The road back to the manor stretches long beneath the soft slope of afternoon light, the sun dipping just enough to take the harshness out of the heat. 

As the flatbed moves along the uneven road, Nine glances at the girl sitting next to him,still talking but not quite as fast as before…eating seems to have taken the sharp edge off her energy…but the steady stream of words remains, light and unbroken.

“…and that vendor definitely overcharged us for the molds,” she says, glancing back over her shoulder as if she might still catch him in the act. “But I suppose it balances out since the oil was cheaper than expected.”

“You noticed?” 

“Of course!” she replies, sounding almost offended. “I just chose not to argue. He looked like the type who would insist he was right even if the scales broke in front of him.”

“Mm.”

A brief silence follows.

Then…

“You were watching everything, weren’t you?”

Nine does not answer immediately.

“It is my duty,”

Liu Bing smiles to herself, clearly amused.

“Yes, you’ve mentioned.”

They flatbed slows down over the small hill that leads back toward the manor grounds, where the trees grow thicker and the air cools again beneath the shade.

 The road narrows here, quieter, more private—ar from the crowded noise of the marketplace.

For once, Liu Bing falls silent.

Nine notices.

He glances at her, just briefly.

“You are quiet.”

She blinks, as if surprised to be called out, then lets out a small laugh. “Oh? Now you notice?”

“It is unusual.”

She hums softly, gaze drifting ahead. “I was just thinking.”

“About?” He is actually curious why she is silent and she has a serious expression.

She tilts her head slightly, considering. “Miss Shen Ling.”

Nine’s expression doesn’t change, but his attention sharpens.

“She’s… different,” Liu Bing continues, her voice softer now, more thoughtful than before. “Not just because of what she knows. It’s the way she thinks. The way she plans things out like she’s already ten steps ahead.”

“She is capable, .

“Capable?” Liu Bing snorts lightly. “Hmm…That’s one way to put it.”.

“Since we came here she doesn’t act like someone who grew up sheltered in a manor,” she adds. “And yet… she’s not reckless either. It’s strange.”

Nine is silent for a moment.

“She is cautious,” he says finally. “But not timid.”

Liu Bing glances at him, surprised.

Then she smiles.

“Look at you,” she teases. “You’ve been paying attention.”

Nine says nothing.

Which, somehow, feels like an answer.

“I grew up with her but I think I don’t know her at all, only the part of her  she wants me to know. Not because she doesn’t trust me..she knows I am loyal,but because she thinks she is protecting me. 

I know she is planning something and is afraid if it doesn’t work out she will drag me down with her but Nine…I don’t want her to leave me behind. Miss is really my only family. She says she will give me money and send me home when the time comes but I don’t want to go. My Uncle sold me to pay for his son’s school. If I return  now that I have grown up into such a beautiful girl, who will he sell me to next, a vile nasty man like the Magistrate? 

She hugs his arm, “Nine, I can see you are a good man. Ask Miss to marry me. You are her guard and she will take you along.,,as your wife she will have to bring me too. She looks up at him with misty eyes then without warning presses her lips on his. 

Startled, he pushes her away with too much force and she almost falls off the cart. He quickly reaches over and grabs her arm once again using too much force and she slams against his chest. She wraps her arms around his strong waist and presses her face against his chest, “Marry me ok?”

His face is red from the tips of his ears all the way down his neck. He has one hand on the reins and pries her off him with the other hand. “Miss Liu, respect yourself!”

He softens his tone. “You are being dramatic. If you told Miss Shen about your dilemma with your Uncle she surely wouldn’t send you back. She would find you a good man to settle down with.”

She tilts her head up and puffs out her cheeks, “You are missing the point! I don’t want to be married off! I want to stay with Miss!”

He has exhausted his patience but says, “Why worry about this now. From what I can see Miss Shen has no intention of going anywhere right now. You were so good at analyzing the people in town why don’t you use that logic to assess the situation. She is buying supplies to make soap. She is still learning how to make medicine. Do you know how many years it takes to become a doctor? If that is her goal, which I don’t know if it is. I think you are in a panic over nothing.”

Liu Bing has a thoughtful expression, “Nine,  maybe you are right. I will wait and see. But…” She quickly kiss his lips and says, “If you are wrong…you must take responsibility and marry me. I gave you my first kiss, you know.”

He shakes his head, Miss Liu!  You stole my first kiss!

 By the time they reach the manor gates, the sky has begun to soften into shades of gold and pale orange, the long shadows of evening stretching across the courtyard.

Liu Bing has calmed down and is no longer pestering Nine.

A servant hurries forward to  the flatbed take some of the bundles, looking mildly startled at the amount they carry.

Liu Bing hands the one she just picked up without hesitation, rolling her shoulders slightly. “Careful with those,” she says. “Some of it is more useful than it looks.”

Nine does not relinquish his immediately.

He steps inside first, gaze sweeping the courtyard out of habit, ensuring everything is as it should be.

Only then does he pass the remaining items along.

Shen Ling is exactly where they left her.

Seated at the low table beneath the eaves, a book open before her, several sheets of paper scattered nearby, covered in neat, precise writing. The faint scent of crushed herbs lingers in the air around her.

She looks up as they approach.

Her gaze flicks briefly to the bundles, then to Liu Bing, then to Nine.

“You’re back.” 

“We are,” Liu Bing replies, already moving closer. “And we brought everything—well, mostly everything. Some substitutions, but I think they’ll work.”

Shen Ling nods once, rising slowly to her feet.

“Show me.”

They begin unpacking.

Oil first—clear, clean, just as requested.

Ash and tallow carefully wrapped.

The molds.

Shen Ling picks one up, turning it slightly in her hands, examining the edges, the depth, the shape.

Liu Bing watches her, suddenly a little less confident. “…They can be fixed,” she says quickly. “Probably.”

Shen Ling tilts her head, considering.

“…Yes,” she says after a moment. “They can.”

Liu Bing exhales in relief. “See? I told you.”

Nine stands slightly to the side, silent as always, but his gaze remains on Shen Ling, avoiding the troublesome girl next to her.

Shen Ling sets the mold down.

“Good work,” 

Liu Bing lights up instantly, her earlier uncertainty gone in a flash. “Really?”

“Yes.”

Shen Ling gestures toward the table. “We’ll begin tomorrow morning. There’s still some preparation needed.”

Liu Bing nods eagerly. “I’ll help.”

“Okay.”

Her gaze shifts toward Nine.

“And you…” 

Nine straightens almost imperceptibly.

“Yes, Miss Shen.”

“You did well.”

He blinks

“It is my duty,” he replies, as he always does.

Shen Ling studies him for a brief moment, as if weighing his answer.

Then she turns back to the table, already reaching for her notes again.

“Rest while you can,” she says. “Tomorrow will be busy.”

Liu Bing groans dramatically. “You say that like today wasn’t.”

Shen Ling doesn’t look up. “Today was preparation. Tomorrow the real work begins.