The Ageless Dream

13.3 His Wedding Gift (53)

As the sun sunk between the mountains and vast sky, two silhouettes stood far from each other amidst the courtyard. Dong Li Hua averted her gaze away from him when he tossed another pebble on the pond and it bounced five times on the water surface.

"Sister Qianqian is not here." she muttered without any emotions. Dong Li Hua heard their argument and he is the man who kept Zi Qian waiting for two years. Her resentment to the young man is neutral since she doesn't know the whole story between the two.

The young man simply took a glimpse of her before throwing another pebble on the lotus pond. It bounced four times and sank afterwards. Dong Li Hua ignored him by leaning on the pillar and closed her eyes. Just then, she heard light footsteps getting closer to her. Once she opened her eyes, the young man is already sitting across her spot.

"Why are you here anyway? Are you General Meng Tian's friend?" Dong Li Hua tilted her head, trying to start a conversation to avoid being labeled as a cold woman. The young man thought for a while then nodded. He kept his amiable smile towards her and Dong Li Hua noticed something. "Mute?"

He shook his head and mouthed 'sore throat'. Dong Li Hua hid her laughter, he must have gotten it from bickering with Zi Qian behind the curtains. "Sister Qianqian is the most elegant lady I've ever met. It's a shame she gave her heart to someone ignorant." she returned a smile that is not a smile. Dong Li Hua looked innocent with her expression but her words were in contrast yet the young man was not bothered in the slightest.

"Can't you speak even with that sore throat?" since he is not angered nor guilty. She decided to stop using her glib tongue. Its their problem anyway and not related to her. The young man heaved a deep sigh then reached for his pocket when he frowned. "Looking for something?" Dong Li Hua asked in curiosity.

"Quick! Go call the other servants. We should prepare for the funeral today." a steward loudly ordered to some group of pageboys. Dong Li Hua turned her head to them with round eyes. She immediately sat up but the young man suddenly made her stop by holding her arm.

"Hey! Let go, I have to see Zhan jiejie!" she frowned as he shook his head. Dong Li Hua stared at him in puzzlement when he used a pleading gaze to her. She was stunned for a moment, that pleading gaze is very familiar...

Nevertheless, she pulled her arm and went to the chamber where Zhan Yuling and the Meng Family are in. Dong Li Hua pushed the door open to see Zhan Yuling lying on a bed, her head covered with a white fabric. Meng Tian is standing in front of Zhan Yuling without any sign of turbid emotion. His younger brother, Meng Yi is talking to the physician. Only the five of them are present.

Dong Li Hua gripped the doorframe tightly then bravely went forward. "You are?" Meng Yi blocked Dong Li Hua; he had his arm spread in front of her.

"Im Dong Lizi, Zhan jiejie's friend. Can I... Can I see her?" she explained shortly but Meng Yi did not move.

"Xiao ge [1], let her in. I know Miss Lizi." Meng Tian spoke up. With his older brother's command, Meng Yi stepped back. He kept his gaze on Dong Li Hua with a shred of doubt.

"Zhan jiejie." Dong Li Hua softly called. She glanced to the side where a table is and on top were the luxurious hairpins they clipped on Zhan Yuling's hair before she even entered the bridal sedan. One of the hairpins is a familiar wisteria head ornament. Smiling bitterly, Dong Li Hua took something out of her sleeve pocket. It's a scroll placed inside a velvet seal. "This is a painting I made. You told me how you met Sir Meng back then. This is...my gift, my real gift for Zhan jiejie."

Meng Tian accepted it. He opened the lid as a scroll slid out. Painted with care is a dream-like scenery. Zhan Yuling was drawn there in her usual purple robe while strumming a vermilion guzheng. Behind her is a blooming wisteria as the ground was covered with soft white snow. Standing before Zhan Yuling is Meng Tian, all in golden clad and a red cape is draped over his shoulder until the ground.

"It's the wedding gift I prepared. Zhan jiejie is already wealthy so I want to give her this, a handmade painting that I made on my own. Sadly..." Dong Li Hua trailed off. She sighed and casted a sympathizing gaze go Meng Tian. He is genuinely suppressing his tears, a man his age often controlled their feelings. "Zhan jiejie, Sir Meng, I should take my leave."

From Dong Li Hua's memory, there is one time Zhan Yuling told her a scenery. A young girl in purple robe is strumming a guzheng beneath the wisteria tree, waiting for a general who just came back from war. Unbeknownst to Dong Li Hua, it was Zhan Yuling's most precious memory. The day she first met her cousin, Meng Tian was appointed as a general during his younger age and fought against the other states for years.

Before that, he created a new version of guqin, the guzheng which has more strings. Only he can play it at first but when he returned after few years, Zhan Yuling was able to master it with grace. He was enchanted then and there.

"Meng Tian in history invented one of China's traditional instrument. So, its how he actually met someone like Zhan jiejie who is unknown in history." Dong Li Hua thought and left the manor of Meng Family. Only Meng Tian's name was mentioned in Sima Qian's Record of the Grand Historian where Zhan Yuling never existed. Such beautiful love story sank within the River of Time.

Finally arriving in Huang Zhao's estate, Dong Li Hua felt something is wrong. Its silence soon mingled with the pungent smell of blood.

[1] xiao is small and ge is brother. Adding xiao with me meant younger brother.