Fortunately, Aman still had some money saved up, and Tu Honglie had given her a little extra today—there should be enough to have a new door made.
Their place was on the outskirts of Yong’an County. The surrounding buildings were mostly small, single-story houses, but their courtyard was relatively large, with a loft at the back.
Locals said this courtyard had originally belonged to a local gentry family. Somehow, they had angered the wrong people, and the entire family had been killed.
The house fell into disuse, until exiled officials began arriving; the courtyard was cleared and repurposed for them.
Aman had also gone to the tailor shop earlier. A decent set of clothes would cost fifty wen—but she hadn’t spent it. She needed to save, especially with the winter approaching. She couldn’t waste money frivolously.
This place was called Waguancun, named after its former fame for producing earthen pots. Broken pots littered the streets; Aman had picked up two, thinking they might be usable, but neither worked.
“Is Carpenter Li home?”
Aman knocked at Li’s door. It had taken her ages to find it, and when she knocked, no one answered.
“Ahh, you naughty devil, gently… you’ll kill me!”
“Darling, I can’t take it, I can’t… ahhh!”
Aman froze. That sounded like… Li was at home… with his wife… doing… that!
Realizing it was an awkward moment, she didn’t want to ruin their fun. She turned to leave—but ran into a group of women returning from washing clothes at the village river, each carrying a wooden basin.
“Who’s this maid at my doorstep?”
The women glared at her. She looked dark, thin, and unfamiliar. Maybe a thief?
“I-I’m here to find Carpenter Li… to have him make a door for my house…” Aman stammered.
Before she could finish, people inside likely heard the noise.
“Hurry! My wife’s coming back!”
The women outside saw the locked door, then heard more commotion. Their expressions changed drastically. Dropping their basins, they kicked the door open and rushed inside.
In that instant, Aman saw everything.
A naked man and woman scrambling to dress.
Her eyes widened, jaw dropped.
“Good heavens! In broad daylight… stealing a woman!”
Her head buzzed. Carpenter Li… stealing a woman at home?
Was that the real wife just now?
Feeling she might be in trouble, she wanted to run—but curiosity rooted her to the spot.
“You, Li Guaitie! How dare you cheat on me at home!”
“I’ll beat you today!”
The shouting was deafening. Li’s wife had a loud voice, pulling the neighbors into the commotion.
“Oh! Isn’t that Widow Zhang? How did she end up with Li Guaitie?”
Knowing trouble was brewing, Aman didn’t dare linger. The scene might be entertaining, but she hurried back to her courtyard.
By afternoon, the sun had softened. She moved Zhao Ye to a shaded corner to enjoy some breeze—it wasn’t healthy to stay cooped up indoors all day.
“Aman?”
To help him regain finger dexterity, she had asked Zhao Ye to weave bamboo strips before heading out. Now he held a half-finished bamboo lantern, noticing her return, sweaty and flustered.
“You look so panicked… did someone cause trouble?”
“No, no…” Aman waved her hands, taking a sip of water before explaining. “I went to find Carpenter Li to make a door and… I accidentally caught him cheating at home.”
“And I saw his wife coming back. To avoid getting them into trouble, I ran away.”
Zhao Ye: “…”
He hadn’t expected such an entertaining story.
But his focus was elsewhere: “You mean… you actually saw Li cheating?”
“Yes!” Aman nodded like a pecking chicken.
“And… what else did you see?”
“I saw Li and the woman… naked…”
“Aman!”
Zhao Ye quickly stopped her. “You’re a girl. Don’t let such filthy things corrupt your eyes.”
Aman paused, then pouted: “Not that good-looking, really. Nothing worth seeing.
“If we talk about handsome… the Crown Prince—you—were still the best-looking.”
“Tall, handsome, elegant… even if the maids weren’t allowed to gossip, who could stop them when you were so good-looking?”
Aman’s words made Zhao Ye’s lips twitch into a smile.
He never cared much about his appearance, but Aman clearly liked his looks.
“If Aman likes it, that’s what matters.”
“What did you say?” Aman didn’t catch it. Zhao Ye averted his gaze, shaking his head.
“Nothing.”
“Aman, my hands can move now. I can help with work today.”
Aman’s eyes lit up. Evening was approaching, and three meals a day were essential. She brought over a basket of wild vegetables.
“Do you know how to pick them? Help me finish these.”
The once high-born Crown Prince had never done such chores, but holding a basket and picking vegetables wasn’t difficult.
“Your hands can move, yes, but you were trained in martial arts—sword and spear are still tiring. So we need to refine your fingers.”
Aman explained. She wasn’t making him work for fun; it was for his own good.
“Mm, I understand.” Zhao Ye’s tone was calm. Aman had set him up outside, making a makeshift reclining seat from bamboo.
He placed the vegetable basket on his lap, picking vegetables clumsily but earnestly.
Aman looked back. Sunset light had silently filtered into the corner, stretching his shadow long and slender.
“Aman… is this right?”
She got a little lost in the sight. When Zhao Ye looked up, his dark eyes met hers. Both froze for a moment.
Aman’s face flushed, and she quickly nodded.
“I’ll make you a proper reclining chair in a few days. You won’t be so uncomfortable then.”
“Mm.”
Aman spoke from inside; Zhao Ye responded from outside.
No matter what she said, he answered her.
Gradually, the empty courtyard seemed livelier.
Aman had picked a relatively fatty piece of meat today, enough to render some oil—but the leftover meat from the butcher was scarce; fattier cuts were impossible to get.