The next day, the rain cleared and the sky brightened.
Gu Yun woke slightly later than usual. His still-groggy mind gradually cleared after sitting up and letting the breeze wash over him.
The first thing he saw was the rough, stiff bedding. He immediately looked down at himself. Both inner and outer garments were properly in place.
Only then did he let out a breath of relief.
He was sleeping on the inner side of the bed, with an empty space left on the outer side. The quilt was neatly spread over that empty space. He reached under it; the mattress was cold.
Lin Yue had not returned. But if he had not returned, how had he ended up in the bed? Had he sleepwalked?
Gu Yun rolled out of bed, put on his shoes, and went to the door. The bolt had shifted, but only slightly; from a distance it was hard to tell the door had been opened at all.
Opened from the inside…
Gu Yun suspected he might have blacked out. He quickly checked his trouser pockets. The copper coins were still there.
It seemed Lin Yue really had opened the door. This man would make quite a promising petty thief.
Gu Yun opened the door. The clear, slightly cool post-rain air rushed in, instantly easing his nerves.
Someone was sweeping water in the courtyard, the scraping sound filling the air. He did not see Lin Yue. When he looked back into the room, the food box, rain cloak, bamboo hat, and umbrella were gone, but everything else was neatly arranged, and a wooden tub still held a bucket of clean water.
Lin Yue had gone to work at the construction site. Realising this, a sudden wave of disappointment surged up like a spring.
But he quickly adjusted his mood. The place they were staying was safe; a shout would bring neighbours out. Besides, there was only the female kidnapper to worry about. Since he could not get up, he would assume nothing was wrong and would not inform him anyway. It was normal for him to go to work.
Yes, normal. He could not let work be delayed.
Besides, he did not really want to spend time with the children under the big tree at the alley entrance.
In truth, it was not entirely accurate to say he had been spending time with them. During his time under that tree, he had not only secretly observed how locals spoke, but also used those children he had already “exploited” as practice for his speech.
Otherwise, merely copying Lin Yue’s speech would not have allowed him, within just a few days, to speak fluently in both short and long sentences that others could understand without difficulty, albeit with an accent.
Gu Yun was confident that with more time and opportunity, he would fully master both the spoken and written language here.
He returned to wash up. When he came out again, the person sweeping the courtyard had nearly finished.
He recognised the sweeper as the landlord’s elderly mother. He had borrowed firewood from her the previous night.
He went forward to help finish the cleaning and took the opportunity to ask her about which nearby market stalls sold the cheapest firewood, rice, oil, and salt, and also about the other tenants in the courtyard.
The kind old woman told him everything. Then she said, “My son said your family wants to use that big broken vat to grow things?”
“Yes,” Gu Yun replied. “Auntie, when I came here I saw a river nearby. Could we dig some soil from the riverbank to fill it?”
The woman nodded. “Yes, the vegetable patch in the corner of the yard was made from river soil I dug myself. Wait a moment.” She went inside and brought out a basket and a hoe. “Take them.”
Gu Yun was delighted and repeatedly thanked her.
He had not eaten breakfast and did not want to spend money, so he made do by drinking half a ladle of water. He slung the basket over his shoulder, took the hoe, and left.
Before leaving, worried the money might be lost while carrying soil, he searched the room thoroughly. In the end, he carefully removed each copper coin and fixed them to the bottom of a wooden bucket using several thin branches he had broken from the courtyard.
The bottom of the bucket sat a finger’s width above the ground, tightly framed by the wooden staves forming its body.
The branches were bent into place, and the copper coins were wedged between them and the bucket base.
Gu Yun patted the bucket. “Look after my money properly, or I’ll eat you when I get back.”
He went to the riverbank. The river was not wide, with willow trees on both sides. Any reachable branches had already been stripped bare. Several women were washing clothes, chatting idly. As he approached, they stopped and looked him up and down.
“A newcomer? I’ve never seen her before.”
“She’s really pretty, but that hair…”
“Bodies, skin, and hair are given by one’s parents. How could she treat her hair like that? No different from a prostitute.”
“Rubbish. Don’t slander her. Look at her bearing; she doesn’t seem like that kind of person. She must be facing some difficulty.”
They murmured among themselves. Gu Yun pretended not to hear, set down his basket, and began digging with the hoe. It was his first time using such a tool. He tested it a few times before getting used to it.
The riverbank soil was soft. He dug it up in clumps, lifted it with both hands, and placed it into the basket. Afraid he would not be able to carry too much, he stopped when it was about half full.
Near a flat rock by the river, a kindly-faced woman was washing clothes. He asked her to watch his basket, then carried it back to the courtyard and poured the soil into the large vat. After several trips, the vat was nearly full. He wiped his sweat and decided to go once more.
He massaged his legs, especially his knees, picked up the basket, and set off again.
The sky was high and the clouds thin; the bright sunlight was almost blinding.
He stepped out from the shadow of the courtyard gate onto the road and, unable to help himself, closed his eyes. “Bang—” He bumped into someone.
“Sorry,” he said quickly, opening his eyes, stepping back, and bowing in apology.
“It’s fine,” a familiar voice came from above.
Gu Yun looked up. It was Lin Yue.
The man carried a satchel, sleeves rolled up to reveal a strong forearm, his body carrying a faint lingering scent of sweat.
Gu Yun asked in surprise, “Why are you back?”
Lin Yue looked down at him. His gaze felt unfamiliar, and for a moment, Gu Yun felt as though he had returned to their first meeting.
An inexplicable unease rose in him. He shifted uncomfortably, even reaching up to touch his face. Sticky mud smeared his skin. Realising this, he hurriedly tried to wipe it off with the other hand.
But he forgot that both hands were dirty. The more he wiped, the more his face was smeared, as though he had fallen into a mud pit and rolled around.
He slapped his right hand with his left, then his left with his right, muttering, “Idiot.”
Lin Yue’s lips curved slightly, but the expression vanished almost instantly. He looked away and said calmly, “I came back at mealtime.”
“Oh!” Gu Yun responded.
“How much is left?” Lin Yue asked, referring to how much soil remained.
Gu Yun ignored his face, picked up his basket, and walked back towards the river. “Last trip. You rest, I’ll be back soon.”
Lin Yue stood where he was, watching his figure leave.
Gu Yun returned quickly, even bringing the hoe back with him. The woman washing clothes still had not finished; she seemed to be a full-time washerwoman.
He poured the soil into the vat, pressed it down in satisfaction, then took the basket and hoe to the drain, fetched a basin of water, and carefully washed them clean before returning them to the old woman.
Unfortunately, she was eating when he returned them. Before she could say anything, he left again, and only then did the sound of her meal resume behind him, confirming he had done the right thing.
He returned to the room.
Lin Yue had propped open the window. Books and writing materials were spread on the table, and he was sitting there calmly grinding ink.
Beside him were several thin branches and copper coins. He had clearly discovered the hidden money while using water.
Up to this point, their money had never really been kept together.
Gu Yun washed his hands and face, carefully put away the small amount of money, then, remembering something, put it back down again and said,
“How much money do we have left? Let’s buy a pot and some vegetables. Also, I borrowed firewood from the landlord last night. Didn’t you leave some firewood under the bridge? We should bring it back this afternoon.”
He chattered on, also relaying what he had learned from the old woman. But the other man gave no reaction at all.
Gu Yun stared at him in confusion.
He had to admit it now. Lin Yue’s attitude towards him had changed.
Why? He had not done anything wrong. He had even left half of the food from last night for him.
Could it be that Jailer Feng or Madam Feng had said something? But what could possibly cause such a drastic shift?
He could not understand it.
After a moment, he said, “Husband…”
Lin Yue set down the inkstone, picked up his brush, and continued writing without looking up. “You’re blocking the light.”
Gu Yun’s words were cut off.
He walked aside, stretched out his hand, and picked up the copper coins one by one. Then he turned and left.
The sunlight stretched his shadow long behind him. After he had fully left the room, Lin Yue finally lifted his head and looked out into the courtyard.
Although the sun was out, it was not warm. The courtyard bricks were still damp. In the corner, dark green ferns grew wildly. The only neat, clean place was the large vat filled with soil.
A moment passed.
Lin Yue withdrew his gaze and let the ink fall onto the paper. After writing two pages of schoolwork,
Gu Yun returned.
He did not enter. Instead, he lingered at the doorway, peering inside at him.
Lin Yue frowned; his hand paused, and he wrote a character incorrectly.
Gu Yun, holding a reed-leaf bundle, hesitated before slowly stepping inside.
“Although I don’t know what I did wrong, I apologise to you. Please don’t be angry anymore.” He placed the reed-leaf bundle on the table, then extended his index finger and slowly nudged it forward, pushing it bit by bit until it reached Lin Yue’s line of sight.
Lin Yue did not need to open it. From the fragrance alone he could tell what it was: meat buns. Judging from the size, there were likely two.
Lin Yue said, “Trying to bribe me?”
Gu Yun gave a flattering smile. Lin Yue let out a faint scoff.
At that moment, a yamen runner entered the courtyard, glancing around.
Lin Yue noticed him from the corner of his eye and stood up, walking over. The runner was about to call out, but under Lin Yue’s gaze he fell silent and instead took out a letter from his chest.
Lin Yue received it and opened it. It was a letter from Magistrate Gu.
It stated that he had already reported the discovery to the prefect, and instructed that Lin Yue bring his wife to reside at the county magistrate’s residence, saying that his current living conditions were extremely poor and that he was deeply distressed… the wording was ornate, every line full of concern.
Lin Yue folded the letter and put it away.
“Go back and tell your lord,” he said, “that I am very satisfied with my current residence and do not wish to move. I appreciate his kind intentions.”
The yamen runner acknowledged the order.
Gu Yun followed him out and overheard this. His mind was full of confusion. Lord? Which lord? What kindness was being accepted? Who sent the letter? Did Lin Yue know such a person? Had he regained his memories?
While he was unsettled, another group arrived.
Gu Yun turned to look at them, and it was as if a basin of ice water had been poured over him from head to toe.
