On March the Sixth, Lu Weiwei had watched Chen Caozhi depart from New Pavilion Mountain. Now, when they met again, it was already September 11. Half a year apart, longing carved into her bones, compounded by malicious rumors and the battering of wind and rain-for a pampered daughter of an aristocratic clan like Lu Weiwei, it had truly been an ordeal of suffering and hardship. Now, holding his hand and gazing into his eyes, the sweetness welling up from the depths of her soul made her feel that none of it had been unworthy. Of course, that encounter with Lu Song just now had been thoroughly unpleasant, spoiling the joy of lovers reunited after a long separation-
Chen Caozhi squeezed Lu Weiwei's soft, slightly cool hand and said gently, "It feels as though you've been waiting here for me all along." Then he added, "Wei Rui, you and Xiao Chan should go down the mountain first. I'll settle matters here."
Only then did Xiao Chan step forward and bow. "Greetings, young master." Looking him up and down, she said, "You've grown a little darker, young master-"
Huang Xiaotong came over, grief and anger in his voice. "Young master, they let my white falcons escape! They'll never fly back!"
The boy's left arm bent backward at the elbow, the broken bone piercing his skin and blood staining his robe and trousers, yet none of that distressed and angered him as much as losing his two white falcons.
Lu Weiwei looked at Lu Song and the others at the Hillside Pavilion and said, "Sister Xiao Chan and I will wait right here. Master Chen, if you can, punish those people. They went far too far, beating Huang Xiaotong for no reason."
Xiao Chan wanted to find some silk to bandage Huang Xiaotong