The night was quiet and deep. Lady Ming San knelt in the hall with her eyes closed and palms together. The faint candlelight illuminated her face and also the face of the Goddess Xuan Nu, and their expressions strangely mirrored each other.
After an unknown amount of time, the door to the hall was pushed open.
“Why haven’t you been copying scriptures today?” asked a calm male voice.
Lady Ming San opened her eyes but didn’t turn around. “Waiting for you,” she replied.
The man paused for a moment and added a touch of mockery, “How rare. I heard Little Seven has recovered since my return. What’s the matter? Did the Goddess Xuan Nu truly answer your prayers?”
“Yes,” Lady Ming San replied in a calm tone, making it hard to tell whether she was being sincere or just going along with it.
“So, you waited for me to discuss Little Seven?” the man asked.
“Yes.”
The man chuckled lightly, “Are you planning to end things between us?”
Lady Ming San didn’t respond.
“Fair enough,” the man continued, taking off his outer robe and tossing it aside. “I heard you pleaded with me to invite the Taoist priest from Mount Xuan Du to dispel the evil spirits. Now, you’re in a hurry to break things off. Isn’t that a bit too hasty?”
Lady Ming San remained silent for a moment, then bowed to the Goddess Xuan Nu before finally getting up and facing him directly. “So, I want to talk to you.”
The man put down his tea cup, a mysterious smile on his lips. “Oh?”
“Three months. I’ll give you three months,” Lady Ming San declared firmly.
The man didn’t confirm or deny, “And then?”
“We part ways,” Lady Ming San said calmly. “After all these years, this absurdity should come to an end.”
The man stayed silent.
Lady Ming San sneered, “Do you think we can continue like this forever? Besides, I’m getting older, no longer in my youth. What’s the point?”
The man raised his gaze, fixed it on her face, and instinctively reached out to touch her cheek.
But just as his hand brushed against it, Lady Ming San pulled away.
The man smiled lightly and withdrew his hand, saying, “Very well. Since you want to end it, I’ll grant your wish. However, as for the conditions…”
“Three months!” Lady Ming San cut in firmly. “That’s my bottom line. If you refuse, I’m willing to risk everything, even if it means breaking free of your influence.”
The man chuckled softly, “You’ve misunderstood me.”
“You…”
The man looked at her and said, “You don’t have to accompany me anymore, and even regarding the matter with Old Six, I’ll take care of it for you. Tomorrow, I’ll send a letter to have the Taoist priest from Mount Xuan Du come. As for you, you only need to do one last thing for me.”
The terms seemed overly generous, causing Lady Ming San to hesitate. “Just one thing? What extraordinary task is it?”
The man sipped his tea and casually replied, “It’s something like before. As for who it involves, I’ll let you know when the time comes.”
He put down the teacup and stood up. “Well, I won’t be coming around for a while. You don’t need to worry about Old Six. Focus on getting along with Little Seven.”
He pushed open the door to the hall, and his figure quickly disappeared into the night.
Lady Ming San stood silently for a long time before turning to kneel before the goddess statue.
“Goddess Xuan Nu, please bless your faithful servant and grant her wishes.”
In the middle of the night, Lady Ming Wei woke up suddenly. She reached out, feeling the residual warmth, but the person was no longer there.
She sat up and was about to call for Duo Fu when Lady Ming San entered from outside.
“Is Little Seven awake?” She took off her outer garment and shook off the chill. “Did you get up to use the restroom or get a drink? It’s still early in the morning; you can go back to sleep.”
Lady Ming Wei shook her head and asked, “Mother, where did you go?”
Lady Ming San replied gently, “Mother couldn’t sleep for a while, so I went to thank Goddess Xuan Nu. It wouldn’t be right if you recovered, and I didn’t offer incense; that would make Goddess Xuan Nu angry.”
“I see.” Lady Ming Wei’s hand tightened. She sensed a faint, fleeting aura on Lady Ming San but soon lost it.
Mother and daughter lay down again, and this time, they slept peacefully until the morning light.
Seeing the table full of breakfast dishes, Lady Ming San couldn’t help but smile. “Why is there so much food today? Are we feeding pigs?”
Su Jie was full of joy. “We’re celebrating Little Miss’s recovery! Each of us made a dish, so this is what we have.”
“Yes, indeed!” Bing Xin picked up a delicate crystal bun and placed it in Lady Ming Wei’s bowl. “Little Miss, try this one. I woke up before dawn to make it, and it took a while!”
“I see that it was Bing Xin who made this; that’s why it looks a bit odd.”
“Madam!” Bing Xin stomped her foot.
Lady Ming San smiled and personally served a dish. “Alright, alright, let me taste your culinary skills.”
“And mine, too!” Su Jie brought over a plate of golden silk cakes, presenting them like a treasure. “These just came out of the oven and smell amazing. I couldn’t resist and had two while making them!”
“Mother,” Duo Fu added quietly, bringing a small bowl of bone broth noodles, “try this. I simmered the soup all night.”
Even Madam Tong Mamma joined in with a bowl of mini dumplings, saying with a smile, “I made this one.”
With so much food, the mother and daughter couldn’t possibly finish it all. They enjoyed a hearty breakfast, and their stomachs were satisfied.
After they finished eating, Lady Ming San sighed, “It’s been a long time since we had such a lively meal.”
Tong Mamma said, “Little Miss is well now, and there will be more lively days ahead!”
Lady Ming San shook her head and smiled, “She’s grown up now, and how long can we keep things lively? In a few years, she’ll be married off to someone else.”
But Tong Mamma said, “What’s so difficult about that? Madam can write to her older brother and say that when she returns to the capital in the future, she’ll buy a neighboring house and continue to spend her days with Little Miss.”
This idea stirred Lady Ming San’s heart. Her agreement with her older brother in the past was made out of necessity. Now that Little Seven had recovered, she couldn’t just turn her back on it. Moreover, the Ji family had a good reputation and would be a suitable match.
If she could live next to her older brother and keep her daughter by her side, wouldn’t that be the best of both worlds?
“Tong Mamma, you’ve given me a great idea. I should write to my older brother to inform him of Little Seven’s recovery.”
She turned to Lady Ming Wei
and said, “I’ll write to your uncle, and when the time comes, we’ll buy a house next door. You’ll still have your days together.”
Lady Ming Wei nodded, and her thoughts wandered. This engagement hadn’t been mentioned yet, so she decided to put it on hold for now. She needed to find out more about the Ming family and what secrets they held.
“Duo Fu, let’s go for a walk and digest our food.”
“Where would you like to go, Little Miss?”
Lady Ming Wei squinted in the sunlight and looked at the fragrant garden. “Let’s play a game called ‘Finding Friends.'”
