Background: Moonlit Night and Night Moon (2)

Days passed, and life finally began to improve. On his way back from copying books that day, he heard news under the Moonlit Night that the enemy was attacking again, right outside the city gate.

They buried themselves under the corpses, afraid to move, afraid to cry, afraid to open their eyes.

They relive the horrific scene of their parents' death once more. Their hands are clasped tightly beneath the corpses; they have nothing left to lose but each other.

The screams continued for two days and two nights. When they finally emerged, the village was nothing but ruins.

Standing on the land that had been soaked with the blood and flesh of countless people, Night Moon's thin body swayed precariously, her eyes vacant, clutching tightly at Moonlit Night's clothes, her voice very soft.

"Brother, can we really survive?"

"Yes, brother will definitely live on with you," Moonlit Night said.

After the city fell, they became refugees, and he and his younger brother began a life of wandering once again.

The lives of the refugees were precarious, with periods of hunger and irregular meals becoming commonplace.

They have to be constantly wary of everyone around them, snatching food from the mouths of animals, fighting for their lives with their own kind, and their first reaction to anything they encounter is whether they can get a bite.

And so, they grew to be twelve years old.

When they were twelve, the general won a battle, and the whole country celebrated. They were found by their mother's sister-in-law and arranged to live in a courtyard in the county.

The simple thatched hut, sheltered from the wind and rain, was the best place for the two brothers who had been wandering for many years.

Moonlit Night found a job at the bookstore, earning 600 coins a month, barely enough to make ends meet. Night Moon did some small business, but often got into arguments and fights with street vendors over prices, ending up with bruises all over her body.

Although life was simple and there were some conflicts, we finally achieved a stable life.

On his thirteenth birthday, Moonlit Night prepared a rare and sumptuous meal, and lit an oil lamp under the moon to celebrate his birthday with the Night Moon.

They erected a monument for their parents in the courtyard, poured wine, and made a wish for a smooth and prosperous life.

After drinking only half a pot of wine, Night Moon mysteriously gave him a small peach wood sword.

This peach wood sword was carved by Night Moon herself. Night Moon has never been good at these kinds of handicrafts since she was a child, so her carving is crooked and the blade is rough, not as exquisite as the ones her father made.

The wooden block is made of Night Moon selected peach wood, a top-quality peach wood, which feels heavy to the touch and has a pleasant woody fragrance.

If his father were here, he would probably scold him for wasting fabric first, and then his mother would come to coax him and praise him for his progress.

Moonlit Night welled up with tears, but she still teased him, feigning disgust, "Where did you pick this up? It's so ugly."

Night Moon was so angry that she tried to take it back. "Fine, forget it!"

"Who said I don't want it anymore?" Moonlit Night smiled as she tied the peach wood sword to her waist. Where previously a fine jade pendant had hung, now a tattered little wooden sword was instead.

"Once we have weapons, it'll be perfect to hang it on them."

Night Moon couldn't suppress the smile on her lips, muttering, "That's more like it."

"Brother, I recently closed a deal. A boss can take me on a trading trip. It'll take a while, but he'll give me ten taels of silver when we get back!"

Moonlit Night exclaimed in surprise, "So many? That's amazing!"

"Yes, when I earn money, I'll buy my brother a few more books, and some tea! You used to love drinking tea the most."

"Buying a few books will suffice; I don't like drinking such expensive things as tea anymore."

"You can go without worry, don't worry about me."

Night Moon nodded seriously, and the next day she asked the boss for part of her payment, Moonlit Night three taels of silver.

The heavy silver coin was in their hands. This coin had once been just a casual possession of a delicate toy for the two brothers, but now it was heavy and would take three months of Night Moon to earn.

After he left, Moonlit Night was bored at home alone. Thinking of the little sword in her arms, she impulsively used the three taels of silver to exchange for materials, intending to carve a Bell for her younger brother.

He and his brother had never lacked such exquisite items before, but they didn't take any with them when they ran away. Back then, if they had any valuables on them, they wouldn't have been able to leave the city.

Moonlit Night was skillful and had done carving work before. She carved Bell very beautiful Bell, but her younger brother came back before she finished it.

On the day he returned, Night Moon was covered in dirt. Although the boy was exhausted after being away for three months, his eyes were exceptionally bright.

He enthusiastically recounted the events of his journey to Moonlit Night, talking about the interesting things he had seen and the people he had met. In just three months, it felt as if he had lived his life all over again.

Looking at his younger brother, now full of energy, Moonlit Night felt even happier than if his brother had brought back silver.

The younger brother's business took off successfully, and he often went out to do business with the boss.

The family house was renovated, and Moonlit Night had money to continue his studies. With Night Moon's help, he was able to quit his job of copying books and concentrate on passing the imperial examinations.

The Bells of the Moonlit Night were repaired and carved repeatedly, but there was never a chance to give them to the Night Moon.

When she was sixteen, the city was flooded, and the crops were submerged. Business was not doing well, so Night Moon risked traveling by water to go to a more distant place.

He received a letter from Night Moon early on, in which he said that he had made a remarkable gain this time, and might be able to get his parents' house back from being occupied.

Moonlit Night happily went to the ferry to wait for him, but he didn't show up. Instead, he received news that his younger brother had been kidnapped.

The person who kidnapped him was the local magistrate, a corrupt official who only cared about money and not people. He confiscated all of his brother's goods and took everyone on the ship with him.

In the pouring rain, Moonlit Night knelt before the county magistrate's gate, kowtowing and pleading desperately, blood splattering from his forehead onto the ground, leaving a winding trail of blood.

He spent all his money bribing officials, finally securing a chance to meet the county magistrate.

The magistrate, dressed in his official robes, stood beside the high vermilion threshold, looking down at him and demanding, "Your brother stole my treasure, worth a hundred taels of silver. If you don't return it, he's not coming out again!"

Moonlit Night exclaimed in disbelief, "My lord, this is a complete injustice! How could my brother have done such a thing? He wasn't even in the county before; how could he have stolen anything?"

"If you want to save your brother, hand over the things to me." After saying this, the magistrate turned around, and the heavy door slowly closed, ignoring Moonlit Night's calls.

He stood in the heavy rain for a long time, stunned. In this cannibalistic era, official rank was above all else, and in this county, the magistrate was the local emperor.

What theft? This local tyrant clearly coveted some treasure his brother had obtained, kidnapped him first, seized the treasure, and then tried to silence him.

What can he do? What can he do now?

Moonlit Night had long since blurred the lines between rain and tears on his face; his mind was consumed with thoughts of how to save people. He had to save them.

It's alright if he's just imprisoned; as long as he passes the imperial examinations, he can save his brother.

Touching the Bell she had never had the chance to give away, she wandered aimlessly through the streets under the Moonlit Night.

Suddenly, an old woman walked past him, muttering that her child had drowned and that her child's body had been sent to a mass grave, and that she was anxiously searching for her child's body.

As if possessed, he went with them.

In the darkness, far away, he saw a familiar figure lying in the mass grave, wearing the same blue robe as him.

Moonlit Night didn't know how he got to the corpse. He stumbled and dragged his heavy, cold body to the body, trembling as he touched Night Moon, but he would never hear his brother call out again.

The corpse's facial features were ugly and swollen, clearly indicating drowning, and it was inconspicuous among a group of people who had also died by drowning.

"Night Moon..."

"Night Moon!!"

Under the Moonlit Night, she bowed her head, cradling the cold corpse, her heart filled with emptiness, and could only helplessly clutch the silver bell in her hand.

From that moment on, he and his brother were forever separated by death.