Chapter 17

With the matter of Daoist Zhangxu settled, by all rights, Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao should have returned to Hundred Flowers Valley to report back. However, no one mentioned the subject. During the day, Murong Fu prepared an ever-changing variety of dishes for Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao. The evening storytelling sessions were interrupted only once, after which Gan Baobao and Qin Hongmian both found their way back to Brother Fu’s room, instinctively taking their usual seats to listen to his tales. Qin Hongmian no longer needed to go out during the day to summon physicians, so she spent her time transcribing the stories Murong Fu had told. They had reached the section on *The Story of the Stone*, also known as *Dream of the Red Chamber*. The three of them maintained a tacit understanding, acting as if nothing unusual had happened; the only changes were in their own habits—the nightly tradition of listening to stories and holding hands.