Goodnight, Zhu Yingtai

Zhu Yingtai suddenly remembered something, and looked at Liang Shanbo with shining eyes: "Brother Liang, do you still remember what you said when we first met at the Grass Bridge Pavilion?"

Liang Shanbo looked at her: "What did you say?"

Zhu Yingtai said, "You said that if I had the chance to go to Shanyin, you would take me boating on Mirror Lake?"

Liang Shanbo nodded: "Of course I remember."

Zhu Yingtai hesitated for a moment, then said, "The school will be closed next month, and we will all be going home for the New Year. My mother has already said in her letter that she will send someone to pick me up next month, so it is inconvenient for me to travel with Brother Liang."

However, after the New Year holidays, when I return to the academy in the first month of the lunar calendar, I may have the opportunity to visit you in Shanyin. If so, please take me to visit Mirror Lake then, what do you say?

Liang Shanbo laughed and said, "To truly enjoy Mirror Lake, one must visit in spring or autumn. In spring, peach blossoms line the banks, and in autumn, the lake is filled with the songs of water chestnuts. While there are sights to see in January, they cannot compare to spring and autumn."

Zhu Yingtai raised her chin slightly, a hint of stubbornness in her eyes: "If we can't compare to the Spring and Autumn Period, then we can't compare. Brother Liang, are you willing?"

Seeing her earnest expression, Liang Shanbo smiled and said, "Since you have such a wish, I am naturally willing."

Zhu Yingtai was overjoyed again.

She couldn't help but imagine the scene: in the first month of the lunar calendar, by Mirror Lake, she and Brother Liang walked side by side along the lakeside. Perhaps there was still snow on the lake, perhaps a thin layer of ice; the willows hadn't yet budded, the peach blossoms hadn't yet bloomed. But none of that mattered. What mattered was that she could go see the place where Brother Liang grew up, see the old willow tree he used to climb as a child…

As she was lost in thought, Liang Shanbo suddenly changed the subject: "Brother, it's getting late, we should rest. But before we rest, I'd like to ask you a question."

Zhu Yingtai tilted her head and looked at him: "Brother Liang, please speak."

Liang Shanbo's tone became more serious: "My dear brother, you have been studying and listening to lectures at the academy for more than half a year, and you have never slacked off. I know that you are exceptionally intelligent and have a solid foundation of knowledge. But there is something I have always wanted to ask you."

Zhu Yingtai asked, "What is it?"

Liang Shanbo asked, "Brother, what is the purpose of your studies?"

Zhu Yingtai was slightly taken aback.

In the charcoal brazier, a piece of charcoal suddenly collapsed with a soft thud. A few sparks flew up, flickered in the air, and then went out.

She was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Why did you suddenly ask about this, Brother Liang?"

Liang Shanbo slowly said, "My dear brother, both I and you are studying. But after you finish your studies, where will you go? What will you use your knowledge for? I want to hear from you yourself, what is it that you truly think?"

Zhu Yingtai lowered her head and looked at the charcoal fire.

After a long silence, she finally raised her head, her voice soft yet solemn: "Brother Liang, I've actually thought about this question many times. From childhood to adulthood, I've read many books. I've dabbled in the Five Classics, the works of various philosophers, historical records, and classical poetry. The more I read, the more of this thought comes to mind."

Although I was born into a prominent family, with no worries about food or clothing, and owning fertile land and a large household with many servants, there are still too many people in this world who go hungry and cold. Everyone wants to make their own lives and the lives of their families better.

But how can we make life better for more people? How can we reduce famine and displacement in this world? This is what I want to do, not just talk about it, but truly want to do it, however…”

Her voice suddenly stopped, and her gaze fell on the charcoal fire, the red light illuminating her eyebrows and eyes.

She paused for a moment, then added, "However, this is beyond my capabilities."

Actually, what she originally wanted to say was, "But I am a woman."

However, it is inconvenient to say this directly to Brother Liang.

Liang Shanbo lowered his head and remained silent for a moment, then raised his head and gazed at her: "Actually, I also share the same ambition as you, my dear brother. Although it is difficult, if we work together, perhaps we can achieve something in the future?"

Zhu Yingtai smiled: "Brother Liang and I have another thing in common."

However, a hint of bitterness lingered beneath the smile.

She thought to herself, "Leaving aside the difficulty of this matter, how can I, a woman, achieve such a feat with Brother Liang? Brother Liang doesn't know I'm a woman, so he can so openly invite me to work together. But I know that one day, my womanhood will become an inescapable obstacle."

She lowered her head and remained silent for a moment before looking up at Liang Shanbo again: "Brother Liang, before we rest, I'd like to ask you one more question."

Liang Shanbo said, "Brother, please ask."

Zhu Yingtai asked, "You just said that we've been at the academy for over half a year. In these past six months, is there a day you've missed the most?"

Liang Shanbo paused slightly, then smiled and said, "The many days I spent with my worthy brother were unforgettable. The first time we ate together in the canteen, the first time we listened to a lecture together, the first time we studied together in the library, the first time we went to the county town together, the first time we went to the back mountain together, the first time we practiced archery together in the back mountain..."

Those days feel like they just happened yesterday.

If I had to choose the most unforgettable one, I think it would be that spring day when we first met at the Grass Bridge Pavilion and swore brotherhood on the Grass Bridge.

Upon hearing these words, Zhu Yingtai's previous bitterness was suddenly warmed.

Her lips curved into a smile, her eyes held amusement, and her face felt slightly flushed.

That spring day, that grass bridge, those mounds of earth huddled together, that "Brother Liang," that "My dear brother"—that was the day their story began. It turns out Brother Liang was just as unforgettable.

The two said no more.

Zhu Yingtai stood up, walked to the small table, and habitually blew out the lamp.

The schoolhouse was plunged into darkness, with only the charcoal fire glowing a dark red light.

In the dim light, the two habitually turned around, undressed, and lay down in their respective beds.

Outside the schoolhouse, Yin Xin had remained silent, but she had actually been eavesdropping on the conversation inside.

She couldn't help but sigh softly, silently thinking to herself, "This young lady's life is probably inseparable from Liang Langjun!"

Inside, the charcoal fire was still burning, its dim light illuminating the space between two wooden beds.

Zhu Yingtai lay on the wooden couch, turned her head to look at the charcoal brazier, and recalled how, once upon a time, there was a bowl of water between her and Brother Liang's wooden couch, but now it had been replaced by a charcoal brazier.

Thinking about this, she couldn't help but smile.

She pulled the blanket up to cover her upturned lips, then suddenly couldn't help but turn her head and, by the last glimmer of the charcoal fire, look at the wooden bed opposite her, glancing at the blurry silhouette.

At this moment, Liang Shanbo was silently saying in his heart, "Goodnight, Zhu Yingtai."

Then he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Outside the school building, snow piled up on the courtyard walls, and the sound of the distant pine trees was muffled by the snow.

Inside, the light from the charcoal fire finally dimmed, leaving only one or two embers flickering in the ashes.

The snowy night deepened.