Li Wei happily hummed to herself as she skipped throughout the courtyard. Aunt Rin quickly agreed to her suggestion as she sent Li Wei a strange wink before leaving for the banquet. Li Wei was now in the garden, waiting for Hui to return from the palace. No matter how she thought of it, she couldn"t find the reason for Aunt Rin"s wink.San"er was sweeping the walkway when she saw Li Wei humming and skipping. She almost tripped, witnessing the young miss acting so out of herself. Were her eyes deceiving her? They must be, for when had the young miss ever hummed or skipped?
The answer was obviously, never.
Honestly, Li Wei was surprised Aunt Rin agreed so easily. How did the woman have so much trust in her? Have Aunt Rin always trusted her this much, even in her previous life too? After a moment of silence, Aunt Rin only said, "Li Wei, remember that this is a secret mission from the emperor. Head there first and wait for my news. I will write to you as soon as I finish wrapping things up here in Na"an. Listen to Hui, he"s been with me throughout all my adventures. He"s trustworthy and loyal, you"ll be safe with him."
Everything was already prepared ahead of time so there was not much to do for the trip. They left as soon as Hui returned. At midnight, they reached the outskirts of Na"an. During that time, Hui stopped the carriage so they could watch the colorful bursts of fireworks in the night sky.
It was really a splendid sight to see. The black sky filled with glittering star was the perfect background for fireworks to shine.
San"er sat with Hui outside the carriage, watching the sky. She had never seen such beautiful sights before. Her eyes lowered to the opened carriage doors where her young miss sat inside, leaning on the window. She knew the young miss had no interest in watching fireworks, but had stopped to allow her the chance to enjoy herself. Silently, she thanked the heavens for allowing her to meet the young miss. She prayed for luck and happiness for the young miss.
From inside, Li Wei also smiled seeing San"er and Hui smiling contently as they watched the fireworks. They really deserve so much happiness in this world. Such kind and loyal people as them also deserved loyalty and kindness back.
In the dark, she gently laid her face against the carriage. Her eyes fluttered closed despite the sounds of the bursting fireworks as a memory came to her.
Once, during the Spring Festival, Khan Bojing came into her room when she was asleep. She had excused herself early in the evening to avoid conversations she knew would have to engage in. She was so deeply asleep that she didn"t feel his arms wrapped around her. He carried her to Hundreds Garden and gently laid her down on the big swing in the corner. When she was gently shook awake, the little bun stood in front with hand sparklers in his hands. He smiled happily, his eyes crinkling into crescents. Even with no reactions from his mother, without saying a word, he held her hand and led her to the open area in the garden.
When Khan Bojing lit up the sparklers, they danced in the night. Because she had been asleep, Li Wei missed the firework show so the father and son surprised her with their own mini event. That night, Li Wei felt happiness in a very long time. When the little bun danced, his eyes shone brighter than the sparklers in his hands. At that point, the wall she set between Khan Bojing and herself was softened. She didn"t resist his touch when his hand made it ways towards hers. She would"ve never dared to admit it at that time, but his warmth made her feel safe and contented...
Li Wei was almost half asleep when San"er came back into the carriage and asked, "Miss, how are you feeling?"
"I"m warm and fuzzy all over."
San"er freaked out. "What? Are you having a fever? Let me check your forehead."
Li Wei laughed at San"er"s misunderstanding. "I don"t have a fever. I"m saying that I feel warm and fuzzy inside."
"Miss, how is that possible? Did you drink secretly drank wine...?" San"er was still young and didn"t know such things. Was it possible for a human to feel warm and fuzzy and not be sick?
"San"er, silly, this means I feel good. I feel... happy..." Li Wei hesitated on the word "happy." She didn"t expect herself to be happy, but it wasn"t as hard as it used to, admitting it openly. It was a good thing to be happy and tell others when she was happy. Previously, she always hid her feelings inside and rarely shared with others but now, Li Wei quite liked it. It felt nice to be able to speak aloud how she felt.
"Oh. I understand now. If so, then San"er also feels warm and fuzzy inside." San"er spoke bluntly as she grinned to herself in the dark. It made her happy to see the young miss happy. She was also happy because the young miss treated her so kindly. Just then, she suddenly wondered, "Miss, where are we headed?"
"We"re headed to Hai"an."
"Hai"an as in the northern empire?"
"En."
"I"ve heard other"s talked about it but I don"t know much. Why are we going there?"
"To find a prince."
"Miss, the prince you like is here in Na"an. Are you looking for another prince?" San"er was left confused. What prince? Hua Xifeng was a prince of Na"an, why were they headed for Hai"an? What nonsense was the young miss saying at this time in the night?
"I"m going to find my prince. The prince whose love I didn"t dare accept because it was a love so sincere and genuine it deserved a person much better than me."
"If so, is he waiting for you then...?"
Li Wei"s eyes glistened and she closed her eyes to hold the tears that threatened to stream down. When she spoke, her voice was barely audible, "San"er, I don"t know. I don"t even know if I want him to be waiting for me. A part of me wants to say to him, don"t meet another woman yet. Don"t love another woman yet. I want to tell him, wait for me. Wait for me to love you again. This time I"ll really love you. But at the same time, another part of me wishes he"s found someone already. That way, if he already has someone else in his heart, I"ll have no more excuses to meet him ever again."