Essence [Volume One] Who Held the Child's Hand

1. Nursery Rhyme
"The orchid fragrance, the bamboo horse sways, the green plums sing childhood games. Colorful orioles circle the white trees, light rain drizzles softly. The swing swings, children laugh…"
Under the poplars in the courtyard, a garden of beautiful orchids was in full bloom. Two tender pink children, surrounded by the fragrance of fluttering butterflies, clapped their hands together innocently.
"Xiuxiu, when I grow up, I will definitely come back to marry you." The boy said seriously, with determination written all over his face.
"Yes, Xiaoqi. I'll wait for you!" The girl smiled quietly, so pure. Like a blooming red orchid, coloring the boy's daydream.

2. Seasons
It was winter again, and snow covered all the houses of this northern city. A light cold wind blew past the windows of the west courtyard, slipping into the boy's sleeves.
The faint chill seeped into his thin frame, as if trying to rouse a little sorrow from his eyes while he admired the scenery.
"Six years have passed since we parted. Are you well now?" he murmured softly, letting the winter snow melt on his fingertips and quietly drip away.
"Tingyue, sister has come to see you." The side door of the west courtyard opened, and a graceful woman appeared. Dressed in a light purple silk dress with a purple lotus as a hair ornament, she wore a gentle smile and moved quietly. Her name was Xiangyu, a woman who had just come to the northern city in winter.

3. Smile
The night was silent, with only a few dark clouds framing a faint crescent moon. The wind began to blow, dripping a strange crimson from the top of the city's tallest temple tower.
It was a black figure, his back hunched, glowing with bright red blood in the dim light. He was called Assassin, a killer.
In the dead of night, he used his lifeless eyes and a pair of daggers to slaughter the family of his employer's enemy. Blood filled the house. In this world of darkness, there is no right or wrong.
"Brother, you're back." At the desk inside, stood a lively young woman. She wore a yellow dress with a long skirt, a kitchen apron around her waist, and a yellow ribbon around her neck, cheerful and straightforward. She was arranging dish after dish of delicious food on the table, beautifully presented and fragrant.
The woman skipped over to the boy, beaming proudly and said, "Well, brother, am I impressive?"
"Yes! Our Yezi is amazing." He patted her head and bent down slightly, speaking softly, "Though the dishes were ordered from the nearby Fulian Restaurant…" Saying this, he saw the anger in her eyes and couldn't help but smile faintly.||\4. Fragrance of Flowers\He came riding a horse, trampling through a path of fragrant grass, heading toward the mountain trail on the slope. In the distance stood a green stone city, flanked by two lines of spring willows. In the enchanting glow of the morning light, it was tinged with peach pink.\Suddenly, he caught a whiff of fragrance. Looking up, he saw a young woman picking flowers under the willow shade by the riverbank.\“Miss, may I ask the way to Lancheng?” He had come for an appointment but had lost his way in the morning fog. As he approached, he saw a woman in her prime. Her dress was pale pink, her hair dark and thick, and she held a few white orchids in her hands.\Hearing his question, the woman turned her eyes toward him. Amid the scene of blooming flowers, she curved her eyebrows like willows and gave him a bright smile. Her pink sleeves rose slightly, pointing toward the distant green city. The beauty was like dawn, the fragrance of the flowers like a dream.\The horse's hooves stepped on the green grass, yet he looked back and asked from afar: “My surname is Yang, may I ask your name, Miss?”\“Yuan!” Then a clear, crisp female voice rang gently from deep within the floral scent…