An He Zhuan: Act Twelve – Chapter 1
Scattered crows cry at the empty jade screen,
A fresh cool pillow, a fan’s gentle wind.
Waking to autumn’s voice, nowhere to be found,
Parasol leaves cover steps in the moonlight.
…
In Nan’an City.
The sunlight was brilliant.
Xiao Zhaoyan stood at the doorway, looking up at the cloudless sky, and smiled. “Today marks the Beginning of Autumn. With such bright sunshine, there must be a good harvest back home.”
“Is there such a saying?” Su Muyu walked to Xiao Zhaoyan’s side.
Xiao Zhaoyan nodded. “Yes, yes! Rain Brother, you’ve never done farm work so you wouldn’t understand. At the beginning of Autumn, if the weather is clear, farmers are especially delighted.”
Su Muyu shook his head. “I didn’t know that. I only know about eating eggplants at the Beginning of Autumn…”
“Eating eggplants?” Xiao Zhaoyan asked, puzzled.
“Eating eggplants.” Su Muyu nodded very seriously. “I’ve already bought them.”
“Fresh ones?” Xiao Zhaoyan asked again.
Su Muyu nodded again. “Fresh ones.”
“Master!” Xiao Zhaoyan shouted.
“Coming.” Bai Hetai pushed open the door, looking half-asleep. He saw the two in the courtyard and let out a big yawn. “What’s wrong?”
“Help… help me,” Xiao Zhaoyan said with a bitter expression.
“Huh?” Bai Hetai was stunned for a moment, then began searching around the courtyard. Finally finding a wooden stick in the corner, he took three steps in two and grabbed it. “Su Muyu, are you planning to cook again?”
Su Muyu laughed awkwardly. “Isn’t it a Beginning of Autumn custom?”
“Custom? What custom?” Bai Hetai asked, confused.
“Eating eggplants at the Beginning of Autumn!” Su Muyu replied.
“I’ll give you a stick to eat!” Bai Hetai raised the stick and swung it at Su Muyu.
By this time, more than ten days had passed since Su Muyu’s sword duel at Wushuang City. Su Muyu, Bai Hetai, Xiao Zhaoyan, and Su Zhe had returned to Nan’an City, while Su Changhe had returned to Dark River. The Heyue Medicine Shop reopened, and Su Muyu once again immersed himself in studying culinary arts.
It was as if the story of the sword duel at Wushuang City had been just a dream, neither real nor illusory.
“Ah, if only Brother Changhe were here, we could eat at restaurants,” Xiao Zhaoyan sighed wistfully.
Hearing this, Bai Hetai became even more helpless. “Su Changhe probably never imagined there would be a young lady who would miss him because following him meant getting to eat at restaurants.”
At Dark River.
Star Fall Moon Shadow Pavilion.
Su Changhe sat formally on the long bench, leaning forward to listen to reports about recent events in the jianghu. Though Dark River had gradually disappeared from the jianghu and no longer accepted assassination contracts, they still kept a close watch on major events. Su Muyu could stay in Nan’an City running his medicine shop, but Su Changhe ultimately had to return here.
“So, Tang Lianyue returned to Tang Clan and hasn’t left since,” Su Changhe stroked his mustache after listening.
Mu Qingyang nodded. “That’s right.”
“He’s the Xuanwu Envoy, and though he holds no official position, he must protect Tianqi. Yet he returned to Tang Clan and hasn’t come back…” Su Changhe smiled. “How interesting.”
A woman in purple robes emerged from the corner and asked quietly, “So what has he been doing since returning to Tang Clan?”
“Yu Mo.” Su Changhe smiled. “You were once a member of the Spider Shadow Twelve, control your emotions a bit.”
“I won’t!” Mu Yumo said urgently.
“Hahaha! You were planning to seek him in Tianqi City, weren’t you?” Su Changhe asked leisurely.
Mu Yumo nodded. “Yes. I wanted to find him last time I went to Tianqi City, but he hadn’t returned then.”
“Well, returning to the Tang Clan has its advantages. After all, the Tang Clan is Tang Lianyue’s sect. If he went to Tianqi City, we could hardly propose marriage at the Langya Wang Manor,” Su Changhe maintained his faint smile. “Dark River proposing at the Wang Manor would probably shock even the Langya King.”
Mu Qingyang tossed a peach blossom coin, watching it flip in the air before catching it. “How interesting.”
“So, let’s propose at Tang Clan instead.” Su Changhe slowly walked down from the high steps, finally standing beside Mu Yumo, and whispered in her ear with a smile, “What do you think?”
Five days later.
Nan’an City.
At dusk.
Xiao Zhaoyan lay on the long chair. The autumn sunset was warmly comfortable, with occasional cool breezes bringing refreshments. Having been busy all day, Xiao Zhaoyan lay there with closed eyes, undisturbed, quite at ease. However…
“If only we could eat the Thirteen Banquet at Fushou Restaurant again,” Xiao Zhaoyan sighed sincerely.
“Alright then.” A voice with a hint of amusement sounded in her ear. Xiao Zhaoyan was startled, suddenly jumping off the long chair and alertly gripping the short sword hidden beneath it.
“Nice moves.” Su Changhe looked at her with a grin.
Xiao Zhaoyan froze. “Brother Changhe.”
“Very good, very good, that title is quite nice. Not like some people who see me and say ‘The troublemaker is back again.’ It wasn’t a waste taking you to Fushou Restaurant all those times.” Su Changhe nodded with satisfaction.
“Why are you here again!” Bai Hetai walked into the courtyard, looking at Su Changhe.
Su Changhe smiled. “See, see, that’s who I was talking about!”
But Bai Hetai immediately changed to a smiling face. “You don’t know how much we’ve missed you!”
“Huh?” Even Su Changhe’s seemingly permanent half-smile, which looked like it had been there since birth, couldn’t hold. “Physician Bai, you’ve left me speechless.”
“Come on, take us to Fushou Restaurant.” Bai Hetai said immediately.
Su Changhe spread his hands. “I know I’m wealthy, but your Heyue Medicine Shop is now the most famous in Nan’an City, and the renowned Physician Bai’s name has spread throughout Nan’an City. I hear the wealthy merchants pay you a hundred taels of silver for one house call. Can’t you go to Fushou Restaurant yourself?”
Bai Hetai sighed lightly. “Someone won’t let us.”
Xiao Zhaoyan sighed along. “Someone won’t let us.”
“Who won’t let you?” Su Changhe asked.
“I won’t.” Su Muyu walked in. “Though Fushou Restaurant is good, it’s still outside food. Eating too much isn’t good for health.”
“And your cooking is good for health?” Su Changhe held his forehead. “If it weren’t for having a divine physician here, we’d have been poisoned long ago.”
Su Muyu shook his head. “You don’t know how much I’ve improved recently.”
“I don’t want to know.” Su Changhe stepped back.
A flash of excitement suddenly appeared in Bai Hetai’s eyes.
“Physician, oh Physician, did you devise this plan to prevent me from coming back?” Su Changhe had completely lost his earlier imposing manner. “Is this your scheme to drive me away?”
Xiao Zhaoyan quickly waved her hands. “I swear that’s not true.”
“It’s truly unbelievable that the head of Dark River, a family leader, would be stuck here over whether or not to eat at a restaurant.” A purple shadow swept past everyone’s eyes as Mu Yumo landed beside Su Changhe.
Her smile was captivating enough to topple nations.
“They say Su Muyu’s cooking is terrible. I don’t believe it. Let me try some,” Mu Yumo smiled. “Let’s see just how bad it is.”