Chapter 175

Chapter 175: You Are Under Arrest

A little county town stood a bit over forty li from the capital. In it, a breakfast stall sold fried dough sticks, savory tofu pudding, soy milk, and tea eggs. The menu was simple, but the tofu pudding was fresh and salty, the soy milk rich, the dough sticks crisp outside and tender inside, and the tea eggs tasty. The stall was very popular.

The owner was a man in his forties known as Uncle Miao. His reputation in the town was very good. First, he looked refined. Though almost fifty, he was well built and did not look like many older men, who grew shabby and greasy. Instead, he looked about thirty-something. He had only a few lines on his face, which did not age him, but gave him a quiet charm. With his handsome looks and gentle air, many young ladies and wives in town were deeply charmed and would not have minded becoming his second wife.

His other good name came from his faithfulness. Though his wife had been bedridden for years, and though the family had some savings and only one daughter, with no son to carry on the line, he had thought about divorcing or taking a concubine, yet he never did. His loyalty to his sick wife was praised as a virtue. At times, a faint sadness between his brows made those young ladies claim they would marry no one else.

But in this time, women rarely chose their own husbands. Even if a girl wanted to save herself for him, her parents would refuse. Over the years, only one orphan girl held to her feelings.

When her parents were alive, the orphan girl’s family had done fairly well. Because they were new to the county and had few kin, after her parents died she was able to keep her own small fortune. Many came to propose, but her heart was set on the neighbor, Uncle Miao. Though his daughter was only a few years younger than her, she did not mind becoming a stepmother.

So many years passed, yet Uncle Miao never accepted her.

The orphan girl stared blankly at the busy stall as a hint of bitterness rose in her heart. From the first time she saw him ten years ago, she had fallen for him at once. Even though he was over forty now, he did not look old. He seemed mature and charming. She had seen his wife once. Because the wife had been bedridden for years, she looked withered and old. She could not even sit up on her own, and could not take care of her own needs.

The orphan girl could not understand why Uncle Miao would not give up on such a woman. Back then, the wife’s parents had looked down on him. When they bargained with others outside, they often complained that their daughter had poor eyes to pick an older man. They said a son-in-law older than themselves was a shame to the family. But Uncle Miao did not care and still treated that plain-looking woman well. A few years later, those parents died one after another in accidents, and Uncle Miao’s days grew easier. Perhaps heaven looked kindly on the orphan girl, for a few years after that, the wife became paralyzed.

“Uncle Miao, when will you see me?” she murmured.

“Silly girl,” a gentle voice said behind her. She started and turned. When she saw that familiar handsome face, her cheeks flushed red. “U-uncle Miao!”

Uncle Miao looked at her with soft eyes full of pity and said, “You’ve had a hard time these years.”

Her pretty face turned bright red. She twisted her fingers and her heart thumped. What did he mean by that? His eyes were so deep, like the sea. [I am going to drown in them.]

She could not hold it in and said: “Uncle Miao, I like you. I have liked you all these years.” She had a strong feeling: if she did not say it today, she would never have a chance to say it again. [If I say it now, maybe he will agree.]

He asked softly, though his gaze grew even more tender: “Really?”

“Really.”

“Do you like me that much?”

“I like you so much I would do anything for you. Even if you told me to die right now, I would not frown.”

The refined man paused, then smiled lightly: “Good girl.” He added, “At midnight, I will come to you.”

Her heart trembled.

At midnight, she lay in bed under a red quilt with paired mandarin ducks. Thinking about what was about to happen, she felt both happy and shy. After so many years, she had finally waited for the clouds to part and the moon to shine. Her skin under the red quilt was half bare. She was nervous and wondered if Uncle Miao would be pleased.

Time reached midnight. Outside, the night watchman’s clapper echoed down the long street. Then someone knocked on the door. Her heart leaped again. She raised her voice and said: “Come in, it’s not locked.”

The door creaked open. But the person who came in was not Uncle Miao. It was someone in a black cloak. The figure was tall, hard to tell if it was a man or a woman.

The orphan girl jumped in fright: “Who are you?” She sat up fast, remembered she had no clothes on, and wrapped herself tightly in the quilt. Her pretty face looked extra pale against the red silk.

The black-robed person said nothing and walked to the bed with long strides, unhurried and calm. If not for the knife in the hand, someone might have believed the intruder had come to take a stroll.

“Don’t come closer. Don’t come closer. Uncle Miao, save me!” In danger, the orphan girl thought only of the man she loved. She wished he would descend like a hero and rescue her. But all that came was the black-robed person’s blade.

As the blade fell, the intruder’s other hand lifted the cloak and removed the hat that hid most of the face. The orphan girl’s eyes flew wide open. The refined man looked down at her lips with a hint of a smile, but his hand did not hesitate.

Just as the dagger was about to strike, a sharp whoosh tore the air. Something slammed into the man’s wrist. His hand jerked aside, and pain made the knife pop free and drop.

The man’s face changed. Sensing danger, he did not bother to find the source. He turned to run. But in the courtyard, a line of constables with long sabers had appeared. He had to retreat into the room. Only then did he notice someone else inside: a woman.

She was graceful and beautiful, with a calm, noble air.

She looked at him and said: “Li Qing Miao, you are under arrest.”