Yin Wujou nodded, keeping the matter in mind. He sat for a while longer, watching Snow Empress continue writing the list, then got up and went to the backyard to tidy up his quarters. There were three rooms in the backyard; he chose the one on the east side, swept away the cobwebs, and drew water from the well to wipe the bed, table, and chairs. Although simple, it was much better than the cave in the mountain. He made up the bedding and went to check on Snow Empress in the outer room. She was still writing, and the candle in the lantern had burned down to almost nothing. Yin Wujou didn't urge her; he went back to his room and lay down.
The next morning, Zhou Yan arrived with his luggage as expected. He not only came himself, but also brought a stack of blank ledgers left in the pharmacy and several fine pens. "Use these for now," he said. "I'll modify the format of the ledgers to match the old style of the Spirit Vein Bureau, and they'll be ready to use." Snow Empress flipped through them, and sure enough, the format was exactly the same as the Spirit Vein Bureau ledgers she remembered, even the markings at the end of the pages hadn't been changed. Zhou Yan still had that meticulous and methodical approach to everything he did.
Over the next few days, the old residence gradually came back to life. Snow Empress made a trip to the Ministry of Works and obtained the money for repairs and a few craftsmen. All the tiles in the main hall were replaced, the doors and windows in the east and west wings were rebuilt, and the walls were plastered. The weeds in the courtyard were cleared away, the cracks in the bluestone slabs were filled with mortar, and the dead branches of the old locust tree were pruned. The roof of the third courtyard was repaired, the moss in the corners was removed, and a few old beds and tables and chairs were moved in, making it barely habitable.
On the fifth day, Yin Wujou was helping a craftsman saw wood in the courtyard when someone suddenly called out from outside the door, "Excuse me, is Director Snow Empress here?"
Yin Wujou put down the saw and went outside. He saw a young woman standing at the door, in her early twenties, wearing a faded indigo shirt, carrying a bundle, looking travel-worn. When she saw Yin Wujou, she was stunned for a moment, then her eyes lit up. "Uncle Yin! It's me, A Yao."
Yin Wujou stared for a long time before recognizing the face as that of an old friend. " A Yao? You are... Deacon Lu's daughter?"
A Yao nodded vigorously, her eyes instantly reddening. "My father passed away last year. Before he left, he told me that if I ever heard that the Spirit Vein Bureau had reopened, I should come and find Director Snow Empress. I waited at home for half a year, and a few days ago I heard that the old bureau had reopened, so I rushed here."
Yin Wujou ushered her into the courtyard. Snow Empress was tidying the bookshelves in the main hall when she heard the noise and came out. Seeing A Yao, she paused for a moment, then quickly walked over and grabbed her hand. "You're Deacon Lu's daughter?"
A Yao nodded, took out a cloth bag from her bundle, opened it, and inside was a bronze Earth Vein Token, engraved with Deacon Lu's name. "My father said this is for you. He said he didn't live to see the day the Spirit Vein Bureau reopened, but his daughter can wait for him."
Snow Empress took the Earth Vein Token, held it in her hand, and remained silent for a long time. Yin Wujou stood beside her, watching her fingers tighten slightly and then slowly relax. After a while, she finally spoke, her voice steady. "Your father was an outpost deacon in the Spirit Vein Bureau, in charge of the earth veins in the Hetao region. He was very reliable and never made a mistake."
A Yao wiped her eyes and said, "My father continued to farm in our hometown, but every year he would walk through the ley lines of the Hetao region and draw a map. He said that if the Spirit Vein Bureau needed it someday, someone would have to know what those places looked like now. He drew for ten years and collected twelve volumes of maps, which I brought with me."
She took out a heavy oilcloth bundle from her bag, opened it, and inside were rolls of hand-drawn maps, each neatly tied with fine hemp rope, with the year and place name written in neat small regular script on the label. Snow Empress flipped through the rolls one by one, the direction of the Hetao lines, the location of springs, and the density of spiritual energy marked in great detail, even more detailed than the official map book of the Spirit Vein Bureau back then. Her fingers lightly traced the map, without saying a word.
Yin Wujou looked at A Yao, then at Snow Empress. He felt that the matter of the Spirit Vein Bureau was much deeper than he had thought. He thought that only the facade of the Spirit Vein Bureau had been dismantled, but he did not expect that so many people had kept this matter in their hearts in places unseen.
"You stay here." Snow Empress put away the map book and said to A Yao, "You continue your father's job. You know the geomantic maps of the Hetao better than I do."
A Yao nodded vigorously, tears welling up again, but she quickly wiped them away with her sleeve, straightened her posture, and said in a steady voice, "Okay. I'll start copying a new one tomorrow, matching it with your new illustrations."
By the seventh day, the main hall of the old government office was ready for use. The bookshelves were repaired and the first batch of compiled files were placed on them—all hand-drawn albums brought by A Yao from her father, as well as some records of land veins from previous dynasties that Zhou Yan had found at the flea market. The desks were cleaned and set with writing brushes, ink, and new candlesticks. The plaque at the entrance of the main hall was also re-hung, bearing the three characters " Spirit Vein Bureau " written by Snow Empress herself, which were carved onto an old camphor wood board. The characters were neat and upright, just like her.
That evening, Yin Wujou sat down to rest under the old locust tree in the courtyard, Zhou Yan was taking inventory of a batch of compasses and paper and ink that had just been purchased in the storeroom, and A Yao was copying picture books in the main hall. Snow Empress returned from outside, carrying a cloth bag in her hand, and sat down in front of Yin Wujou.
"Here you go." She handed over the cloth bag.
Yin Wujou opened it, revealing a new blue cloth robe. The material wasn't of high quality, but the stitching was very fine, clearly handmade. "What's this?"
"Your outer garment has been patched three times," Snow Empress said, glancing elsewhere. "People from the Spirit Vein Bureau can't dress too shabbily."
Yin Wujou looked down at the new clothes, his fingers tracing the fabric. Unsure what to say, he closed the bundle and placed it on his lap. "Thank you."
Snow Empress didn't reply, but sat in the courtyard for a while. The setting sun shone in from the west wall, casting a long shadow of the old locust tree that stretched all the way to the steps of the main hall. The courtyard was quiet, with only the sounds of Zhou Yan using an abacus in the storeroom and A Yao turning pages. The two sounds blended together, making Yin Wujou feel as if the Spirit Vein Bureau had truly returned.
He recalled the evening ten years ago when the Spirit Vein Bureau had its incident. He stood outside the courtyard gate, watching Snow Empress being escorted into a prison van. When the gates of the Spirit Vein Bureau were sealed, he stood in the crowd for a long time, not leaving until it was completely dark. At that time, he thought everything was over. Now, sitting under this old locust tree, watching the people coming and going in the courtyard, he suddenly felt that those ten years were nothing. As long as the people are still here, and the place is still here, things can be started again.
That evening, Yin Wujou changed into the new clothes and tried them on; they fit perfectly. He went out of the house and saw Snow Empress sitting on the stone steps of the courtyard, holding the Earth Vein Token of Deacon Lu under the lamp. He walked over and sat down beside her.