The path was not particularly steep, but it was covered in a thin layer of ice and snow, making it slippery underfoot.
Liu Erlong and Zhu Zhuqing had come this way once before. They walked in front, occasionally turning back to warn the others which stones were unstable.
Shui Yue'er walked in the middle. When her foot slipped, Shui Bing'er steadied her from behind. Tang Yuehua walked firmly, occasionally stopping to look at the trees along the roadside.
Shui Ruoyan and Yao Yuerou brought up the rear, quietly discussing plans for after the New Year. Yao Zi walked silently beside them, holding a dead branch and using it to brush aside the snow and weeds in front of her as she went.
When they reached the mountainside, wind swept in through the mouth of the valley, carrying the scent of pine trees and earth. They could hear their own footsteps crunching through the snow, as well as the wind passing through the Bamboo Forest.
The grave looked much the same as it had last year. A thin layer of dust covered the bluestone stele, and several clumps of weeds had grown at the edges of the small clearing before it.
Xiao Yun set down the bamboo basket he was carrying and took out several pairs of long-handled shears and cloth gloves, handing them out to everyone.
Liu Erlong took the gloves and put them on, then crouched down to pull the weeds near the gravestone. Tang Yuehua went around to the side of the grave and used the shears to trim the overly long branches. Shui Bing'er and Yao Zi swept the fallen leaves along the edge of the clearing into a pile, while Shui Yue'er and Yao Yuerou gathered the swept leaves together.
Xiao Yun looked at the small