The snow kept falling, turning from cotton wool to goose feathers, drifting down from the sky. The street stones, rooftops, and car roofs of Liuying Lane were all covered with a thick layer of silver.
An umbrella covered in snow moved slowly through the wind and snow, leaving two pairs of footprints on the ground behind it, starting from under the old willow tree and stretching all the way to the Ruhua Bar in the distance.
As Bi Shenghua walked, she recounted ancient stories, the truth of which was unknown.
"The paper strips cut from the old willow tree grew into big trees in just a few years, while no mulberry trees ever survived in the surrounding area. The name Mulberry Camp was gradually forgotten, and people began to call it Willow Tree Camp. Because there were no mulberry trees and willow trees were worthless, the farmers who originally planted mulberry trees and raised silkworms lost their income and their lives became increasingly difficult."
The old steward took the lead in starting a small business. Because the Hua Family still had connections and prestige, the business quickly took off, and a small market formed in Willow Tree Camp on the original site of the Hua Family's old house. Everyone said it was because the Hua Family's old house had good feng shui, some said it was because the spirit of the Master Hua was in heaven, and some said it was because the willow tree was a divine being protecting everyone.
Some businessmen built new houses next to the market. Of course, those new houses are now old houses, just like the old houses on this street that we see now, most of which were built back then.
The market gradually became crowded, and so Willow Tree Camp became Liuying Lane.
The old butler kept in mind Master Hua's instructions. He figured Old Master Hua wouldn't have asked him to transplant the willow tree to the mulberry tree's roots for no reason; there must be a reason. Perhaps the mulberry tree's roots weren't dead, and one day it would revive thanks to the transplanted willow tree. So he vowed to protect the old willow tree for the rest of his life.
Fortunately, the old willow tree was revered as a Divine Tree Divine Tree, so naturally no one would try to damage it, and no one disturbed the surrounding land.
The old steward had also made some money, so he bought the land where the old willow tree used to be, and built a house on it...
As Bi Shenghua finished speaking, she and Qingmu walked side by side to the entrance of Ruhua Bar.
She pointed to the building of the bar and said, "This is the Hua Family's backyard pond. The old willow tree at the alley entrance was originally planted here. This building was built by the old housekeeper, and it was renovated several times, eventually becoming the Yanghe Bookstore we see today."
Qingmu looked up at the familiar house.
Snow hung from the eaves of the roof, resembling a white dragon. Many decorative carvings adorned the eaves, but due to renovations, their meaning was no longer discernible. The blue bricks and mottled white plaster on the walls still bore traces of their ancient origins.
Although the first floor has been renovated into a bar, it's clear that Bi Shenghua put a lot of thought into the design. The overall exterior style doesn't clash with the old-fashioned atmosphere of the place; the bar's nostalgic and artistic style complements the old house's antique appearance perfectly.
Only the glass windows on the second floor, the aluminum alloy security bars outside the windows, and the words " Duke Zhou's Dream Interpretation" pasted on the windows seem out of place and don't fit the layout of the place at all.
This was the first time Qingmu had examined his living space so seriously, and he discovered many things he had never noticed before. But after the story of Bi Shenghua was told, these things became more vivid than anything else.
The snow fell heavily, blurring his vision. He seemed to see the old mulberry tree slowly turning to ashes in the fire, and all the mulberry trees within a ten-mile radius withered away. A wisp of smoke rose from the crow's nest on the old mulberry tree, and a Crow flew up from the fire, circled the tree three times, and cried mournfully.
"That butler's surname is Bi?" he asked, pulling his dazed gaze back to the present.
Bi Shenghua nodded gently. "That's my great-grandfather."
"You've always been unwilling to leave Liuying Lane and firmly opposed the demolition, is that why?"
"That's right. My great-grandfather's last wish was to protect this place and that old willow tree for generations. He didn't know why the Japan were looking for that old mulberry tree, or why Old Master Hua burned it down, but he knew that what the Japan wanted and Old Master Hua was protecting were definitely not just a tree. He said the Hua Family lived for that mulberry tree, and if it weren't for transplanting the willow tree there, he would have died in that fire. So our Bi Family lives for this willow tree."
Bi Shenghua held a short willow branch in her hand. "When I was little, every spring, my grandfather would take us to cut branches from the old willow trees and then plant them by the river. There are still several willow trees there that I helped to keep alive."
"But how long are you going to keep guarding this place? It'll be demolished sooner or later," Qingmu said.
Bi Shenghua said, "When I was little, I asked my grandfather the same question. He said that everything is preordained, and we'll know when the day comes. I know it's really out of step with the times to stick to this family tradition, but it's still a kind of keepsake."
She gently fiddled with the withered branch in her hand, then looked up at the Qingmu. The two were very close, and the cold outside made the space under the umbrella feel even warmer.
Qingmu met her gaze and saw that her eyes were filled with a soft light. Just as the Crow had said, the former tomboy had become more and more feminine, even though her clothes were still so androgynous.
"Um... I'm not going to New Zealand for tourism this time, so..." Qingmu suddenly felt that his words were very weak, and he didn't understand why he was saying these things.
Bi Shenghua chuckled.
"Go ahead and go, don't worry about me. I'm telling you all this so that I won't leave Liuying Lane. But you're different; you're not an ordinary person, and you can't stay in Liuying Lane forever. Wherever you go, just remember that there's an old willow tree here, remember that you once stood under it for a day and a night, and remember that there was someone willing to protect a piece of wood for a lifetime—that's enough."
"But..."
"No buts! You're going to listen to that dead Crow?"
Just then, Qingmu suddenly felt the umbrella in his hand sink, and with a thud, a small, jet-black head, speckled with white snowflakes, dangled upside down from the edge of the umbrella. "Hey, Ru-hua-, I'm trying to help you, don't cry!"
In the following days, Qingmu came to the old willow tree again and again, recalling the day and night he had stood under it.
The scene was still vivid in his mind, but he couldn't remember what he was thinking at the time. As for what happened before that, just thinking about it made his head spin and his mind felt like it was filled with mush.
Bi Shenghua's stories were not very detailed; many were stories she heard from her grandfather when she was a child, making it difficult to discern their authenticity. However, to Qingmu's ears, they evoked a sense of familiarity.
He always felt that his arrival on this street wasn't without reason. Could this old willow tree, these mulberry roots in the soil, and the stories that had unfolded here have some connection to him? Everyone on the street treated him like a beggar, but in the end, only Bi Shenghua took him in. Was this some kind of destiny?
Qingmu remembered that Bi Shenghua mentioned the Xia Family of South Town, who, along with the Hua Family of Mulberry Camp, were the two great families of Wuzhong. So the Xia Family members, especially the elderly Xia Wenyuan, should know something about what happened back then.
Therefore, he decided to visit Elder Xia again before going to New Zealand.