Jinxia once again ran to the Xie family, but Xie’s father and son hadn’t returned home yet. The servant remembered that today was the anniversary of Mrs. Xie’s death, they were very likely gone to the temple, and possibly would stay overnight. At first, she wanted to go to the clinic to seek food from YangYue, but the disappearance of Ms. Zhai weighed like a stone on her heart, and her whereabouts were unknown, how could she bear to tell YangYue about this?
After entering the clinic, before she reached the back room, YangYue appeared and stopped her from entering, in his hand was a tray filled with tea and snacks.
“Master Xia, don’t go in. Lu Daren is inside.”
Jinxia was taken aback, “Why is he here?”
YangYue shook his head, “I don’t know, maybe to visit my father, checking his recovery status.”
Jinxia had always felt that Lu Yi was not someone ‘who does nothing but visit the three treasures hall’*, especially when it was already dark, how could he be walking around without a reason?
“Did you hear what they were talking about?”
*[Indicating he wouldn’t be someone who would do something without a reason, TN]
“Just a few greetings. Father also asked whether you bothered him, but he answered with politeness.”
“What do you mean by politeness?” Jinxia was confused.
“Yes, your kung fu is a little bad, your working style is a bit reckless, but you’re still young so you’re allowed to make mistakes.”
“This, this is called politeness? This is clearly him coming here to snitch.” Jinxia was surprised.
“His tone was good, and it didn’t sound like a complaint, besides… Master Xia, Sha Xiuzhu was kidnapped under your watch. He said those words in order to save your face.” YangYue comforted her.
Jinxia took a piece of the snack and stuffed it in her mouth, chewing while complaining, “Let’s just say he saved my face, but when Master heard it, he must have been uncomfortable, he might even give me another lecture, I will not go inside. Today is an unlucky day… Da Yang, cook me a bowl of noodles.”
“Okay, wait for me to bring the tea and snacks inside.”
“Can you add an egg?” Jinxia pitifully looked at him.
“Yes, yes, yes.”
YangYue brought the tea and snacks into the room, then he returned to the kitchen and immediately made a bowl of egg noodles for Jinxia. The noodle dough was already made in the kitchen, therefore the cooking process was fast, but Jinxia ate it even faster. In just a short time, the noodles were finished, and the bowl was completely clean.
“You haven’t been eating properly these days, have you?” YangYue stood up to clean the bowl and the chopsticks while shaking his head.
Jinxia leaned against the door frame and saw him fetching the water to clean the items. She quietly thought, ‘I shouldn’t say anything about Ms. Zhai’s matter for the time being, to avoid turning him into a completely lost person. Let’s wait until there are newer clues, then it won’t be too late to tell him.’
“I’m leaving, don’t tell Master I was here.”
She walked out of the clinic and stood on the street, raising her head and looking at the moon shining bright in the sky. It lit up the roof of the house until it was shiny white, living up to its ‘sparkling moon’ name.
Behind her she heard the sound of footsteps, it seemed someone was leaving the clinic. She didn’t bother to turn around and was about to take a step, when a voice spoke the words, “A moonlight like this, wouldn’t it be a pity to waste it?”
That voice, as well as the sentence he spoke, sounded familiar, making her recall a similar situation
Jinxia turned around, seeing that Lu Yi was looking at her. There was no emotion in his eyes, but there was a smile on his face.
“Beizhe greets Jingli Daren.” She greeted him politely, “Daren, do you have an order?” At the same time, she was hoping he wouldn’t ask her to go investigate a case… Today was not her lucky day, she should’ve stayed at the post station.”
He squinted his eyes, looked at the moon again, and then said, “If you go to the lake to admire the moon, there will be a change in your mood. How about you accompany me out of town to walk around for a while?”
“This… Beizhe doesn’t want to ruin Daren’s fun…” Jinxia had to say this, “If it’s regarding a case investigation, Beizhe will not refuse, but if it’s for enjoying the moon… Today is my unlucky day, nothing has gone smoothly so far. I say, it’s fine that I’m unlucky, but if I involved Daren… It would be a serious matter.”
“Aren’t you blessed by a golden armor given by the deities? So, what are you afraid of?” Lu Yi said casually.
“……” Jinxia was unable to reply to his words. She tried to dodge, “But I still have to go to the Xie family’s house.”
“It just so happens, I want to pay a visit to Old Man Xie.”
Lu Yi raised his hand and motioned her to lead the way.
“…” After taking a few steps, Jinxia turned her head and sincerely said to Lu Yi, “Daren, I’ve thought about it carefully, let’s not go to the Xie family, it’s better to accompany Daren to enjoy the moon.”
“That’s great.” Lu Yi nodded in agreement.
Although the city gate was closed at night time, it was not difficult for the two of them to leave the city using their badges. After passing the gate, Lu Yi’s footsteps were getting faster and faster. At first Jinxia was able to keep up with him, but over time she gradually felt tired.
That was where the moon could be enjoyed, it was more tiring than catching a criminal… Jinxia sighed in her heart, her eyes glaring at the man that she couldn’t catch up with.
However, the lightness of the body was indeed very good, especially in a night like that one.
*[He could be fast paced walking, flying or jumping, and his steps were very light when he moved, TN]
On the surface of the water began to rise a layer of fog, the moonlight that had been bright mixed with the mist, making things blurry. The image of a person in a bamboo green outfit flashed through the fog. Jinxia’s thoughts were wandering… ‘In the books, it’s written that a god standing on a cloud and walking past it might look like that.’
A bird suddenly flew past her, making her jump in surprise. The bird joined with his partner and they both flew into the darkness of the night. Once she regained her senses, as far as the eye could see, Lu Yi’s shadow had disappeared.
“Lu Daren! Lu Daren…”
She called out for him several times, but there was only silence. She sighed, and continued walking along the path ahead of her.
Further ahead was a large river bank, she tried to look as far as possible, and the only thing she could spot was an abandoned old boat.
Jinxia jumped on the boat, she sat down while feeling bored. The moonlight was shining on the surface of the river. In the distance, a ship was anchored, on which a dimly visible lantern had been lit. Those who could board a ship like that were not only officials but also wealthy merchants, who were currently enjoying music and dances on board right now.
The tall grass not too far from her started to move, the top of it shook a few times, but there was no wind at the moment and she became alerted. Lightly jumping off the boat, her eyes stared at the movement, while her feet slowly approached the grass.
“Quack…” Several wild ducks were coming out from the grass. A small duck rushed out of its hiding place, its wings almost scratched Jinxia’s neck.
It turned out to be ducks. Jinxia let out a sigh of relief. She was about to turn around, when her right hand was held by someone all of a sudden and, before she had the time to react, the person pulled her into the grass.
“You… Daren?”
The tip of the grass hit her eyes, nose and ears and she was having some difficulty recognizing the person in front of her… It turned out to be Lu Yi.
“Shhh…”
Lu Yi looked at her while using his finger to signal her to stay quiet. His hand didn’t let go of Jinxia’s, and they continued to walk deep down the path.
After walking for about ten steps, he stopped, pushed aside the thick grass in front of him, and gestured to Jinxia to watch out: there was a broken wooden basin in front of him, it was not sure who abandoned it there though. Inside it there were a lot of branches, along with a duck! It seemed that they had made their own little nest using trees, roots and grass. Inside the basin, there were four little ducks, they could see the tiny hairs on their bodies, their necks crossed, while they were in a profound sleep.
A little duck opened its beak while sleeping, yawned, and then put its head next to another little one, falling back asleep sweetly. The moonlight was bright and peaceful.
Jinxia couldn’t help but sigh softly. Then she saw Lu Yi try to stretch out his hand to pet one little duck. She was quick to grab his hand and stop him.
“You can’t touch it. If you touch it, the smell of humans will be on the little duckling and their parents might not want it anymore.” She whispered to him in a serious tone.
Lu Yi glanced down at the hand she was holding, there was playfulness in his eye, “I’ll just stroke it a little.”
“No, you can’t!”
She held his hand tight while shaking her head.
“Just once?” He deliberately said.
“Not even once!”
She heard somewhere the sound of a panicked duckling heading their way. It could be a mother duck who was concerned about her children. She didn’t dare to approach them further, and dragged Lu Yi back out onto the path they were on before.
After arriving back at the river bank, she just realized that Lu Yi’s sleeve had already been pulled by her until it was out of shape. She let go of his hand right away while apologizing, “Just a moment of panic, Daren, please forgive me.”
Lu Yi smoothed out his sleeve casually, glanced at her and didn’t say anything. He turned around and jumped onto the abandoned boat, sitting down on the spot where Jinxia had been sitting before.
“Have you seen the ship?” He pointed toward the ship that Jinxia had seen earlier.
Jinxia stood beside the boat, nodding her head, “Yes.”
“Do you know who is on that ship?”
“I do not know…” Just as Jinxia finished speaking, she suddenly understood, “Is that young master from the Capital?”
Lu Yi chuckled, “Do you know why he came to Yangzhou?”
“Because of the Zhou Xian case… No, the person is dead, why would he come now? It’s because of Ms. Zhai… No, based on Ms. Zhai’s story, it doesn’t seem like he cared about her at all.” Jinxia didn’t understand, “He came because of the river repairment funds?”
Lu Yi shook his head, “You guys came here because of the river repairment funds, but he didn’t. He is here to have fun.”
“Have fun?” Jinxia was confused, “Have fun by enjoying the local culture of Yangzhou?”
“No, having fun stepping on people under his feet.”
Lu Yi said it, uttering word by word, while his eyes were staring coldly towards the ship.
Not knowing why, Jinxia felt a cold wind. After a moment of silence, she asked, “Who is he going to step on under his feet?”
After a very, very long time, Lu Yi had yet to reply and Jinxia felt like she had asked a stupid question. She didn’t expect him to answer anymore, then she heard Lu Yi’s clear voice.
“Me.”
Jinxia once again ran to the Xie family, but Xie’s father and son hadn’t returned home yet. The servant remembered that today was the anniversary of Mrs. Xie’s death, they were very likely gone to the temple, and possibly would stay overnight. At first, she wanted to go to the clinic to seek food from YangYue, but the disappearance of Ms. Zhai weighed like a stone on her heart, and her whereabouts were unknown, how could she bear to tell YangYue about this?
After entering the clinic, before she reached the back room, YangYue appeared and stopped her from entering, in his hand was a tray filled with tea and snacks.
“Master Xia, don’t go in. Lu Daren is inside.”
Jinxia was taken aback, “Why is he here?”
YangYue shook his head, “I don’t know, maybe to visit my father, checking his recovery status.”
Jinxia had always felt that Lu Yi was not someone ‘who does nothing but visit the three treasures hall’*, especially when it was already dark, how could he be walking around without a reason?
“Did you hear what they were talking about?”
*[Indicating he wouldn’t be someone who would do something without a reason, TN]
“Just a few greetings. Father also asked whether you bothered him, but he answered with politeness.”
“What do you mean by politeness?” Jinxia was confused.
“Yes, your kung fu is a little bad, your working style is a bit reckless, but you’re still young so you’re allowed to make mistakes.”
“This, this is called politeness? This is clearly him coming here to snitch.” Jinxia was surprised.
“His tone was good, and it didn’t sound like a complaint, besides… Master Xia, Sha Xiuzhu was kidnapped under your watch. He said those words in order to save your face.” YangYue comforted her.
Jinxia took a piece of the snack and stuffed it in her mouth, chewing while complaining, “Let’s just say he saved my face, but when Master heard it, he must have been uncomfortable, he might even give me another lecture, I will not go inside. Today is an unlucky day… Da Yang, cook me a bowl of noodles.”
“Okay, wait for me to bring the tea and snacks inside.”
“Can you add an egg?” Jinxia pitifully looked at him.
“Yes, yes, yes.”
YangYue brought the tea and snacks into the room, then he returned to the kitchen and immediately made a bowl of egg noodles for Jinxia. The noodle dough was already made in the kitchen, therefore the cooking process was fast, but Jinxia ate it even faster. In just a short time, the noodles were finished, and the bowl was completely clean.
“You haven’t been eating properly these days, have you?” YangYue stood up to clean the bowl and the chopsticks while shaking his head.
Jinxia leaned against the door frame and saw him fetching the water to clean the items. She quietly thought, ‘I shouldn’t say anything about Ms. Zhai’s matter for the time being, to avoid turning him into a completely lost person. Let’s wait until there are newer clues, then it won’t be too late to tell him.’
“I’m leaving, don’t tell Master I was here.”
She walked out of the clinic and stood on the street, raising her head and looking at the moon shining bright in the sky. It lit up the roof of the house until it was shiny white, living up to its ‘sparkling moon’ name.
Behind her she heard the sound of footsteps, it seemed someone was leaving the clinic. She didn’t bother to turn around and was about to take a step, when a voice spoke the words, “A moonlight like this, wouldn’t it be a pity to waste it?”
That voice, as well as the sentence he spoke, sounded familiar, making her recall a similar situation
Jinxia turned around, seeing that Lu Yi was looking at her. There was no emotion in his eyes, but there was a smile on his face.
“Beizhe greets Jingli Daren.” She greeted him politely, “Daren, do you have an order?” At the same time, she was hoping he wouldn’t ask her to go investigate a case… Today was not her lucky day, she should’ve stayed at the post station.”
He squinted his eyes, looked at the moon again, and then said, “If you go to the lake to admire the moon, there will be a change in your mood. How about you accompany me out of town to walk around for a while?”
“This… Beizhe doesn’t want to ruin Daren’s fun…” Jinxia had to say this, “If it’s regarding a case investigation, Beizhe will not refuse, but if it’s for enjoying the moon… Today is my unlucky day, nothing has gone smoothly so far. I say, it’s fine that I’m unlucky, but if I involved Daren… It would be a serious matter.”
“Aren’t you blessed by a golden armor given by the deities? So, what are you afraid of?” Lu Yi said casually.
“……” Jinxia was unable to reply to his words. She tried to dodge, “But I still have to go to the Xie family’s house.”
“It just so happens, I want to pay a visit to Old Man Xie.”
Lu Yi raised his hand and motioned her to lead the way.
“…” After taking a few steps, Jinxia turned her head and sincerely said to Lu Yi, “Daren, I’ve thought about it carefully, let’s not go to the Xie family, it’s better to accompany Daren to enjoy the moon.”
“That’s great.” Lu Yi nodded in agreement.
Although the city gate was closed at night time, it was not difficult for the two of them to leave the city using their badges. After passing the gate, Lu Yi’s footsteps were getting faster and faster. At first Jinxia was able to keep up with him, but over time she gradually felt tired.
That was where the moon could be enjoyed, it was more tiring than catching a criminal… Jinxia sighed in her heart, her eyes glaring at the man that she couldn’t catch up with.
However, the lightness of the body was indeed very good, especially in a night like that one.
*[He could be fast paced walking, flying or jumping, and his steps were very light when he moved, TN]
On the surface of the water began to rise a layer of fog, the moonlight that had been bright mixed with the mist, making things blurry. The image of a person in a bamboo green outfit flashed through the fog. Jinxia’s thoughts were wandering… ‘In the books, it’s written that a god standing on a cloud and walking past it might look like that.’
A bird suddenly flew past her, making her jump in surprise. The bird joined with his partner and they both flew into the darkness of the night. Once she regained her senses, as far as the eye could see, Lu Yi’s shadow had disappeared.
“Lu Daren! Lu Daren…”
She called out for him several times, but there was only silence. She sighed, and continued walking along the path ahead of her.
Further ahead was a large river bank, she tried to look as far as possible, and the only thing she could spot was an abandoned old boat.
Jinxia jumped on the boat, she sat down while feeling bored. The moonlight was shining on the surface of the river. In the distance, a ship was anchored, on which a dimly visible lantern had been lit. Those who could board a ship like that were not only officials but also wealthy merchants, who were currently enjoying music and dances on board right now.
The tall grass not too far from her started to move, the top of it shook a few times, but there was no wind at the moment and she became alerted. Lightly jumping off the boat, her eyes stared at the movement, while her feet slowly approached the grass.
“Quack…” Several wild ducks were coming out from the grass. A small duck rushed out of its hiding place, its wings almost scratched Jinxia’s neck.
It turned out to be ducks. Jinxia let out a sigh of relief. She was about to turn around, when her right hand was held by someone all of a sudden and, before she had the time to react, the person pulled her into the grass.
“You… Daren?”
The tip of the grass hit her eyes, nose and ears and she was having some difficulty recognizing the person in front of her… It turned out to be Lu Yi.
“Shhh…”
Lu Yi looked at her while using his finger to signal her to stay quiet. His hand didn’t let go of Jinxia’s, and they continued to walk deep down the path.
After walking for about ten steps, he stopped, pushed aside the thick grass in front of him, and gestured to Jinxia to watch out: there was a broken wooden basin in front of him, it was not sure who abandoned it there though. Inside it there were a lot of branches, along with a duck! It seemed that they had made their own little nest using trees, roots and grass. Inside the basin, there were four little ducks, they could see the tiny hairs on their bodies, their necks crossed, while they were in a profound sleep.
A little duck opened its beak while sleeping, yawned, and then put its head next to another little one, falling back asleep sweetly. The moonlight was bright and peaceful.
Jinxia couldn’t help but sigh softly. Then she saw Lu Yi try to stretch out his hand to pet one little duck. She was quick to grab his hand and stop him.
“You can’t touch it. If you touch it, the smell of humans will be on the little duckling and their parents might not want it anymore.” She whispered to him in a serious tone.
Lu Yi glanced down at the hand she was holding, there was playfulness in his eye, “I’ll just stroke it a little.”
“No, you can’t!”
She held his hand tight while shaking her head.
“Just once?” He deliberately said.
“Not even once!”
She heard somewhere the sound of a panicked duckling heading their way. It could be a mother duck who was concerned about her children. She didn’t dare to approach them further, and dragged Lu Yi back out onto the path they were on before.
After arriving back at the river bank, she just realized that Lu Yi’s sleeve had already been pulled by her until it was out of shape. She let go of his hand right away while apologizing, “Just a moment of panic, Daren, please forgive me.”
Lu Yi smoothed out his sleeve casually, glanced at her and didn’t say anything. He turned around and jumped onto the abandoned boat, sitting down on the spot where Jinxia had been sitting before.
“Have you seen the ship?” He pointed toward the ship that Jinxia had seen earlier.
Jinxia stood beside the boat, nodding her head, “Yes.”
“Do you know who is on that ship?”
“I do not know…” Just as Jinxia finished speaking, she suddenly understood, “Is that young master from the Capital?”
Lu Yi chuckled, “Do you know why he came to Yangzhou?”
“Because of the Zhou Xian case… No, the person is dead, why would he come now? It’s because of Ms. Zhai… No, based on Ms. Zhai’s story, it doesn’t seem like he cared about her at all.” Jinxia didn’t understand, “He came because of the river repairment funds?”
Lu Yi shook his head, “You guys came here because of the river repairment funds, but he didn’t. He is here to have fun.”
“Have fun?” Jinxia was confused, “Have fun by enjoying the local culture of Yangzhou?”
“No, having fun stepping on people under his feet.”
Lu Yi said it, uttering word by word, while his eyes were staring coldly towards the ship.
Not knowing why, Jinxia felt a cold wind. After a moment of silence, she asked, “Who is he going to step on under his feet?”
After a very, very long time, Lu Yi had yet to reply and Jinxia felt like she had asked a stupid question. She didn’t expect him to answer anymore, then she heard Lu Yi’s clear voice.
“Me.”
