"Scatter this packet of medicinal powder into my husband's food."
After Pei Yunheng left, Jiang Weiyao slept for two hours before finally rising.
Ming'an Temple kept many pigeons. As Buddhist chants drifted softly, several pigeons landed before the steps, their feathers smooth and bright, unafraid of incense smoke or human presence.
Jiang Weiyao grabbed a few handfuls of grain. No sooner had she crouched down than pigeons gathered around her.
Stroking a pigeon with snow-white feathers, Jiang Weiyao called out to a passing monk: "I've heard the peace pendants and talisman papers at this temple are the most efficacious. Is that true?"
The monk pressed his palms together in a salute: "This humble one would not presume to call them efficacious. The benefactress has discerning eyes—one need only look at the endless stream of worshippers to know."
"I understand." Jiang Weiyao nodded in thanks.
She fed the last small handful of grain to the white pigeon, clapped her hands, and stood up, heading toward the Buddha hall wreathed in incense smoke from bronze censers.
Behind her, the well-fed white pigeon cooed twice and spread its wings, lifting lightly into the air.
A thin slip of paper hidden beneath its thick plumage headed straight west.
Wearing a plain-colored monk's robe and holding prayer beads, the abbot stood in the Buddha hall, calm and detached from the world.
Jiang Weiyao lowered her head, her ears and neck flushing red, and shuffled forward awkwardly: "Abbot, I've come drawn by your reputation. I wish to… have my wishes fulfilled."
The abbot's eyes were kind and benevolent. His gaze swept over Jiang Weiyao from head to toe, and after a moment he nodded in salute: "Benefactress, please enter the inner hall."
"Husband, I'm here."
Jiang Weiyao waved to Pei Yunheng at the bottom of the stone steps and hurried down.
Everything was packed and ready for the return journey. Pei Yunheng had come to find Jiang Weiyao, but she wasn't in the side room. He had just turned back when he saw her stepping out of the Buddha hall.
His gaze passed over her dark hair bun and landed on the abbot who had escorted her to the entrance of the hall. Pei Yunheng's sword-like brows rose slightly.
Jiang Weiyao followed his gaze and looked back, then took the initiative to explain: "I heard this temple is very efficacious, so I came to pay my respects too, to soak up some of the incense blessings and seek a bit of divine protection. We've been so unlucky lately…"
It seemed that was not the whole truth.
She usually would explain things on her own initiative, but she wouldn't ramble on so much. This explanation felt more like she was trying to convince him.
Jiang Weiyao wanted to move past the matter: "Did you come to find me because we're leaving?"
Pei Yunheng neither confirmed nor denied: "Let's go."
Though Wuming County was not large, it was a fine place nestled between mountains and water. The streets and alleys were fairly bustling and prosperous, with street vendors hawking their wares everywhere.
As they passed the Liu residence, the main gate was tightly shut, and the mourning curtains and white banners had not yet been taken down.
"Served him right for all his evildoing—good that he's dead!" Occasionally, passing commoners would curse under their breath.
"Stop talking, be careful the household doesn't hear you."
"So what if they hear? Can they arrest me?" The person sneered.
"You never know. The Liu family is domineering, and the murderer who killed Master Liu still hasn't been caught. The county magistrate is pulling his hair out—be careful they don't grab you to take the fall…"
"Husband, would you like to try some?"
Jiang Weiyao bought a stick of candied hawthorn and held it out before Pei Yunheng.
The sweet-and-sour hawthorn was coated in a crisp, shiny layer of sugar, red and enticing.
Pei Yunheng paused mid-step: "That's one stick."
The implication being: how could one stick of candied hawthorn be shared between two people?
Hearing this, Jiang Weiyao bit her lower lip lightly with her pearly teeth, her gaze falling on two figures not far away.
That was also a young couple.
The wife was lively and fond of laughing; the husband was gentle and refined, holding two scrolls of books in his hands.
When the wife brought the candied hawthorn to her lips, the husband naturally lowered his head and bit off a hawthorn, swallowing it down.
The two exchanged a smile, then left together hand in hand.
Silence spoke louder than words.
"…"
Pei Yunheng's brow twitched. He immediately stepped back and said coldly, "I don't like sweets."
This trick never failed.
Jiang Weiyao's eyes and brows drooped, her expression somewhat forlorn, yet her hands did not pause in the slightest as she withdrew the candied hawthorn.
Heartbroken and upset, she crunched through the entire skewer of candied hawthorn.
Even on the way back, Jiang Weiyao still seemed weighed down with worries, sullen and unhappy.
Even Aunt Zhou noticed something was off and asked, "What's the matter?"
Jiang Weiyao put on a brave face and said, "It's nothing, just… ah."
She sighed with much hemming and hawing, glanced at Pei Yunheng from the corner of her eye, and said nothing.
Aunt Zhou understood about thirty percent of it and lowered her voice to ask, "Did you two quarrel?"
Jiang Weiyao said in a muffled voice, "I suppose so."
"Ah." Aunt Zhou also sighed. "There's no couple that doesn't quarrel. Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, it'll be fine."
Where was the quarrel?
Pei Yunheng drove the cart, his brow furrowed.
Not sharing a skewer of candied hawthorn with her counted as a quarrel?
He found it hard to understand.
Just as he still could not figure out to this day why Jiang Weiyao could so openly expose another side of herself before him.
The donkey cart was about to enter the mountain forest, and Pei Yunheng could not be bothered to dwell on such unreasonable trifles any longer.
Wind threaded through the forest leaves, branches and foliage swaying.
The mountain forest remained quiet and still, without any sign of disturbance.
It was just that Erya had been frightened by Jiang Weiyao's talk of ferocious beasts running rampant the night before, and was trembling with fear the whole way. To put her at ease, Jiang Weiyao called two stops and pulled her along to pick a few more branches of wild camellia.
When night fell, the donkey cart finally rolled slowly into Hedong Village and stopped in front of the Zhou family's gate.
Uncle Liu had moved a chair out and was keeping watch in the Zhou family's courtyard.
Aunt Zhou could not help but be startled at the sight. "Why are you here?"
Uncle Liu clearly had not expected Aunt Zhou to return so suddenly either. His gaze shifted to Erya. "Are your injuries healed? Why have you come back?"
"They're healed. It's just that Daya is getting married, so I had to come back and take a look…" Aunt Zhou's voice trailed off.
"The village will handle it. What do you need to worry about?" Uncle Liu sighed, paused, then added, "Old Han is gone. Tomorrow the ancestral hall will be opened again to select the Flower Maiden."
Aunt Zhou was visibly startled. She opened her mouth, but the words reached her lips and were swallowed back, her expression tinged with sorrow.
Erya's small hands clenched into fists, her expression somewhat resentful.
She could not hold back and wanted to step forward to speak, but just as she was about to move, a figure slowly came forward and stood squarely in front of her.
Jiang Weiyao said to Aunt Zhou, "Our kitchen at home unfortunately collapsed. Might we borrow your kitchen tonight?"
"Oh my, how did it collapse! Was anyone hurt?"
Aunt Zhou hurriedly asked, then chided, "Borrow a kitchen? What nonsense. In a while I'll finish making supper and have Erya deliver it to you."
Jiang Weiyao looked at Aunt Zhou gratefully. "How could I trouble you like that…"
"What trouble? Don't talk like we're strangers." Aunt Zhou said, "It's settled then. With so much going on in the village these days, it won't be convenient to make repairs. From now on, I'll have Erya deliver all three meals to you."
Just as she finished speaking, Pei Yunheng happened to return after stabling the donkey cart. Aunt Zhou waved her hand. "You've been on the road half the day. Go back and rest."
Jiang Weiyao smiled and agreed. As she was leaving, however, the corner of her clothes was gently tugged by Erya.
Her expression was somewhat tense.
Lifting his hand to rub her round little head, Jiang Weiyao said softly, "I'll have to trouble you to deliver the meals later."
Blinking, Erya seemed to understand and nodded, releasing her hand.
Her gaze swept over Pei Yunheng, but the smile on Jiang Weiyao's face paused. She pressed her lips together and left without a word.
Usually, she would call him "husband" with a smile, then leave side by side with him.
Tonight, however…
His sword-like brows drew down, producing a trace of coldness. Pei Yunheng only felt baffled.
Returning home in silence, Jiang Weiyao went back to the room with her head lowered, still without saying a single word.
He did not know how much time had passed when Erya entered carrying a food box: "Mother also said to tell you about the taboos during the Flower Maiden selection, so you don't accidentally offend anything through carelessness."
Jiang Weiyao took the food box and nodded.
"The village's Flower Maiden selection takes three days in total. The first day is for worshipping the gods, the second day is for opening the ancestral hall to honor the ancestors, and the third day is for drawing the Flower Lots."
Erya said, "On the nights of the god worship and ancestor worship, once dusk falls, you must not go out. You must kneel at home and pray. Those who are disrespectful will suffer disaster, so you must be sincere."
Jiang Weiyao propped her cheek on her hand and asked curiously, "What counts as sincere?"
In the past, Erya would surely have answered solemnly that one must hold reverence in their heart and not harbor the slightest contempt. But now…
Erya said resentfully, "Who knows? It's just a trick to scare people."
After cursing, Erya looked at Jiang Weiyao, wanting to speak but hesitating. She also glanced at Pei Yunheng beside them, unsure how to begin.
"You can trust him. He is my husband…"
When she said the word "husband," Jiang Weiyao's expression stiffened. She paused, then stood up: "Never mind. Come outside with me to talk."
This was unlike her usual manner.
His brow ridges lifting slightly, Pei Yunheng watched Jiang Weiyao's back as she left in anger and suddenly found it interesting.
Erya did not understand why, but once they were out of the courtyard, she immediately leaned close to Jiang Weiyao's ear and whispered, "Sister said to invite you to come out tomorrow night for a talk."
Jiang Weiyao really was stunned for a moment: "She can get out of the cellar, and she can talk with you?"
"Sister buried paper and brush in the cellar, and the cellar is not sealed very tightly, so paper can be slipped out," Erya explained. "Before dusk tomorrow, I will take Sister and hide on the mountain. Please be sure to come."
There was a chain and lock on the cellar. Without a key, it could not be opened. But seeing how certain Erya looked, Jiang Weiyao belatedly realized that perhaps this matter was not so simple.
She smiled and nodded: "I will go."
Erya let out a breath of relief and left, looking back at every step.
Returning to the room, Jiang Weiyao's expression changed again. She did not look at Pei Yunheng either, and ate with her head down in silence.
This was probably the quietest meal the two had ever eaten.
Lightly pinching with two fingers, Pei Yunheng watched her with keen interest, and a bit of curiosity actually rose in his heart—
Was she truly angry?
Or was she playing some kind of trick?
He would wait and see.
After the evening meal, Jiang Weiyao took the initiative to clear and wash the bowls and chopsticks, as if she did not want to be alone in the same room with him: "I am going to return the food box to Aunt Zhou."
As soon as she entered Aunt Zhou's home, Erya, hearing the noise, hurriedly ran out, thinking Jiang Weiyao had changed her mind and gone back on her word.
Taking the food box uneasily, Erya carefully looked at Jiang Weiyao and indeed saw hesitation and indecision on her face.
It seemed she wanted to say something, yet could not make up her mind.
Her heart sank, and Erya's eyes dimmed: "Lady Jiang, if you are unwilling…"
Before Erya could finish speaking, Jiang Weiyao suddenly pulled her into the kitchen. After glancing around to make sure no one was there, she made up her mind and handed a packet of medicinal powder to Erya.
Erya looked at her in confusion.
Jiang Weiyao said in a low voice: "Can you do me a favor and sprinkle this packet of medicinal powder into my husband's food?"