Cry of the Midnight Jackdaw

Chapter Twenty-four,
Ice-skating

He did not notice when he went [to He Xuan’s residence], but now that he was reminded by He Xuan, on the way back, Xiao Zuo certainly saw many dried fruit stores already start to stock up on New Years goods, the clothing store’s entrance was also crowded with people, probably all to buy a set of new clothes for the new year.

Xiao Zuo walked on the side of the street by himself. The commoners on the street were all in merry spirits, carrying big bags of New Years goods, he also felt the heavy past pressed on his heart slightly loosen up for once, as though also influenced by Jin’s commoner’s New Years spirit. Xiao Zuo’s steps also lightened up quite a bit, and even slightly hummed a Nan Liang children’s song in a yearning manner all the way back to the residence.

❀

Close to the new year, the palace would often send New Years goods in the form of some cotton clothes and fruits, and due to He Xuan’s care, the goods sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the residence were all top-rate.

In these days, Xiao Zuo had nothing to do in the residence, and for the most part, he was already familiar with the path to the crown prince residence, so he would go more often. He particularly liked the vermilion street’s newly-opened steamed cake store, so each time he went, he would bring some piping-hot steamed purple yam cake.

Oftentimes, He Xuan would be looking over documents, so Xiao Zuo would curl up in his study and pick a few miscellaneous books from Jin to read, and take a bite of the sweet purple yam cakes in the warm study, practically like a day of a celestial. Each time He Xuan saw it, he would have the maids steep him a tea he liked drinking, and was considered to have tacitly agreed to it.

Now that the weather was much colder, the water in the moat froze with a thick layer of ice, enough that people and horses would be safe on top of it as well. Zi Wan dressed Xiao Zuo in a thick fox coat and also got a hat for him. When he went out the door, he glanced in the mirror, and laughed at his own white bear-like appearance, and laughed so much he was letting out white vapour.

Zi Wan saw how he still went to the crown prince residence all day, and was a bit worried in public and in private.

“Duke, going to the crown prince residence again?”

Xiao Zuo nodded his head, and comforted her, “As it’s close to the end of the year, his Highness has been very busy, so it’s been a rare opportunity to be able to speak with me.”

How wouldn’t he know that what Zi Wan wanted to say was not this, however, even though it was said that war had already gone by for almost half a year already, time did not blur his memories, and instead made him more sensitive. When he was sleeping by himself, he would often be startled awake in the middle of the night, and would always feel that those long and unceasing winds outside the windows were like Nan Liang’s dead soldiers crying in hell.

In his own room, he would lose sleep each and every night, but only in He Xuan’s residence, when he heard the rustling sounds of him lowering his head making remarks on documents, would he have a kind of strange feeling of peace. He did not know what kind of thoughts he had towards He Xuan nor did he want to understand it, but sometimes, being a bit muddled was much better than being clear-headed.

As he said it, he did not wait for Zi Wan to say anymore, and hurriedly went out the door.

❀

“His Highness has went out since the morning today.” That small servant boy slightly awkwardly rubbed his hands and answered him. Xiao Zuo knitted his eyebrows, and slightly dejectedly nodded his head, “Then did his Highness said when he would come back?”

“This…… this servant does not know.”

“Mm.” Xiao Zuo drank tea in the front reception for welcoming guests, and waited for another incense’s time, but did not manage to see He Xuan. He finished the final bit of tea, and resigned to his fate and grabbed the jacket about to wear it, and just so happen to hear the sound of footsteps coming from the door.

“Xiao’Zuo came?” Though because of the name, Xiao Zuo and xiao’Zuo seemed to have a slight tonal difference, but this slightly trivial tone change instead made people faintly feel some unclear intimacy.

“Your Highness!” Xiao Zuo narrowed his eyes and smiled, and put the jacket back, then said, “Your Highness has finally come back.”

“Do you have something going on later?” He Xuan did not take off his gloves, and looked to be prepared to go out again in a bit, “I’ll bring you ice-skating.”

“Ice-skating?” Nan Liang was much warmer than Jin- even in the middle of winter, the surface of the lake would merely freeze with a layer of thin ice. In the past, Xiao Zuo only heard that in the north’s winters, there was a tradition for the commoners to ice-skate, but he never had the chance to try, and at this time, his eyes were all lit up, and immediately put on his jacket, “Yes! I have never skated before despite being this old.”

“Then again. Nan Liang probably cannot freeze that thick of an ice.” He Xuan also smiled, and lifted his chin towards a small servant boy at the back, “Prepare a pair of ice shoes for the duke as well, double-teethed.”

As he said this, he explained to Xiao Zuo, “It’s the first time you are skating, double-teethed would make it not easy to slip.”

Not far from outside the city was an ice-skating field, originally a fairly small lake, with the sides set with fur-cushioned chairs, and the tables even had fruits transported from the south, presented for use during rest. To the side were a few servants all dressed neatly and orderly, probably arranged to support guests who have fallen. With one look at it, this ice field was probably expensive, especially made for the capital’s wealthy and officials to play in. Today, He Xuan reserved the entire place, so there was only him and Xiao Zuo, and the originally not-big lake instead seemed to have widened up much more.

He Xuan first had the servant boy help Xiao Zuo put on the ice shoes, and after seeing him wear it, he had him wait by the lake while holding the railing. He himself liked wearing a single-bladed one, and after he fell into the water when he was young, he put in a lot of effort to learn swimming and skating, so during big skating competition, he would always get the first place.

“Afraid?” He Xuan saw Xiao Zuo holding the railing, with a look like he didn’t dare to move, and smiled while asking.