This Lantern Festival did not pass peacefully.
When Liu Ming'an woke up, he found himself lying in his bed at home. Jiang Ning had pulled up a stool beside the bed and was watching him intently without moving.
"Ning."
After sitting up in bed, Liu Ming'an gently caressed Jiang Ning's face, his eyes full of tenderness.
Jiang Ning tilted her head, softly nuzzling Liu Ming'an's palm with her cheek. She smiled at him and said, "You must be hungry. I've made some noodles. It's not much, but it'll do."
With that, Jiang Ning got up and went to the kitchen, returning with two steaming bowls of freshly cooked noodles. She had prepared the noodles first, then given Liu Ming'an the spirit spring water, so the noodles were still piping hot and not at all mushy.
When she returned to the room, Liu Ming'an was already seated at the table.
Neither of them had eaten dinner, so they quietly ate their noodles without much conversation. Afterwards, Liu Ming'an went to wash the dishes in the kitchen, then boiled some water for them both to wash up.
By the time they finished washing up and got into bed, it was nearly 11 PM - 1 AM.
As always, Liu Ming'an reached out and pulled Jiang Ning into his embrace, stroking her silky long hair as he said softly, "Go to sleep, Ning. You've had a long day. Rest well."
Jiang Ning murmured an assent and closed her eyes in his arms.
Both of them tactfully avoided mentioning the incident in the alley.
Liu Ming'an knew why Jiang Ning had knocked him unconscious, and what must have happened in the alley after he passed out. Jiang Ning knew that he knew.
What should have been a joyous Lantern Festival had been ruined by this undeserved calamity, souring the mood of the entire day. Jiang Ning felt those three deserved their fate.
But Liu Ming'an was different. For someone who found even slaughtering pigs too bloody, Jiang Ning couldn't possibly kill people in front of him.
Knowing about something was one thing; witnessing it firsthand was quite another.
The next day, the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.
Jiang Ning woke up intending to make breakfast, but Liu Ming'an stopped her. He left the house carrying a food box and a ceramic pot, returning a while later with a large bowl full of tangyuan (glutinous rice balls).
"Even though the Lantern Festival has passed, we should still eat tangyuan," Liu Ming'an said as he went to the kitchen to fetch two bowls, dividing the tangyuan between them.
"The festival's over. Where did you manage to buy tangyuan?" Jiang Ning asked curiously.
Liu Ming'an casually explained, "There's always some left unsold. I asked around at a small stall and had them cook these specially for us. They're filled with black sesame and red bean paste. Try one."
Liu Ming'an scooped up a plump white tangyuan with his spoon and held it to Jiang Ning's lips. After she ate it, he asked, "How does it taste?"
The tangyuan was soft and chewy, with fragrant black sesame bits inside. The red bean paste was smooth, and the soup had a hint of rice wine that perfectly balanced the sweetness. With one bite, the flavors lingered pleasantly in the mouth.
Jiang Ning nodded and said "Delicious" before picking up her own spoon to eat.
Liu Ming'an watched her with a smile, his eyes full of unconscious adoration.
After finishing their meal, Liu Ming'an resumed his usual routine of reading and writing.
Jiang Ning sat nearby grinding ink, occasionally stealing glances at Liu Ming'an's profile when she had nothing else to do.
To Jiang Ning, there was something captivating about Liu Ming'an when he was fully focused. Sometimes he would furrow his brow, other times he appeared deep in thought. He would carefully examine scrolls while muttering to himself, or pick up his brush to write a few lines... Jiang Ning observed his every movement, a faint smile constantly playing on her lips.
"Brother Liu! Sister-in-law! Are you home?"
At some point, a shout came from outside the courtyard. Liu Ming'an looked up from his books and smiled towards the main gate, saying, "Brother Zhou is here!"
"I'll go open the door."
Jiang Ning got up and walked towards the main gate. As soon as she opened it, Zhou Yi's beaming face came into view.
"Good morning, sister-in-law!"
"Brother Zhou."
They exchanged brief greetings as Liu Ming'an finished tidying up his desk and came out. The three of them sat down on stone benches in the courtyard.
"Oh my, Brother Liu, sister-in-law, after I went back that day, I've been rushed off my feet. For the past couple of days, my mother sent me to work in the outskirts of the capital. Today's the first chance I've had to catch my breath... I haven't been able to come see you. Have you settled in alright?"
As soon as he sat down, Zhou Yi started chattering away like a cascade of beans. Liu Ming'an smiled and replied, "Everything's fine. Thank you for your concern, Brother Zhou."
Jiang Ning got up to fetch a pot of water from the kitchen, then returned to her room to take a nap, allowing the two men to chat freely without worrying about her presence.
She needed to rest well, as she had plans to find Steward Ma tonight.
"Ning, Ning..."
After an indeterminate amount of time, Jiang Ning vaguely heard someone calling her name. She opened her eyes to find Liu Ming'an sitting by the bed.
"You're awake? Come, let me help you with your hair," Liu Ming'an said with a smile.
Jiang Ning made a sound of assent and got up from the bed to sit at the dressing table, allowing Liu Ming'an to style her hair.
"When did you come in? I didn't hear a thing," Jiang Ning said casually, though she felt somewhat uneasy inside.
Since coming to this world, she had been living too comfortably and had lost the vigilance expected of an assassin. For Liu Ming'an to enter the room and sit by her bed without her noticing – in the past, she would have died countless times over in such a situation.
She wasn't sure if this change was for better or worse.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ning inwardly sighed.
"I just came in. It's time for dinner, so I came to wake you," Liu Ming'an replied, unaware of Jiang Ning's thoughts as he focused on arranging her hair.
"Did Brother Zhou have food sent over again?"
Recalling Zhou Yi's usual way of doing things, Jiang Ning asked, and sure enough, received an affirmative answer from Liu Ming'an.
"Oh, and Brother Zhou said he wants to take me fishing this afternoon. Ning, do you want to come?" Liu Ming'an asked as he finished inserting the hairpin.
"You two go ahead. Don't worry about me," Jiang Ning replied without hesitation. As she was about to leave the room, she added, "I have something to do tonight and probably won't be back. Don't worry about me."
Liu Ming'an guessed it was related to the Prime Minister's Mansion. Unable to help, he could only nod and advise, "Please be careful!"
"I will," Jiang Ning promised solemnly, looking into his eyes.
After the three of them finished eating, they sat in the courtyard for a while. A waiter from Jun Yue Restaurant came to clear away the dishes and brought fishing rods and a bucket.
"Sister-in-law, I'll be taking Brother Liu out now," Zhou Yi said cheerfully to Jiang Ning as he pulled Liu Ming'an out the door.
"Brother Zhou, where are we going fishing?" Liu Ming'an asked with a smile as they left, carrying the fishing rod.
"Oh, you'll see when we get there!" Zhou Yi was so excited he was practically floating as he walked. "It's been so busy during the New Year period, I haven't been able to fish for ages. Zhang Shun has left too, but luckily you're here now. Today we're going to fish to our heart's content!"
Liu Ming'an had rarely fished before, and he didn't quite understand Zhou Yi's enthusiasm for the activity.
Was sitting there holding a rod for half a day really that appealing?
But seeing Zhou Yi's eager expression, Liu Ming'an wouldn't say anything to dampen his spirits. He had nothing else to do anyway, and he'd caught up on most of his reading. With Ning going out tonight, rather than staying at home worrying and letting his imagination run wild, he might as well go out with Zhou Yi. It would also give him a chance to ask about the happenings in the capital.