“Who isn’t being fastidious?” Lu Zhidao swallowed hard.
“The person who isn’t knows it well enough,” Chu Ning replied crossly, sitting down to the side.
Lu Zhidao shrank back sheepishly, smacking her lips as she gulped down the remaining tea in her mouth.
After a long pause, she blurted out, “I’m only doing this for the hundred taels…” Beyond that, there’s nothing else!
“Don’t mention the hundred taels!” Chu Ning waved her hand in annoyance. She sat there, her mood shifting toward dejection as she stared blankly at the floor. She didn’t know how to handle these feelings. “You don’t need to explain to me. What is there to explain?”
Lu Zhidao carefully leaned her head over, though she didn’t dare get too close. “Don’t be angry.”
“I’m not angry. What standing do I have to be angry?”
Over the years, Lu Zhidao had encountered all sorts of strange people while completing missions for her superiors, but she had never faced a predicament like this. Was she angry or not? What was the right thing to do? It seemed that for any problem that couldn’t be solved with a sword, there was no correct answer.
Lu Zhidao racked her brain but couldn’t find a solution. She could only keep watch silently by her side, stealing glances at her occasionally, unwilling to leave even as the night grew deep.
The two sat in silence for a long time. Only the sweet scent of the beeswax candle wafted around them, feeling entirely out of place with the heavy atmosphere. Lu Zhidao was capable of staying silent forever, but Chu Ning was not; the stillness made her feel utterly restless.
To avoid the awkwardness, Chu Ning walked over to the candlelight and picked up a pair of small snuffing scissors, aimlessly trimming the wick and playing with the wax. She had intended to trim the wick, but the beeswax candle was of such high quality that there was no charred bit to cut.
Still, having something to do with her hands was better than sitting there rubbing her fingers together.
Lu Zhidao, left with nothing to do, rubbed her own fingers. Her eyes occasionally sought out Chu Ning’s position. She watched her carefully toy with the wax, the flickering golden light dancing across her face with every movement of her fingertips. A faint, ethereal scent occasionally drifted over from her side.
The scent was sweet and fragrant but not cloying. For a moment, Lu Zhidao couldn’t tell if it was the smell of the candle or the scent of Chu Ning herself—perhaps it was both.
Whether it was the person before her or the subtle fragrance, everything felt harmless and comforting, making one want to draw closer. Lu Zhidao suddenly felt grateful that she could accompany her to the capital and protect her legitimately.
As she watched, she became mesmerized, staring blankly at her.
“What are you looking at?”
Lu Zhidao!
“Here!” Lu Zhidao snapped upright from her stool as if being inspected, standing straight as a board before her.
This startled Chu Ning. Losing her interest in the candle, she asked with confusion, “What were you thinking about?”
Lu Zhidao ruffled her hair messily, not knowing where to start.
“Just say it.”
“I think… you might…”
Chu Ning set down the scissors and looked up at her, waiting patiently for her to speak. After cooling down for a while, she felt her earlier temper had been somewhat unreasonable. Whether Miss Shen liked her had nothing to do with Lu Zhidao, and Lu Zhidao had repeatedly stated it was only for the money.
She felt she was perhaps over-focusing on Lu Zhidao, which had pushed the atmosphere into this awkward state. She was just wondering how to break the tension when she saw Lu Zhidao staring at her, and she used the opportunity to change the subject.
“Might what?” Seeing Lu Zhidao hesitating, Chu Ning thought something was wrong with herself.
“You might, probably… be sweet…” Lu Zhidao shifted her gaze awkwardly, instinctively licking the corner of her mouth.
Confused, Chu Ning raised her hand to her nose and sniffed. Her fingers had been very close to the beeswax candle, so they indeed carried a sweet scent.
But was that what Lu Zhidao meant? Sometimes Chu Ning really didn’t understand her thought process; she always spoke without rhyme or reason.
She didn’t know how to respond, but she felt her face growing hot. She used the cool back of her hand to touch her cheek, which helped slightly.
As soon as the words left her mouth, Lu Zhidao felt they were inappropriate. She hurried to fix it: “Or maybe… it was the candle…”
“Mhm.”
Lu Zhidao frowned and looked around aimlessly, simply not daring to look at her. She had a heart full of words but didn’t know how to speak them.
The faint, sweet scent around her served as a constant reminder of her minor transgression just now. Unable to guess Chu Ning’s thoughts and finding herself unable to stay still, Lu Zhidao’s instinct was to flee.
The moment the thought of escaping crossed her mind, her feet were already moving. She sprinted to the window in two quick steps and vaulted out.
Before Chu Ning could even react, Lu Zhidao had vanished into the night.
Beneath the heavy curtain of night, Lu Zhidao hadn’t run far before she began to regret it. She cursed herself inwardly for being so hesitant in speech yet so fast at running away. She didn’t even know why she ran; she clearly wanted to stay longer, yet fleeing made her look guilty.
Besides, she had finally found the chance to come over tonight, and she hadn’t even said the important things yet!
Finding an excuse for herself, Lu Zhidao turned around and ran back.
When she reappeared outside the window, Chu Ning was leaning against the sill, about to close it.
“Wait!” Lu Zhidao hurriedly pressed her hand against the window to keep it open.
“Do you have more nonsensical things to say?” Chu Ning asked crossly.
She had been feeling embarrassed just now, and when Lu Zhidao ran off, she was left alone in that awkwardness. It was no longer possible to convince herself she was overthinking.
Chu Ning had been dazed for a moment, her face becoming even hotter. Fortunately, Lu Zhidao had been gone and hadn’t seen it. After a while, she had finally calmed down and sighed, ready to close the window, only for Lu Zhidao to pop up again.
Bracing against the window and panting slightly, Lu Zhidao said, “Tomorrow, we set out again.”
“Fine,” Chu Ning answered seriously, preparing to close the window again.
“Wait!” Lu Zhidao grabbed the windowsill with both hands to keep herself there a bit longer. “I’m not finished.”
“What else?”
“It might be inconvenient to leave here together. Let’s meet at the inn tomorrow.” Lu Zhidao was still thinking that she couldn’t work these three days for nothing; she had to get that three hundred taels back.
“Fine. Anything else?”
“The docks are still dangerous. Don’t go there by yourself.”
“Fine. Anything else?”
“Nothing else…”
Bang! The window slammed shut.
Lu Zhidao stood outside the window, scratching her head helplessly. Even as slow as she was, she vaguely sensed she had missed an opportunity—or perhaps, she had offended her?
Early the next morning, Chu Ning woke up and prepared to bid farewell to Miss Shen. According to Lu Zhidao’s arrangement from the night before, she would return to the inn to wait for her before they continued their journey.
However, the little beggar had been pacing outside the villa for a long time. She had tried to sneak in several times but failed; unlike the busy inn, this place was much harder to infiltrate.
Eventually, she picked a spot and prepared to scale the wall. Unfortunately, her luck was poor. Just as she climbed over the top and was still hanging there, she was spotted by the servants.
Stuck between going up or down, she was caught like a grasshopper, tied up securely, and thrown before Miss Shen.
At first, Miss Shen had no interest and wanted to just dismiss her. But a casual glance made her recognize the girl as the little beggar who had been bargaining with Lu Zhidao the other day. Feeling suspicious, she asked a few questions.
“Who sent you?”
“I came by myself.” The little beggar struggled hard, but the rope was tied in a way that only got tighter the more she moved.
“What are you here for?”
“None of your business!”
Seeing she was stubborn but still just a child, Miss Shen changed her tactic. She signaled for her to be untied and said intentionally, “I know why you came in here. I won’t make it hard for you.”
“You know?” the little beggar asked, rubbing her sore wrists in confusion.
“Of course. She told me everything. Otherwise, why would I release you?” Miss Shen was intentionally bluffing.
“Really? I saw the way that ‘Cold-Faced Freak’ was acting and thought you were a bad person! Though, she’s always been weird…”
“The Cold-Faced Freak and I are friends,” Miss Shen said casually, having no idea who the girl was talking about.
“Are you friends with Sister Chu too?”
“Of course.”
The little beggar laughed happily, suddenly finding Miss Shen much more pleasant. “Can I go find her then?”
“Not right now. She’s busy. You can tell me what it is; I can help.”
The little beggar hesitated briefly before carefully relaying the news she had gathered.
It turned out that after seeing Chu Ning enter the villa yesterday, she had been worried. Pacing outside the gate wasn’t working, so she remembered Lu Zhidao’s warning about the docks. Having nothing else to do, she decided to go to the docks to scout for danger on their behalf.
As a beggar, her wandering near the docks didn’t attract much attention, which allowed her to discover quite a bit. There were people holding a portrait of Chu Ning, secretly investigating all day. Having found nothing at the docks, they had expanded their search today. They weren’t just at the docks anymore; the Shen family’s various shops now had their eyes and ears everywhere.
The little beggar came to report this, but she was clever enough not to tell Miss Shen everything. She only said, “Sister Chu might be in danger. The searchers have split up to look for her.”
Although she didn’t say much, for Miss Shen—combining this with her own suspicions and the busy activities of the Shen family’s head housekeeper lately—it was enough to confirm Chu Ning’s identity.
She had no interest in the person her household was searching for, but she could certainly make use of this situation.
After a moment’s thought, Miss Shen intentionally said to the beggar with a serious expression, “This is indeed grave. Hurry and find her.”
Grateful for the help, the little beggar followed her directions and found Chu Ning.
When Chu Ning saw her, she was just about to leave to say goodbye to Miss Shen, only to see the little beggar running toward her in a hurry.
Confused, she let her in. The little beggar detailed what she had seen at the docks and warned her to be extremely careful.
Hearing this, Chu Ning became even more alert. She thanked her for the news and then asked exactly how she had gotten inside.
The little beggar kept saying Miss Shen had helped her and that she was a good person. Chu Ning remained noncommittal; she didn’t understand the woman’s motives, so she reserved judgment.
Regardless of Miss Shen’s intentions, Chu Ning decided to stick to the plan they had made yesterday.
However, before leaving, she thought she should try to find a chance to tell Lu Zhidao.
Once the news was delivered, the beggar hurried her to leave. Chu Ning couldn’t be sure if this place was safe, and being with her definitely wasn’t safe for the girl.
Under a maid’s guidance, Chu Ning unexpectedly found Miss Shen with ease.
Just as she reached the door, she heard a conversation between her and Lu Zhidao coming from inside:
“How much money will it take for you to stay with me?”
Lu Zhidao’s voice drifted out leisurely. “How much do you think I’m worth?”
Chu Ning’s hand, poised to knock, froze in mid-air. She remembered what Miss Shen had said the night before—that Lu Zhidao would be with her for money. Right now, they were actually bargaining.
“A thousand taels?”
“Ten thousand taels?”
They heard Lu Zhidao take a sharp breath as if she had made up her mind: “Deal! Give me the banknotes. Now.”
A moment later, Chu Ning guessed that Lu Zhidao must be counting the notes; counting ten thousand taels in banknotes would take a while. Then she heard Lu Zhidao ask, “Can these be cashed at any bank?”
“Of course!”
Lu Zhidao tucked the notes into her robe. “By the way, even if you’ve bought me, you’re not allowed to tell anyone.”
“Deal!” Miss Shen’s voice was full of laughter. “From now on, you are mine.”
This conversation left Chu Ning with a heavy heart and a sense of utter disappointment in Lu Zhidao. She never imagined the woman would actually sell herself so casually.
Chu Ning didn’t want to say another word, nor did she care to bid them farewell. She turned and walked away on her own.
Just as Chu Ning left, a little maid pushed the door open to enter. While pouring tea, she gave Miss Shen a meaningful look. Miss Shen understood and smiled subtly.
Inside the room, the two were still in the heat of their “bargaining.”
Lu Zhidao was holding the portrait Chu Ning had painted of her the night before, making a move as if to tear it up. Hearing Miss Shen agree, she threw the painting back to her.
“I am not your person, but this painting belongs to you now.”
Having gotten what she wanted, Miss Shen didn’t want to press further and said good-naturedly, “Fine, fine, have it your way.”
Lu Zhidao still wouldn’t let it go. “And pay me the wages for these three days as well—three hundred taels.”