Behind the trees, there were several rows of two-story houses, all built in the same architectural style. Through the gaps between the trees, Nan Feng could see the people inside the houses. Women were embroidering by the windows, and children were playing in front of their homes.
It turns out the place was not simply a male dormitory; it was a proper residential complex.
The people here had never seen her before, and so they curiously watched her, making Nan Feng uncomfortable. She thus hastened her steps towards a kapok tree.
Just as she did, she ran into Wu Yang. It took him a moment to recognize Nan Feng, mentioning how she appeared more beautiful than the last time he had seen her. She replied that she had merely changed her clothes.
Wu Yang joked a little with Nan Feng, asking why she had only now come to this side, and that ’Yege’ was always looking forward to her visit. He even told her that Yege’s key was hidden under a vase at the front door.
After Wu Yang left, Nan Feng walked up a wooden staircase, making a ’thudding’ sound as she moved.
All the rooms in this building were independent units. Other than cooking, which had to be done in the communal kitchen in the courtyard, all other facilities were independent.
A woman and her child lived in room one of the attic. The woman smiled at Nan Feng, asking whom she was looking for. When she saw Nan Feng extracting a key from under the vase by Yege’s door, she asked curiously: “Are you Nan Feng, the unwed wife of Xia Guard?”
Nan Feng was taken aback, she wondered if the entire Yamen staff knew about her being Yege’s unwed wife?
The woman giggled, saying, “You might not know me, but my husband has met you before.”
“Oh? And who is your husband?” Nan Feng thought that it might be Xu Dafa, Chen Weimin, Liu Niannian, or one of Yege’s other subordinates, but the woman replied, “My husband is Wan Jian’an.”
“Oh, so you’re Mrs. Wan,” Nan Feng mimicked the urban folks and gave a bow to Mrs. Wan.
“Oh no, no need for formalities. Now that your Xia Guard and my Wan Jian’an are in the same rank, we do not need such formalities. You see, my husband had mentioned that you were a plain-looking girl, but upon seeing you in person today, that is clearly not the case. You are far more beautiful than I had imagined.”
Nan Feng gave a slight chuckle, “I’ve only recently begun to make an effort to look more appealing, I didn’t know how to groom myself before.”
Yes, this girl was from the countryside. When Wan Jian’an met her, she was dressed like a village girl. But now, wearing better clothes, she looked pleasing.
“Mrs. Wan, I’ll go inside and wait for Yege,” Nan Feng said as she unlocked the door.
“Yes, sure. Xia Guard should be back soon.”
…
Yege had already heard from Wu Yang that Nan Feng had come to see him. As soon as he finished his shift, he went to the Yamen dining hall to grab some breakfast. The menu for the day was crispy fried dough sticks and soybean milk. The auntie who served meals naturally gave him two portions, as that was his usual serving.
But Yege requested, “Another two portions, please.”
The auntie teasingly asked, “Oh, did Wu Yang oversleep and miss breakfast again? You are too kind to him…”
Before she could finish, Yege interrupted, “No, it’s not for Wu Yang. It’s for my unwed wife who has come to visit.”
The auntie was momentarily taken aback, but Yege had already laid down the copper coins and was walking away with the food.
“Wow, even such an ugle man like Xia Guard has a wife! Which lady could possibly find him attractive? I wonder if she’s as ugly as he is,” the auntie mumbled. The aunties in charge of meals were initially frightened by Yege’s ugly appearance and the fact that he hardly spoke. But once they realized that he was a kind-hearted man, they sympathized with him. They talked amongst themselves about how unfortunate it was for a man as nice as Yege to be so incredibly ugly. They wondered how he would ever find a wife in the future.
…