“Chuxue?” The man didn’t smile upon hearing it, but instead praised, “‘The last snow of the year clears, plum blossoms white, their fragrance drifts.’ The artistic conception is quite good. It’s a fine name!”
Huo Chuxue, however, pursed her lips into a slight smile, too embarrassed to tell him the actual origin of her name. According to family lore, the day she was born, Qingling saw its first snowfall. Her father, Mr. Huo Guangyuan, looked at the fluttering snow outside the window and casually decided, “Our daughter shall be named Huo Chuxue (First Snow).”
Naming her had been more casual than anything!
Yet the same name, coming from this man’s mouth, sounded more elegant and meaningful. It just sounded more sophisticated!
Huo Chuxue swept her gaze over the mottled, aged exterior wall to her right. The white paint on the upper part had mostly peeled off, and trumpet creeper vines sprawled wildly across the entire surface. This season, the vines were sprouting green, their leaves a vibrant, tender emerald, a sight that was refreshing to the eyes.
Looking closer, she noticed other plants besides the creeper on the left wall, including trumpet creepers and spider plants. March wasn’t the blooming season for trumpet creepers, so they hadn’t flowered yet, but their foliage was lush and dense, exuding the vigorous vitality of early spring.
She thought that when May and June arrived, with the trumpet creepers in bloom, the wall would be lush with greenery and adorned with beautiful flowers, becoming truly stunning.
The vines of the trumpet creeper climbed from the first floor all the way to the second, with a few long tendrils quietly reaching into a small second-floor window, as if trying to bring a touch of fresh green into that shaded room.
This house, from the inside out, from top to bottom, exuded a palpable sense of age.
She stared for a moment, then slowly withdrew her gaze, opening a conversation. “Sir, this house looks quite old. Did you have it built early on, or did you buy it?”
“I had this house built years ago. My wife was a local of Wangchuan. Every year when the pear blossoms bloomed on Cenling, I would accompany her back here to stay for a while.”
“So you’re not from Wangchuan, sir?” She looked at the man again.
“I’m from Qingling.”
“What a coincidence!” Huo Chuxue exclaimed, finding it incredible. “I’m from Qingling too.”
“I could tell from your accent. People from the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region have a soft, glutinous tone and don’t distinguish between front and back nasal sounds. It’s quite obvious.” Encountering a fellow townsman in a foreign land didn’t seem to bring the man much joy. His expression remained indifferent as he said slowly, “Quite a few people from Qingling come here as tourists.”
Huo Chuxue: “…”
After the second cup of tea went down, a few “gurgling” sounds erupted—Huo Chuxue’s stomach chose an inopportune moment to growl loudly.
Huo Chuxue: “…”
“Hungry?” The man’s sharp ears had caught it.
She rubbed her flat stomach, feeling particularly embarrassed. “I didn’t eat lunch.”
“Miss Huo, please sit for a moment.” The man left with those words and returned a short while later with a plate of peach blossom pastries.
“There isn’t much food in the house, only these. Have them to tide you over.”
“Then what do you usually eat?”
The words slipped out before she could think. After asking, she realized it was inappropriate. But spilt water couldn’t be gathered back; the spoken words couldn’t be retracted.
“When it’s mealtime, the family butler comes to bring me food.”
Huo Chuxue: “…”
So that was it!
Huo Chuxue was genuinely starving and couldn’t afford to be reserved. She stuffed a peach blossom pastry into her mouth. It was cloyingly sweet. She didn’t care for sweets, but a hungry person really had no right to be picky. Filling one’s stomach was the priority.
“How many days do you stay here each year?” she asked, her mouth full of pastry, making her words muffled.
“One week.”
“What day is it today?”
“The sixth day.”
“So you’re leaving tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
Unconsciously, the entire plate of peach blossom pastries ended up in Huo Chuxue’s stomach. She hadn’t paid any attention at all, eating one and taking another, only realizing the plate was empty when she came back to her senses.
The man’s gaze fell on the empty plate. “It seems you really were hungry,” he remarked leisurely.
Huo Chuxue: “…”
How embarrassing!
Her face felt warm, and she hurriedly changed the subject. “The loquats here are growing really well.”
Sure enough, the man’s attention shifted. His gaze turned to the loquat tree as he said quietly, “This tree was planted the spring my wife passed away. She planted many trees—pear trees, jujube trees, orange trees, a whole bunch. But in the end, only this one loquat tree survived.”
Huo Chuxue: “…”
“How many years has this tree been here?”
“Ten years.”
Hearing this, Huo Chuxue’s heart held a faint understanding. It seemed his wife had passed away ten years ago.
Ten years! That was indeed a long time! It was admirable that this man remained so devoted. For ten years, as steady as the days, he guarded this small place, preserving the memories of his wife’s life perfectly intact.
Looking at this loquat tree, Huo Chuxue suddenly remembered a story she’d heard from a fortune teller in her childhood.
The story told of an old lady who lost her husband young and relied on her only son. The son raised a Shiba Inu, a very clever and spirited dog that shared a deep bond with its owner.
One day, the son, in his prime at thirty, died in a car accident. The old lady, having lost her only child in her old age, was devastated. From then on, she could only keep company with this Shiba Inu.
The old lady lived a long life, reaching ninety. And that Shiba Inu accompanied her until she was ninety, living longer than ordinary dogs. The day after the old lady was buried, the Shiba Inu died, right in front of her grave.
The mystical fortune teller said the son had transferred his lifespan to the dog, letting it accompany his mother in his stead.
She thought this loquat tree was also standing in for the wife, accompanying the husband. If she ever had the chance, she must tell him this story.
After finishing her third cup of tea, Huo Chuxue realized she really had to leave. If she didn’t go soon, it would be dark.
“Thank you for your hospitality, sir. I should be going. Could you please show me the way?”
“No rush.” He said unhurriedly, “The butler will be here soon to bring my dinner. After we eat, you can go down the mountain with him. The path down isn’t easy, and it’s not safe for a young woman alone.”
After speaking, he retreated to a corner to make a phone call.
He stood against the light, his figure tall and straight, elegant like an orchid or a jade tree. His long, narrow shadow slanted across the ground, serene as a painting.
A good-looking person was pleasing to the eye no matter what they did. Even the simplest action carried an innate sense of noble refinement.
But when this scene fell into Huo Chuxue’s eyes, she felt his silhouette was immensely lonely. This man must have been silent for too long.
The butler arrived at six in the evening. He was an elderly man past fifty, dressed simply, full of vigor, with a very kind face.
Seeing Huo Chuxue present at the villa, the butler was clearly surprised, but he didn’t ask any questions. He simply took out the dishes from the food container and arranged them one by one on the stone table with efficient movements.
It was Huo Chuxue who proactively explained her presence. “I came to Cenling as a tourist but got lost, so I asked the sir for directions.”
The butler acted as if he hadn’t heard her, showing no reaction.
He Qingshi explained to her, “Gui Shu is deaf and mute.”
Huo Chuxue: “…”
No wonder he couldn’t hear her!
After setting out the dishes, the butler gestured to He Qingshi, ‘Son-in-law, eat.’
He Qingshi signed back, ‘Gui Shu, I’m returning to Qingling tomorrow. Please don’t come to bring me food anymore. Stay home and take good care of Lan Yi. Her due date is approaching.’
Gui Shu nodded. ‘Understood.’
Pausing slightly, he remembered something important. ‘Has the child’s name been chosen?’
‘Not yet. Lan Yi and I are both simple folks, not very educated. We don’t know what would be a good name for the child.’ The two stood facing each other. An expectant look appeared on Gui Shu’s face as he asked, ‘How about you choose a name for the child?’
‘That wouldn’t be appropriate.’ He Qingshi refused almost instinctively, without a second thought. A flash of sorrow passed through his eyes. ‘You and Lan Yi should choose it yourselves. A name is just a form of address; there’s no need to be too particular. The body, hair, and skin are received from one’s parents. You gave him life, so the name should naturally come from you. It’s not fitting for me to choose.’
Gui Shu keenly caught the change in He Qingshi’s expression. The sorrow in the son-in-law’s eyes couldn’t be ignored.
He sighed deeply in his heart. He truly had asked too much.
After their brief exchange, Gui Shu retreated into the villa. Only He Qingshi and Huo Chuxue remained eating in the courtyard, making it feel especially empty.
“Poor hospitality. Please eat more, Miss Huo.” He Qingshi was polite and considerate, though his attitude couldn’t be called warm.
“You’re too kind, sir.” Huo Chuxue smiled at him, feeling particularly grateful.
She had stumbled into someone’s home by accident, drunk their tea, eaten their pastries, and now was even staying for a meal. They were merely strangers who met by chance, yet she had imposed so much. Thinking about it, she really was thick-skinned!
“Won’t Gui Shu eat?” She glanced around the courtyard. Gui Shu had already left at some point.
He Qingshi told her, “Gui Shu has already eaten at home.”
“Oh.” She went back to scooping rice from her bowl and fell silent.
Huo Chuxue had a small face. Bowing her head to eat, her long hair naturally fell, covering most of it.
Her hair was very long, an eye-pleasing flaxen color, fluffy and slightly wavy. Sunlight pierced through the gaps between the loquat leaves, casting fragmented light on the crown of her head, tingeing it with a faint gold.
Her hair was so long it kept brushing against the stone table. She reached up to tuck it behind her ear. But before long, it would fall forward again. After several repetitions, she lost patience and simply tied it up with a hair tie.
With her long hair tied up, her small face was completely revealed—an oval face with delicate, pointed features. Her small, exquisite ears also took on a faint pink hue.
Both had been eating with their heads bowed when they suddenly looked up at the same time. Their gazes collided, and Huo Chuxue gave him a sweet smile.
He Qingshi was momentarily stunned, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
The two finished their dinner in calm silence.
Huo Chuxue didn’t pay much attention to the taste of the food, but she felt it was the most unique meal she’d had in her over twenty years of life, and also the happiest one.
After they finished, the butler came to clear the leftovers.
Once everything was tidied up, Huo Chuxue prepared to follow the butler down the mountain.
The man, who had picked some loquats at some unknown time, handed her a small paper bag containing them. “Miss Huo has good luck. This year’s loquats are growing well and taste good. Take them for the road.”
“Thank you.” Huo Chuxue felt particularly flustered and thanked him. “I’ve imposed on you, sir. If there’s a chance in the future, I’ll treat you to a meal.”
“It’s no trouble.” He stood quietly outside the fence gate, the clearly outlined silhouette of the old villa behind him.
She remembered the most important thing and patted her head. “Oh right, I forgot to ask your name, sir.”
The man had his hands in his pockets, his figure handsome and upright. He said softly, “He Qingshi. Qingshi as in ‘the time of peace has passed.’”