Chapter 19 — The Illusion of Spring Peaches

Tulu let out a low, agonizing growl, its eyes flashing with murderous intent as it violently spun around and tore the remaining remnants of the old master Gu into shreds. Madam Gu, who had been lying on the ground motionless, suddenly sprang up and lunged straight at Tulu. Her fingernails, long and as sharp as daggers, pierced straight through the top of its head in the blink of an eye. Tulu shrieked in pain, whipped around, and slashed its razor-sharp claws across Madam Gu’s throat in a single, fatal swipe. I rushed forward to cradle it; its tiny body trembled violently, and right there in my arms, it slowly shrank back down until it resumed the form of a small kitten. Mother... Its round, emerald-green eyes widened, shimmering with tears, as if it had so much left to tell me. Suddenly, the surrounding scenery dissolved into nothingness—all color drained away as though someone were tearing apart a canvas. Before my eyes, a fragment of memory unfolded: A young woman, dressed in a gown identical to mine, sat by the courtyard garden within the estate, feeding a black cat. She smiled gently, her hand stroking the little feline. Tulu, eat a bit more. You need to eat well to grow big and strong. The black cat raised its head, gently rubbing its cheek against her palm, its eyes brimming with absolute trust and affection.

The scene shifted once more. This time, Chun Dao—that very same woman—carried a bundled pack over her shoulder while clutching Tulu tightly to her chest, hurrying closely behind Gu Nansheng, who was dressed in a Western suit. The three of them bolted desperately toward the back gate of the Gu estate. Right behind them, a mob of ferocious servants led by the old master Gu was in hot pursuit. When one of the servants lunged and grabbed Chun Dao’s luggage, Tulu leaped out from her arms, hurtling straight at his face with its claws scratching wildly. The servant howled in agony, flailed his arms, and grabbed Tulu, hurling it violently down onto the hard ground. Thud! The brutal impact instantly rendered the little creature motionless. Tulu! Chun Dao screamed in a heartbroken, soul-shattering cry, but she was ultimately dragged away by Gu Nansheng, and the two managed to escape the Gu estate. The image vanished instantly, leaving behind an ominous, heavy void. When Tulu finally regained consciousness, it was no longer a living cat, but a tiny, lost ghost. It remained trapped within the manor, forbidden to step beyond the gardens, condemned to wander year after year, searching endlessly for Chun Dao. Until one day, it quietly looked upon the old master Gu and Madam Gu—who had themselves transformed into vengeful spirits—and asked in a hoarse, broken voice, Mother, where are you? Did you... truly leave me behind?

A piercingly cold wind swept through, snapping me violently out of that flood of memories and bringing me face-to-face with Tulu’s emerald-green eyes. It stared straight at me, its voice choked with emotion. Everything... I remember it all now. You... you are not my mother. And yet... you never truly abandoned me. Ah... A soft, faint sigh suddenly echoed from behind me. I startled and whipped my head around. Ah Li?! My calico cat suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Ah Li! You finally made it here! But Ah Li did not answer me; it walked forward with slow, deliberate steps, its head held high, until it stood directly before Tulu. It gently placed one paw upon Tulu’s forehead. At that very moment, Tulu’s body dissolved into a stream of shimmering golden light, slowly fading away into the endless ether. Ah Li turned around once more, letting out a gentle breath toward the lingering spirits of the old master Gu and Madam Gu. Instantly, those two ferocious apparitions also transformed into trails of light, melting away silently into the deepening shadows.

This damned barrier... Ah Li twitched its ears with an expression of intense annoyance. It was such a pain to break through; it took me ages just to get in here. Afterward, it proudly lifted its chin, casting a cold, amber-eyed glance in my direction. Let us go. I am taking you back. A surge of radiant light emanated from Ah Li, completely enveloping me. In the blink of an eye, the scenery transformed drastically. I regained my senses in the quiet hallway of the homestay. Standing right beside me were Li Shao and Zhang Mingming, frozen in place with expressions of profound relief and anxiety. Dazed, I looked at them and asked, How long... how long was I gone? Li Shao stared at me, his face mirroring a mixture of sheer terror and overflowing joy. He pulled me into a tight embrace, his voice trembling. You... you actually came back! Thank goodness... I honestly thought... I patted his shoulder reassuringly for a moment, and the three of us headed upstairs to the second-floor tea room. There, I recounted every single detail of the surreal ordeal I had just experienced inside the painting. Upon hearing my tale, Zhang Mingming turned completely pale, his brow furrowing into a tight knot. He told Li Shao and me to wait patiently before hurrying out of the room. Just a few minutes later, Zhang Mingming returned carrying a large cardboard box. He carefully opened it and extracted an old, weathered photo album with a leather cover faded by the passage of time. This... just might answer every single question you have. He flipped open the very first page. The initial photograph revealed a young woman wearing the exact same gown I had recently worn within the painting, her face bearing a gentle, elegant smile. I stood frozen in utter disbelief: It was Chun Dao. The very woman I had just witnessed within Tulu’s memories! The person in this photograph, Zhang Mingming took a deep breath and murmured quietly, is Chun Dao—my maternal great-grandmother.

Zhang Mingming began to narrate the tale: Chun Dao was born into an impoverished peasant family. At the tender age of sixteen, she was sold by her own biological father to become a concubine within the Gu household. Inside those oppressive walls, she suffered physical abuse by day at the hands of Madam Gu and endured psychological and physical torment by night from the old master Gu. Day after day, her existence was worse than death. Until one fateful day... Gu Nansheng, the eldest son of the Gu family, returned from Shanghai and crossed paths with Chun Dao for the very first time. Witnessing firsthand the humiliating suffering she was forced to endure, a deep sense of compassion stirred within his heart. And so... Gu Nansheng helped Chun Dao escape from the clutches of the Gu family. Zhang Mingming’s voice lowered slightly at this point, his gaze carrying a profound sense of reverence. But Gu Nansheng was far more than just the eldest young master of the Gu family. He paused, locking eyes with both Li Shao and me before continuing, He held another identity altogether—he was a devoted member of the revolutionary Tongmenghui, one of the primary figures hunted relentlessly by the ruling Manchu Qing court. Gu Nansheng brought Chun Dao to a girls' school situated within the Shanghai foreign concessions, initially hoping only that she could learn to read and write so she might secure an independent future for herself. Yet... after spending time studying, Chun Dao sought out Gu Nansheng of her own accord, declaring that she did not merely want to learn characters; she wished to fight alongside him for the revolution.

From that moment onward, Zhang Mingming gently turned to the second page, the two of them walked through countless brushes with life and death, step by step dismantling the very foundations of the decaying Qing dynasty.