Chapter 100: One Hundred Chapters - Nine-Life Cake Recalls a Dream from a Past Life
Although we have verbally agreed, we must leave room for preparation and negotiation before actually implementing it, and we must not agree to everything at once.
Shen Mi was unaware of the intricate details involved and had no way to interfere with Jing Yuan's plans, but she naturally supported all his decisions. It was just a matter of waiting a few days, and she was happy to use those days as a rest.
When I officially returned, my phone was bombarded with messages from many friends in Shence Mansion.
Shen Mi: [Dear Shence Bureau intelligence agents, I, Shen Hansan, am back! I'm in good health, eating and drinking well, and you're welcome to have a meal with me!]
A bloody battle ensued: [Oh my god, the missing person has returned!]
Yonghai: […]
Yonghai: [Yutie, can you please stop making such hellish jokes?]
Qingcu had been closely following Bai Xuan's case, and was extremely busy. Although she was already more aware of Shen Mi's current situation than others, she still offered her usual words of comfort in the small group chat.
Passerby Qing: [Welcome, welcome! When are you planning to come back to work?]
Fighting tooth and nail: [Hey, Qingcu! Who rushes someone to work as soon as they get back?]
Passerby Qing: [Then why don't you share the burden? There's only one month left until the celebration, and it's only going to get busier and busier.]
Fighting a bloody battle: [I'm just a roughneck, I can't be of much help. Go find Yonghai.]
Yonghai: [No, no, no, I'm doing fine here, and I have no plans to come back for the time being.]
As Shen Mi watched the messages flowing through the group chat, she couldn't help but smile, as if the anxiety that had been weighing on her heart these past few days had finally found a sense of relief. She finished scrolling through the messages with a smile, thinking to herself: It's so nice to be remembered like this.
Shen Mi: [Oh my, someone is so eager to see me! I'm so touched I almost went back to work on the spot.]
Passerby Qing: [No need to rush, let's talk about it after you've recovered. I've actually missed you these past few days apart.]
Shen Mi: [Sister Qingcu... (crying face + starry eyes)]
Fighting Through Bloodshed: [Such touching friendship, I almost cried. I wish someone would treat me like that someday. You agree, right, Yonghai?]
Yonghai: [If you're going to act, act it yourself. Don't drag me into it.]
Chen Mi smiled and shook his head, typing the last sentence:
[Bathed in iron, bravely soaring; sinking into oblivion, never to return.]
The group chat immediately erupted, with emojis and smiley faces flying in all at once, followed by a screen full of messages, all in the same format as Chen Mi's.
As Shen Mi watched the scrolling messages on the screen, a gentle smile played on her lips, and a warmth filled her heart. Although the unknown outcome was complex and dangerous, at this moment, she felt the purest and most reassuring care from those living on this branch of the family.
At the same time, Danheng's voice came from downstairs: "Chen Mi, dinner's ready!"
Shen Mi put down his phone, responded loudly, put on his slippers, and slowly went downstairs.
In the kitchen, warm yellow light shone on the wooden dining table, where three bowls and chopsticks were neatly arranged, and the steaming food emitted an enticing aroma. Dan Heng, wearing a half-apron, brought the last dish to the table, a faint smile on his face. Seeing Chen Mi approach, he said softly, "Please sit down first, I'll get you some rice."
At this moment, Danheng was like a fine wine, brewed by time and warmth, exuding an intoxicating aura. Shen Mi couldn't take her gaze off him for a long time, her heart gently stirred by a warm, tipsy feeling.
"I feel really bad leaving you to do all the work by yourself," Shen Mi said, but her body moved to the dining table without her noticing.
Secretly delighted, she wasn't about to let go of such a good opportunity to see Dan Heng as a virtuous wife and husband.
I had just sat down when I heard the sound of a lock being opened coming from the entryway.
Shen Mi wondered if Jing Yuan had returned. The thought had barely formed in her mind when, sure enough, a figure slowly moved behind the wooden openwork screen. Jing Yuan was carrying a steaming cardboard box in his hand. The aroma of food and the faint scent of cooking filled the air, as if it could soften the fatigue of the whole day.
"Good evening," Jing Yuan said, his voice low and gentle, his expression no longer as worried as it had been a few days ago.
Shen Mi sat at the dining table, enjoying Dan Heng's attentive care. She smiled slightly and replied to Jing Yuan, who was not far away, "Good evening."
Jing Yuan placed the cardboard box on the table, pushed it towards Chen Mi and Dan Heng, and said, "Chang Le Tian's most famous Nine-Life Mooncake, have a taste."
Chen Mi casually lifted the paper box, revealing nine mooncakes laid out on a snow-white cooking paper. They were arranged quietly, each a different color and round and plump in shape. Each mooncake was adorned with an exquisite decoration, like a miniature picture frame, inserted diagonally on the surface of the mooncake.
To see the details in the painting more clearly, Chen Mi leaned closer. When she could see the miniature images frame by frame, a thought struck her, and she finally understood why this dessert was named "Nine Lives".
The nine mooncakes represent nine different stages of life.
The first mooncake features a picture of a sleeping baby in swaddling clothes, symbolizing newborn life. The child's eyes and brows are not yet open, as pure and innocent as a blank sheet of paper.
The second stamp depicts a young child holding a pen, taking his first steps, a scene from his youth.
In the third image, a young man rides a horse, sword in hand, his clothes fluttering, just as his ambitions begin to come true.
The fourth one features a palace and a tall building, with a man in magnificent clothes looking down at the masses, symbolizing a high position.
The fifth one takes a sudden turn, depicting a lamp beside a sickbed, its flickering light symbolizing the suffering of illness.
The sixth image depicts an elderly man with white hair bowing his head to stroke a grave, a handful of fresh soil before the tombstone, expressing the profound pain of a parent outliving their child.
The seventh image depicts an elderly man with white hair and a weathered face, leaning on a cane and gazing into the distance with a serene expression, representing old age.
The eighth image depicts a lone boat sailing far away, its lights gradually fading into the night, as if bidding farewell on its deathbed.
The ninth one was completely blank, with only a silver moon disc reflected like a mirror, as if asking: Where do we go after death?
The greatest joys and sorrows of life.
Seeing her lost in thought, Jing Yuan spoke slowly: "The Nine-Life Mooncake, each piece corresponds to a different life. The myriad aspects of human life, joys and sorrows, ultimately cannot escape the four words 'birth, aging, sickness and death'."
He paused, his fingertips lightly tracing the edge of the cardboard box, as if touching a memory, and his tone suddenly lowered: "Actually, this mooncake tastes so-so, but it's Bai Xuan's favorite food."
Jing Yuan reached out and picked up a piece, putting it in his mouth and chewing very slowly, as if afraid of disturbing the long-forgotten memories. He softly explained the reason: "As a famous flying clan, the Bai clan has a long and distinguished history, with outstanding individuals in every generation. Among them, the most outstanding are Bai Xuan and his daughter. His daughter was Bai Heng, who perished in the Battle of Shuhu a hundred years ago."
When Bai Heng was mentioned, Jing Yuan's gaze couldn't help but fall on Dan Heng. He paused, looked away, and continued, "The Nine Lives Mooncake was drawn by Bai Heng, a member of the Five Heroes of the Clouds and my close friend. However, the outside world thought it was Bai Xuan's work, but it was actually made by Bai Heng in Bai Xuan's name."
"It was also her resentment. As a member of the Bai clan, she should have been respected, but she was disliked by everyone because of her terrible luck. So Bai Heng made a bet with us, saying that as long as we didn't tell, the world would never know that these nine paintings were by her. After Bai Heng passed away, this mooncake became Bai Xuan's keepsake for this reason."
Jing Yuan put the last piece of mooncake into his mouth, a hint of sadness in his expression: "It's a pity that such exquisite mooncakes will never be seen again. After the Ten Kings' Trial, everything in the world related to 'Bai Xuan' will eventually vanish without a trace."
When Jing Yuan looked up again, he met the faint light in Shen Mi's eyes. Only then did he realize that he had said too much.
He let out a soft breath, suppressing the emotions that had just overflowed, and said with a hint of apology, "I'm sorry, I only meant to tell you that the date for my meeting with Bai Xuan is tomorrow. I didn't expect that we would get so far off topic."
Shen Mi shook her head, indicating that she didn't mind. Just listening to Jing Yuan's account filled her with overwhelming emotions, let alone Dan Heng, who was a witness to the event and carried Dan Feng's memories.
His gaze fell on Dan Heng, who stood to the side. His expression was as calm as ever, but his eyes seemed to be shrouded in a thin mist, making it difficult to discern the deeper meaning within.
Shen Mi opened her mouth, words swirling between her lips and teeth, but ultimately couldn't utter them. She could vaguely sense the pain Dan was carrying with her memories, memories so heavy that they couldn't be easily resolved with just a few words of comfort.
She couldn't truly understand him personally, but she could only encourage him in her own way.
So she gently reached out and took Danheng's hand. There were no extra words, no deliberate attempts at comfort, only this small but genuine warmth, like a lamp trying to illuminate his darkness. Even if it was as faint as dust, as long as it could touch a corner of his heart, Chen Mi would be content.
Jing Yuan realized his mistake, but knew the damage was done. Those recollections not only stirred up deep-seated sorrow but also touched upon the shadow of Dan Heng's desire to never look back. Therefore, he could only suppress his emotions, casually waving his hand to abruptly change the subject:
"Let's eat, let's eat! It won't taste good if it gets cold."
As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere at the table seemed to have been abruptly shifted back to normal. The rising steam from the food diffused, masking the previous heaviness. Chen Mi silently lowered his head, served himself a bowl of rice, suppressed his emotions, and tried to gracefully accept the situation Jing Yuan had offered.
Danheng remained taciturn, merely accepting the bowl and chopsticks she offered with a detached expression, yet he did not refuse her kindness.
The warmth of home cooking gradually overshadowed the oppressive atmosphere, and the silence at the dining table was slowly replaced by the gentle clinking of bowls and chopsticks.
Jing Yuan briefly introduced Shen Mi to the Prison of Imprisonment and the judge who would take her there to visit him the next day.
Shen Mi was drinking soup when he heard the words "Prison of the Dead" and the familiar name, and his movements paused slightly.
"Xueyi is not one to smile. If you need anything, just tell her directly. Don't be intimidated by her coldness. She doesn't smile because her entire body is made of mechanical parts and cannot make flexible expressions."
"As expected, there will likely be another judge named Han Ya taking notes nearby. She is Xue Yi's younger sister, and both of them are people who uphold justice."
Shen Mi nodded and listened attentively as Jing Yuan finished speaking.
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Author's Note: Tomorrow will be the climax. Thanks to Jiu Cheshengshi; the name "Bing" (饼) is taken from you.
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