Chapter 16

The journey from Pei Mansion to the South Quarter was not a short one; even with swift horses and carriages, it took a full hour.

By the time I arrived at the cold kiln in the South Quarter with Pei Su, evening was drawing near.

The waning sun sank in the west, its brilliance dazzling.

Nearby, the water was strewn with tangled duckweed, the rippling waves reflecting the sunset.

The people here were clearly well acquainted with Pei Su. As soon as he stepped out of the carriage, they gathered around him.

I stood aside, watching him calmly direct, distribute porridge, and offer comfort.

When a sickly child cried and fussed, he knelt down, wiping the child’s sweat with a damp cloth.

An elder’s wound had worsened and needed the rotten flesh cut away, the pain unbearable; Pei Su offered his own hand for the elder to grip.

Doctors and craftsmen moved among the crowd, and Pei Su followed, inspecting everywhere.

The dilapidated stone kilns were gradually repaired. A woman holding an infant wept, wanting to kneel before Pei Su.

Pei Su smiled and gently supported her hands.

Others spoke, then led Pei Su elsewhere.

I watched his back, lost in thought.

Pei Su was very thin, his figure upright and elegant like a slender bamboo, as if a breeze could topple him.

Yet at this moment, he seemed especially strong, as though nothing could make him fall.

The sun sank bit by bit, yet I felt as if something was slowly rising from the depths of my heart.

Something I had almost forgotten.

By the time we returned to the mansion, it was deep into the night.

The sky was filled with stars, the Milky Way stretching far and wide. The carriage moved through the mud, creaking with effort.

Pei Su leaned against the window.

The curtain fluttered softly. The wind slipped through the gap, brushed past his temples, and gently caressed me.

It felt as if my heart was stirred by the wind.

Pei Su turned his head, and it seemed as if a star had fallen into his eyes.

“What is it?”

For the first time, I called his name: “Pei Su.”

“Hm?”

“What is the meaning of kindness?”

He was taken aback, as if he hadn’t expected such a question.

After a moment, his eyes softened with a gentle smile.

“It has no meaning.”

“Eh?”

“Kindness doesn’t need to have meaning.”

“Then…” I said dazedly, “What kind of reward does a kind person hope for?”

Pei Su looked at me in confusion, paused for a few moments, then shook his head as if troubled.

“I’ve never thought about that.”