“Kitty, oh kitty…”

Pat, splash—

In an instant, heavy rain filled the whole sky.

The sudden early-summer downpour caught the people in the courtyard off guard; the maids scrambled about frantically, gathering up the clothes hung out to dry. A gray curtain of rain seemed to blanket the entire view outside the tower, and through the open window, a pair of fair, bare toes teased a cat lying on the floor.

“Meow.” Unable to bear the indignity, the cat yowled and lashed out with claws bared, chasing off the foolish human. On the bed, Jin’er, her head wrapped in bandages, withdrew her slender foot and blinked, bored.

Having driven off the human, the cat settled back down to doze. Jin’er watched for a moment, then poked at it again with her toe — this time scratching at its belly. The kitten shook its head, tilted half its body over, and after a moment was fully rolled onto its back. Her fair, slender foot rubbed gently at its stomach, and the kitten, paws in the air, let out a contented cry.

“Ohh… kitty, oh kitty, I’m so bored…”

Jin’er murmured softly, but the kitten, enjoying its human servant’s massage, kept its eyes half-closed and ignored her.

“Sister Yun Zhu’s got things to do, and she’s gotten close with that Su… hmm, with that Su family sister again. Xiao Chan’s on my side, sure, but she’s also with their group. They’re all busy, and with my head all wrapped up I can’t just go wandering off anywhere either… ugh, when’s that Ning Yi coming back…”

The rain fell outside the window, muffling the secret little worries murmured within the room. Jin’er looked down at the cat’s contented posture and, tilting her head back, sighed.

“Kitty, oh kitty… if only I were like you, not getting angry no matter how much people step on you, happy as anything just from a little teasing. Ugh, I’m so sad… well, not sad exactly, but… you know, Sister Yun Zhu has turned traitor, gotten all close with that… that Su family sister. Do you know she’s a big merchant, she remembers every little thing so clearly — I said some harsh things to her before, about the Yun Zhu business, and she’s bound to make my life difficult for it later…”

“Do you know? I always wanted… to marry into this family. Because once I did, I’d have somewhere to belong too, just like you, right?… But the closer it got to the wedding, the more worried I got. And the wedding itself was so strange too — that day everything was so happy at first, and then suddenly a fight broke out, and I went stumbling around looking for Ning Yi in a daze, and then I hit my head, and then Ning Yi went off to get his revenge… I couldn’t even get out of bed, and by the time I came to my senses, there wasn’t a shred of festive feeling left. Tell me, did I actually get married, or didn’t I…”

The girl rubbed at her neck, troubled. “I used to hear the girls who married out of the Jinfeng Tower say that once you’re married, you belong to a family. Even though being with Sister Yun Zhu before sort of counted as a family too, it’s different from this. But… I still don’t feel married at all, don’t have that feeling of suddenly becoming a different person. I know Sister Yun Zhu’s also feeling unsettled about it, but I don’t dare bring it up with her…”

“I used to be able to tell Sister Yun Zhu anything…” she let out a small “hmph,” “but this time, I know Sister Yun Zhu’s worried about Ning Yi too, so I can’t really bring it up. Kitty, oh kitty, is this what it feels like, sharing a husband? Sister Yun Zhu and I have the same husband now… yeah, Ning Yi…”

She sighed softly, sat up, lifted the kitten in front of her face, and gazed at it for a moment. The kitten’s eyes went wide, its two short paws stretched forward, motionless. Jin’er stared back at it just as wide-eyed, then, after a moment, puffed out her cheeks and leaned in close — but in the end, afraid of getting scratched, she set it back down. The kitten seized the chance to leap off the bed and dash out of the room. Just then, a different kind of commotion rose up through the sound of the rain outside.

Something stirred in Jin’er’s heart. She hopped off the bed barefoot and tiptoed over to the window to peek out. Then she opened her mouth, closed it again, and scampered back. The commotion in the rain went on for a good while before gradually dying down. After that, someone came from the direction of the stairs and turned into the room.

On the bed, the girl with the bandaged head lay curled slightly on her side. In the cool air, her body looked slender and delicate; with the injury to her head, she seemed somehow more fragile than usual, her bare calves and feet exposed to the air.

Ning Yi sat down gently at the edge of the bed, reached out, pulled up the thin blanket beside her, and, as gently as he could, drew it over her. Then he simply sat there, quietly watching her.

The girl before him had a lovely, delicate face — brows like painted ink, and beneath them a pair of eyes that turned bright and clever the moment they opened, a small, dainty nose, soft lips, a light, graceful chin. Even looking somewhat frail as she did now, hers was still the most delicate, most beautiful figure. Ning Yi’s fingers slid gently up along her calf, tracing, with a touch light enough not to wake the sleeper, the rise and fall of her body’s lines. When he reached her shoulder, he slowly moved back down, passing over her arm, until he touched her fingers.

Her fingers curled gently around his. When Ning Yi looked up at Jin’er’s face, he saw one open eye snap quickly shut.

“Ah…”

Ning Yi tilted his head slightly.

Jin’er kept her eyes tightly shut, though beneath the lids they moved rapidly. After a moment, she puffed out her cheeks like a tropical fish, opened her eyes, and wore the awkward expression of someone caught in the act. Ning Yi broke into a smile, and she sat up abruptly, with some force.

Ning Yi said, “You’re injured, don’t move so—” Before he could finish, Jin’er had already pressed close, chin resting on his shoulder, wrapping her arms tightly around him. Ning Yi had no choice but to embrace her back.

Quick-witted and bold, Jin’er kept her eyes shut: now she wouldn’t have to explain that she’d been pretending to sleep. She then settled contentedly into his embrace. One of Ning Yi’s hands rested at the back of her neck, the other stroked down along her spine, then slid lower, carefully drawing her in…

Jin’er’s body stiffened for an instant. She felt him lay her down onto the bed, and her heart suddenly began racing. But Ning Yi did not press down on top of her — instead he took her hand and lay down beside her.

“You’re injured. You shouldn’t be moving around so much.”

Jin’er lay beside him for a good while before finally opening her eyes and saying softly, “Actually… my injury’s pretty much healed already?”

“Hm?”

Jin’er reached up and touched the bandage on her head, murmuring bashfully, “It’s pretty much healed already…”

Ning Yi blinked, startled, then couldn’t help laughing. Jin’er pressed her lips together, a little embarrassed, while Ning Yi lay back, relaxed. “Actually, seeing you with that bandage on your head reminds me of when I first woke up.”

“Hm?”

“I’d been struck by Xue Jin, and when I first woke up, I had a bandage wrapped around my head too. Later I found out it happened during the wedding as well.”

“I… I don’t even know if mine was from being hit or what…” Jin’er said, a little embarrassed. Ning Yi laughed again — he knew exactly how it had happened.

The scene on their wedding night had been quite chaotic — for Jin’er, it might well have counted as a night of flashing blades and, soon after, actual bloodshed. Jin’er had gone running about in a panic, apparently having seen someone attempt to assassinate Ning Yi and rushing over to help, only to trip and fall outright. By the time Ning Yi noticed her some time later, her head was covered in blood, and after the assassin fled, he had immediately mobilized every force he could muster to give chase.

It was only after the physician examined her that they learned most of the blood on her head belonged to someone else — as for her own injury, though she’d struck her head too, it hadn’t looked serious, and she likely hadn’t bled much. Ning Yi had breathed a sigh of relief. At the time, Yao Zunian, Ji Kun, Juemin, and the rest had all mobilized their forces, with Ji Kun ready to act as well, but Ning Yi had already gathered his people and, riding that momentum, given chase — and the more detailed information that followed had, in the end, led to the tragedy in Taoting County. By the time Ning Yi returned, Jin’er’s injury had already healed.

“By the way, Liheng, have you still not remembered anything from before?”

“Guess not,” Ning Yi answered with a smile, hearing Jin’er’s question. “Better that I don’t remember — we’re not the same person anymore… oh, right, want me to take that bandage off for you?”

“No, it’s ugly. I’ll take it off myself when you’re not around.” Jin’er shook her head hastily, then, after a moment, looked at Ning Yi. “Actually, sometimes I wonder what you were like before you lost your memory, Liheng.”

“A bookworm, probably,” Ning Yi said. “Apparently lived in some little alley, did nothing but read, wasn’t liked by his classmates, wasn’t liked by his teachers either, and his poetry was terrible — probably about the level of ‘the ocean, oh, you are all water; the fine steed, oh, you have four legs’…”

Jin’er laughed. “Still, I keep wondering where you were before. Think about it — maybe you were pretending not to know anything on purpose. You’re so impressive, hiding away in Jiangning, maybe you showed a flash of your true colors at some point… Back then I was still the top courtesan at Jinfeng Tower — I keep thinking back over that time, the people I met, the things I heard, trying to remember if I ever heard the name Ning Liheng… But no matter how I think about it, I really never heard of you before…”

That, presumably, was Jin’er’s own little private hope. Ning Yi gently stroked her head. She was probably hoping to find some private memory connecting them, but back then, Ning Liheng really had been a thoroughgoing bookworm — where would he ever have had the chance to meet a top courtesan like Yuan Jin’er? Even if their paths had somehow crossed, Jin’er surely wouldn’t have retained any memory of it.

The two of them lay there, hand in hand, talking on about small, scattered thoughts. Jin’er, in truth, was somewhat nervous, not knowing whether Ning Yi might do something to her right away. After talking for a while, Ning Yi said, “Actually, the main reason I hurried back this time was just to pick up a few things before heading north again. Tonight’s probably the only night I have — I have to set out tomorrow.”

“Just got back… and already have to leave?” Jin’er looked at him, a little downcast.

Ning Yi nodded. “There are still things being packed and moved downstairs, matters to attend to. I only came to see you — I can’t stay too long. I’ll come see you again at mealtime.”

“Mm.” Jin’er nodded, disappointed.

“Oh, I just remembered something — you should call me husband,” Ning Yi said, rising from the bed with a smile.

“…Husband.” Jin’er lay there looking at him, and at that moment, she didn’t even have it in her to feel shy.

Ning Yi placed a kiss on the bridge of her nose.

After he walked out, Jin’er watched his retreating back and then climbed out of bed herself. In truth, among Ning Yi’s four wives and concubines at present, she was the only one who was still a maiden — but thinking about how he could only stay the one night, of course he would spend it with his principal wife. That thought brought a touch of loneliness to her heart, but she soon hopped off the bed anyway. “Cuitao! Cuitao! Where are you, come quick — bring me some hot water, I want to take off this bandage—”

Assuming Ning Yi had already walked far off, she called out to her maid like this — but along the corridor of the courtyard next door, Ning Yi turned back and couldn’t help laughing. By the time he reached the front, Su Tan’er was already waiting for him there. “Have you seen… hm, seen the Yuan family sister?”

“Mm,” Ning Yi nodded.

“She’s injured, and in a bit of a mood — seems worried I might bully her.” Su Tan’er said with a small smile.

“She’s actually pretty timid. Have Xiao Chan keep her company more.”

“Mm. And you — come back soon. Four women and one child are waiting for you.” She tilted her face up, her gaze clear, and Ning Yi could only nod.

Talking like this, the couple walked along the courtyard corridor, and in the room ahead, some people were sorting through things, preparing to pack them into crates again and load them onto the carts. The first crate by the door held a number of round stones about the size of watermelons. Ning Yi picked one up, weighed it in his hand, and then began asking the person nearby about progress on the matching ignition device.

Those stones were called landmines.

The rain kept falling. All around, people bustled about, packing more things and loading them onto the carts.