She thought she was going to die.
She did.
But the next time she opened her eyes , she found out that she was living a whole new life, as a little girl who was going to enter a noble household as a maid.
However, a true pearl can never hide its lus...
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Seasons after seasons passed, time waited for no one.
The townsfolk of Ming had a new habit.
On clear days every third day passing, approximately around mid-morning, they would gather around the walls of Ji estate. Lately, some were even bold enough to bring along small tables or benches, which they set against the tall walls.
Different kinds of people gathered there. There were some merchants squatting by the walls, their trade goods bundled in various burlap sacks they carried, ready for them to sell later. There were also some people from the wealthier families, with their servants accompanying them to prepare small tables they had brought along. Some were even leisurely having teas while they chatted in hushed but excited voices. Every single one of them seemed to be waiting for something.
One morning, a group of people had once again faithfully set up their temporary camps, positioning themselves as comfortable as possible around the Ji residence's walls. Some stern-looking guards, belonging to Ji family, were stationed every few feet length of the walls, to make sure there would be no disturbance.
About a year ago, people had started this gathering habit. It was initially small in number, but they gradually became substantial in size. The guards had tried to chase them away numerous times, but the crowd would always come back, if not becoming more. Finally, the guards gave up after First Madame Wu JianRui asked them to leave the townsfolk be. As long as no one created disturbance and tried to access the residence, they were free to stay around the walls. The guards would only keep watch.
From around the corner, where the front gate was, one person hurriedly ran towards the group and exclaimed excitedly,
"He-laoshi and Sun-laoshi have just arrived and they have entered the gates! It won't be long now!"
The murmur and initial chattering amongst the people immediately ceased. The person who had brought the news also took his place that one of his accompanying friends had saved for him.
A few more minutes passed.
Then a soft sound of a qin was heard, followed by a melodious ringing sound of a dizi.
(I suggest to listen to the sound from the above video while reading this chapter. The original song (with vocal) can be found in footnotes (4))
Inside the estate, in the middle of the courtyard, two young girls sat side by side. Two low tables had been set in front of them, a guqin was on each table. Their bodies lightly swayed with the melody their fingers produced through their zithers' strings, their sounds complementing each other.
