The sun was setting, casting a long shadow behind Liu Ming'an as he walked into his courtyard. By the time he arrived, the last outline of the sun had disappeared behind the mountains, leaving only a sky full of crimson clouds.
Jiang Ning was leaning against the doorframe, her delicate features illuminated by the brilliant afterglow. She silently watched Liu Ming'an approach step by step.
Liu Ming'an smiled at her, only to hear her say "Follow me" in her usual tone, devoid of any discernible emotion.
Following Jiang Ning into the kitchen, Liu Ming'an saw her crouching by the stove, using fire tongs to reach into the belly of the furnace. As she brushed away the ashes, Jiang Ning extracted two large, ash-covered objects.
"Are those... baked sweet potatoes?" Liu Ming'an asked, surprise evident in his voice as he looked at the two items on the ground.
Jiang Ning stood up, dusting off her hands, and replied, "Yes, this is our dinner tonight."
But Liu Ming'an didn't move, staring at the two sweet potatoes with a grave expression, lost in thought.
After watching him for a moment, Jiang Ning couldn't help but ask, "You don't like these?" After a pause, she added, "I think they're quite sweet."
"I'm not picky about food," Liu Ming'an answered her question first, then explained his hesitation: "I was just wondering where these sweet potatoes came from in my house."
Liu Ming'an hadn't planted any sweet potatoes, so naturally, there shouldn't have been any in the house. That afternoon, everyone in the village had been called to the pond, leaving only Jiang Ning at home. Or rather, during that time, Jiang Ning was the only one who had freedom of movement.
Could she have taken advantage of everyone's absence to steal vegetables from someone else's home?
Jiang Ning's eyes flickered for a moment. She didn't know how to explain the origin of the sweet potatoes, but she certainly couldn't tell the truth.
After a moment's thought, Jiang Ning said flatly, "Just eat it. Why so many questions? In any case, it's not stolen."
Liu Ming'an couldn't figure out where the sweet potatoes had come from and felt uneasy about eating them. "But—"
"No buts. Keep dawdling and they'll get cold," Jiang Ning cut him off, walking towards the room as she spoke. "There's hot water in the pot for washing up."
At this time of year, night fell quickly. Soon after sunset, the sky had already darkened considerably.
Jiang Ning picked up the oil lamp from beside the cabinet, lit it with a match, and placed it on the table. As the small flame flickered to life, Jiang Ning sat by the table, gazing through the window at the towering mountains in the distance.
After a while, Liu Ming'an came out of the kitchen and, as usual, placed paper and brushes on the table, preparing to study by lamplight. Just as he sat down and picked up his brush, he seemed to remember something and handed a book to Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning looked at the copy of "The Book of Rites" held out before her, uttering a confused "Hm?" without taking it.
Liu Ming'an sheepishly withdrew his hand, smiling awkwardly as he said, "I saw you flipping through this book during the day. I thought you might enjoy reading it."
"I was just passing time," Jiang Ning replied.
Liu Ming'an pondered for a moment before suggesting, "These books of mine are indeed quite dull. Next time we go to the market, shall I buy you some books of strange tales and legends?"
Jiang Ning looked up at him. In the dim lamplight, the young man's eyes were clear and innocent, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Liu Ming'an," she called his name for the first time, her voice losing some of its coldness, "You are a good person."
I will repay you, Jiang Ning added silently in her heart.
Liu Ming'an's smile deepened. "The Lingshan Town market is held every five days. Today is the seventh, so in eight days, I'll buy some for you then."
"Alright, thank you. By the way, what was that about someone shouting 'someone's dead' today? Why were you gone for so long?" Jiang Ning asked, seemingly casually.
The gruesome image of He Wen's death and the woman's lamentations flashed before Liu Ming'an's eyes. His heart sank as he explained, "The deceased was He Wen, the man who came to our house today. He apparently fell by the pond after leaving here, his head submerged in the water, and never resurfaced. I was gone for so long because we had to wait for the officials from the magistrate's office to come and investigate the cause of death."
Jiang Ning lowered her eyes slightly, concealing her expression as she asked, "So, it was the officials who told you this was how he died after their investigation?"
Liu Ming'an nodded, his tone full of emotion, "Life is indeed unpredictable!"
Jiang Ning said no more, picking up an ink stick to help him grind ink. Liu Ming'an smiled at her, then set aside all distractions and immersed himself in his classical texts.
Time passed slowly. When Liu Ming'an finished reading a volume and looked up to take a break, he realized it was already the hour of Hai (9-11 pm).
"Jiang Ning, you should go to sleep. It's too late," Liu Ming'an said. By this time, everyone in the village would have long retired for the night. He felt guilty that Jiang Ning had stayed up with him so late.
Jiang Ning turned to look out the window, seeing nothing but pitch darkness. She guessed it was probably around nine or ten o'clock, indeed time to sleep.
"You should stop reading too. You were injured today, go to bed," Jiang Ning said, turning back to Liu Ming'an.
Liu Ming'an had been so engrossed in his studies that he had forgotten about the wound on the back of his head. Now that Jiang Ning mentioned it, a dull pain returned. He couldn't help but reach back to touch the injury.
"Ouch!" The moment his hand made contact, the pain sharpened, causing Liu Ming'an to draw in a sharp breath.
Seeing his reaction, Jiang Ning reached out to help him tidy up the things on the table.
Liu Ming'an was about to get a robe from the cabinet to sleep in when Jiang Ning stopped him.
"Liu Ming'an, go sleep on the bed."
Liu Ming'an turned back in surprise, hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's fine, I'll just sleep at the table. How could I let a girl sleep there?"
"I wasn't planning to sleep at the table either," Jiang Ning said calmly, glancing at the bed. "The bed is big enough for two people."
Liu Ming'an's expression froze instantly, unable to believe what he had just heard.
"Let's sleep together," Jiang Ning added matter-of-factly.
Shocked beyond words, Liu Ming'an's face turned as red as a boiled shrimp. He couldn't even look at Jiang Ning, lowering his head to stare at the floor as he stammered, "J-Jiang Ning, th-this is not appropriate. Men and w-women should maintain proper d-distance..."
The last few words were barely audible, and if Jiang Ning hadn't been standing close, she probably wouldn't have heard them.
Looking at Liu Ming'an, who seemed so flustered he wished he could disappear into the ground, Jiang Ning suddenly let out a soft "Heh."
Liu Ming'an looked up at the sound, only to see Jiang Ning's lips curled in a half-smile as she said teasingly, "I won't touch you. We're just sleeping in the same bed. I promise not to come into contact with you, okay?"
Since Liu Ming'an had first met Jiang Ning, her face had always been impassive, cold, and distant. This was the first time he had seen her express any other emotion.
Jiang Ning was already strikingly beautiful with an otherworldly air about her. Now, with her lips quirked up and a playful look in her eyes, she looked like a celestial being who had descended to the mortal realm to toy with human hearts.
Liu Ming'an gazed at her, feeling the heat in his face intensify. He quickly averted his eyes, "J-Jiang Ning, no, we can't. This would damage your reputation..."
"I don't even know who I am. Do you think I care about reputation?" Jiang Ning retorted.
Liu Ming'an remained unmoved. "No, a woman's virtue is important. I can't harm you like this."
"It's just the two of us here. If you don't tell and I don't tell, who would know?" she countered.
Liu Ming'an stood firm, his tone righteous: "No, a gentleman must be cautious even when alone. One should not deceive even in darkness. Self-discipline leads to inner nobility..."
Jiang Ning: "..."
She knew that ancient scholars valued their "scholarly integrity" and "gentlemanly hearts," often to the point of being pedantic and stubborn. But she truly hadn't expected it to reach this level.
"Tch!" Jiang Ning's patience ran out. She really wasn't suited for reasoning with people.
While Liu Ming'an was still desperately trying to think of how to persuade Jiang Ning, a delicate white hand suddenly appeared before his eyes. In the next instant, that hand grabbed the collar of his robe and yanked hard. Caught off guard, Liu Ming'an stumbled, following the force of the pull and falling onto the bed.
Just as Liu Ming'an was about to get up, Jiang Ning pressed her hand against his shoulder. She then leaned in close, and in the blink of an eye, the distance between them was less than half a foot. He could clearly see each of Jiang Ning's long eyelashes.
"Sleep. Or I'll beat you up."
Liu Ming'an heard Jiang Ning say coldly, her expression completely serious, without a hint of jest.