Cui Yanshu hurried fast and slow, traveled all night, braved the rain to return, and upon entering the General Military Residence, he heard that Ling Hua was in the study and immediately hastened there. From a distance, he saw someone standing on the stone path leading to the rear courtyard and after a glance and then another, he recognized it was Ling Hua.
He quickly walked toward Ling Hua, thinking to himself, how had the Helmsman become so thin in just a few months, as if a gust of wind could blow her away?
His steps were urgent, and as he approached, he made a series of "pitter-patter" sounds on the water, aware that his motions were loud, yet Ling Hua did not turn her head. She stood there holding her umbrella, either lost in thought or deep in contemplation, her entire figure shrouded beneath the umbrella, her profile even paler than the cold rain.
Cui Yanshu paused, took a breath, and after a moment, finally spoke, "Helmsman."
Ling Hua slowly turned her head.
