Chapter 31 Spring Pavilion Snow "Come back soon."
Ji Ming sensed her concealment and instinctively became suspicious and probing.
Before I could even speak, I saw the faint glimmer of tears welling up in her eyes.
He frowned slightly, looked away, and gave up asking further questions.
As night deepened, the chill outside intensified.
The two sat quietly side by side for a while before Ning Lu suggested going back to her room to rest.
The small courtyard has only one bedroom.
By evening, Aunt Zhang would have tidied everything up and then go home.
Having learned from their experience in Zhujia'ao, the two of them weren't shy about sharing a room.
The room had a bed and a couch, and a stove for warmth, making it infinitely better than Zhujia'ao.
At first, Ning Lu was considerate of his delicate and frail health, and consciously slept on the side couch. But when winter came, the side couch was by the window, and the wind made it bitterly cold.
Ji Ming often saw her shivering and curled up in a ball at night, grinding her teeth from the cold, and generously offered to give her half of the bed.
The condition is that she gets up before Aunt Zhang arrives.
In order to get a good night's sleep, Ning Lu tearfully agreed, scolding him for not knowing how to write the word "gentleman."
As someone who grew up reading the Four Books and Five Classics, he had never heard of such a foreign term, but he could still guess what she meant.
It doesn't matter; he was never a gentleman to begin with.
The north wind howled outside the window, and the candlelight in the courtyard went out. Ning Lu washed up and returned to her room, where Ji Ming had already fallen asleep.
She tiptoed over him and curled up in the corner of the bed.
Although Ji Ming is a very cold-hearted person, he is still a living person. Sleeping outside can at least keep him from getting too cold.
Ning Lu breathed a sigh of relief, took out the handkerchief that the soldiers had given her that afternoon from her bosom, and then pulled out a small purse from the mattress under her, beginning her daily bedtime ritual.
Counting silver.
You only feel truly at ease when you have money in your own hands.
With her eyes closed, she gently stroked each coin in her arms, a wide smile spreading across her face.
The total was 679 coins.
Zhujia'ao's expedition was unsuccessful, and they didn't save a single penny. Fortunately, Ying County managed to get a small amount of profit from Ji Ming.
This amount of money isn't much, but it's better than nothing.
Ji Ming's identity is currently shrouded in mystery, and no one can figure out what's going on. Who knows when he'll change the map again? It's always good to save some of your own money.
Ning Lu held all the money in front of her, then leaned in and took a deep sniff.
"This isn't about the smell of money. It's about a sense of security."
She muttered something under her breath, then reached out and picked out a bag of money to start counting it.
Ning Lu was startled when she suddenly felt a cool sensation on her fingertips, unlike the coolness of copper coins. She sat up abruptly.
Ji Ming frowned and turned slightly to the side, and she quickly held her breath and remained still.
To make sure the person hadn't woken up, I slowly lowered my gaze and turned to the soft handkerchief.
Peeking in by the moonlight, I saw a square, dark shape inside.
Note?
Ning Lu licked her lips, leaned down and brought the note close to her eyes.
It fell out of the handkerchief she was carrying with her today.
The room was dimly lit and I couldn't see clearly, but my heart was racing for no reason.
Ning Lu resigned herself to her fate, stuffed the other bag of money back under the bed, and then tiptoed to the study with the money in her arms.
The candle was lit, illuminating the small space on the desk. She crouched under the lamp and carefully unfolded the small notes, each the size of a fingernail.
[Tomorrow at noon, there will be a change of guard at Yanchun Tower. We can meet there then. I'm traveling alone, so please make sure you come!]
The wind rattled against the bamboo window, the firelight flickered, and her fingertips trembled slightly.
Ning Lu read the note again by the light.
The paper was soft and fragrant. The handwriting was elegant and graceful, as if it were written by a woman.
This note...
Her gaze fell on the unfolded handkerchief, and her breathing quickened slightly.
She kept that handkerchief close to her body like a purse, taking it out every night to check it. There was no note on it last night.
I went out today...
That thief, that soldier, and Cen Wei...
There were only a few of them.
So if someone deliberately slipped the note to her, it was one of them.
Ning Lu was startled by this sudden guess and reflexively threw the note aside.
How is that possible?
Yanchun Tower, Yanchun Tower within Changzhou City...
Her eyes widened slightly.
A few scattered memories came together.
Zhu Qi's wife's younger sister, the girl who said she came from somewhere else and entered a new body, and who was considered crazy by others, was in the brothel.
Ning Lu hugged her shoulders tightly, trying her best to sort through the information in her hands.
The jade pendant that the original owner always carried was taken by Zhao Yue. Along the way, no one else recognized the original owner's appearance except for Zhao Yue; Yan Chunlou was her only clue at the moment.
Right now, she has received another note about Yanchunlou.
Whether it was from the cold or the tension, I felt a tingling, itchy sensation in my joints, and my arms were covered in goosebumps.
Fingertips traced the ink marks, silently clenching the note.
Ever since she inexplicably traveled to this godforsaken place, she and Ji Ming have been living a secluded life since they came down from Siyun Mountain.
Although no one knows her, and she doesn't have to go to great lengths to pretend to be someone else and explain why she's in such a place, it is precisely because of this that she often feels a desolate sense of loneliness.
It's as if... both the original owner and she were abandoned by this world.
One person silently transformed into another, without anyone noticing.
It's eerie and desolate.
For this reason, the note in her hand felt warm, a testament to the faint connection she, or another girl, still had with this world.
Ning Lu bit her lip and quietly made up her mind.
Changzhou is terrifying, but in order to go home, and for the sake of the original owner of this body, she has to go again.
He blew out the candle and, stepping on the shadow, turned back to Ji Ming's side.
His body was already cold, but Ji Ming was still half asleep when he curled up in her direction.
Ning Lu stopped abruptly, staring blankly at his sleeping face.
Her curled eyelashes fluttered up and down, as if she were lost in some dream; her brow furrowed, and she seemed uneasy.
The person who was threatening to kill her with a knife just three months ago has now become her closest connection to the world.
That's strange.
Just now, she even had an impulse to wake Ji Ming up and borrow his brain to help analyze what exactly was going on.
Fleeting.
This person is frail and weak.
He breaks out in a cold sweat just from writing, so I doubt he can do much to help. It's better not to add to his burden.
Ning Lu shrank under the covers, feeling very cold, and silently snuggled closer to him.
It's already quite precious that the bonds between people can be maintained when there's no trouble.
Moreover, even someone as deep-thinking as him never shared any of his burdens with her.
Ning Lu tossed and turned, only to find herself with a restless night.
She first dreamed of the group of bare-chested, fierce soldiers outside the city gate of Changzhou, and then she dreamed of a woman crying out in despair and helplessness.
As dawn approached, Ji Ming's captivating eyes drifted into sleep, allowing her to doze off for a short while. Even so, when she opened her eyes, it was barely the first light of day outside.
The snow had long since stopped, and the ice crystals reflected the morning light, making the room brighter than usual.
Ning Lu gave up struggling, got up and tidied herself up, and saw the white snow outside again, remembering Ji Ming's wish from last night.
"The wish made by such a sophisticated egoist is quite childlike."
"Ji Amin! You lazybones! Are you up yet?"
With a red nose, she rushed into the house, propped herself up on her hand, and pointed to the yard: "Come with me!"
"What kind of acrobatic performance is this so early in the morning?"
He turned his back, straightened his clothes, and glanced at her.
"Big brother! I guarantee you'll regret being so harsh when you see the gift I gave you!"
"Hurry up, my hands are freezing, don't make me pull you!"
Ning Lu sniffled hard, her nose snot running down her face, looking particularly pitiful and disheveled.
Following her footsteps, I stepped out of the room and looked at the scene before me. My pupils contracted slightly, and I was at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
The enormous snowman under the banyan tree consists of two round balls overlapping each other, pressed firmly together.
The snowman's face was outlined with an odd smile using charcoal ash and cinnabar.
...
It's very unique.
Isn't it cute?
Ning Lu stood next to Ji Ming, sniffing, and nudged him with her head.
Unfortunately, he was too tall and she was too short. She bumped into his elbow, making her wince in pain.
With a soft laugh, his cool fingertips touched her hair.
Ji Ming gently pressed her head with his fingertips.
"Why are you piling it up? Isn't it cold?"
"It's cold. I want to do something for you. When I woke up, the snow had stopped. There's no way to make snow artificially, but a snowman can make the snow last a little longer."
As the wind rises, snowflakes drift from the eaves and fall into one's hair.
Her clear voice echoed in the courtyard, and Ji Ming was slightly lost in thought.
"Are you stupid?"
She waved her little hand in front of his eyes: "Don't be too touched."
He turned his head to look at the fat, ugly snowman.
He remembered that she had said her home was far away and he couldn't help her.
In reality, if it's really far, he doesn't want to help...
so far away……
He hates trouble.
"Don't feel guilty. I'm not doing this in exchange for your help."
Ning Lu put her hands inside her sleeves and warmed them with her elbows.
"hiss--"
Seeing her grimacing from the cold, Ji Ming gently shook his head.
"stupid."
"I call this 'great wisdom appearing as foolishness'."
Ning Lu turned around and used her shoulder to push him into the house.
"You can see this from your study; you don't need to go outside to see it. It will be cold when the snow melts, and you've just recovered from your fever, so don't catch a cold."
Are you going out again today?
"Yes, I will." Ning Lu stopped and looked up at Ji Ming's profile. As if possessed, she said, "If I come back early tonight, I'll heat up two pots of wine and tell you a story. Would you like to listen?"
His fair, pinkish-white fingertips rubbed gently against the charcoal brazier, a faint smile playing on his lips.
She clearly wants to hear it, so why pretend to be aloof?
"Otherwise, let's play a truth-or-fact game."
Ning Lu leaned closer: "Let's exchange secrets. How about it?"
Upon hearing this, the man turned his head to look at her, as if he was seriously considering the feasibility.
Meeting his gaze, Ning Lu remembered the eyes in her dream last night, her breathing slowed, and she quickly looked away guiltily.
"Well, take your time to think it over. I'm in a hurry, so I'm heading out now. We'll talk again when I get back tonight."
At first, they were calm, calculating phoenix eyes, but the more you look at them, the more they seem like promiscuous, flirtatious eyes...
It's not a good thing.
Ning Lu panicked and hurriedly turned around and rushed out the door. Only after reaching the outside of the courtyard did she realize that she hadn't led the horse. She turned back and gave an embarrassed laugh.
The man remained seated, watching her until she reached the courtyard gate.
Ning Lu.
Ji Ming, clutching his mink cloak, deliberately called her name loudly.
The man was indeed tripped up, frantically pulling on the reins, and glared back at him: "What are you doing?"
Come back soon.
boom--
Ning Lu's mouth was half open. It took her a long time to come to her senses. She gave a casual reply and left as quickly as she could, as if she were fleeing on horseback.
The bamboo gate swayed, and the horse's hooves faded into the distance.
Ji Ming's smile gradually faded, and he slowly lowered his eyes to look at the flickering charcoal fire in the basin.
He didn't know what the Confession Bureau was, but there were some things he could talk about...
-----------------------
Author's Note: Double update today. Thank you for the nutrient solution and BWP from all my friends! Love received, back to writing!
Lord Xie, please come online soon!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com