Chapter 368: When the Grass Ring Flowers Bloom, and the Winter Wind Turns to Spring

The creaking sound of the courtyard gate being pushed open slowly drifted into the yard, intermingling with the moonlight in the darkness of the night.

The girl in the courtyard slowly withdrew her gaze from the night sky.

The moment she saw Lin Xun, her eyes slightly narrowed.

Immediately after, a flush of crimson climbed onto her cheeks.

As if a little secret had been discovered, she prepared to step down from the stone bench, her fair and tender feet treading on the gravel of the courtyard as she turned and hid inside the house.

Looking at the tightly closed gate and then at this courtyard that was familiar beyond measure.

Lin Xun was in no hurry to knock on the door; instead, he walked over to the stone table where the girl had just been sitting.

His fingers brushed across this stone table, which was as ordinary as could be and even showed signs of wear from the passage of time.

On this stone table, two little figures were also carved.

The depiction of the figures was quite abstract.

However, one could vaguely see that the two little figures were holding hands.

He then walked under the Loquat Tree in the courtyard.

On the Loquat Tree, scratch after scratch was carved.

Beside some scratches, the word ‘Xun’ was written.

Beside other scratches, the word ‘Mi’ was written.

However, those scratches used to record their heights had, with the growth of the Loquat Tree, already become higher than people were now.

At this moment, Lin Xun understood everything.

This place was not merely Sister Mimi replicating the village from back then.

The village might be a replica.

But this courtyard, whether it was the stone table, the stone bench, or even this Loquat Tree, had all been moved into the Imperial Palace by Sister Mimi.

Exhaling deeply, Lin Xun looked at the closed door, stepped forward, and knocked on it.

“Sister Mimi.”

The knocking stopped, but there was still no movement inside the room.

“Sister Mimi.”

Lin Xun called out softly again, but the result was still silence.

“Since Sister Mimi doesn’t want to see me, then I shall leave for now.”

Lin Xun sighed softly and turned to leave.

Moonlight fell upon Lin Xun’s body, and his turning figure was reflected on the paper window.

Just as Lin Xun stepped down from the porch and turned to walk away.

Behind him, the door opened.

Lin Xun had just turned around when the girl lunged into his arms.

“Don’t go.”

Xia Xiaomeng’s slender arms tightly embraced Lin Xun, her head buried in his chest as tears from the corners of her eyes dampened his clothes.

Lin Xun’s hands hovered in the air; he wanted to touch her, but he didn’t dare to lower them.

Ultimately, however, Lin Xun still held the girl in his arms.

After a long time, sensing that the girl’s emotions had slowly calmed, Lin Xun spoke softly: “Sister Mimi, how about we go for a walk?”

“Mm.”

Muffled against Lin Xun’s chest, the girl gave a soft response.

Pushing the girl slightly away from his chest, Lin Xun used his rough fingers to gently wipe the tears from Xia Xiaomeng’s cheeks.

The girl’s cheeks were very smooth and tender, like tofu; Lin Xun worried that if he used even a little more force, he would break the skin.

Being watched by Lin Xun like this, the girl who had just cried was clearly very bashful, her eyes darting around slightly.

To prevent Sister Mimi from running away in embarrassment.

Lin Xun stopped staring at her and instead took her small hand, walking along the streets of the village that looked exactly as it did when they were children.

“Does Sister Mimi still remember?”

Lin Xun led Xia Xiaomeng to the front of a family’s courtyard, where there was a wooden stake used for tying up a large dog.

“When Sister Mimi first came to the courtyard, you were quite frightened by that big dog.”

“I wasn’t afraid later on.” Having her childhood embarrassments brought up by Lin Xun, Xia Xiaomeng’s cheeks turned slightly red.

“That’s true.”

Lin Xun squeezed Xia Xiaomeng’s small hand.

“I remember back then Sister Mimi often looked for trouble with that big dog, always throwing stones at it. You really held a grudge.”

“Who told it to bully me?” Xia Xiaomeng pouted her small mouth and muttered softly.

Lin Xun smiled and did not dwell on the matter any further.

In the empty little village, the two of them walked forward step by step.

The moonlight stretched their figures very, very long, until their shadows merged together.

“I remember Sister Mimi fought with other girls in this alley.” Lin Xun glanced at the alley and then at the girl beside him.

“Hmph!” The girl beside him let out a huff and turned her head away. “Who told them to say they wanted to marry you, Xiao Xun?”

Lin Xun: “…”

Back then, when he went to carry the fighting Sister Mimi back and asked for the reason, she kept turning her head away and wouldn’t say.

As it turned out, that was why.

Unknowingly, the two of them arrived before a Jujube Tree.

Lin Xun looked at this Jujube Tree: “Was this Jujube Tree planted by Sister Mimi?”

“No.” Xia Xiaomeng lowered her head. “I dug it up from the previous village; it’s the original one.”

“Alright, then Sister Mimi, why did you suddenly want to chop down this Jujube Tree back then?”

Lin Xun remembered that year, just as he returned from catching fish at the river, he saw Sister Mimi holding a small axe and hacking at it.

Xia Xiaomeng lifted her small chin unrepentantly: “You fell from this tree back then. It bullied you, so I was going to chop it down and use it as firewood!”

“…”

“Then what about Auntie Niu’s missing chicken in the village?”

“At that time, Xiao Xun, you fell down the hillside, so I ‘borrowed’ one of hers to nourish your body.”

“…”

“A hole was chiseled into the wall of Xiao Lin’s house to the east?”

“Who told her to call me ugly.”

“…”

“Xiao Gang said the Stag Beetle he caught went missing.”

“I ‘borrowed’ it for you to play with, Xiao Xun, but I wasn’t careful on the way and it escaped.”

“…”

As they walked, Lin Xun looked at the old scenes while asking his questions.

It turned out that eight or nine times out of ten, the bad things Sister Mimi did as a child were because of him.

This left Lin Xun at a loss for words for a moment.

Having her childhood deeds constantly brought up by Lin Xun, Xia Xiaomeng’s cheeks grew even redder as she spoke, and she became quite embarrassed.

However, if she could do it all over again.

For the girl, she would still do the same.

Because as long as it was for Xiao Xun, she would do anything!

“Sister Mimi, I have to leave tomorrow morning.”

After a long while, Lin Xun spoke again.

Lin Xun’s words fell into the girl’s heart like a great mountain pressing down, making her chest so tight she could not breathe.

The girl’s eyes were already filled with a watery mist, as if teardrops could fall at any moment.

“However, I will come back.”

The following sentence made the girl lift her tightly lowered head, her shimmering eyes blinking as she looked at Lin Xun.

Lin Xun smiled gently, his finger wiping away a teardrop from the corner of the girl’s eye. He opened her small hand and placed a Grass Ring into her palm.

“When will you return?”

“When the Grass Ring flowers bloom, and the winter wind turns to spring.

At that time, I will stand before Sister Mimi, and even if Sister Mimi tries to drive me away, it will be of no use.”