After the meal was finally finished and the bowls were cleared away, the courtyard slowly returned to a quieter pace, but it was not the cold, empty kind of quiet that made a place feel lonely.
It was the warm kind, the kind that came after people had laughed, eaten well, fought off bad energy, and watched an ugly scene turn into a satisfying one. The morning sun had already climbed higher, and the light that fell into the courtyard no longer carried the cool softness from earlier.
It had become brighter, warmer, and just a little too honest, the sort of sunlight that showed everything clearly, from the steam still rising from the teapot to the little bits of sesame scattered near the food tray, and even the lazy dust drifting in the air like tiny spirits with no proper work to do.
Bai Lingling sat beneath the shade and leaned back slightly, one hand holding a round silk fan that she moved in a lazy way before herself.
