The Lin estate stood like a painting carved from stone—elegant, clean, and far too silent.
Li Wei clutched the sides of her dress as she stepped through the gate, feeling every step echo down the path. Mei had helped her get ready, brushing her hair smooth and wrapping her in soft blue silk borrowed from their mother's old chest.
"You look like a noble lady again," Mei had said with a grin.
Li Wei had only smiled weakly. Because this wasn't her world anymore. She was a seller of buns, not a daughter of the court. And yet, here she was—walking through the garden of a minister's estate, like nothing had ever changed.
A servant bowed and guided her toward a circular stone hall surrounded by bamboo trees. The late afternoon light painted everything gold.
Inside, Minister Lin sat with his wife and two sons. Lin Xun stood as she entered and walked forward to greet her.
"You came," he said with a soft smile.
"I said I would."
"You look..." He paused, then laughed gently. "You look like the wind itself. Calm, soft, and hard to catch."
Li Wei gave a small nod. She wasn't sure how to respond to that.
He offered his arm. She hesitated but took it politely, allowing him to lead her to the low table set for dinner.
"Lady Li," the minister greeted. "We're honored to host you."
"Thank you for your kindness," Li Wei said, bowing.
Minister Lin's wife, Lady Qin, gave her a long, quiet look. Her lips didn't curve. Her hands were perfectly still.
"You run a food stall in the lower market, yes?" she asked.
Li Wei kept her voice steady. "Yes, Madam. With my sister and a friend."
Lady Qin tilted her head. "An honest trade. But one of smoke and noise."
"My family lost our place at court," Li Wei said calmly. "We do what we must."
Lady Qin hummed lightly. "Still, it's good that your spirit remains upright. Some girls fall into bitterness or ruin."
"I don't have time for either."
There was a pause. Lin Xun looked between them, unsure if he should interrupt.
Then Minister Lin chuckled. "My wife is sharp, but she respects strength. Even in those born low."
"I was not born low," Li Wei said, surprising even herself. "Only pushed there."
For a moment, silence hung in the room. Then the minister laughed louder.
"Well said!"
Lady Qin said nothing. But she poured Li Wei a cup of tea.
The food arrived on silver trays—steamed fish, fried lotus root, duck soup with goji berries. Li Wei tried not to compare it to the simple buns she made every day. This meal was from a different world.
"Tell me," Minister Lin said, "have you considered returning to court life?"
Li Wei blinked. "How could I? I'm no longer welcome."
"There are always ways back," he said, sipping his wine. "For the right people."
"People with the right name, perhaps."
"Or people with the right support."
Lin Xun glanced down.
Lady Qin finally spoke again. "Support can come from admiration. But admiration is not marriage."
The words landed like cold rain.
"Mother," Lin Xun said softly.
"It must be said."
"I invited her for dinner, not a proposal."
"But others will wonder."
Li Wei looked down at her tea, her heart tight in her chest. She was used to markets, to loud voices and burnt fingers. This kind of sharp politeness was far more dangerous.
"I understand your concern," she said finally. "I did not come expecting anything but a meal."
"You're clever," Lady Qin replied. "That helps."
After dinner, Lin Xun walked her to the garden.
"I'm sorry about that," he said.
"You don't need to be. Your mother's not wrong."
"She's... protective."
"She's a wall built from old stones."
That made him laugh. "True."
They walked among the peach trees, the petals falling like snow around them.
"Did you mean it?" he asked. "That you didn't expect anything?"
Li Wei stopped walking. "I don't know what I expect anymore."
"You're strong. Clever. Kind. And... I like talking to you. Being around you."
She looked up at the sky. "That's not enough to fix my family's name."
"I could help."
She turned to him. "Why?"
"Because you deserve it."
Li Wei gave a sad smile. "So did my father. Deserving something doesn't protect you."
He wanted to say more. But she was already walking ahead.
Elsewhere, at the top of the western hill, a masked figure stood beside a cherry blossom tree. Yan Chen had arrived long before dinner began. He had watched the lights come on in the Lin estate, seen her shadow through the paper screen.
He hadn't meant to come.
But he came anyway.
"You're not made of stone," Feng had told him that morning. "You care."
"I have duties," Yan Chen had replied.
"But she's still part of your thoughts."
Now, as the moon rose above the trees, he turned away from the estate and walked into the darkness.
When Li Wei returned home, her mother was waiting.
"How was the dinner?" she asked.
"Strange. Polite. Heavy."
"Did they treat you well?"
"They tried. But I don't think his mother likes me."
"She doesn't have to."
"I don't even know if I like him like that."
"But?"
"But he's kind. And his family... has influence."
Her mother placed a hand on hers. "You don't need to marry someone just because they might help us."
"I know."
"But also don't close the door too fast. Kind men are rare."
Li Wei nodded.
That night, she dreamed of paper lanterns floating down a river. One had her name. One had Lin Xun's. But a third, half-shadowed, drifted nearby—with no name, only a symbol she couldn't read.
In the days that followed, Lin Xun visited the stall more often. He brought tea, helped carry baskets, and even paid for people's food once.
People began to whisper.
"Looks like a proposal is coming."
"He's too good for a market girl."
"No, she's the lucky one."
Li Wei ignored the talk. But inside, her thoughts twisted like vines.
Mei teased her constantly. Her mother smiled more.
And yet... she missed the quiet moments. The notes left in secret. The feeling of someone watching, not to judge, but to protect.
One morning, a noblewoman approached the stall. Dressed in green silk with silver trim.
"I have a message," she said softly. "From a man with a mask."
Li Wei's heart skipped.
"He says: 'I won't write again for a while. But I will return. Be strong.'"
Then the woman walked away before Li Wei could ask anything.
She stood there, holding a steamed bun in her hand, completely still.
That night, the stars were clear.
Li Wei looked up and whispered, "Come back soon."
Somewhere far from the city, in the shadow of the mountains, Yan Chen stood with his sword drawn, preparing his men.
He didn't know she had whispered to the stars.
But something in him felt lighter.
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