Wei Caiwei used the key given by Chen Jingji to unlock Wang Daxia's padlock, then opened another lock with her own key before pushing the door open and returning home.
After a tiring day, Wei Caiwei couldn't be bothered to unpack her luggage from the trunk. She took a bath, feeling refreshed all over, lit mosquito repellent incense in the courtyard, let down her damp hair, and enjoyed the evening breeze.
Outside, a peddler was pushing a wheelbarrow and hawking watermelons. Wei Caiwei bought one, split it in half, and ate it with a spoon as her dinner.
After finishing half the watermelon, she noticed the moonlight, cool as water, gently spilling onto the stone table in the yard. She saw carved marks on the table and raised a lantern to look closer—it was a turtle, with a line of scrawled words beside it: "Wang the Great Hero Was Here."
No need to guess—it was definitely the "masterpiece" of her dead husband from her previous life. He styled himself as a great hero, but was actually just a spoiled official's son.
A smile tugged at Wei Caiwei's lips as her fingertip traced the rough carved lines. Suddenly, a dull thud came from the path outside the backyard, as if something had fallen.
Having just killed two enemies the night before, Wei Caiwei was on high alert. She grabbed the watermelon knife, climbed the wooden ladder against the wall, and peered down. A dark shadow was struggling at the foot of the wall covered with ivy next door in the Wang residence, supporting itself against the wall as it stood up. "Ouch! That hurt like hell."
Though she couldn't see the person's face clearly, the voice was familiar—it was her dead husband from her previous life, Wang Daxia.
It seemed Wang Daxia, unable to bear being confined, had climbed over the wall to escape.
Sure enough, commotion erupted from inside the high wall: "I saw the second young master climb a tree and jump over the wall to escape!"
"After him! Use the side door!"
Wang Daxia seemed to have injured himself from the fall. Leaning against the wall and limping, he couldn't run fast.
Without time to think, Wei Caiwei immediately descended the ladder, ran to open the small back door, and waved to Wang Daxia at the foot of the wall. "Quick, come in!"
Seeing a beautiful woman with disheveled hair, dressed in white, waving at him in the night, Wang Daxia was startled. His legs went weak, and he nearly fell again.
Steadying himself against the wall and looking closely, oh—it was that pretty young widow!
Just then, the side door of the Wang residence opened, and a group of servants rushed out with lanterns to catch him. Like a stray dog, Wang Daxia scurried into Wei Caiwei's backyard.
Wei Caiwei closed the door and gestured for Wang Daxia to be quiet.
Wang Daxia silently retreated into the courtyard and saw the remaining half of the watermelon on the stone table. He licked his lips—after exerting so much effort to escape, he was exhausted and thirsty.
Wei Caiwei stood by the back door, listening for any movement from the pursuers outside. Seeing how eager he looked, she handed him the knife, pointed to the watermelon, and mimed eating, indicating he could help himself.
Wang Daxia nodded in understanding and took the knife to cut the watermelon.
The Wang family servants, seeing faint light seeping through the cracks of the neighbor's gate, knew someone was home and knocked. "May we ask our neighbor if you've seen our second young master just now?"
Wang Daxia frantically shook his head while holding a slice of watermelon.
Wei Caiwei said, "As a widow, it's inconvenient for me to open the door and speak at night. Please forgive me. While enjoying the cool in my courtyard earlier, I vaguely heard someone running toward the east."
The servants replied, "Thank you!"
The commotion faded toward the east, and the courtyard returned to tranquility. By then, Wang Daxia had already devoured a quarter of the watermelon in one go and still seemed to want more.
Wei Caiwei said, "Finish it all. It'll go bad by tomorrow anyway."Wang Daxia was like Marshal Tianpeng reincarnated at Gao Family Village, nearly gnawing on the watermelon rind.
Wei Caiwei asked, "Does your family not feed you?"
Wang Daxia nodded, "I refused to stay home, so my father said he'd starve me for a day to see if I'd still have the energy to run away."
Wei Caiwei felt increasingly sympathetic toward Wang Daxia. This Wang Commander really didn't know how to raise a son—either spoiling him rotten or threatening violence while withholding food.
Wei Caiwei brought out a package of brown sugar fried cakes from the house. "I just moved in and haven't started cooking in the kitchen yet. Make do with these."
Wang Daxia was too hungry to be picky. "These are great! I love them!"
A growing lad eats his father poor.
Now it was a growing husband eating up his wife's snacks.
After finishing the package of fried cakes, Wang Daxia was finally full. "Thank you, Doctor Wei."
Noticing he was covered in dust and had no belongings, Wei Caiwei asked, "Where are you planning to go to avoid Wang Commander? How come you didn't bring any luggage? Leaving with nothing but the clothes on your back?"
Wang Daxia sighed, "I originally packed several sets of clothes and some gold and silver, but when I was climbing over the wall, there was moss on the tree. My foot slipped, and I fell right over the wall. The bundle on my back got caught on a branch."
Wang Daxia's eyes shifted to the wooden ladder in the yard. "Could I borrow that ladder? I'll climb the wall to retrieve my bundle."
Wei Caiwei said, "Your family's estate has high walls. Our humble home's ladder only reaches halfway up your wall—you can't climb over."
"By tomorrow morning, the bundle will be discovered by my family, and all the private savings I've accumulated will be gone." Wang Daxia's mind worked quickly. "No problem, I'll take a bamboo pole, climb the ladder, and poke the bundle down from the branch."
You really are a talent for sneaky tricks!
Wei Caiwei didn't have a ready-made bamboo pole at home, but there was a cluster of slender bamboos in the yard. Wang Daxia took the watermelon-cutting knife and chopped one down, trimming off the branches. Just then, the night watch drum sounded outside—it was already the first watch and three points.
Wei Caiwei said, "Stop trimming. Hurry up. In two more points it'll be the second watch, and the curfew will start. The Northern City Military Command's night patrol will catch you, and you won't be able to escape even with wings. If you're caught and taken back, you'll face more beatings and starvation."
Wei Caiwei felt a pang of heartache for her dead husband. Unloved by his father and uncared for by his mother—look how they've starved my husband! He eats a brown sugar fried cake as if it were some divine delicacy.
Wang Daxia quickly carried the ladder out, climbed to the very top, pressed against the high wall covered with ivy, and raised the bamboo to hook the bundle from the branch.
Wang Daxia lifted the bamboo, gradually working the bundle through the branch's forks and pulling it outward.
As he reached the end, Wang Daxia's arm felt as sore as if soaked in vinegar. With a final vigorous pull, the bundle fell with a thud onto the path. Overjoyed, Wang Daxia descended the ladder, but in his extreme delight, disaster struck—his last step missed, and he fell to the left.
Fearing he'd land face-first and ruin his handsome looks, Wang Daxia closed his eyes in despair. Suddenly, two forces supported his waist and head, leaving only his feet to touch the ground.
Wang Daxia opened his eyes and found himself lying in Doctor Wei's arms, with one of her hands around his waist and the other supporting his neck.
Their eyes met.
How humiliating—to be princess-carried by a widow.Fortunately, the darkness hid his flushed face. Wang Daxia quickly stood up from the widow's embrace, hurried to pick up his bundle, and prepared to leave immediately to avoid further awkwardness. "Thank you for your help, Doctor Wei. I'll be on my way now."
But just then, the sound of hoofbeats suddenly came from the alley entrance, and in the distance, torchlights flickered like stars!
The Northern City Military Command had started its night patrol early!
"Quick, get inside!" Seeing the Northern City Military Command patrol, Wang Daxia reacted like a mouse spotting a cat. He hoisted the ladder and ran inside, while Wei Caiwei closed the courtyard gate.
Outside, Officer Mu's voice could be heard: "The deaths of Thousand Household Chen and his son were bizarre. Everyone in the capital is on edge. Our Wang Commander has made some enemies over the years—it's easy to dodge an open spear but hard to guard against a hidden arrow. To protect Wang Commander and his family, you ten will split into five pairs guarding the south wall. Take turns patrolling, with each pair standing watch for one watch period before rotating. Do not let your guard down for even a moment."
"Yes, sir!"
"The rest of you, come with me to the north wall!"
The torches and patrol footsteps outside would continue uninterrupted throughout the night.
Just then, the second watch drum sounded, marking the official start of the curfew. Wang Daxia was completely trapped now—even if he tried to leave, his father's subordinates would quickly catch him.
He had schemed too cleverly, only to end up with all his efforts wasted.
"I... I should just go home and turn myself in," Wang Daxia said, picking up his bundle and heading toward the gate.
"Wait." Wei Caiwei stopped him. "You can't leave."
"Ah?" Wang Daxia thought he must have misheard. "A lone man and a widow, alone together in a room at night... This—"
"If you don't tell, and I don't tell, who would know? But if you walk out now—" Wei Caiwei pointed at the door, "the night patrol outside will see you leaving my house, and your family servants will know I lied earlier. In that case, even jumping into the Yellow River couldn't wash us clean."
Wang Daxia was stunned, though inwardly he felt a flicker of delight. "Doctor Wei, are you saying—"
"Stay here tonight," Wei Caiwei stated. "Wait until the morning when the night patrol disperses, then you can leave."
Wang Daxia's heart surged with wild joy: How could such good fortune come his way!
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