Su Li stood outside the courtyard gate, looking at the tree. A young man stood respectfully beside him, clutching a ring of keys.
"Are you... Mr. Su Li?"
"Mm."
The young man was Elizabeth's fifth-generation descendant. He had a square face, thick lips, and eyes like Elena's. He handed over the keys.
"Our ancestor left instructions: the courtyard belongs to you. We are only responsible for its upkeep."
Su Li took the keys. The young man lingered for a moment, seeming to want to speak but hesitating.
"If you have something to say, say it."
"Have you really... lived for more than two hundred years?"
Su Li closed his hand around the keys. The metal was cold.
"More or less."
The young man nodded. He did not ask why, nor did he press for the secret of immortality. He merely bowed, then retreated outside the courtyard gate.
Rules. Rules left behind by their ancestor.
Su Li pushed open the courtyard gate. The hinges had been replaced recently, and there was no creak. The courtyard was clean and orderly; not a weed grew between the flagstones. The flowerbeds had been trimmed, and the windowsills shone from polishing.
But those flowers were no longer the same varieties as before. The patch of white radishes Saina had planted was long gone. Elena's violets had also been replaced by roses.
Only the ginkgo tree remained.
"I'm going up the mountain," Su Li said to Elonore, who stood at the gate. "You..."
"I'll wait for you here."
She leaned against the courtyard gate, her hands clasped behind her back. Her silver hair gleamed so brightly in the afternoon sun that it looked almost white.
Su Li nodded and turned toward the mountain behind the courtyard.
Two graves. Their tombstones were made of Silverwood, carved