When Qiu Xinran was setting up her stall by the roadside, she happened to run into He Zhong returning from handling affairs. He sat on his horse holding a cloth bundle, his expression gloomy. Qiu Xinran couldn’t help but call out a greeting to him.

He Zhong looked down and, discovering it was her, instinctively glanced left and right: “The Marquis is returning to the city today—how are you here alone?”

Qiu Xinran laughed awkwardly, too embarrassed to tell him that Xia Xiuyan had been angry with her recently.

The cause was that after returning from Juanfu, she had rented a small building in the city to divine fortunes for people. By the time Xia Xiuyan returned from the military camp, he discovered she had already moved out of the Marquis’s residence to live outside, which angered him considerably. After a couple sentences of coaxing didn’t work, Qiu Xinran simply set the matter aside. It just so happened that Dali and Juanfu were arranging a marriage alliance, and Xia Xiuyan had escorted the marriage alliance procession out of the city. Counting on her fingers, the two hadn’t seen each other for about ten days.

He Zhong clearly didn’t know about this. Now that he suddenly asked, Qiu Xinran could only touch her nose and deflect: “Where is Vice General He going?”

“To deliver some things.” He patted the cloth bundle in his arms. Not knowing what he thought of, he glanced at the woman sitting in front of the stall and suddenly said, “If you have nothing particular to do, why not come with me?” He said sheepishly, “I’m not good with words. Having you come along would be better than me going alone.”

Delivering what things would require someone who could speak well? Qiu Xinran was quite curious what matter could trouble He Zhong. Since there were no customers at the moment anyway, she readily agreed.

He Zhong found her a horse. The two rode together toward the south of the city, finally dismounting in front of a farmer’s courtyard. Qiu Xinran immediately noticed the white silk hanging on the door and looked at the man beside her in surprise. She saw He Zhong jump off his horse with a grave expression, push open the fence outside, and go in to knock on the door.

Before long, the door opened a crack. A young woman stood behind the door. She clearly recognized He Zhong. Seeing him, she first froze, then lowered her eyes: “What brings Lord He here this time?”

He Zhong’s expression was somewhat awkward. He handed over the cloth bundle he’d been holding all the way: “The military’s compensation silver has come through, along with some things your brother instructed be brought back before he went on campaign. I’ve brought them all to you.”

The young woman’s gaze fell on the cloth bundle. For a moment she didn’t dare reach out to take it. After a pause, she opened the door to let them in: “Thank you for your trouble, my lord. Please come in for some water.”

Qiu Xinran followed He Zhong inside and discovered that though the furnishings were simple, everything was kept very clean. Through the door panel to the inner room, an old woman inside asked: “Who’s come?”

“Lord He has come,” the woman said. “He’s brought the compensation silver and brother’s belongings back.”

The room fell silent for a moment, with no response heard for a long while. Qiu Xinran sat with He Zhong at the table. Before long, she saw the young woman supporting an old woman as they came out from the inner room.

Seeing He Zhong, the old woman was about to bow. He quickly stepped forward to stop her, helped her sit at the table, then handed her the cloth bundle and repeated what he’d said outside the door.

The old woman took the bundle and placed it on her lap, extending a pair of skeletal hands to carefully open it. Qiu Xinran sat not far away. As the cloth fell open, she could see inside a garment that had barely been worn and a wooden comb.

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. He Zhong said softly from the side: “Ying San said this garment was sewn by your own hands for him. He was reluctant to wear it normally and even less willing to wear it to the battlefield. And this wooden comb—he bought it for his little sister. He said if he couldn’t return, when his sister married in the future, she should use this comb to arrange her hair, and it would be him as her older brother seeing her off to marriage…”

Before he finished speaking, the woman standing to the side already couldn’t help but cover her mouth, turn away, and let out a choked sob. He Zhong immediately stopped, clenching his fists, not knowing how to continue.

The old woman stroked the stitches on the garment, her eyes also reddening: “This old woman would rather this garment had a hundred holes in it if it meant he could stand properly before me now…”

Hearing these words, Qiu Xinran’s heart also couldn’t help but ache. He Zhong gritted his teeth. After quite a while, he finally said: “Please rest assured. Though Ying San is gone, the brothers will take good care of you in his place, provide for you in your old age, and see his little sister off to marriage.”

The old woman shook her head, wanting to say something but unable to get out a single word. She gripped the garment tightly. Before long, tears had soaked the fabric.

He Zhong left Qiu Xinran to sit with them inside for a while, while he silently chopped all the firewood in the courtyard outside. When Qiu Xinran came out and the two led their horses back, neither spoke a word for a long time.

After walking quite far, He Zhong finally turned to Qiu Xinran somewhat embarrassed: “I owe you a favor today. Originally the fellow who was supposed to come with me had something come up, but every time with this kind of thing, without someone along, I really…”

He didn’t continue, but Qiu Xinran understood what he meant.

“How many times has Vice General He experienced such things?”

“Too many. These past two years have been more peaceful—there are far fewer now. The Zhangwu Army has a formidable military reputation, but if we could live peaceful days, who would want to fight?” He Zhong pulled on his reins and let out a turbid breath from his chest. “Fortunately, it’s all passed.”

Qiu Xinran was silent for a moment: “Before battle, everyone leaves these things behind?”

“On the battlefield, sometimes when people die you can’t even find their bones. Leaving some important things behind—if something truly unfortunate happens, other brothers will deliver the things home for you. It also leaves something for the living to remember you by.”

“Does Vice General He also have such things?”

He Zhong grinned: “How could I not? My father’s a blacksmith. Before I left, he forged me a blade. But the first time I went to battle, that blade was chopped in two. If the Marquis hadn’t pulled me up onto his horse, the grass on my grave would be waist-high by now. I’ve kept that blade handle, thinking if I die someday, I’ll have someone bring the thing back and tell him: Your son chopped off this many Diyue heads on the battlefield, and it wasn’t thanks to your blade!”

Qiu Xinran knew he deliberately said this and laughed along. After a while, she asked again: “Then—does the Marquis also have such things?”

This question stumped He Zhong: “By rights… he should.”

“What do you mean ‘by rights’?”

“General Xia and Princess Mingyang have both passed away. Who could the Marquis leave things for? But then again—” He Zhong thought about it. “When the Marquis first came to Yuzhou those first two years, not everyone in the military was convinced by him. He ate, lived, and fought alongside the men. If others left things, he definitely had to leave things too.”

“Right, he did leave something.” He Zhong became more certain as he spoke. “I was the one who told him about this custom. At first he said he had nothing worth leaving. The next day he brought me a small wooden box, and he never took it back after that.”

Qiu Xinran couldn’t help but be curious: “What did he leave?”

“I don’t know that.” He Zhong said, glancing at her. “If you want to know, I’ll take you to see.”

Qiu Xinran was startled: “That probably wouldn’t be proper, would it?”

“I’ll bet you ten copper coins there’s probably nothing in there.” He Zhong smacked his lips. “Think about it—back then, who could he leave things for? Besides, if it were really something important, could he leave it there for so many years without thinking to take it back?”

This made a lot of sense and seemed like something Xia Xiuyan would do. Qiu Xinran’s curiosity grew even stronger, so she said: “Then let’s just take a quick peek and put it back.”

The two came to the military camp. He Zhong led her to the storage warehouse. As soon as Qiu Xinran entered, she looked up to see the shelves neatly holding quite a few items—some wrapped in cloth, some placed in wooden boxes.

He Zhong walked while explaining to her: “Usually before battles, this place has the most items stored. After the battle, if people return safely, they take their things back. Some can’t find where to put them for a while, so they’re temporarily stored here.”

He walked to a shelf and took down a small sandalwood box from above. A paper with Xia Xiuyan’s name written on it was pasted on top. The paper had yellowed, and the box was covered with a layer of dust—it had indeed been stored here for a long time.

He Zhong placed the box on a nearby table. Qiu Xinran stood across from him. She saw him open the lock clasp on the box. Before she could see clearly what was inside, she saw He Zhong’s expression freeze. After a moment, he took out a letter from inside.

“This is… for you.” After carefully reading the words written on the letter several times, he looked up at her incredulously.

“For me?” Hearing this, Qiu Xinran was also startled. Half-believing, half-doubting, she took the letter and discovered the envelope indeed had written on it “Respectfully to Qiu Xinran, Disciple of the Nine Schools of Divination.”

She never would have dreamed that many years ago, before going to battle, Xia Xiuyan had written a letter and, along with some “relics,” left them for her.

Qiu Xinran opened the letter and discovered inside was just a thin sheet of paper with only a few sparse lines of words. He Zhong asked curiously: “What does the letter say?”

“The letter says…” Qiu Xinran held the letter paper as if she hadn’t yet come to her senses about this matter.

The letter said that if she saw this letter, he had most likely died in battle. It was military custom to leave some things for the living before going to battle: “…Now my close relatives have passed, and worldly acquaintances are few. The Daoist can barely count as one. It happens I have some small objects at hand, unintentionally kept for a long time, with nowhere to entrust them, so I return them all together. In the past, the divination at court—the Daoist knew my distant ambitions, and I knew the Daoist’s painstaking efforts. Having reached this day, I have no regrets. I wish the Daoist longevity, may you see the Way and attain the Way, and soon realize enlightenment.”

Just over a hundred words. Looking at the handwriting on the paper, before Qiu Xinran’s eyes seemed to float the image of a man sitting at his desk by lamplight in his tent, repeatedly deliberating over these few sentences on the letter before him, finally putting brush to paper, wishing her longevity and health, that she see the Way and attain the Way, and soon realize enlightenment.

He Zhong looked down to examine the other items in the box and suddenly said: “Hey, I recognize this thing. The Marquis carried it with him for many years in the early days. I didn’t expect it was put here.”

Hearing this, Qiu Xinran looked up to see He Zhong holding an old plain-colored pouch. She took it and looked—discovering bloodstains on it that had long since dried. Opening it, she found inside a piece of old talisman paper folded neatly.

Her heart stirred, already vaguely guessing something. Carefully unfolding it, she found it was indeed a Nine Schools Daoist talisman, with “vitality lies south” written in small characters on the back—it came from her own hand. The pouch also showed damage, but the talisman paper remained clean and neat, clearly having been carefully preserved all along.

Her gaze moved slightly. She looked at the other items in the box and discovered it also contained a plain silver hairpin and a piece of broken jade. She naturally remembered this broken jade—it was the piece she had accidentally broken when competing in Drunken Spring House to buy Mei Que out from the sleeved bidding with Wu Peng. But what was this hairpin?

Qiu Xinran reached out to turn the silver hairpin in a circle, dimly feeling it was familiar. Only then did she recall that year when she was thirteen, the night she was abducted from the traveling palace. He had used the hairpin to pierce through the Diyue man’s throat. When he washed the hairpin clean by the stream and returned it to her, she had been disgusted that the hairpin had been stained with blood and told him to throw it away, using a tree branch instead to pin up her hair. She hadn’t expected that he never threw it away in the end, keeping it along with this piece of broken jade until now.

“When were all these things put in?” Qiu Xinran brushed her hand across the box’s surface, asking softly.

But He Zhong couldn’t remember clearly, only saying: “Probably five or six years ago. I just remember General Xia had already passed away by then.”

Five or six years ago, news of the great victory at Yuzhou had already reached Chang’an, and she had already returned to the mountain. At that time, she had thought she might never have another chance in this lifetime to see that sickly heir she’d met at the academy. But little did she know that a thousand miles away, Xia Xiuyan had left her a letter and these items.

A trace of a smile appeared in her eyes. This was indeed something Xia Xiuyan would do. Saying unfeeling words with his mouth, afraid of letting anyone see that bit of insincerity in his true heart; yet also sending all these things together, afraid you wouldn’t see that bit of youthful affection never spoken aloud.

Qiu Xinran couldn’t help but feel grateful that these items never had the chance to be delivered to her hands. Otherwise, who knows what it would have felt like to suddenly receive this unfamiliar box on some day while in the mountains and open this letter.

He Zhong saw her refold the letter and close the box, and asked strangely: “Since they’re all for you, why are you putting them back?”

Qiu Xinran smiled: “It’s not important—they’re all things from the past.” She only kept a silver hairpin, taking it out to insert in her hair. She handed the box back to him and suddenly asked, “What time did you say the Marquis would return to the city today?”

That evening when Xia Xiuyan rode back to the residence, having had Qiu Xinran suddenly move out in recent days, the residence had immediately become desolate. Even Auntie Zhang had lost half her enthusiasm for cooking. But returning to the residence today, before even reaching the main hall he already smelled the fragrance of food. Xia Xiuyan’s expression shifted, some surprise in his eyes. He quickly walked a few more steps inside. Sure enough, just reaching the door, he saw a bored female figure sitting at the table with her chin propped on her hand.

His steps paused. He lowered his head to conceal the smile in his eyes and brows, then unhurriedly walked into the room. Just as he was about to say something with a cold face, he saw the other party hear the movement, turn her head, and question first: “He Zhong said you were returning at noon. Where have you been all afternoon?”

Xia Xiuyan was caught off guard by her preemptive strike and was indeed stunned for a moment. Then he snorted coldly: “You don’t live here now. If I can’t find you when I return to the city, where else could I go?”

Qiu Xinran realized: “You waited for me all afternoon at my shop in the east of the city?”

Xia Xiuyan glanced at her without speaking. The anger Qiu Xinran had built up waiting for him for most of an hour immediately dissipated. She said happily: “If you couldn’t see me, waiting a while would be fine, but why wait all afternoon?”

Xia Xiuyan also felt he’d been foolish, but at this point could only be stubborn: “Who waited for you all afternoon? I just got back too. I just happened to stop by there to take a look.”

“Fine, then I waited for you for most of an hour, and you didn’t wait for me long either. Let’s call it even.” Qiu Xinran happily came forward to take his hand. Little did she know that hearing this made Xia Xiuyan even more depressed: Who’s calling it even with you? The frustration stuck in his chest unable to come out. But when the woman he hadn’t seen for ten days walked right before his eyes, more than half of it dissipated at once.

He lowered his head and suddenly saw the silver hairpin in her hair. His phoenix eyes widened slightly: “You…”

Seeing him like this, Qiu Xinran secretly laughed inside. She tilted her head to let him see more clearly, deliberately saying: “I suddenly found this hairpin again. Does it look good?”

Xia Xiuyan’s grip on her hand tightened. He immediately guessed: “He Zhong took you to see it?”

Qiu Xinran played dumb: “What does it have to do with Vice General He?” After saying this, she turned to escape back to the table. Xia Xiuyan was made to laugh by her exasperation. He pulled her into his embrace to restrain her, then asked: “You read that letter too?”

Qiu Xinran felt somewhat guilty, but being locked in his embrace unable to move, she inadvertently glimpsed his ear hidden behind his black hair tinged slightly red. She couldn’t help but blink her eyes mischievously: “I saw it. The letter said you’ve admired me for many years but were too embarrassed to let me know.”

“Nonsense.” Though Xia Xiuyan knew she was deliberately making things up, he still couldn’t help but instinctively refute.

So Qiu Xinran asked righteously: “Then you tell me, what did you write?”

Her crafty appearance was truly detestable. Without further ado, Xia Xiuyan lowered his head to kiss her lips. The woman’s annoying voice was immediately all blocked inside her mouth. She tilted her head slightly to evade, but he caught up to seal away her other words.

“Oh my!” A soft exclamation came from the doorway. As soon as Auntie Zhang entered, she ran into this scene. Seeing the two people in the room startled by her cry and look back at her, she hurriedly retreated: “I forgot—there’s another dish in the kitchen I need to bring out.”

Qiu Xinran’s face heated up. Only now did she finally know to be embarrassed. She glared hatefully at the person before her. But Xia Xiuyan was in a good mood, feeling that waiting all afternoon in the sun was now truly even. He still held the person in his embrace without releasing her. Qiu Xinran struggled lightly but couldn’t break free, so she looked up at him and suddenly said quietly: “Was everything written in that letter true?”

“False.”

Qiu Xinran hadn’t expected him to deny it so quickly. She glared at him again: “Which sentence was false?”

Xia Xiuyan smiled without speaking, only quietly holding her.

The two stood under the lamplight. After a long while, Qiu Xinran finally heard him say: “The part about having no regrets was false.” He reached out to gently stroke the silver hairpin in her hair, a bit of warmth in his eyes. “But now it’s true.”

—

**Author’s Note:** The extra chapter was so hard to write, but so many friends in the comments wanted to see it, so I wrote one QAQ

When I write, I actually like to leave a little bit—the story ends, but the lives of everyone in the story haven’t ended. Everyone can imagine they’ll encounter many more people and many more things, but the one thing we can be certain of is that they will definitely grow old together and spend this life together.