This night, Duan Yun slept very deeply and for a long time.
He dreamt of little tadpoles searching for their mother all night and never finding her.
When he woke up, it was already past his usual breakfast time.
The Murong brothers were still nestled in the straw mat; he usually slept until the afternoon and skipped breakfast and lunch.
Shen Ying, however, was nowhere to be seen.
After asking around, Duan Yun learned that the fellow had run off to Small Spring Town to listen to a storyteller early in the morning.
Was this an addiction to storytelling?
Duan Yun scooped himself a bowl of the cold thin porridge left by Shen Ying and picked a piece of red fermented tofu from the small jar.
The red fermented tofu, bought from the town's charcuterie, was coated with a layer of bright red chili powder, while the tofu inside was a yellowish-white.