Governing the country, enriching the people, an unparalleled imperial tutor

Lin Xiaoya went to check on Lin Xiaozhou's room. The girl was already asleep, holding the astronaut robot in her arms. The silver helmet was against her chin, and the blue light had been turned off, leaving only a quiet silver outline.

Lin Xiaoya gently closed the door and walked back to the living room.

"Asleep?" Lin Yanzhou asked.

"She's asleep. Hugging that robot." She smiled, her tone soft, though she herself might not have realized it. "I made an exception today. Usually, the lights have to be out by nine, but today she slept with her toy, and I couldn't bring myself to scold her."

Lin Yanzhou stood up: "Then I'm leaving."

"It's so late, how are you going to get home?" Lin Xiaoya glanced out the window. "It's foggy outside."

Lin Yanzhou walked to the window and looked down—sure enough, a thin layer of mist was rising from the ground, the light from the streetlights was blurred into a warm color, and the buildings across the street were no longer clearly visible.

Let's take a taxi.

"It's hard to get a taxi around here at this hour," Lin Xiaoya said, standing behind him. Her voice was unhurried. "The guest room is ready, and the sheets have been changed. Don't leave tonight."

Lin Yanzhou turned to look at her. She stood under the living room light, the collar of her light gray sweater hanging loosely, revealing a small patch of skin above her collarbone. She wasn't wearing makeup, her hair was casually gathered behind her ears, and she had shed the capable doctor's demeanor she had during the day, looking gentle and genuine.

"Guest rooms?" he asked.

"Guest room," she repeated, a faint smile playing on her lips. "What did you think it was?"

Lin Yanzhou didn't reply, but he also didn't walk towards the door again.

Lin Xiaoya turned and walked towards the room at the end of the corridor, pushed open the door, and turned on the light. "I just changed the sheets this afternoon. There are two pillows, and the duvet cover is new. The bathroom is on the right side of the corridor; the towels and toothbrush are on the sink." She stood in the doorway, turned to look at him, and said, "The water heater is already on if you want to take a shower."

She spoke in a very casual tone, as if she were arranging things for a couple who had lived together for a long time. But Lin Yanzhou noticed that when she said "the toothbrush is on the sink," her gaze shifted slightly, and she didn't look directly at him.

"Okay," he said, "then I won't leave."

Lin Xiaoya nodded and turned to go back to her room. The door wasn't closed completely, leaving a two-finger-wide crack through which warm yellow light seeped out.

Lin Yanzhou stood in the living room for a while, then went to the bathroom. There was indeed a new, unopened toothbrush on the sink, with a light gray towel folded next to it. He washed his face, brushed his teeth, and changed into a clean set of pajamas that Lin Xiaoya had placed at the foot of the bed in the guest room—men's pajamas, a size too large, obviously prepared in advance.

He lay down on the bed in the guest room and turned off the light. A wisp of light seeped in through the sheer curtains from outside, blurring the outlines of the furniture in the room and making it quiet.

He closed his eyes, but he wasn't sleepy.

The faintest sounds came from the next room—the creaking of the mattress springs, followed by the rustling of clothes as someone turned over. They were very subtle and fragmented, yet exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

Then came the sound of footsteps.

It was very light, like walking barefoot on a wooden floor, as it walked step by step from the next room and stopped at the guest room door.

The door was gently pushed open a crack, and the light from the corridor slanted in.

Lin Xiaoya stood at the door, wearing light gray cotton pajamas, the neckline revealing a glimpse of her collarbone. She clutched her phone, as if she had come up with a random excuse, but didn't say what it was.

Lin Yanzhou propped himself up halfway: "What's wrong?"

"I can't sleep," she said, her voice much lower than during the day, with a softness unique to the night, and she casually asked, "Are you asleep?"

"no."

She stood at the door for two or three seconds, then came in and gently closed the door. The lock made a very soft click as it closed, like a tacit confirmation.

She walked to the bedside and sat down on the edge. The misty light from the window outlined her silhouette. She looked down at her fingers, which were folded on her knees, and after a long while, she spoke: "When Xiaozhou asked you something today, your voice was very steady when you answered her."

"Um."

"But actually, you're not that sure, are you?"

Lin Yanzhou didn't answer. She was right. When he saw that little girl hugging the astronaut robot and asking, "Aren't people working on the moon cold?" he wasn't as calm as he appeared.

Lin Xiaoya turned to look at him. The light from the window fell on her face, and there was a little water in her eyes, but it didn't fall; it shone briefly in the shadows and then disappeared.

"Yanzhou," she whispered, then reached out and gently touched the back of his hand.

The touch was very light, like a test, but it stopped and didn't retract.

Lin Yanzhou turned his hand over and took her hand into his palm. Her fingers were slightly cool, with delicate and distinct knuckles. She curled up in his palm for a moment, then slowly unfolded, letting him hold her.

The two sat there quietly, without turning on the lights. Outside the window, there was the thin mist of the autumn night and the occasional sound of a car passing by in the distance.

She lowered her head, her forehead gently resting on his shoulder. She didn't speak, and neither did he.

Then he turned his head, and her breath was very close, carrying a little warmth and a scent he hadn't smelled in many years—clean, warm, like the smell of laundry detergent mixed with body heat.

When their lips met, she gently closed her eyes. The kiss was light, as if confirming something, then she raised her hand, her fingertips running through the short hair at the back of his head, tightening slightly.

Lin Yanzhou's right hand slid across her waist, and through the thin cotton nightgown, he could feel the slight curve of her waistline. Her body stiffened for a moment under his palm, then slowly relaxed, like the kind of relaxation one feels after deciding to trust something.

She stepped back slightly, her breathing becoming heavier than before, and looked down at his collar: "You're wearing my pajamas."

"The size you bought."

"I didn't know if it would be suitable when I bought it," she said, her voice a little hoarse. "Now I know."

He smiled. She rarely saw him smile, and at this distance, the smile rose from the depths of his eyes, carrying a light she had seen in her youth, a light she hadn't seen in many years since.

She leaned in and kissed him a second time. This time, she was more certain, and her lips were warmer.

When Lin Yanzhou's palm slipped under the hem of her pajamas, her waist tensed slightly, but she didn't pull away. He felt a thin layer of coolness on her skin, trembling slightly in the autumn night.

She suddenly chuckled and whispered in his ear, "I didn't close the guest room door properly."

"Now it's locked up tight," he said.

She buried her face in the crook of his shoulder, her warm breath falling on his neck, and said nothing more.

The night mist drifted slowly outside the window, enveloping the entire city in a hazy, warm gray. The door to the guest room was indeed tightly closed, not a sliver of light escaping through the crack.

After a passionate encounter more than a decade later, the two fell asleep in each other's arms. Around 2 a.m., Lin Yanzhou woke up once. His arm, which had been used as a pillow, was a little numb. He gently pulled it out and turned to look at the person sleeping next to him.

Lin Xiaoya lay on her side, her face turned toward him, her breathing steady and long. She looked much gentler when she was asleep than during the day; her brows were relaxed, and the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned. The streetlight outside shone through the sheer curtains onto her shoulder, and her light gray cotton pajamas had slipped to one side, revealing a small patch of skin on her shoulder.

He stared at her for a long time. Then his gaze fell on the nightlight beside her pillow—his phone screen lit up; it was a message from Haozi, displayed on the lock screen: "Yanzhou, I showed the house keys to my wife, and she cried for half an hour. Are you free tomorrow? I'll treat you to ramen, with two eggs."

He didn't reply. We'll talk about tomorrow tomorrow.

He lay back down, turned to his side, and gently pulled the blanket up to cover her shoulders. She gave a muffled hum as he moved, snuggled closer to him, rested her forehead against his chest, and continued to sleep.

Lin Yanzhou closed his eyes, listening to her gentle breathing, and slowly drifted into sleep in the thin mist of the autumn night.