.”
The next day, before dawn had barely broken, Wei Qinghuai sneaked out of the house.
It was cold, and the area where he lived was rather remote, so he encountered almost no one on the road.
He arrived at the big locust tree on Fengling Lane just as the sun was beginning to poke through, casting pale light upon the desolate stretch of ground.
Like a thief, he glanced all around, made sure no one was watching, then slipped the letter he had written into a hole in the tree.
It was the first time he’d done something like this, and he was nervous. His family still had a few servants, but when it came to his sister, he trusted no one but himself.
When the area still showed no sign of movement, he thought for a moment, then hid around the corner of the alley, hoping to see who would come retrieve the letter so he could ask them directly for details.
Yet he waited all morning, until the sun was high in the sky, and still no one came. Just as disappointment was setting in, someone tapped him on the shoulder.
“Ah!” Wei Qinghuai jumped in fright, spinning around and throwing a punch.
“Ow—what did you hit me for?” came the voice of a young man.
Only then did Wei Qinghuai see clearly: the man before him was Meng Wulang, fifth son of the Meng family and younger brother of Meng Chong.
Wei Qinghuai patted his chest and let out a relieved breath. “You scared me half to death, you know that? You nearly made me die of fright.”
Meng Wulang held his struck eye. “When did I scare you? I just wanted to say hello.”
“More like—what are you sneaking around doing?” He eyed Wei Qinghuai up and down with suspicion.
Wei Qinghuai’s expression turned a little stiff. “Nothing, nothing. Oh, I mean—I just saw a stray cat leap by, and I was afraid it would come bite me.”
Meng Wulang lowered his hand; the eye that had been punched was now blackened and swollen, barely able to open. He squinted, clearly unconvinced.
Wei Qinghuai let out an awkward cough, stepped forward, threw an arm around Meng Wulang’s shoulder to defuse the moment, “Really. You know I’m scared of cats. Come on, let’s go take a stroll down Zhongxiang Street.”
Meng Wulang was dragged along without objection, only muttering, “A grown man afraid of cats? If I ever meet one, I’ll kick it dead.”
Wei Qinghuai laughed. “Why so much anger? It’s just a stray cat. Anyway, where were you headed?”
“Nowhere in particular. The academy’s on holiday, so I’m bored—just wandering around.” Meng Wulang was casual about it.
Wei Qinghuai felt a twinge of envy. He had once attended the academy too, but after fleeing to Ying Commandery, he had never gone back.
Meng Wulang remembered that too and knew the Wei family was having a hard time of it now, so he changed the subject. “Say, you’ve got some strength in those fists—you nearly blinded me.”
Wei Qinghuai touched his nose, embarrassed. “How is it? Want to head to the clinic to get it looked at?”
Meng Wulang chuckled. “Don’t underestimate me. It’s just a scratch—it’ll heal in a few days.”
Only then did Wei Qinghuai relax. Something occurred to him, and he asked hesitantly, “Your… have you had any word from your elder brother?”
Meng Wulang paused for a moment before realizing what he meant. His expression shifted to excitement. “What? You—have news about your sister?”
The look on his face told Wei Qinghuai all he needed to know: no news at all. He quickly waved a hand. “No, no. I just asked because I haven’t heard anything either.”
Meng Wulang looked at him with suspicion. “You’re not lying to me, are you?”
“Our families go way back—years of friendship. Don’t keep things from me,” he added.
Wei Qinghuai quickly shook his head. “Why would I lie to you? Anyway, I… I have to go now. My mother will be worried about me alone at home.”
And with that, he hurried off.
Meng Wulang watched his hastily retreating back and furrowed his brow slightly.
A moment later, he turned and headed home.
