Heart-to-Heart

The four of them went up to the second floor, and Wu Changkong pushed open one of the doors.

Two single beds covered with thick wool blankets stood side by side against the wall, separated by a low bedside table. An oil lamp and a box of tinderstones sat on the table, while an iron stove stood in the corner by the window.

Shui Qinghan took off her dean's robe and hung it on the hook behind the door. Then she sat on the bed nearer the door, patted the mattress, and turned to look at Wu Changkong, who was surveying the room.

"Changkong, do you feel pressured sharing a room with me?"

"No. The dean is the dean at the academy, but outside, you're an elder. There's no pressure sharing a room with an elder."

Shui Qinghan looked at his calm expression and smiled. "You really are composed."

"To be honest, it's also my first time sharing a room with a man—though he's just a little brat."

"Dean, may I ask you a private question?" Wu Changkong sat down on the bed opposite her.

"Mm, go ahead." Shui Qinghan raised a brow, not particularly surprised.

This child's temperament had always far surpassed that of his peers. No question he asked would be strange.

"Dean, have you never married?"

Shui Qinghan fell silent for a moment. She looked down at her hands folded over her knees. They were well cared for, slender and fair, yet there was no ring on her ring finger.

"No. If I'd married back then, my child would probably be about Bing'er and Yue'er's age by now."

"Why didn't Teacher get married?"

"Ah... I met the wrong person when I was young, and he broke my heart."

"After that, I put all my thoughts into cultivation and managing the academy."

"Later, I got older and simply couldn't be bothered to think about such things anymore."

"That's a pity."

"Meeting the wrong person when you're young is one thing, but Dean, you shouldn't give up on love because of it."

"The academy students all think you're very strict. Behind your back, they call you the Iron Lady. But I know you treat Bing'er and Yue'er very well, and you've been very good to me too."

"Someone who can be good to other people's children doesn't lack the ability to love. They only lack the right person."

Shui Qinghan was stunned for quite a while. Then she suddenly reached out and pinched his cheek.

"How can someone your age talk like such an old man? You sound like a little grandpa."

"You're even analyzing my psychological state... Are you the student, or am I?"

"My dad taught me... Ow, ow, ow—Dean, let go."

Shui Qinghan withdrew her hand and leaned back against the headboard again. The smile at the corner of her lips gradually turned serious.

"I think highly of you, and I can tell that you're someone who values affection."

"Bing'er is a cold child by nature, but she treats you differently from everyone else. I understand that difference very well, which is why I'm willing to help you."

"But helping is one thing. You're both still young, and some things can't be rushed."

Wu Changkong nodded. He understood Shui Qinghan's unspoken meaning.

She was helping him and Bing'er, but she was also ready at all times to protect Bing'er from any harm, even harm caused by something he did unintentionally.

Seeing his serious expression, Shui Qinghan's face relaxed into a smile again.

She rose from the bed and clapped her hands. "All right, we've traveled all day. You must be hungry. Let's go downstairs and eat."

When Shui Qinghan pushed open the room next door, Shui Bing'er was sitting by the bed undoing her hair, while Xue Wu sat cross-legged on the other bed.

"Come on, let's go downstairs and eat."

Xue Wu responded and jumped down from the bed. When she reached the door, though, she turned back to glance at Shui Bing'er, who was still dawdling.

"Bing'er, is your face finally not red anymore?"

"Whose face is red?"

Shui Bing'er stood up and walked past her expressionlessly, not even sparing her a glance.

The four of them left the hotel. Since it was already evening, most of the shops on both sides of the street had closed and locked their doors, with only a scattered few still lit.

Shui Qinghan led the three children off the main street and into an alley.

At the end of the alley, a red lantern swayed in the wind. Beneath it stood a half-closed wooden door, with a smoke-blackened wooden sign hanging above it. Three crooked characters had been carved into it—"Old Iron Pot."

Shui Qinghan pointed at the place and asked, "How about we eat here? Iron-pot stew, and they have barbecue too."

Xue Wu asked curiously, "What's iron-pot stew?"

"You put all the ingredients together and stew them. I've eaten here a few times before, and Bing'er has had it too."

"Then let's go in."

Wu Changkong pushed open the door, and a rich aroma of meat rushed over them.

There were only seven or eight tables in the restaurant, but every one was occupied.

The diners sat around steaming iron pots, clinking rough earthenware bowls together and talking loudly enough to sound like thunder.

The proprietress, wearing an apron stained with grease, lifted the curtain and came out from the kitchen. When she saw Shui Qinghan, her face immediately broke into the warm smile reserved for an old customer.

"It's you! I haven't seen you in years, yet you still look the same—not a day older."

Shui Qinghan smiled. "Haha, you look very young too, Madam."

"Really? What will you be having this time? Iron-pot stew and grilled meat? Are these girls behind you your daughters?"

"My niece and her classmates."

Shui Qinghan sat at an empty table by the window and skillfully picked up the menu on the table. "The usual. Iron-pot stewed goose, two grilled meat platters, and warm a pot of fruit wine."

"Fruit wine?" Xue Wu took the menu and skimmed it. "I've heard of iron-pot stew... You put all the meat and vegetables into one iron pot and stew them together. But what's fruit wine? Can we drink it?"

"Of course. Fruit wine is brewed from iceberries picked in the Far Northern Wasteland. It's delicious, almost like fruit juice."

"You can't get it anywhere else. Only Northguard Pass has it."

Shui Qinghan handed the menu back to the proprietress. "Bing'er had a small cup when I brought her here before."

Before long, a large, dark, gleaming cast-iron pot was brought to the table.

A thick layer of pickled cabbage and glass noodles lined the bottom of the pot, while the top was piled high with chopped goose meat and chunks of potato.

The grilled meat platters arrived right afterward.

The beast leg meat had been sliced into thin, palm-sized pieces and marinated in cumin, chili powder, and salt. Roasted over charcoal, it was crisp on the outside and tender within, with crunchy, charred edges.

Shui Qinghan smiled. "Try it."

At once, Xue Wu hurriedly ate a skewer. "Delicious! It smells amazing."

"See?"

Wu Changkong sat beside Shui Bing'er, with a bowl of dipping sauce specially mixed by the proprietress in front of him.

He picked up a slice of freshly grilled lamb with his chopsticks and placed it directly into Shui Bing'er's bowl.

"Thank you for carrying me all the way through the air."

"It was nothing."

Shui Qinghan picked up the earthenware pot the proprietress had just brought over and poured each of the three children half a small bowl of fruit wine.

Then she raised her own bowl first. "Come, let's have a toast. I hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow, and I hope Changkong finds a soul ring he's satisfied with."

"Cheers."

Four rough earthenware bowls clinked together.

Wu Changkong drained his fruit wine in one gulp. It was sweet and slightly tart, carrying the fragrance of iceberries from the Far Northern Wasteland. Just as the dean had said, it was low in alcohol, almost like fruit juice.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable meal...

After eating and drinking their fill, the four returned to the hotel.

At the counter, Shui Qinghan asked the old shopkeeper for an extra box of coal. After going upstairs, she divided it evenly between the stoves in the two rooms.

She crouched on the floor and stacked the coal into the iron firebox of the stove, piece by piece.