When Liu Tao pushed the door open to leave, the sky outside had already turned completely dark.
Without streetlights, the moonlight was the brightest light in the night. Most households were dim, with only a few more affluent ones lighting kerosene lamps, whose black smoke and dim yellow light mingled like scattered sparks.
Luo Jun was still as he was when he arrived, with both hands in his pockets, standing at the doorway. Moonlight poured over him, his face half-lit and half-shadowed, making his eyes appear profoundly deep.
"I don’t like eating carrots," Luo Jun said.
"I know, so I asked Master Jiang to make the carrots taste better." Liu Tao walked up to Luo Jun, skillfully linking her arm through his, and the two of them pressed close as they walked home.
"I remember you didn’t like eating greens at first either, but you quite like the greens Master Jiang makes, don’t you?"
"He cooks those with chicken broth, and carrots cooked in chicken broth don’t taste good either," Luo Jun retorted.
"But maybe there’s another way to make carrots taste good," Liu Tao said with a smile. "If Master Jiang can’t make them taste good, we just won’t order them in the future."
"Have you finished reading the newspaper? What do you plan to read tomorrow? I’ll gather your things in advance in the morning."
"I’ll read... ’Shushan Swordsmen.’ There are too many newspapers; you wouldn’t know where I’d want to start reading. I’ll find it myself in the morning."
"Alright, it’s my fault for being illiterate," Liu Tao said somewhat dejectedly.
"There are plenty of people who can’t read, and knowing how to read doesn’t necessarily help either," Luo Jun scoffed. "That guy named Chu knows many languages: English, French, German, Japanese. He says he grew up learning ancient Chinese classics and then Western studies, but even after graduating from a prestigious school and joining the government, all he does is approve documents and make money."
"He’s got more foreign currency at home than his safe can hold, yet he still wants to exploit me."
Hearing Luo Jun say this, Liu Tao asked, "Before we left Shanghai, didn’t Minister Chu send two ruby rings to me? I haven’t heard anything about him in the past two years. Is he still working in Shanghai?"
Luo Jun nodded. "Probably, I imagine he’s swimming."
Liu Tao tilted her head, not quite understanding. But she had heard countless incomprehensible things in her life and wasn’t in the habit of digging deeper. She just nodded and continued walking.
After returning home, Liu Tao went to bed early, while Luo Jun, used to staying up late, read the newspaper by candlelight until the dead of night before going upstairs to sleep.
The next morning, Liu Tao also got up early, doing a simple cleaning of the house and boiling the ingredients needed for making Dried Tangerine Peel Tea, while waiting for the milk delivery man.
By the time Luo Jun got up, the Dried Tangerine Peel Tea was already made, just at the right temperature to drink.
Luo Jun read the newspaper while having Dried Tangerine Peel Tea, and Liu Tao went upstairs to get dressed, wearing a full set of jewelry and carrying a lunchbox, ready to go out.
"I’m going to Master Jiang’s to get the dumplings. Yesterday, I asked him to try some new flavors, and I need to check how they turned out. If they don’t work, there’s still time to change them," Liu Tao began to report her itinerary.
Luo Jun, eyes on the newspaper, said, "If you don’t like wearing so much jewelry when going out, you don’t have to wear it."
Liu Tao touched her new earrings, glanced at the ruby ring Minister Chu had just retrieved from upstairs, and said, "I’m used to it, it’s fine."
"I’m Mrs. Luo. If I go out plainly dressed, Bo Yan, you’ll be laughed at."
Luo Jun said nothing more, finishing the last sip of Dried Tangerine Peel Tea.
When Luo Jun stood up, Qin Huai thought Luo Jun was going to sit on the couch to continue reading novels as his usual homebody self. Instead, Luo Jun walked to the door, paused for two minutes, then slowly changed his shoes and went out.
Luo Jun leisurely strolled outside. Neighbors who saw him took it as a common sight, continuing with their own work.
Qin Huai was familiar with Luo Jun’s route because he had already followed the couple the day before—it was the way to Master Jiang’s place.
Good, today Mr. Luo decided not to be a homebody but to act as a stalker instead.
Luo Jun slowly wandered to the familiar street corner, not knocking on the door of the low house, but instead walked into the courtyard as if practiced.
There were no children playing with mud in the yard, only a woman sweeping the yard.
The woman saw Luo Jun, brought him a chair with a padded seat, and smilingly appeased Luo Jun, "Mr. Luo, my son Gou Dan sneaked off to Master Jiang’s again when I wasn’t watching. I’m really sorry."
"It’s fine. My wife likes kids," Luo Jun calmly nodded, "You can continue with your work."
The woman went on sweeping, except she had to avoid Luo Jun’s direction to keep the dust away from his clothes.
Luo Jun pulled a neatly folded newspaper out of his pocket, unfolded it, and started reading.
What can I say, Luo Jun’s hobbies and habits have really been consistent over the years.
Watching Luo Jun read a newspaper in the yard was interesting, but Qin Huai was more curious about what was happening inside the house.
After briefly skimming "Shushan Swordsmen" for two minutes, Qin Huai walked into the low house.
Jiang Weiming, Gou Dan, and Liu Tao were all in the kitchen. The lunchbox Liu Tao brought was on the table outside, and both front and rear doors of the kitchen were open. If any of the three inside felt like it, they could walk a few steps to the back door and glance outside to see Luo Jun reading a newspaper in the courtyard.
But the three of them were destined not to look outside, as everyone’s eyes were focused on the pastries.
A dough that had been kneaded to perfection, minced carrot mash, diced meat, and beet juice sat on the countertop.
"Meat dumplings... are they still dumplings?" Liu Tao, though not adept at making dumplings, had spent enough years as a wealthy lady to understand a thing or two about food.