33 Where the Heart Belongs

Before Jing Chen and Shaoyao even reached the bamboo cottage, they heard Banlan’s low growls, sounding much like a child welcoming its parents home.

Jing Chen set to work personally, skinning the rabbits and pigeons, removing their entrails, and chopping them into small pieces. He rinsed them in salt water to draw out the blood and remove any gamey odor, squeezing the meat dry by hand before giving it a final rinse in clean water.

He first stir-fried the pigeon meat, then added boiling water along with ginger slices, angelica root, bay leaves, and wild goji berries. Once the pot reached a boil, he let it simmer over a low flame.

For the rabbit meat, after stir-frying, he added ginger, garlic, chili, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, and a splash of white liquor. He poured in boiling water until it leveled with the meat, stirred in seasonings and diced potatoes, brought it to a boil over high heat, then covered it to braise until the sauce thickened over a low flame.

The spicy, savory braised rabbit was a feast for the senses, rich in color, aroma, and taste. The pigeon soup was nourishing, perfect for replenishing energy and blood.

Everyone ate at least three bowls of rice.

"Your Highness, your cooking is truly delicious!" Shaoyao exclaimed. "If I could eat your meals every day, I would be the happiest person in the world!"

The elderly couple, Yun Qizi and his wife, laughed heartily.

After Jing Chen finished feeding Yang Simin the soup and two bowls of rice, he brought over another bowl of pigeon soup. Yang Simin frowned and said, "I’m too full; I can’t drink any more."

Jing Chen spoke softly, "Don't rush, drink it slowly. The pigeon soup is for replenishing your energy and blood and nourishing your complexion. This is your task, and you must finish it."

The bamboo rats, mountain rats, and any leftover rabbit were all given to Banlan.

The floor of the bamboo cottage was covered in bamboo, much like modern flooring, keeping it insulated and damp-proof. However, there were only two rooms on the east side; the center served as the main hall, behind which various medicinal herbs were stored, while the west side housed the kitchen and a space for firewood.

Jing Chen arranged for Shaoyao and Yang Simin to share one room, while he planned to lay a pallet on the floor in the room shared by the elderly physician and his wife. The old couple, however, insisted that Shaoyao sleep on the floor in their room instead, allowing the two of them to have their own space. When the old couple threatened to die rather than relent, Jing Chen was left with no choice but to share a room with Yang Simin.

This was a secluded sanctuary, untouched by visitors for over a decade, and there were no spare quilts to be found.

Jing Chen slept on the floor, fully clothed. Yang Simin felt deeply conflicted; she wanted to help but was too embarrassed to speak, leaving her in a state of awkward distress.

In the middle of the night, Jing Chen woke up shivering and let out two sneezes. Yang Simin sat up immediately. In truth, she had not been sleeping. She had endured so much recently: Jing Wei attempting to divorce her in court, Xu Chenying being bitten by a snake, Jing Xuan disappearing after being poisoned, and finally, being kidnapped during an ambush, only to be rescued by Jing Chen as they jumped off a cliff into the water.

She feared Jing Chen falling ill, and she longed to ask him if he knew Jing Xuan’s whereabouts. Moreover, throughout their journey, they had relied on each other, often finding themselves held close.

In the pitch-black room, she hurried out of bed and knelt beside Jing Chen. Whispering into his ear, she murmured, "Please, sleep on the bed. You’ll catch a cold otherwise! If you fall ill, I would have no choice but to die. Even then, I would never forgive myself. The bed is small, but as long as you don't move around, it will be fine."

She reached out to touch his forehead, worried he might have a fever. He was indeed ice-cold and shivering. Since he hadn't removed his outer clothes, the bedding couldn't retain any warmth, and he couldn't get tucked in properly.

"You should take off your clothes," Yang Simin whispered. "Keeping them on will only make it easier to catch a fever."

Neither dared to move, yet they remained stiff and unable to sleep. Before long, Yang Simin, still weak from her illness, grew limp. A soft, feminine warmth radiated between them. Jing Chen was exhausted as well, having spent the previous night fleeing for their lives and the day hunting in the deep mountains. Within moments, both fell into a deep slumber.

At the first light of dawn, Jing Chen woke up out of habit for his morning exercise. He found them tightly embraced; Yang Simin was curled up in his arms like a kitten, her leg draped over his waist like an octopus. When he tried to pull his arm away, she only hugged him tighter.

*Oh well,* he thought, *let her sleep.* He drifted back off into a light sleep.

When Jing Chen finally woke again, Yang Simin had already risen. The old woman was decocting medicine, and Shaoyao had already left with the old physician, Yun Qizi, to attend to patients.

Just as Yang Simin prepared to wash the rice, Jing Chen took the bowl from her hands. "You haven't fully recovered; don't touch the cold water. I'll make some nourishing porridge; you just help by adding firewood. Once we've eaten, I'll take you fishing. We'll have fish soup later—it’s the best thing for your recovery."

Afterward, Jing Chen gathered fresh vegetables from the nearby garden, washed and chopped them quickly, and added the leftover rabbit meat and seasonings to create a delicious, nutritious porridge.

After eating, Jing Chen soaked rice bran in white liquor, rolled it into small balls, and placed them in a ceramic jar. Carrying his bamboo basket, and with Yang Simin holding a small bucket, they headed to the river.

As Yang Simin stood on the bank, Jing Chen took off his shoes and socks, placed the liquor-soaked bait into the basket, and waded into the water. He submerged the basket at the bottom of the river, weighing it down with a bit of mud.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, he pulled the basket up, water cascading from the gaps. As he stepped onto the bank, Yang Simin saw the catch and cried out in surprise, "Wow, so many fish! Look, look, this one is huge..."

Jing Chen filled the bucket halfway with water and tipped the fish in before heading back into the river. Suddenly, a large fish leapt out. "Oh no!" Yang Simin squealed. "The big one is jumping out! Quick, it’s going to get back in the river!"

She lunged to catch it with both hands, but the fish slipped away. As she tried to grab it, she tumbled face-first into the mud. Jing Chen burst out laughing, and Yang Simin giggled along with him. He hurried to the bank, washed her face and hands, and wiped her dry with his clothes.

One catching, one storing—it felt very much like a husband and wife working in harmony. In a daze, Yang Simin felt as though this was what life, what being a couple, was truly meant to be. Perhaps this simple, quiet life was what suited her best. She had no desire for that high-status, treacherous world of deceit. A thought suddenly bloomed in her mind: *How wonderful it would be if we could grow old like this! Working at sunrise, resting at sunset. Raising our children, watching them grow, and accompanying each other as we slowly age.*

She was startled by her own thoughts.

"Simin, look, they’re all big fish!" Jing Chen exclaimed happily.

"Let me see... oh my, what kind of fish is this? It's so dark, so fierce, and so ugly."

"That’s a snakehead, also called a 'wealth fish.' The meat is tender and delicious. I'll braise it for you later," Jing Chen said. "Come on, Simin, let's head home. The sun is getting too hot."

"Jing Chen, look, the flowers over there are so beautiful!"

"Let’s go take a look. I’ll pick a bouquet for you."

"Jing Chen, let’s dig up some seedlings this afternoon and plant them in the physician's courtyard. It will look beautiful when they bloom."

"Agreed. After I make the fish soup and we eat, you can rest for an hour, and we'll go this afternoon..."

"Alright, I'll listen to you."

The paths of the courtyard and the area around the bamboo cottage were already filled with all sorts of flowers.

Night had fallen. The moon hung above the willow tips. The old physician and Shaoyao did not return that night. After days of living in such close quarters, the emotions between the two seemed to have undergone a subtle change. They could both hear the sound of the other’s heavy breathing.

A brief silence hung in the air. The lamp was extinguished.

"Jing Chen, are you suffering? I am willing..." Yang Simin whispered, a clear tear sliding onto her pillow. "When I return, I will dissolve my marriage with Jing Wei. Perhaps by the time I get back, he will have already written the divorce papers. He will never accept me; my fate with him is at an end."

Jing Chen turned her over and gently kissed her cheeks. His tongue explored her mouth; she opened her lips, watching him with wide eyes. She did not know how to kiss. He tried to guide her, and slowly, she began to respond. She let out a soft moan.

With tongues entwined, they held each other tightly, craving one another with a desperate intensity, lost in a feverish, lingering embrace, as if the end of the world were at hand.