Li Chenglan was shaking the dice with one hand while casting a glance at the “mascot.”
Strangely enough, Lu Huaihai seemed particularly gloomy today.
Just as the game ended, the dice official at the head of the gambling table was tidying up the tiles and preparing for the next round.
Li Chenglan, with a stroke of good fortune and a pile of chips in front of him, was in a patient mood to show some concern for his good brother. Dragging a chair, he sat down to Lu Huaihai’s right and asked, “What’s wrong? Why the long face?”
Lu Huaihai didn’t explain, merely saying, “It’s nothing. I’m just bored sitting here. Why don’t you grab a dice cup and pass some time with me?”
Li Chenglan gave him a knowing look and said, “What’s the fun in playing by yourself? If you’re itching to play, join the next round; I’ll cover the cost.”
Lu Huaihai didn’t agree.
The dice official started calling out for the next round, and Li Chenglan lost interest in persuading him further, casually tossing a dice cup to Lu Huaihai.
Lu Huaihai caught it steadily.
At that moment, the servant who had gone out to gather information returned and whispered everything he had found out into Lu Huaihai’s ear.
These details weren’t hard to uncover. When gamblers got excited, they drank and bragged without restraint. Regular patrons of the gambling hall had no secrets.
In the noisy din of voices, Lu Huaihai listened silently. The copper lid of the dice cup spun in his palm, and the dice inside rotated obediently.
Two years ago, he had run away from home. With little money in hand and no sense of his limits, he had stumbled into a gambling den. It was in such a place that he met Li Chenglan, naturally.
Li Chenglan thought it was luck, but it wasn’t. The tricks and schemes at the gambling table were predictable. With a bit of skill, winning from fools was easy enough.
Lu Huaihai applied a little force with his fingertips, toying with the bone dice.
His first time gambling, he won a huge windfall.
Everyone harbors the desire to win big with small stakes, and he was no exception. But when he found himself instinctively drawn back to the gambling den for a second time, a sudden jolt of realization hit him. From then on, Lu Huaihai never touched those things again.
Li Chenglan could gamble an entire morning away, but no matter how reckless he was, he wouldn’t dare miss his afternoon martial arts training. That old man Song was truly harsh when it came to beatings.
Lu Huaihai remained deep in thought. Even when he played dice with Li Chenglan, his mind was elsewhere, to the point that he uncharacteristically allowed Li Chenglan to gain the upper hand.
When they finished, Li Chenglan asked him, “What, has a ghost eaten your brain?”
It was too hot. Lu Huaihai calmly took off his gloves and replied, “What’s the point of always beating you? I ought to leave you a little face.”
Li Chenglan rolled his eyes and slapped him on the shoulder. “Get lost! What’s on your mind today? Just spit it out.”
“Since I went easy on you today, help me with something,” said Lu Huaihai.
“What is it?”
“Help me set up a scheme. I want someone to pay with their life.”
Lu Huaihai’s words were utterly lawless, but Young Master Li, who thrived on chaos, not only showed no fear but clapped his hands in excitement.
“Who’s the unlucky one who managed to offend you so badly?”
Lu Huaihai didn’t elaborate, merely asking, “Will you help or not?”
“I’ll help!” Li Chenglan’s eyes sparkled with excitement. He began speculating on his own: “The only one who could provoke you must be your father. My god, you wouldn’t be planning patricide, would you? No, no, that’s too much. Then it must be…”
Li Chenglan suddenly had an epiphany. “I remember now! About half a month ago, didn’t you marry a concubine? That little wife of yours was saved by your grandmother on the street! And she was being bullied so badly that she had to cry for help in public.”
He called her “your little wife” repeatedly, which made Lu Huaihai uncomfortable. He said, “What’s this about a big wife and a little wife? Stop talking nonsense. Three days from now, at Lankang District, the old place.”
Although Lu Huaihai was young and impulsive, having witnessed the cold realities of the world, he naturally didn’t believe that simply collecting evidence of Zhang Duan’s bullying and delivering it to the court would bring justice.
To deal with villains, one must use the methods of villains.
—
Night descended from all directions. The sky hung low, and the oppressive black clouds made it hard to breathe.
It was going to rain.
Lu Huaihai walked alone through the evening crowd and, with a few practiced steps, climbed up the wall.
At this rate, he was starting to forget how to enter his home through the front gate.
Never mind. Seeing less of him might even let his father live a few years longer.
Half-squatting on the wall, Lu Huaihai let out a self-deprecating laugh. Then, glancing down, he noticed that the small courtyard was unlit, including the bedroom. Xie Miao’er wasn’t there.
Frowning, he leaped down and landed steadily.
Hearing the sound of his arrival, Yue Chuang stepped out from her room, gave him a polite greeting, and said, “Young Master, you’re back.”
Lu Huaihai glanced around and asked, “Where is she?”
Yue Chuang knew who he meant and replied, “This afternoon, Third Madam invited Mistress to the East Courtyard for a visit. She said they’d have dinner there as well and told me to inform you when you returned.”
In an instant, Lu Huaihai understood his mother’s intentions.
Over the past two years, she had been very enthusiastic about mending her relationship with him. Seeing how frequently he had been visiting here recently, she must have decided to use Xie Miao’er as bait to reel him in.
Lu Huaihai sighed.
In the East Courtyard, the lights were bright. After staying in the cramped and small side courtyard for so long, walking into this place made Lu Huaihai feel as though the spaciousness was unnerving.
The East Wing was the largest, with many rooms and a proper dining hall—unlike Xie Miao’er’s place, where meals had to be taken outdoors in the courtyard.
Inside the dining hall, Madam Su was seated at the round table, directly facing the door. Xie Miao’er sat to her left, the two of them chatting and laughing as though they got along splendidly.
Lu Huaihai paused in his steps.
His younger sister, Lu Baozhu, was also there, sitting to Madam Su’s right, looking obedient and gentle.
This surprised Lu Huaihai.
In the 17th year of Changping, when the Lu family was still in Yansui and the war was frequent, everyone was struggling to survive. Lu Baozhu was only six years old at the time when she was abducted. Fortunately, she was rescued, but the shock caused her to hit her head. From that point on, she became mentally impaired, behaving like a fool. Over the years, she had grown taller, but her condition remained the same—she would scream and hit people when she had an episode.
The daughters of the first and second branches were already of marriageable age. Having lost their fathers, they were especially vulnerable. Even though Madam Su pitied Lu Baozhu, she had no choice but to keep her confined, ensuring that the reputation of the Lu family wouldn’t be tarnished by the presence of a “madwoman” and jeopardize the other daughters’ prospects for marriage.
When Madam Su saw Lu Huaihai enter, she waved at him and said, “You kept us waiting. Qingzhu, serve the dishes.”
Lu Huaihai didn’t say much and greeted her calmly, “Mother.”
His gaze landed on Xie Miao’er.
Today, she wore a short jacket in soft goose-yellow, and the ribbon tied around her hair bun was also a tender shade of yellow.
Sensing his eyes on her, Xie Miao’er slightly raised her head and gave him a faint smile.
Lu Huaihai felt at ease and chose a seat where he wouldn’t sit directly next to anyone.
The sharp exchange of glances between the two did not escape Madam Su, who was sitting at the head of the table. She discreetly observed them for a while before finally saying, after all the dishes had been served, “Go ahead and eat. It’s just a casual family meal; there’s no need to stand on ceremony.”
Xie Miao’er nodded. She picked a few pieces of food from the dishes in front of her and, like a small chick pecking at grains, slowly counted the grains of rice in her bowl as she ate.
Lu Baozhu was much calmer today, but she was still like a child. She poked at a pearl meatball for a long time, yet failed to eat it.
Seeing this, Madam Su’s heart ached for her. If not for what had happened back then…
She sighed, then picked up a spoon and began feeding her youngest daughter mouthful by mouthful.
When her son and Xie Miao’er had finished eating, Madam Su said, “It’s getting late. You two should head back now. Qingzhu, see the Young Master and Mistress off.”
Seeing Madam Su so full of maternal affection, Xie Miao’er felt a pang of emotion. Before leaving, she couldn’t help but glance back at them a few more times.
Back when she was bedridden and unable to get up, her mother had also done the same, sitting by her bed and feeding her spoonfuls of porridge.
She wondered how her mother was doing now. Was she still grieving over her presumed death?
Noticing Xie Miao’er looking dejected after they stepped out, Lu Huaihai thought she was upset because of some insult and asked, “Were you scolded?”
“No, why would I be scolded?” Xie Miao’er replied.
Relieved, Lu Huaihai said no more.
Now it was Xie Miao’er’s turn to notice that something was off with him.
Ahead of them stood a small four-cornered pavilion, and Xie Miao’er suggested, “It’s dull to head back so soon. Why not sit here for a while?”
The night was cool and quiet as water, with only a handful of scattered stars faintly clinging to the edges of the clouds, casting a weak glow now and then.
In the pavilion by the artificial rockery, Xie Miao’er sat facing outward. She swung her legs slightly, her hands resting on the elmwood railing painted to resemble redwood.
“What are you looking at?” Lu Huaihai asked.
Xie Miao’er pointed toward the oddly shaped rocks not far away, her voice bright with excitement. “This afternoon, I played hide-and-seek there with Sister Baozhu.”
Lu Huaihai didn’t respond.
But Xie Miao’er continued talking to herself, still elated from her day.
“I don’t know why, but Sister Baozhu seems to really like being close to me!” she said enthusiastically. “Zhengya told me that when she’s with me, she’s much calmer and doesn’t hurt anyone. Third Madam even said that if I’m willing, she hopes I can spend more time with her in the future.”
Something flickered in Lu Huaihai’s eyes as he listened, and he asked, “Are you willing?”
Xie Miao’er replied loudly and without hesitation, “Of course I’m willing! She’s your sister, after all.”
She had thoroughly read everything written about Lu Huaihai, yet had never known he had a sister.
For women, marriage usually left a permanent record in their lives. But given Lu Baozhu’s condition, it was clear she wouldn’t be able to marry.
Suffering from an illness, she could only be confined to her room, playing by herself.
In the end, even her existence seemed deliberately buried and forgotten. Xie Miao’er felt deeply sorry for her.
But her offhand comment struck a completely different chord with Lu Huaihai.
Because she was his sister.
So, even though she was mad and foolish, Xie Miao’er extended her affection to those connected to him, willingly spending time with her.
Since Xie Miao’er was facing a different direction, she couldn’t see the subtle changes in his expression. She was enthusiastically recounting her playful afternoon with Lu Baozhu, her tone lively and animated.
As she became more engrossed in her story, her gestures grew more expressive, her hands waving and feet tapping.
Meanwhile, Lu Huaihai had long turned to face her. He was quietly watching Xie Miao’er.
The girl before him seemed interested in everything.
Even something as simple as playing hide-and-seek with a fool.
What she said lacked any particular logic or structure, yet Lu Huaihai was utterly absorbed in her words.
On this dark summer night, her eyes shone brighter than the most precious luminous pearl.
—
Footnote:
- ”Love for the house extends even to the crows” (爱屋及乌): This idiom means loving someone so much that one even cherishes their belongings or the things associated with them, no matter how insignificant.