The Butterfly Lovers' Meeting at Mirror Lake

On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, the weather was perfect, a sunny day.

At the entrance of Liu Village in Shanyin, there stands an old locust tree. Winter is not yet over, its branches are bare, and a few sparrows perch on it, occasionally chirping as if speaking for the silent old tree.

The sun climbs upward from the east, its clear light filtering through the sparse branches.

Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai made a promise that he would wait for her at the village entrance before noon today. If Zhu Yingtai had not arrived by noon, it would be inconvenient for him to come.

He naturally hadn't forgotten about this, and arrived at the village entrance early in the morning.

He chose a blue stone at the village entrance where he usually sat down; the stone surface was slightly cool.

He would occasionally glance in the direction of the official road, and then look towards the end of that dirt road, his gaze drifting into the distance.

Occasionally, a familiar villager would pass by and greet him.

For example, an old farmer carrying a load on a shoulder pole nodded to him and asked, "Shanbo, are you waiting for someone here?" He smiled and replied, "Yes."

Later, a village girl passed by. Dressed in simple clothes and a rustic style, she was quite pretty. She caught sight of Liang Shanbo sitting alone, her face flushed slightly, and she softly called out, "Brother Liang." Liang Shanbo smiled and nodded. The girl lowered her head, quickened her pace, and hurried past.

Liang Shanbo waited like that.

The sun had silently moved from the eastern hills to nearly zenith, and the coolness on the bluestone had long since dissipated.

After waiting for more than an hour, it was almost noon.

At the end of the official road, the figure he longed for was still nowhere to be seen.

Liang Shanbo's heart stirred slightly, and he thought to himself, "Could it be that it is truly inconvenient for me to come?"

After waiting a while longer, two small figures appeared at the end of the official road, walking briskly from a distance.

As they drew closer, it became clear that the one in front was Zhu Yingtai, and the one behind, a more robust woman carrying a bag, was naturally Yin Xin. The two were still disguised as men, dressed exactly the same as they had been at the academy the previous year.

Liang Shanbo stood up from the bluestone and waved to them as he walked towards them. Zhu Yingtai saw him and waved back.

As they drew closer, when they were about ten paces apart, Zhu Yingtai called out in a clear voice, "Brother Liang!"

Liang Shanbo smiled broadly, cupped his hands, and called out, "Brother."

Zhu Yingtai walked quickly to him, slightly out of breath, but she didn't bother to catch her breath. She first looked him over from head to toe and saw that he looked healthy and energetic, and that he was still the same person. She was relieved and finally caught her breath.

"How long have you been waiting, Brother Liang?" she asked, her voice still slightly breathless.

"A little over an hour," Liang Shanbo answered truthfully.

Zhu Yingtai looked ashamed: "I'm so sorry to have troubled Brother Liang to wait so long. Fortunately, I arrived before noon. If I had been any later, I'm afraid we wouldn't have been able to meet."

Liang Shanbo smiled slightly: "No. I originally planned to wait here until evening."

Zhu Yingtai felt a warmth in her heart and glanced down at the dirt road beneath her feet.

Liang Shanbo asked, "Brother, would you like to rest a bit? Or shall we go to Mirror Lake now?"

Zhu Yingtai decisively said, "Let's go to Mirror Lake then."

The two then walked together toward Mirror Lake.

Yin Xin followed behind the two, carrying her backpack. Looking at the two figures walking side-by-side ahead, she still found it beautiful. She hadn't seen such a sight for a month, and today she saw it again.

As Zhu Yingtai walked slowly, she turned her head to look at Liang Shanbo and asked, "Brother Liang, are you well this New Year?"

Liang Shanbo briefly described the New Year's celebrations, saying that he spent New Year's Eve with his mother, eating wild rice, chicken soup, cured meat, dried fish, and pickled vegetables. He also mentioned that the village set off firecrackers, and he set off a few, which he found quite amusing.

A smile touched Zhu Yingtai's lips. Although Liang's family home wasn't as bustling as a large clan during the New Year, it still had a lively atmosphere and a sense of human warmth. She could imagine the scene: in three thatched huts, mother and son sat facing each other eating, simple yet cozy.

Liang Shanbo asked her, "My dear brother, are you well this New Year?"

Zhu Yingtai also briefly described the lively scene, saying that the villagers stayed up all night on New Year's Eve, had a New Year's feast, and set off firecrackers in the courtyard, which crackled and popped for a long time.

She then went on to describe in detail the lantern festival on the fifteenth of the first lunar month, saying that gauze lanterns, some scarlet, some pale yellow, and some light blue, were hung in front of the courtyard, arranged at different heights. She also mentioned that lanterns were hung on the loquat tree and that the clump of orchids was illuminated by the lights. She said that her father, mother, and elder sister were all there, and the whole family was reunited.

She paused, her voice softening, "That night, the lights were so bright, and as I looked at them, I couldn't help but think of Brother Liang. If Brother Liang were here with us, enjoying the view with our families, the lanterns in the courtyard would have been even more dazzling."

She didn't elaborate on her longing for him, much less reveal that she had already realized that night that she had secretly fallen for him and that her feelings for him were no longer those of a brother. These words were difficult to utter, and it was not appropriate to express them at this time.

Liang Shanbo laughed and said, "What a coincidence! On the night of the full moon, I was also thinking that you might be enjoying the lanterns in Shangyu, but I wondered what it would be like."

Zhu Yingtai turned her head to look at him, a smile appearing on her lips again.

Liu Village is located on the north bank of Jinghu Lake, very close by.

As we walked, Mirror Lake came into view.

The midday sun shone on the lake, making the clear water ripple and undulate in the wind. Water birds skimmed low across the surface, their wingtips brushing against the water and creating gentle ripples.

The willows by the lake have not yet sprouted buds; their branches droop gracefully. Though not yet green, they possess a sparse yet elegant charm, exuding their own unique character. In the distance, the mountains rise and fall in layers, shrouded in a bluish-green hue, undulating quietly.

The scenery was somewhat different from what Zhu Yingtai had imagined. She had thought there might be some snow or ice on the lake in the first month of the lunar calendar, but what she saw now was clear and bright water, warm sunlight, and no ice or snow, but a unique beauty of tranquility and peace.

Just as she had imagined, she walked side by side with Brother Liang along the lakeside.

Looking at the beautiful scenery of the lake and mountains before her, and then at Liang Shanbo beside her, Zhu Yingtai couldn't help but sigh softly, "When we first met at the Grass Bridge Pavilion, Brother Liang said that if I ever had the chance to go to Shanyin, I would take him to visit Mirror Lake. Now, I have indeed come."

Liang Shanbo laughed and said, "I said I would take you boating, but I haven't kept my promise yet. I will keep it soon."

Zhu Yingtai was even more delighted: "Okay."

She continued, "However, before we go boating, I'd like to go and see the old willow tree that Brother Liang climbed when he was a child."

Liang Shanbo nodded, raised his hand and pointed ahead: "Look, it's right there."

The two walked over.

An old willow tree stands by the lake, its trunk so thick it takes two people to encircle it. Its bark is dark brown with crisscrossing lines, and its thick branches extend horizontally and diagonally. A thick layer of willow leaves, fallen last year, lies beneath the tree; they are withered and rustle underfoot.

Zhu Yingtai looked up at the crooked branches, her eyes sparkling: "Brother Liang, climb up and let me see."

Liang Shanbo laughed and said, "Have you forgotten? When I was a child, I once fell from this tree."

Zhu Yingtai laughed too: "That was when I was a child. Brother Liang is sixteen years old now, after the New Year, and he is in good health. He will not fall if he climbs this tree."

Liang Shanbo smiled and nodded, straightened his sleeves, grabbed the tree trunk with both hands, pushed off with his feet, and climbed up nimbly in a few quick movements.

He sat firmly on a thick branch, looking down at Zhu Yingtai below the tree.

Zhu Yingtai looked up at him. Sunlight filtered through the branches, illuminating him. He sat there, the pale blue sky behind him, the interplay of tree shadows and sunlight momentarily stunning her.

A surge of impulse welled up within her, and she blurted out, "Brother Liang, I want to go up too."

Liang Shanbo paused for a moment, then said, "I'll hold your hand so you don't fall."

Zhu Yingtai felt slightly embarrassed, but after a moment's hesitation, she nodded in agreement.

She reached out her hand, and Liang Shanbo leaned down from the tree and grasped her hand tightly.

This was the first time the two had held hands since they met.

Liang Shanbo felt that what he was holding was not a soft hand, because Zhu Yingtai had been practicing archery with him for a long time.

Zhu Yingtai felt increasingly embarrassed, her cheeks flushed. She lowered her head, but still let him lead her. Together they pulled, he pulled her up, she climbed up, her feet stepping on the protruding nodes of the tree trunk, her other hand gripping a horizontal branch, and in this way she climbed the tree and sat down next to Liang Shanbo.

Seeing this scene, Silverheart, standing under the tree, moved her lips slightly as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only sighed silently.