Because she was preoccupied with thoughts, Dong Huiying didn’t linger in bed. She laid down only when dawn broke, but woke up before noon.
After washing up briskly, she was about to step outside when she saw the sky was clear and bright. Beneath this sunny sky, a man clad in a light gray shirt was playing with a white dove that had landed atop a tree branch.
When a slight breeze passed by, it lifted the silvery strands of hair at his temples, and then, he slowly turned his head to look at her.
"Awake?" he said, "Why don’t you sleep a bit longer?"
She blurted out naively, "I woke up to catch bugs?"
Unable to suppress a chuckle, he then approached the door and picked up a small clay jar. "I ran up to the mountains this morning. Do you think these are enough?"
Opening the jar foolishly, she asked belatedly, "You didn’t sleep?"
"I don’t sleep much."
Her feelings were incredibly mixed.
She looked down at the jar and then exclaimed with surprise, "So many!"
Had he raided some bug’s nest? There were too many, she couldn’t count them all.
Her expression amused him, and he made no effort to disguise his own emotions, no longer deliberately restraining himself as in the past. Instead, he was much more casual and also seemed to be more sincere.
Perhaps under the influence of something, overall he maintained a calm and gentle demeanor, unable to muster the energy to use his scheming and strategic wiles on her.
This genuine version of him was instead like a comforting breeze, settling the mind and soothing the soul.
Dong Huiying stared at him, lost in thought.
How had she not noticed before? Could it be that his smile was even more attractive?
Suddenly slapping her forehead, Dong Huiying asked, "Right! Where is she? Why haven’t I seen her?" She didn’t know Shen Qiuyang’s name, so she referred to her as "she."
Zhi Chen asked, "Are you talking about Qiu Yang?"
He found it odd too. According to Shen Qiuyang, the two had been acquainted for a while, and seemed to share a rather close bond. Yet, after such a long time together, they still didn’t know each other’s names?
"Qiu Yang?" She furrowed her little brow and thought, so the big sister who has been taking care of me for over a month is called Qiu Yang? But why does this name sound familiar? It feels like I’ve heard it somewhere before?
"She went down the mountain. She probably won’t be back until tomorrow." At that moment, the white dove perched in the tree cooed, as if urging something.
Zhi Chen hesitated for a bit before saying, "There’s something I’d like to discuss with you."
"What is it?" she asked.
"Shujun and the others have been looking for you for a long time, and I think it is necessary to inform your family that I’ve encountered you here, to put their minds at ease, don’t you think?"
Dong Huiying gave him a glance.
This man appeared to be seeking her permission, but deep down he was domineering. He had already decided to tell her family, whether she agreed or not.
Liang Zhichen served Dong Huiying a bowl of chicken soup, the chicken legs stewed until tender.
Only after watching her eat did he begin to attend to his own matters.
He took out pen and ink, rice paper, and an inkstone, and with a flourish wrote a brief message. The handwriting was bold and unrestrained.
Finally, he stuffed the note into a small bamboo tube, tied it to the pigeon’s leg, and then stepped outside the wooden hut. With a flick of his hand, he released the White Pigeon into the air.
Dong Huiying carried the clay jar back to her room. She busied herself the entire day, hardly stepping outside.
At noon, Zhi Chen noticed that the wooden hut was well stocked with food, including some dried meat. He touched the chopping board, his thoughts drifting back to the days in the village when, at mealtimes, Baobao would wash up and cook for him and his brothers.
He couldn’t help but chuckle, then he sighed with an indiscernible meaning.