A Night Has Passed (Triple-Length Chapter)

Liu Chang'an casually picked up a copy of "Auguste Racinet: The Costume History," which was nearly eight hundred pages long and felt quite heavy in his hand. He flipped through it casually and saw many illustrations of Europe aristocratic court costumes. They looked beautiful, exquisite, and luxurious. At this moment, Liu Chang'an always felt very awkward.

After all, when the Nine Provinces Wind and Thunder Swordsman were resisting Europe, the Rome still habitually emptied their chamber pots into the streets, and they did this for centuries. Juvenal even wrote a poem about it:

Unless you already have experience and are sensitive enough,

Otherwise, it will be too late to have a wonderful date.

Fate always likes to play tricks on people.

Because there are always playful windows on the street,

I prayed to the Almighty, but I figured it was unlikely I'd be so lucky.

Being assigned to a chamber pot is an unavoidable fate.

It is generally a common phenomenon for a poet to begin using poetry to describe a certain social situation.

Why do men walk on the left side of women? Because their windows might throw out clumps of feces and chamber pots at any time. This custom of men standing on the left side has been preserved to this day.

In 1666, the diary of Jinshi Anthony recorded that His Majesty the King moved to Oxford, wearing what appeared to be gorgeous and brightly colored clothes, but they relieved themselves at will, leaving a foul stench wherever they went.

Anne of Austria, the mother of the Sun King, also urinated on the carpet. Palace of Versailles and Palace of Fontainebleau were also places where noble ladies relieved themselves, and they would exchange ideas on how to seize the opportunity without being caught in the act.

In 17th-century Europe, from queens to prostitutes, they all enjoyed showing one or both of their bodies in public.

Liu Chang'an casually closed the book, feeling utterly bored. Some of the novels he'd been reading lately, especially those set in ancient Europe and depicting so-called understated luxury and refined aristocratic life, seemed utterly ridiculous. Like that book, * The Aristocratic Rules *, which, while seemingly describing exquisitely refined aristocratic life, was simply a fictional world, so he couldn't really judge it. When Liu Chang'an read * Romeo and Juliet *, he considered the era, and the Romeo in his mind inevitably had a mouthful of rotten yellow teeth. If he were to arrive at Juliet's window, his shoes would have been covered in excrement, and Juliet would have barely bathed in her entire life. How could that story be romantic?

That's really true... If you don't believe me, just look through 16th and 17th century Europe literature; their own writers always talked about, wrote about, and arranged about the issue of urination and defecation with great interest.

Liu Chang'an thought about how he would be having a late-night snack later, so he stopped his random thoughts and went to the kitchen.

"The master isn't waiting to eat, he's come to inspect the kitchen?" Qin Yanan was using a water pump to clean the snails.

"This white jade is quite nice." Liu Chang'an picked one up, examined it, and pinched the cute snail's head.

The snail clearly didn't like Liu Chang'an's caresses and withdrew its head.

"Kung Pao snails, crispy snail skewers, French-style baked snails prepared in a Chinese style, or curry snails, or red wine braised snails?" Qin Yanan asked, tilting her head.

"I was thinking of using it to make soup, but women tend to gain weight if they drink soup at night, and the flavor isn't very strong either. Oh well, how about red wine braised snails? Do you have any red wine here?"

"Isn't this too time-consuming?"

"It's good that it takes time. Otherwise, if we finish eating early, are we just going to sit there staring at each other? We're not the kind of people who can sit together and chat freely."

"Yes, there's really no point in talking to someone like you." Qin Yanan stood up expressionlessly, handing the water pump to Liu Chang'an. "You continue washing, I'm going to change."

When a woman changes her clothes, it means she's handing over all the chores to him, because that usually takes more than three to five minutes.

She might have changed her clothes, noticed her underwear was a bit dirty, and changed them again; or she might have noticed her toenails were split and trimmed them; or she might have noticed her hair wasn't quite right and trimmed it; or she might have felt her face was a bit dry and moisturized it; or she might have noticed her eyelashes weren't curled enough and curled them... In short, she's always busy.

Liu Chang'an rinsed the snails clean, poked the snails that were still peeking out and made them retract their heads, then boiled a pot of water and poured the snails in.

Silently watching the snails die, Liu Chang'an waited a while, then reached in and scooped them all out, rinsing them with cold water.

Next came the slow and meticulous work. Using hooks specially made for snail dishes, the snail meat was pulled out, and the internal organs were removed with scissors. After checking that none of them had died before retracting their heads, Liu Chang'an was very satisfied, because it always hurt to see any wasted food when selecting ingredients, as it was a waste of life.

Qin Yanan walked in at this moment, and Liu Chang'an was stunned for a moment before turning his head away.

"What's wrong?" Qin Yanan asked, puzzled by his reaction, and walked over to Liu Chang'an's side.

Out of the corner of Liu Chang'an's eye, he noticed that Qin Yanan was wearing shorts and a tank top, with a short apron hanging in front of her. When she walked over, it looked as if she was only wearing an apron.

Liu Chang'an's eyesight is certainly excellent, but not everyone makes visual errors.

"The snail's head and legs are all curled up, and I've cut them neatly. The meat is just right, and it's been handled well. Now it's up to your skills," Liu Chang'an said casually.

"Okay, then you can stay over there."

"Then I'll go watch TV."

"No."

Why?

"What I mean by 'stay here' is to watch me do things, keep me company, understand?"

"Boring."

Liu Chang'an refused. Although her kitchen wasn't big, it wouldn't be crowded for the two of them to stay together. However, Liu Chang'an felt that since he was going to stay there, she might as well let him do the work.

Qin Yanan maintained a ladylike, reserved smile, feeling extremely fortunate that he had ultimately become her cousin rather than her fiancé; otherwise, she would definitely be crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide in front of her great-grandfather by now.

Qin Yanan heard the TV turn on in the living room and started chopping onions and celery. She glanced at the kitchen door, then nervously cut her finger with the knife. Looking at the white mark, she thought that even Liu Chang'an would be astonished if he knew she had this condition. He might even think of her as a monster.

Qin Yanan could only keep this secret. After all, sleepwalking could be a psychological issue, but who could understand such a physical mutation?

But how long can this secret be kept? What if she gets married and her husband can't get in? Her husband might start to doubt his own ability, which would damage his self-confidence and severely hurt his pride. He might even feel gloomy about life, so how could his marriage be happy?

Qin Yanan is a very realistic person. She will consider the issue of social status and family background, and of course, she will also consider the issues that all adults face.

Oh dear, I'm already twenty-five. I hadn't even felt that age where I was desperate to get married.

Looking at the white jade snail in her hand, Qin Yanan shook her head, her cheeks flushing. Honestly, Liu Chang'an was still waiting outside to eat the dishes she had cooked, and she was actually thinking about these things here.

Finely chop the onion and celery, and cut the pork into strips. Slice the bread, toast it briefly in the oven, spread some butter on it, then sauté the onion until golden brown, add the pork strips and stir-fry until cooked through. Remove and set aside. Now it's time to simmer the snail meat over low heat.

This process would take about an hour. Qin Yanan took out another bottle of red wine, poured a glass for herself and Liu Chang'an, and watched TV with him.

Liu Chang'an looked at the wine in his hand; he hadn't expected Qin Yanan to be able to pull out a bottle of Moutai or anything like that.

"When do you usually sleepwalk?" Liu Chang'an asked.

"It's not fixed. Sometimes it's after I fall asleep, sometimes it's two or three in the morning, and sometimes it's before dawn." Qin Yanan raised her legs and put them on the footstool, leaning lazily against the sofa, her fingers gently swirling the wine glass in her hand.

"That means I'll be watching the surveillance footage all night." Liu Chang'an nodded.

"It's a bit tiring... Why don't you come back to watch the surveillance footage tomorrow? I won't delete the video." Qin Yanan thought for a moment, after all, it was her own business, and she should be considerate of other people's hard work.

"No, I need to see the surveillance footage and the scene. Don't close the bedroom door. I saw you sleepwalking, so I came in to see what was wrong with you." Liu Chang'an shook his head. Staying up all night was nothing to him.

"Ah, don't close the bedroom door?" Qin Yanan looked at Liu Chang'an, touched her arm, and then turned to look at the doorway.

His request was reasonable, but I really couldn't accept it. Refusing outright seemed awkward, but agreeing too easily would make me appear frivolous.

"Don't worry, I'd rather use the Book of Songs like others than lay a hand on you," Liu Chang'an said confidently about his self-control.

Qin Yanan stood up, put down her wine glass, grabbed a pillow and threw it at Liu Chang'an's face, then went to the kitchen to check on the snails without saying a word.

Liu Chang'an continued drinking, clutching his pillow. She seemed quite satisfied with his answer and had no more pretense or coyness to say anything else.

Mature women are more generous and outgoing, while little girls are reserved and shy. Everyone should understand their own charm and not confuse the characteristics of their age.

Of course, sometimes the shyness of a mature woman and the charm of a young girl are extremely touching... But now we are doing serious business, not flirting or being ambiguous, so we should be serious, lively and earnest.

After a while, Qin Yanan brought out a dish of snails stewed in red wine for Liu Chang'an to taste.

"Rich and delicious." Liu Chang'an tasted it and seemed quite satisfied. "The flavor is rich but not greasy, the meat is tender, and it's very satisfying to eat. Unlike dishes that you feel need to eat a couple more bites of rice to finish the aftertaste, late-night snacks should be like snacks—eat them one bite at a time, without any lingering cravings."

Qin Yanan was somewhat smug. She realized that when Liu Chang'an praised her, the sense of accomplishment she felt was mixed with a desire to conquer... This little cousin had always given her the feeling that he had very high standards. He didn't even think much of her looks and figure. Instead, he made her feel that she had to make him obedient in other ways and acknowledge that she, Qin Yanan, was remarkable.

Someone like his girlfriend, who can't do anything except look good and is endearingly goofy, is she really a suitable partner?

When it comes to dating, one should be presentable in public and capable in the kitchen... Of course, Liu Chang'an doesn't have that kind of luck. Back then, he even looked down on her; he really didn't know any better.

Qin Yanan's smugness fermented and swelled in her heart for a while, and then she casually tasted the snails she had made.

"I think you've gained some weight since a month ago. Have you been feeding yourself a lot and gotten fat? You're starting to look a bit like Zhou Dongdong," Liu Chang'an asked suspiciously.

"Don't talk while eating." Qin Yanan regretted not putting in pesticide. If she were like Zhou Dongdong, wouldn't she be able to roll off the bed with just a slight tilt?

"What's this about not talking while eating a late-night snack? If you don't chat a bit while eating a late-night snack, how can it be called eating a late-night snack?" Liu Chang'an objected.

"Thank you, please don't concern yourself with a lady's weight." Qin Yanan lowered her head, touched her lower abdomen, and calmly watched the television.

As expected, Liu Chang'an had nothing to talk about with Qin Yanan, so he continued eating his late-night snack.

Qin Yanan, however, had something to say to Liu Chang'an.

"How do you plan to observe me when I sleepwalk?"

"Of course we observe with our eyes, not with a magnifying glass."

"I mean, would you try to talk to me and intervene in my sleepwalking?"

"I know more about sleepwalking than you do, and I won't do anything to harm you. However, your situation is rather special. I might test your visual characteristics, movement patterns, and reactions to stimuli such as sound, light, and physical touch. I might also use names, events, or phrases that Ye Sijin might react to, etc."

"Physical contact?" Qin Yanan grasped the key point.

Liu Chang'an was too lazy to explain.

Qin Yanan coughed lightly, feeling that pressing the matter seemed pointless and a little awkward. She had already decided to let him stay, and to be suspicious that he might take advantage of her seemed a bit pretentious and coy.

"What does your doctor think?" Liu Chang'an was curious to know the opinion of a professional, even though if Qin Yanan's condition involved the influence of a mysterious "magnetic field," then even a professional would become an amateur.

Qin Yanan hesitated for a moment, then went to get a diagnostic report and analysis sheet for Liu Chang'an.

"So long!" It was a thick stack of more than twenty pages, with more than ten pages in handwritten English with extremely ugly handwriting. Was it because doctors at home and abroad shared the same style?

Liu Chang'an flipped through the documents casually, but found no worthwhile advice.

After finishing his late-night snack, Liu Chang'an went up to the balcony to call An Nuan. Although Liu Chang'an was also used to receiving and sending messages more often on social media, his girlfriend was still a little different.

These past few days, An Nuan has been accompanying her maternal grandparents around Junsha. An Nuan's maternal grandfather used to work in the education system of Xiangnan Province. He was transferred out of South Hunan ten years ago, but now he has returned to South Hunan. In the system, people like to move around. There is no future in sitting in one position. Being transferred around is a symbol of a promising career... Of course, it is meaningless to always be transferred to a lateral position as a firefighter.

The official rank was probably not high. Liu Chang'an turned his head and looked in the direction of the Capital.

After finishing the phone call and going downstairs, Qin Yanan had already gone to take a shower; a set of bathrobes and trousers were neatly laid out on the sofa.

Hotel suites are usually separated into wet and dry areas, with both a shower and a bathtub. Qin Yanan's suite has two bathrooms, which is relatively rare. Her pajamas were probably delivered by the hotel, as she couldn't possibly have men's pajamas provided.

The guest bathroom didn't have a bathtub, but Liu Chang'an didn't mind. On hot days, Liu Chang'an would stand under the sycamore tree and take a shower in his shorts. When Zhou Dongdong was even younger, with a tiny little bottom, she would excitedly run to his side and get soaked while he was showering Liu Chang'an from head to toe.

Intelligent people are excellent in different ways, while foolish children are all the same.

After Liu Chang'an finished showering and changing his clothes, Qin Yanan didn't linger for long either, but she changed into the same cheongsam she had worn earlier that day.

"Come help me move the computer." The computer was in Qin Yanan's bedroom.

After working on it for a while, I restarted it and tested the wireless connection with the monitoring system; there were no problems.

"I'm sleeping in this outfit tonight," Qin Yanan explained. "Otherwise, I always change clothes when I sleepwalk. I've tried it, and wearing this cheongsam eliminates the need to change... I'm also wearing safety shorts and tights."

"Okay, you must be worried about me going blind, thank you." Liu Chang'an thought for a moment, acknowledging the protective role Qin Yanan had played for him, and said in agreement.

"You..." Qin Yanan pointed at Liu Chang'an, then angrily lowered her finger. Girls are really at a disadvantage in this regard. She couldn't just act rebelliously and try to see if she could blind him.

Liu Chang'an glanced at Qin Yanan. Her tall figure, with her stockings accentuating her slender curves, was undeniably beautiful. However, paired with her cheongsam, the style was so matronly that it left him speechless.

Liu Chang'an sat in front of the computer and casually picked up a book, <A History of the World in 100 Objects>, by Neil Macgregor, who was once the curator of the world's largest collection of robber artifacts.

"Thank you for your hard work." Qin Yanan brewed a pot of coffee, placed it on a plate, prepared with sugar and other condiments, and brought it over to Liu Chang'an.

"Okay." Liu Chang'an wasn't just a tea drinker, but he still asked, "Are the tea leaves in the tea room?"

"Yes. How about I give you a run right now?"

"No need, you can go to sleep."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work." Qin Yanan smiled. They usually bickered, whether he made her angry or teased her, but he was worried about her now. Qin Yanan's gratitude was not just politeness, but a matter of course.

"Go ahead." Liu Chang'an waved his hand.

Qin Yanan then went into the bedroom.

She didn't change into her pajamas; she planned to wear this cheongsam to bed today, otherwise she would definitely have to take off her clothes if she sleepwalked.

Without such preparation, how could Qin Yanan allow Liu Chang'an to see the surveillance footage? After all, it wasn't a life-or-death emergency; a girl's natural shyness and reserve compelled her to have such a plan.

Looking at the stockings peeking out from the slit in her skirt, she felt they were a bit unnecessary; safety shorts would have been enough. But then she thought about her leg length and shape, and the added allure of the skirt. Letting Liu Chang'an stare at her all night would be torture for him too. She decided to tone down her charm.

This isn't narcissism; it's a correct understanding of oneself.

Qin Yanan sat on the bed, but didn't go to sleep immediately. Instead, she picked up her phone and looked at it, glancing at the camera every now and then.

After a while, Qin Yanan turned off her phone, pulled the blanket over her body, and instead of sleeping in her usual natural side-lying position, she lay upright, took her hands out from under the blanket, and placed them softly on her lower abdomen.

The room was quiet, the door unlocked, making the whole room feel like it was floating in an unknown world, not so familiar and secure. It seemed that her attention was entangled on the doorknob, and even the slightest turn would wake her up, and then some unknown creature would crawl in.

This creature must have many tentacles, like a snake, Cygnus's neck, or an octopus's tentacles; it's a mysterious symbol with hormonal connotations in a girl's dreams.

He was watching the surveillance footage; her every move, every subtle action, was under his watchful eye. But she couldn't see him, couldn't talk to him directly, yet she felt a psychological urge to confide in him, a silent expression of her feelings—it all felt strangely surreal.

Qin Yanan was a little nervous. Liu Chang'an didn't seem to be completely inexperienced, or perhaps he was just dealing with her situation by reacting to her every move. Qin Yanan even felt that his purpose was to see her looking exactly like Ye Sijin.

Let's meet then... If I were Ye Sijin in my sleep, I would probably want to meet the descendants of the venerable Ye Chenyu.

If she were "Ye Sijin" while sleepwalking, would this "Ye Sijin" talk to Liu Chang'an or something? Qin Yanan really couldn't be sure. Generally speaking, in ordinary sleepwalking cases, sleepwalkers wouldn't do that, but in her special case, it was hard to say.

Go to sleep early, let's watch the surveillance footage tomorrow and see how Liu Chang'an handles the situation.

Qin Yanan raised her hand, waved at the camera, said "Goodnight," and closed her eyes.

Go to sleep quickly.

She fell asleep.

If I feel my body moving during sleep, is it sleepwalking?

It feels like I've taken something off; I feel so much lighter.

Sleeping is only comfortable when you're completely relaxed.

Go back to sleep.

The eyes sensed the light.

It's not the feeling of my biological clock reminding me to get up at a specific time.

Ah, it feels so good. I want to stretch and open my eyes. It must be from a good night's sleep, a feeling so comfortable I want to moan.

So Qin Yanan opened her eyes, stretched her neck, yawned, and let out a satisfied hum.

The air in the room was slightly cool, and the blankets felt warm and comfortable, enveloping every inch of my skin with a soft, snug feel.

Every inch of skin?

Qin Yanan was stunned. She slowly lifted the blanket and looked down at herself under it. Apart from her underwear, she was completely naked!

What's going on?

Is this a scene from a hazy, confused morning, somewhere in the past?

"Ah!" Qin Yanan exclaimed in surprise. What happened last night! She was definitely wearing safety shorts, pantyhose, and a cheongsam to bed.

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Requesting monthly votes and recommendation votes.

Thank you to the most sincere liar who couldn't hear clearly for becoming the leader of this book, and thank you everyone for feeding this foolish child.