Luo Batian inwardly scoffed at how bookish types were so particular, but kept smiling as he told the three men to put their clothes on.
While they dressed, he introduced them to Pei Xu and Yun Lou: "Min Kuan and Zhao Shitou are both locals from Fengping City. Min Kuan's father is the butcher in town, Butcher Min. Zhao Shitou's cousin works at the yamen, goes by Zhao Er. All honest, decent folk."
"As for Zhong Shi, he's an orphan I picked up on a convoy run in my younger days— I basically raised him. This boy trains hardest in martial arts, stubborn as they come. Don't let his leaner frame fool you compared to the other two— his fistwork is the best of the lot. His only flaw is he's mute, can't speak. But if he's serving as bodyguard for you two, being mute might actually be a plus. Wouldn't you say so, Master Pei?"
There was a clear preference in his tone for Zhong Shi.
Pei Xu could understand why. The other two were locals with parents and homes; only Zhong Shi was an orphan and a mute. Luo Batian naturally wanted to secure his future.
As they spoke, all three men came over, dressed, and stood in a line with hands behind their backs. Luo Batian wanted them each to demonstrate a routine, but Pei Xu stopped him.
He trusted Luo Batian, and was about to pick when Yun Lou beside him suddenly asked with curiosity, "Are you the only master at this martial hall?"
Luo Batian said, "There's also one who specializes in the spear, usually drills the students. But he's off today— didn't come in."
A spear expert— so that must be the person behind the vigorous spear work at the door.
Luo Batian continued, grinning: "You've probably heard of him— he's Old Bian, the retired chief constable from the yamen. After his leg went lame and he couldn't sit still, he came to my hall to serve as an instructor, drilling the students in spear work."
Surname Bian? Could that be Bian Yu's father?
The young wife beside Master Pei blinked, looking innocent: "Is he very skilled?"
"Naturally! Old Bian's family spear technique— the Bian Family Spear— sweeps with force, vigorous and sharp. No one dares come within three zhang of him! Otherwise, how would a young lad like Bian Yu become chief constable so early? All because of that Bian Family Spear."
He pushed Zhong Shi forward a step: "This boy isn't just good with his fists— he handles the spear well too. Old Bian himself vouched for him. Pick him and you two won't be disappointed!"
Yun Lou then tugged at Pei Xu's sleeve. "Let's take him."
Pei Xu hadn't originally meant to pick Zhong Shi, but since Yun Lou had spoken, he nodded: "Then we'll trouble both of you."
Zhao Shitou and Zhong Shi were hired, and Luo Batian took them to the yamen to file the contract.
It was a decent job— being a bodyguard for the Pei family, who had no enemies and no disputes, was easy enough.
Before leaving, Luo Batian waved and smiled: "Thank you, Master Pei, Mrs. Pei, for patronizing my martial hall. When the watermelons ripen, come by and I'll treat you both to some."
The melons under his awning were already the size of bowls, lush and green.
It was just a polite gesture— how could divine-looking people like these two ever set foot in his rough and humble place?
Yet the young wife turned back, beaming: "Thank you, Master Luo. We'll come for sure."
Old rough-and-tumble Luo Batian was rendered flustered by the young woman's smile, scratching his head: "Alright! Alright!"
Yun Lou thought about the Bian Family Spear that Luo Batian said no one dared approach within three zhang, and felt a glimmer of anticipation. She wondered whether Bian An, with his lame leg, could still wield such fierce spear work. If only she could see it.
But since Bian Yu had inherited his father's position as chief constable, his spear work should be decent too, right? Yet when she had seen Bian Yu today, she only noticed a blade at his waist. Did he use a spear while investigating cases? Hoisting a long spear to chase after criminals seemed a bit inconvenient...
Lost in thought, Pei Xu, who had been walking quietly beside her, suddenly asked: "Why did you pick Zhong Shi?"
Yun Lou: "Huh?" She snapped back to reality and said casually, "Because he's skilled."
"Buying straw weaves! Dragonflies, grasshoppers, crickets, butterflies, mantises, katydids..."
A street vendor's call came from the roadside, and Yun Lou immediately went over: "Boss, how much for this dragonfly?"
"Five wen."
"So pricey?"
"Madam, look— this dragonfly can even move. Hold it up here, see— it's lifelike."
Yun Lou was about to haggle when a pair of hands reached over her shoulder and placed five wen coins on the stall.
Pei Xu: "I thought it was because he was handsome."
Yun Lou turned around, dragonfly in hand, staring at the calm-faced young man before her for a long moment.
Pei Xu pursed his lips slightly. "What are you looking at?"
Yun Lou smiled, then crooked her finger at him.
He leaned in closer and heard her say with a giggle: "No~ one's~ handsomer~ than~ you~!"
Pei Xu's ears flushed red. Watching her turn away happily, holding up the dragonfly, her skirt hem bouncing with a cheerful arc, he suddenly felt both ridiculous and foolish.
After lunch, Zhong Shi and Zhao Shitou arrived with their things to start work.
Le'an arranged rooms for them in the front courtyard and took them around the Pei residence. The house wasn't huge, but it was spacious and elegant.
Through the main gate was the front hall for receiving guests, with servant quarters on either side. Past the hanging-flower gate and around the landscape screen wall lay a rockery and winding corridor, water flowing softly beneath. The corridor connected to the inner courtyard.
Ordinary households had none of those grand-family rules, so Le'an led the two into the inner courtyard and pointed at the rear wall: "That's where the thief climbed over last night and knocked our mistress out! So you two absolutely must guard this spot!"
Only then did the two of them learn that Master Pei had hired guards because a thief had broken in the previous day and nearly taken the mistress.
Zhao Shitou immediately slapped his sturdy chest with a series of thumps. "Leave it to us! If any blind fool tries to break in again, he won't be going back!"
Le'an nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Zhong Shi.
Zhong Shi paused, then imitated Zhao Shitou's gesture, thumping his own chest.
Le'an was satisfied and said earnestly, "The safety of the master and mistress is in your hands."
Zhong Shi thumped his chest again.
Le'an: "..." He asked Zhao Shitou, "Aside from not speaking, he doesn't have any other issues, right?"
Zhao Shitou: "A bit dim, but no big problem."
Zhong Shi: "..." He made a gesture with his hands.
Le'an scratched his head. "What's he saying?"
Zhao Shitou: "He says he can hear us, and to stop talking about him behind his back."
Le'an: "..."
He couldn't shake the feeling that the bodyguard their mistress had picked wasn't all that reliable!
Yun Lou woke from her afternoon nap, and sunlight slanted through the window into the room, dust motes dancing in that band of light, carrying the smell of summer.
She thought of the awning and the watermelon patch she'd seen at the martial hall that day, and jumped out of bed: "Pei Xu!"
Yinyin hurried in. "Madam, the master has gone to the medical clinic."
Yun Lou asked, "Did he call in the craftsmen for me?"
Yinyin smiled. "They've been waiting in the front hall for a while now. The master said to have them come in only after you woke up. Would you like to see them now, madam?"
Yun Lou hopped off the bed. "Bring them in."
The finest mason in town soon entered with two young apprentices, greeted Yun Lou, and asked with a smile, "This courtyard is quite spacious. What style of awning would you like built, madam?"
Yun Lou waved her fan and led them around the courtyard, originally intending only to set up a simple pergola for shade and flowers, but somehow the plans kept growing.
Flowers here, melons over there, grapevines climbing the trellis, a well to be dug beside it for chilling watermelon in summer, and beneath the trellis not only a place to sit and drink tea, but also somewhere to lie down and nap.
The old craftsman noted down all her requirements, sketched the layout of the courtyard, and said he would return home to draw up proper plans for her approval before any work began.
After seeing off the old craftsman, Yun Lou had Yinyin carry a lounge chair out into the yard and settled into it comfortably.
She did nothing at all, just lay there. Watched the lush, thriving leaves, watched the newly built swallow’s nest in the tree where the birds chirped noisily, watched the white clouds overhead shift now into a rabbit, now into a little fish.
She lay there until dusk, when the clouds burned rosy and the small kitchen began wafting out delicious smells, before she finally sat up and asked expectantly, “Aunt Zhou, what’s for dinner?”
From the kitchen came Aunt Zhou’s hearty voice: “Fish! The master bought a whole basket of fish during the day, so I made fish soup and braised fish too.”
Yun Lou glanced toward the courtyard gate and sighed. “Why isn’t Pei Xu back yet? I’m starving.”
Yinyin giggled. “Maybe the clinic was busy today. The master said before he left that you should eat whenever you’re hungry—no need to wait for him.”
Yun Lou thought about it, then lay back down again.
Forget it. After all, it was their first day of marriage—she ought to wait and eat with him.
But the waiting stretched all the way to nightfall, and Yun Lou clutched her growling stomach, staring at the sky in silent anguish.
She’d waited this long already—if she gave up now, wouldn’t all that hunger be for nothing? Since she was already playing the devoted wife, she might as well play it to the end!
So she kept waiting, swallowing her tears.
She waited and waited, until the moon rose above the treetops, and still Pei Xu was nowhere to be seen.
Yun Lou forgot her hunger and had Yinyin go to the front courtyard to fetch Le’an. “Where has the master gone?”
Le’an said, “At dusk the master was still at the clinic going over the accounts and told me to come back first. He’s probably still there.”
The Xuanji Hall wasn’t far from the Pei residence, so Yun Lou sent Le’an to check. Before long, Le’an came running back in a panic: “The clinic is locked up tight. The master wasn’t there.”
Yun Lou’s instincts screamed that something was wrong.
Suddenly she remembered the thief who had broken into her room the night before—if he hadn’t been after her, then could he have been after Pei Xu?
This was bad!
She shot to her feet. “Zhao Shitou! Zhong Shi!”
Two heads popped up over the courtyard wall, and Zhao Shitou answered in his deep, gruff voice, “Madam.”
Yun Lou strode outside quickly. “Come with me.”
The two men fell in step behind her at once. Le’an led the way, taking them first to the clinic. Yun Lou inspected the place—no signs of a struggle, no traces of blood.
Unless the man had been knocked unconscious silently first, given Pei Xu’s strength, there was no way he could have been taken without leaving a single mark.
But where should they even look?
Yun Lou wasn’t familiar with the town of Fengping at all. She grabbed the collar of the frantic, pacing Le’an and demanded, “Where does Pei Xu go besides the clinic? Does he have any friends?”
Le’an, whose wits had scattered, felt himself settle slightly under the madam’s sharp command. “The master… the master doesn’t really have friends. He only occasionally stops by Old Man Liu’s place on Qinghuai Lane for some locust flower wine.”
Yun Lou released him. “To Qinghuai Lane.”
The night had grown deep, and the streets were nearly empty. Fengping wasn’t like the capital with its lively night markets—the people here rose early and retired early, and only on special festivals did they take to the streets after dark.
Qinghuai Lane was remote, tucked near the edge of town. The group’s hurried footsteps scattered fallen leaves across the flagstone road.
Le’an jogged behind, panting, astonished that their sickly, delicate madam could run this fast.
Was this the power of love?!
The night was dim, the long street silent. As they neared Qinghuai Lane, a single lantern glowed far off at the deserted intersection.
The lantern bearer moved briskly. Night wind swept through his flowing robes, and in the darkness his slender silhouette looked like a lonely, wandering ghost.
Footsteps echoed clearly through the empty street. Pei Xu looked up, and for the first moment, thought he was seeing things.
At this hour, why would she be here? Shouldn’t she already be in bed?
But there was no mistaking it—that was his wife.
Running toward him.
Pei Xu stood rooted to the spot.
He had never imagined she would come looking for him.
She looked breathless and anxious, her skirts lifted high by the night wind, the tasseled hairpins at her temples trembling like blossoms shaking in the rain.
What reached him before she did was her scent, warmed and diffused by her body heat. The fragrant breeze struck him full in the face. As she ran close, he instinctively opened his arms.
And then Yun Lou stomped hard on his foot.
