Fuzhu's Ballad

29

CHAPTER 29 In the deep recesses of memory

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They hurried all the way, traveling day and night, exhausted from fatigue. Shentu Rui took good care of her and there was no trouble, instead there was a feeling of mutual respect.

Lan Dan couldn’t decide if this feeling was good or bad. In the past, he always made her angry, but now that he suddenly stopped, she felt a faint disappointment. Since she confirmed that she liked him, not only did he seem to understand her thoughts, but she couldn’t even decipher her own complex feelings.

The further north they traveled, the more barren the land became, but heading south was a delightful surprise, as if they were meeting spring face to face, with a profusion of flowers along the way. As they approached the capital, the hills were already filled with peaches and apricots in full bloom, a breathtaking sight that filled them with warmth and lightness.

Lan Dan was both happy and sad, marveling at the beautiful scenery before her, but also feeling pity for herself for having lived in the capital for eighteen years and never seeing its beautiful springtime scenery.

What was her spring like in previous years? She silently reminisced about the elegant magnolia trees in front of the crimson palace walls, the endless peach groves along the Taiye Pool, and the towering city walls adorned with brilliant red flowers in the distance.

The clear and bright sunshine was just as vivid as the scenery around her.

She thought it was beautiful every year, but her memory was a blur and she couldn’t remember which year these memories were from. Her life was so plain, without any details. She couldn’t help but look at Shentu Rui walking in front of her. When she first met him, they climbed the Dragon Wall together to see the winter in the Imperial City, the colorful night of the Lantern Festival, and this beautiful spring in front of her.

Even the previous spring with Shentu Cheng could not be compared.

“Catch up,” he suddenly turned around and called out, whipping the reins and urging the horse forward. The sunlight fell on his dark hair and shoulders, and it seemed that the whole person was enveloped in a faint light, becoming the charming demeanor he exuded.

Riding close behind, Lan Dan rounded a low hill to behold a vast field of golden rapeseed flowers stretching up to the sky. The edges of the field were neatly trimmed, and the flowers seemed to spread out like a carpet of gold reaching towards the heavens. Against this radiant backdrop, the sky was bluer, the clouds whiter, and the overall effect was one of rugged, exuberant beauty that lifted the spirits and dispelled any lingering gloom.

Shentu Rui dismounted and was about to help Lan Dan, but she had already jumped down by herself, running as fast as a rabbit and darting into the flower field. She ran along the ridge of the field, laughing and shouting as she went.

Shentu Rui found a solid spot near the field and sat down, smiling as he watched Lan Dan running around and having fun in the field. He had experienced that kind of joy too, having lived in dark and confined conditions for so long, and finally being able to run and shout freely. Lan Dan was even more unfortunate in this regard, having been locked up for more years in a smaller cage. He remembered when he took her out of the capital, she didn’t dare to speak loudly even when she saw the vast fields, but now she dared to do so.

Not only she dared to, she was also becoming more impudent and unpredictable!

He felt both chagrined and amused as he absent-mindedly tapped the field with his riding crop. He noticed a short plant with immature green fruit hanging from it, about the size of a longan. Seized with mischief, he picked three of them and held them in his hand, watching as Lan Dan continued to run around in the field.