In the year Ding Wu turned thirty, Lu Ying took his hand and never let go.
Today, Ding Wu had experienced the relief of vengeance fulfilled, the shock of Lu Ying's unexpected confession, the anxiety of baring his most shameful self to the one he loved, the despondency of thinking all was lost, and finally the exhilaration of having his hand held by Lu Ying. His emotions had soared to the heavens, plunged into the abyss, descended to hell, and shot straight through the clouds—a true rollercoaster of feelings.
Lu Ying held his hand and said, "Before I liked you, I detested the idea of marriage. I kept making excuses and avoiding it, getting a headache just thinking about it. But after falling for you, I realized I don't actually hate marriage—I just hadn't met the right person. I truly look forward to spending the rest of my life with you."
Lu Ying was usually a woman of few words, preferring action over speech. Ding Wu, in contrast, was silver-tongued and persuasive, capable of talking the dead back to life. Yet at this critical moment, it was Lu Ying who took the initiative and confessed, leaving Ding Wu speechless. He could only follow her lead and say, "I look forward to it too."
"Then..." Lu Ying said, "let's sit down and settle our marriage plans."
Lu Ying had dressed elaborately and come fully prepared, while Ding Wu had never expected to pledge his love today and was completely unprepared. He patted his clothes and found nothing but a money pouch and a folding fan.
Ding Wu opened the fan, picked up a brush, and wrote a love poem on its surface: "Deep mountains need not delay the spring, / Where cherry blooms on branches cling. / Peach and plum follow the rain's will, / Knowing sunshine comes to stay still."
The cherry blossoms naturally referred to Lu Ying, and at this moment, Ding Wu's heart was like the spring mountains, laden with cherry blooms on every branch. "Sunshine" here symbolized "affection"—the time when their love would finally blossom.
Ding Wu carefully blew the ink dry and presented the fan to Lu Ying. "This is my token of love. Once I bring my father back from Yunnan, our families can discuss the wedding. We'll definitely marry this year."
Lu Ying unfastened her sword. "You'll be traveling far. Take my sword for protection and return soon."
Ding Wu accepted the sword, Lu Ying took the fan, and they smiled at each other, their lifelong commitment sealed.
North City, Beijing, Sweetwater Lane.
After Wei Caiwei and Wang Daxia married, they moved to Shichahai to live independently, leaving the Sweetwater Lane house to her elder brother Ding Wu. The Ding family's confiscated mansion had long been uninhabited and fallen into disrepair, becoming a haunted ruin. Ding Wu had hired craftsmen to renovate the old house but couldn't move back immediately.
Meanwhile, Ding Wu converted his former courtyard into a bridal chamber, awaiting his bride. After finalizing the renovation plans with the craftsmen, he hurried back to Sweetwater Lane, stopping at the market to buy a chicken along the way. Today, he was preparing braised chicken with mushrooms, Wei Caiwei's favorite dish.
Since returning to the capital, Wei Caiwei had been coming to Sweetwater Lane almost daily to enjoy Ding Wu's cooking. Today was no exception—she could smell the aroma through the door, her mouth already watering.
Ding Wu, wearing an apron, opened the door. "You're here? Take a seat, it'll be ready soon."
Wei Caiwei sat under the grapevine trellis. It was early summer, and clusters of unripe grapes had begun to form. She couldn't help but recall when she lived here and how she and Wang Daxia had... Ack, no! She'd just seen him this morning—why was she thinking about him again at noon?Wei Caiwei dared not look at the grapes anymore and wandered around the courtyard. There was a dent in the wall where the lime plaster had been broken, revealing the blue bricks beneath. This was caused by the hard-shell mooncakes I baked, which made Wang Daxia bleed from the mouth... Why am I thinking of him again?
Fortunately, the meal was ready. Ding Wu carried the iron pot to the table under the grapevine trellis, and the two began their simple, unadorned lunch, just like countless meals they had shared in Tieling. Ding Wu picked up his chopsticks first and placed both chicken drumsticks into Wei Caiwei’s bowl.
Both siblings harbored secrets they couldn’t share with each other, always showing their kindest sides. Wei Caiwei was like this, and so was Ding Wu.
Ding Wu didn’t know that Wei Caiwei had been planning revenge from the start, and Wei Caiwei had no idea that a bear had silently borne everything. She had almost left this world forever after eating her favorite dish, never to meet Wang Daxia!
Her life had once hung on Ding Wu’s whim, nearly tipping him into darkness.
Wei Caiwei looked down at the two drumsticks in her bowl. "Brother, one is enough. You have the other." When her adoptive parents, Wei Nanshan and his wife, were alive, every time they stewed chicken, he and Caiwei would each have a drumstick. They never treated her poorly just because she was found by the roadside. After their passing, the siblings relied on each other in Tieling, and it was the same.
Ding Wu lowered his head to eat. "You have them both. Tomorrow I’m leaving for Yunnan and won’t be back until autumn. You won’t have any for at least three months."
The meal ended in silence. Wei Caiwei went to the well to wash the dishes and returned to find Ding Wu had already brewed tea. He said, "Sit down. I have something to tell you."
Whenever Ding Wu used that tone and expression, it perfectly mirrored the stern demeanor of a modern-day school dean five centuries later. Wei Caiwei always felt guilty and began reflecting on what mistakes she might have made recently.
They had just returned to the capital, and Wei Caiwei hadn’t had time to err. If there was any fault, it was her recent indulgence—she and Wang Daxia had finally started acting like a normal couple, no longer separated by distance, shutting themselves in their secluded courtyard, living recklessly.
How did Brother Ding know? He couldn’t have eavesdropped, could he? It must be that Wang Daxia’s noises were too loud... Wei Caiwei sat down uneasily, taking a sip of tea to calm her nerves.
Ding Wu said, "Today, Lu Ying and I pledged our love. We’ve decided to marry this year. From now on, you must regard her as your sister-in-law."
Pfft! Wei Caiwei spat out her tea on the spot. "Cough, cough, what did you say? So soon? Uncle Ding hasn’t returned to the capital yet. With your personality, how could you confess to Commander Lu so quickly?"
You really know me well. Ding Wu replied, "She proposed to me first. Look—"
Ding Wu brought out Lu Ying’s sword. "This is the token of love she gave me."
Though Ding Wu’s words were as calm as ever, his clearly boastful gesture and excited expression betrayed the joy in his heart.
"Really!" Wei Caiwei hugged Lu Ying’s sword. "I knew she liked you! How did she bring it up? What did she say? Did you two... um, just exchange tokens? Nothing... else?"
Nothing else, like hugging or kissing. But in front of Ding Wu, Wei Caiwei couldn’t bring herself to ask outright. After all, people as shameless as Wang Daxia were exceedingly rare."Just looking is enough, give it back to me. Don't damage it." Ding Wu took the sword and carefully wrapped it in a piece of red silk.
Seeing how treasured Ding Wu was with the sword, it was clear he greatly anticipated this marriage. Wei Caiwei felt happy for her elder brother, "Congratulations to brother and Commander Lu—no, my future sister-in-law. May you two lovers finally unite."
Ding Wu placed the red silk-wrapped sword into a wooden box and locked it in a cabinet, "When will Wang Daxia leave the Embroidered Uniform Guard? Where are you two going?"
Wei Caiwei replied, "Also this year. He still has some duties to hand over. Commander Zhu wishes to retain him, so we haven't decided where to go yet. However, we likely won't leave the capital this year—we must attend your wedding before departing."
Wang Daxia had grown weary and wanted to leave the endless conflicts behind to live a peaceful life. Having lost her husband in her previous life, Wei Caiwei deeply understood how fleeting life could be. Each day together was one day less, so she supported his decision.
After all, Li Jiubao in the palace now had two sons and three daughters, making her the most fertile consort and securing her position. In this lifetime, with Chen Jingji also watching over things within the Forbidden City, Wei Caiwei felt there was nothing to worry about. It was time for the couple to fully retreat from their duties.
Wei Caiwei said, "Elder brother, rest assured and go to Yunnan. I'll oversee the renovations at the Ding residence these three months. By the time you return, everything will be completed and you can move back in. Also, comfort sister-in-law and tell her not to miss you too much."
Imperial Guard Office.
After Lu Ying successfully confessed her feelings and won Ding Wu over, she changed out of her dress back into male attire and buried herself in the mountain of official documents on her desk.
Wang Daxia had been closely watching the movements in Lu Ying's duty room, more invested than when he confessed his own feelings. He entered without invitation, "How did it go? Did Ding Wu agree?"
Lu Ying took out the fan Ding Wu had given her. Wang Daxia opened it and read aloud, "'Deep mountains need not delay spring's arrival, everywhere mountain cherries weigh branches down. Peach and plum blossoms follow the rain's intent in silence, yet know clear skies will eventually come.' What does this mean? That you confessed too late? Did he reject you?"
Hearing this, Lu Ying glared coldly at her uneducated subordinate, "If you're poorly read, don't spout nonsense. This clearly expresses knowing there are feelings between us. The fan is his token of love for me. Once he returns from Yunnan with Official Ding, we'll marry this year."
Wang Daxia came again to claim credit, "Didn't I say that makeup, that outfit, and those accessories suited you? You were glowing—no man could resist."
Lu Ying said, "It's a pity you're already married, otherwise you could've been my groomsman."
Wang Daxia fell silent for a moment, then said, "Commander Lu, even if I were unmarried, I'd be Ding Wu's groomsman."
Accustomed to thinking of herself as a man—having once served as Wang Daxia's groomsman—Lu Ying momentarily forgot conventional roles. After a moment's thought, she realized he was right and said, "Then on the wedding day, you can do my bridal makeup. My standards are low—just make me look pretty."
Wang Daxia thumped his chest, "Leave it to me."
That evening, as soon as office hours ended, Wang Daxia was the first to rush out on horseback, heading home to his wife. Lu Ying remained steadfastly at the office handling affairs as usual, not leaving until all household lights in the city had gone out.
Early the next morning, after completing his martial arts practice, Wang Daxia returned to his room and woke Wei Caiwei in his own way, "Get up. We need to go to Tianshui Lane today to see Ding Wu off.""I invited him for a farewell drink last night." Wei Caiwei rolled over wrapped in the quilt, her eyes still bleary with sleep. "The person he most wants to see this morning isn't us—it's Lu Ying. He'd prefer to spend time alone with Lu Ying rather than having a crowd see him off."
Wang Daxia immediately recognized the truth in her words. "In that case, Lu Ying must be seeing Ding Wu off somewhere other than the Imperial Guard Office this morning. When the cat's away, the mice will play! Haha, I can go to the office later today since there's no one to keep an eye on me."
Wang Daxia kicked off his shoes and slipped into bed. Last night had been too short for their passions, and he was determined to make up for it this morning.
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