5 p.m.

After the heavy snow, nightfall in the Imperial Capital came earlier. By 5 p.m., the sky had already darkened completely.

Xu Shu didn't wait for it to get dark, but took Zhang Zheng out the door, without anyone knowing where they were sneaking off to.

Zhang Zhuo returned to the government office. It was said he had been very busy lately, sometimes staying all night reviewing documents in the office.

Mrs. Zhang retired early, saying that starting tomorrow, important officials in the Imperial Capital would begin their New Year's visits, and she had many things to prepare.

Only Chen Ji and Zhang Xia...

The two sat in silent contemplation at the stone table in the West Garden. Chen Ji looked up at the dark sky, while Zhang Xia recited the "Cloud Covering Scripture" with closed eyes. The two seemed like stone statues, neither mentioning heading inside to rest.

Xiao Man and the little monk crouched side by side under the eaves of the West Wing Room, hugging their arms, watching the pair by the stone table and whispering softly.

Xiao Man, with a cloud hovering over his head, said quietly, "Aren't they cold sitting there?"

The little monk whispered, "They're both Innate Realm Officials, probably not afraid of the cold."

Xiao Man shook his head, "Most officials are still afraid of cold, their lives as thin as paper. The young master seems unbothered by the cold, but Sister Axia, that's hard to say. Sigh, I've worried so long over the young master and Sister Axia's affairs, finally so much concern has paid off."

The little monk was surprised, "What are you worried about?"

Xiao Man counted on his fingers, "It was me who asked Third Master Hu to take Sister Axia to Chongli Pass, right? It was me who urged them to fake a marriage at Chongli Pass, right? It was me who gave Sister Axia the heirloom jade bracelet as a token of love, right? It was me who pestered her to say good things about the young master when she was angry, right... Hey, do you think they consummated their marriage last night? You have telepathy, look at their eyes."

The little monk stared at his nose, his nose stared at his heart, "I don't know, don't ask me, I'm a monk."

Xiao Man sighed, "Sigh, I've given the most to this relationship and yet know the least..."

Chen Ji and Zhang Xia turned their heads simultaneously, speechlessly looking at Xiao Man.

Chen Ji said calmly, "Being this close, we could hear you."

Xiao Man forced a smile, "Since you can hear, Young Master, hurry and go inside to rest with Sister Axia, lest we have to keep you company till dawn. Are you planning to stay up till sunrise?"

Chen Ji was at a loss for words.

Zhang Xia suddenly stood up, "Let's go in to sleep, you come in later."

Chen Ji responded softly.

He sat in the courtyard for another thirty minutes before he rose and went inside. He saw that the bed curtain had already been drawn. Silently, he took out bedding from the inlaid cabinet and laid it beside the bed, stripped down to a white undershirt and ducked under the covers, staring dazedly at the beams.

The joyful characters in the room had been removed by Nuanchun and replaced with white candles, the bed curtain changed to blue silk.

Chen Ji stared at the beams from 5 p.m. until midnight.

From within the bed curtains, Zhang Xia's voice suddenly sounded, "Chen Ji, my mother doesn't truly look down on you. She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart, don't take it to heart."

Chen Ji snapped out of it, "I know. She's actually thinking of me, afraid I'll waste time. Besides, she's right. If I don't succeed, others will mock me behind my back, and also mock you."

Zhang Xia lay in the bed curtains, staring at the curtain's top, "Don't mind those things. You've been too tired this year. Now that you've finally come out of the Imperial Supervision Office, you should take a good rest. Once you've rested enough, if you want to continue studying medicine at the Imperial Hospital, then do so. Becoming an Imperial Physician and living peacefully isn't so bad. His Master is also a respected Imperial Physician."

Chen Ji chuckled softly, "Thank you."

Silence fell between them again. After a long time, Chen Ji spoke, "What did Uncle Xu Shu mean by Life Robbing Platform?"

Zhang Xia pondered and answered through the bed curtains, "It's his official door pathway, I've never seen him use it. I only heard that when he went to the north, he once sent a Grand Official of the Jing Dynasty onto the Life Robbing Platform, robbing ten years of life from the other. I don't know what use the stolen life is for, it's all mysterious. But I heard him bragging when I was young, as long as he doesn't want to die, he can live forever in the human world, so he doesn't want to return to the Forty-nine Heavens anymore."

Chen Ji wondered, "Why did he incarnate down here? And why doesn't he want to go back?"

Zhang Xia replied, "He was originally one of the Twelve Medicine Generals under the Medicine Buddha. The Medicine Buddha sent him down... supposedly expressly for the Life Robbing Platform, this official door pathway."

Chen Ji pondered deeply.

So even immortals have to come to the human world to cultivate official door pathways?

Strangely, he knew both the Dao Court and the Buddhist Sect had means to communicate with the Forty-nine Heavens. Even if it was for finding the Path, just a word to the Buddhist Sect would suffice, so why did they need Xu Shu, an attendant, to personally make the trip?

Curiously, he asked, "Why is he unwilling to return?"

Zhang Xia sighed and said, "Earlier, I asked him when he was drunk. He only said there's not much to enjoy in the heavens; the Forty-nine Heavens are constantly in turmoil and never at peace, and it's more leisurely on earth. Besides, in the Forty-nine Heavens, he often contradicted the Medicine Buddha, and the Buddhist Sect made him repair the Life Robbing Platform, likely with ill intentions. Anyway, while he's on earth, the Medicine Buddha can't do much about him, so he doesn't return."

Chen Ji lay on the mat, changed his position, and looked up at the closed bed curtain, "Has he ever heard of a place called Earth?"

Zhang Xia denied, "Never heard him mention it. If you want to know whether he's heard of it, you'll have to get him drunk again. His drinking capacity is just average."

Just then, Wu Yun meowed outside the window.

Chen Ji got up to see, and Zhang Xia also opened the bed curtain.

They saw the shadows of Xiao Man and the little monk escaping hurriedly on the window paper. Xiao Man complained while running, "Heavenly Venerate called at this time; there's nothing to hear now! What kind of couple talks about the Medicine Buddha and Forty-nine Heavens during a night conversation? Really, they should be talking about love!"

Once it calmed outside, Chen Ji and Zhang Xia glanced at each other awkwardly. Zhang Xia lay back on the bed and closed the curtain again.

In the dark, Chen Ji broke the silence, "Um, what should be prepared before the Ning Dynasty New Year? What to do for the Minor New Year and before the New Year's Eve, can you tell me?"

Zhang Xia chuckled inside the curtain, "Chen Ji, sometimes you're very clever, and sometimes quite awkward."

Chen Ji, lying on the mat, raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

Zhang Xia thought about it, "Calling you clever is because you are indeed quite smart. You were able to set up a trap and topple the Qi family, expose a Jing Dynasty spy, and rescue Bai Li."

Her voice paused, and when she mentioned rescuing Bai Li, her tone was calm, as if recalling something from a long time ago.

"Why call me awkward?"

Zhang Xia opened the bed curtain again, lay sideways, and supported herself with one hand while looking at Chen Ji, "Calling you awkward, it's because you often use the most awkward methods. You want to return to Anxi Street, but you'd gather everyone there again, thinking that just by fetching water daily, life can be like it was on Anxi Street. Now, you ponder over the New Year's Day not because you crave the celebration, but you're trying to emulate what ordinary people do, trapping yourself in ordinary life routines to lead an ordinary life, am I right?"

Chen Ji remained silent for a long time, then turned sideways, resting his head on his arm while looking at Zhang Xia, "Yes, but not entirely. I just think previously my parents handled these things, and I didn't have to worry. Now that I'm married, it's my turn to handle these tasks, and I need to do them as well as they did."

For a moment, the room was quiet. The charcoal in the basin crackled once, casting a dark red light on the blue brick floor, resembling a slice of the evening glow.

Zhang Xia avoided Chen Ji's gaze, lay back flat on the bed, and carefully recalled, "Originally for the Laba Festival, you should soak some Laba garlic by hand, but yesterday was delayed by something. Tomorrow you can soak some, just in time to have with dumplings on the morning of the first day of the new month."

"On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, officials in the Imperial Capital begin paying New Year's visits. First, they call on their superiors, then their mentors, and finally those who have helped them. The saying goes, 'Arrive early as a sign of respect, late as a sign of disrespect.' Some even queue in front of the mansion before dawn. But you cannot skip ranks; a clerk must first call upon the chief, who must then call upon the doctor, and so forth, up to the Chief of Staff. Some government offices even organize a group visit... But luckily, the two of us can keep it simple and stay home to help our mother receive guests. If you don't wish to do so, you can leave early to take Xiao Man and the little monk to a tea house and return for lunch."

Chen Ji smiled, "It's okay, I'll help at home."

Zhang Xia continued, "On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, go to Qianmen Street to buy goods for the new year: dried fruits, preserves, pastries, door gods, couplets, hanging money, window flowers, lanterns, fireworks, firecrackers... Some families also buy new bowls and chopsticks for fortune and prosperity. The shops on Qianmen Street stay open all night, the night market runs until the fourth watch of the night, and the streets are crowded with people, making it hard for carriages to get through."

"The twenty-third day marks the Minor New Year, all visits and gift exchanges are completed. It's time to worship Lord Zao. Wealthy families give porridge by the Tianqiao Bridge, allowing beggars to live through the winter."

"After the Minor New Year, there's something to do every day: cleaning on the twenty-fourth, making tofu on the twenty-fifth, stewing pork on the twenty-sixth, slaughtering roosters on the twenty-seventh, preparing dough on the twenty-eighth, steaming buns on the twenty-ninth, and staying up all night on the thirtieth."

In the tranquil night, Zhang Xia spoke softly, her voice steady and calm.

Chen Ji listened quietly, feeling that simply listening brought the flavor of the new year.

Suddenly, Zhang Xia shifted the topic, "Why not move out?"

She held her breath, as if waiting for a response.

Chen Ji thought for a moment and replied frankly, "I find Zhang Mansion quite comfortable; I don't have to worry about food or drink... I'm not someone with great ambitions, so I don't care much about others' opinions."

Zhang Xia replied, "Does sleeping on the mat feel cold?"

Chen Ji shook his head, "It's okay; my Official Gateway keeps me warm, and there's a charcoal basin in the room, making it quite cozy."

Zhang Xia let down the bed curtain and turned away, "Then sleep on the mat."

As Chen Ji turned his head in surprise, he saw the bed curtain slightly swaying.

Their first night conversation as a couple ended just like this.