Tuantuan

Fú characters, lanterns, fireworks, firecrackers, and snacks.

Luochen ticked them off on her fingers, one by one. She had purchased most of the necessary items.

With these, only the couplets remained.

It had been nearly a year since she last saw Tuantuan, and Luochen wondered how tall she had grown.

As memories of previous years surfaced, a gentle smile touched Luochen’s lips.

“Sister Luo, where exactly are we going?”

Chen Ruan’s curiosity was piqued, sensing that they were heading towards increasingly sparsely populated areas.

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

At the edge of a secluded forest, Luochen finally halted her steps.

“This is the place.”

She pointed a finger, revealing a small courtyard nestled against the mountainside.

“Grandpa Li.”

The courtyard gate stood open, and Luochen immediately spotted an old man grinding ink in the yard.

Upon seeing the newcomers, Li Ze’s heavily wrinkled face broke into a smile.

“You’ve arrived, young lady.”

As if remembering something, he called out towards the house.

“Tuantuan, come out quickly! Your sister is here.”

Luochen whispered to Chen Ruan, explaining, “Every year, I come to Grandpa Li for couplets; he has truly exquisite calligraphy.”

“Sister!”

A small white bundle of energy darted out from inside the house, wrapping itself around Luochen’s leg in an instant.

Luochen knelt down, gently pinching Tuantuan’s cheek.

“Tuantuan has grown taller again! Have you been listening to Grandpa this year?”

“Tuantuan is always very obedient.”

The girl before her beamed with pride.

“Tuantuan is truly wonderful.”

Luochen produced the snacks she had bought and the precious tea leaves she had carefully preserved.

“These are gifts from Sister for Grandpa and Tuantuan.”

“Thank you, Sister! Sister is so good,” Tuantuan chirped in her sweet, childish voice.

As she gazed at the adorable girl before her, Luochen’s thoughts drifted back to the first time she had encountered Tuantuan and Grandpa Li.

It was a day of heavy snowfall, and Luochen, much like today, had gone to Jinyang City to purchase New Year’s goods.

The ground was covered with a considerable layer of snow, and she found herself trudging through it with some effort.

The usually bustling streets of Jinyang City were eerily deserted.

Having finished her New Year’s shopping, Luochen was about to depart when her gaze caught an old man and a small child setting up a modest stall on the street.

During their conversation, Luochen learned of their identities.

The old man was a resident of Moyang City, having fortunately escaped the calamity of that battle by being outside the city at the time.

Tuantuan was an abandoned infant he had discovered during his wanderings.

“My wife, my children, my grandchildren, the home I built over half a lifetime — all gone.”

Li Ze spoke these words with a profound calmness, as if recounting someone else’s tale.

“I walked aimlessly, perhaps destined to die by the roadside at any moment, but I no longer cared.”

He turned his head to look at the sleeping child beside him, and a faint smile graced his tranquil face.

“It was then that I met her. I had lived long enough, but her life had yet to begin.”

“So I wanted to live on. I wanted to care for her until she grew up.”

“I possess no great talents, but calligraphy is something I can manage, so I set up here each day, writing couplets and paintings to make a living.”

“Grandpa, could you please write a set of couplets for me?”

Luochen spoke with a hint of bitterness. While there had been valid reasons for the events that transpired, and the sect had subsequently put immense effort into rebuilding Moyang City, hearing the old man’s words still filled Luochen with a sense of self-reproach.

“Of course.”

Li Ze picked up his brush and unfurled a sheet of Xuan paper; his strokes were vigorous and powerful, like a sharp sword unsheathed.

Snowflakes fluttered down, and the world was enveloped in a profound silence.

After a long moment, Li Ze raised his head.

“It’s finished, young lady. The total is…”

Before he could finish, Luochen tucked a small gold ingot beneath the Xuan paper.

“Young lady, this simply won’t do.”

Li Ze grew flustered, attempting to press the gold back into Luochen’s hand.

Yet, in the next instant, Luochen’s figure vanished, taking the couplets from the table with her.

“Please consider it a small token of my regard. You and Tuantuan must live well.”

Luochen’s voice echoed faintly through the air.

It was only then that Li Ze belatedly realized Luochen had been waiting for quite some time, yet not a single snowflake had settled upon her.

The old man, trembling, picked up Tuantuan, his eyes glistening with tears.

“Tuantuan, we’ve encountered a true benefactor.”

From that year onward, Luochen would return to Li Ze’s place annually to purchase couplets and to ensure that he and Tuantuan were safe and well.

****

“Young lady, what theme would you like for this year’s couplets?”

Li Ze’s voice gently pulled Luochen back from her reverie.

She pondered for a moment, then replied, “Let’s have ‘Reunion’.”

After spending half the day playing with Tuantuan, Luochen picked up the couplets, preparing to depart.

“Sister is leaving again?”

Tuantuan’s small face was etched with reluctance.

“Sister has her own matters to attend to, but I’ll come to see you and Grandpa whenever I have time. Next time, I’ll bring you more delicious treats.”

Luochen knelt down, stroking Tuantuan’s head, and offered a soft, comforting laugh.

“Alright then, let’s pinky promise.”

“Mhm, pinky promise.”

Luochen took Tuantuan’s small, tender hand and made a pinky promise, then rose to bid farewell to Li Ze.

“Grandpa Li, I’m leaving now. Remember to regularly brew and drink the tea I brought you; it’s good for your health.”

“Alright, take care on your way.”

“Oh, by the way, Sister Luo, won’t it be dangerous for them living out here?”

Chen Ruan voiced her concern, glancing at the secluded mountain forest around them.

“You’re quite thoughtful, aren’t you?”

Luochen chuckled, playfully flicking Chen Ruan’s nose.

“I’ve already set up an enchantment array around this area; even ordinary cultivators wouldn’t be able to force their way in.”

Chen Ruan gazed at the immortal lady before her, her eyes growing slightly moist.

Through her earlier conversation with Grandpa Li, she had already gained a general understanding of the situation.

‘Sister Luo is the best in the whole wide world!’

‘Chen Ruan desperately wanted to shout it aloud for the entire world to hear.’

As they moved further away from Li Ze’s home, the surrounding area gradually became more densely populated.

Upon reaching a small alley, Luochen suddenly wore a mysterious expression and told Chen Ruan she would take her somewhere interesting.

Chen Ruan: “What?”

“Just come along.”

Luochen’s soft, slightly cool hand once again took Chen Ruan’s.

They passed through the alley, and at its deepest point, Luochen stopped.

“Do you remember this place?”

“This is… where I collapsed?”

Chen Ruan sounded uncertain, as the darkness at the time had prevented her from discerning the surroundings.

“That’s right, that’s right. I smelled a faint scent of blood here back then, and when I got closer, I ‘picked you up’.”

Luochen surveyed her surroundings, a hint of wistfulness in her gaze.

‘Why did she have to use the word ‘picked up’? It’s not like I’m some stray cat or dog.’

Chen Ruan grumbled inwardly.

A sense of bewilderment washed over her. Had it truly been so long since those days of being hunted, those days of constant apprehension?

Only then did she truly grasp the swift passage of time.

Her days on Zhu Qing Peak had been the happiest since she left home.

There were no enemies to fear, no schemes or deceptions, only a sister who cared for her most deeply and Su Yue, who had become a true friend.

Chen Ruan felt that she had laughed more in a single day here than she had in the entire previous year.

Such wonderful days always seemed to fly by.

‘I truly wish I could stay here forever…’

‘But I still have vengeance to exact and unfinished tasks; I cannot waste any more time here.’

A hint of resolve appeared on Chen Ruan’s face.

‘Sister Luo, I’m sorry.’

‘Once my revenge is complete, I will place myself entirely at your disposal.’

Chen Ruan’s heart was a tumultuous mix of emotions. Gazing at the back of the person before her, she suddenly embraced them.

“What’s wrong?”

“Sister Luo, let’s go home.”

The young girl masked her melancholy mood with a smile.

“Alright, let’s go home.”