Chapter 15: The Son Grows Up
Xu Mengjiao was now twenty years old. He had spent his life studying the classics and preparing for the imperial examinations. He was known throughout Hangzhou for his intelligence and his humble nature. Despite his success, he always felt that a piece of his life was missing. He had been told that his mother died shortly after his birth, but he often felt her presence in his dreams.
"Aunt," he asked Xu Xian's sister one day. "Tell me more about my mother. What was she like?"
His aunt sighed, her eyes filled with a mixture of love and regret. "She was the most beautiful woman I ever saw, Mengjiao. She had a spirit that was... not of this world. She loved you and your father more than anything."
"And my father?" Mengjiao continued. "Why did he leave to become a monk?"
"He was broken by her loss," she replied. "He sought peace in the only way he knew how. But he always hoped that you would achieve great things."
Mengjiao nodded, a new determination in his heart. "I will work harder than ever. I will win the top honors in the imperial exams and bring glory to our family. Perhaps then, the questions in my heart will be answered."
He spent his days and nights in study, his mind focused on his goal. He became the pride of his teachers and the envy of his peers. But even as he achieved success, he continued to visit the Leifeng Pagoda. He felt a deep sense of peace there, as if he were being watched over by a loving presence. He didn't know that his mother was listening to his every word, her heart swelling with pride at the man he had become. The bond between mother and son remained unbroken, even by the thick stones of the pagoda. The time for the truth to be revealed was drawing near, and Mengjiao's journey was about to take a dramatic turn.