Lu Zhidao’s abrupt remark left Chu Ning feeling quite self-conscious. She awkwardly smoothed her hair back, snapped out of her daze, and gave Lu Zhidao a shove, warning, “If you dare harbor any crooked thoughts, you’re sleeping on the floor!”
“I don’t, I don’t,” Lu Zhidao denied hurriedly, scooting further toward the edge of the bed.
“Stop moving, or you’ll fall off again…”
Recalling the last time she had accidentally tumbled onto the floor and been teased for ages, Lu Zhidao silently lifted a corner of the quilt and moved herself a bit closer. In doing so, she unintentionally brushed against Chu Ning’s hand resting beside her. It was just a light graze, but both of them grew flustered and quickly yanked their hands back.
Hiding under the quilt with her arms wrapped around herself, Chu Ning suddenly didn’t know where to put her hands. She turned her head slightly toward Lu Zhidao and saw that the other woman was staring right back at her.
They maintained their distance, but their gazes became gently entangled. They knew they should look away, yet neither quite wanted to.
Lu Zhidao greedily hoped that Chu Ning would lean in again with that faint fragrance of her hair; she felt ready this time to carefully identify exactly what that scent was. Or perhaps she would speak softly again; if she did, Lu Zhidao promised herself she would listen intently and never obsess over that piece of candy again.
Suddenly, Lu Zhidao felt her face burning, thinking perhaps it was just because the weather was getting warm.
However, she saw Chu Ning roll over, turning her back to her and saying flatly, “Don’t you go doing anything reckless…”
Lu Zhidao froze for a moment. She wasn’t sure if her thoughts counted as “reckless”; she simply felt she hadn’t performed well earlier and wanted a “do-over.” Besides, Chu Ning was the one who had leaned in first and spoken so tenderly—how could she change her mind so fast?
If even looking was considered “reckless,” then Chu Ning was even more so. Thinking of this, Lu Zhidao spoke up in self-defense: “You were the one who was reckless first…”
“How was I reckless?!” Chu Ning turned back around, indignant.
“Like this…”
Lu Zhidao propped herself up, her left hand pressing against the bed beside Chu Ning to support her weight. With a deadpan expression, she leaned into Chu Ning’s face, mimicking her earlier actions. She used her other hand to grab a lock of her own hair and gently brushed it across Chu Ning’s cheek.
It tickled, causing Chu Ning to burst into giggles beneath her. She curled up and tried to dodge.
But Lu Zhidao wouldn’t let her off. She let go of her hair, allowing it to drape beside Chu Ning, and reached out to catch her chin. She turned Chu Ning’s head back toward her and slowly leaned in until they were less than a fist’s width apart.
Chu Ning could clearly feel Lu Zhidao’s warm breath falling on her face. She found it increasingly hard to breathe as a surge of heat rushed through her chest, turning the tips of her ears crimson.
“Don’t be angry, okay…” Lu Zhidao said softly, imitating Chu Ning’s exact tone.
She had originally only intended to mirror her behavior to prove who started it, but seeing Chu Ning lying obediently beneath her, gazing up timidly with a deep blush blooming on her cheeks, Lu Zhidao momentarily lost herself. She instinctively leaned closer.
In the dark night, only the candlelight flickered nearby. The dim yellow glow filled the room with warmth but wasn’t bright enough to reveal much, keeping many stray thoughts safely hidden in the shadows. In the silence, aside from their faint breathing, there was only the sound of heavy heartbeats.
Gazing at the reachable softness before her, Lu Zhidao forgot to breathe. Woodenly, slowly, she moved closer.
Suddenly, a soft crack sounded, exceptionally clear in the quiet night—the candle wick had snapped.
Chu Ning snapped back to her senses. Her eyes widened as she looked at Lu Zhidao. She placed a hand on Lu’s shoulder and gave a gentle push. “Mumu…”
Lu Zhidao suddenly realized her loss of composure. She hurriedly scrambled up and sat back, looking around awkwardly. “You… that’s exactly what you did.”
Chu Ning instinctively pursed her lips. Knowing Lu Zhidao was just copying her made her wish she could crawl into a hole and disappear. Yet, while Lu Zhidao had been able to control herself when Chu Ning did it, Chu Ning had nearly surrendered while pinned beneath her, lacking even the strength to resist. If the candle hadn’t broken the silence, she might not have even thought to refuse.
If she had been just a little faster…
Thinking of this, Chu Ning felt both shy and annoyed. She yanked the quilt up and turned away, taking a long time to calm her racing heart. Lu Zhidao felt at a loss and leaned over to check on her.
“Just sleep,” Chu Ning said, pulling the covers up to shield her eyes.
Once again, they tacitly maintained a wide distance on opposite sides of the bed, but sleep remained elusive for both.
“I won’t be reckless anymore…” Chu Ning whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear.
“No, it’s not…”
For some reason, hearing her say that made Lu Zhidao feel a sense of loss. This wasn’t the “expectation” she had been harboring, yet somehow things had ended up here. She regretted her momentary lapse in judgment she had scared the girl away, and that wasn’t what she wanted.
Attempting to lighten the mood, she spoke with forced casualness, “It’s okay to be reckless. I’ve already kissed you anyway.”
“When?!” Chu Ning turned around and stared at her seriously. They clearly hadn’t touched just now!
“In the water.”
“Lu Zhidao!” Chu Ning’s eyes widened in fury, her hand flying to cover her mouth. “That doesn’t count!”
“Don’t you dare bring that up…” Chu Ning snapped. She rolled over and ignored her completely.
Lu Zhidao realized she had said the wrong thing again. Clearly, she was not cut out for “lightening the mood.” Fearing that the more she said, the more she’d mess up, she silently moved further away and didn’t dare provoke her again.
The next morning, by the time Chu Ning woke up, Lu Zhidao had already returned from her sword practice.
Breakfast was ready on the table—two bowls of small wontons still steaming. Lu Zhidao sat upright at the table, still feeling uneasy about her behavior the night before. Seeing Chu Ning wake, she wasn’t sure if she should greet her first, so she stood up silently, debating whether to speak or keep her mouth shut.
It was Chu Ning who crawled out of bed in a daze and spoke first. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” Lu Zhidao replied, trying to sound relaxed as she walked to the bedside. “I brought breakfast back.”
“Thank you.” After a peaceful night, Chu Ning was no longer interested in dwelling on the past. She treated it as if it hadn’t happened; they still had a long road ahead of them.
Seeing her acting as usual, Lu Zhidao relaxed as well. “I’m going to earn money today, too.”
“Where?” Chu Ning asked with concern. “Are you going to rob someone again?”
“No,” Lu Zhidao explained quickly. “To the docks. I’ve already cleared it with the foreman.”
After washing up, Chu Ning felt more awake. She sat at the table, saw the two bowls, and pushed one toward Lu Zhidao. “What are you going to do at the docks?”
Lu Zhidao gave a simplified account of what she’d seen the day before.
“That sounds like hard work…” Chu Ning said, swallowing a wonton and chewing slowly.
“It’s fine. I’m a martial artist.” Lu Zhidao paused, then added, “Besides, I can familiarize myself with the situation at the docks. If Centurion Jia arrives, that’s the first place he’ll go.”
“You’ve thought of everything.”
Lu Zhidao scratched her head sheepishly and finished her wontons in a few gulps. Once finished, she saw Chu Ning still had half a bowl left. She didn’t rush her; she sat straight with her hands on her knees, waiting patiently.
Chu Ning noticed her sitting there and, thinking she might still be hungry, asked, “Did you have enough?”
“I’m full,” Lu Zhidao answered earnestly.
Sitting idly was too boring, so she took out her sword and gave it a polish. Once Chu Ning finished, Lu Zhidao stood up and strapped the sword to her waist. Before leaving, she reported to Chu Ning, “I’m going. If nothing happens, I’ll be back tonight.”
Chu Ning nodded and remained at the inn to paint.
When Lu Zhidao arrived at the docks, she found the foreman from yesterday and was assigned her task. It was simple: move the cargo unloaded from the merchant ships to the warehouse.
However, the cargo was heavy. Most people couldn’t lift it, so the porters were almost all burly men. Lu Zhidao stood out significantly. She didn’t hide her strength; years of training made her far stronger than average. While others were hunched over carrying one bag, Lu Zhidao tucked one under each arm, moving two bags per trip.
Lu Zhidao had a small, secret thought: by the end of the day, she wanted to earn more than Chu Ning.
Everything was going smoothly. In the afternoon, the foreman shouted an announcement to the crowd: “Boss Shen will be coming to inspect in a bit! Everyone work hard! No slacking!”
“Understood!” the men replied.
From the gossip around her, Lu Zhidao learned that Boss Shen was the largest government-affiliated merchant in the area. His industries were vast, and both the cargo and the ships here belonged to him.
Lu Zhidao said nothing. She dropped off her two bags, collected two tallies, and headed back to the ship. Whether the boss came or not meant nothing to her; she was just there for the pay.
Late in the afternoon, a group of people escorting a carriage arrived at the docks. The person who stepped out, however, was not the rumored Boss Shen, but a young lady.
As she prepared to descend, someone immediately placed a mounting block for her. After she took only two steps, someone opened a parasol behind her to shield her from the sun. In her hand, she held a fan—not the round silk fan favored by ladies, but a scholar’s folding fan. She didn’t use it to fan herself, but simply toyed with it in her hand.
Lu Zhidao caught a glimpse from a distance and thought: This is exactly what a ‘Young Mistress’ looks like. Surrounded by servants, carrying an air of arrogance, looking down on everyone.
Chu Ning really is different from other high-born ladies, Lu Zhidao thought with a secret smile, making sure to stay far away from Miss Shen.
As she moved cargo, she heard other porters whispering: “Boss Shen only has this one daughter. He dotes on her like crazy, so she comes to inspect once in a while.”
“She’s not someone to mess with. Just keep working so she doesn’t catch you.”
Soon, Lu Zhidao finished another trip to the warehouse. Miss Shen and her entourage were standing by the warehouse doors, watching the men come and go. Lu Zhidao, wanting no trouble, kept her head down and hurried into the warehouse with her two bags.
A man at a table outside was keeping count. When Lu Zhidao emerged, she received two tallies. She tucked them into her waistband, which was already holding a large bundle of them.
Lu Zhidao adjusted her sword, straightened her stance, and turned to leave.
“Wait! You, come over here.”
Miss Shen pointed her fan toward Lu Zhidao. “Yes, you. Come here.