Ming Yue immediately opened her door. Sure enough, it was Su Yunkai standing before her.
Su Yunkai instantly noticed the wooden stick in her hand and he couldn’t help but smile. “Did I scare you? You thought I was a thief?”
Ming Yue smiled awkwardly and threw the stick away. “How come you came here at such a late hour? Is your home far from here?” She saw that he was still wearing his official clothes. There was a faint smell of wine. She said softly, “Did they make you drink again?”
“In politics, it’s inevitable. We must exchange greetings. There were many people who got drunk. I didn’t drink that much. The smell must be from them.”
“Such a strong smell just from being there? Come inside, I’ll make you a hangover soup.”
Su Yunkai stepped forward and entered. His left foot had already gone forward, but he forcefully drew it back. A man and woman alone in the middle of the night . . . . He said with a smile, “It’s all right. I’m here to see if you’ve been well recently. Have you been having a good time?”
“It’s been great. Little monkey took me around everywhere. It’s been fun. He also took me to ride a horse. The racecourse is so big that you can’t even see the end of it. There was also a peach mountain. Only, the peaches weren’t ripe yet. Once they’re ripe, Qin Fang will take me there to pick peaches. There is also . . .”
Ming Yue was saying a lot all at once. Su Yunkai felt relieved. It seemed that she was indeed having a good time. Although, upon hearing her talk about the little monkey, he felt his heart twisting. Su Yunkai should’ve been the person accompanying her while she did these things. Instead, he was forced to ask Qin Fang to do so.
“I’m glad to hear that you’ve been enjoying yourself. Once I have time, I’ll accompany you.”
“Mhm.”
Su Yunkai continued, “I have time tomorrow. Do you?”
“Me too. Aside from having fun and eating, I just have fun and eat.”
Su Yunkai smiled. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow evening. We already agreed to go see the lantern and release sky lanterns together. Although we were supposed to be at Damingfu, the Qixi Festival in Kaifeng is also very good.”
Ming Yue didn’t expect for him to even remember that they had made such plans, much less come over just to invite her again. Was he afraid that she would forget, or was he further expressing his seriousness? Regardless, she still felt that Su Yunkai respected her wishes. After these days of missing him, she really wanted to spend some quality time with him.
At this time, someone in the alley had just come out to pour water. The water made splashing noises. Su Yunkai said, “I’ll be heading back now.”
Ming Yue was reluctant to let him leave, but she nodded. Since he cared about her reputation, she should have some self-respect as well. “Be careful on your way back. It’s already very late.”
Su Yunkai smiled. After she had agreed to his invitation to meet tomorrow, he felt as though a weight had been lifted from his mind. As he came out of the alley, he felt his steps get a lot lighter.
Master Su and Madam Su hadn’t gone to bed yet. Hearing him return, Madam Su ordered someone to send over a bowl of soup that had been stewed in the kitchen. When the servant came back, Madam Su asked him whether the young master was drinking it. The servant replied, “The young master said that he would not be drinking it. He will be going to sleep after washing up and he was afraid that he would not be able to fall asleep after drinking it.”
Madam Su said, “Strange. Doesn’t he always sleep late? He’s always busy until the middle of the night, as if he’s itching to finish a whole year’s worth of official duties.”
Master Su and his wife had a good relationship. When Master Su looked up at the sky, he noticed the faint moonlight shining through his window and thought of something. “Tomorrow is the seventh of July. Could he have plans to meet someone?”
Madam Su laughed. “There’s no way.”
Master Su said with a smile, “Why not? I spend Qixi with you every year. Why shouldn’t your son also be accompanying a girl? In terms of age, it’s about time.”
“But when has Kai’er had the time to meet a girl? He only knows how to bury himself in his work at the yamen all day long.”
Master Su thought about it. Madam Su was right. Their son was very obedient. He didn’t like to go to parties or banquets. If he wasn’t drinking with superiors, he would be guarding the yamen. How could he have the time to get to know a girl? After a pensive moment, Master Su said, “Do you still remember the female coroner who was always with him when he was at Damingfu?”
“She came to Kaifeng, too?”
“Perhaps. Didn’t that Constable Bai whom Kai’er recommended to the Kaifeng yamen come with that girl? If that constable is here, maybe she’s here too.”
Madam Su’s face was a little grim. She sat down slowly and asked tentatively, “A female coroner… Where is this girl’s hometown and how old is she?”
Master Su laughed bitterly. “How would I know? If you’re curious, you can call your son over to ask him. Maybe we’re overthinking and they’re not actually involved. Maybe the girl hasn’t come to the capital at all.”
“No,” Madam Su interrupted him. “I was wondering if the girl might be from Qinghe County.”
Master Su paused, “That’s not possible…”
“Why can’t it be? Why would a girl become a coroner unless that’s what her family does?” Madam Su’s heart was rolling. “No. I have to go investigate her life.”
Seeing that Madam Su was firm, Master Su didn’t contradict her. He informed the butler to research the girl thoroughly. Then, he said, “If this is just you thinking too much but they also happen to be truly close, you should be a mother and take care of the matter.”
Madam Su twisted her eyebrows and looked at him. “A coroner…our lives were saved by a coroner. Have you forgotten?”
Master Su’s heart gave a thump. He had nothing to say in contradiction.
*
On the day of the seventh, Qin Fang ran to the yamen early in the morning to wait for Bai Shui. There were a lot of people heading in and out of the yamen, so there would always be someone who that knew him. As soon as Bai Shui heard that Qin Fang was outside waiting for her, she found a chance to go outside.
Qin Fang, who had been tormented by the sun for a long time, almost fainted. When he saw her coming out, he ran over immediately, but she glared at him. He slowed down and followed her from far away. They swerved through a lot of roads before she entered an alley.
“Shui Shui.”
Bai Shui turned and glared at him. “Don’t call me that in public. What are you doing here?”
Qin Fang did not answer. Instead, he touched the top of his head, which felt like it was burning. “Do I have white smoke on my head? It’s almost on fire.”
Bai Shui pushed away his head because it had gotten too close. She frowned. “What do you want to say? I have to get back to work.”
Qin Fang lowered his hand and said seriously, “Today is the seventh. I found the two best positions on the biggest flower boat in the capital. Let’s go and see the river lanterns tonight.”
“…How do two ‘men’ go together?”
Qin Fang remembered. “I was negligent. Let’s not go. We’ll find a quiet place to sit down.”
Bai Shui thought for a moment. “If there is nothing to do at the yamen, I’ll leave early. I can meet you at the stream in the southwest. The river is small; I doubt anyone will be there.”
Qin Fang was satisfied with this suggestion. “I’ll wait for you, then.”
“I know. You can go first. Don’t let people see you.”
Qin Fang felt that they were even more separated than when they had been in Damingfu. At that time, they had stayed beneath the same eaves. He could still see her every day. Now, she no longer stayed in the same place. She worked incredibly hard, wanting to set up a foundation here, so they had even less opportunities to meet.
Looking at her gaunt cheeks, Qin Fang put out his hand and touched them. “Shui Shui, don’t be too hard on yourself. Eat and sleep well. Don’t ruin your body.”
Bai Shui caught his hand and lowered it. She quickly glanced outside the alley. Fortunately, no one was there. She said, “If you don’t go, I’ll go first. See you later.”
With that, she took off. Qin Fang didn’t even have time to answer. As he watched her rush away, Qin Fang stood still. He stayed in that position for a long time. He and Bai Shui weren’t supposed to be like this. After arriving in Kaifeng, she seemed to have gone into a craze. Qin Fang knew she wanted to find her brother, but she seemed to have forgotten about Qin Fang completely.
This feeling was very uncomfortable.
After lunch, he went to the best restaurant in the capital and ordered two boxes of food and a bottle of mild millet wine. On the way, he took a bag of small river lanterns and went to the stream to wait for Bai Shui.
As the sun started to set, Ming Yue also got ready to go out. She ran to the door and looked outside several times. Although she knew that Su Yunkai wouldn’t be let off that early, she still checked, just in case he had arrived. She didn’t want to keep him waiting.
At five, there was a knock outside the door that was accompanied by the voice of Su Yunkai.
Ming Yue trotted over to open the door. She looked him up and down. He was still wearing the official uniform of the Ministry of Rites. Her eyes were wide. “Going out in your uniform? Aren’t you afraid that others will stare at you?”
Su Yunkai said with a smile, “I came just as we finished. It’s fine in the capital. You could probably randomly pick someone from the crowd, and they would be an official or a powerful person. The common people are already immune to such a sight. I think there must be a lot of people tonight. If I wear official clothes, the crowd won’t dare squish us too hard.
Ming Yue laughed. “Turns out the uniform is armor.”
They talked and laughed as they headed off. Perhaps because it was nearly dusk, many young men and women were walking in pairs on the street. There were also groups of girls walking together. All of them held small lanterns in their hands. It seemed that people were looking for a river to release their lamps.
Su Yunkai had already prepared red thread, which he had placed in his wallet this morning. He heard from Qin Fang that going to the Yuelao Temple after releasing the lanterns had a high success rate. He laughed at himself. When did he start believing in things like this?
Ming Yue saw his sudden smile. Although she didn’t know what he was happy about, his smile was infectious. Su Yunkai noticed and asked, “What’s the matter?”
“I saw you smile, so I also started smiling.”
They looked at each other, grinning. There was neither doubt nor stiffness as they walked side by side. They exchanged words occasionally, which caused both of them to feel a warm flow through their hearts.
As dusk fell and the night approached, the lights in the street were lit one after the other. The silver sheen of moonlight spread over the trees, making them look like upside-down stars.
The small river they passed was already filled with all kinds of drifting lanterns, which floated for a long time without sinking.
Su Yunkai and Ming Yue went to the stall and selected two lanterns. They found a place to light them up and set them afloat. Their hearts were filled with joy.
Meanwhile, Qin Fang had been feeding mosquitoes in the stream for a long time.
He’d been basking in the sun for half the day. Now, he was getting bitten by mosquitoes for the second half. Bai Shui still hadn’t come. Qin Fang’s stomach was empty, so he ate his pastries silently and sometimes swatted at mosquitoes as he wondered when Bai Shui would arrive.
*
Su Yunkai and Ming Yue finished releasing the river lanterns and went to find some snacks to eat. Then, they went to a high tower to release some sky lanterns. By that time, the Qixi Festival was more than halfway over.
Coming down from the tower, Su Yunkai clenched the red string in his pouch, looked at Ming Yue, and said, “It’s still early. Why don’t we go…”
“Su Yunkai?”
The voice was bright and vigorous. There was loud laughter that followed the calling of his name. To Ming Yue, the voice sounded like it belonged to a bold and forthright person. Looking to the side, she saw a man in his late twenties walking over. He wore luxurious clothes. His tough face was not very white; he seemed to be part of the military.
Su Yunkai lowered his head and quickly whispered, “Yu Fenglin, the Marquis of Pingxi. He is a general and has been stationed outside for a long time. He didn’t return until recently. He is famously known as the ‘Prime Minister of Martial Arts’ in the imperial government.”
.
A Hint of Spring 
Nooo he got interrupted
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