Chapter Seventeen: A Stroll Together Through Lotus Lane

After breakfast, Changning Luo and Qingyun Ma made their way to Xue’e’s room.

“Xue’e, are you up yet? You promised we’d go out today!” Changning Luo knocked lightly on the door and called out in a clear voice.

After waiting a moment with no response, Qingyun Ma simply pushed the door open and went in.

Changning Luo remained outside. Though both he and Xue’e were still young, it was not proper to enter a girl’s private room uninvited, especially when she might still be asleep.

Qingyun Ma cleared his throat and spoke through the bed curtain, “That silly bear has already sneaked off to the kitchen—I can’t imagine how much it’s eaten by now. Breakfast today was delicious, and there are so many tempting treats on the street. If you don’t get up soon, we’re leaving without you.”

“Ugh, that greedy bear! How dare you leave me behind to eat all the good food!” Ma Xue’e sat up with a groan, swinging her legs off the bed, her face still sleepy. “Brother, I’ll get ready quickly. I won’t keep you and Changning waiting long.”

“Alright.” Qingyun Ma left the room, closing the door behind him.

“She’s getting up?” Changning Luo thought to himself, confirming that a brother’s words indeed carried weight.

“Talk of food always wakes her up,” he mused, rubbing his forehead. His instincts weren’t wrong—outwardly cold, Ma Qingyun was in truth rather devious.

The door creaked open and Ma Xue’e walked out to meet them, spinning in a circle and smiling brightly. “Is my dress pretty? It’s my favorite!”

What girl in the world doesn’t love beauty and praise? Not even a girl raised in the mountains can resist—it is a woman’s nature.

Her pink skirt fluttered around her like a butterfly, her smile radiant, hair styled simply in a girlish bun—utterly charming.

“It’s lovely. You’re so adorable,” Changning Luo praised from his heart. “The shops are open already. Let your auntie disguise you, then we’ll have a wonderful day out.”

“Hurry, hurry! I want to spend the whole day playing and exploring the world below the mountain!” Accustomed to sleeping in caves, Ma Xue’e hadn’t fallen asleep until late last night.

Su Meng led Ma Xue’e into her room and applied a secret family ointment to disguise her features, then restyled her hair into an elegant Immortal’s bun.

The result was less dazzling and noble, making her look like a pretty young lady from a well-off family, with a touch of playful spirit.

Ma Xue’e was delighted with her “new face,” admiring herself in the mirror, reluctant to put it down.

She turned her head and beamed at Su Meng. “Auntie Su, you did my hair so beautifully! I look like a fairy—like I could fly away!”

Watching the lively girl, Su Meng thought of Su Qinqin as she once was, and her heart warmed toward Ma Xue’e.

With a gentle smile, she said, “You are a fairy, a spirit of the mountains—now you’ve simply wandered into the mortal world.”

“My lady is right. When I first met Miss Ma, I wondered where in Qingyang County there could be such a beautiful girl—she must have flown down from the heavens,” said Qing Gu, teasingly.

Ma Xue’e blushed and pouted, “Aunt Qing, you’re just making fun of me.”

Elsewhere, Loyal Uncle fitted a thin human-skin mask to Ma Qingyun’s face, nearly invisible to all but the most expert eye. With his plain robe, he was transformed into an ordinary young servant.

The three of them set out with silver notes for shopping.

Changning Luo and Ma Xue’e walked ahead, the very image of a golden boy and jade girl, drawing admiring glances. Ma Qingyun trailed behind, playing the part of a servant so perfectly that he might as well have been invisible.

They arrived at Lotus Lane and sat at a wonton stall.

“Boss, four bowls of spicy wontons with extra scallions, please.” The extra bowl, naturally, was for Ma Xue’e.

“Coming right up! Just a moment, children!”

The vendor was a sturdy, energetic man, quick with his hands and friendly in manner. His wontons had thin, slippery skins and fragrant, juicy filling, all at a fair price—no wonder he had so many returning customers.

Soon, steaming bowls of wontons arrived, filling the air with their enticing aroma.

Ma Xue’e cradled her bowl, inhaling deeply. “It smells so good! I’ve never had wontons before—I wonder if they’re better than dumplings…”

She ate quickly as always, mouth stuffed full. Yet there was nothing crude about her appetite; rather, it was charming, making one wish to become the food just to be devoured by her.

When she’d drained the last drop of broth, Ma Xue’e licked her lips in satisfaction. “I thought dumplings were delicious enough, but wontons are even better! I want to eat these every morning from now on!”

“Little one, Aunt Qing makes even better wontons. If you ever want them, just ask her,” Changning Luo said quietly.

He bore a sea of bitter enmity, and by rights should not have had leisure to accompany a young girl shopping. Yet he felt drawn to Ma Xue’e, wanting to make her smile. Her happiness lifted his spirits and, for a while, made him forget his hatred.

Perhaps it was because he’d had so few friends in two lifetimes, and no kin of his own age, that he felt a special fondness for Ma Xue’e. Besides, the road ahead was long and full of unknowns. If his heart held only revenge, wouldn’t that be unbearably dull?

Qingyang County was no bustling metropolis. Though there were many shops, none were large—just small businesses: rice and oil stores, cosmetics, cloth, jewelry, coffins and shrouds, meat and vegetables, local specialties, kitchenware…

Of all the lanes and alleys, Changning Luo favored Lotus Lane most. It was quiet and relaxed, with none of the hawking cries found elsewhere; the goods were simply laid out, and customers could buy or not as they pleased, with no pressure.

Every shop and stall bore a lotus leaf as its sign, a mark of friendly cooperation and a pledge to avoid cutthroat competition.

Ma Xue’e hopped along the flagstone street, her Immortal’s bun making her look like a joyful pink rabbit.

She glanced back with a sweet smile. “I always thought marketplaces would be just like in the books—crowded and lively, shoulder to shoulder. But this peacefulness truly suits the name ‘Lotus Lane’—it has its own special charm.”

Though raised deep in the forest, she’d read as much as any girl her age, especially books about customs and local life. Her imagination of the world below the mountain was shaped entirely by what she’d read. As for her life before the age of four, she remembered nothing at all.

After half an hour of wandering, Ma Xue’e had gathered quite a haul. Ma Qingyun’s hands were full of bags and bundles—snacks, toys, clothes, everything imaginable.

Changning Luo, however, carried nothing. His only duty was to pay.

Spotting a narrow alley ahead, Ma Xue’e’s eyes sparkled with mischief.

She turned to Ma Qingyun. “Brother, I want more of that stinky tofu. Go get some for me, please. Changning and I will wait here for roasted chestnuts.”

Ma Qingyun nodded and, loaded with packages, went off in search of stinky tofu.

Changning Luo took out thirty copper coins. “Auntie, two big bags of sugar-roasted chestnuts, please.”

“No, no, we won’t be buying any,” Ma Xue’e interrupted, grabbing Changning Luo’s hand and winking playfully. “Hold my hand tight, we’re eloping!”

The little girl had no idea what eloping meant; she’d only seen the word in storybooks and assumed sneaking off with a boy behind her family’s back counted as elopement.

Before Changning Luo could react, she was already pulling him into the alley.

Hand in hand, they ran and ran, as if they meant to keep running to the ends of the earth, to the very end of their lives—never to be parted.

At last, Ma Xue’e stopped, breathless and giggling. “That was… so exciting! Now Brother will never find us—we can play all we want!”

Changning Luo could only laugh and sigh. “So you just wanted to ditch Ma Qingyun?”

“Mm-hmm! He’s no fun at all—so boring, like a block of wood. Hardly says a word. It’s much more fun just the two of us.”

“You really are a mischievous little rascal,” Changning Luo said, helpless to resist her. All he could do was indulge her—as though he’d gained a new little sister.