"The setting sun rolls up the embroidered blinds; beneath the pavilion, the waters stretch to meet the sky. I know you have composed new verses for me; through the window, greens and reds glisten wet. I still recall Ping Mountain Hall, where, pillow tilted, I watched the misty rain of Jiangnan; far, far away, a lone swan vanished. I understand the drunken old man's words—the mountain scenery lies between presence and absence."
Setting sun, green mountains, a lonely pavilion.
Lin Chen stood with his hands behind his back, watching the river beneath the pavilion join with the azure sky. In the distance, the evening sun mirrored the pavilion terraces, while mountain scenery emerged and vanished amid its glow. Before him stretched a vast, empty, boundless beauty. Moved by the sight, he softly recited.
"Fine poem, fine poem! I never expected Junior Brother to be so gifted with words!" Applause came from beside him. Not far beyond the pavilion, Xu Mengyun approached with a warm smile, her graceful steps unhurried.
"Senior Sister flatters me. I did not write those lines; they were written by a poet from my hometown." Lin Chen turned around with a faint smile.
"For your hometown to have one of such literary brilliance, and a dashing figure like Junior Brother as well, it truly must be a land of outstanding people and fertile land!" Xu Mengyun blinked her limpid autumn-water eyes and praised him.
"Of course." Lin Chen smiled faintly and looked into the distance, though his voice grew somewhat subdued. "I just don't know when I'll be able to return..."
"What?" Lin Chen's latter words had been too quiet, and Xu Mengyun had not caught them clearly.
"Nothing. Senior Sister, let's discuss proper business instead." Lin Chen quickly came back to himself and said seriously.
"Proper