Wearing a jade-green shirt, he was covered with a light quilt embroidered with delicate plum blossoms.
The man held a letter, his eyes filled with sorrow. His fair skin looked pale, with a fragile, willow-like quality. After reading, he placed the letter on the quilt and closed his eyes.
The servant Dao’er placed a warm pot by the bed, “Young master, what did the second young lady’s letter say?”
“Nothing much. She said she would be back in a while,” he replied softly.
Dao’er looked happy but confused, “Second Miss is coming back? That’s great news. Why does the young master seem unhappy?”
“What does it matter if she returns? We’ve become strangers. I am the husband of her sister now, and…” Yun Mei shed a tear, his voice choked with emotion. “Dao’er, go burn this letter.”
“Young master, don’t do that,” Dao’er urged, refusing to take the letter. “You’ve kept all the previous letters from Second Miss. Please don’t burn them in a moment of impulse.”
“Dao’er,” Yun Mei’s fragile voice trembled as he made his decision, “burn all those letters as well.”
“I’m afraid you’ll regret this…” Dao’er began.
“Burn them.” Yun Mei’s voice was firm and resolute.
Dao’er fell silent, hesitating but eventually agreeing, “Yes, young master.” His eyes were full of compassion, thinking the young master was truly exhausted.
Yun Mei closed her eyes, listening to the subtle crackling of paper burning. She shed more tears, feeling as if her heart was being reduced to ashes, her feelings impossible to retain.
Dao’er’s hands trembled as he burned letter after letter, feeling heartbroken. Watching the treasured letters turn to ash ached his heart, yet he had to follow the master’s orders. The first letter Second Miss wrote to the young master, which made him so happy he couldn’t sleep for nights, was reluctantly placed in the fire. The letter inviting the young master on an outing, the times he tried on clothes at home, and the letter where Second Miss expressed her desire to appreciate flowers under the moonlight—all brought smiles to the young master’s face.
As Dao’er placed the last letter in the fire basin, he sighed, his eyes misty. Everything the young master cherished was now burned away.
