Dream of the Red Chamber: Madam, please have some self-respect!

After receiving some books from Jia Zhu that day, Jia Yun devoted himself to studying them in the small courtyard under the west corridor, truly neglecting to eat or sleep.

No wonder he is studying so hard; the prefectural examination is just over a month away in April, and time is of the essence.

These days, Jia Yun resumed his daily routine of teaching the girls in the courtyard for an hour every morning. In the afternoon, he also resumed practicing his marksmanship for an hour, and devoted the rest of his time to studying books.

However, one thing lingered in Jia Yun's mind—the beautiful and graceful figure in the Sanqing Temple outside the city.

Although he and Zhou Yingluo could not meet often, they never stopped exchanging letters.

Jia Yun often found a reliable servant to take his heartfelt letters to the Iron Threshold Temple when he went there and back.

In his letters, he would sometimes write about stories of talented men and beautiful women, such as "The Butterfly Lovers" and "Romeo and Juliet," revealing the clumsy yet passionate feelings unique to young people.

The girl's replies always came a little later, her handwriting reflecting her straightforward nature, and the content was mostly reproachful.

"Pah! You lecherous scoundrel! You only write such indecent nonsense!"

"Who wants to hear your ridiculous stories! They're shameful!"

"If you dare spout nonsense again, you'll regret it!"

Yet, behind every reprimand, there was always a subtle hint that he should "write more next time." This insincerity made Jia Yun's lips involuntarily curl into a smile every time he read the letter.

During this period, Zhou Yingluo also visited the capital twice under the pretext of shopping for her father or visiting her brother. Each time, Jia Yun would try his best to find time to "accidentally" meet her in a relatively quiet street in the west of the city.

The two walked side by side on the bluestone path, maintaining a just-right distance.

This seemingly ordinary encounter felt sweeter even in the air. Jia Yun would buy her freshly baked sugar cakes, and she would point at the trinkets on the stall and comment on them, just like a pair of young lovers caught up in the throes of romance.

Jia Yun still remembers the first time he held her hand.

It was also in the west of the city, in front of a stall selling silk flowers, when he casually touched her fingertips. Then, as if summoning all his courage, he gently took her slightly cool and soft little hand in his palm.

At that moment, he clearly saw that Zhou Yingluo's profile and ears were tinged with a layer of rouge.

The child only struggled symbolically for a moment before letting him hold it.

That little hand was soft, carrying her unique, faint fragrance—a blend of the cool scent of soapberry and the warmth of the sun—making Jia Yun's heart pound. He held her hand all the way until they reached the alley entrance before reluctantly letting go.

Jia Yun was planning in his heart that once the results of this imperial examination were in, he would bring her the great news.

She would surely be very happy.

Jia Yun had even imagined countless times in his mind what kind of brilliance would shine in Zhou Yingluo's always bright almond-shaped eyes when she heard the good news.

Perhaps, as usual, she'll say, "Hmph, at least you have some backbone," but the corners of her mouth won't help but turn up, and maybe... she'll even let him give her a light hug?

That day, after finishing his chores, Jia Yun went straight to the Weiyuan Escort Agency. He wanted to first inform his senior brother Zhou Jian and the others, hoping they could perhaps travel out of the city together.

But when they arrived at the security agency, they sensed something was amiss.

Even when no large group of people set off, there were always servants sweeping and practicing their skills at the entrance, making it quite lively.

Today, although the security agency's gates were open, it was quiet inside, showing signs of being deserted.

After Jia Yun stepped inside, he saw an unfamiliar accountant sitting behind the counter, fiddling with an abacus. In the other side room, several porters who had stayed behind were leaning against the wall listlessly.

"Sir, are the镖头 (bodyguards) Zhou Jian and Zhou Xuan here?" Jia Yun asked politely as he stepped forward.

The accountant looked up, sized Jia Yun up and down, and then slowly said, "You're looking for some of the Zhou family's镖头 (bodyguards/escorts)? They're not working here anymore."

Jia Yun was taken aback, thinking she had misheard: "You quit? What do you mean? Did you get transferred to another branch?"

"Not the branch office," an old镖师 (bodyguard/escort) interjected as he came out of the room, his tone tinged with regret. "Three days ago, Old Zhou left with his two sons, saying... he was quitting the镖师 business. We don't know exactly where they went."

"Three days ago?" Jia Yun's heart sank, a sense of foreboding washing over her. "Why so suddenly? Did something happen?"

The old man shook his head: "How would we men know any of this? We only heard it was Old Man Zhou's own idea. They left in a hurry, finished the handover, and took their belongings and family with them. They didn't even finish settling the two brothers' monthly wages!"

Jia Yun stood there, stunned, her mind a jumbled mess.

He quit? Three days ago? At that time, he was engrossed in his studies, preparing for the county examination, and knew nothing about this matter!

Why so suddenly? What difficulties have Master and the others encountered?

Why didn't you even send him a message?

Jia Yun forced himself to calm down and asked a few more questions, but the remaining people in the escort agency did indeed know only limited information.

His mind was in turmoil, and he couldn't think straight.

So Jia Yun immediately rushed out of the escort agency, hired a carriage at the street corner, and urged the driver to hurry up by giving the address "Sanqing Temple outside the city".

The carriage bumped and jolted out of the city, and Jia Yun's heart pounded with every turn of the wheels.

He kept reassuring himself that perhaps his master and the others had only temporarily returned to their hometown, or perhaps they had other plans.

However, when Jia Yun arrived at the familiar yet dilapidated Sanqing Temple, his heart sank completely.

The gate was ajar, and when pushed open it made a creaking sound that was particularly jarring in the quiet mountain forest.

The courtyard was deserted.

The training grounds of the past are now empty; the stone locks and weapon racks have all disappeared.

The main hall where they used to sit and drink, chatting and laughing, is now just a few crooked, broken stools and dust all over the floor.

In the corner, the woodpile where he had chopped firewood for Zhou Wanyan had disappeared, and the blue stone where Zhou Yingluo liked to sit and bask in the sun stood there all alone, covered with a layer of withered leaves.

Jia Yun hurried through the various rooms, the kitchen, the side rooms... all of which were empty.

Not only were the people gone, but even everyday items like pots, pans, bedding, and luggage were all taken away, as if no one had ever lived there for a long time.

Jia Yun stood in the middle of the courtyard, looking around blankly.

The early spring wind blew by, swirling up a few withered leaves that swept past his feet.

Why? What exactly happened?

Undeterred, Jia Yun suddenly turned and ran towards the Iron Threshold Temple, which was not far away.

He rushed into the abbot's meditation room, panting, and disregarding etiquette, urgently asked, "Abbot! Do you know where my master Zhou Kui's family, those people from the Sanqing Temple, went? Why did they suddenly move away?"

Abbot Sekong was chanting sutras with his eyes closed when he heard the sound and slowly opened his eyes.

Seeing Jia Yun's anxious and flustered appearance, he clasped his hands together and softly chanted a Buddhist prayer: "Amitabha. Benefactor Jia, this matter... this old monk is also unaware of it. Benefactor Zhou has always acted freely and unrestrainedly. Perhaps he has found a better place to go, or perhaps he is tired of the hardship of this place and has taken his family on a journey. The coming together and parting of people in this world are all preordained."

His expression carried a calm indifference that seemed to have seen through the ways of the world, and even... a hint of detachment that was hard to detect.

"Wandering? How could they be without any warning? Abbot, are you really unaware of anything? Did they leave any message? Or have any strangers visited recently?"

Sekong slowly shook his head, his tone still calm: "No. Although I am a neighbor of Benefactor Zhou, we follow different paths and do not interact much. I have no way of knowing about his whereabouts, nor is it appropriate for me to inquire. Benefactor Jia, since he has already left and the place is deserted, why insist on asking?"

A deep sense of powerlessness and despondency washed over me.

Jia Yun understood that from the moment the Zhou family decided to leave without informing him, they had perhaps already drawn a line between themselves.

As a member of the Jia family who had just taken a small step on the path of the imperial examinations, he was ultimately separated from people like them from the Jianghu (江湖, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) by an invisible wall.

Jia Yun lowered his head dejectedly and whispered, "Yes... I understand. I've disturbed the abbot's meditation, so I'll take my leave."

Watching Jia Yun's dejected figure as he left, Abbot Sekong sighed softly: "Foolish child. Since we are no longer from the same world, why cling to this pursuit? Letting go of this thought might be a good thing for him and for the Zhou family."

Jia Yun walked back alone along the path he had come from.

He looked up at the gray sky and felt a gloom settle over his heart.

That graceful figure, those correspondences, those "chance encounters" in the west of the city—it all felt like a beautiful dream.

Now that the dream is over, he is left standing alone in the cold wind.