Nightfall

The Night Without a Moon, A Time of Yearning

A ditch, no wider than a stream, lay to the south of the City of Wei, and beside the ditch rose a small slope that couldn’t even be regarded as more than a tiny hill. A hut, without a functioning fence or a slate roof, was found at the foot of the slope, which was not even qualified to be called a house. The rain clouds had dispersed earlier, allowing bright stars to shed light over the ditch, the slope, and the hut, forming a beautiful silver glow.

Under the starlight, Ning Que jogged ahead, but he was dragging his feet. He slowed his pace to take a longer look at the hut where he and Sangsang had spent most of their time together. But, no matter how slow he walked, his destination would always be reached because he kept moving forward. The pathetic fence, which was only capable of warding off dogs, was pushed open. He walked towards the dazzling light of the oil lamp streaming through the crack in the door. Covering his mouth, he coughed several times to announce his presence and said, “How about we move to the capital.”

The door was pushed open, with a squeak, breaking the silence of the night.

The little handmaiden Sangsang kneeled beside the door, the shadow of her thin body elongated by the lamplight. She pressed her figure against the wooden frame and responded, “Haven’t you always had a longing for Chang’an? Well, I need something. When will you be able to steal some oil from the firearm camp? This door has been creaking for several months and it is bothersome.”

“Who still uses those hard-to-use firearms? If you just want oil, I will ask for some from the Baggage Camp tomorrow… “Ning Que answered her randomly by instinct, and suddenly something came to his mind. “Wait! This isn’t the conversation I intended to have with you! If we are really leaving, why are we still bothering with this useless door?”

Sangsang bent onto her knees. Her small figure looked extremely thin with the cool night breeze of spring blowing against her. She stared at Ning Que and uttered the following words softly, careful not to show any emotion. “If we leave, there are going to be others residing here. They would still need to use the door.”

‘Are there really others who would want to spend their lives in this remote and broken hut, other than us?’ Ning Que thought silently, with a sudden feeling of unwillingness somehow striking him. He sighed softly and squeezed past Sangsang murmuring, “Take the night to pack up our luggage.”

Sangsang randomly combed her fingers through her hair at her temples. Looking at his back she asked, “Ning Que, I can’t understand why you are so crazy about it?”

“Nobody could reject the temptation of growing stronger, and moreover, it is really attractive.”

Ning Que realized that his little handmaiden had figured out what he was thinking. He raised his head to see her little swan-like face. Tilting his eyebrows, he continued. “Anyway, we can’t spend our entire life in the City of Wei. The world is big and just waiting for us to explore. Besides the Tang Empire, there are many other countries. In addition, in regard to making more money or getting a quicker promotion, Chang’an is more of an ideal place to live compared to the City of Wei. That’s why I must gain admittance and join the Academy.”

Sangsang appeared to be immersed in her thoughts. She was not fully-grown and her age was considered young. However, the sandstorms in the fortress had blown against her face, darkening and roughing her skin. Her yellowish hair was a result of childhood malnutrition. All of these things contributed to her less than beautiful, toughened face.

But, she had a pair of eyes as thin as willow leaves, as blue as crystal ice, and they seldom showed a special expression, all of which endowed her with the appearance of a mature and sophisticated lady rather than a young maid, no older than twelve, who had been born from bitterness. The extreme contrast of her true age and her eye expressions made others feel she had a cool style.