An Jiu hid inside the government compound. When all the guards’ attention was drawn to Hua Rongjian, she quietly slipped out from the other side.

She hadn’t decided whether to hand over the jade pendant of the Mei family head, so she didn’t go to find Mei Zhengjing yet. Instead, she disguised herself and wandered around the city.

Bianjing City had many willow trees along the riverbanks. In spring, pleasure boats crisscrossed the river, accompanied by the sound of silk and bamboo instruments, creating a lively atmosphere. An Jiu roamed for quite a while before discovering some people setting up stalls along the riverbank in the downstream slum area of the main waterway, trying to attract business from the pleasure boats. Most of them were selling fresh flowers. As spring had just begun and not many flowers were in bloom, these early blossoms became rare commodities, often used by young men to win the favor of ladies in the pleasure houses.

After watching the bustling scene for a while, An Jiu turned and followed a tributary.

Here, the large pleasure boats couldn’t enter. The houses on both banks were dilapidated, with no scenic views to admire, making it much quieter.

After walking a short distance, An Jiu saw someone setting up a stall selling wonton. The vendor, wearing a faded robe, was fishing under a weeping willow. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dazzling spots on his face, making it difficult to discern his features at first glance. His serenity amid such harsh conditions made An Jiu pause.

She stood at a distance for a while before approaching and sitting on a low stool nearby.

Hearing movement, the man tilted his head slightly and tentatively asked, “Customer, would you like something to eat?”

An Jiu casually picked up a book lying on the table. “One bowl of wonton.”

The man smiled happily. “Please wait a moment, customer.”

He set down his makeshift fishing rod, weighed it down with a stone, and slowly turned to the stove.

An Jiu flipped through a few pages, finding the content incomprehensible, and set it aside. She observed the young man, noticing his unfocused gaze. Realizing he was blind, she examined him carefully. He was barely in his early twenties, not particularly handsome, but fair-skinned and clean, with a scholarly air that was quite pleasant to look at.

The blind young man washed his hands and lifted a clean cloth, revealing about twenty prepared wontons underneath. The light illuminated his face, highlighting his serene expression.

As the wontons were dropped into the pot, a fragrant aroma quickly filled the air.

Soon, the young man placed a bowl in front of An Jiu on the table. “Please enjoy, customer.”

An Jiu scooped up a wonton and took a bite. The aroma of wild vegetables mixed with pork immediately filled her mouth. Although not intensely flavored, it was refreshingly light and tasty.

As she ate, she heard the young man’s stomach growl.

The young man laughed sheepishly, embarrassed.

An Jiu paused briefly, then quickly finished the entire bowl. She asked, “How much?”

“Seven wens,” the young man quoted the price, then, fearing An Jiu might find it expensive, earnestly explained, “There’s quite a bit of pork inside.”

An Jiu felt around, took out a silver tael, and placed it in his hand before standing to leave.

She went to the market, bought a bag of flour and a piece of pork, then returned to the wonton stall by the river. Placing the items on the table, she said, “These are for you. I’ll come back to eat in a few days.”

The blind young man was still in shock from selling a night’s worth of wontons for a whole silver tael and didn’t react immediately.

After a moment of silence, the young man urgently asked, “How should I address my benefactor?”

The only response was the rustling of willow leaves in the river breeze.

He went to the table, feeling the flour and meat, and murmured, “Actually, the wontons only had pork fat…”

Wontons were worth at most two or three wen. If not for his dire circumstances, he wouldn’t have dishonestly charged seven men. His first act of dishonesty had unexpectedly earned him a kind person’s reward, and he felt very guilty.

“I know,” An Jiu suddenly spoke, startling the young man.

“Benefactor, you didn’t leave?” he asked.

“No,” An Jiu replied. After holding her breath, even eighth or ninth-rank martial artists would have difficulty detecting her presence, let alone a blind person without martial arts skills.

“I deceived you, benefactor. I don’t deserve such kindness,” the young man took out the silver and placed it on the table, then stood and bowed respectfully.

“Keep it,” An Jiu said. “It’s fine if you’re foolish yourself, but don’t assume others are as foolish as you. Did you think others have never eaten pork? Or did you think your lie was perfect?”

The young man looked ashamed, his empty gaze seeming to look past An Jiu into the distance. “Then why did benefactor still…”

“Because I want to,” An Jiu just wanted to find a quiet place to think carefully about some matters, rather than being charitable. “What’s your name?”

“My surname is Wu, given name Lingyuan,” the blind young man replied.

“Have you studied?” An Jiu tried to make herself seem more normal by attempting to chat with him.

Her former psychologist had said she needed to communicate with people and experience more positive, sunny people and things. She thought Hua Rongjian was sunny, but ninety-nine out of a hundred things he said were nonsense. This stranger, though blind, seemed better.

An Jiu was gradually beginning to understand why Chu Dingjiang often confided in her. When negative emotions accumulate in one’s heart for too long, they need release. People like them would choose those they could easily manipulate to confide in and vent to.

“I studied from a young age and even participated in the imperial examinations once, but I failed,” Wu Lingyuan found the book on the table, opened it, and placed it on his lap. “After failing, my family suffered a series of misfortunes, and I developed an eye condition. Now I can no longer read. I once felt hopeless and wanted to become a monk, but the master said my worldly ties weren’t severed yet. He gave me this sutra, telling me to contemplate Buddhist verses when idle, saying that though my eyes are blind, I can enlighten my heart.”

“You’re hungry,” An Jiu’s gaze fell on the open book. “Why do you look so carefree and at ease? Is it because of this book?”

Wu Lingyuan calmly replied, “I once sought employment, but without academic credentials or a strong physique, no one would hire me. Now, the thing I have most in abundance, which I can freely spend, is time. Why not be more at ease?”

“Does being so at ease make you happy every day?” An Jiu asked.

Wu Lingyuan shook his head. “Benefactor jests. I’m young and could have had the opportunity to fulfill my ambitions, but my life ended before it truly began. Being at ease is merely a choice born of helplessness!”

Listening to his words, An Jiu fell into deep thought. The first thing she realized was that she hadn’t erred in buying the flour and meat.

She felt her first attempt at actively engaging in conversation with someone was quite successful.

An ordinary young woman wouldn’t come to such a quiet place for no reason, let alone give money and food. Wu Lingyuan refrained from asking about this and instead said, “Is the benefactor troubled by something?”

An Jiu felt Wu Lingyuan was quite adept at reflecting on life, so she said, “For some reason, I rarely encounter happy events.”

“It’s probably due to your state of mind,” Wu Lingyuan didn’t disappoint her. “After I failed the exams and went blind, my life changed completely. If I had dwelled on this and let it become a mental block, I would never have experienced happiness again.”

An Jiu thought about how her life’s trajectory had also changed because of one person, one event. She knew this was her mental block but didn’t know how to untie it. “Can you forget it?” she asked.