Chapter 834: Grand Finale (Part 10)

By the time New Year’s Day arrived, everyone was to dine together for New Year’s Eve dinner at the residence.

The cook Ye Mingyu had hired was indeed skilled, but as Jiang Li sat by the table, she constantly remembered Jih Heng preparing the food herself. It seemed Wen Renyao and Situ Jiuyue also had similar thoughts, with unnatural expressions on their faces. Ye Mingyu was unaware of the reason and only complained about the strange atmosphere, which ultimately was left unresolved. However, Xue Huaiyuan seemed to have guessed the reason. He didn’t say much, only looking at Jiang Li with concern in his eyes.

Xiao Lan had grown very tall, becoming a handsome steed, with an increasingly fierce temper. Xiao Hong liked to perch on top of his head, pecking at his mane, which made Xiao Lan run around the yard, nearly knocking people over. Ye Mingyu complained several times, saying that Jiang Li and the others were too indulgent with Xiao Lan and Xiao Hong. Jiang Li only smiled and said nothing, for Xiao Lan and Xiao Hong were, after all, Jih Heng’s legacy. With Jih Heng gone, they no longer had any restraint and behaved quite wildly. Yet… Jiang Li sometimes wondered if Xiao Lan and Xiao Hong ever missed their master, feeling that the Duke Residence had lost that touch of red, as if it had lost its soul, never to be as brightly vibrant as before.

When evening came and it was time for everyone to stay up late to usher in the New Year, Wen Renyao suddenly blurted out, “Last time we also stayed up late with Second Miss.”

Everyone was taken aback, with Ye Mingyu squinting his eyes and asking, “What do you mean? How could Jiang Li have stayed up late with you guys, would Jiang Yuanbai have allowed it? You must be dreaming or confused. Don’t go spreading rumors and tarnish our Jiang Li’s reputation.” He angrily drew the knife from his waist and slammed it on the ground, “Hmph!”

Xue Zhao and Xue Huaiyuan realized something and looked at Jiang Li with probing eyes.

Jiang Li couldn’t help but let out a “pfft” of laughter, remembering how Zhao Ke had escorted her out of the Jiang Residence in the middle of the night, hurriedly going to make venison for Old General Jih. The memory brought a smile to her face, but as she laughed, her smile faded, replaced by a deep sense of sorrow.

That joyful, candid feast had turned out to be the first and last New Year they would spend together. She still remembered every clear image, every word spoken by Old General Jih and Jih Heng, yet those people were no longer there. She had thought there would be countless such days ahead, but it had come to such an abrupt end.

Situ Jiuyue glared at Wen Renyao, who, upon seeing Jiang Li’s expression, seemed to realize he had said something wrong. Quickly trying to cover it up, he picked up the wine cup in front of him and said, “I think we better toast first! Happy New Year to everyone!”

As everyone raised their glasses in celebration, no one saw that when Jiang Li lifted her cup to her lips, she softly whispered another sentence.

She said, “Happy New Year, Jih Heng.”

Once the stay-up-late ritual was over, everyone felt tired and went back to their rooms to sleep. Jiang Li felt tired too, but more than that, she felt a myriad of emotions in her heart that kept her from sleeping. The more she felt this way, the more she thought of Jih Heng. It seemed to her that if Jih Heng were still alive and had come back, at least this night wouldn’t feel so cold.

She reached for the fan pendant she kept close to her neck. After careful restoration, the butterfly fan pendant looked almost as it did before. She had made it into a necklace that she wore around her neck, letting it rest against her chest, feeling her heartbeat’s warmth, as if by doing so, Jih Heng were right there with her.

The red butterfly glittered gorgeously under the lamp, and Jiang Li gazed at the pendant, lost in trance.

Time passed, and the sound of the wind and snow outside seemed to diminish. In the silence, there appeared to come a “knock knock” at the door. The knocking was neither hurried nor slow, as if someone was smiling by the door, braving the snowy chill in a bright red garment, knocking on the door of an old friend.

Jiang Li’s heart jolted, and a wave of ecstasy swept through her. Without even putting on her cloak, she rushed out and flung the door open. Yet, there was nothing outside.

Unwilling to give up, she stepped out a few more paces. The Duke Residence was so large, and she walked out from her own courtyard and even onto the outside. Under the corridor, the lanterns swayed gently in the wind, the light flickering as though it might go out. Beneath it lay thick snow, but no more was falling from the sky.

But there was nothing.

It was as if she had become the protagonist of a dream in a Chinese opera, and it all was nothing but a traceless, beautiful dream. The knocking had been just a jest made by the wind, and in her overwhelming longing, she had believed it was real.