CH 76

The moon tonight is so beautiful

On a chilly autumn night, Song Shu Qing carefully draped a large cloak over the woman in her arms, shielding her from the cold wind as they leapt across the rooftops under the moonlight.

It was the first time Zi Yan had experienced the feeling of running on the rooftops, but the unfamiliar weightlessness and distance from the ground made her, who was usually composed, tightly cling to the neck of the shadow guard.

“Feeling nervous?” Seeing the woman in her arms, Song Shu Qing comforted her, “Although my lightness skills are not as good as Qin Qin’s, you’re so light that I won’t drop you.”

“It’s…too high.” Zi Yan dared not open her eyes, burying her face deeply in Song Shu Qing’s neck, a rare sight that made the shadow guard secretly chuckle.

“So in your eyes, I’m so unreliable that I scare you? I guess I need to reflect on myself, or I’ll become a disgrace to the shadow guards.” Song Shu Qing’s voice sounded aggrieved, though the strong teasing in her eyes made it seem like she was only joking.

“It’s not like that…” Zi Yan, with her eyes tightly closed, quickly explained, “It’s not that you’re unreliable, it’s just that it’s really too high…”

Their moving bodies came to a stop, “Then, I promise you, I will never let you get hurt.” Song Shu Qing held the woman’s waist tighter, her voice lower and more solemn than before, “I will hold you tightly. Do you want to try opening your eyes?”

“Of course, I won’t force you…”

She straightened out their windblown hair, and Song Shu Qing’s cheek pressed against the cold forehead of the courtesan. “The choice is yours.”

Perhaps it was the tone of the person beside her that was too gentle.

Or perhaps it was the hand holding her waist too tightly and feeling too hot.

The acrophobic Zi Yan’s eyelashes trembled lightly.

Surprisingly, she slowly opened her eyes.

What came into view were the buildings inside the city walls, varying in height and intertwined with each other. The glow of oil lamps inside the houses shone through the windows, creating a sparkling scene that echoed the stars in the cloudless night sky.

The woman blinked her eyes gently, amazed by the picturesque scenery in front of her.

The white light of the moon spilled over everything, as if sprinkling a layer of silver powder on every tile.

Song Shu Qing held Zi Zan in her arms on the rooftop of a restaurant that was neither too high nor too low. The city wall drew a dividing line in their view – above them was a glittering Milky Way, while below them were street lamps and candlelight.

A slight chill wind brushed their cheeks, and the courtesan felt, for the first time, the freedom in the air.

At night, whenever she saw the bright full moon, her heart would always be shrouded by a dark cloud, and she never thought of opening her eyes to look at the world outside.

She despised the moon to an extreme degree, and the thought of it made her stomach churn. She felt lonely, small, and surrounded by pitch darkness, feeling sorry for herself and disgusted at the same time, just like her own…

But today was different.

On this day she was embraced by someone.

The bright moon in the sky emitted a radiant glow, illuminating everything around them like a dream. She found herself unable to take her eyes off the beautiful scenery.

The woman stared blankly at everything in front of her, and the shadow guard quietly accompanied her, with a satisfied smile on her lips, using her fingers to tuck her loose hair.

After a while, Zi Yan came to her senses and realized that she had kept the person beside her waiting for a long time. She apologized, “I’m sorry, it’s just that the moon tonight is too beautiful.”

Hearing these words, Song Shu Qing’s body stiffened as she looked at the silver reflection in the woman’s eyes. She sighed helplessly and fondly said, “Tsk tsk, Zi Yan, you can’t say that.”

Gently pressing the courtesan’s head against her neck, she added, “We should leave now, close your eyes.”

This time, as her sleeves fluttered, the beautiful and terrified courtesan did not close her eyes, but just stared at the profile of the woman in front of her, who was walking attentively, wanting to imprint it in her heart.

When the two arrived at the nearby Niujiao Street, as the shadow guard had said, it was still bustling with activity.

Song Shu Qing put Zi Yan down and abandoned her previous composure, lazily introducing her to the area.

“The wonton soup here is pretty good, with thin skin and lots of filling. Qin Qin and I always sneak off to eat it.” With her hands behind her back, Song Shu Qing deftly made her way through the crowd.

“The bamboo shoot dumplings here are really delicious. Last time, when the Princess and I came to eat, she even said, ‘it’s passable.'” After greeting the owner, she looked like she knew the place well, then added with a smirk, “You should know, besides the congee that Qin Qin makes, which she always praises as if her taste buds have died, the Princess is extremely picky.”

“If you like noodles, the noodles here are pretty good, with lots of ingredients. They’re just quite spicy, so I’m afraid you might not be used to them.” Turning back to the overwhelmed woman, Song Shu Qing stopped and pulled Zi Yan out of the crowd, clasping her fingers tightly.

“Despite being this old, why does it still feel like it’s so easy to get lost?”

Being pulled back to the side of a familiar person, as if a bird had found a place to perch, Zi Yan felt her heart settled down, “It’s just…rarely do I have the chance to come to such a lively place.”

Apologizing in tone.

“It’s okay, you’ll get used to it if you come more often later.”

Knowing the difficulties of the woman, Song Shu Qing just smiled and then, as if changing the topic, she looked straight at her and asked, tilting her head, “So, after looking around, what do you want to eat?”

The variety of shops made the courtesan, who had spent years in the Qinglou, feel dizzy and overwhelmed. Confronted with so many options at once, she felt lost inside. Looking at the warm and firm gaze of the person in front of her, Zi Yan took a deep breath.

“That wonton over there looks really delicious. Can we have that?”

“Of course, it’s a great choice! You have good taste.” Encouragingly, she squeezed the hand that she was holding, feeling the woman’s fingertips calloused. Song Shu Qing deftly navigated through the crowd and led Zi Yan back to the restaurant.

As they sat down at a familiar spot, the shadow guard could barely contain her excitement. “You must have telepathic powers to know that I also want to eat wontons. Since you’re treating us, I’ll have five bowls today.”

“Eating too much will upset your stomach,” Zi Yan said, looking down at the hand that had been released when they sat down.

“Since I’m not like Qin Qin, I won’t take advantage of you this time.” Despite expressing regret, there was a hint of cunning in Song Shu Qing’s eyes as she waved her hand and shouted to the back, “Please bring us two bowls of wonton soup and one braised beef tendon!”

The lady boss was quick to act, and in no time she brought over two steaming bowls of wontons. Thin skins wrapped around full meat fillings, and the soup was garnished with green onions, making one’s mouth water.

Handing over the chopsticks and spoons to the person next to her, Song Shu Qing couldn’t wait to dig in. The warm food entered her stomach, and she couldn’t help but let out a satisfied sigh.

“How is it? Does it suit your taste?” After a few bites, Song Shu Qing propped up her head and asked.

“It’s delicious.” Perhaps because she had drunk the hot soup and felt warm all over, Zi Yan’s face was tinged with a faint blush. “It tastes better than the chefs in the tower.”

Pushing the plate with the braised beef tendon in front of the courtesan, the shadow guard had a look of satisfaction in her eyes as something she liked was being appreciated. “Is that so? Then eat more, and if it’s not enough we’ll order more.”

“It’s enough… One bowl is enough.” Savoring the taste of the food in her mouth, Zi Yan lowered her head and ate slowly, cherishing each bite.

“Well, that’s good then. We’ll save some space in our stomachs for other dishes later.” Song Shu Qing turned her wrist and picked up a piece of beef tendon for herself, then suddenly asked, “By the way, do you have a lot of things to move when you change jobs? Do you need any help?”

“Hmm?” Faced with this sudden question, Zi Yan was a bit slow to react and just looked up at the person who spoke, her face full of confusion.

“Moving house? You’re changing jobs at the end of this month and you’ll be coming to the teahouse. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

With widened eyes, Song Shu Qing looked at the woman’s puzzled expression, holding her head as if the sky was about to fall, “Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts? I’ve already told Ah Yun that there will be help coming.”

Her face was scrunched up, as if she was about to burst into tears any second.

“I even planned to take the carriage to help you move if you have a lot of stuff. You’re not suddenly not wanting to come, are you?”

“No, I’m not…I haven’t changed my mind, and I do want to go.” After swallowing her saliva, Zi Yan’s hand holding the spoon paused, and then she whispered, “But can I really work at the teahouse? I…I’m…”

As someone like herself, would anyone really be willing to hire her?

“Oh, so that’s the issue.” Song Shu Qing waved her hand and let out a dramatic sigh. “There’s nothing to worry about. Ah Yun and I are busy every day and we need all the help we can get. The Princess, as a major shareholder, has no objection to it.”

“As for your brother…he won’t have the guts to come and bother you again. And as for your hometown…”

The shadow guard shifted her gaze and pretended to stare at the sign above their heads, speaking casually. “His Majesty has recently established schools in many places. I have inquired about your younger siblings, and they can attend school. As for your mother…although she can’t hear, I heard that she’s an excellent cook. One of my friends from Jiangnan happens to like the food she cooks…and pays well, so don’t worry about your family.”

“After six months, if you want to go back home, you can go back.”

“If you don’t want to go back, you can continue working at the tea house. No one will force you to leave.”

“The choice is yours.”

Staring at the woman in front of her who seemed indifferent, Zi Yan felt the remaining soup in her bowl evaporate and gather in her eyes.

She blinked her warm eyes and quickly lowered her head.

Her hand holding the utensils trembled slightly, as if to drive away the sourness that had choked her throat. With an uncharacteristic lack of elegance, Zi Yan hastily opened her mouth, stuffed the remaining food in her bowl into her mouth, chewed it randomly, and then swallowed it.

A muffled groan, as if from excessive restraint, escaped her, like the whimpering of a small animal. Her breathing became erratic.

Song Shu Qing never once looked at the person who lost control, as if there was really something novel and interesting on that ordinary wooden door plaque worth her undivided attention.

The shadow guard silently stood up and paid the bill after the person in front of her finished her food. As she turned around, a clean square handkerchief fell into the courtesan’s hand, carrying a hint of tea fragrance.

Turning her back, Song Shu Qing naturally chatted with the owner, leaving the space on the wooden table solely to the courtesan. After half a cup of tea, she slowly stood next to Zi Yan and waited quietly.

“…We agreed that I would treat you to this meal.” The woman sitting down reached out and grabbed the bodyguard’s sleeve, suddenly speaking after a moment of silence.

“Oops!” Slapping her forehead, Song Shu Qing exaggerated her reaction, looking extremely regretful. “Damn it, I forgot.”

“Never mind, I’ll treat you another time. When that time comes, I’ll definitely make you eat until you’re full.” Although her tone sounded fierce, she gently helped the courtesan up and lovingly wiped away the tear marks on her chin.

“Since I’ve already treated you today, is there anything else you want to eat? I’ll buy it for you.”

“…I want to eat sugar-coated haws.”

“Alright. Whatever Zi Yan wants to eat is also fine.”