Ice Empress paused for a moment.
"White."
Where's the salt shaker?
"It's also white."
You still haven't remembered.
Ice Empress turned to look at Qian Chen.
"Chen'er will tell me."
Qian Chen took a sip of tea.
There are words on the bottom of the jar.
Ice Empress immediately nodded.
"I read the words."
You didn't watch it last time.
"I was too hasty last time."
Don't rush this time.
"Good."
She rested her chin on her hand and said earnestly:
"When the Moon Orchid blooms, I'll definitely check the bottom of the pot first."
Qian Renxue placed a piece of pastry in front of her.
"Let's practice now."
Ice Empress looked at the pastry.
This is not candy.
"This is chestnut cake."
"I know."
"Then eat slowly."
Ice Empress picked up a pastry and took a small bite.
She looked at Qian Chen.
I eat very slowly.
"Um."
No crumbs fell out.
Qian Chen looked at the corner of her lips.
There was a little bit of pale yellow cake crumb clinging to it.
"It's here."
Ice Empress immediately raised their faces.
"Where?"
Qian Chen reached out and wiped it away for her.
Ice Empress didn't flinch when his fingertip brushed against the corner of her lips.
She watched as Qian Chen withdrew his hand, then suddenly grabbed his wrist.
"Chen'er."
"Um?"
"You have some too."
Qian Chen looked down.
A small crumb of cake clung to the side of his knuckle.
Ice Empress pulled his hand to his face and gently touched it.
Only then did she release his wrist.
"It's gone now."
Qian Renxue glanced at her.
"You can use a handkerchief."
"That's faster."
Snow Empress placed the handkerchief beside Qian Chen.
"Use this one next time."
Ice Empress hugged Qian Chen's arm.
"I've got it."
Qian Chen picked up his teacup.
"Have some tea first."
Ice Empress leaned against his shoulder, took the teacup, and took a sip.
Qian Renxue grasped Qian Chen's other hand.
"Brother, look at the star chart with me today."
"Good."
"Come with me to Moon Orchid Courtyard after you've finished watching."
"Good."
I spent the afternoon reading with Sister Snow Empress.
"Good."
Ice Empress raised their face.
"I'll make chestnut cake tonight."
Qian Chen looked at her.
"You've already scheduled it for tonight."
"That makes it complete."
Snow Empress poured warm tea into his cup.
We'll decide tonight.
Ice Empress looked at her with dissatisfaction.
You always say you'll decide later.
"Because it's not evening yet."
Qian Renxue nodded.
"Sister Snow Empress is right."
Ice Empress then looked at Qian Chen.
Will Chen'er stay with me tonight?
"Meeting."
"Making chestnut cake?"
"If you want to do it."
Ice Empress immediately burst into laughter.
I want to do it.
Qian Chen reached out and straightened her hairband.
He moved the silver bell to the side, so it no longer touched his collar.
Ice Empress glanced down.
"No mistakes today."
"Um."
"You still need to do some checks later."
"Meeting."
Snow Empress picked up her teacup and quietly drank her tea.
Qian Renxue held Qian Chen's fingers, her fingertips gently stroking his palm.
Outside the window, the new leaves of the Moon Orchid unfurled in the morning light.
There was no fragrance of flowers in the courtyard.
Four teacups were already set up next to the tea rack, and freshly made chestnut cakes were placed on the table.
Qian Chen sat between the three.
Ice Empress leaned on his left shoulder.
Qian Renxue held his right hand.
Snow Empress sat opposite him and poured him a full cup of tea.
The four of them did not rush to look at the star map.
They also did not immediately organize the documents sent from the Divine Realm.
They simply sat on the veranda, watching the dew on the leaves of the Moon Orchid slowly evaporate.
After a moment, Ice Empress raised his face.
"Chen'er, the dew is gone."
"Um."
"Shall we look at the star map?"
"Good."
Qian Renxue put away the food box.
Snow Empress closed the tea canister.
Qian Chen stood up, and the three of them simultaneously placed their hands on him.
Qian Renxue took his right hand in hers.
Ice Empress hugged his left arm.
Snow Empress walked behind him and straightened his clothes.
"You can go now."
Qian Chen turned to look at her.
"Your hairpin is also in the right place."
Snow Empress raised her hand and touched the white jade hairpin.
"I know."
"You didn't see it."
"Because you've already seen it."
She grasped Qian Chen's sleeve.
Let's go.
The four walked along the long corridor toward the inner hall.
The Moon Orchid in the flowerbed still haven't bloomed.
The silver bells beneath the wooden sign swayed gently in the morning breeze.
Beside the Moon Orchid Courtyard, the stone path was clean, and the cushions on the benches had already been laid out.
Before the flowers bloom, the four of them will have many days to drink tea, read books, and come over every day to check if the new leaves have grown.
Inner Temple.
Qian Chen spread the star map on the table and took out the note that had been tucked into the book yesterday.
Beneath the note lay several already approved documents.
Qian Renxue sat down beside him and unfolded the top portion.
"Brother, when did you finish watching it?"
After you all rested last night.
"You didn't rest?"
"It only took half an hour."
She read through the document page by page and found that every annotation was clearly written before she reorganized the document.
"If each hall follows these procedures, we won't need to ask you about it every day anymore."
Qian Chen placed the last divine seal.
Nine-Color patterns spread along the paper, and the documents transformed into streams of light, flying out of the hall.
Snow Empress placed the teacup beside him.
Have you finished dealing with today's matters?
"It's all done."
Ice Empress, who had been looking at the star map while lying on the table, immediately looked up upon hearing this.
"Then you should do what you promised me."
Qian Chen looked at her.
"I'll make chestnut cake tonight."
"It's good that you remember."
She took a folded piece of paper from her sleeve and solemnly placed it in front of him.
The paper contained the quantities of chestnuts, rice flour, and sugar.
The last line was written in exceptionally large characters.
First, look at the bottom of the jar.
Qian Chen read the line of text and reached out to flatten the corner of the paper for her.
"This time there won't be any mistakes."
Ice Empress moved closer to him, her turquoise hair brushing against his sleeve.
"You have to stay with me and watch over it too."
"Good."
This time, Ice Empress didn't grab the wrong candy jar.
She mashed the steamed chestnuts into a fine powder and then added rice flour according to the instructions on the paper.
Qian Chen stood by the table, helping her steady the porcelain basin.
She rolled up her narrow, turquoise sleeves to her wrists, revealing a section of her fair arm.
She pressed the wooden pestle and spun it around twice, then suddenly stopped.
"Chen'er, it's too dry."
He took the small bowl and added two spoonfuls of warm water along the edge of the basin.
Mix it again.
Ice Empress followed their instructions, and the chestnut puree was finally kneaded into a ball.
She pinched off a small piece, placed it into the leaf mold, and carefully pressed it flat with her palm.
When the mold was turned over, the leaf was missing a corner.
She looked down for a moment.
"This piece doesn't count."
Qian Chen caught the pastry, turning the chipped part towards herself.
The flavor is still there.
He took a bite.
Ice Empress immediately put down the mold and stared at him.
Is it sweet?
"Perfect."
No salt was added?
"No."
Only then did she pick up the second mold.
Qian Chen reached out and wiped the rice powder off the tip of her nose.
Ice Empress gripped his wrist, not letting go immediately.
"Don't go."
"I also need to carry the steamer for you."
She glanced down at the cutting board and finally let go.
"Then bring it back, and don't stand here anymore."
Snow Empress stood beside her and laid a clean steaming cloth into the steamer.
She wasn't wearing a hairpin today; her long, silvery-white hair was loosely tied with a thin ribbon, with a strand hanging down in front of her shoulder.
Qian Chen passed by her and tucked a strand of her long hair behind her back.
She reached out and grabbed his sleeve, brushing the powder off the edge of his sleeve.
You've gotten it too.
"It'll get sticky again later."
"Then I'll wipe it later."
Qian Renxue brought over the finished flower-shaped pastries and arranged them one by one into the steamer.
Four different shapes, each occupying a corner.
Ice Empress counted the leaves they had made, picked out the most intact one, and moved it to the center.
"This piece is for Chen'er."
The Snow Empress closed the lid.
"Wait until it's steamed."
In the days that followed, many things were gradually added to the courtyard.
A wooden cabinet for storing tools has been added to the corridor.
A copper basin for washing hands is placed at the corner of the stone path.
The booklet that Qian Renxue had prepared had grown from a few thin pages to half a book.
Qian Chen would look at it every day.
Sometimes it's because new leaves are sprouting, and sometimes it's because the soil has dried out and needs watering.
Ice Empress's name was among them, written larger than everyone else's.
There are no flower buds today.
The next page still contains the same sentence.
He flipped to the back and noticed that there was an extra stroke below that line of text.
I'll check again tomorrow.
In the courtyard at dawn, silver bells gently tapped against the wooden plaque.
Qian Chen walked down the steps with the booklet in her hand and saw Ice Empress squatting in front of the flowerbed, already waiting there.
"Should I remember this sentence again today?"
She didn't turn around, she just waved to him.
"Come here."
He knelt down beside her.
Among the branches closest to the wooden stick, there grew a tiny white dot.
The flower buds had not yet opened and were protected by two new leaves.
Ice Empress extended a finger and stopped on the outside of the flower bud.
"I didn't touch it."
Qian Chen looked at the branches, then at her.
"He didn't use divine power either?"
She immediately shook her head.
"I promised to let it open by itself."
He handed her the booklet.
"Let's use a different phrase today."
Ice Empress took the pen, knelt down, and wrote a few words.
The first flower bud.
After she finished writing, she added a small leaf next to it.
Qian Chen held her elbow to prevent her sleeve from getting wet.
The palace doors opened at that moment.
The Snow Empress emerged wearing a light silver outer robe, her white jade hairpin still not properly fastened.
She saw the two people squatting there, and her steps stopped.
"It's grown?"
Ice Empress held up the booklet for her to see.
"I saw it first."
Qian Renxue followed her down the steps, still holding the unsealed food box in her hand.
She glanced down at the flower buds, then handed the food box to Qian Chen.
"I'll go get the pen."
Ice Empress shook the weapon in their hand.
"It's here."
She went back and added a line of small print below the date.
The four of them watched together.
Qian Chen looked at the four characters, held the booklet in his palm, and waited for the ink to dry slowly.
The flower buds grow very slowly.
Ice Empress, however, did not press further about how many more days would pass.
She only watches it once a day, and then goes about her own business.
When Qian Chen sat with her on the veranda, she would arrange the newly made pastries, and occasionally she would brew a pot of tea by herself.
However, she still needed him to check the amount of tea leaves for her.
Snow Empress still enjoys reading in the afternoon.
When she came across a part she liked, she would fold up a corner of the page and wait for Qian Chen to sit down so they could read it together.
That white jade hairpin was often left on the table.
Her long, silvery-white hair cascaded over her shoulders, the wind blowing it across the pages of the book.
He reached out to cover her up, and she moved a little closer to him.
"Can you see clearly from here?"
"I can see it clearly."
She placed the book between the two of them.
"Then don't sit too far away."
Qian Renxue occasionally returns to Heaven Dou City.
She would arrange the tasks that needed to be handed over and always return before dinner.
Sometimes they bring tea, sometimes they bring a few letters from home.
Qian Chen sat by the window reading the letter, and she arranged the other letters in order for him.
There was nothing urgent in the letter.
The main street of Heaven Dou City remained as bustling as ever, and the Moon Orchid in the Rear Garden had already sprouted new branches.
Qian Daoliu added a sentence at the end of the letter.
I'll come back and visit when I have some free time.
After reading it, Qian Chen folded the letter back to its original shape.
"Let's go back when the flowers here bloom."
Qian Renxue picked up her pen.
I wrote back to Grandpa.
As she finished writing, she turned to look at the flowerbed.
"Brother, can I take one back with me?"
"Wait until it grows even bigger."
"Then let's bring tea first this time."
There was no temple meeting on the night the Moon Orchid bloomed.
Qian Chen closed the last volume of the star map and was about to put it back on the bookshelf when he smelled the fragrance of flowers coming from outside the window.
He stopped.
The window was open, and the corner of the curtain was gently lifted by the wind.
Deep in the courtyard, the flower that had been nurtured for so long had finally unfolded its outermost petals.
He did not activate his divine power.
He put the star chart back on the table.
"Snow Sister."
Snow Empress looked up from the book.
Qian Chen reached out his hand to her.
"Let's go sit in the yard."
She looked out the window, then closed the book.
The two walked to the door, Ice Empress had already run out carrying a cushion.
Instead of grabbing his arm as usual, she went to lay out a bench first.
Qian Renxue followed behind, carrying a tea tray.
"I'll set the tea table."
The stone table had already been set up.
The table wasn't large; it could fit four teacups and a teapot, with just enough space left to place pastries.
As Qian Chen sat down, Ice Empress tucked the last cushion behind him.
Snow Empress pulled the hem of his robe away from under the cushion for him, and then sat down beside him.
In the courtyard, another petal of the Moon Orchid unfurled.
Ice Empress was so engrossed in watching that they didn't even reach for the pastries.
"So it blooms this slowly."
Qian Chen handed her the teacup.
"You've waited so long, won't you watch for a little while longer?"
She held the teacup and moved closer to him.
"I want to keep watching."
Qian Renxue placed the booklet on the table.
The date was already written on the last page, but the rest of the page was blank.
"Brother, you take the notes this time."
He took the pen.
The paper was pressed down by a teacup, and faint traces of dirt remained on the edges from the few times it had been turned over.
From the first few new leaves to the later flower buds, every page bears their words.
Qian Chen picked up his pen and put it down.
The Moon Orchid are just beginning to bloom.
After he finished writing, Snow Empress reached out and pressed down on the other side of the booklet.
"Add one more sentence."
"Add what?"
She looked at the soft cushions laid out beside her, then at the four teacups on the table.
"They're all here today."
Qian Chen wrote those four words below.
Ice Empress leaned closer to examine it, then pushed the plate of pastries in front of him with satisfaction.
"It's ready to eat now."
The leaf-shaped chestnut cake is placed in the very center.
The edges are intact, with no missing corners.
He picked up the pastry and gave her half of it.
Ice Empress took it, but first offered her own half to his lips.
"I made it myself this time."
Qian Chen lowered his head and ate it.
"Better than last time."
She immediately looked at Snow Empress.
"Snow Sister, please try some too."
Snow Empress took a piece, ate it slowly, and then nodded.
The sugar level is just right.
Ice Empress then picked up his tea and sat back down beside Qian Chen.
After nightfall.
Qian Renxue carried the carefully put-away booklet back to the inner palace.
Ice Empress also sent away the empty plates, saying they would save the remaining chestnut cakes for tomorrow morning.
Only Qian Chen and Snow Empress remained in the courtyard.
He sat on the bench and untied the hair ribbon that was stuck under her collar.
Her long, silvery-white hair cascaded down, spreading across her light silver dress.
The Snow Empress handed him the white jade hairpin.
"Wear it again tomorrow morning."
Aren't you afraid of chaos tonight?
You'll comb my hair for me tomorrow morning.
Qian Chen put the hairpin into her sleeve and reached out to put her arm around her shoulder.
She leaned closer, her fingertips resting on the hem of his sleeve on his knee.
The area was once torn by bamboo strips.
The stitches that Snow Empress made to mend the seam are still hidden inside.
She touched that spot and looked up at him.
"You're still wearing that?"
"You've fixed it."
There are new ones in the closet.
"This one is also very good."
She didn't try to persuade him further, but simply smoothed out his cuffs.
Qian Chen took her hand and pulled her fingertips into his palm.
The fragrance of Moon Orchid wafts on the breeze.
She looked at the flowerbed and spoke after a moment.
That day you asked me if I wanted to stay in the Divine Realm.
"I remember."
Are you still going to ask now?
He looked at the wooden sign hanging under the eaves.
The silver bell under the sign, the wooden cabinet beside the table, and the rows of tea canisters in front of the window have all been placed in the most convenient positions.
"I only want to ask you, what kind of tea would you like to drink tomorrow?"
Snow Empress turned her face away.
She withdrew her hand from his and gently placed it on his collar.
"Clear tea."
Are you still reading?
"Look."
"You want to sit here again?"
She nodded, her fingertips lingering on the edge of his collar.
"You come too."
Qian Chen lowered his head and placed a kiss on her forehead.
I'll stay with you.
Snow Empress rested her forehead against his shoulder, and slowly wrapped her arms around his waist.
He straightened her coat and tucked her long hair, which was loose beside the stool, into his arms.
The two did not rush back to the palace.
That Moon Orchid is still blooming.
They sat until the last petal unfolded before getting up together.
The next day.
Heaven Dou City.
The stone table under the magnolia tree in the back garden of the Papal Palace has been wiped clean.
Qian Daoliu stood in front of the corridor and first saw Qian Renxue walking out of the Spatial Passage.
She picked up the tea box in her hand.
"Grandpa, we're back."
Qian Chen then came out and placed the wooden box he had brought on the table.
There are no Divine Realm treasures inside.
A packet of fresh tea, a few pieces of chestnut cake, and that little booklet that I had just finished writing.
Qian Daoliu turned a few pages, his gaze lingering on the last line.
"They're all here today."
He looked at the four people at the table and gently closed the booklet.
"It's good that you're back."
Ice Empress had already chosen their seats and pulled out the chair next to them.
Snow Empress took a tea caddy from the tea box and placed it beside Qian Chen.
Qian Renxue rolled up her sleeves and went to the corridor to fetch hot water.
Qian Chen took the teapot, washed the four old teacups one by one, and then added another one.
A petal of Moon Orchid fell from the treetop.
He reached out and took it, placing it on the booklet.
Ice Empress, resting his chin on his hand, asked about tomorrow's plans.
"Chen'er, when are we going back to see the flowers?"
"Stay for a few days before going back."
Snow Empress handed him a teacup.
"The flowers won't run away."
Qian Renxue sat down at the table and poured the first cup of tea for her grandfather.
Qian Chen watched them as she poured the remaining tea in turn.
He sat back in that familiar wicker chair, his sleeve gently tugged at by the person beside him.
Snow Empress placed a piece of chestnut cake into his dish.
"Eat first, the tea is still hot."
Qian Chen accepted the pastries.
"Good."
Morning light filtered through the leaves of the Moon Orchid and fell on the table.
He placed the teapot where everyone could reach it, and together they slowly finished their morning tea.
The End.