Chapter 3

Zhou Zhixu’s courtyard stood on the edge of the estate. It was very quiet, with many tall trees planted along its sides.

It was early winter. A thin chill seemed to hang over everything, and even the afternoon sunlight looked languid.

Leaning on his crutch, Zhou Zhixu followed me out one halting step at a time. The daylight made him close his eyes for a moment.

He had gone so long without walking that every slow step was a struggle.

I, meanwhile, ran into the courtyard, caught hold of a tree trunk, and scrambled up in a few movements.

Zhou Zhixu coughed in alarm. “Luhua! What are you doing? It’s dangerous! Come down!”

I climbed nimbly to the top and waved down at him in delight.

“It’s beautiful up here, young master!” I shouted. “So beautiful! Come up and see!”

Zhou Zhixu’s expression stiffened.

I had no idea I had said anything wrong. Lost in the view, I had forgotten his condition.

Unlike the deep, enclosed courtyards of the Zhou estate, the treetop offered a view far into the distance.

I could see it all: the bustling royal capital, so unfamiliar to me, and the distant mountains, dark and hazy as ink.

Zhou Zhixu’s voice was perfectly calm.

“Luhua, I can’t climb up.”

Only then did I realize what I had said. I quickly slid down the tree.

Branches brushed my body and cheeks, leaving muddy marks. I caught his arm in my haste.

“I’m sorry, young master…”

Zhou Zhixu smiled and shook his head.

“It’s all right,” he said. “Seeing you happy makes me happy, too.”

I looked at him, feeling guilty.

After glancing around, I suddenly had an idea.

“What if I pulled you up onto the roof?”

“The roof?”

I nodded vigorously. “Yes, the bit beside the courtyard wall. I’ll pile some stones there, then help you onto the rockery. I’ll climb onto the roof and pull you up after me.”

“Would that work?” he asked doubtfully.

“Let’s try!”

He wavered, then silently agreed.

I set to work at once, finding several stone blocks and dragging them to the foot of the wall.

The rockery stood beside the courtyard wall, forming a set of steps.

Following my plan, I helped Zhou Zhixu climb up.

Just then, Aunt Xing came into the courtyard.

Seeing the young master on the rockery, she shrieked in terror. “Heaven help us! What in the world are you doing?”

Before long, a flurry of servants had carried Zhou Zhixu down.

Aunt Xing dragged me aside and ordered me to kneel.

“You’re utterly beyond saving!” She shook with anger. “How can there be such a wicked child in this world?”

I knelt on the ground, at a loss, and tried to explain. “I only wanted the young master to see outside…”

“Enough!” she cut in. “You needn’t stay here any longer. Tomorrow morning, you will leave this house!”

Zhou Zhixu stumbled after us. “It… it wasn’t her fault. I wanted to climb up.”

“Young master!” Aunt Xing cried in shock.

“I wanted to do it, Aunt Xing,” he insisted. “You cannot send her away.”

He stood between us, confronting Aunt Xing gently but with all his strength, like a frail wild animal provoked into arching its back, poised to spring.

Each breath came fast and heavy.

Something seemed to catch in my throat. In a daze, I reached out and took hold of his robe.

Zhou Zhixu turned.

Lowering his eyes, he smiled and mouthed words of reassurance.

It’s all right. Don’t be afraid.

Aunt Xing stared at him. After a long while, her usual rigid composure returned.

“Even so, she failed to take proper care of you. She must still be punished.”

“Aunt Xing…”

“Young master,” she interrupted sternly, “too much indulgence will only bring disaster. With your father and mother gone, it is my duty as your wet nurse to keep discipline in this household. I hope you understand that I have your best interests at heart.”

The servants and maids nearby had all fallen to their knees, though their eyes seemed to keep straying toward me.

Zhou Zhixu said no more.

He turned his back to me, but his hand closed around mine where I clutched his robe.

“What will the punishment be?”