LUO FAN
For the whole two months that Ruan Yanjun and I traveled together, we barely said a word to each other. His promise of sharing a room each night had been abandoned. At every inn, he had booked two separate rooms. We even ate apart.
We had turned to strangers and I had to admit the animosity between us was becoming unbearable as the days passed. If there was one upside, he had at least stopped teasing me.
When we returned to his residence, he didn't even step out of the carriage. He left me at the front gate and continued straight to the imperial palace. I watched as the carriage disappeared into the distance. The sun was setting, yet he wouldn't even rest before heading to the palace.
The guards at the gate looked just as puzzled as I felt. One bowed and said, "Priest Luo, please wait here. I'll get you a carriage."
"No need," I replied. After days on the road, I was ready to stretch my legs. "I'd like to walk."
One guard offered to escort me, and I made my way up to the third gate and into the main courtyard.
I found Huang Wen waiting for me, along with other disciples and servants. When they saw me, they all looked behind me, waiting for their master to show up.
"Lord Ruan has decided to go straight to the imperial palace," I explained, catching their surprised expressions..
They all remained speechless, their jaws dropping.
Huang Wen was the first to recover. "Priest Luo, welcome back."
I cupped my hands and returned their courtesy. "I won't stay long. I've come to get Jinjing and leave immediately."
"Miss Jinjing is resting. Why not stay the night?" he offered.
It was already dark, and Jinjing was likely exhausted after a full day's work. It would be very inconsiderate of me to still drag her out and travel with me in the dark.
I reluctantly agreed and Huang Wen walked me back to my old chamber. As soon as the other disciples and servants were gone, he had dropped all formalities.
"What in the world is master thinking traveling at night?" he asked. "Does he have no regard for old Lin or the horses??"
"I don't know. He didn't tell me anything."
"Did you two… have a fight?" he teased.
"There's just a difference in our beliefs," I replied. "He couldn't get me on board with his grand scheme, so he dismissed me."
"After everything that he's done for you, he lets you off that easily?"
"That's true."
"Hmm." He seemed to ponder for a moment, and then he shook his head. "That does not sound like my master. My master is a very calculating. He does not do something that does not benefit him. Even if he fails, he finds a way to make a profit out of a failure."
The words he'd said made me pensive. He was right. Ruan Yanjun was indeed exactly like that.
But why did he let me go? Is it simply because he wanted to teach me a lesson?
Later that evening, after the servants cleared my dinner, I went to bed, resisting the urge to visit Jinjing, as she was likely fast asleep.
In the morning, I woke up early to find someone who could summon Jinjing over, but the moment I stepped out of the door, Jinjing was already standing there, waiting for me in the courtyard, but with her back to me.
For the first time, I saw more than just a shadow of her. I could see her long curly hair, her pale skin and her green dress.
As if she felt my presence, she turned her head around. "Fan!" she exclaimed and came running to me like a child.
"Fan!" she cried, rushing toward me, and I caught her in a tight embrace. It had been five months since I left her here.
"I missed you," I whispered and pressed a kiss on her hair.
"I've been counting the days since you left."
"And how many days was that?"
"A hundred and sixty two."
"Oh, that's far too long."
"Yes."
I pulled away so I could take a look at her face. "Let me see you," I said as I lifted her chin.
She had a pair of big eyes, her cheeks were round and puffy and her mouth was very small, as small as one of her eyes.
I wished I could see more. I wanted to see the glow in her eyes the most, but my limited vision would not allow me.
I smiled and cupped the side of her face. "Look at you with that tiny mouth, how do you manage to be so loud?" I teased.
Her eyes widened. "Y-you… you can see?"
"Not perfectly yet, but enough to make out shapes and colors. I see your eyes, but not your eyeslashes."
She laughed. "Don't worry, my eyelashes are short it's not worth looking at, and I'm really glad you're recovering now."
"The Molun herb helped, but there's still a long way to go."
She nodded. "You'll get there."
"I'm not losing hope."
She smiled. "I'll bring you your breakfast."
I pulled her hand before she could turn away. "Jinjing, Lord Ruan and I had some… disagreement along the way. We can't stay here anymore. We have to leave the residence immediately."
"Seriously?"
"I'm sorry."
"No, no." She grinned. "I'm happy to leave. I really am. I'll go pack my things right away."
She suddenly turned away as if she was too eager to leave.
I was left speechless. All along, I had thought that it would be difficult for her to part from her high-paying job and come with me. I had spent days trying to figure out how to explain things to her. But it looked like she had been wanting to leave this residence for a while already and was just waiting for me to take her away.
*****