Lin Shanyue did not recognize the biscuits and naturally dared not let Xiaobao eat them, so she tossed them aside before picking up Xiaobao to get ready for bed.
Huo Yi, the man in the silver mirror, was a modern man. Ever since Lin Shanyue appeared on the other side, his gaze had followed her movements around the room. Listening to her chatter away to Xiaobao, he began to get a rough idea of their situation.
It turned out that this silver mirror was connected to the Daqian Dynasty, a dynasty he had never heard of in official history. Moreover, the woman seemed to be a down-and-out lady who had been driven out of her home.
He looked at the destitute room and fell into deep thought.
Lin Shanyue knew nothing of the world behind the silver mirror. After washing up with Xiaobao, she returned to the room to spread out the bedding. Once she had tucked Xiaobao in, she turned away to undo her hair and loosen her belt...
Huo Yi was still watching, but his face suddenly flushed, and he averted his gaze abruptly.
He had been watching with interest, discovering that the currency system of this Daqian Dynasty was the same as in official history: one *guan* equaled one tael of silver, roughly equivalent to seven hundred RMB.
Watching this young girl count out her money and plan how to spend it, Huo Yi suddenly felt a touch of shame.
As the third young master of the Huoshi Group, he had been born without ever knowing what it was like to be short of cash. Seeing someone being so frugal for the first time was truly fascinating. It was like what—that’s right, one of those life-simulation games? He suddenly became interested, wanting to see how this girl would survive in the sprawling Imperial Capital on such a meager sum.
Actually, the mirror seemed capable of transmitting items. If she begged him for help, perhaps he could assist her... Huo Yi was hesitating over whether to speak when he saw Lin Shanyue suddenly approach the mirror.
Her lovely face grew closer and closer, and for some reason, his breathing quickened a little.
But the next moment, Lin Shanyue stepped back and picked up the mirror. "Mother once said that a mirror shouldn't face the head of the bed while sleeping. Better put it away."
Huo Yi was stunned. She couldn't see him?
Could only that little cub see him?
Huo Yi fell into thought again. When he came back to his senses, he realized the perspective had changed; she must have placed the mirror on the table. From the angle of the table, he could see two fuzzy heads already tucked in for the night. Huo Yi stared at the silhouettes for a moment longer before silently walking away.
***
In 2024, at the Huoshi Group in Jiangcheng.
Early the next morning, the young master of the Huo family called the butler of Elder Huo and demanded several books on unofficial history.
He didn't explain why, but Elder Huo assumed his grandson had finally decided to settle down and study history to promote the family's antique business. He was delighted and immediately had someone send over a collection of rare books. The moment Huo Yi received them, he began to search through them frantically.
He actually found it—this Daqian Dynasty existed in unofficial historical records. Both the imperial bureaucracy and the social system were remarkably like the Tang Dynasty. The Imperial Capital... it was similar to Chang'an, even down to the layout of the 108 wards. The woman had said yesterday she lived in Guangde Ward; Huo Yi checked the map, and it really was there, a place where the lower-middle class lived in Chang'an.
Huo Yi pondered for a moment, then suddenly called for Old Bai, the manager and caretaker of the antique shop. "Go find out what people usually ate in the Tang Dynasty. Buy some vegetables and grains and bring them over."
This request left Old Bai bewildered. "Third Young Master, are you... providing disaster relief?"
Huo Yi clicked his tongue. "Just do as I say."
Old Bai had no choice but to agree and turned to leave.
"Wait! And... bring two sheepskin quilts or something similar. It looks a bit cold over there."
Old Bai's eyes widened.
*Over there?*
*Where is 'over there'?*
He watched as the young master rose and returned to his room, only to take out a silver mirror and stare at it, a strange feeling filling his heart.
*Over there... the Tang Dynasty...*
Could it be that his young master had been bewitched by a female ghost from the Tang Dynasty?
Huo Yi didn't notice his expression at all, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the mirror.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before the little cub appeared.
"Hey, little cub, where's your mother?"
Lin Shanyue hadn't mentioned their identities yesterday, so Huo Yi had imagined she was a lady from a Marquis's Estate who had fallen into disgrace and been cast out by her family. Since he himself was an outcast of his own family, he felt a certain sympathy for her.
Xiaobao, of course, couldn't answer him, but he just kept biting his finger and looking at this weird person.
Soon, the woman's voice came through from the other side of the mirror.
"Thank you both. You can just leave the firewood here."
It turned out that Lin Shanyue had gone to the market early in the morning and spent a *qian* to buy a catty of rice, some cabbage, a small bag of salt, and two bundles of firewood.
Such was the cost of living in the Imperial Capital—outrageously expensive.
The firewood was sold by farmers from near the capital who came into the city; they were burly men who provided delivery.
When they set the two bundles of firewood down in the courtyard, they noticed that this courtyard was quite large, yet a lone young woman lived here without a single shadow of a man.
One of the men gave his companion a wink, and the other understood immediately.
"Young lady, where's your husband? You live here all by yourself?"
Lin Shanyue was in the middle of getting their payment when she heard this ill-intentioned question. She was startled, and her hair stood on end.
She turned around and saw the two men had closed in on her, their faces twisted with malicious grins. Lin Shanyue realized the situation at once and took a step back. "My husband has gone out; he'll be back in a moment."
This was, of course, a lie. She secretly regretted her carelessness. This was not Yueya Town; the people here were not so simple. In the massive Imperial Capital, there were plenty of ghosts with ulterior motives.
Living alone, she had indeed been imprudent.
But for now, she could only try her best to make her voice sound steady.
"Is that so! Who is your husband? There isn't a single piece of men's clothing in this courtyard! Don't lie to us, young lady. Why don't you... come with us? You won't have to live such a bitter life..." The two men leered crudely. Lin Shanyue was truly panicked now. "Don't come any closer!"
She snatched up a wooden club used for washing clothes, but it only made the two men laugh out loud. Just as they were stepping forward, suddenly—
"You base scoundrels! Get out of here at once!"
A rough, masculine voice echoed from inside the room, seemingly filled with intense fury.
Everyone froze.
"Damn, there really is a man..."
The two clearly didn't believe it and turned to look at Lin Shanyue's reaction. She was stunned too, but her mind raced, and just as she was about to speak, the voice from inside added: "I am this young lady's guardian deity! If you don't leave now, don't blame me for casting a curse on you!"
*What? A guardian deity?!*
The two men laughed and were about to charge in when suddenly there was a *bang*—the courtyard gate was pushed open, and a plump woman rushed in wielding a kitchen knife. "How dare you two lecherous thieves! You dare target our Tianshui Lane! See if I don't hack you to death!"
With that, the woman charged forward with her knife! A man and another woman rushed in behind her, carrying firewood axes and kitchen knives. Seeing this, the two men’s expressions changed, and they immediately bolted out, fleeing for their lives...
It all happened so fast that Lin Shanyue hadn't even reacted. After the two men left, the plump woman softened her expression, tucked away her knife, and walked over to her. "Young sister, I'm your neighbor next door, Auntie Pang. This is Auntie Dou and Brother Wang."
Lin Shanyue called out to them in a daze. Auntie Pang explained, "Just now, Brother Wang was drawing water at the mouth of the alley and saw you bring those two inside. We were worried, so we kept an eye on your place. I don't mean to lecture you, sister, but you have to be careful when you're out here alone! How could you let strange men into your yard?"
So that was it. Lin Shanyue quickly said, "Thank you, Auntie, and Brother Wang. I'm new here and didn't think things through. I’ve really troubled you all."
"That's a small matter. As long as you're safe. We noticed you when you arrived last night; we're all neighbors! If you need help with anything, just speak up—we can all come! Those two men looked like thieves just now. Next time you need to buy something, ask me first, and I'll take you to some reliable places!"
Lin Shanyue felt touched and nodded vigorously.
After the neighbors offered a few more warm greetings, Lin Shanyue saw them out of the courtyard gate and then firmly engaged the lock. She was still shaken, but as she regained her composure, she remembered something and hurried toward the house!