In the twenty-seventh year of Jian'an, catkins fluttered through the streets of Chang'an in late spring. Xie Yuan crouched on the bluestone pavement, carefully using a bamboo slat to lift a fallen fledgling. Fourteen-year-old Xia Mengyun squatted beside him, her embroidered handkerchief clutched in her hand. The golden sparrow hairpin in her hair swayed gently with her movements, casting shimmering glints of gold in the sunlight.
"A-Yuan, what should we do if it's hurt?" Her voice was like melted snow in spring, carrying the unique sweetness of a young girl.
Xie Yuan looked up at her. The hem of the girl's skirt was stained with blades of grass, and tucked in her hair was the wild rose he had given her yesterday. He suddenly remembered something he had heard at the bookstore the day before—"Golden sparrow hairpin, threads of silver, from now on a heart indifferent to peaceful nights." Reaching out, he brushed a catkin from her shoulder. "It's fine. I'll build it a nest, and once its wounds heal, we'll release it back to the mountains and forests."
Chapter 47