303 Letters for the Artis

She didn't waste the week, accomplishing many things. For the first few days of the week, her feelings were still a mess, but towards the end of the week, she had sorted them out enough to not think about Yu Zixu all the time. It was still a shock to her that he confessed, but at least, he wasn't in her mind to distract her all the time either.

Perhaps that trip was really a good thing. It was nice to have some time to sort out her feelings without Zixu appearing almost everyday in her life.

Besides getting her emotions straightened, Yujia also did plenty of work. Bo Zhizhong sent two large canvases to her quickly, based on instructions she had also sent him for canvas-creation. It was perfect for working on, and she spent the majority of the week painting and painting and painting.

The first painting she did was on a long canvas,     drawing inspiration from the common watercolor paintings out there,    in particular with the mountain paintings that she had plenty of practice with. Using oil paints,    she managed to create something that would look familiar to most artists. However,   because of the medium she chose to use,  the painting still looked unordinary. She hoped that this painting would draw curiosity amongst the artists that viewed it,  yet at the same time, not be foreign enough to cause reluctance.

For her second painting on a wider canvas, she started painting a bird at first, but it didn't feel right, so she morphed her sketch into a painting of a koi pond. Fish were symbols of wealth, after all, and Yujia did want to bring some of that prosperity to her shop.

The rest of her time,    Yujia spent it with her master,    Ye Yunhe,   and Xie Yufeng. During a few of her many conversations with them,   she realized that despite everything that had happened,   she was happy now. It was just raw,   simple happiness. The knowledge that she had people around her which she could talk to,  trust on, and go to for help was something that truly brought gratitude to her heart.

At the end of the week,  nearing an evening when Yujia made her final touches on the koi pond painting, Yufeng came to her door, holding a small scroll.

"They said that a letter came for you," Yufeng said.

Yujia's eyebrows jumped up, but then she remembered how Zixu asked if he could send her letters. Standing up with her paintbrush set down, she accepted the letter from Yufeng, unrolling the thin paper of the scroll. Yufeng stepped aside, and Yujia went back to her table by the window to read the contents.

On the delicate paper, written with the meticulous handwriting of Yu Zixu, there were the words:

After taking in the last word, Yujia set the letter down, smiling faintly. A slight flush creeped up her cheeks, and she waved it away, still grinning.

When he was being like this, how could she stay mad at him?

Glancing back at Yufeng, who was leaning against the doorframe, Yujia folded the scroll up again, asking, "This was sent by a messenger pigeon, right?"

"En," Yufeng replied, giving a nod.

"Is there any way I can send a letter back?"

"As far as I know, no. The pigeons used for the postal service in the city are only one-way."

"Ah. I see." Yujia leaned back, unrolling the letter and reading through it again, a smile surfacing on her lips again. "Thanks," she told Yufeng, who promptly left now that there was nothing left for her to do.

While Yujia went to her bed, falling back on it and holding the letter up to the ceiling, she couldn't help but read it again and again. 

She smiled again, rolling over.

Modern times made it so that communication was so simple, with just a few taps on the phone to send a text message. Yujia imagined what it would be like to get the same message from Zixu in a text, but then, she realized that it wouldn't be as nice.

There was something just special and pleasant about receiving a handwritten letter, even if the contents were brief and even if she couldn't reply back.

At a second thought, she stood back up and went to a set of cabinets in her room, taking out a small, empty box. It was the perfect place to fit the rolled up scroll. Yujia placed the letter there, deciding that for the rest of Zixu's letters, she would store them there as well.

…

Life continued to pass by. 

Yujia had her paintings hung up high on the shelf, replacing the framed pencil sketches. The artisans perfected the formula for oil paint. Yujia went to her fellow disciples and marketed oil paint with a seminar in oil painting. The oil paints were officially launched at Three Inks, boosting the sales of the store again as many marveled over the novelty. In fact, after the oil paints were launched, Yujia received a commission from a princess herself, who wanted to own a mountain painting created with oil paints. That was an incredible honor, and Yujia spent plenty of time painting a mountain range with waterfalls on an enormous canvas. 

Although it was honorable to paint for a member of the royal family, Yujia, above all, still liked one thing more: raking in the gold.

Despite the split of profits between her and Bo Zhizhong, hundreds of silver taels still came rolling in Yujia's direction. Yujia splurged with that money, buying pretty much everything she wanted in the marketplace. However, after all that, she still had plenty of funds left.

Yujia had to admit that at one point in time, she stacked and counted her taels like a stereotypical rich man. It was just so satisfying to see how much money she had gotten.

Furthermore, amidst all of this, she had also received her second letter from Zixu. 

When she read the first lines, her eyes widened.

"Please send help. We have arrived in the far north, yet a blizzard has fallen upon us. Supplies are running low. The other pigeons have been eaten. I fear that Father will resort to cannibalism, if things continue on this way." 

Yujia couldn't believe the things that she was reading. But then, she realized that there was a second page, continuing on with wide eyes.

"Just kidding, Junior Sister. Did you believe that? It was a bad joke that I thought of when I heard stories of a blizzard in the north during this hot summer season. A tragedy like such has not befallen us, so do not worry. We've arrived at Northern Zhou's capital, and all is safe and sound. Hoping that you have been doing well too— have you begun selling the oil paints I saw last time? I'll have to buy some when coming back." 

Yujia could practically envision the joking expression Zixu liked to wear whenever he teased her. She covered her face with a hand and laughed, out of just how gullible it was for her to take the first page of the letter seriously. 

Except still, the idea that the trip could be dangerous emerged in her mind.

Yujia bit her bottom lip. She couldn't help but worry. Even if there was no blizzard, traveling during this era surely had many hazards, ranging from bandits, to getting lost, or to running out of supplies. It couldn't be compared to the ease of modern plane or train trips.

She really hoped that Zixu would be safe.

…

Towards the end of the month, a third letter came, reassuring her fears of Zixu being in a dangerous predicament.

"Junior Sister, we are on our route back. I fed a homeless puppy a steamed bun and he began to follow me. I suppose Mimi could have a baby brother. What do you think?"

Yujia paused, imagining a scene of Zixu feeding a stray dog, then the dog beginning to follow him. She imagined how he would tell the dog to stop following him, yet the dog just wouldn't listen. She also imagined how ultimately, he would give up and end up having a dog following him for the trip all the way back to Chang'an. 

It was a hilariously cute scene to imagine.

"We will be arriving back home in around a week. I tried wine from another merchant today. The aroma was still lacking compared to the wine sold in the capital. Perhaps I am too accustomed to the familiar taste of home. When I return, will you have a drink with me?" 

As Yujia folded the letter up, she tilted her head, thinking. 

…

News eventually arrived that Old Master Yu and Young Master Yu returned from their business trip. 

It was early in the morning, when the sun had barely even risen in the sky. Yujia heard the news from one of the early bird servants. She stopped what she was doing— which was a sorry attempt at meditation that she began two days ago, in an attempt to incorporate that in her morning routine— and stood up, going out of Lingxin without a second thought.

Silver in her hands, she set off to a wine store in the capital, which she heard about the other day as the store that sold the finest quality of wine. When she arrived, she picked through the shelves and talked to the owner until she found a jar which she believed as best. 

Now that she had the best wine, she went back in the direction of Lingxin, a cheerful grin on her expression.

On the way to the store, she had to cross a bridge. On the way back, she crossed the same bridge, noticing that the canal beneath her no longer brought any fear to mind. She didn't even notice it the first time she crossed the bridge.

The sky was blue above her, only a few wisps of clouds dotting the horizon. The morning air was crisp. Birds chirped atop of tree branches and the sound of the city, beginning to wake up, carried through the fresh air. It was a perfect start for the day.

Then, partially to the top arch of the bridge, Yujia stopped, looking up. 

In front of her, standing at the top, was none other than Yu Zixu.

He was dressed in white robes. And though she had not seen him for a month, he looked no different than the image of him she kept in her mind from that day, in the flower fields.

"Junior Sister, it's been a while," he called out. 

Yujia didn't expect to see him here. In fact, she wasn't even ready to see him. What was he doing here? Thinking back to the last letter, the reason behind her purchase of the wine in the first place, could that be what he was going to do? Was that the reason behind the crossing of their paths?

Regardless, Yujia lowered the jar of wine she held to the wooden floor of the bridge, almost fumbling as she did such a simple action. Straightening herself again and putting on a smile, she replied, "Indeed it has. You've been well during your trip?"

Her heart began to race furiously in her chest, and Yujia tried her best to not let her cheeks warm up.

"I have. How have you been?"

"I've been well too." Yujia paused, biting her lip. She looked down at the jar of wine, then glanced back at Zixu. Slowly, she began, "Last time we met, you asked for me to give you an answer when you returned. I think I have my answer now."

His eyes met hers, the expression in them unfathomable. "Then, what is it?" 

Taking a deep breath, Yujia finally said the words she had been meaning to say, words that she had been holding back all along, and words that came from her heart.

"Yu Zixu, I like you too."

After blurting that, Yujia observed him tensely, her hands wrung together. It felt like time had stopped. She wasn't sure why she was so anxious. Still, she couldn't help but have a touch of fear in her heart, which was still madly thudding, perhaps even more than before. 

What if Zixu met a pretty girl on his business trip and forgot all about her? What if he moved on after seeing Yujia's angry response that day, after his confession in the flower fields? What if, what if, and what if?

Except then, Zixu's next words chased away her fears.

"I have been waiting so long to hear that." 

He smiled and looked down, as if trying to hide the hint of nervousness in his smile. It was so different from his usual composed and perfect demeanor, but in Yujia's eyes, the worried, nervous Zixu that stood in front of her right now was not anywhere less perfect. Yujia realized that perhaps Zixu had the same fears and concerns as her, all along. 

She couldn't help but let out a soft laugh of relief. And then, she rushed forward, throwing her arms around Zixu in a hug. 

She couldn't care if the world was watching. 

Right now, at this moment, it was just the two of them. 

Zixu tensed up at first, but in the next second, he relaxed. He returned her embrace, hands gently resting around her.

"I've been waiting so long to do this, too," she murmured into his shoulder. "I'm so glad you're safe. If you died on the trip, I would've killed you."

"I'm glad that I didn't die, then," he replied with a gentle laugh. "If I did die, I probably would've killed myself afterwards, from the regret that I wouldn't live long enough to hear your words. You wouldn't need to get your hands dirty."

Yujia grinned. 

She missed hearing his laugh.