The air was thick with spice and smoke, but not the choking one, this smoke danced from roasting skewers, grilled buns, and steaming broth pots, wafting through rows of hanging lanterns that swayed gently in the lazy midday breeze. Though the sun sat high, the narrow alleys of the market were cloaked in a dusky shade, lit by flickering reds and golds that gave the illusion of evening. Vendors shouted over one another, holding up silks that shimmered like flowing water, calling out prices for plump dumplings and spiced peanuts. Children weaved through the crowd with sticky fingers and stolen sweets, and somewhere in the distance, a flute played a tune nobody seemed to be listening to — yet it carried.
Among the chaos, a cluster of customers gathered tightly around a small noodle stall with a crooked roof and a loud-tempered cook who barked back at them like an old general. "You want more meat, you pay more coin! Don't wave your bowl at me like I owe you something!"
Wooden benches creaked, bowls clattered, and steam curled up from every table.
And at one of those tables, hunched over a bowl too big for her trembling hands, was An Yonghui — her curly hair tied low behind her to make it easier to eat, her face bright though a little dusty , and her lips stained with broth. She ate like a girl who had just survived the end of the world.
Across from her, the little boy, Xiao Dou, who had come to her sat watching her in surprise.
She's a big eater. He was surprised seeing someone who could eat more than he.
She slurped the last strand of noodle and licked the broth from her lips, barely breathing between mouthfuls. The boy sitting across from her blinked, his small fingers cupped around a half-empty bowl.
"Miss, you eat really well. I haven't seen girls eat like this before." he said, eyebrows raised in surprise.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve and gave a weak laugh. "In the future, marry a girl who eats as much as I do. You'll definitely be happy."
He tilted his head, still watching her. "Why? If I do that, she'll just eat my whole food stock."
An Yonghui gives a playful smirk and pulls on his cheek. "Then make sure you grow up to be rich. Otherwise, girls, whether they can eat or not, won't look at you."
Xiao Dou pouted. "Were you running away from someone?"
Yonghui pause, the chopsticks still in her hand. Then she looked at him — properly this time. His clothes were plain but clean, a cloth tied around his head to keep his hair out of his eyes. Too young to know trouble, yet old enough to recognize it.
"Let's just say," she muttered, poking at a dumpling, "some people didn't like me waking up when I did."
She takes one of the dumplings and put it in her mouth. Suddenly, she doubled over trembling. The little boy was startled.
"Miss, what is it?" He said holding her arm.
"This..is so good. " She said, groaning with pleasure from the dumpling as she chewed away in delight.The rich, savory flavor spread across her tongue, making her groan low and grateful.
Xiao Dou sighed in relief, giving her a strange look. "This must be your first time tasting a dumpling. "
An Yonghui, with her mouth filled with dumplings, looked at the boy questioningly. "Why do you think so?" Then the idea popped in her head. "You must be referring to the way I look like. No..you got it wrong. You see.. I grew up eating Chinese cuisines all my life. It's stress, hunger built on stress makes any food takes better." She said taking another one.
"You should slow down or you'll choke." A voice from behind said. An Yonghui turned to see the young man who was the reason she was enjoying the food.
He was a tall man dressed in clean, well-fitted robes of deep blue, embroidered subtly along the sleeves. His hair was neatly tied back, not a strand out of place, and his features were striking—sharply defined yet softened by the warmth in his dark eyes. He looked more like a nobleman than a physician, with an air of quiet confidence and elegance that made him stand out in the crowd. In one hand, he carried a fan, the other was a plate of food.
The man set down another plate of food on the table, steam rising from it.
"Doctor Bai!" Xiao Dou chirped proudly.
"Eat." the physician said as he put food into the Xiao Dou's plate.
Yonghui blinked at him, still chewing. "You brought more?"
"Is it too much?" Doctor Bai said, pulling a stool to sit beside her.
She blinked at the added plate. "Then I'll help myself." Yonghui uttered a quick, sincere, "Thank you," then continued eating, though now a bit more slowly.
An Yonghui looked out of the shop, at the sight before her, and for a breathless moment, she was enchanted.
The scene stretched out before her like one of those elegant Chinese dining screen paintings—the kind her second brother once showed her, full of quiet awe. Maybe something from the *Qing dynasty*, with its lacquered folding panels painted in gold and deep red, telling vivid stories of marketplaces alive with color and motion.
And that was exactly what this looked like.
People flowed through the narrow walkways like brushstrokes on silk—men and women in flowing robes of emerald, amber, and sky blue, embroidered with cranes, blossoms, and swirling clouds. The smell of roasted duck, pan-fried dumplings, syrup-glazed chestnuts, and something peppery wrapped around her. Merchants shouted out prices. Children darted between legs. Pots clanged. Paper lanterns bobbed gently above the noise.
This place looks exactly like the Qing dynasty..... She thought inwardly as she chewed. But the fact that a black person like her was there during that time wasn't so because history never said anything like that. So maybe, she was in a world parallel to that dynasty.
"It reminds me of those time travel c-dramas grandma always watched." She muttered.
Sighing, she turned away, startled to find the two watching her.
"What? Is there something on my face?" She said, wiping at her face.
They both nodded negative.
In the blink of an eye, the table was filled with empty plates. An Yonghui caressed her stomach and so did Xiao Dou. They both sighed in relief.
"It's good to see you have regained strength." Doctor Bai said with a gentle smile.
"Yeeeesss." An Yonghui stretched the word, hinting at her deep satisfaction.
"You look really strange." Doctor Bai said so bluntly but it still pierced sharply into An Yonghui's soul.
"Ugh." She groaned as if in pain. "Yes, I know that I don't have the classic Chinese look but you shouldn't point it out like that."
"Sorry if it sounded rude. I was just curious because I have never seen anyone like you before. You seem to attract a lot of attention. " He said as he smiled. And it was true because people were looking at them and whispering to each other.
An Yonghui knew that attracting attention like this was bad. If this spread around, it could reach the ears of people she didn't want it to. So she turned to Doctor Bai again. The girl who claimed she was the original soul told her she needed her memories if she wanted to understand what was going on.
She remembered having a flashback when she was in the abandoned house but because of the sudden appearance of the guards, she forgot about it. So instead of waiting around for the memories to come through, she decided she would try to ask questions. Maybe the answers could trigger a memory.
"Doctor Bai, please let me ask a few questions." She said as she looked at him with serious eyes.
She first asked him about what dynasty it was, their location and reign era.
"This is the Yu'an dynasty. It's the 13th reign of Emperor Li Wenyuan. And this is the Shanhuan district."
An Yonghui lips parted, then closed. This dynasty doesn't exist in history books. It may really be a parallel world similar to Qing dynasty.
So i've basically been transported many years back from the present. This...is bad.
"One more question. Have you heard about me before?"
From interacting with the original soul and the way the people at that prince place acted, it seems everyone knew her meaning she must have been brought up here in ancient china. And for someone like her who looked very different from there, the news would have spread throughout the city.
"Nothing really." Doctor Bai replied. An Yonghui gaped at him." You see, I haven't been here long. I'm just arriving with Xiao Dou today, though I did make significant trips before. Things like rumors about people doesn't really interest me." He added.
"I see." She began searching around her body until she felt something underneath. Bringing it out, she placed it on the table. It was a jade ornamental pendant.
"I don't know much but I can tell that this would sell for a lot of money if you find the right person. It's authenticity is valid." She said sliding towards him.
Xiao Dou looked at it in awe. An Yonghui stood up. "Thank you very much for your help."
And with that, she walked away into the crowd.
"Wait..."Doctor Bai called out but she was already far from them.
An Yonghui walked through the market looking around. Occasionally, people's eyes darted towards her but she paid them no mind. She had other things to do.
As she was walking around, she suddenly had a whiff of a familiar smell.
Where did I know this smell from?
At first she wanted to ignore it but for some reason, something flashed in her mind. She gasped, knowing it could be a trigger to a memory.
So she decided to follow the scent. As she weaved through people and passed by stalls, she finally got to the place as it wasn't far off. Lo and behold, it was a Hawthorne candy stall.
The brilliant red beads shined so beautiful, it was enticing and alluring. An Yonghui wondered if Hawthorne candy gave off such a strong smell or if her sense of smell was heightened.
It didn't matter either way because this was definitely a familiar smell. She wondered what she should do next? How was she able to awaken the memory? As she stood watching, the person running the stall spotted her.
"Oh? Yonghui?" He said, smiling. Then he shouted more louder. "Yonghui!!"
An Yonghui was startled as she saw the man waving frantically. She looked confused as she pointed to herself. He nodded.
"Come." He said again and An Yonghui walked over to him. "Wow, it's really you. Little girl, you have grown." He said with a big smile.
"Sir, do you know me?" She asked.
"Ahhh, you've forgotten me. Well, it has been a long time since you last came here. " He said as he brought out a stick of candy. "You and your father always came here to buy candy since you were a child. Then you suddenly stopped coming so it's a surprise to see you here finally after all this years." He hands her a candy. "Here. Help yourself."
An Yonghui takes it and looks at the beautiful candy. She takes one into her mouth and just then, the memories flooded in.
"An Yonghui, come here." A man in a noble attire calls out to a girl as he stands at the same Hawthorne candy stall. The girl, around five runs over from the puppet stall to him. She was dressed in a hanfu with her hair elegantly made. Her brown skin shone attracting people's eyes.
"Dad." She ran into his arms. He lifted up and her eyes glimmered at the beautiful candy she saw.
"Boss, please give me one." The man said and was handed a candy stick. "Taste it."
The little girl took one into her mouth and smiled. "It's tasty. Thank you, Dad."
The man tapped her nose lightly. "It's time to go home."
"So soon? But we haven't seen very well of this place." The girl pouted in sadness.
"Then let's come again next time. We'll make it a father-daughter trip. Okay?"
"Yes." She said, hugging her father as they walk home.
Then the flashback shifts to the same girl at age 10, running towards the gate to wait for her father's arrival.
Father is coming today. And we'll be able to go out again. I can't wait. The girl sqeals inwardly.
But as night fell, she waited there and no one came.
"Yonghui." A voice called from behind her. Lu Meifen appears, her hand holding a letter.
"Mom" The girl called sniffing. "Father didn't come again. Where is he?"
"He is not coming back any longer." Lu Meifen said coldly. "So get up and go inside."
"But..." An Yonghui starts but the glare she gets from Lu Meifen scares her to shut her mouth. She stands up and runs towards her room where she let the tears fall as she called after her father.
Everything dissipates as the flashback end. Tears also begin rolling down An Yonghui's face as she chews the candy. The man panics as he watches her cry.
"Aishii." She swears as she hits her chest where her heart was. It felt as if someone was squeezing it. "Sorry, I don't know why I'm crying." She said in between sniffs.
"That... that's okay." He said, trying to calm her down. She wipes her face with her sleeve.
"Miss Yonghui!!."
She looks back to see Doctor Bai and Xiao Dou heading towards her. He's startled at her crying face.
"M..miss Yonghui?"
An Yonghui, surprised to see him, tried to smile.
"Mr. Bai?" She said , cleaning her tears.
This is embarassing.
She began to step back to put space between them when a wrong move made her trip. She winced and only then noticed the wound on her leg.
Bai Jingxuan quickly knelt down to examine the wound. "You had this wound and you left it untreated? " He said, examining the wound. As a black girl, the wound was swelled purple hinting that it had been a long time it was inflicted.
"We should treat the wound quickly." Xiao Dou said, worried about how serious it was.
"My clinic is not far from here." Bai Jingxuan said as he stood up and stretched out his hand to An Yonghui.
*********
Elsewhere, behind the towering golden walls of the imperial palace, the air was still and heavy with the scent of sandalwood. In the quiet of the Empress's private quarters,the empress's loud voice thundered startling everyone.
"Nonsense!!" The empress, Yue Moxin, screamed as she slammed the cup down on the table. "What are you saying?"
The eunuch before her was visibly shaken. He trembled as he knelt, head bowed low.
"I said repeat!!" She screamed again.
"Your Majesty,"* he said, voice barely above a whisper, "The news just came in now. Lady An Yonghui still lives."
"How is that possible?!" She asked, her voice still raised high, filled with anger.
"No one knows how, it just happened. But she said that she wasn't dead, that she only fainted." He continued.
Yue Moxin made a low laugh. "Yesterday, I received a letter from Lu Meifen herself. They said that she was dead but now she's alive. How exactly does someone mistake an unconscious person for dead?"
"Isn't that deception?. Just when i was beginning to celebrate her departure, it all backfires. " She adds. " I have the report of her death, I have the report of her living, now I want the report of her getting punished."
"The fifth prince is searching for her as we speak. Soon they'll find her and she'll be punished." The eunuch assured the queen.
"Ever since the day I saw her, I always on knew she would be a hindrance to my blessings. Tch." She turned to the eunuch. "Write my decree.."
At the same abandoned street where An Yonghui buried the guards, Wen Suihan stands before the pile of rubble as they retrieve the guards under it.
"Master Wen." A guard approaches Wen Suihan and bows. He nods. "We've asked around. She was definitely here."
"Make sure no stone is left unturned. Find her."
(Extra)
At another location, An Yonghui sneezes.
"Who is talking about me?"