Seven days before entering the palace, it rained in Archibald, and I spent a day in the valley listening to the rain. The heavy drops of spring rain seemed like jade bowls falling from the high heavens, clinking sparsely, and at times, it sounded like the wind playing with the grass, moving the soul with its purity.
Yesterday, as I returned home, I saw my sister standing under the tree, anxiously not saying anything, just covering her face and weeping bitterly. Several nobles stepped out from the inner hall upon my return and asked, "Is this the second young lady of the Bach family? How old is she now?" My mother "She has just completed the ritual of cap ke." Six days before entering the palace, I went to the ferry dock before dawn. The white mist had not yet lifted, the fishing lights flickered, the sky and water blended into one, and the river was vast. The sound of bells from Han Son Temple echoed in all directions, the songs of the fishermen, and the calls of the traders at the early market also started to get lively. Mr. Truong, who had sold buns at the dock for many years, approached me with a smile and handed me a bun. I took a bite and asked him, "Are there boats from Athelstan coming today?"