It was noon when Ye Beizhi returned to the Fuzhao Courtyard.
At first, he had planned to visit the External Prime Minister’s residence to gather some information, but he reconsidered and dismissed the idea after hearing what Chi Nanwei had to say about that. He wandered the area around the Fuzhao Courtyard for a bit instead before returning.
Chi Nanwei was already busy helping at Granny Yu’s house. Seeing Ye Beizhi return, she smiled brightly and said, "Go wash your hands, Granny Yu made chicken soup, and I’ve already prepared a bowl for you."
Chi Nanwei’s smile was so clean, pure, and carefree, but this sense of comfort inexplicably made Ye Beizhi feel somewhat uneasy.
Ye Beizhi opened his mouth, but in the end, said nothing. He turned and walked toward the washbasin.
The meal passed uneventfully. Ye Beizhi remained silent, focused on his food, while Chi Nanwei occasionally chatted and joked with Granny Yu, making the older lady laugh heartily.
After the meal, Chi Nanwei helped clean up the dishes, then returned home with Ye Beizhi.
"Dummy, it’s almost New Year's," Chi Nanwei said as she brought in the dry clothes that had been hanging outside.
"Mm," Ye Beizhi responded absentmindedly without looking back. He sat at the table with his Tang blade on his lap, carefully cleaning the blade.
Chi Nanwei threw a pile of clothes onto the bed and sat beside them. "What I'm saying is, we should also buy some New Year’s goods..."
Ye Beizhi paused his movements and looked up at Chi Nanwei.
Chi Nanwei, with her back to him, was folding clothes as she continued, "After all, it’s our first New Year in the capital. We should at least do something festive."
Ye Beizhi pursed his lips, his gaze on the woman’s back growing complex, but he said nothing.
Chi Nanwei seemed unaware of Ye Beizhi’s changing expression as she continued talking. "I’m thinking that after the New Year, I’ll go help at Aunt Liu’s tailor shop at the end of the street. She’s short on help, and I know a bit about sewing. This way, I can earn some money every month..."
Ye Beizhi’s eyebrows furrowed at some point, and he couldn’t help but say, "The silver that Wary Listener gave us is enough for us for a while..."
"But we can’t always rely on other people’s money, can we?" Chi Nanwei interrupted Ye Beizhi, turning to him with a smile.
"We won’t be staying here long." Ye Beizhi looked into Chi Nanwei’s eyes, seemingly growing emotional. He added, "You know that."
Chi Nanwei shrugged, then turned back to continue folding their clothes. "Why can’t we stay long? We could settle down here... I think things are pretty good now."
"It's not good," Ye Beizhi said somberly.
"What’s not good?" Chi Nanwei didn’t turn around. "I think it is good."
"It's not good..." Ye Beizhi stared intently at Chi Nanwei, even though she didn't turn around. "You... know why."
"I don’t know... I just think that things are good now!" Chi Nanwei suddenly raised her voice, pounding her fist on the bed.
"We..." Ye Beizhi pushed past Chi Nanwei’s emotional outburst and continued, "We didn’t come here to stay... We came for revenge."
The room fell into silence, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.
"Revenge..." Chi Nanwei’s shoulders trembled slightly. She suddenly grabbed the pile of clothes and threw it at Ye Beizhi, glaring at him with teary eyes.
"What revenge! Who asked you to avenge me? Didn’t I say it already!? I said it! I don’t want revenge anymore! I don’t want revenge anymore..."
Chi Nanwei buried her face in her arms and lay on the bed, sobbing.
Ye Beizhi sat at the table, looking down solemnly at the Tang blade on his lap. His fingers tapped unconsciously on the blade as his thoughts churned.
After a long time, Ye Beizhi finally stood up from his chair, walked over to Chi Nanwei’s side, and reached out, wanting to pat her shoulder. But his hand stopped midway, hovering in the air, unable to reach her.
Ye Beizhi opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say, so he stood there, at a loss.
As Ye Beizhi stood there in a daze, Chi Nanwei finally spoke, still lying on the bed, her voice muffled. "Dummy..."
"Don’t go..." Chi Nanwei sat up, looking at Ye Beizhi with bloodshot eyes, tears streaming down her face. Her tone was almost pleading. "Don’t go for revenge... I..."
"I don’t want anyone else to die... You're all I have left..." Chi Nanwei bit her lower lip tightly, almost drawing blood.
Ye Beizhi didn’t say anything. He hesitantly reached out, pausing midway, before gently wiping the tears from the woman’s face.
"Mm." Ye Beizhi nodded.
"Mm-hmm!" Though her face was still streaked with tears, Chi Nanwei smiled and nodded enthusiastically.
"Then... let’s go buy New Year’s goods this afternoon!" Chi Nanwei tightly held Ye Beizhi’s hand.
Ye Beizhi nodded again. "Alright."
The door was pushed open from outside, and Granny Yu poked her head in from the doorway.
"What are you two up to?" Granny Yu looked at Chi Nanwei, then at Ye Beizhi, her face full of suspicion.
Chi Nanwei sniffled, hastily wiping away the remaining tears on her face. "Granny, Granny Yu..."
Ye Beizhi glanced at Granny Yu and found her scrutinizing him with a sharp gaze, causing sweat to bead on his forehead.
Granny Yu walked in, approached Chi Nanwei, and patted her hair before turning to point at Ye Beizhi.
"Master Ye, Miss Chi has a gentle temperament. You better not bully her... Otherwise, don’t blame me for turning on you!"
Ye Beizhi’s mouth opened slightly, unsure of what to say.
"No. Granny Yu, you’ve misunderstood!" Chi Nanwei hurriedly grabbed Granny Yu’s hand. "Dummy didn’t bully me..."
"No?" Granny Yu widened her eyes at Chi Nanwei. "I may be old, but I’m not blind. Look at you, crying ... Miss Chi, let me tell you, a woman can’t be too soft..."
Chi Nanwei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Granny Yu, you’ve really misunderstood. Dummy really didn’t bully me. I just...just remembered something sad..."
Ye Beizhi no longer wanted to hear Chi Nanwei explaining to Granny Yu and pushed open the door to leave.
Standing in the courtyard, he could still faintly hear Chi Nanwei and Granny Yu talking. Chi Nanwei’s voice no longer carried any hint of her sobbing. It was as if what had just happened was an illusion.
Ye Beizhi’s hand gripped the hilt of his blade tightly, his palm dripping with sweat.
I never wanted to lie to you. But this revenge isn’t just for you... it’s for me.
Was it for the escort agency that took me in?
Or for Master Wu’s kindness?
Or perhaps it was just because of that bun I sliced in two.
Regardless of the reason...