He finally realized what was happening. Turning around, he saw a pretty young girl standing before him, her smile warm and friendly. She was not yet of age, and he seemed to recall seeing her by that old blind fortune-teller. Wasn’t that boxwood comb in her hand his own? Emily Thompson hurriedly felt for his sleeve pouch—inside, it was already empty, and even the dozen or so copper coins were gone. He gave a wry smile; ever since coming to the Tang Dynasty, he had only worn a Daoist robe, and the first time he wore a long gown, he ended up making a fool of himself like this.

The young lady saw his embarrassed expression and giggled, extending her fair palm, upon which lay a shiny Kaiyuan Tongbao coin.

“This is what I picked up. I suppose you must have dropped it!”

Emily Thompson’s face flushed. He quickly bowed in thanks, then reached out to take it, carefully tucking the coin into his waist pouch.

Just as the saying goes: “When the pouch is empty, one fears embarrassment; better to keep a single coin for show.”

“My grandfather says you have an extraordinary face, and you’ll surely achieve great things in the future!” The young lady blushed, turned, and ran off the bridge. Emily Thompson watched her back, smiling and shaking his head. A blind man could read his fortune—how strange.

The sun was already setting in the west. Having lost his money, Emily Thompson had no choice but to hurry back to the Zhang residence. As soon as he entered the gate, he saw the young master’s personal maid, Lily, waving him over.

“I’ve been waiting for you. The young master was looking for you earlier but couldn’t find you, so he left on his own. He asked me to tell you: either go to the Wangjiang Inn in Chengdu to find him, or just wait for him to come back.”

“How long will he be gone?”

“Who knows? If he meets someone he likes, maybe ten days or half a month. If not, he could be back tomorrow!”

Lily smiled again and said, “I knew you hadn’t eaten dinner, so I brought you a meal. It’s in your room. The kitchen belongs to the head steward, and if you miss the time, you won’t get any.”

As they talked, they returned to Emily Thompson’s room. The charcoal was already burning, making the room as warm as spring. Sure enough, there was a meal on the table, served on a wooden tray. Emily Thompson was truly hungry, so he didn’t stand on ceremony. He sat down and started eating heartily, mumbling as he chewed, “It seems the two stewards don’t get along very well. Why is that?”

“Why? Hmph! Isn’t it all about power and money? The head steward manages the household, the second steward manages affairs outside. Normally, they’d have nothing to do with each other, but ever since the head steward’s cousin married the master as a concubine two years ago, the lady of the house has taken a dislike to the head steward and picks on him at every turn. Maybe she’s been whispering in the master’s ear too much. A few days ago, word came from the inner quarters that the master plans to send the head steward to oversee the estate and promote the second steward to chief steward.”

“The Zhang family has estates?”

Lily shot him a glance and sneered, “How could a wealthy family not have estates? The rice in your bowl, the meat in your mouth, the vegetables in your belly—all come from the estates.”

She spoke so quickly, like a machine gun, that Emily Thompson choked at once, bending over and coughing violently. Lily hurriedly handed him her cup and patted his back, complaining, “You look so refined, but why do you eat like those rough fellows, as if you’re fighting for your life? Can’t you slow down a bit?”

Emily Thompson finally caught his breath and was about to take a sip of water when he noticed two rosy lip prints on the rim of the cup. Suddenly, he remembered the rouge in that room of Zhang’s, and a shiver ran through him. His mind raced, and he bent down to pick up the charcoal tongs, forcing a laugh, “I’d better add some more charcoal.” He dodged Lily’s pink fist—having just arrived in the Tang Dynasty, he was in no position to enjoy a beauty’s favor.

Lily’s punch missed, and she stared at him in a daze for a long moment. Suddenly, a blush swept across her face. Biting her lip, she shot him a glare and said, “What I just told you—I’ve never told anyone else. You… you’d better not go blabbing about it!” With that, she twisted her slender waist and ran out.

Emily Thompson was left dumbfounded. Was this kind of coquettishness truly passed down through the ages?

……

The New Year passed quickly, and Brian Bolton still hadn’t returned. He must have really met someone he liked. After the New Year, the Lantern Festival was just around the corner. In the Tang Dynasty, the Lantern Festival was even more lively and grand than the Spring Festival. Especially for the young ladies of wealthy families, who rarely left their chambers all year—except on this night. When the moon rose above the willow branches and people met at dusk, year after year, countless romantic tales began, leaving a mark of romance on this night of lanterns. A thousand years later, when the tradition crossed the seas, Westerners, unfamiliar with the lunar calendar, set February 14th as their own Lantern Festival.

Yilong County was small, not as grand as the great counties and prefectures, but the wealthy families still decorated with lanterns and streamers. With Brian Bolton still gone, Emily Thompson became little more than a fixture in the Zhang household, eating and drinking for free every day, which made him feel a bit embarrassed. Since the household was putting up lanterns, he decided to lend a hand.

“Idiot! Who told you to hang the goldfish lantern in the front courtyard? That’s for the inner quarters! Take it down, now!” Emily Thompson had just hung the first lantern when he was greeted with a harsh scolding.

“I’ll take it down right away!” He hurried to remove the lantern, turned around and smiled apologetically—only to be met with a big, yellow-toothed grin. His smile froze instantly. Who else could it be but the head steward? Both of them stood there like clay figurines for a long moment before Frank Bolton let out a cold laugh. He had injured the tendons in his shoulder and had been bedridden for five days. He’d thought the person before him was just a clumsy servant, but it turned out to be Emily Thompson. As the saying goes, when enemies meet, their eyes blaze with hatred. Frank Bolton’s eyes weren’t red, but his shoulder throbbed with pain. He gritted his teeth and said, “Immortal Li is an honored guest—how could we trouble you? You’d best go back to your bed and enjoy your good fortune!”