Beauty to Ashes

Chapter 6

Under the splendor of the moonlight, an impassive smile hung on the girl's face, indicating that she had lost all hope. The instant Chen Lan kissed her forehead, that expression faded away. She could no longer hold back and started to sob like a newborn child in his arms.

Chen Lan did not say a word, simply holding her tightly. Then just like an older brother, he patted her on the back.

Jin Xiu cried till her voice became hoarse and her breathing ragged. He comforted her with his hand. 

Then he laughed gently saying, "Look, don't you still have me?"

Jin Xiu cried till her head throbbed. 

As she sobbed, she thought blankly – Right, at least I still have Chen Lan. 

At this time, Chen Lan was like the last straw to her. If even he chose to abandon her, then she really would really be consigned to eternal damnation. She would no longer be able to pull herself up. As her heart pondered over these matters, that man's hug seemed to draw her even closer. 

He whispered in her ears, "I won't leave you, Jin Xiu."

He said he won't let her go. He said he would take her away.

Jin Xiu mumbled an acknowledgment, though her voice could barely be heard. Then, she slowly closed her eyes and rested in his embrace. 

At the very least, she had a dependable shoulder to cry on – Her greatest blessing.

She cried till she was on the verge of fainting. 

Chen Lan asked her tenderly, "If she is willing to become his wife?"

But expectedly, Jin Xiu laughed and explained that she wasn't shameless to this degree. When she said that, Chen Lan laughed as well. In the end, she fell asleep after tiring herself out with all the crying. This was her only source of intoxicating sweetness in the past one year.

After this, Chen Lan brought her to travel leisurely around Wuzhou.

It was only the two of them. They did not bring any belongings along as they galloped along the desolate dirt paths of Wuzhou. Never once did he let go of her hand. No matter how crowded or deserted it was, no matter where they were, he always held her hand, never letting go. That dependable warmth and that perfect grip was affable support to her world which was on the verge of collapse. Was this how it felt to be loved and cherished?

On the day of the Lantern Festival [1], Chen Lan brought her to release lanterns at the river. Chen Lan held her fingers and nimbly guided her as they released the lotus lanterns into the river. Her fingertips dipped into the cool water, yet, they remained warm.

During Mid-Autumn Festival [2], both of them were cooped up in the kitchen together. Under the watchful guidance of a renowned chef, they made mooncakes. Chen Lan took a creative approach to his and made his mooncake out of flower petals. It was so bitter that even he himself was unwilling to eat it. However, although Jin Xiu grimaced as bitterness exploded in every bite, she still finished eating it.

Then, the following year on the fifteenth day of the Lunar New year, Chen Lan specially crafted a large rabbit lantern for Jin Xiu. Although the rabbit's ear's drooped to one side, and even though it didn't appear very aesthetic, it was still the biggest lantern in the Prince's Manor. Jin Xiu dragged it around as she frolicked around, before tripping over into a bed of snow. Jin Xiu goofily reached out her hands towards him, and after patting her to check if she was injured, he carried her up with a smile. Instead of setting her down, he carried her straight towards a blooming plum tree. He clumsily plucked out a plum flower and presented it to her.

She suddenly recalled. In the rear court of Chen Country, someone had once listened to her grievances silently, before passing her a flower stalk.

Chen Lan watched her receive the plum flower, before slowly reciting a poem. "Plum petals fall, yet there are still some on the tree. Suitor, let me wait not..." This was a line from the Book of Songs [3], depicting a maiden who mourned marriage. It was a poem where the maiden was aggrieved at the fact why her man had yet to propose marriage.