After finishing their meal, Jiang Ning put her veil back on and began walking leisurely down the street with Liu Ming'an.
It was lunchtime, so the streets were less crowded, but the restaurants on both sides were packed. The waiters were all rushing about, their feet barely touching the ground.
"How much money did you make today?" Jiang Ning asked Liu Ming'an.
Liu Ming'an calculated for a moment before answering honestly, "I sold four calligraphy pieces and wrote twenty-one letters. In total, it's 530 wen, about half a tael of silver."
Jiang Ning nodded upon hearing the answer but didn't speak. She seemed lost in thought, and her pace slowed.
Just as Liu Ming'an was about to ask what was wrong, Jiang Ning suddenly grabbed his sleeve and pulled him into a nearby deserted alley.
"Jiang Ning, what—" Before he could finish, Liu Ming'an saw a wooden box appear before his eyes, though he had no idea where Jiang Ning had produced it from.
"What's this?" Liu Ming'an asked, puzzled.
"It's for you," Jiang Ning said simply. "Open it and see."
Liu Ming'an hesitated, then took the box. When he opened it, the glint of gold and silver inside nearly blinded him.
"Snap!"
Liu Ming'an quickly closed the lid. In his panic, he grabbed Jiang Ning's arm and walked a few steps deeper into the alley, making sure no one was around before asking, "Jiang Ning, where did you get all this money?"
Jiang Ning saw the worry and anxiety in Liu Ming'an's eyes and could guess what he was thinking. After a moment's consideration, she decided to tell the truth.
"I saw Zhao Instructor, the one who sold me. I followed him into Gold Jade Hall, a gambling house. I played a couple of rounds, got lucky, and won this."
Hearing Jiang Ning speak so casually about it, Liu Ming'an was at a loss for words.
Jiang Ning reassured him, "Don't worry, I won this money fair and square in front of everyone. It's clean money, so you can use it without concern."
"How could the casino people not give you trouble after you won so much?"
Liu Ming'an couldn't stop worrying. He knew about the casino's enforcers, and there had even been cases of people winning big at casinos only to die mysteriously later.
"Hah!" Jiang Ning's cold laugh was prompted by Liu Ming'an's words, which reminded her of Houzi and Huzi. She continued, "Liu Ming'an, you underestimate me. Those useless thugs the casino keeps can't touch me."
Liu Ming'an was stunned by the faint murderous intent in Jiang Ning's eyes. This Jiang Ning seemed so unfamiliar, reminding him of their first meeting when she was covered in wounds but her eyes were full of wariness.
"Jiang Ning, I'm still very worried about you," Liu Ming'an said, his brows furrowed tightly. He couldn't imagine how Jiang Ning could handle those big, burly enforcers.
Hearing this, the coldness in Jiang Ning's eyes dissipated. She looked at Liu Ming'an earnestly and said, "I promise you, I'll be fine."
Seeing Jiang Ning so resolute, Liu Ming'an could only sigh softly, his thousand words reduced to a single exhalation.
"Now that we've cleared things up, let's go shopping," Jiang Ning said, turning to leave. But she had barely taken a step when Liu Ming'an grabbed her arm again.
"What's the story with this Zhao Instructor you mentioned? Why were you following him?" Liu Ming'an had thought of a new question.
"I want to know who I really am, where my home is, why I was covered in injuries, and why I was sold. I can only start finding answers to these questions through this Zhao Instructor."
Liu Ming'an was silent for a long time. After a while, Jiang Ning heard him ask, "Do you plan to leave after you find out?"
His voice was much quieter, sounding somewhat dejected.
Jiang Ning stared at him steadily. Liu Ming'an, feeling a bit embarrassed, turned his face slightly, averting his gaze.
"Liu Ming'an."
Liu Ming'an suddenly heard Jiang Ning call his name, and then a hand appeared in front of him, gripping his chin and forcing him to turn back and meet her gaze.
"Do you not want me to leave?" Jiang Ning's deep gray pupils reflected Liu Ming'an's somewhat flustered face. If one looked carefully, they might notice a faint hint of amusement in her eyes.
With cool, slender fingers hooked under his chin, Liu Ming'an's breathing became erratic for a few beats. He struggled to compose himself before answering, "Yes, I don't want you to leave."
Liu Ming'an continued, somewhat incoherently, "Of course, I'm also worried that you might get hurt again. After all, when I bought you, your injuries weren't fake. Even though you recovered quickly, it must still hurt. Those who hurt you might not be satisfied seeing you unharmed and might hurt you again. And you've lost your memory, so you can't distinguish between good and bad people..."
The hand on his chin had moved away at some point. Jiang Ning stood with her arms folded, listening quietly. For the first time, she found that this long-winded speech wasn't so annoying.
"Alright, I understand. I won't leave," Jiang Ning said slowly after Liu Ming'an finished speaking.
Her tone was gentler than usual, lacking its typical coldness and flatness.
Liu Ming'an looked straight at Jiang Ning and asked, "Really?"
"Have I ever lied to you?" Jiang Ning countered.
"I don't know. You're so clever, I wouldn't know even if you did lie to me," Liu Ming'an said, sounding a bit dejected.
A hint of amusement appeared in Jiang Ning's eyes, and the corners of her mouth turned up irresistibly. Although her face was covered by a plain veil, her eyes were expressive, and one could imagine the smile curving her lips beneath the veil.
Jiang Ning was smiling.
Thinking about this, Liu Ming'an's mood brightened, and a faint smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
Jiang Ning reached into her clothes again, pulling out a piece of silver and a handful of copper coins. "Here's some more. Take it all. Buy whatever you want, it's all yours."
"This is your money. I can't take it," Liu Ming'an refused, even trying to hand back the wooden box.
"Don't argue! Just take it when I tell you to," Jiang Ning insisted firmly, leaving Liu Ming'an no room to refuse.
Liu Ming'an had no choice but to accept the silver and copper coins, then untied the bundle on his back, intending to put the wooden box inside.
"Don't touch the gold for now. Use all the silver and copper coins," Jiang Ning instructed.
Liu Ming'an hesitated, "There's a total of five taels of silver. That's too much, isn't it? We can't possibly spend it all."
Jiang Ning insisted, "How could there ever be money that can't be spent? Take it all out!"
Liu Ming'an had no choice but to comply.
When they returned to the street, Jiang Ning asked Liu Ming'an, "You said before that the three taels of silver you used to buy me were originally intended for buying writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, right?"
"Yes."
Jiang Ning jerked her chin in a certain direction, "You were planning to go to this shop, weren't you?"
Though phrased as a question, her tone was certain.
Liu Ming'an followed Jiang Ning's gaze to an elegantly decorated shop. It was three stories tall, with a sign on the upper floor that read "Ink Fragrance Pavilion" in flowing calligraphy.
The rigorous training Jiang Ning had received since childhood had made her habitually attentive to her surroundings, noting distinctive people or objects. Whenever she arrived at a new place, she would discreetly observe, ensuring she grasped as much information about the unfamiliar environment as possible in the shortest time.
Thus, from the moment she entered Lingshan Town with Liu Ming'an, through selling rabbits at the restaurant, setting up the stall by the bridge, following Zhao Instructor, and then leaving Gold Jade Hall, Jiang Ning had already become familiar with the overall layout of Lingshan Town and the general distribution of shops.
The "Ink Fragrance Pavilion" before them should be the largest shop selling writing supplies in Lingshan Town.
"How did you know I was planning to go to Ink Fragrance Pavilion?" Liu Ming'an asked, amazed.
"I deduced it."
"How did you deduce it?" Liu Ming'an was truly curious and persisted in asking.
Jiang Ning typically had little patience, but standing here inevitably reminded her of her miserable state when she first arrived in this world. Fortunately, she had met this person before her, sparing her much suffering. So, she took a deep breath and patiently began to explain to Liu Ming'an:
"The place where Zhao Instructor sold me is at the intersection of East-West Long Street and North Street, where there are the most people and the widest area. The bridge where you set up your stall is at the end of East Street. To go home, you only need to walk west along East Street, then turn south at the intersection with South Street, which is the road we entered Lingshan Town on. On your way home, there are five small shops selling writing supplies, but Ink Fragrance Pavilion is on North Street. If you weren't specifically coming to Ink Fragrance Pavilion, you wouldn't have possibly encountered me."
"Furthermore..." Jiang Ning caught her breath and continued, "Although I'm not well-versed in prices, I can deduce that if you charge ten coins for a letter and eighty coins for a painting, the paper and scrolls you buy must be common and inexpensive. I've ground ink for you many times, and your brushes, inkstone, and ink sticks aren't worth three taels of silver. Therefore, when you took three taels of silver with you that day, it must have been money you'd saved for a long time, intending to buy higher quality writing materials. In all of Lingshan Town, only a shop like Ink Fragrance Pavilion would sell writing materials worth three taels of silver. Other smaller shops would at most aim for thin profits and high sales volume."
This analysis was like a stone thrown into still water for Liu Ming'an, causing ripples of realization. As the saying goes, one can see the big picture from small details and perceive the profound from the subtle. Jiang Ning had grasped the layout of Lingshan Town in such a short time and accurately analyzed Liu Ming'an's behavior, demonstrating a level of insight and keen intellect far beyond that of ordinary people.
"Jiang Ning, you're incredibly clever," Liu Ming'an murmured after a long pause.
"You flatter me," she replied.
Jiang Ning knew her analysis would make Liu Ming'an see her in a new light and perhaps reassess her as a person, but she didn't mind. She intended to gradually reveal her true self to him, piece by piece.
