The Lazy Life Of Raine

Reunion (9)

Raine made her way to the pavilion, walking the zig zag bridge with slow steps as four maids follow her with her new zither she made for herself.  The zither was made from a 400 year old sandalwood tree, it was decorated with intricate carvings of mountains and trees, with mother-of-pearl inlays and jade decorations.  The strings were made from the finest silk and once plucked, the ranges of the light and deep sounds could be heard.

As she sat down, the four maids carefully placed the stand in front of her before placing the zither on top.  When everything was in place, the four maids left Linqin alone as she sat there for a long time.

From behind the wall, Weisheng peaked over the wall once again.  His new mysterious neighbor caused him such a headache with all of her landscaping, and now that the landscaping was done, he wanted to have a peak at her.  

For months, he couldn’t catch a single shadow of her, however this afternoon, he couldn’t help himself to look over the wall once more to see his new neighbor.  

What he saw caused him great surprise and pleasure.  Her red and gold robe over her red dress, fitted her thin body perfectly as the train of her robe followed her steps.  She walked regally towards the pavilion with soft and light steps, like a gentle lady and once her zither was set up, she was left alone.  

Expecting to hear her play, he waited patiently to hear her music, however she sat there for the longest time, not even looking at her zither.  It was as if she didn’t have any intention to play.

Becoming impatient at the waiting, Weisheng was just about to give up, turning his head to the side and have lunch with his family when the first note she plucked sent an arrow straight to his heart.  Weisheng immediately turns his head towards her and without a doubt, her music called to him and only him.

It was as if she was playing for his ear only.  The music was written for him, played for him, and dedicated for him.   The more she played, the more he couldn’t look away. He was close enough to see her figure, however too far to actually see her face clearly.  There was a wall, peach blossom trees that lined against the wall, several yards of a flower garden, green grass, a stone trail, and halh a pond that separated them.  And yet, he felt as if he was right next to her.

The zither played perfectly, calling out to his soul, telling him that she has been searching for him.  He wanted to yell back to her that he was here now. That he was here all along. However, how could he do that, when he’s never met the mysterious neighbor.  

Should his parents find him peeking over the wall, they would have reprimanded him for his rudeness and his shameless manner.  But he wouldn’t even care because somehow he knew, she was the one for him and he finally found her.

As the song slowly ended, Weisheng frowned at the thought of her performance ending.  He wanted to hear more from her and most of all, he wanted to meet her and get to know her.  

Weisheng saw two more women walking on the zig zag bridge followed by several maids and he lost interest.  He jumped down from the wall and went to his parent’s courtyard to eat lunch. Hopefully they knew who their new and mysterious neighbor is.  

As for Linqin, she stood up and bowed to her mother as her mother and sister arrived.  

“Sister, you’ve gotten so good!”  Lin Liu said as she touched the zither’s string lightly.  She was afraid that it would break if she put any pressure on it.  

“I told you I’m the zither Master everyone’s talking about.”  Linqin said as she smiled and walked them to the opposite side of the pavillion, where the maids brought tea and snacks.  “Why didn’t the two of you rest for a while longer. The past three years for the both of you have been hard.”

“With the treatment we had to endure and the work we had to do, resting like we used to, doesn’t seem right anymore.”  Yanyu said as she blew on her tea. “I just want to live a quiet life for now on. However I worry about the two of you.  What about your lives? Who will you both marry? Will their family accept you? And your dowry, how are we supposed to prepare for it?”  

“Mom, you don’t have to worry about Lin Liu’s dowry, I have enough to send her off in a twelve horse carriage, and 100 dowry chests.  As long as the man who Lin Liu marries is an honorable man and a man who loves and cherishes her, that Lin Liu loves back, then her dowry is no problem.”  

“What about you?  Are you not going to marry?”  Yanyu asked.

“Why would I marry when I still have you?  Who needs a husband when I have my mother?”  Linqin teased her.

“You!  I mean serious business!  You too have to live and marry well so I can live well.”  Yanyu tells her.

“Mother’s right.”  Lin Liu said. “How can I be selfish and marry someone happily when I know that you have done so much for mom and me, and yet, you haven’t found your own happiness.  I won’t get married before you get married.”

“Mom, look how you raised two stubborn girls.”  Linqin smiled as she teased Yanyu. “We must have gotten it from you.”  

Yanyu glared at Linqin as Lin Liu laughed.  The three of them had an enjoyable afternoon tea and Linqin played another round on the zither for them before returning to her home.  

When Raine got to her home she grinned to herself.  Her slag of a lover, Lui Wei has now become a peeping tom, looking over the wall at her.  She wondered when he’ll have enough courage to find her and speak to her.

That night, Raine had dinner with Lin Liu and Yanyu before walking back to her courtyard.  She stopped by at the pavillion to play her zither again and once again, her peeping tom lover, Lui Wei, peeked his head over the wall again to hear her play.  

After several songs, she left the pavilion with her zither and went home, leaving Weisheng in a bad mood. When he spoke to his parents, they both did not know who their new neighbor is, however they did like hearing the sound of the zither playing.  

His father mentioned that he once had the pleasure to listen to someone play at an expert level when he was at the border and had wanted to bring that person back.  However fate intervened and he couldn’t.

Weisheng went to bed with his window opened, hoping that she would play again at night, however it was only the blowing wind and the cicadas who sung him to sleep.  Thirty minutes later, the shadow hiding from the corner moved.

Raine softly walked towards Lui Wei and stopped right before him.  She stared down at him and was thankful that he didn’t transmigrate into the Emperor, but instead to Li Na’s real fiance Weisheng.  

However now that she is Linqin, with a dishonorable family, she could never marry Weisheng as his legal wife.  With her status, she could only be his concubine.

Raine gazed upon Weisheng for a moment longer before she left just as quietly as she entered the room.  The moment her shadow left, Weisheng opened his eyes and smiled. His mysterious woman also liked him enough to come to his room in the middle of the night.  He was more than sure now, to find out who the mysterious woman is and how he could make her his.