Bai Qingyue had always felt she was the luckiest child in the world.
Though her mother was often frail, her gaze upon Bai Qingyue was always gentle.
In her youth, Bai Qingyue was lively, running all over the courtyard. Her mother would watch her with endless indulgence.
Her father, though busy with official duties, would always visit his wife's courtyard upon returning home, holding Bai Qingyue and occasionally bringing her gifts.
She loved her maternal uncle the most; he was the most formidable person she had ever met. Every time she saw him, she would ask him to carry her for a "flight," which were her happiest childhood moments.
However, what saddened her was that her uncle was even busier than her father, and she could only see him once or twice a year at most.
Whenever her uncle visited, he would bring her peculiar trinkets, even small items mentioned in ancient texts.
Later, her uncle visited less and less. He seemed to be constantly searching for medicine to cure her mother's illness, bringing back large quantities of herbs each time.
During a heavy snowfall, her mother's condition worsened. Bai Qingyue was devastated. Tears streaming down her face, she stumbled to find a doctor, then her father.
The elder who had been treating her mother arrived. Bai Qingyue still clearly remembered his expression; he shook his head at her with a heavy heart.
He said: "I'm sorry! My skills are insufficient; I fear I am powerless."
The old man left with his medicine chest, and her father had still not returned.
Bai Qingyue was terrified. She lay beside her mother, crying and calling out to her, but her mother seemed utterly exhausted. She closed her eyes and never opened them again.
Bai Qingyue was too young then to understand the meaning of death. She thought her mother was merely asleep and would wake up.
So, when people tried to cover her mother with a white cloth, her small figure stood in their way.
The people sighed helplessly, uttering many strange words that Bai Qingyue couldn't recall. She only remembered her father suddenly rushing in from outside.
Bai Yulin, who always maintained his composure, seemed to have abandoned all pretense. His robes were stained, and he entered with snow on his shoulders.
He collapsed by the bed, his face etched with grief. With trembling hands, he opened a paper-wrapped package. "A Su, didn't you say you loved plum blossom cakes the most? Look, I brought them for you."
"Open your eyes and look at me, won't you?" Then, Bai Yulin seemed to remember something and pulled Bai Qingyue, who stood there blankly, to his side.
"You love Yue'er the most, don't you? If you leave, I won't be able to take care of her for you." Finally, Bai Yulin's voice became hoarse, and for the first time in years, he wept openly, burying his face in his hands.
After a long while, the disheveled Bai Yulin was pulled up by others.
Bai Qingyue followed them and watched as they covered her mother with a white cloth and placed her into a square box. The moment the lid was closed, Bai Qingyue belatedly realized: she would never see her mother again.
But there was no one beside her. Her father was absent. Her uncle had not visited again.
A few years later, her father suddenly elevated the Yue clan to the position of his principal wife. When she questioned him, Bai Yulin's expression was unusually calm.
He simply said: "Yue'er, stop this. I am at a critical juncture and cannot afford any blemishes! Lady Yue is excellent; she is worthy of being the mistress of the Bai manor."
He had her confined until the wedding ceremony was complete, only then releasing her.
Bai Qingyue seemed to have grown up overnight. She understood her father's "good intentions" and the fickleness of human hearts. She gradually became more composed, using this facade to completely put her father's mind at ease.
She thought her life would continue this way until one day, a girl as radiant as the sun burst into her world. This girl possessed the life and personality that Bai Qingyue yearned for but could never attain.
She slowly remembered that she, too, had once been so dazzling, so free and happy!
That day was both her happiest and most sorrowful. The girl claimed to be her uncle's disciple, entrusted to her care by him on his deathbed. For the first time, Bai Qingyue had someone by her side whom she could trust implicitly and be unrestrainedly close to.
Until the girl confessed her feelings.
Bai Qingyue felt her heart struggling with absolute clarity. She fled!
However, she worried that this person might disappear from her life as completely as her mother had. So, she returned, thinking perhaps she could try, and maybe, the outcome wouldn't be too terrible.
The person she had come to cherish was very perceptive; she could always discern Bai Qingyue's joys and sorrows. Bai Qingyue wholeheartedly accepted her.
Although her partner could be a bit whimsical at times, Bai Qingyue didn't mind. She knew they cared for each other as much as she cared for them.
This was their first year together. Though a heavy snowfall reminded her of her past fears, her heart was filled with an unprecedented peace.
The one she loved and who loved her was by her side, so why fear the wind and snow?