The morning sounds mixed with the chirping of insects and birds seeped into Lin An’s ears.
He opened his eyes.
What came into view was a white curtain, the top slightly yellowed, embroidered with orchids—Yan Yi’s handiwork.
He stared at that orchid for a long time, his mind feeling as foggy as if it were soaked in paste.
Slowly sitting up, the bed board let out a creak.
He looked down.
He was wearing a white inner garment, not the one he had on when he came back.
‘Who changed me?’
Lin An sat on the edge of the bed, gazing blankly at the patches of sunlight on the floor.
‘How did I get back?’
His last memory from the night before was being attacked.
After that, he remembered nothing at all…
No, that wasn’t quite right.
It wasn’t completely blank.
There was a tiny bit, as if… there was a pair of eyes.
Lin An furrowed his brows, trying hard to recall that image.
The look in those eyes was very gentle, very familiar.
Being gazed at by those eyes gave him an indescribable feeling of reassurance.
But he couldn’t remember who it was.
The outline of those eyes flickered in his mind, then scattered like ripples on the water, impossible to grasp no matter how hard he tried.
Lin An massaged his temples and gave up trying to remember.
Just then, he noticed two pouches lying by his pillow.
They were exactly the ones Gu Yingge had given him.
He picked them up and checked their contents.
‘Huh? Not a single thing missing?’
The mask Qu Hongling had given him was in the storage bag, and the suit of Spiritual Power Armor had turned back into a cube in the other pouch.
‘Nothing was taken?’
‘Then what did that attacker want?’
‘If not money, then… what, they were after my body?’
‘But… well, even if she actually did something, Lin An wouldn’t know.’
He thought for a long time but couldn’t figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it.
He had just finished getting dressed when the door was pushed open.
Turning his head, he saw a woman walk in from outside.
Yu Zhiyan carried a basin of hot water.
The moment her eyes met Lin An’s, a gentle smile appeared on her face.
“Awake? Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Mm… it’s nothing.”
In a daze, Lin An had the illusion that something was off.
But when he looked closely, nothing seemed wrong.
Yan Yi still wore that moon-white cotton long skirt, with a dark blue apron that had faded from repeated washing tied around her waist.
Her sleeves were rolled up to her forearms, revealing slender, fair wrists.
Her hair was casually pinned up with a wooden hairpin, a few stray strands hanging by her ears, lending a touch of laziness to her soft face.
Time had left no trace on her face.
She was over thirty, but her skin was even better than girls of eighteen or nineteen.
Her features weren’t stunning, but they were the kind that grew on you the more you looked—neither showy nor glaring, but just comfortable to gaze upon.
“You’re acting strange,” Yu Zhiyan said as she set the basin on the stand, her lips pouting slightly and her brows furrowing for a moment before relaxing.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“Not bad…”
Lin An looked at her, and his chaotic thoughts gradually settled.
“Yan Yi.”
“Hm?”
“How did I get back last night?”
Yu Zhiyan soaked the cloth in the water, wrung it out, shook it open, and handed it to him.
“You came back by yourself, in the middle of the night. You looked really tired when you walked in. You just said, ‘Yan Yi, I’m so sleepy,’ then went to your room and slept.”
Lin An took the cloth and wiped his face.
The warm moisture brought him fully awake.
“I only said that one sentence?”
“Just that one sentence.”
Yu Zhiyan set the basin aside, picked up a comb, and began to help him brush his hair.
“I was about to ask if you’d eaten, but you’d already collapsed on the bed. I couldn’t wake you no matter how I tried—just like when you were little, when you were sleepy, you wouldn’t care even if the sky fell.”
Lin An remained silent.
‘Looks like that person who attacked me did something to make me seem fine before sending me back.’
‘But why did she send me back? What does she want?’
Beside him, Yu Zhiyan combed his hair while chattering, “You, child, coming back without warning. If I didn’t clean your room every day, you wouldn’t even have a place to sleep.”
Lin An smiled.
“I was thinking of giving Yan Yi a surprise.”
“More like a shock.”
Yu Zhiyan gently patted his shoulder, put down the comb, moved in front of him, and looked him over carefully.
Then she raised her hand and touched his cheek, a hint of concern in her eyes.
“You’ve lost weight.”
“No, I’ve been eating well.”
“You’ve lost weight, and that’s that. Do you think I can’t tell?”
Yu Zhiyan pinched his cheek.
“All the meat on your face is gone. You don’t look good.”
Lin An’s mouth twisted from her pinch, and he mumbled, “Yan Yi, I’m grown up. You can’t pinch me like that anymore.”
“Grown up or not, I still raised you.”
Yu Zhiyan let go and smiled at him.
“In front of Yan Yi, you’ll always be that little kid.”
Lin An looked at Yan Yi’s concerned face, her eyes full of laughter, and suddenly a rush of indescribable emotion welled up inside him.
Without thinking, he blurted out.
“If there’s no place to stay, then I’ll just squeeze in with Yan Yi. Didn’t we always sleep together when we were little?”
As soon as he said it, he was stunned himself.
Yu Zhiyan was also stunned.
A faint blush crept up her face, spreading from her cheeks to the tips of her ears.
She raised her hand and tapped Lin An on the head, not putting much force into it.
“You little brat,” Yu Zhiyan scolded, glaring at him with feigned anger, but the smile in her eyes betrayed her true feelings.
“You’ve learned to tease your Yan Yi, huh? Don’t you know the distinction between men and women?”
Lin An covered the spot where she’d hit him, opened his mouth to explain, but only managed an awkward laugh.
Yu Zhiyan continued with a smile in her voice, “Besides, if others find out that you, a grown man, still want to cling to Yan Yi for sleep, won’t they laugh at you?”
As she spoke, she seemed to imagine the scene of others pointing at Lin An, and couldn’t help covering her mouth to laugh.
Lin An finally snapped back to reality and scratched his head.
“Ahem, I must have had a brain fart. What on earth did I just say…”
“Good that you know.”
Yu Zhiyan withdrew her hand, straightened her apron, turned, and headed for the door.
“Get cleaned up and come out. I made you some soup dumplings.”
“Yan Yi, you got up this early?”
“How could I not get up early? There’s a little glutton back home. I can’t let him go hungry.”
Yu Zhiyan’s affectionate voice came from outside the door.
Lin An listened to her footsteps gradually fade away, and a warmth slowly spread through his heart.
He walked to the bronze mirror.
It reflected his face—young, clean, with light in his eyes.
“It’s good to be home.”
*
At the dining table.
Lin An sat at the edge, picked up a soup dumpling, stuffed it into his mouth, and scalded himself into a sharp inhale.
“Eat slowly. No one’s competing with you.”
Yu Zhiyan sat across from him, holding a cup of hot tea in both hands, still with that same beaming smile.
Lin An swallowed the dumpling and took a sip of porridge.
“Yan Yi, your dumplings are still as delicious as ever.”
“Then eat more.”
Yu Zhiyan pushed the steamer basket toward him.
“When you’re out on your own, the food can’t be as good as at home.”
Lin An picked up another dumpling, this time blowing on it before daring to put it in his mouth.
Yu Zhiyan watched him eat for a while, then asked softly, “What exactly is your job out there? Last time you left, you didn’t explain clearly—just said it was official business in another city.”
Lin An’s chewing slowed for a beat.
He swallowed, took another sip of porridge, and carefully chose his words.
“Well… I do some work at the yamen. My superior thinks highly of me and gave me an important assignment. This time, because I performed well, the higher-ups gave me a few days off to come home.”
Yu Zhiyan nodded and didn’t press further.
Lin An knew she wasn’t the type to pry, but there was one thing she was sure to ask.
“Is it dangerous?”
“Not dangerous.”
Lin An answered quickly.
“It’s just running around. A bit tiring, but perfectly safe.”
Yu Zhiyan looked into his eyes, as if judging the truth of his words.
Lin An met her gaze without flinching.
He didn’t want to lie to Yan Yi, but some things couldn’t be said.
If he told her, she would only worry, and besides worrying, there was nothing she could do.
“That’s good.”
Yu Zhiyan looked away and took a sip of tea.
“Take care of yourself out there. Don’t be careless just because you’re young. Wear more when it’s cold, eat when you’re hungry. Don’t stay up late, and don’t cut corners.”
“Got it.”
“Knowing is one thing; doing it is what counts.”
Yu Zhiyan put down her teacup, reached out, and pulled a loose thread from Lin An’s sleeve.
“Look at this shirt, the edges are all frayed, and you don’t even think to change it. I’ll make you two new ones for you to take when you leave.”
“No need. I have clothes to wear.”
“What kind of fabric are your clothes? They’re not comfortable to wear.”
Yu Zhiyan’s tone brooked no argument.
“I’m at home with nothing to do anyway. Making a few pieces of clothing isn’t any trouble.”
Lin An knew Yan Yi had her own little stubborn streak, so he simply changed the subject.
“Yan Yi, how’s everything at home lately?”
“Same as always.”
Yu Zhiyan leaned back in her chair, fingers interlaced on her lap.
“Madam Shen was asking about you a while ago. She said Qi Shuang hasn’t been home in a long time, and her place feels pretty empty.”
Lin An’s chewing slowed again.
“Shen Qishuang should be back soon. She’s in Grey Wastes City. Once she’s done with work, she’ll probably come home for a few days.”
“Really?”
Yu Zhiyan’s eyes lit up.
“That’s wonderful! Shopkeeper Shen and Madam Shen will be so happy.”
“By the way,” Lin An remembered seeing the light in her room the night before, “Yan Yi, are you still taking embroidery work lately?”
“I took a few orders. Aunt Zhang recommended a job—making a wedding dress. It’s not rushed, so I’m working on it slowly.”
“Don’t stay up late working.”
“I didn’t stay up late. I just worked a bit late last night.”
Lin An opened his mouth, wanting to say, “Don’t do it. I can earn money to support you,” but the words wouldn’t come out.
He could barely support himself right now, relying on Lu Mingyue’s spiritual stones and Gu Yingge’s gifts—but those things… he felt he couldn’t really accept them.
Besides, Yan Yi was the kind of person who would feel uneasy if she had nothing to do.
Ever since Yu Zhiyan had taken him in, she had been doing needlework, never stopping.
Maybe she truly enjoyed it.