When the Crown Prince was dying, he had asked Zhenzhen to find Yang Zicheng, but circumstances changed drastically afterward, and Zhenzhen had no possibility of meeting Yang Zicheng. Now, seeing Yinqi, she remembered this matter and asked if he could arrange for her to meet Yang Zicheng. But Yinqi shook his head: “The day after the Crown Prince’s death, Yang Zicheng disappeared. His Majesty is also looking for him, but there’s been no news of him until now. No one knows where he is or whether he’s dead or alive.”

The Crown Prince’s posthumous title was designated as “Zhuangwen.” The twenty-fourth day after his death was the burial day of Crown Prince Zhuangwen. Due to the southern migration, they temporarily used “shallow burial” instead of proper burial – a temporary interment awaiting future relocation, hoping to move the remains back to the ancestral mausoleum after recovering the Central Plains. The current burial place was simply called the “burial site.” The burial site was chosen at the foot of Nanping Mountain outside the city, on the southern shore of West Lake – a feng shui treasure location where the mountains were bright and waters clear, with scenery worthy of painting in all four seasons.

Yinqi arranged for Zhenzhen to leave the city on this day. Crown Prince Zhuangwen’s reputation for virtue was renowned far and wide, and many came to see him off on this day – besides officials of all levels and various ceremonial attendants, there were also large numbers of common people who came spontaneously. The guards at the city gates were not strict in checking the identities of those leaving the city, making it convenient for Zhenzhen to leave Lin’an.

That morning, when dawn had not yet fully broken, imperial relatives, Eastern Palace officials, ceremonial guides, and attendants all wore black sashes and respectfully guided the Crown Prince’s coffin out of the city. The procession of carriages and riders numbered in the tens of thousands, heading toward Nanping Mountain. Common people knelt along the roadside, weeping as they saw him off, their sorrowful cries rising everywhere. Zhenzhen, wearing a coarse cloth head covering, was among them, silently prostrating herself by the roadside where the Crown Prince’s coffin would pass. When the coffin passed before her, Zhenzhen’s heart felt as if it were being slowly cut by an ice blade. Heaven and earth instantly faded, leaving only one thought: “This is probably the closest I’ll ever be to him for the rest of my life.”

She trembled, burying her head toward the ten-mile trail of dust, her own tears flowing amid the people’s rising cries.

After the coffin passed, the kneeling people gradually dispersed. Only after a long while did Zhenzhen raise her head, slowly stand up, wipe away her tears, and numbly walk toward Ningguo Prefecture.

Along the increasingly quiet road, sporadic crying sounds still occasionally arose. Among them was a scholar who probably had some connection with Crown Prince Zhuangwen. He still stood on the road, watching the distant coffin and sadly chanting a lyric: “The autumn moon is cold, the autumn crane silent. The clear palace at dawn stirs imperial emotions. Where is the jade flute that suddenly stopped? Who knows who reported the jade tower’s completion? Seven stars guide the chariot drawn by phoenix breeds. The person is not seen, the resentment hard to calm. How to return the rainbow banner? A sky full of wind and dew, bitterly cold and clear.”

She chose Ningguo Prefecture because Zhenzhen now couldn’t return to her hometown, didn’t want to go back to Pujiang and implicate Uncle Pu, Xiang Ye, and others. Having heard that Qiuniang and the Zhang couple might have lived in Ningguo Prefecture, Zhenzhen felt this place had some connection to her. She also wanted to see what it was like there and harbored some hope of finding more detailed information about her origins.

The Imperial City Guard patrol badge was quite useful, and Yinqi had probably made arrangements as well. Zhenzhen’s journey was smooth. Sometimes when passing through towns, the officials would even ask if she needed help hiring a cart and were very enthusiastic in giving directions. After several days, she entered the territory of Ningguo Prefecture. This area had many mountain roads. Zhenzhen climbed a mountain but gradually felt she had taken the wrong path and couldn’t find the main road no matter how she walked. Suddenly she heard a woman calling out ahead. Upon hearing a human voice, Zhenzhen hurried forward.

The one calling out was a white-haired, skeletal old woman dressed simply like a peasant. Her left foot was caught in a animal trap, the iron teeth having broken the skin around her ankle, blood flowing freely. She sat collapsed on the ground with a bamboo basket beside her containing some freshly dug wild vegetables, many of which had scattered on the ground.

Zhenzhen stepped forward to look, found the trap’s release mechanism, and freed the old woman’s left foot. She took out her silk scarf to bandage the wound, but the old woman cursed and accused Zhenzhen, saying she had set the trap intending to rob and kill people. Seeing this, Zhenzhen stopped and stood up, saying: “Then handle it yourself.”

Zhenzhen shouldered her pack and walked a few steps in a chosen direction. She heard the old woman cry “Aiya” behind her. Turning back, she saw the old woman had fallen heavily to the ground again, apparently having tried desperately to get up and walk back, but her foot injury was too severe and she couldn’t move an inch.

At this moment, a porcupine ran to Zhenzhen’s feet. Zhenzhen thought for a moment, threw a date near the old woman, and directed the porcupine to run toward her. Seeing the porcupine approach, the old woman’s eyes showed terror, but she continued cursing. Zhenzhen calmly walked back, threw another date to lure the porcupine away, then bent down to face the old woman, saying: “The trap has nothing to do with me. This place is deserted. If you don’t want my help, you can wait indefinitely. Wild beasts fiercer than porcupines will likely find you before other people do.”

Then she again pulled over the old woman’s left foot and began bandaging it. This time the old woman no longer struggled. Though she still said angry words like “whether this old woman lives or dies is none of your business,” her tone wasn’t as harsh as before, clearly willing to accept Zhenzhen’s help.

After bandaging, Zhenzhen asked the old woman where she lived. The old woman cursed and hesitated for a long time, but seeing that indeed no one else was coming, she had to tell Zhenzhen. So Zhenzhen supported the limping woman and slowly helped her back to her home at the foot of the mountain.

When they arrived home, the old woman didn’t thank her and urgently tried to drive Zhenzhen away. Zhenzhen looked around and saw it was a small courtyard with three rooms – simple, dilapidated, and dusty everywhere, as if it hadn’t been cleaned in who knows how long. The stove was cold, with only two bowls of leftover cold food and half a hard, cold steamed bun on top.

“Do you live alone?” Zhenzhen asked her.

The old woman didn’t answer. Seeing that Zhenzhen didn’t leave immediately, her harsh words returned: “Don’t meddle in other people’s business! Dawdling and not leaving – do you want to harm me and seize my family property?”

Zhenzhen smiled: “Your house is bare and broken down. Even if you gave it to me for free, I’d be too lazy to spend money and energy cleaning it up.”

Seeing the old woman’s foot injury was severe and she couldn’t move while lying in bed, Zhenzhen ignored her attempts to drive her away and went to the courtyard to sit in the sun for a while, wanting to see if any of her family members would return. But after waiting for an hour without seeing anyone, Zhenzhen went back into the house and said: “Your wound still needs a doctor’s attention. I’m not familiar with this area, so tell me where I can find a doctor, and I’ll help you get one.”

The old woman was silent for a long while, probably because the wound hurt badly, but finally told her: “Go out the door and walk east for one li. Find Uncle Zheng Er who lives by the big locust tree – he knows some medicine.”

Uncle Zheng Er was over fifty years old and seemed quite amiable. Upon hearing Zhenzhen’s description, he immediately followed her to treat the old woman. He carefully cleaned the wound and rebandaged it properly. Not only did he not charge a consultation fee, but he also left some suitable medicine. When Zhenzhen saw him out, he instructed her: “My medical skills are limited. Whether Granny Song injured her bone is hard to say. Please stay a few more days to observe. She has difficulty walking now and is alone, so she can only rely on your care.”

“Her surname is Song, she has no children, and lives alone?” Zhenzhen asked.

“Yes,” Uncle Zheng Er said. “She moved here from Lin’an over twenty years ago, bringing her daughter and granddaughter with her, but later… sigh, both the daughter and granddaughter died. She’s lived a hard life, and her temper has become stranger and stranger… Now that she can’t move around, I’m afraid she won’t recover quickly. It’s getting colder too. If no one takes care of her, the consequences would be unthinkable.”

Zhenzhen returned to the room and went through Granny Song’s cupboards, finding some flour and seasonings. She also saw a small piece of pork belly hanging in the kitchen, so she took it upon herself to start mixing dough and chopping filling to make noodles, not asking Granny Song’s opinion. Granny Song angrily scolded her for messing with people’s food. Zhenzhen tossed a piece of broken silver to her, saying: “I’m hungry and tired, so I’ll make do with eating a meal here. I’m paying you for using some of your ingredients, so don’t waste words.”

Zhenzhen steamed a basket of meat buns and also made soup with the wild vegetables Granny Song had picked, inviting her to eat together. Granny Song initially refused stubbornly, saying she wouldn’t eat. Zhenzhen broke open a bun and brought it to her nose: “This is called Imperial Academy bun. So many scholars want to eat it but can’t. Now you get it cheap – you’re blessed with good fortune.”

The bun had a smooth, fine surface, thin skin and tender filling, with plenty of broth steamed inside. Hot and steaming, as soon as it was torn open, the meat fragrance with a hint of Sichuan pepper eagerly escaped with the steam. Granny Song couldn’t help but take it and taste a bite, then sneered: “Without bamboo shoots and ferns, how dare you call it Imperial Academy bun!”

“Hey…” Zhenzhen said in surprise, “Seems like you’re an expert – you even know it should have bamboo shoots and ferns added.”

Granny Song looked quite proud: “When I was tasting all the delicacies of Bianjing, forget about you – even your mother probably didn’t know where she was!”

After they finished eating the buns, Zhenzhen saw there was a rattan couch piled with miscellaneous items in another room. She moved the items herself, fetched water to clean the rattan couch, and tidied up that room. Seeing this, Granny Song asked warily: “What are you doing? Do you want to live here?”

Zhenzhen said: “It’s already getting dark, and it’s inconvenient to continue traveling, so I’ll just stay here roughly for the night.”

Granny Song refused and wanted her to leave immediately. Zhenzhen said to her: “The silver I gave you is enough to buy far more than just those ingredients. Do you have change? If not, let me stay.”

Granny Song angrily threw the silver back to her. Zhenzhen caught it and slapped it on the table again: “I’ve already eaten the buns, so I must pay you. I always calculate accounts clearly – I won’t take losses and don’t want to take advantage of others. I’ll leave when I’ve stayed enough to match this silver.”

Granny Song wanted to get up and drive her away, but her legs were inconvenient, so she could only watch helplessly as Zhenzhen finished cleaning the room and leisurely settled in.

The next day, Zhenzhen went to a nearby town to buy chicken, fish, and vegetables, making two hearty meals for Granny Song. In the evening, she said: “I asked about the prices at the inn in town by the way. Turns out my bit of silver could pay for staying ten days to half a month. Your broken house isn’t as good as an inn, but at least it’s quiet. I’m too lazy to move my luggage for now, so I’ll make do and stay a few more days.”

Though Granny Song had objections and said many harsh words, she didn’t object violently. Zhenzhen stayed for over a month, and seeing that Granny Song could gradually walk with a cane, she decided to take her leave.

That day, Zhenzhen made another sumptuous feast and said to Granny Song: “You can move around now, and I should go out and find some work to do, lest I sit and eat away my savings. I’ll bid farewell tomorrow for now. If there’s opportunity in the future, I’ll come back to see you.”

Granny Song was silent for a moment, then said to Zhenzhen: “Go to the kitchen and get some wine from the wine jar. Let’s drink together.”

Zhenzhen went to get a pot and poured it into two white porcelain wine cups. She saw the wine was light yellow, clear and pure. She raised the cup and tasted it lightly. A trace of quiet fragrance immediately surrounded her mouth, and the sweet fruit wine taste also spread to her tongue tip.

Zhenzhen was instantly stunned, then her heart pounded rapidly, and uncontrollable feelings of sadness gradually rose to her nose.

“This is green plum wine I brewed,” Granny Song said slowly to Zhenzhen. “It’s not strong, very sweet, with fruit fragrance and a hint of flower fragrance. Young ladies love it most and always like to drink it as fruit juice. But it has more subtle intentions than fruit juice – it uses this sweet, fragrant taste to entice you, making you unknowingly drink too much before you feel the drunken flush and rapid heartbeat… It will intoxicate you, but it doesn’t go to your head. It just makes you feel warm all over, your mind floating, but your head won’t hurt and it won’t harm your body. So it’s a good wine suitable for young ladies…”

She stopped her description because she discovered that the girl before her – who had been direct and confrontational with her every day, meeting her cold stares with cold retorts – was now weakly supporting herself with her elbow on the table, covering her tear-stained face with her hand.