Chapter 18: The Gentleman on the Beam, A Visitor at the Door

That sound nearly made Ying Shuo burst out laughing, barely able to hold it in.
How had her voice turned so pinched and shrill?
“Waaah waaah waah!”
Mei Zhen’s steps faltered, likely from anxiety, and she almost toppled backward. Ying Shuo was quite ready to welcome such a beauty into his arms.
Unfortunately, after stumbling twice, Mei Zhen managed to steady herself and did not fall after all.
She stubbornly insisted, “My face is red, possibly, maybe, because of the heat, or perhaps I just ate.”
“Oh,” Jiang Lanfeng replied as if she believed her, then shot a curious glance at Ying Shuo.
Ying Shuo, who had been grinning mischievously, instantly composed himself under her gaze.
Others might not notice, but Lady Jiang would never miss her old friend’s embarrassment.
Trying to smooth things over, she said, “Well, it’s getting late. Everyone should retire to rest.”
“Husband, I’ll keep Zhen company tonight.”
Since it was rare for old friends to meet, Master Jiang was happy not to spoil his wife’s mood. After a few gentle reminders not to stay up too late, he nodded and walked toward Ying Shuo.
“Master Ying, would you care to stay the night at our residence?”
“I’ll stay,” Ying Shuo replied without hesitation.
This left Master Jiang feeling a little awkward, unable to help but mutter inwardly,
I was just being polite—did you have to take it so seriously?
Is he really treating the Jiang residence as his own home now?
Despite his inner reluctance, he remained courteous and ordered a servant to prepare a room.
As the servant led Ying Shuo away, Master Jiang quickly pulled Xin Qi aside and gave him careful instructions.
“Xin Qi, don’t sleep tonight—take the night watch!”
“Huh? Master, why?” Xin Qi asked, baffled.
There were always people on night duty in the Jiang residence—not exactly experts, but robust men and clever maids adept with mechanisms.
Besides, everyone knew this was the Jiang residence; thieves wouldn’t dare approach, and nothing had ever happened before.
Why would the young mistress’s guest require a special night watch?
A man isn’t made of stone—how can anyone go without sleep? Even the most skilled martial artist can’t go on forever without rest!
His curiosity earned him a sharp rap from his master.
“Tut! Just do as I say—less chatter!”
“Listen well! Stay at the eldest miss’s door and keep a close eye! If anyone approaches, drive them away!”

Xin Qi rubbed his aching head, dazedly muttering his assent.
Only then did Jiang’s father leave, but halfway down the corridor, he turned back.
“Remember! No one is allowed, especially the guest! Not even if the young miss wants to go out!”
Satisfied at last, he left, leaving behind a thoroughly bewildered Xin Qi.
As Ying Shuo prepared to leave, Jiang Lanfeng hurried after him, dismissing the servants and insisting on personally leading him to the guest room.
“Give me the lantern! You all may go rest; I’ll show Master Ying the way myself!”
This clever little girl!
Ying Shuo knew exactly what sort of scheme the younger miss had in mind, but he said nothing.
He let her pretend to be distracted by flowers and insects, but finally she could not help herself and blurted out,
“Master Ying, what exactly was your answer?”
“The previous note was a medicine’s name. Was yours also a medicine?”
Standing in front of him, refusing to let him pass without an answer, the young girl made Ying Shuo smile gently.
“Why so many questions? I’ve told you before, you’re still too young to know all these things.”
“Be careful—curiosity killed the cat!”
He tapped her on the nose and laughed delightedly, then darted away.
Jiang Lanfeng’s cheeks turned bright red, but still youthful and spirited, she put her hands on her hips and called after him angrily,
“Who are you calling a cat?”
Then she gathered up her skirts and chased after him, drawing giggles and whispers from the gathered servants.
Xin Qi happened by just then and saw the scene, demanding,
“Hey! What are you up to? If you have no work, go rest!”
“I want to sleep, but I can’t!”
A maid quickly bowed and replied, “Sir Xin, we were just saying—Miss and the young master make such a fine pair.”
“Look how happy they are! There must be good news for the house soon, right?”
Seeing the unconcealed smiles on the servants’ faces, Xin Qi couldn’t help but glance in the direction of their playful chase.
Then he paused, surprised: “The rumors spread quickly, eh? What nonsense are you all spouting?”
“That’s the eldest miss’s fiancé. He and the second miss, well, they’re…”
Laughter and playful shouts from the second miss and Ying Shuo drifted over, and Xin Qi’s mind went blank.
“That’s right! Isn’t that the second miss? Isn’t Master Ying the eldest miss’s fiancé? Why is he playing so happily with the second miss?”
Xin Qi’s bewildered scratching of his head made him look like a clueless monk, earning secret laughter among the servants.

Even a fool could see the young master was here for the second miss!
Still calling him the eldest miss’s fiancé? You hopeless bachelor!
As night deepened, Jiang Lanfeng escorted Ying Shuo to the guest room before heading back alone, promising that if nothing came up the next day, she’d take him to meet Elder Zhao.
On her way out, Jiang Lanfeng kept looking back, reminding Ying Shuo over and over that she was leaving, truly leaving, and that if he didn’t reveal what was written on the little slip of paper now, she might forget by tomorrow!
Her adorable persistence made Ying Shuo’s heart blossom, but he could never let her know what was written on that slip!
If she found out, how could he ever hope to marry her?
Closing the door, Ying Shuo bathed in a wooden tub filled with petals, then lay comfortably on the bed.
“Ah! This is the life!”
“A real bed, fine linens, a hand-stitched cotton pillow—if only there were a little beauty beside me, it’d be perfect!”
He grabbed a pastry from the table and stuffed it into his mouth, thinking again of Jiang Lanfeng’s lovely face.
They say a day apart feels like three years—he’d only been away from her for a short while, and already he missed her.
If only there were cell phones or computers—then he could flirt to his heart’s content!
Lost in these musings, Ying Shuo soon fell sound asleep. In the middle of the night, he was awakened by the faintest sounds from the roof.
Tap tap tap!
It sounded as if someone was tiptoeing across the tiles.
Ever since learning the secrets of the Green Satchel Classic, Ying Shuo’s physical senses had become extraordinary. Even a mosquito approaching could not escape him—he could swat it with his eyes closed!
The noise on the roof vanished as quickly as it had come. Ying Shuo sat up, pondering.
“A little wildcat?”
The lightness of the steps didn’t sound like a person; it must be some small animal. Qingfeng County bordered on the wilds, with many rats, so every household kept cats.
Some cats ran off and never returned, becoming wild—a common enough thing. So Ying Shuo wasn’t particularly concerned.
Once awakened, however, he found himself unable to sleep, and thought of trying his luck at the lottery center.
“Humming to himself, ‘Harry Potter astride his broomstick, flying through the flowerbeds, flirting with little bees, watch me—draw after draw, always the ace…’”
Just as he was immersed in his musical musings, everything went black—a tile from the roof suddenly crashed down right in front of him.
Had it fallen a little closer, it would have struck his head!
He looked up instinctively, and found a pair of large, jet-black eyes peering at him through the hole in the roof, locking gazes with him.