In Qingshan City’s Embroidery Workshop, the women pushed weaving shuttles back and forth among threads.
The entire Embroidery Workshop buzzed with busyness as everyone raced against the deadline.
In the innermost room, the clicking of an abacus joined the sound of the weaving looms.
“Click, click…”
The young woman at the desk focused intensely on counting bolts of fabric. After the final touch on the abacus…
She froze, murmuring to herself, “That’s enough.”
The young woman stood up and pushed the door open.
“Rest time!”
This shout silenced all other noise in the workshop.
The dozens of busy women stopped as well. They all sighed deeply, relieved they could finally rest.
“Double pay for these past few days,” she announced. “Go home and get proper rest. No work tomorrow.”
The women’s eyes lit up, and smiles spread across their faces.
“Thank you, Steward!”
“A wise decision, Steward!”
Ruyi watched this scene quietly, then retreated back into her room.
Sitting in her chair, she lifted one leg. Despite wearing a skirt, she propped her foot right up on the chair seat, ankle clearly showing. It looked very improper.
“Finally done!”
She sighed with relief. After resting a moment in the chair, she arranged for another Manager to come and transport the finished goods.
She was busy until dusk. Only then did Ruyi finally emerge from the workshop. Locking the door, she hurried home.
Truth be told, she hadn’t been home in two nights.
Returning to Chuanfeng Lane, she reached her own doorstep.
Ruyi stifled a yawn as she reached to open the door and go inside, but suddenly paused.
“Huh?”
Ruyi frowned and walked towards the adjoining yard.
She glanced at its gate and noticed the lock was missing.
Lending her ear close…
Rustling sounds came from inside.
‘A thief!!’
Ruyi froze, then a glint of ferocity flashed in her eyes.
She returned to her own door, unlocked it, entered her yard, and went straight into the kitchen. Grabbing a shiny cleaver, she marched back out.
“Thief! Daring to steal here!” she muttered grimly.
“Just you wait, I’ll chop you down!”
Cleaver in hand, Ruyi stormed out to the gate of the adjacent yard.
She eyed the large gate.
And lifted her foot to kick it.
BAM!
The gate flew open with a crash.
“Thief! Get out here!” she bellowed.
“Haven’t you even bothered to ask whose turf this is? Stealing right here? Just watch, today this old lady will —”
Ruyi stepped through the doorway, then suddenly stopped dead.
On the bench inside the yard, one startled man and one bewildered cat stared at her.
Chen Changsheng stared at the woman holding the cleaver. Her wild appearance took him completely by surprise.
The Tabby Cat just looked confused, wondering if this was yet another of “Good Human Chen’s” old flames.
Chen Changsheng snapped out of his surprise. After a closer look at the young woman, recognition dawned.
“Are you… Ruyi?”
Ruyi’s mouth snapped shut. Instinctively, she whirled her body away, frantically yanking the cleaver behind her back.
“No! You’ve got the wrong person!” she stammered.
Without another word or look back, she fled the yard.
Lihua blinked at the now-empty gateway, then turned to Chen Changsheng. “Who’s she?”
“Another old friend.”
“Oh?…” asked Lihua, dragging the sound.
“Why drag out the ‘oh’ like that, Lihua?”
“Is she an old flame?”
“No, just an ordinary friend. Like Miss Aqing. When I left, she was just a nine-year-old girl.”
“I see,” nodded the Tabby Cat, looking as though it understood perfectly… although it hadn’t grasped a single word.
It seemed fixated on finding Chen Changsheng’s old romantic entanglements. To Lihua, every woman seemed suspiciously like a former lover.
Frankly, it was perplexing why this cat’s mind was always filled with such dubious notions.
Ruyi raced back into her own courtyard.
BANG!
She slammed the gate shut, leaning her back heavily against it.
She gasped for breath. Looking down, her eyes fell upon the cleaver still clutched in her hand.
Clatter.
The cleaver hit the ground.
Ruyi gave a tremble. Her entire being felt dazed.
What just happened?… That really was…
She shook her head vigorously. “Can’t be…” she breathed.
It couldn’t be possible! So incredibly coincidental!
Part of her refused to believe it was real.
Uncle Chen… He really came back!
All these years she’d regularly cleaned that yard across… and her very first visit in ages involved kicking the door in, brandishing a cleaver, shouting about thieves!
A small voice inside urged her to just pretend it hadn’t happened.
She stood frozen for a moment. Then, abruptly, she pinched herself hard. The sharp sting shocked her back to reality.
“Ouch…”
The memory of her actions moments earlier flooded back. Instantly, a deep flush burned her cheeks.
If the women of the Embroidery Workshop saw this, they would probably freeze in shock. They’d think their icy Steward actually blushed with embarrassment! How utterly astonishing!
“What to do, oh, what to do…”
Ruyi paced all over the courtyard, thinking. One moment she shook her head, the next she nodded.
At some point, a Tabby Cat had climbed up onto the courtyard wall.
The Tabby Cat tilted its head, watching the scene.
It saw the girl pacing left and right in the courtyard, clearly unsure what she was doing.
“Meow?”
The Tabby Cat called out.
The sound snapped Ruyi out of her daze. She regained her focus and looked over.
When she saw the Tabby Cat, Ruyi swallowed hard. She raised a finger to her lips and shushed it.
“?”
Lihua seemed puzzled.
Ruyi made a shooing motion with her hand, trying to chase Lihua away.
She simply dared not face Uncle Chen after what just happened. Pretending she wasn’t home seemed best.
Lihua gave her a look, then jumped down from the wall.
Ruyi sighed in relief and hurried back inside the house.
She burrowed under her quilt and rolled around a few times, but she still couldn’t forget the fact that she’d charged into the courtyard wielding her blade…
…
Lihua padded up beside Chen Changsheng. “Good Human Chen,” it said.
“What is it?”
“This new old friend of yours… she doesn’t seem smart.”
“Not smart?”
Chen Changsheng paused in surprise, then suddenly started laughing.
“She wasn’t very clever when she was little. Wasn’t much smarter than you, Lihua.”
“I can tell! You said I’m not smart!”
“I never said that.”
“Liar!”
“Very well, I’ll rephrase.”
“How then?”
“Lihua is adorably silly.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I think you’re cute.”
“Oh…”
Lihua seemed to half-understand. It eyed Chen Changsheng suspiciously. It felt the man had tricked it, but couldn’t quite prove it.
Chen Changsheng stroked his chin, thinking to himself: ‘Could it be Ruyi doesn’t recognize me?’
It was possible.
After all, memories from childhood were easy to forget.
He paused for a moment, then looked again at the little courtyard across the way.
On second thought… if Yu Hongjin was here, Miss Yun likely was too.
“Over ten years have passed…”
That was a very long time.
He wasn’t sure if Miss Yun had forgotten him.
If she had forgotten, that would naturally be best. Then he wouldn’t need to appear.
But if she remembered, he really should pay her a visit.
‘Best to ask Yu Hongjin first, then decide.’
