Halfway up the mountain, Aunt Li was running back in a frantic hurry, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
She had originally intended to gather some wild vegetables along the way when she spotted a group of people marching into the mountains. Her heart skipped a beat, and worried for Si, she hurried back. As she approached the small courtyard, she saw a young gentleman of extraordinary bearing standing at the gate, accompanied by a cold-faced guard carrying a sword.
The gentleman was dressed in a crisp white robe, and Aunt Li could tell it was made of the finest fabric, with intricate patterns she had never seen before.
Having met few people in her life, she had no idea what their intentions were and was momentarily intimidated.
Finally gathering her wits, she was about to ask their purpose when the young gentleman bowed to her first: "Apologies for disturbing you, Auntie. May I trouble you for a moment to speak privately?"
Hearing his voice, Aunt Li was stunned.
It sounded so much like Mr. Jiang!
But more than that, she was flustered. Fortunately, the gentleman seemed kind and was as handsome as a celestial being, hardly looking like a bad person. She quickly replied, "Of course, of course, take all the time you need."
He gestured for her to follow.
Aunt Li nervously followed him to a tree in front of the courtyard, glancing uneasily at the cold-faced guard with the sword.
The young gentleman turned back with a smile: "Po Wu, turn around. Your stern expression might frighten Auntie."
His considerate gesture made Aunt Li warm up to him a little. He spoke first: "I must apologize for intruding on your home without permission."
His speech was refined, and Aunt Li only half-understood. She waved her hands dismissively: "No, no, it's no trouble at all. This courtyard isn't even mine—it belongs to Mr. Jiang! I was hired by him to take care of his wife!"
After stumbling through her words, Aunt Li felt embarrassed and chuckled awkwardly.
The nobleman didn't look down on her for it. He remained polite and gentle: "The Mr. Jiang you mentioned—does his voice resemble mine? Is he also tall and slender, a martial artist?"
Without hesitation, Aunt Li nodded vigorously: "Young master, do you know Mr. Jiang?"
He gave her a kind look, his eyes filled with curiosity and something unspoken. After a moment, he said, "He and I share a bond that transcends life and death."
Aunt Li interpreted this in her own way and exclaimed, "No wonder your voice sounds so much like Mr. Jiang's! You must be brothers! But he's been away on business for several days now and hasn't returned."
"I know," the young man said, then fell into thoughtful silence. Suddenly, he sighed softly, his tone ambiguous.
"He likely won't return."
Aunt Li didn't grasp his meaning at first and chuckled: "It's true, Mr. Jiang hasn't been back for a while."
But when she looked up and saw the young man's complex, inscrutable expression, she realized his words might carry a different meaning than she had assumed. Her heart sank, and she stammered, "W-what do you mean? Has something happened to Mr. Jiang?"
The young man furrowed his brow and remained silent.
Aunt Li's eyes began to redden: "Surely there's been a mistake. Mr. Jiang is so skilled in martial arts, and he's such a good person. He helped my whole family. He's only eighteen or nineteen years old—how could this happen?"
Yan Shuheng, observing the woman's demeanor and words, deduced that she knew little about the young couple she was caring for. To learn more about the man, he would need to approach his wife. He sighed regretfully: "It is indeed a tragedy."
Aunt Li grew even more distressed: "If Mr. Jiang is truly gone, what will happen to his wife? These past few days, she hasn't been able to sleep at night, waiting anxiously for him to return... And now his brother has come, but he's gone too..."
Yan Shuheng gazed down the mountain and sighed again.
"I only learned of this today. I finally tracked him down, only to miss him."
A hint of sorrow flickered in his eyes, though it didn't quite seem like sorrow.
More like the calm detachment of an observer.
He added, "Our voices have been similar since childhood. When I entered the house earlier, his wife mistook me for him, calling me 'husband' over and over. I didn't know how to respond and had to make an excuse to leave."
Aunt Li sighed as well. She had seen how Si had been pining for her husband these past few days, but there was nothing she could do.
Yan Shuheng lowered his gaze in thought: "Since she is my brother's wife, she is now my family. I have decided to take her down the mountain and find a renowned physician to treat her eye condition. But tell me, aside from his wife, did my brother have any other family?"
Aunt Li assumed he was asking about concubines and replied, "I haven't known Mr. Jiang for long, so I'm not very familiar with his affairs. But he and his wife were deeply in love—I'm sure there were no other women. They only recently married and don't have children yet..."
Yan Shuheng nodded in understanding: "I noticed my sister-in-law seems to have an eye condition. If she learns of my brother's passing, she might weep herself sick, worsening her condition. But if we don't tell her, and her husband doesn't return for a long time, might she suspect him of abandoning her?"
Aunt Li recalled how Si had clung to Jiang Hui's sleeve, begging him not to leave the day he departed, and felt torn.
The cold-faced guard, who had been silent until now, spoke up abruptly, his tone indifferent and emotionless: "Why not continue the charade? While your sister-in-law's vision is still impaired, you could temporarily pretend to be her husband. Make yourself scarce, appearing only occasionally to say a few words, so she believes her husband is still alive. Once her condition stabilizes, you can reveal the truth..."
Aunt Li's eyes lit up at the idea, but she hesitated to voice her approval, fearing the young man might take offense.
Yan Shuheng stood with his head bowed, gazing at the grass beneath his feet, though it was unclear whether he was looking at the grass or something beyond it.
He said casually, "That might be a viable stopgap measure. However, I haven't seen him in years and don't know his current habits or appearance. If I make a mistake, it might only deepen her grief."
Aunt Li chimed in eagerly: "That's easy to solve! I know how Mr. Jiang and his wife interacted—it's not hard to mimic! The young couple had just married and were both shy. They usually kept a distance of three feet when talking, though they shared a room at night. Once, they even broke the bed—"
She stopped mid-sentence when the polite young man interrupted: "They shared a bed every night?"
Though he was smiling, there was a hint of amusement in his expression. Aunt Li suddenly understood his concern and fretted, "That's right... We can't possibly have you sharing a bed with your sister-in-law at night. That would be too improper!"
The young man simply chuckled and let it go.
Po Wu spoke up at the right moment: "You said Mr. Jiang was often busy and rarely home. If that's the case, it should be manageable."
Aunt Li thought it over and agreed. Since he was seldom around, and both were shy, they could surely find a way to manage.
The enthusiastic woman then shared everything she knew about Jiang Hui and Si—their voices, mannerisms, habits, appearances, temperaments—leaving nothing out.
"That's all I know. Mr. Jiang was often away, so I didn't see him much." Finished, Aunt Li grew sad again. "The young master and his wife were such a devoted couple. It's a blessing he has such a good brother, or what would she do in the future..."
Yan Shuheng smiled faintly, his expression inscrutable.
"It's only my duty."
He then instructed Aunt Li: "Your grief for my brother moves me, Auntie. But for the sake of the greater good, I must ask you to conceal your sorrow when we see my sister-in-law later."
Aunt Li quickly wiped her tears: "Yes, yes..." She composed herself at the gate before following Yan Shuheng into the courtyard.
Inside the house.
Si was still sitting obediently by the bed. Hearing her husband's and Aunt Li's voices, she stood up abruptly.
"Husband, are you done with your work...?"
Aunt Li, afraid she might trip, rushed forward to steady her: "Be careful, Madam! Don't fall!"
"Thank you, Auntie," Si said softly, smiling. "I'm so glad my husband is finally back."
Seeing her radiant smile after days of gloom, Aunt Li couldn't help but wipe her eyes again.
"My apologies for returning late," Yan Shuheng maintained a respectful distance from Si. "Life in the mountains is inconvenient. I've found another house elsewhere. Let me take you down the mountain today, alright?"
"Today?" The suddenness caught Si off guard, but after days of anxiety alone at home, she quickly nodded, her face filled with trust and affection. "Whatever you say, husband. Wherever you go, I'll follow."
Yan Shuheng looked down at her, his long lashes casting a tender shadow. He said gently, "Good."
.
When they had fled in haste, Si and Jiang Hui had lived in a state of disarray, with little to pack up.
These past few days, Si had been fortunate to have the help of this sincere and simple-hearted woman, Aunt Li, which kept her from being overwhelmed. When Jiang Hui was away, even with Aunt Li around, Si couldn't help but remain guarded. Now that they were about to part, she felt a pang of guilt. She took some of the silver Jiang Hui had left for her and gave it to Aunt Li, hoping the woman could live a stable life.
"Now that you and Mr. Jiang are leaving the mountain, I can finally go and join my daughter!" Aunt Li said as she escorted Si to the halfway point where the horses were tied. Reluctant to part, she repeatedly urged, "No matter what happens in the future, always keep moving forward!"
Si assumed Aunt Li was encouraging her not to lose heart over her blindness. To comfort the older woman, she took the opportunity to praise her husband: "Don't worry, Aunt Li. With my husband by my side, even if my eyes don't recover, I'll still live well."
Her words nearly brought Aunt Li to tears.
Yan Shuheng, on the other hand, remained silent, his gaze lowered, as if deep in thought.
The guards were all puzzled.
Only Po Wu, who had earlier offered advice and understood Yan Shuheng's temperament well, remained expressionless, as if he saw through everything.
Once outside the courtyard, Si was, as usual, helped onto the horse by her husband. After being apart for several days, his movements were surprisingly smooth, as if he had done this countless times. Though it was just a small gesture, Si sensed a subtle difference: Jiang Hui no longer seemed as stiff as before. His actions were natural, as if they had been married for years.
Even the deliberate distance he maintained—about a fist’s width—felt more composed. In the past, the distance had been due to shyness, but now it seemed more like a calculated move, as if he was holding back to maintain control.
Perhaps noticing her distraction, he leaned down slightly and asked in a low voice, "Are you reluctant to leave?"
Si snapped out of her thoughts and nodded. "I’ve grown very fond of Aunt Li. In these turbulent times, meeting someone so genuine is rare. This mountain retreat, away from the chaos of the world, would have been a lovely place to live if I hadn’t lost my sight."
The man above her let out a faint "Hmm."
His voice sounded more distant and detached than before. If it had been anyone else, Si might have thought her words had upset him, but with Jiang Hui, this slight aloofness felt more like his usual self.
After hesitating for a moment, she tugged gently at his sleeve. "Husband, are you working for the government?"
Yan Shuheng had already learned from Aunt Li that Si’s husband was often away and might be involved with the government. Though he knew the man was deceiving her, it suited his purposes to let her believe it.
So he replied vaguely, "There are certain confidential matters I can’t discuss. Why do you ask?"
So it was true. Si felt reassured. Knowing he worked for the government gave her some peace of mind, at least she wouldn’t have to worry that he was out committing crimes. But perhaps because they hadn’t seen each other in days and his status had changed, their conversation felt a bit formal and distant. Si didn’t press further, simply saying, "It’s nothing. I just worry that you’re overworked. If you’re working for the government, it must be somewhat easier to bear."
As the horse began to move, Si turned her head and pleaded, "Husband, could we go a bit slower?
"It doesn’t have to be too slow, just not as fast and rough as usual. I can’t handle it…"
Yan Shuheng looked down at her, his gaze deep and probing.
"I’m usually fast and rough?"
