A piece of Japanese incense

Before daybreak, I was already woken up by the clanging sound of Yuyi Yutuan.

"Yuyi! Can't you keep your voice down? You're about to wake the girl up!"

"It's all your fault! You keep calling me to go home, but you never put your clothes in order. You're so careless and just play all day long!"

"I'm not ~ I'm not! I'm very busy every day, okay!"

"Yes, yes, yes! You are so busy! Busy chatting with your sisters in the palace~"

"Yes, yes, unlike you who do this every day..."

I sat up and looked at them both with contempt.

"Oh my goodness! It's so noisy! You two are so annoying!" I yelled.

"Miss, don't be angry. It's all my fault. I was negligent. The clothes that the prince consort sent yesterday were originally meant to be worn when you went out of the palace to worship your ancestors today. I... I forgot where I put them. I'm looking for clothes for you now." Yu Tuan scratched her hair awkwardly and said guiltily.

"You can't even think of clothes? It's not like a single sesame seed is missing!" Yu Yi sighed helplessly.

"I just remember putting it on the table, and then... it disappeared..."

I thought for a moment. I really hadn't seen any new clothes. Maybe Yu Tuan had put them somewhere and forgotten them completely. So I said, "It doesn't matter if you can't find them. It's the same if you wear something simple. Let's wash up."

Yu Tuan went out to fetch water and suddenly shouted, "Found it! Found it! Here it is!"

She ran in holding a set of off-white clothes. "It's on the stone bench outside. Hey, girl, take a look."

I joked, "You're such a fool. You're always forgetting things. I'm sure you'll lose yourself sooner or later."

I put on a pearly white brocade gown, stood in front of the mirror, and carefully admired the ink landscape painting on my skirt. Every year, my father personally painted a splendid landscape painting and embroidered it on my skirt. During the worship ceremony, he asked me to wear this painting and show it to my grandfather.

I lifted up my dress and sniffed it, curiously saying, "What a nice scent, with citrus, mint, valerian, lemongrass..."

"The girl has started again!" Yutuan and Yuyi smiled at each other.

As soon as he saw Zhi Yian, his brows were already furrowed before he even approached me. After helping me into the carriage, he sat in a corner of the carriage, closed his eyes, sat upright, and remained silent.

(Oh! Fine, I’m used to it. He’s always moody. Humph~)

We traveled in silence all the way, but I could hear the hustle and bustle of traffic and the sounds of people coming and going in the carriage. I knew that we had finally driven out of the palace gate.

With joy in my heart, I lifted the curtain of the side window. There was an endless stream of pedestrians in the streets and alleys: some were carrying heavy loads and hurrying on their way; some were driving ox carts and transporting goods; some were riding donkeys and driving cars; some were stopping by the river to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Looking up at the tall city wall, the buildings on both sides are arranged in an orderly manner. There are teahouses, wine shops, shoe shops, butcher shops... everything you can think of, and I feel relaxed inside.

"Stop! Stop! Dad, look! There's someone selling 'Guanghan Cake' over there! I want to eat some!"

Zhi Yian still had his eyes closed, frowned, and knocked gently on the carriage.

After a while, Eunuch Guangbai came through the curtain and handed over a small bag of Guanghan cake.

"Daddy, have the first bite!" I opened the Guanghan cake wrapped in lotus leaves, took out a small piece, handed it to Zhi Yian's mouth, and looked at him with a smile.

He slowly opened his eyes, then continued to close them to rest.

I curled my lips and tasted it alone.

I chuckled and said, "Hmm~ It's sweet with the aroma of osmanthus, the fragrance of jujube, the fragrance of lotus leaves, and the texture is dense and soft. Dad, don't you really want to have a bite? It is said that this Guanghan cake is known as the 'number one snack', 'Guanghan Gaojia, Toad Palace Zhegua'~ I wonder if Dad ate it that year?"

Zhi Yian's eyes were deep and a barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the crumbs from the corner of my mouth. He said slowly, "Just eat this one. Your grandmother must have prepared a lot of food that you like."

"Hmm!" I put away the Guanghan cake, wrapped it in lotus leaves, put it on the table, and took a sip of tea. "Wow! It's so hot!"

Zhi Yian shook his head, wet his handkerchief with tea, and carefully wiped my hands.

When we reached halfway up the mountain, we changed to two sedan chairs. The sedan chairs were completely black and embroidered with intricate patterns in gold thread. There were bells and tassels hanging on the roof, which made pleasant and crisp sounds in the wind.

Every time I took this kind of sedan, I would feel dizzy. Even though the bearers were very skilled in carrying the sedan and the sedan was very stable and comfortable, I still felt shaky inside and was so carsick that I almost vomited the Guanghan cake I had just eaten and the buns I had eaten in the morning.

(If you ask me, this dog dad has done too many bad things. He lives in fear every day and has to be followed by a group of people every day. He can obviously walk up the mountain on the path or take a carriage directly up the mountain, but he insisted on changing the sedan chair in the middle, letting a group of people guard it halfway up the mountain, and having a group of sedan bearers carry it up with great effort. Oh! What a sin~)

Finally we reached the top of the mountain, and a circular flowerbed appeared before us. If it weren't for the blank white marble there as a witness, no one would recognize that this was a tomb. The marble stood upright there, and a circle of fences surrounded the cemetery. The cemetery was covered with colorful flowers, and two osmanthus trees stood on both sides like soldiers guarding the cemetery.

Zhi Yian first wiped the dust off the tombstone with a cloth, placed fruits, snacks and a small incense burner in front of the tomb, and then lit a few incense sticks.

I scratched my neck and arms, and the itchiness gradually spread from deep inside my body to every inch of my skin. I lifted up my sleeves and saw itch on my arm.

(This mountain is different. There are mosquitoes even this early.)

"He'er, come and pay respect to your grandfather."

"Oh." Putting down my sleeves and scratching my back and neck, I walked forward, took the incense, lit it, bowed reverently, and knelt down to kowtow.

My father straightened his clothes, and I turned my head to look at him. His face looked dull and depressed, and there was an unspeakable sadness in his eyes.

He knelt on the ground for a long time, burning paper money and whispering something. Even though I was right next to him, I couldn't hear what he was saying. I could only kneel quietly and wait for the memorial service for my father to end.

I am prone to mosquito bites, but I have never been bitten by so many mosquitoes in the past. I feel itchy all over my body. I try my best to resist and divert my attention. I take a deep breath of the fresh mountain air, close my eyes, and hear the chirping of birds. My thoughts gradually drift away...

My mother told me that my father was picked up by my grandfather when he was six years old and brought home. So what impression does my father have of his own father? When was this tomb built? Who is my grandfather? Why did my father never tell me about my grandfather? Why is there no name on the tombstone? Is it because he is afraid that his enemies will find him and dig up the grave to vent their anger?

……