At noon in June, the sunlight was scorching. The streets were nearly empty, with cicadas chirping in the trees outside. Ming Shu sat fanning herself in Man Tang Hui’s back hall during the afternoon break, with an iced plum drink beside her and a plate of fruit pastries. The shop was empty of customers, and the assistant was quietly dozing at the front.

The initial bustle of opening had passed, and Man Tang Hui’s business had settled into its rhythm, catering to the capital’s noble ladies. Most customers were from wealthy families, so daily traffic wasn’t heavy. Ming Shu had prepared a batch of jewelry samples that could be sent directly to various mansions for selection.

After all, since these noble ladies rarely went out, it was up to merchants like them to be more proactive in making house calls.

When it came to business, Ming Shu never stood on ceremony.

The door chime rang, and Ming Shu’s eyelids flickered but didn’t open as she listened to the assistant greeting the customer.

It was a young lady with a soft, gentle voice who spoke hesitantly: “I… I’m not here to buy anything. I heard that your shop’s proprietor also takes on private cases for ladies of the inner courts. I… I’ve come to ask for help.”

Ming Shu’s eyes snapped open in the back hall.

“Please show her in,” came a lazy voice from behind the beaded curtain, as if just waking up.

The assistant led the young lady to the curtain, lifted it for her, and said, “Please enter.”

The young lady stepped uncertainly into the back hall, glancing around before noticing the young woman lounging in a round-backed chair behind the counter. She wore an apricot-colored Song-style jacket with a green outer robe, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan while smiling as she pushed over a freshly poured cup of plum drink.

“Please sit down. It’s hot outside – have a drink to cool off,” Ming Shu said.

The iced plum drink had condensation beading on the porcelain cup, looking refreshingly cool. The young lady swallowed and carefully sat across from Ming Shu, thanking her before picking up the cup and drinking it all at once, showing an expression of satisfaction.

“I am Man Tang Hui’s proprietor, surname Lu. May I know how to address you, and what brings you here?” Ming Shu poured her another cup.

“My surname is Liu, Liu Wan’er. I live on North Horse Street.”

“Does the Liu family practice medicine?” Ming Shu asked. North Horse Street was where medical shops and pharmacies gathered.

“We used to, but that was several years ago. My father was a pediatric and obstetric physician, and my mother was a midwife, but they both passed away a year ago. I wasn’t talented enough to learn even the basics of their skills, so the medical shop had no one to inherit it and closed down,” Liu Wan’er seemed nervous, clutching her teacup tightly.

Ming Shu asked further: “I see. Then, Miss Liu, you’re here for…”

“I want… to find my birth parents.”

Ming Shu raised an eyebrow, waiting for the rest.

Liu Wan’er took out an old silk handkerchief, carefully smoothing it out on the table, then removed a longevity lock from around her neck and placed it on the handkerchief.

“I’m the Liu family’s adopted daughter. Seven years ago, when I was still an infant, I was abandoned at the Liu family’s medical shop, wearing this longevity lock and with this silk handkerchief tucked in my swaddling clothes.” Liu Wan’er’s gaze fell on the old items, showing sadness. “My adoptive parents treated me very well. While they were alive, I didn’t want to seek my birth parents and hurt their feelings. Now that they’ve passed away, I truly want to find answers – not for anything else, just to know where I came from. Would proprietor Lu be willing to help? I understand the rules – here is the payment.”

As she spoke, she took out a bank note from her waist and respectfully presented it with both hands on the table.

Ming Shu looked down – it was a two-hundred-tael note, possibly all the savings of this doctor’s daughter, or perhaps the dowry her adoptive parents had left her. However, Ming Shu reached for the longevity lock instead.

It was a pure gold longevity lock commonly worn by children, and though only the size of an infant’s fist, it was solid. Five small bells hung from the bottom, and the lock’s design was exquisite, with one side carved with a vivid immortal child offering a peach, and the other side featuring the four characters “Long Life Hundred Years” surrounded by cloud patterns.

Ming Shu then examined the old silk handkerchief. Made of plain silk, it had yellowed with age and bore some old stains. The corner was embroidered with a cluster of green orchids and the character “Hui”. The stitching was ordinary, showing unremarkable embroidery skills, but the fabric was expensive, seeming like a personal item hand-embroidered by a lady from a wealthy family. Combined with the longevity lock, these items had significant origins and didn’t seem to belong to ordinary people.

“With just these two items, there’s too little to go on, and since this happened seventeen years ago, it will be even harder to investigate,” Ming Shu said. “Besides these two items, what about the swaddling clothes and other clothing from that time?”

“Several years ago, we had a fire. The longevity lock survived because I was wearing it, and the handkerchief because my adoptive mother managed to save it, but the swaddling clothes and other items couldn’t be…” Liu Wan’er sighed, her brow furrowed with worry. “I know I’m asking a lot, but I want to find answers. Proprietor Lu, you have wide connections and experience – perhaps you could find some information. Could you help me?”

Ming Shu looked at the longevity lock without speaking.

Man Tang Hui had been open for over half a month, running much as she had envisioned. Besides customers buying gold ornaments, a small portion came to her to solve difficult private matters. However, most of these inner court ladies wanted her help tracking down husbands’ mistresses or finding out which courtesans they were visiting in which pleasure houses… Ming Shu had little interest in such matters and had temporarily declined them all, citing the new shop’s busyness. She planned to wait until later when she had time to train some capable assistants to handle such trivial cases.

Liu Wan’er’s case wasn’t particularly unusual, but the lack of clues made it seem impossible to begin.

“Miss Liu, I’ll be direct – this will be difficult to investigate. Seven years have passed, your adoptive parents have passed away, and in this vast sea of humanity, with just these two items, the chances of finding anything are very low.” Ming Shu had barely finished the first part when she saw Liu Wan’er’s disappointed expression, and continued, “How about this – take back your bank note, leave the longevity lock and handkerchief with me, and I’ll make some inquiries. If I find anything, I’ll let you know. We can discuss payment when there are concrete results.”

The longevity lock and handkerchief likely came from a wealthy family. All she could do was show these items to several well-connected wealthy households to ask about their origins.

Hearing that Ming Shu hadn’t completely refused, Liu Wan’er immediately relaxed, showing a shy smile. She stood to thank her but insisted on leaving the bank note. Ming Shu firmly refused, and after a brief back-and-forth, Liu Wan’er finally took back the note and left Man Tang Hui with profuse thanks.

After she left, Ming Shu wrote a letter, then took out a wooden box, packed the longevity lock and handkerchief together, and had the shop’s runner deliver everything to Wen An at the Prince’s mansion.

Having finished everything, she stretched lazily, leaned back in her chair, and slowly sipped her plum drink.

The weather was getting hotter and hotter.

At sunset, the evening glow filled the sky.

Just as Lu Chang was finishing a day’s work and about to leave, someone hurriedly entered and bowed to him, presenting a letter.

“Sir, an urgent confidential letter from Jiangning,” Ying Xun said expressionlessly.

After Lu Chang’s transfer to the Kaifeng Prefecture, the original deputy prefect had been reassigned elsewhere, and Ying Xun had become Lu Chang’s subordinate.

“Give it here.” Lu Chang looked up from his desk, took the letter from Ying Xun, opened it with a knife, and carefully read each word.

As he read, his lips slowly curved upward.

The missing Concubine Zhou from the Jian family had been found, and the people sent to Jiangning were writing to ask about the next step.

After reading the letter, he sat back at his desk and ground ink to write again.

Now that the person had been found, they needed to think of a way to bring her to Bianjing.

By the time he had carefully considered and finished writing the letter, the sky had completely darkened. He sealed the letter with wax and handed it to Ying Xun to send quickly. Only after Ying Xun had left with his orders did he pack up his desk and hurriedly leave the office.

Outside, the sky was full of stars.

He had promised to take Ming Shu to the State Bridge night market, and now he was already late for their appointed time.

Ming Shu stood outside Man Tang Hui for the third time, looking up and down the street at the passing crowds.

What time was it now? She had been waiting for over an hour, and Brother still hadn’t come.

The shop assistant, seeing her poor mood, stood in the shop not daring to make a sound.

The bell rang heavily as Ming Shu stormed back into the shop, angry about his lateness while also wondering if some urgent matter at the office had detained him.

Just as she was lost in thought, the shop’s bell rang again, and the assistant’s face brightened as he called out: “Official Lu.” Ming Shu turned to see Lu Chang hurrying into the shop, sweat on his brow.

“I’m sorry, some urgent official business came up, which delayed me,” Lu Chang apologized as soon as he saw her.

Ming Shu’s anger always came quickly and dissipated just as fast. Seeing his rushed state, how could she still blame him? She poured him a cup of tea while pushing her handkerchief into his hand.

“Wipe your sweat,” she said. “If you’re busy with official duties, you could have sent Lai An to let me know, and we could have gone another day. The State Bridge isn’t going to disappear.”

“I promised you, I couldn’t break my word,” Lu Chang drank the tea and wiped his sweat, tucking the soiled handkerchief into his sleeve. “The State Bridge night market stays open until the third watch and gets more lively as the night goes on. Come on, I’ll take you to feast.”

Ming Shu followed Lu Chang out of the shop with a bright smile.

From the Vermilion Bird Gate to the Dragon Ferry Bridge, the entire street was lined with various eateries, growing more lively as the night deepened. Especially in this stuffy summer heat, when people preferred not to go out during the day and waited for nightfall to enjoy the cooling evening air. In her half year in Bianjing, Ming Shu hadn’t yet experienced the bustle of the State Bridge night market and had long looked forward to it. How could she not be happy when Lu Chang offered to take her?

When they arrived, the night market was indeed bustling with noise and brilliantly lit, filled with the aroma of food. Ming Shu took a deep breath, tasting all kinds of flavors – sour, sweet, salty, bitter, spicy – in the air, her soul nearly floating away with them.

“I’m hungry, so hungry,” Ming Shu tugged at Lu Chang’s sleeve pitifully.

“Whatever you want to try, we’ll eat,” Lu Chang said.

Ming Shu was delighted – Brother wasn’t fussy about this or that, which made her happiest, able to eat to her heart’s content.

But the State Bridge night market was a food paradise, with hundreds of delicacies like concubines awaiting selection by Ming Shu. Though usually picky about food, in such a lively place, she had set aside all pretense and wanted to try everything.

“Boss, just one portion is enough,” Ming Shu was also sensible, only ordering one portion of each dish.

“One portion? Are you eating alone?” Lu Chang was just as empty-stomached as she was.

“Brother, there are so many things to eat on the street. If we share one portion, we can try more,” Ming Shu explained as she took the sesame paste from the vendor.

Sesame tofu, spicy chicken skin, freshly fried lamb intestines, sugar-frosted ice… Whether hot or cold, sweet or salty, spicy or sour, anything that caught her eye, she had to taste. But one portion was too much – she’d be full after just two bites, so the best solution was to share with Lu Chang.

“Could it be… Brother looks down on sharing with me?” Ming Shu took a sip of sesame paste and pushed the bowl to him.

Lu Chang stared at the sesame paste on her upper lip for a moment, his voice deepening: “Not at all.”

Ming Shu finally smiled, seeing him pointing at his lip to hint at hers. She licked her lips and asked, “Is it clean now?”

Lu Chang didn’t answer but reached across the table, his fingertip quickly wiping her lip before withdrawing before she could react, saying lowly: “Still the same as when you were little.”

Ming Shu bit her lip – Brother was strange, too strange.

But where exactly was he strange? She couldn’t say.

Sharing one portion did let them try more dishes. Ming Shu was excited about everything, which was quite difficult for Lu Chang. Though she loved food, her appetite wasn’t large. She would only taste most foods briefly, eating a bit more of what she liked, barely touching what she didn’t, then pushing the entire portion to Lu Chang.

“Enough, Ming Shu… I… can’t eat anymore,” Lu Chang sighed.

Ming Shu reluctantly let Lu Chang off, saying only: “Then let’s buy a bottle of lychee syrup for Mother and head back.”

Lu Chang nodded.

After indulging her for half a day, he was defeated by “eating.” He regretted not having four stomachs like a cow, to accompany her in tasting all of Bianjing’s flavors in one night.

The night had deepened when the Top Scholar mansion’s main gate suddenly opened, with a servant holding a lantern as Madam Zeng personally saw a guest out.

“Madam, please don’t trouble yourself further. I’ve already imposed for an entire evening, and you’ve been so kind to entertain me. Please don’t see me out,” Song Qing Zhao bid farewell to Madam Zeng under the corridor.

He had come looking for Lu Chang, but after waiting for a long time, neither Lu Chang nor Ming Shu had returned.