The Double

Ye Mingyu snorted. In earlier years, not a single New Year gift was exchanged, and the two families were like strangers. Now, surprisingly, they’ve thought of sending New Year gifts; it’s truly baffling. But one must not reject a friendly overture, and since it was Jiang Li, his own niece, who took the initiative to give gifts, he couldn’t spurn her goodwill. So Ye Mingyu said stiffly, "Alright, thank her and your father and the old madam for me. In a few days, when I have bought the New Year gifts, I will send them back to the Jiang Residence."

Jiang Li knew about Ye Mingyu’s grudge against the Jiang Family, so she smiled and changed the subject, and the two of them walked to Xue Huaiyuan’s courtyard.

Xue Huaiyuan sat in the yard, wearing a thick fur coat, and was reading a book. The fur coat, made from a tiger skin Ye Mingyu had hunted years ago, looked comical on Xue Huaiyuan. For someone as refined and elegant as Xue Huaiyuan to wear such an overpoweringly majestic garment was utterly incongruous. Yet, Ye Mingyu actually thought it was excellent: "This tiger fur coat is very warm! Wearing the skin of the king of beasts strengthens the body and imbues one with the courage of the Beast King. Look, isn’t the County Magistrate Xue’s health improving by the day?"

Seeing his enthusiasm, Jiang Li didn’t have the heart to dampen his spirit and just went along with what he said. Watching Xue Huaiyuan reading, her eyes filled with sadness. "He still doesn’t understand it, does he?"

"He doesn’t, spending the whole day staring at that same page. If not for my notice, one might really think he was reading and had regained his senses." He then sighed, "Ah, scholars are truly scholars. Even when they lose their wits, they know to keep hold of a book, which shows a noble spirit indeed."

Jiang Li looked at the figure of Xue Huaiyuan, and aside from the ill-suited fur coat, his silhouette now almost completely overlapped with that of his past. It was as though she could see her father as he used to be, sitting in the courtyard, earnestly reading a book. When she called out to her father, he’d turn his head and smilingly ask her, "What is it, Ah Li?"

The past and present intersected, but both she and her father were no longer the same as before.

During the quiet moment, Ah Shun suddenly came over, saying, "Master, Miss Biao, Miss Jiuyue has arrived."

Ye Mingyu laughed heartily, "Perfect timing, you must meet. "