Outside, rain hammered down, and the door shut out the last traces of dusk. Shen Guan slowly woke, feeling Xiao Ning’s warm hand resting on his forehead.
“Young Master…” Shen Guan’s voice was hoarse, his vision blurred. After a long time, he heard Xiao Ning reply. A moment later, he abruptly sat up, a few strands of long hair falling to obscure his eyebrows and eyes, and he cried out in a shaky voice, “Shizun, he…”
“Shh.” Xiao Ning reached out to cover his lips before pulling his thin shoulder into his embrace, and said, “He’s gone, no need to fear.”
Shen Guan leaned weakly against Xiao Ning’s chest, lifting a hand to press his throbbing temple. Memories of last night came back, his master truly seemed to have gone. Old Zhou had left with him, and after that, he had lost consciousness. Just as he was thinking this, the door was pushed open from the outside. Old Zhou, who was wrapped in coolness, entered and stood neither far nor near, looking at him with a complex gaze.
Xiao Ning was displeased, pressing Shen Guan further into his arms, blocking Old Zhou’s view.
Old Zhou came to his senses, took two steps forward, and reached out to Shen Guan: “You’re foolish too. Why impulsively destroy your martial arts? Is the pain of severed meridians easy to bear?”
Shen Guan offered his wrist and said hoarsely, “It’s what I should repay Shizun. I am willing.”
Old Zhou placed his fingertips on Shen Guan’s pulse, frowned, pondered for a moment, then his furrowed brows relaxed. After a long time, he put down his hand and sighed, “Ai… you…”
Xiao Ning’s heart clenched: “What? Is something wrong?”
Old Zhou tapped the edge of the bed with his finger as said with an exasperated laugh, “Normally, you’re as awkward as can be, yet when it comes to getting things done, you never miss a beat. I guess that’s something to celebrate.”
“Something to celebrate?” Xiao Ning was stunned.
Old Zhou flopped onto the edge of the bed without a word and said, “Isn’t it? The family’s about to have another addition.”
Shen Guan was also momentarily stunned. After a long time, he looked up at Xiao Ning. Xiao Ning also happened to look down at him, his brow slightly furrowed as he hesitated, “Ah Yun’s body now…”
Old Zhou stood up and patted Xiao Ning’s shoulder: “It’s fine. I’m here. You just take good care of him.”
Shen Guan remained silent for a long moment, then his eyes softened. He tugged gently on Xiao Ning’s sleeve and whispered, “This is good news. If we could have a daughter, wouldn’t that be even better? It doesn’t matter if it’s not a daughter either. I didn’t get to watch Xiao Yuan and Niannian grow up, but now I have this opportunity.”
Xiao Ning gazed at his pale, smiling face, his heart aching at the ordeal he had endured, yet he couldn’t bring himself to refuse. He could only lower his head and quietly press a kiss on his forehead, whispering, “As you wish.”
The cake stall then reopened. This time, Shen Guan was no longer a shop assistant but Xiao Ning’s officially married wife, who had bowed to Heaven and Earth and entered the bridal chamber. Naturally, the neighbors gossiped for a time, and a new play was even staged in the pleasure quarters of South Alley.
No one knew who wrote the script. It told a story of a human and ghost romance. It was about a couple who were originally in perfect harmony, but due to misfortune, the wife died. Years later, she reincarnated, sought out her former lover, and the two grew old together. The plot was cliché, but the lyrics were beautifully written, making it popular in the city for quite a while.
“I regret those hurried years, as the wind cut down the hibiscus in bloom. Now I sleep forever beneath the spring with a broken dream, yet in this life I’ve been left with too much lingering.
If only longing would not betray us. Before the Bridge of Forgetfulness, on the road of three lifetimes, I look around with every step, yet see you nowhere. When will we be like the swallows upon the beam again?
Today I return to continue our past fate, to share the cloud and rain in joy, sleepless through the night…”
Shen Guan found the lyrics increasingly provocative towards the end, and he was quite speechless. Ever since he learned he was pregnant, he hadn’t engaged in any bedroom activities with Xiao Ning. Where did the “cloud and rain all night” come from? Thinking of this, Shen Guan sighed softly and reached out to cover his face.
When Xiao Ning returned after picking up Xiao Yuan and Niannian from the academy, he found Shen Guan wasn’t home, only a line of text left on a piece of paper, saying he went out to buy vegetables and would be back shortly. Xiao Ning was worried. Shen Guan had been recovering for many days and had only just been able to walk around. What kind of vegetables was he buying? He searched for a long time, asking everyone around, until he finally found Shen Guan seated in a building, listening to the play.
Shen Guan was sitting in a quiet corner with a vegetable basket resting by his feet. It indeed contained a few bundles of lush green bok choy. He was staring blankly at the table, lost in thought.
Xiao Ning walked over and sat down opposite him before slapping the table.
Shen Guan suddenly startled back to attention, and pressed his hand to his chest, saying, “Young Master?”
“What are you doing here?” Xiao Ning asked in displeasure.
Shen Guan realized his impropriety, bent down to pick up the vegetable basket, and said guiltily, “Buying vegetables and listening to what this ‘Soul Return Tale’ is about on the side.”
Xiao Ning took the vegetable basket from his hand, reached out to help him stand up by holding his waist, and asked, “Was it good?”
“It was alright, but a few parts were too untrue.” Shen Guan pondered for a moment and told Xiao Ning the parts he found too far-fetched.
Xiao Ning listened and said nothing but held Shen Guan’s hand and walked home.
It wasn’t until night, just as Shen Guan was about to drift off, that Xiao Ning suddenly pinned him down on the bed.
“Young Master, what are you…” Shen Guan’s heart pounded like a drum, but he dared not move.
Xiao Ning’s breath fell on the side of Shen Guan’s ear. He said in a deep voice, “I asked Old Zhou. The child is past the first three months, and some bedroom activities are fine. Since you complained that the lyrics were untrue, I will make it a reality.”
Shen Guan’s lips heated as Xiao Ning’s pressed against them. His sash slipped loose, and soft gasps began to escape him…
Long afterward, sweat dotted Shen Guan’s forehead, his waist ached, and his clean, slender arms clung to Xiao Ning’s neck, pleading for mercy. Xiao Ning pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead and murmured, “Ah Yun.”
Shen Guan’s face was flushed, his dark hair damp with sweat as he weakly replied, “I am here.”
Xiao Ning’s eyes were slightly red, his expression almost fierce, but his words were gentle: “Repay me for the rest of my life.”
Shen Guan’s eyes shimmered with moisture. He took Xiao Ning’s hand, interlaced their fingers, and gently pressed it onto his slightly raised lower abdomen. He closed his eyes and said, “Unless separated by death, I will never leave again.”
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