ATLAS TRANSLATES

Ji Heng was heading to South Ling Mountain.

South Ling Mountain wasn’t a cemetery, but rather an upcoming tourist spot in Xiangcheng with several notable tombs nearby. Located at Xiangcheng’s southernmost point, it was part of a continuous mountain range with rough roads. Half of these roads were being widened for tourism, and South Ling Park was still awaiting its opening.

Ming Dongheng drove slowly to the edge of South Ling Mountain, where Ji Heng asked him to stop. Bai Lian followed Ji Heng out of the car carrying offerings. The tourist spot wasn’t due to open until summer break. At the entrance, they saw four directional signs pointing to “South Ling Park,” “South Ling Mountain,” “Guo Mountain Tomb,” and “Red Leaf Hotel.” The signs looked new, likely installed recently.

Ming Dongheng, sitting in the driver’s seat, watched as Bai Lian and Ji Heng walked along one of the paths. He couldn’t help but take out his phone.

Ming Dongheng: [Why is Miss Bai at a tourist spot on Qingming Festival?] Ming Dongheng: [Is she paying respects at Guo Mountain Tomb or the General’s Tomb?] Xu Nanjing: [Remember to come pay respects later] Xu Nanjing was at the Martyrs’ Cemetery.

At South Ling Mountain, Ji Heng didn’t take Bai Lian to the tourist spots but led her down increasingly remote paths. Though the mountain path was difficult to traverse, Bai Lian walked as if on flat ground. Ji Heng’s breathing remained steady as they walked for about fifteen minutes.

Finally, Bai Lian saw three tombstones. Ji Heng stopped at the last one – the only one with an actual grave, while the other two were cenotaphs. This burial area was clean without a trace of weeds, clearly regularly maintained.

“I’ve brought Ah Lian to see you,” Ji Heng crouched down, wiping almost invisible dust from the tombstone with his finger. “You probably haven’t met her.”

He turned to look at Bai Lian, his deeply lined face showing a gentleness she had never seen before. “Come let her see you.”

Bai Lian stepped forward and saw the inscription on the tombstone – Ji Wanxin’s Tomb.

Wanxin, Ji Wanxin – was this her grandmother? Bai Lian set down the chrysanthemums and respectfully paid her respects. What a gentle name.

Ji Heng didn’t say much. He crouched before the tomb and burned a handkerchief embroidered with lilac flowers. After it was completely burned, he took out wine and three cups from the basket, setting them up before the other two tombstones. He filled them with wine and poured one for himself.

“You can call them grandfather,” he said quietly to Bai Lian as he sat casually to one side, drinking with the two tombstones.

Twenty minutes later, Ji Heng left the wine bottle and cups, standing up. “Let’s go, don’t keep Little Ming waiting anxiously.”

Bai Lian followed him down the mountain, but turned back while descending the steps. Mist still hung in the mountains, with wind gently sweeping through and sunlight turning the treetops and tombstones golden.

Seeing her keep looking back, Ji Heng raised an eyebrow. “Have you ever seen photos of your grandmother?”

Bai Lian shook her head.

“I see,” Ji Heng, perhaps affected by the wine, seemed less clear in his thoughts but talked more with Bai Lian. “I’ll find them to show you when we get back. I have many.”

On the road, hearing Ming Dongheng was heading to the Martyrs’ Cemetery, Ji Heng sat up straight and asked Ming Dongheng to take them along.

The Martyrs’ Cemetery was somewhat remote but on their route. There were many people at the entrance today, with the tall martyrs’ monument visible from afar. Several young people at the entrance were giving out free chrysanthemums.

Standing at the entrance under the monument, Bai Lian heard a familiar cough. She instinctively looked up and saw Ning Xiao supporting Grandmother Wang ahead.

Grandmother Wang still wore the oversized camouflage jacket from their first meeting, looking somewhat better today. Ning Xiao silently supported her. Neither noticed Bai Lian.

Bai Lian didn’t call out to them, but remembered the three memorial photos she’d seen on her first visit to Grandmother Wang’s home.

Ahead, Grandmother Wang paused, coughing twice with her hand at her mouth. Seeing a crowd gathered in the second row, she considered, “Let’s see your brother and father first, they’re in the back. There are too many people at your grandfather’s grave, we’ll skip that for now.”

Strictly speaking, Ning Xiao wasn’t Grandmother Wang’s actual grandson. He was Ning Yinuo’s half-brother from the same mother. After giving birth to him, his mother discovered his disabilities – he couldn’t cry or smile – and sent him to Grandmother Wang in Xiangcheng.

Many people had come to pay respects today, but the back area was nearly empty. The two stopped before a tombstone. Ning Xiao crouched down and placed a large bunch of sunflowers before the photo of the brightly smiling Ning Yinuo.

He looked like his brother, though their personalities were vastly different. Grandmother Wang always worried about him.

Most people brought chrysanthemums for the memorial, and they had prepared chrysanthemums for the other ancestors in the cemetery. Only Ning Yinuo received sunflowers.

Ning Xiao touched the jade gourd pendant on his neck.

In the afternoon, Bai Lian sat at her desk as sunlight slanted through the window. To her right was a stack of books, with a piece of paper under the inkstone containing several lines of simplified musical notation.

The room door was open when Ji Heng came in from the courtyard carrying an old black wooden box with a small lock.

“Take a look inside,” Ji Heng saw she wasn’t doing homework and placed the box before her, handing her the small key. “These are all photos of your grandmother.”

Bai Lian took the key and inserted it into the lock.

Ji Heng stood beside her, looking down at the small wooden box in her hands.

The first thing she saw was an old black and white photograph of a woman in a qipao, elegant and dignified, with classical Eastern beauty in her features.

Beyond this photo were many others. Almost all were qipao photos, along with some thin paper clippings seemingly cut from books and newspapers.

They had been well preserved.

Ji Heng smelled of tobacco as his gaze fell on the photos, his clouded eyes showing little emotion.

Bai Lian gently flipped through the old photos, carefully handling the newspaper clippings by their edges.

After the old photos, Bai Lian found two small medals underneath.

The medals looked aged, with a letter in the middle and two small leaves on the sides.

She had never seen medals like these before.

“Just look at these yourself, don’t take them out,” Ji Heng casually mentioned as he watched her handle the medals. Then he turned his gaze away, looking through Bai Lian’s window at the embroidery frame in the courtyard. Suddenly he said, “I didn’t expect that among your uncle and mother and all those people, none were interested in academics. But you are – do you want to return to the Mu family?”

Mu family?

Bai Lian looked up, hearing this introduction for the first time. “Mu family?”

“My birth parents’ family, though I didn’t grow up there,” Ji Heng said casually. “The Mu family… they do research, used to be very influential, but they’re not doing so well now…”

Ji Heng frowned and stopped.

Though a lean camel is still bigger than a horse, the Mu family was indeed declining.

“Oh,” Bai Lian carefully placed the medals and photos back in the box. “No need.”

She would apply for Professor Ma’s laboratory.

Ji Heng glanced at Bai Lian but didn’t press further: “Let me know if you change your mind later.”

At five in the afternoon, Bai Lian packed up her books and took out her phone as she left.

She was going to Jiang Fuli’s place to print new materials.

Jiang Fuli hadn’t returned yet, but the courtyard was lively.

When Bai Lian arrived, Xu Nanjing was sitting in the pavilion talking with Xiao Binwen. “You say she has no news either?”

“Shuhe is still communicating with people,” Xiao Binwen put down his teacup, shaking his head. “You know what kind of place White Tiger Auction House is. Didn’t Director Chen say their invitation was bought from the black market?”

Indeed, that was Black Water Street’s foreign forces. Even with the Xu family’s vast influence, they had to be careful in Black Water Street.

As Xu Nanjing pondered this, he saw Bai Lian enter and stopped talking, waving to her. “Sister Bai Lian.”

Beside Xu Nanjing, Xiao Binwen hurriedly stood up, somewhat nervously. “Miss Bai.”

Bai Lian lazily raised her hand in greeting but didn’t approach to interrupt their conversation.

Instead, she went straight upstairs to print materials.

Ming Dongheng was practicing boxing in the empty space nearby. Seeing Bai Lian, he stopped and walked over. “Miss Bai, why didn’t you call me when you came?”

He seemed somewhat frustrated.

“I know the way.” Bai Lian looked down, lazily finding the files Professor Ma had sent her on her phone.

Seeing Bai Lian go upstairs, Ming Dongheng didn’t follow.

He went to make tea for Bai Lian and brought it outside, placing it on the pavilion table before sitting on a nearby stool and opening his phone.

As soon as he opened the video, he saw a promoted video of a blogger reading in an exaggerated voice:

[A certain martial arts gym in Xiangcheng has been popular lately. Today let’s examine this gym’s credentials. First, about the gym’s master – he’s only a fifth-dan in martial arts. Yes, as a gym master, he’s only fifth-dan…]

Since Lu Xiaohan’s time, many people had signed up at Yingyi Martial Arts Gym. Now with short videos being popular, Yingyi had an official account, and many people found the gym through Lu Xiaohan’s videos.

Since “Come On, Friend” aired a week ago, Yingyi had become extremely popular.

Everything has pros and cons, and problems arose – netizens questioned Yingyi’s authority.

Ming Dongheng frowned watching this video.

“Why do you keep replaying this video?” Xu Nanjing looked over at Ming Dongheng.

“I invested in this gym.” Ming Dongheng typed in the comments, seriously explaining that Yingyi’s master was an experienced teacher who simply hadn’t taken the ranking tests before.

As soon as he posted, a flood of trolls attacked him.

Xu Nanjing sat with his legs crossed. Having heard this several times, this kind of business warfare was nothing to him: “It’s simple, just find a master to put on your gym’s teaching roster.”

Beside him, Xiao Binwen also explained, “Mr. Ming, why don’t you ask Miss Bei Xun? Doesn’t the Chen family have people from East Martial Arts? Their martial arts level should be high, or you could invite your teacher.”

Ming Dongheng glanced at him without speaking. Those two made it sound so simple.

Xiao Binwen meant Yu Hongyi, but Ming Dongheng frowned, not planning to invite her.

As for his teacher…

Ming Dongheng had even less chance – his teacher wasn’t responding to him at all now.

However…

Ming Dongheng looked ahead.

Soon after, Bai Lian came down from upstairs.

Jiang Fuli wasn’t here today, and Jiang He hadn’t returned either, so Bai Lian didn’t plan to stay long.

“Sister Bai Lian,” Xu Nanjing pointed at the teapot on the table, smiling: “Little Ming made this tea especially for you, won’t you have a cup first?”

Bai Lian stopped. She wore a linen-colored top and black pants. As the sun was about to set, golden light fell on her hair tips and clothes.

She looked toward the pavilion, thought briefly, then walked over.

Ming Dongheng hurriedly poured her a cup of tea.

Bai Lian sat beside him, holding a stack of papers – freshly printed documents that were still warm.

She casually rested her wrist on the table, taking the tea Ming Dongheng offered with her other hand.

Xiao Binwen looked at the thick roll of papers in Bai Lian’s hand. He couldn’t make out what they were, but could faintly see lines and numbers through the paper. “What’s this?”

He remembered Bai Lian hadn’t been carrying anything when she arrived.

“Printed materials,” Bai Lian replied lazily.

“You came all this way just to print materials?” Xu Nanjing sat on the other side, looking at the papers in Bai Lian’s hand.

Bai Lian lowered her eyes to drink tea, saying casually: “Yes, it’s safe here.”

“Pfft, where in Xiangcheng isn’t safe?” Xu Nanjing laughed, while Xiao Binwen also seemed to fall silent.

Bai Lian gave a lazy smile.

The documents she was reading were sent by Professor Ma, mostly experimental data. Professor Ma trusted her greatly, and some of the materials were confidential, so she usually printed them at Jiang Fuli’s place.

Outside print shops required copying files to their computers before printing, which wasn’t secure.

After finishing her tea, Bai Lian took the documents and stood up to say goodbye.

Ming Dongheng stood up before Xu Nanjing could, his keys already prepared: “Miss Bai, let me take you back.”

“Never mind,” Bai Lian was about to decline, but seeing Ming Dongheng’s hesitation, she considered: “You can take me to the bus stop.”

Behind them, Xu Nanjing was somewhat exasperated – Little Ming moved so fast.

In the car, Ming Dongheng watched the bus stop approaching, his stern face showing signs of wanting to speak.

In the back seat, Bai Lian flipped through the documents without looking up: “Say it.”

Ming Dongheng slowed the car to a stop, this time not hesitating, asking directly, “Miss Bai, what dan level are you in martial arts?”