Chapter 43: Calming the Waves (Part 6)
Zhou Ting dismissed the officers guarding Ni Su’s clinic and had Chao Yi Song bring in several ornate boxes, filling the table on the back porch. “The Yin Ye Si has been busy lately. We haven’t had time to visit, Miss Ni. These are gifts from the Director.”
“Director Han?” Ni Su was surprised. She couldn’t deny the fear she felt towards the Director, his interrogation still vivid in her memory.
“The Director admires your courage and loyalty in seeking justice for your brother. He personally chose these gifts. Please don’t refuse,” Zhou Ting said.
Chao Yi Song, standing behind him, had a strange expression, as if he wanted to say something.
“Then please thank Director Han for me,” Ni Su said, bowing.
“You’re injured, Miss Ni. There’s no need for formalities,” Zhou Ting said, instinctively reaching out, then withdrawing his hand. He looked at her pale, thin face. “How are your wounds healing?”
He had first met her in the Yin Ye Si prison, injured and tortured.
She was always injured, her body growing thinner each day, but he knew beneath her frail appearance was a steely resolve.
Cai Chun Xu, observing their interaction, smiled and instructed a servant to take the gifts inside. She placed a cushion on a chair and helped Ni Su sit down. “Her wounds are healing well, Commander Zhou. Why don’t you sit down and have some tea? Perhaps you’d even stay for dinner.”
Cai Chun Xu’s hospitality was overwhelming. Zhou Ting couldn’t find an opportunity to decline. Chao Yi Song, ever helpful, pushed him down onto the chair and grinned at Cai Chun Xu. “Is there enough food for me as well?”
“Of course,” Cai Chun Xu said with a smile, placing a hand warmer in Ni Su’s hands.
“Excellent!” Chao Yi Song sat down beside Zhou Ting and winked at him. “Commander Zhou, let’s stay for dinner!”
Zhou Ting ignored him and said to Cai Chun Xu and Ni Su, “Thank you for your hospitality.”
Xu He Xue, inside, heard the door open next door. Standing by the window, their voices drifted in, sometimes clear, sometimes muffled. He didn’t listen closely, his gaze fixed on the beast bead in his hand. It was quiet, no flicker of soul fire.
He looked through the thin gauze curtain at Ni Su, wrapped in a thick cloak, sitting with Cai Chun Xu.
He returned to his desk and sat down, shimmering dust gathering in his fingertips and seeping into the bead. But the carved bead remained unresponsive.
He sat there, holding the bead, trying repeatedly, until darkness fell and his vision blurred.
Cai Chun Xu prepared a feast, warming a pot of wine and pouring a cup for Zhou Ting. “Commander Zhou, my husband was taken to the Yin Ye Si twice, but you didn’t torture him. I want to thank you and Director Han for your kindness.”
“You’re too kind, Lady Cai,” Zhou Ting said, raising his cup. “The Yin Ye Si only questioned Chaofeng Lang. There was no need for torture.”
“Regardless, thank you for protecting my Sister A-Xi for so long,” Cai Chun Xu said with a smile.
“It was my duty,” Zhou Ting said, nodding to her, unsure how to respond to her teasing gaze, and drank his wine.
Ni Su, still injured, couldn’t drink alcohol and raised her teacup instead. “Commander Zhou, I knew from the beginning that my case would be difficult, but I’m deeply grateful for your and Director Han’s efforts.”
Even though she knew Han Qing and Meng Yun Xian were only helping her because it served their own purposes, she didn’t care.
Wu Ji Kang’s conviction and execution were all that mattered.
Zhou Ting could handle Cai Chun Xu’s playful banter, but under Ni Su’s earnest gaze, he fell silent, simply raising his cup and drinking.
After the toasts, only Cai Chun Xu and Chao Yi Song’s voices filled the room. Zhou Ting was naturally taciturn, and Ni Su was distracted, constantly glancing at the dark room across the courtyard.
As darkness fell, Chao Yi Song, leaving the clinic with Zhou Ting, said excitedly, “Commander Zhou, I saw that snow satin again!”
“What snow satin?” Zhou Ting asked absently.
“The unfinished men’s garment I mentioned, the one that was ruined during the search for Chuan Wu. I saw a bolt of the same satin when I was helping the servants put away the gifts. Snow white with light gold embroidery. It must have been expensive!” Chao Yi Song looked at Zhou Ting’s tall, sturdy figure. “You always wear your military uniform. I’ve never seen you in scholar’s robes.”
“Don’t be absurd,” Zhou Ting frowned.
“Why is it absurd? I haven’t seen Miss Ni with any other young men, only you, sir,” Chao Yi Song said, avoiding a puddle. “I don’t understand you, sir. Those gifts you gave Miss Ni today, weren’t some of them from you? Why didn’t you mention it? Now that her brother’s case is closed, and she’s gotten her revenge, if you don’t act quickly, what if she leaves Yun Jing and returns to Que County? After all, Yun Jing isn’t a pleasant place for her.”
Zhou Ting paused, his eyes downcast.
She had risked her life for justice, and she had gotten it. Would she stay in Yun Jing, the place where her brother had died?
“One more word, and you’ll be punished,” he said, his expression hardening, quickening his pace.
Chao Yi Song sighed inwardly. Commander Zhou was a good man, but clueless when it came to matters of the heart.
Cai Chun Xu, after dismissing the servants, turned to Ni Su. “Sister A-Xi, what are your plans?”
“What?” Ni Su asked, still looking at the room across the courtyard.
“I’ve made inquiries. Commander Zhou comes from a good family. Although he’s a military officer, his family are scholars. His father is a fourth-rank official…” Cai Chun Xu said with a smile.
Ni Su finally understood. She met Cai Chun Xu’s gaze and smiled wryly. “Sister Cai, I have no romantic interest in Commander Zhou.”
Cai Chun Xu thought, Perhaps not now, but who knows about the future?, but she didn’t say anything, only asking, “Then tell me, what kind of husband are you looking for?”
What kind of husband?
Ni Su thought for a moment. “Someone who respects my aspirations.”
“And?”
“And…” Ni Su bit her lip. “I’m not a good cook. It would be nice if he could cook.”
“How many men are willing to cook?” Cai Chun Xu chuckled.
“There are some,” Ni Su said.
“Anything else?” Cai Chun Xu asked, helping her walk into the courtyard.
The night air was cold, their breath misting in the air. Ni Su looked up at the starlit sky.
She found the brightest star. “Someone like a star. Clean and bright.”
Cai Chun Xu was puzzled. “There’s no such man.”
As the night deepened, Cai Chun Xu excused herself and returned to the Grand Commandant’s residence, after instructing Yu Wen to attend to Ni Su.
“Miss Ni, why are you sleeping here tonight?” Yu Wen asked, puzzled, from outside the room. Xu He Xue, sitting in the darkness, his eyes lifeless, blinked.
“I…” Ni Su said hesitantly, “the smell of medicine in my room is too strong. I wanted to sleep in a different room.”
“Oh…” Yu Wen didn’t suspect anything.
Xu He Xue heard the door open and Yu Wen’s voice. “The lamp isn’t lit, Miss. I’ll…”
“No need. Just give me the flint and steel. I’ll do it myself,” Ni Su interrupted.
“But your wounds…” Yu Wen hesitated.
“It’s nothing. I can manage.”
The lantern light on the porch illuminated the room, casting long shadows. Ni Su saw him sitting in the darkness, his eyes half-closed, his form faint as mist.
Yu Wen handed her the flint and steel, helped her sit down at the table, placed several candles beside her, and left.
“Are you… sleeping here tonight?” Xu He Xue asked, listening to her movements.
“Does it bother you?” she asked.
“No,” he said softly.
As a ghost, how could he be bothered? This was her house, her belongings. She could do as she pleased.
“If I hadn’t told Yu Wen that, how could I come see you?” Ni Su said, placing the candles on the candlestick. “You seemed unhappy today. I was afraid you wouldn’t come even if I called you.”
“I wasn’t unhappy,” Xu He Xue said, turning towards her voice, unable to see her in the dark.
“Then why didn’t you appear beside me on the way back from the execution grounds?”
Cai Chun Xu, Yu Wen, and Zhou Ting had been there, but not him. He had been a faint mist, as if a gust of wind could scatter him.
Ni Su lit a candle, illuminating his dark, empty eyes, their gazes meeting unexpectedly.
The wind howled outside, rustling the dry leaves.
Xu He Xue opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
Ni Su lit more candles, the room brightening, the light reaching his eyes, allowing him to see her face.
“Do gentlemen also lie?” she suddenly asked.
Xu He Xue’s fingers clutched his robe. “I just…”
“Just what?” Ni Su stood up, leaning on the table, ignoring the pain and the sweat on her forehead. She walked to the bed and looked back at him. “May I?”
Xu He Xue’s fingers relaxed, almost dropping the beast bead. His voice was slightly hoarse. “…Yes.”
She could do as she pleased.
He even wished she wouldn’t ask, that she would simply lie down beside him. He had no right to refuse.
The bright candlelight allowed him to see her clearly as she lifted the blanket and lay down beside him, in her clothes, her head on his pillow…
He blinked and looked away.
“Are you unhappy because I haven’t been good to you?” Ni Su asked, nestled under his blanket, smelling the familiar scent of snow and spring flowers, cold and refreshing.
She curiously pressed her face against the blanket, inhaling the scent.
“No…” Xu He Xue started to say, then stopped, his eyes widening.
What was she doing?
As a ghost, he couldn’t feel warmth or blush, but her actions stirred emotions he hadn’t felt since he was alive.
“…I’m sorry,” Ni Su said, realizing her behavior was strange, a blush rising on her pale cheeks.
She had truly overstepped this time.
Silence fell upon the room. They sat there, one on the bed, one at the desk, both avoiding each other’s gaze.
“Why didn’t you answer my question?” Ni Su asked, looking up at the bed canopy, clearing her throat.
“You’ve been very kind to me,” Xu He Xue said, smoothing the wrinkles on his sleeve. “But I… I wish you wouldn’t…”
Don’t be so kind to me.
He had intended to say those words, ever since seeing his hand at the execution grounds.
But looking at her now, selfish desire held him back.
Ni Su, not understanding his silence, was about to ask again when his expression changed. He raised his hand, and the beast bead, emitting a strange light, floated out of his palm.
Ni Su watched as the light swirled, gradually forming a faint figure.
Her pupils contracted. She immediately got out of bed, ignoring her pain, and approached the figure.
He wore the same clothes he had been wearing in the mud Buddha statue, the clothes she had watched her mother sew for him.
“Brother…” she whispered, her voice trembling with disbelief.
It felt like a lifetime ago. Her brother’s face and voice had begun to fade from her memory, but seeing him now, the past came alive.
“A-Xi,” the figure projected by the beast bead said, his image clear and clean, unlike the decaying corpse in the statue.
Hearing his voice, Ni Su’s eyes welled up, and she burst into tears.
“A-Xi, you’ve lost so much weight,” Ni Qinglan said, reaching out, unable to touch her. “You’ve suffered so much for me.”
“It wasn’t suffering,” Ni Su said through her tears, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, wanting to see his face more clearly. “Brother, it wasn’t suffering…”
He was the brother she remembered, his features so familiar.
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have listened to Father,” she sobbed. “If you hadn’t gone to Yun Jing for the examination, you wouldn’t have died. I wanted you to be safe, to be alive. I miss you so much. Mother misses you too…”
Her courage, her strength, crumbled in the face of her grief.
“I’ve seen Mother,” Ni Qinglan said, unable to wipe away her tears.
“A-Xi, I didn’t want you to do this for me. You’re my little sister. I wanted you to be happy, to not suffer like this.”
“But A-Xi, I’m also happy. Having a sister like you is my greatest blessing,” he said, smiling at her. “Don’t grieve for me anymore. You’ve done enough. I see it all. Mother sees it too.”
“Are you afraid, now that you’re alone?”
Ni Su shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “No.”
“I know you’re not,” Ni Qinglan nodded. “When you secretly studied medicine and Father beat you, you weren’t afraid. You’re a strong woman. I’ve always known that.”
Ni Su took a book from her sleeve, her hand trembling as she opened it. “Brother, do you remember our agreement? We were going to write this medical text on women’s ailments together. You taught me first, and you said when I grew up, when I had more experience, I would teach you…”
“I can’t do that anymore,” Ni Qinglan said, shaking his head gently, his gaze soft. “But A-Xi, you can do it, can’t you?”
“I can,” Ni Su said, her voice choked with tears. “I will. I’ll dedicate my life to writing this book, carrying on your legacy. I’ll make sure women are no longer ashamed of their ailments. I’ll make sure your work lives on.”
“I, Ni Su, will devote my life to this cause.”
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