The Duchess

Seeing how earnest Dai Yutong looked, Ye Tianming felt something give his heart a gentle nudge. He could only lower his head and take a bite of the Jujube Paste Pastry in her hand.

The Jujube Paste Pastry was sweet, so sweet his heart began to beat a little faster.

"Is it good?" Dai Yutong stood beside him, gazing up at Ye Tianming with her bright, dewy eyes.

Ye Tianming saw the expectant look on her face and nodded slightly.

"It's good. Sweet. Really sweet."

Dai Yutong smiled. It was the first time Ye Tianming had seen her smile.

The corners of her mouth curved up, her eyes narrowed into twin crescent moons, and even some of the timidity on her face melted away.

If Ye Tianming had to describe it, he would have said it was like a little flower suddenly blooming in spring.

Ye Tianming stayed in the Side Courtyard for nearly half an hour. He brewed Huo Yun'er's medicine and taught Yutong how to soak the herbs in warm water and judge the heat.

Before leaving, Ye Tianming pressed the remaining Gold Soul Coins into Huo Yun'er's hands.

"Concubine Huo, please use this money to buy medicine and food. Don't skimp."

"I'll come by every few days from now on."

Huo Yun'er wanted to refuse, but Ye Tianming was so insistent that she finally accepted.

Dai Yutong stood in the doorway to see him off, her little hand clutching the hem of her clothes. She watched until his back disappeared from sight before turning to go inside.

From that day on, Ye Tianming had one more thing in his life.

Every two or three days, he would make a detour to the Side Courtyard.

Sometimes he brought medicine, sometimes pastries. Other times, he brought a book and sat in the courtyard teaching Yutong to read.

Dai Yutong was clever and learned quickly. When Ye Tianming taught her a character, she only had to see it two or three times to remember it. She could even draw connections on her own.

When Ye Tianming taught her simple arithmetic, she counted on her fingers.

If she got the answer right, she looked up at him, her eyes sparkling as she waited for his praise.

"Brother Tianming, did I get it right?"

Each time, Ye Tianming praised her softly and rubbed her head.

"You did. Yutong is so clever."

Each time, Dai Yutong lowered her head, the tips of her ears turning red, though she could never keep the corners of her mouth from lifting.

Day after day passed, and the atmosphere in the Side Courtyard slowly changed.

Huo Yun'er coughed less. Some color returned to her face, and she could get out of bed and sit for a while.

Dai Yutong's cheeks grew rounder. She no longer looked as though she had nearly wasted away, as she had when they first met.

Her eyes were still large, but they were no longer always brimming with tears. She smiled much more often.

Whenever Ye Tianming came, Dai Yutong would be waiting at the courtyard gate.

The moment she spotted him, she ran up, tugged at his sleeve, and called softly, "Brother Tianming."

Once, Ye Tianming arrived in a light rain. He had just reached the Side Courtyard gate beneath his umbrella when he saw Dai Yutong standing under the eaves, wrapped in an old coat several sizes too big for her.

It looked like Huo Yun'er's. Wearing a pair of old shoes, she stood on tiptoe, peering down the path he would take.

The moment she saw him, her eyes lit up, and she ran straight into the rain to meet him.

Ye Tianming hurried forward and held the umbrella over her head.

"Don't run! It's still raining, and the ground is slippery!"

Dai Yutong tipped her face up. Rain had dampened the wisps of hair at her forehead, plastering them to her skin, but she was smiling happily.

"Brother Tianming, I thought you wouldn't come today."

"I said I'd come every two or three days. Why wouldn't I?"

Ye Tianming took off his coat and draped it over her, then bent down and picked her up.

"Look at you. You're soaked."

Dai Yutong froze for a moment in his arms, then cautiously reached out and gripped his clothes.

She buried her face against Ye Tianming's shoulder and spoke in a muffled voice.

"Brother Tianming, you're so warm."

Ye Tianming carried her inside and set her on a chair, then went to brew Huo Yun'er's medicine.

Dai Yutong sat there in his coat, watching Ye Tianming bustle about, her eyes blinking.

"Brother Tianming, why are you so good to me?"

Ye Tianming's hand paused over the medicine. He slowly turned his head and found Dai Yutong looking at him.

She kept blinking those eyes of hers, and all Ye Tianming could think was, That's not fair. Not fair at all.

After a moment's thought, Ye Tianming answered slowly.

"Because you deserve it."

"And I promised you that if anyone bullied you, you could come to me. I'm not just going to stop people from bullying you. I'm going to make sure you eat well and have warm clothes."

"And make sure your mother's getting better."

Dai Yutong looked at him quietly. Gradually, her eyes reddened.

She lowered her head and twisted the hem of his coat between her fingers. A long while passed before she spoke in a small voice.

"Before... no one was ever this good to me..."

Ye Tianming walked over and crouched in front of her, looking her in the eye.

"Someone will be from now on. Trust me."

Dai Yutong looked up. Tears swam in her eyes, but she held them back.

Then she sniffled and nodded hard.

"Mm!"

When Ye Tianming left that day, Dai Yutong saw him to the door.

She was still wearing his coat. It was so big that the sleeves swallowed her hands, so she reached one hand out of a sleeve to catch the hem of Ye Tianming's clothes. Then she asked softly,

"Brother Tianming, will you come again tomorrow?"

Ye Tianming gently ruffled her hair.

"The day after tomorrow. Drink your medicine today and eat properly, all right?"

Dai Yutong nodded, then added,

"Okay! I'll be good!"

Ye Tianming smiled and turned to leave. Only after he had gone a long way did he look back.

Dai Yutong was still standing in the doorway, her tiny figure wrapped in his oversized coat. Like a kitten drenched by the rain, she gazed after him longingly.

Ye Tianming faltered at the sight, then quickened his pace.

Inside, he kept telling himself,

Faster. I have to get stronger faster, find my footing in this household faster.

Then she won't have to stand in the cold wind waiting for me, or spend half a day happy over a single pastry.

Another half month passed.

Ye Tianming visited the Side Courtyard so often that people in the household began to notice.

The servants whispered among themselves, wondering why the newly arrived Young Master Ye kept running to that shabby courtyard in the northwest corner.

He even brought medicine and food to the mother and daughter no one cared for.

Some thought him foolish; others thought he was meddling.

And some quietly took note and passed word to the Duchess.