The rain had stopped.
By the time Ye Jingtang walked back to Dyeing Street, bundle in hand, mealtime had already passed.
He had been away from the Capital City for twenty-odd days, and the old, dilapidated street had changed beyond recognition. Canopies stood everywhere, sheltering shopfronts halfway through renovation and reconstruction. The street was to be repaved with blue bricks; the old, broken paving had all been pried up, leaving puddle-filled pits everywhere.
Hopping from side to side along the street, he entered Twin Osmanthus Alley. Before he even approached the courtyard, he heard voices from behind the wall:
"Wipe it properly. You can eat when you're finished."
"Coo."
"Still cooing? All you do is eat, all day long. You've grown round..."
"Chirp..."
It was that familiar, lilting, mature feminine voice, accompanied by Niao Niao's aggrieved whimpers.
Ye Jingtang smiled and strode to the courtyard gate. Inside, everything was as tidy as ever. The potted plants beneath the gourd trellis were lush and green, and the doors of both the main room and the west wing stood open.
Zhe Yunli wore a red top with a white pleated skirt adorned with petals, her hair arranged in the twin buns common among unmarried girls. Without a trace of the martial world about her, she looked more like a sweet, clever young daughter as she dusted the tables and chairs in the main room with a feather duster:
"Hmm-hmm-hmm~~"
In the kitchen on the right, Luo Ning wore an apron over a green summer dress and stood at the counter, wiping dust from its nooks and crannies. Her jet-black hair fell to her waist, a green hairpin set into it. With the exquisite curves of her waist and hips and her delicate, jade-like face, she looked like a little cook of breathtaking