Achan saw the two guards out, and as she turned, she spotted the owner of the neighboring bookshop, Mr. Xu, happily carrying two oil-paper packages toward his shop.
Seeing Achan, he greeted her warmly, “Miss Ji.”
“What tasty treat did Mr. Xu buy?” Achan asked with a smile.
Achan had only met Mr. Xu that morning, but Ji Chan had a strong impression of him.
When Ji Chan first moved here, Mr. Xu saw she was alone and clueless, worried something might happen to her. He took her shopping for daily necessities.
The rice, flour, charcoal, and firewood at home were all bought with Mr. Xu’s help.
Ji Chan had offered him a tael of silver as thanks, but he refused, so she treated him to mutton buns from Granny Huang’s street stall, and both were satisfied.
From this, Achan knew Mr. Xu was kind and loved good food.
“Old Man Hu set up a stall at the street corner selling smoked chicken. His craft is exceptional, and I got lucky today, snagging two.”
As he spoke, he lifted the oil-paper packages.
Though far, the aroma of chicken reached Achan’s nose. She closed her door and said to Mr. Xu, “Please watch my door for me. I’m going to buy some too.”
“Go quick, go quick.”
Watching Achan lift her skirt and hurry toward the street, Mr. Xu said to his assistant, who had stepped out, “Miss Ji seems much cheerier than before.”
The assistant peeked out, muttering softly, “Those who brought Miss Ji back were two Mirror Division guards, looking fierce. Wonder what her background is?”
Achan didn’t know what Mr. Xu and his assistant were curious about. By the time she reached the street corner, Old Man Hu’s stall was crowded.
Some complained the smoked chicken was too pricey but lingered. Others bought plain noodles from a nearby stall, eating while savoring the chicken’s aroma, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Achan queued for nearly an hour before buying half a smoked chicken.
Old Man Hu’s chicken smelled divine but was costly, half a chicken costing her thirty wen.
For the first time, Achan felt a strong urge to earn money. As a fox demon, she should at least afford chicken.
Since Old Man Hu said the smoked chicken tasted better cold, Achan didn’t eat it right away. She had to visit the Zhao residence tomorrow and needed to prepare the incense sachet.
Her incense materials were on the new table she’d bought, along with some tools. She organized them, picking out the materials needed for today.
Incense could be made into stick, coil, or pellet forms, among others. Sachets were the easiest to start with.
The hardest part of incense-making was blending the formula, but since Lady Xiao Lin only wanted an insect-repelling sachet, the ingredients were common and easy to mix.
Achan took mugwort, mint, dried tangerine peel, and four other ingredients, grinding them into powder, mixing them in equal parts, and packing them into a cotton bag, which she placed in a sachet bought outside.
These ingredients repelled insects, with a slightly sharp scent. Combined, the aroma was strong but not overpowering, likely acceptable to most.
With the sachet done, Achan glanced at the sky. Unknowingly, it was past the shēn hour (3 PM to 5 PM), and the sky had darkened, with wind picking up.
Only then did she feel hungry. With the half smoked chicken and some pancakes she planned to make, dinner was set.
Achan thought it simple, but she overestimated her skills.
Making pancakes required kneading dough. If the dough was too wet, add flour; if too dry, add water. By the time she got it right, her small dough, meant for two meals, had grown into enough for two days.
No matter, she thought, finding joy in hardship. Tomorrow, she could have hand-rolled noodles.
When she emerged from the kitchen with six face-sized pancakes, half an hour had passed.
She lit an oil lamp, placing the pancakes and shredded smoked chicken side by side on the table. The chicken’s aroma spread, but before she could reach for it, a knock came at the door.
“Who is it?” she asked, standing by the door without removing the latch.
“Open the door.” The person outside gave neither name nor title, their tone unfriendly, but Achan recognized the voice.
Unlatching the door, she opened it to find the Mirror Division’s Chief Enforcer, unseen for days, standing there.
She’d thought her words might draw him, but hadn’t expected him to show up so rudely at this hour.
“Please come in, my lord,” Achan said, inwardly grumbling but politely inviting him inside.
Bai Xiuming stepped over the threshold into the empty room, his gaze sweeping around before settling on the two plates on the table.
Seeing him eye her dinner, Achan reluctantly asked, “Have you not had your evening meal, my lord? Would you like to join me?”
Bai Xiuming looked at the unevenly sized, unevenly thick pancakes, one side burnt, and expressionlessly averted his gaze.
Guess he’s not eating, Achan thought, moving the room’s only stool over. “Please sit, my lord.”
Bai Xiuming didn’t sit, instead fixing her with a scrutinizing look before speaking. “The information about the snow needle snake, you told Feng Yang?”
Achan admitted readily, “Yes, I told him. I recalled such a creature in my memories and shared it with Captain Feng.”
“Feng Yang is very grateful.”
“I’m glad to help,” Achan said humbly.
But the next moment, his tone turned sinister. “Were you really helping him?”
Achan wanted to say yes, but recalling the painful lesson from dealing with this man, she chose silence.
The oil lamp’s wick crackled, its dim yellow light casting shadows on Bai Xiuming, making him look like a predatory beast, claws bared.
When Achan didn’t speak, he remained silent, as if waiting for her answer.
With no choice, Achan admitted, “I helped Captain Feng to use his status to shield me from Xue Mingtang. You must know he wants to kill me and still hasn’t given up.”
Bai Xiuming asked, “Why were you in the West Market?”
“Buying incense materials.” She pointed to the wooden stump in the corner, piled with materials and her finished sachet, explaining, “I learned incense-making before and thought to make a living with it, so I bought some materials. I didn’t expect to run into the Mirror Division arresting someone.”
“Such a coincidence?”
His tone clearly showed he didn’t believe her.
Achan realized he’d come specifically suspecting her involvement with the snake.
She felt helpless. She’d seen this man’s temperament before; he was impervious to reason, trusting only his own judgment.
Rather than argue, she’d try another approach.
“It was quite a coincidence, but I helped Captain Feng for another reason.” Achan’s luminous eyes settled on Bai Xiuming.
He tilted his head, as if waiting for her excuse.
“I figured Captain Feng would report today’s events to you, and you might come find me.”
“And then?”
“Then I’d have a chance to curry favor with you.”
“Curry favor with me?” Bai Xiuming found it absurd. “With what?”
Their eyes met, his gaze deep, as if piercing her heart. She looked away, pointing uncertainly at the table. “That?”
Thirty wen’s worth of sincerity was plenty. The smoked chicken was fragrant enough to win her over with half, but Bai Xiuming’s eyes fell on the pancakes.
He fell silent. Countless people in the capital tried to win him over with rare beasts, gold, jewels, or beautiful women. This was the first time someone tried to charm him with terrible cooking.
“Keep your pancakes for yourself,” he said.
“Huh?” Achan was bewildered.
Bai Xiuming ignored her, continuing, “Don’t leave the capital for now. We may need you for the investigation.”
“Don’t worry, my lord.” Where could she go if she left?
“If I find out you’re connected to this case…” Bai Xiuming said deliberately, “your maternal grandfather’s family won’t just face exile. I wouldn’t mind bringing them back for another trial.”
Achan’s heart jolted. Ji Chan only knew her grandfather’s family had caused a major incident and was exiled overnight, not the specifics.
From Bai Xiuming’s words, it seemed related to this case. With the snow needle snake involved, it likely wasn’t simple.
And it had been so long since her grandfather’s exile, yet the case was still active.
“You jest, my lord. I was really just passing by.”
“You’d better be.”
Bai Xiuming turned to leave, but after a few steps, as his hand touched the door, a soft voice called from behind, “This is our second meeting, and I still don’t know your name.”
“You don’t need to,” Bai Xiuming replied.
“Then may I at least know your surname?” Achan pressed persistently.
“…”
“Don’t I even deserve to know your surname?” Her voice carried a faint sob.
Melodramatic, Bai Xiuming thought, but before crossing the threshold, he uttered one word, “Bai.”
Closing the door, Achan exhaled, finally ridding herself of that plague.
Surname Bai? With such a black heart.
Helping others might not earn much, but at least they’d appreciate it. This man turned it into suspicion against her.
Bai Xiuming stepped into the deep night, the cold wind lifting his robe’s hem.
Not far out, Feng Yang approached. “My lord, surveillance on the Zhao and Xue families has been arranged.”
“Send two more to watch her. See if the Lin family has contacted her.”
“Yes, sir.”
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