Xu Jilan's eyes drifted closed, her mind consumed by the recurring dream that had been haunting her nights. Though it wasn't a nightmare, she felt irritable, tired of reliving the same scenes over and over. As she pondered the dream's significance, fragments of her childhood memories began to resurface. Until now, she'd had no recollection of her mother's face, but the picture she'd seen had unlocked a floodgate of memories.
Her mother's image, from her gentle features to her elegant figure, materialized in Xu Jilan's mind with startling clarity. And then, her father's face emerged, distinct from the others, with striking Western features. Memories long buried began to resurface, like a dam breaking. Xu Jilan's eyes snapped open as she realized her childhood fever had erased these memories, but the picture had triggered their return.
"My lady, what's wrong?" her maid asked, concern etched on her face, as Xu Jilan shook her head repeatedly.
"Nothing," she replied curtly, her mind still reeling.
As she changed into her riding attire for the scheduled archery match with her third cousin, Xu Qinli, Xu Jilan's thoughts lingered on the memories now flooding her mind. She clutched tightly the locket that held the picture that triggered her memories. She thought of putting on the locket but kept it under her pillow instead.
Just as she finished, a loud shout echoed from outside: "Xu Jilan, Xu Jilan! What's taking you so long?" Xu Qinli's boisterous voice broke the spell, and she hurried out to join him on horseback, a hint of a smile on her face as she prepared for their friendly competition.