The Double

Lady Lu said with a smile, "I’m going to rest as well. We can talk more tomorrow morning."

In Night Wind Hall, it suddenly became empty and deserted. It was still a shichen before the end of the year and the New Year, when Jiang Li and Tonger walked together to Fangfei Garden. Tonger murmured, "I thought that coming to Yanjing City and returning to the residence for the New Year would be a lot more lively, but now it seems, it’s not as good as before."

These days, with one thing after another happening, who could truly be free from distractions and be happy. During the daytime, one could hold on, but at night, it was inevitable to feel saddened. It was better not to see and to hide in one’s own room, go to sleep, and when woken up the next morning, it would be a new year. That’s better.

Jiang Li laughed, "What’s the matter? Aren’t you still by my side? Besides, what does being lively have to do with us? At least now, we are eating and dressing better than when we were in the temples, right? One must be content."

"Indeed," Bai Xue said with a smile, "one must be content. When we were in the village, it was lively, but a whole family could only eat a bowl of radishes in one evening, and sometimes we had to go hungry. As for happiness, we need to have a full stomach first. It is better for a family to be separated and live well than to be together and starved to death."

Jiang Li smiled. The words were crude, but the logic was sound. As long as one was alive, there was hope for everything.

When they returned to Fangfei Garden, Qingfeng and Ming Yue were holding the red cakes made in the kitchen for the maids, claiming that eating one would guarantee a year of everything going as wished and without worries.

Ming Yue told Jiang Li, "Miss, the biggest one is on the table in the room. Remember to eat it. After you do, everything will go smoothly in the new year."