Siege in Fog

In the dark as Qin Sang looked at his face, it was very strange. She didn’t hate him as much, or maybe it was because she had thought about it all the way, that this obstacle would have to be crossed soon. She looked at him for a while. He seemed more angry: “What are you looking at?”

Qin Sang didn’t speak. She only extended her hand on his shoulder. Yi Lian Kai wanted to throw her hand away in the beginning, but when his hand touched her hand gently, he pressed down on her hand. Her eyes seemed like stars in the darkness, with glances of fine, broken light within, slightly. A reflection of the lake lay within, glittering. Her breath was sweet, a plume of cold, faint fragrance, as if it was everywhere. Yi Lian Kai set her hands aside and jumped off the bed, as he looked for his own slippers. Qin Sang did not move, as she lay where she was. She watched him look everywhere. The more anxious he got, the more he could not find it, and he easily found one. He didn’t know if he had thrown it under the bed. When he thought to here, he suddenly realized, if he couldn’t find it, he couldn’t find it, but why did he have to go?

When this idea arose, with a huffy air, he got back on the bed, and pulled her into his embrace, showering kisses down. Qin Sang pushed his shoulder with one hand, while hiding from him. A residue had already emerged on his chin. He wanted to bind her. The more she hid, the more he had to have her. The most tender cheeks were like peeled eggs, slippery and oily. Qin Sang began to struggle, as if she was unable to bear the pain.

His heart swayed. It used to be painful, but she didn’t make a sound as she endured it. And the tiny coquettish protest at this moment, made him produce brute force impervious to reason, as if he were feverish.

She was like a fish, and like a little bird as she restlessly struggled in his palm, but she could not get out of his palm. Even though Qin Sang’s heart was very awkward, listening to his breathing puffing next to her own ear, she pushed a little, not moving anything, and let him have his way. Yi Lian Kai sighed as if satisfied.

Adjutant Song was the person Yi Lian Kai always had by his side. At a big or small matter one could not miss him waiting at the side. This morning, Adjutant Song got up, and went to the second floor as usual. He didn’t think that he would just happen to see a messenger come out from within Yi Lian Kai’s room. He even held a snow white rag. Apparently he had just cleaned the room. Adjutant Song could not do without astonishment: “He woke up so early?”

The footman laughed: “Pretty early. Which day does he not wake up at noon?”

“Then you are…..” Adjutant Song protruded his lip. That footman looked at the rag in his hand and laughed, pointing at the other end of the hallway. He said: “He hasn’t even woken up yet.”

When Adjutant Song heard this, he was naturally surprised. Fortunately, he was accustomed to seeing all kinds of people, so he secretly pondered this in his heart and turned to go downstairs. Downstairs, he went to the smoking room for a while, as he watched the footman cleaning the cigars. Then he went to the concierge, boasting with a gang. At the peak of their boasting, he suddenly saw Qin Sang’s Han ma, coming. Han ma was only about 20 years old and usually stayed in the central building. She rarely spoke with those footman. She stood at the door, not speaking. Adjutant Song and a few others saw her. Adjutant Song then opened with a joke: “What wind do we have today, that even you were blown here?”

Han ma was like the others, wearing a blue cloth garment. Her hair was not put up on a bun, but was put into a braid. This was also the Jiang Zuo’s customs. Married women could put their hair into braids. A footman saw her and Adjutant Song speaking, and secretly walked behind her, fiercely pulling her braid. Han ma didn’t guard against this and she almost flinged him about and struggled. She put the braid in her hand, and couldn’t help but scold: “You monkey with no respect for your elders. Just see if I don’t tell the higher-ups, and skin your hide.”

When she scolded, a few footmen laughed. Adjutant Song said: “Don’t bully her, she might have some official business.”

The footmen said: “The higher-ups haven’t woken up yet, what official business could she have?”

Han ma said: “Master hasn’t woken up yet, but Miss woke up early. She told me to prepare a car and immediately go down the mountain.”

A few footman didn’t believe it and said: “Such an early morning, where can we find the time to go down the mountain. Plus, even if Mistress wants to go to the summit pavilion, it should still be after she eats lunch.” When she said this, a bell suddenly sounded, and they saw a card fall. It was from Qin Sang’s room. She usually never pressed her bell. The footman said to Han ma: “You should go quickly. Your Mistress must have something up and needs you.”

Han ma was also afraid that Qin Sang would wait, and immediately left. The moment she left, Adjutant Song suddenly quivered and slapped his leg. “Shoot!”

The footmen all touched their heads. Adjutant Song went to go look for his hat and anxiously walked upstairs. A footman laughed at him: “Why are you so anxiously attentive when it was Mistress’s bell that was rung?”

Adjutant Song only wore his hat. He opened the door and didn’t return. He said: “What do you guys know. Master rested there yesterday, so it might be that he was the one who called.”

He busily made his way upstairs. He saw a few female servants carrying towels and clothing going in and out. Thus, he stood outside and coughed. Sure enough, he heard Yi Lian Kai’s voice say: “Come in.”

Adjutant Song rarely came into this froom. Thus, he was all the more cautious as he walked on the carpet soundlessly. He only saw the door haphazardly closed, and he could vaguely see Qin Sang sitting before the dressing tale, combing her hair, wearing her pajamas. He lowered his eyes, and didn’t dare look further. Yi Lian Kai was originally sitting on the couch, smoking, and Adjutant Song respectfully stood. Yi Lian Kai had already changed into some Western clothing, his feet placed on the embroidery. He shook his legs as he hummed an opera, but he could not hear the lyrics that he hummed. After a moment, he suddenly lifted his voice and called: “Are you ready? Everytime I go out, I teach people to wait.”