第七十四回 三戒异时微言寓深意 百花同寿断句写哀思 (Chapter 74: The Three Precepts in Different Times-Subtle Words Imply Profound Meaning; A Hundred Flowers Share Longevity-Broken Lines Inscribe Grief)

Since moving out of Jin Family, Leng Qingqiu had lived with her mother, leading a reclusive life. Each day, she spent her time in the study, reading, writing, and composing poetry to pass the days.

On this day, which happened to be her birthday, her mother cooked her a bowl of longevity noodles. She looked at the noodles but had no appetite, merely taking a few bites listlessly.

After the meal, she sat alone by the window. Seeing the hundred flowers blooming in the courtyard, she recalled the ancient saying 'a hundred flowers share longevity.' Moved by this thought, she picked up her brush and wrote a quatrain.

The poem read: "In spring, when a hundred flowers vie in splendor, who knows that by autumn they will wither and fade? Do not say life is as beautiful as flowers. Know that when flowers fall, it is a parting."

After writing it, she put away the poetry manuscript. Her heart was filled with desolation. The former prosperity was now only broken lines of grief, with deep meaning conveyed in subtle words.

She thought of Jin Yanxi's past kindness to her, and then of his later indifference. Her heart felt as if cut by a knife. But upon second thought, perhaps all this was predestined.

While she was lost in thought, her mother came in. Seeing her gloomy expression, her mother offered a few words of comfort. Leng Qingqiu forced a smile and exchanged some idle chatter with her.

In the evening, alone under the solitary lamp, she took out the poem she had written during the day and read it again. Unconsciously, tears fell like rain, soaking through the paper.

Reflecting on her life, she realized that she had first been dazzled by the prosperity of Jin Family, then entangled in love. Now she had come to such an end, all because she failed to see through illusions and uphold the precepts strictly.

The so-called "three precepts" were to abstain from ostentation, from infatuation, and from weakness. It was a pity she understood this too late. Now, she could only entrust her endless grief to the broken lines in her poetry.

Outside the window, the hundred flowers still bloomed brilliantly under the moonlight. But her heart had withered like autumn leaves, with no one to care for it anymore.