"Are you passing by our house, Master Liu?" Di Yao offered her stool, but Liu Heng didn't sit.
"No, I came specifically to see you."
With that, Liu Heng pulled a sachet from his sleeve and handed it to Di Yao.
Di Yao's eyes widened. As if receiving a hot potato, she shoved the sachet back into Liu Heng's hand.
"What are you doing, sir? I am a married woman." Di Yao stepped back and placed her hand on the back of Wei Xunzhou's lounge chair.
Wei Xunzhou remained expressionless, merely watching the exchange with indifference that bordered on unconcern.
"No, miss! Didn't you drop this on the ground?" Liu Heng looked embarrassed, not daring to look at Wei Xunzhou, and quickly explained.
Although he had indeed come to return the sachet, he also had some feelings for Di Yao. Even though he was in the right, he still felt guilty.
Di Yao looked at the sachet. "This is mine? It does seem like mine..."
"It's yours, miss. I found it near Zhao Mazi's house when you must have dropped it. So I followed you here. I apologize if I've intruded on your and Young Master Wei's leisure."
The nameplate at the gate saved a lot of pleasantries. Seeing that Wei Xunzhou didn't seem interested in acknowledging him, Liu Heng addressed him by his surname.
"Don't say that, Master Liu. You're not intruding. This sachet is indeed mine. I didn't see clearly earlier." Di Yao took the sachet from Liu Heng and examined it.
She remembered the pattern on it. Last night, when she changed clothes, it had fallen from her waist. She hadn't paid much attention and just picked it up and hung it back on her waist.
The sachet was heavy, and when shaken, it rustled.
"Miss Yao'er, check if anything is missing. If something's gone, I'll search near Zhao Mazi's house again."
The sachet was only half-full and had no fragrance. Curious about its contents, Di Yao untied the opening.
Inside were some wheat grains and a piece of paper with a few scribbled strokes. At the top were the words "Peach Blossom Charm," and in the corner were a few half-dead peach blossoms.
"Peach Blossom Charm..." Liu Heng read aloud. Di Yao quickly folded the paper shut.
"I just doodled it myself for fun. It's been so long—I forgot all about it until you brought it up."
"Haha, it seems this charm is quite potent! Look, you and your husband have reunited even here in Wrongful Death City. How enviable!" Liu Heng forced flattery.
Di Yao glanced at Wei Xunzhou and crumpled the obviously fake charm into a ball.
She knew Wei Xunzhou wouldn't care about her things, but her heart still raced.
She didn't want him to get angry because she had embarrassed him.
"Miss, you even have wheat!" Liu Heng's attention shifted to the wheat grains in the sachet, his eyes lighting up.
Di Yao couldn't remember where the sachet came from, let alone why Liu Heng reacted so dramatically.
"Miss Yao'er, could I have a few grains?"
The wheat grains were raw and hard. Di Yao generously poured a small handful for Liu Heng.
Liu Heng held the grains with the utmost care, then lowered his head and nibbled a few, chewing carefully.
"They're raw!" Di Yao winced at the crunching sound and reminded him.
"It's fine!" Liu Heng's speech was unclear.
He carefully put away the remaining grains, seeing Di Yao staring at him with a strange, puzzled look.
"You see, miss, here we have no food and no need to eat. But not needing to eat doesn't mean we don't want to—we just can't. Everything we get comes from our families' offerings on Cold Food Festival each year. Sometimes it's pitifully little, never enough. Having these grains to gnaw on is good—better than nothing. I'll save the rest to eat sparingly."
Di Yao looked at the sachet in her hand. She thought about giving Liu Heng the remaining grains but decided against it. After Liu Heng left, she shoved the sachet into Wei Xunzhou's arms.
Wei Xunzhou raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
"Husband, if you get hungry, chew on these grains to tide you over."