Qin's Moon: Yang Shi's Long Song

The rain stopped in the early hours of the next day.

Yang Huisheng was awakened by the light. When he opened his eyes, the light filtering through the cracks in the window was brighter than it had been a few days ago—the clouds had dispersed. He sat up, folded the blankets, and opened the window. The air outside, washed clean by the rain, carried a damp chill, like a spring morning on a mountain. He leaned against the window for a while and saw the old locust tree in the yard. After a night of rain, a thin layer of fallen leaves had accumulated under the tree, wet, yellow, and clinging to the blue brick ground.

He went downstairs.

The main hall of Zilan Pavilion was not yet open, and only the helpers were tending the fire in the kitchen. Yang Huisheng pushed open the back door and walked into the courtyard. His footsteps rustled softly on the damp leaves. Then he saw her. Yan Lingji stood under the old locust tree, looking up at the canopy. She was wearing a coarse cloth dress—given by Zi Nu, grayish-blue, thicker than her original red dress. Her hair was combed, not loose, but loosely tied at the back of her head with a plain cloth ribbon. Hearing footsteps, she turned her head, glanced at him, and then turned back to look at the tree.

"The leaves have fallen," she said.

Yang Huisheng walked over, stood beside her, and looked up following her gaze. The leaves on the tree canopy were indeed much sparser, and more branches were exposed than a few days ago, with the sky filtering through the gaps, breaking into fragments.

"It'll fall off in the wind," he said.

It will grow longer.

"Yes. It will grow again next spring."

Yan Lingji lowered her head and bent down to pick up a wet leaf from the ground. The leaf was a deep yellow with a hint of brown at the edges, and the veins were clearly visible after being soaked by the rain. She held the leaf in her palm, turning it over and over, examining it for a long time.

Then she said, "By the time your senior brother arrives, all the leaves should have fallen."

Yang Huisheng thought for a moment. "More or less."

"I should be able to walk faster by then."

Yang Huisheng turned to look at her. She didn't look at him; she was still looking at the leaf in her hand. Her profile had a warmer hue in the morning light than a few days ago—not the healthy rosy glow, but a change that made her "less like paper." Her fingers were pinching the leaf stem, and the skin on her fingertips no longer had that transparent white hue; it had begun to have a thin, living base color.

How fast are you going to walk now?

Yan Lingji thought for a moment. "Walk from inside the house to the well, and have a cup of tea."

"And then?"

"Walked to the well, and drank half a cup of tea."

Yang Huisheng looked at her. He said, "No need to rush. Walking steadily is more important than walking fast."

Yan Lingji lowered the leaf and placed it on the root of the locust tree. She watched it fall into the damp soil, like returning something "that was over" to its original place. Then she turned and walked towards the side room. After two steps, she stopped, turned her head to him, and said, "When you stood there, it was like you were waiting for someone."

"yes."

"Once your senior brother arrives, you won't be the one standing around waiting anymore."

Yang Huisheng didn't deny it. He stood under the tree, watching her retreating figure as she walked back to her room. She paused at the door, not turning around, but her voice drifted over: "When your senior brother comes, I can catch a glimpse of him at the door before going in."

Yang Huisheng stood under the tree, the morning light filtering through the sparse leaves and falling on his shoulders. His lips twitched slightly.

"good."

Yan Lingji went inside. The door wasn't closed, just a crack. A breeze blew in, and rainwater dripped from the eaves, splashing softly into the small puddles on the blue brick floor. He stood amidst the fallen leaves and sunlight, inhaling the clean scent after the rain. He thought: When this leaf has all fallen, Gai Nie will arrive. Then, he won't be the only one standing here. Yan Lingji will peek through the crack in the door, Zi Nu will listen to the sounds outside from behind the counter, and Han Fei will push open the window where he's been writing all night and peek out.

That's when autumn truly arrives in Xinzheng.