Chapter 48: Agarwood (2/2)

“That’s not it. I just think you might not be used to it. How about this? Another day, I’ll treat you to a meal at a restaurant.”

Jin Anazi’s icy gaze shot toward Lin Ting: ‘Are you inviting him to a restaurant again?’

Lin Ting caught his gaze and returned a look: I’m doing this for your sake. The sooner he leaves, the better for all of us. I’m also worried about my money’.

Jin Anazi’s eyelid didn’t move: ‘Hmph.’

Duan Ling, seeing this, interrupted their silent exchange. 

“There’s nothing I’m not used to. Sometimes, when we Imperial Guards are on missions, we only eat bread and pickles. This is fine.”

Lin Ting thought to herself, Don’t regret it later.

Jin Anazi used his sword to lift the curtain. 

“Since Lord Duan doesn’t mind, let’s eat.”

Seeing that Duan Ling no longer insisted on him removing his mask and stopped probing him with words, Xie Qinghe relaxed slightly and followed them to the backyard. 

He silently served a bowl of rice, playing the role of a mute wanderer.

Duan Ling went to wash his hands.

Lin Ting peeked over. 

“There’s no soap left here. Let me get some for you.”

Jin Anazi stood with his arms crossed, coldly saying, 

“It’s because you used it all. You’ve washed your hands nearly ten times, almost rubbing the skin off. I don’t know what you’re so disgusted by.”

She wanted to tear Jin Anazi’s mouth off. 

“That’s not true. Shut up. If you don’t speak, no one will think you’re mute.”

Duan Ling’s hand, which had been in the water basin, suddenly paused. 

He raised his eyes to look at Lin Ting.

Meeting Duan Ling’s gaze, Lin Ting felt a chill run down her spine, afraid he would misunderstand her as finding him disgusting and hold a grudge.

She added, 

“I don’t find it disgusting. It’s just…”

Jin Anazi’s eyes flickered, as if asking, 

“Just what?”

Lin Ting kicked him hard, gritting her teeth. 

“I’m just very clean. I usually wash my hands that many times.”

Duan Ling withdrew his gaze and looked at the water’s surface, where his reflection was shattered by the ripples.

Jin Anazi, having been kicked in the knee by Lin Ting, still stood steadily and said indifferently, 

“Who are you trying to fool? You used to wash your hands once, but today it was nearly ten times. You almost used up all the soap in the study…”

She quickly grabbed a chicken leg and pressed it against Jin Anazi’s mask. 

“If you mention this again, I’ll make you eat this chicken leg as punishment.”

Xie Qinghe listened, puzzled. 

Was the chicken leg bad? 

Why was eating it a punishment?

Duan Ling, having washed his hands with the soap, sat at the stone table. 

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

After threatening Jin Anazi, Lin Ting hurriedly placed the chicken leg in a discarded bowl and said: 

“The three of us have already eaten. Please help yourself, Lord Duan.”

Duan Ling picked up his chopsticks but didn’t take any food and said: 

“Mr. Shen went through so much trouble to make all these dishes. Why did you eat so little? You should eat more. After all, it’s Mr. Shen’s effort.”

Xie Qinghe:”…..”

Jin Anazi walked to the water basin, wet a cloth, and wiped the chicken grease off his mask and said:

“She said she usually eats very little and can’t eat much.”

Lin Ting clenched her fist. 

If she weren’t so far away, she would have kicked Jin Anazi a few more times.

The urge to silence him grew stronger. 

Duan Ling glanced at the dishes and asked casually, 

“Do you often eat together?”

Lin Ting snapped out of her thoughts, feeling tired from standing too long. 

She sat down across from Duan Ling, poured herself a cup of tea, and didn’t drink the chicken soup Xie Qinghe had made and she replied: 

“Not often, just occasionally.”

Duan Ling looked at the empty seat beside him, then at Lin Ting sitting across from him. 

He picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of fish, and ate it slowly.

Lin Ting watched Duan Ling closely, curious to see his reaction to the questionable food.

Duan Ling tasted a few more dishes without changing his expression, as if he had just noticed her gaze. 

“Why are you staring at me?”

At this, both Jin Anazi and Xie Qinghe turned to look at them. 

Lin Ting acted as if she didn’t notice. 

“I just wanted to say, if you’re not used to simple fare, you don’t have to force yourself.” 

She didn’t want him to hold a grudge against her later.

Duan Ling put down his chopsticks and asked, 

“What do you think of Mr. Shen’s cooking?”

Jin Anazi: “She said it was delicious.”

Lin Ting was at a loss for words. 

She couldn’t suddenly say it was bad, not after Xie Qinghe had worked so hard on it. 

She had to save face for him.

Duan Ling: “Delicious?”

Lin Ting, considering Xie Qinghe’s presence, lied through her teeth. 

“I thought it was quite good.”

“Miss Lin Qi, you really treat Mr. Shen exceptionally well.” Duan Ling smiled warmly, inexplicably saying this.

Xie Qinghe didn’t understand, but both Lin Ting and Jin Anazi, who had tasted Xie Qinghe’s cooking, caught the underlying meaning in Duan Ling’s words. 

Jin Anazi remained silent and walked over to the tree to check on his dog.

Lin Ting poured Duan Ling a cup of tea. 

“Everyone’s tastes are different. I thought it was good, but you might not. After you finish this tea, perhaps you should stop eating.”

She extended her hand halfway, remembering the medicinal tea she had poured for him earlier, and wanted to withdraw it.

Before she could, Duan Ling took the cup. 

His fingertips accidentally brushed against the back of her hand, leaving a slight warmth.

Lin Ting instinctively glanced at Duan Ling’s hand. 

His fingers were also slightly red. 

In Moonlight Pavilion, before she had helped him, he had tried to solve the problem himself in the private room, though he had failed.

Duan Ling drained the cup in one go, set it down, and leisurely stood up.

Lin Ting looked up at Duan Ling. 

Was he leaving? 

Great! 

She suppressed her excitement and also stood up. 

“Lord Duan, are you leaving?”

He smiled slightly. 

“Yes, I’ve disturbed you for so long. My apologies.”

At that moment, the dog that had been lying under the tree bypassed Jin Anazi and trotted over to Duan Ling, rubbing its furry head against his clothes.

Lin Ting’s eyes widened. 

Did this dog judge people? 

It ignored her, ignored Jin Anazi, ignored Xie Qinghe-well, Xie Qinghe’s cooking was so bad even the dog wouldn’t eat it—but why did it approach Duan Ling?

Duan Ling, caught off guard by the dog, paused and looked down at it.

“Jin Jin, don’t block the way.” 

Lin Ting half-squatted, intending to pick up the dog and take it back to the tree. 

But remembering that it usually didn’t let her hold it, she hesitated, wondering if she should ask Jin Anazi to move it. 

Unexpectedly, the dog sniffed her and actually let her pick it up.

Jin Anazi walked over. 

He had long urged Lin Ting not to call the dog “Jin Jin,” finding the name unpleasant from the start and still disliking it now.

Lin Ting ignored him and called the dog several times. 

“Jin Jin, Jin Jin, Jin Jin.”

Jin Anazi resisted the urge to strangle her.

She carried the dog back to the tree, patted it, and then returned to Duan Ling, feeling a bit strange. 

“Why does it like being close to you, Lord Duan?” 

Last time, it had only let Jin Anazi hold it because it was sick. 

It was rare for it to approach someone willingly.

Duan Ling took a sachet from his waist and handed it to Lin Ting. 

“It probably likes the scent of agarwood. I’ve used agarwood since I was young and always carry a sachet with it.”

Lin Ting took the sachet and smelled it. 

After a moment’s thought, she asked Xie Qinghe to try holding the dog.

He did, but the dog didn’t let him.

Lin Ting wanted to test if the dog really liked Duan Ling because of the agarwood. 

“Lord Duan, may I let Mr. Shen hold this sachet for a moment? I’ll return it to you shortly.”

Duan Ling: “Sure.”

Xie Qinghe held the sachet and tried to pick up the dog. 

This time, it let him.

It really was because of the agarwood. 

Lin Ting took back the sachet and returned it to Duan Ling, teasing Jin Anazi. 

“You should buy some agarwood to burn. Then Jin Jin won’t be so cold to you.”

Jin Anazi remained impassive. 

“One tael of agarwood costs one tael of gold. I can’t afford it.” 

Suddenly, he thought of something. 

“I remember that before you took Lord Duan’s sachet, it let you hold it. When did you get the scent of Lord Duan’s agarwood on you?”

Lin Ting felt like she had shot herself in the foot. 

She feigned ignorance. 

“Maybe I picked it up when I was showing him around the study.”

Duan Ling glanced at her.

Jin Anazi walked over to Duan Ling, then back to the dog. 

It still didn’t let him hold it. 

This proved that only a strong enough scent of agarwood would make the dog willing to approach. 

A faint scent wasn’t enough.

“Are you… sure you picked it up when you were showing Lord Duan around the study?” 

His tendency to dig deep hadn’t changed.

Lin Ting: “You were near him for a short time. I was with him longer.” 

She decided to have Tao Zhu look for a good mute potion tomorrow to silence him.

Jin Anazi was skeptical.

While he remained silent, Lin Ting led Duan Ling out of the backyard. 

“I’ll see you out.”

Entering the study, she randomly picked a book for Duan Ling. 

She had promised to give him a book and intended to keep her word. 

“If you don’t have a favorite book, I’ll choose one for you.”

Duan Ling took the book and glanced at the securely placed golden hairpin in Lin Ting’s butterfly bun. 

The tassels were quite eye-catching.

“Thoughtful of you.”

Lin Ting only walked him to the study door. 

“Take care, Lord Duan. Come again another day.” Please don’t come again.

“I’ve troubled you today.”

Duan Ling looked at the hazy night sky. 

“It’s dark. Should I see you back to the Lin residence? After all, I delayed your return.”

Lin Ting declined politely. 

“No need. We’re not heading in the same direction. I’ll go back on my own.” 

She still hadn’t fully recovered from the incident at Moonlight Pavilion and wasn’t ready to…

She couldn’t stay alone with him for too long, or else her thoughts would inevitably drift into chaos.

He didn’t press her and left.

By the time they returned to the Duan residence, it was already the end of the Hai hour (around 9 PM). 

As usual, Duan Ling paid his respects to his parents and then headed to the study. 

The courtyard where the study was located was very quiet, as there were no servants on night duty.

Duan Ling placed the book Lin Ting had given him on the desk, lit the candles in the study with a fire starter, and took off the sachet that Xie Qinghe had touched. 

Without hesitation, he threw it into the fire and burned it.

After the sachet was reduced to ashes, he activated the mechanism on the bookshelf and spent half an hour gazing at the small glass jars containing eyeballs before closing the shelf again.

Sitting at his desk, Duan Ling pulled out the dossier on Xie Qinghe and other investigative materials.

He skimmed through them quickly. 

One of the documents mentioned that Li Jingqiu, the third wife of the Lin family, had once intended to arrange a marriage between Lin Ting and Xie Qinghe. 

However, before they could meet, the Xie family was raided and destroyed.