Jiang Ning slept deeply.
When she woke up, Liu Ming'an was sitting by the bed, his eyes full of affection and his face beaming with a smile.
"Ah Ning."
The two words she had heard countless times last night echoed in her ears. Certain scenes seemed to replay before her eyes, and Jiang Ning shrank further into the blanket, covering most of her face, leaving only her eyes exposed.
Jiang Ning avoided Liu Ming'an's burning gaze, letting her eyes fall on his hand resting on his knee. However, in the next moment, she suddenly recalled how that hand had grabbed her, caressed her last night...
Ugh~ too embarrassing to remember!
Jiang Ning closed her eyes briefly, finally deciding to stare at the canopy above the bed.
"What time is it?"
As soon as she spoke, Jiang Ning realized her voice was noticeably hoarse.
"It's almost noon. I'll go get you some water."
Liu Ming'an answered, got up to fetch a glass of water from the kitchen, and when he returned to the room, Jiang Ning had already dressed herself and thrown back the covers to get up.
Before Liu Ming'an could say anything, Jiang Ning snatched the water from his hand and drank it all at once. As she drank, Jiang Ning tilted her chin up, revealing a slender neck, her skin as white as jade with spots of red plum blossoms.
Liu Ming'an's eyes darkened slightly, and he clenched his fist, coughing lightly as he turned his head away.
When Jiang Ning put down the glass, Liu Ming'an had composed himself. He picked up a hairpin and smiled at her, "Ah Ning, let me help you with your hair."
"Oh."
Jiang Ning responded dryly, lowering her eyes to stare at the floor, suddenly unsure of how to interact with Liu Ming'an.
Looking at the awkward person in front of him, Liu Ming'an found his newlywed wife utterly adorable. Unable to contain his joy, he stepped forward, embraced her, and lifted her delicate chin to kiss her.
Jiang Ning's eyes widened in surprise.
The warm, moist sensation on her lips, Liu Ming'an's features so close, his long eyelashes fluttering slightly, like little hooks teasing her heart.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
Jiang Ning heard her heart pounding like a drum.
Liu Ming'an kissed her for quite a while before leaving her lips, his forehead pressed against hers, his voice as soft as a spring breeze, "Ah Ning, don't be so uncomfortable. We're husband and wife now."
Husband and wife...
Jiang Ning repeated these words in her heart, her lips curving up involuntarily.
"Yes, we are husband and wife."
Jiang Ning firmly repeated, looking straight into Liu Ming'an's eyes, then tugged at his collar and pecked his lips, "You said yesterday that you'd listen to me from now on. Does that still stand?"
"Of course it does! Absolutely!" Liu Ming'an covered Jiang Ning's hand that was grabbing his collar, his eyes smiling, "Mrs. Liu, I'll listen to you from now on."
"That's more like it."
A bright smile spread across Jiang Ning's face as she gazed into Liu Ming'an's eyes, both of their eyes filled with an love so deep it couldn't be dissolved.
In the end, Liu Ming'an still helped Jiang Ning with her previous hairstyle, because his beloved wife complained, "My head feels heavy when all the hair is pinned up."
Liu Ming'an, of course, had to comply.
While this side was experiencing newlywed bliss, with the couple deeply in love, on the other side, someone was scratching his head in frustration and worry.
Jin Hui held a folded portrait in his hand, randomly found a roadside teahouse, and ordered a bowl of cold tea on this chilly day.
Li Jiu, who had been running around with him all morning, plopped down beside him, dejected: "Brother Hui, how are we supposed to find her in this huge capital city? We're like headless flies!"
Li Jiu, being the youngest, was the most impatient. Without waiting for Jin Hui to speak, he continued, "We've asked all over Yuqin Street and Zhuxia Road near the Chancellor's mansion this morning, and no one has seen the Third Miss. Where on earth could she have gone?"
After a fruitless morning, Jin Hui himself was feeling irritated. With Li Jiu's constant muttering, he felt a nameless fire building up inside him.
The waiter brought the tea, and Jin Hui picked it up and gulped down half the bowl. Only then did he feel the fire in his heart subside.
"Don't rush. The capital isn't that small, but it's not that big either. The Third Miss is strikingly beautiful, anyone who's seen her would surely remember."
Jin Hui tried to comfort Li Jiu with kind words, while also trying to convince himself.
"What if the Third Miss has already left the capital? Or what if she's still here but hiding and not coming out? We could search for a lifetime and never find her..." Li Jiu was completely hopeless. He added with a sigh, "Ah, if only our master had a network of shops throughout the capital like the Lou Family. With such extensive connections, we'd probably find the Third Miss in less than half an hour..."
The waiter brought two large baskets of steamed buns. Jin Hui picked one up and stuffed it into Li Jiu's mouth, silencing his chatter, "Stop trying to slack off. Even if we can't find her, we still need to search thoroughly first. How else can we report back to the master?"
Li Jiu nodded, taking a big bite of the bun, his cheeks puffed out. Jin Hui patted his shoulder and said, "Eat up. This afternoon we'll check other places. She's a grown person, someone must have seen her."
After a quick lunch, the two men set out again with the portrait, asking around until they reached Xichun Road.
Li Jiu looked up at the luxuriously decorated inn before them and asked Jin Hui, "Brother Hui, would the Third Miss stay at an inn instead of going home?"
"Stop talking nonsense. Let's go in and ask."
Jin Hui couldn't be bothered with him and strode towards the place with a sign that read "Jun Yue Restaurant". Li Jiu had no choice but to follow.
"Oh, welcome, gentlemen! Please come in!"
The greeter at the door enthusiastically welcomed Jin Hui and Li Jiu, "Gentlemen, are you here for a meal or to stay?"
Jin Hui waved his hand, "Don't mind us, young man. Go about your business. We're here to ask about someone."
Li Jiu followed Jin Hui inside, looking at the crowded hall, and whispered, "Brother Hui, who should we ask? Should we ask everyone here one by one?"
Hearing this stupid question, Jin Hui raised his hand and knocked Li Jiu on the head, "Did you grow only in height and not in brains? Of course we're going to ask the manager."
Seeing Li Jiu still unconvinced, Jin Hui patiently explained, "These inn and restaurant managers, which one of them isn't talented? If you pass by them once, they'll remember you for at least ten days, if not more."
"Not to mention how striking the Third Miss's appearance is," Jin Hui added.
Li Jiu rubbed his head, grinned, and flattered him, "Brother Hui, you're so smart!"
With that, Li Jiu volunteered to go ask the manager, but when he looked towards the counter, he was puzzled, "Brother Hui, why is the manager of this restaurant so young? He looks like a young master."
Jin Hui looked over and indeed saw a young man in blue clothes standing behind the counter, looking no older than twenty-five.
"Let's go ask first and see. You can't always judge a book by its cover." Jin Hui also felt something was off, but they had come this far, they couldn't just leave.
Zhou Yi behind the counter had long noticed these two strange customers whispering to each other, but he didn't pay much attention. Running a business meant welcoming all kinds of guests; he had seen all sorts of odd characters.
Anyway, Manager Li had gone to the toilet with a stomachache, and Zhou Yi was just passing by, filling in for him for a while before heading back upstairs.
Li Jiu walked up to the counter, putting on what he thought was a friendly smile. He first bowed slightly to Zhou Yi, then as usual, took out a few copper coins and placed them on the counter, "Manager, excuse me, I'd like to ask you something."
Zhou Yi glanced at the copper coins, smiled, and pushed them back, "You're too kind, sir. I don't even know if I can help yet. Please, go ahead."
Li Jiu unfolded the portrait in his hand and placed it in front of Zhou Yi, his eyes filled with a glimmer of hope, "Have you seen this young lady?"
Zhou Yi lowered his gaze to look. The woman in the portrait had exquisite features, delicate and charming, truly a stunning beauty!
Although the artist who drew this portrait wasn't very skilled - even the mouth was crooked - Zhou Yi recognized her at a glance. It was his sister-in-law, Jiang Ning!
Zhou Yi's smile froze for a moment, his eyes flickered, and he imperceptibly took a breath before shaking his head at Li Jiu, "I haven't seen her."
Li Jiu sighed in disappointment and was about to put away the portrait when Jin Hui behind him stepped forward, staring into Zhou Yi's eyes, "Are you sure you haven't seen her? Please take another good look, manager."
Zhou Yi lowered his head and looked several more times, then said with certainty, "Sir, I really haven't seen her. This young lady is so beautiful, if I had seen her, I would remember her for a lifetime."
Jin Hui smiled and reached into his pocket, taking out two taels of silver and placing them near Zhou Yi's hand. "Sorry for the trouble. We'll be going now!" With that, he grabbed Li Jiu by the collar and left.
Once they were outside Jun Yue Restaurant, Li Jiu asked in confusion, "Brother Hui, why did you give him so much money? We didn't get any useful information. A few copper coins would have been enough."
Jin Hui raised his hand and gave Li Jiu another hard knock on the forehead, exasperated. "Don't you have any brains? Can't you even read people's expressions? That manager has definitely seen the Third Young Miss!"
"Huh?" Li Jiu was dumbfounded.
Jin Hui didn't want to explain further and pulled Li Jiu to stand not far from Jun Yue Restaurant. "He's not only seen her, but he might even have some kind of relationship with the Third Young Miss. Otherwise, he wouldn't go to such lengths to cover for her."
"Then why don't we just grab him and question him?" Li Jiu didn't understand why they were just standing there doing nothing.
"Thwack!"
Another knock on the head, and Li Jiu covered his head with a look of grievance.
Jin Hui's face darkened with anger. "In broad daylight, with so many people around, you want to grab him? On what grounds? What law has he broken? And what official are you? Besides, have you forgotten the master's orders not to make a big fuss about this?"
Li Jiu was stunned by the barrage of questions, but his peripheral vision caught a figure in blue walking out of Jun Yue Restaurant. He quickly pointed and said urgently, "Brother Hui, stop scolding me, he's coming out!"
Jin Hui looked and indeed saw the manager hurrying out, his steps quite rushed.
"Quick, follow him!"