The rain had washed the dust from the old stone paths, leaving the courtyard wrapped in the clean scent of wet earth and timber.
Water still dripped from the curved eaves.
Every few moments, another drop struck the flagstones below with a sound so soft it disappeared almost as soon as it was heard.
The manor had settled into silence again.
Not the uneasy silence that followed strangers searching its halls, but a different one. Much older and patient.
Yè Yī had wheeled his bicycle beneath the covered corridor before gathering a handful of fallen branches from the edge of the courtyard. Most were damp from the evening rain, but the wood beneath remained dry enough to burn.
A small fire now flickered inside a shallow metal pan.
Its warmth reached only a short distance before surrendering to the night.
Thin slices of marinated beef hissed gently against the hot surface.
The smell drifted into the cool air.
Across from him, Violet sat cross-legged on one of the wooden steps leading into the corridor.
She had removed her hood.
Loose dark curls rested against her shoulders, still carrying traces of moisture from the rain. She watched the pan with quiet concentration, following every movement of the chopsticks in Yè Yī's hand.
Her attention seemed completely devoted to dinner.
Which, somehow... made Yè Yī trust her even less.
"You cook well."
Her voice broke the silence as casually as if they had known one another for years.
"I manage."
"You've done this a lot."
"I live alone."
He turned another slice.
"It becomes necessary."
Violet nodded thoughtfully.
"I suppose takeaway every night would get expensive."
"It already is."
She laughed, not loudly.
Just enough for the old corridor to feel less empty.
After a while she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.
"You know..."
"What?"
"You invited a complete stranger to dinner.."
Yè Yī looked up.
"I don't remember inviting you."
"You handed me chopsticks."
"You were staring at the food."
Violet nods.
"I was hungry."
"You looked persistent."
"I usually am."
She shrugs.
The corner of Yè Yī's mouth moved. Barely though.
Whether it counted as amusement even he probably couldn't have answered.
The beef finished cooking.
He divided it between two small metal plates before sliding one across the stone floor toward her.
She accepted it with both hands.
"Thank you."
Unlike everything else she said... those two words carried no teasing.
She picked up a slice, blew gently across it and took a careful bite.
Her eyes brightened immediately.
"Oh."
Yè Yī glanced at her.
"Oh?"
"This is really good."
"I've had better."
"I haven't."
She continued eating with surprising enthusiasm.
For someone who had appeared out of nowhere and insisted on following him into an abandoned ancestral residence...
she seemed remarkably easy to please.
The silence returned.
Neither hurried to fill it.
The fire crackled quietly between them.
Beyond the courtyard, the bamboo shifted as the night breeze wandered through the hills.
After a while, Violet spoke again.
"You've been coming here for years."
It wasn't phrased as a question.
Yè Yī looked at her.
"I thought you said I grew up in the city."
"You did."
"And now you know I come here..?"
"I do."
"You ask strange questions."
"I like hearing people answer them."
He considered that for a moment.
"Occasionally."
She nodded as though confirming something she already suspected.
"The villagers like you."
"They tolerate me."
"Lǎo Āyí certainly likes you."
That made him pause...
Only for a heartbeat.
"You know Āyí?"
"I know of her."
She reached for another slice of beef.
"She worries too much."
"...She does."
"She also makes very good steamed buns."
Yè Yī's gaze settled on her.
The fire reflected quietly in his eyes.
"You've never met her."
"No."
"But you know what she cooks."
"I do."
He set his chopsticks down.
"Who are you?"
Violet chewed thoughtfully before swallowing.
"Someone who asks questions."
"I asked first."
"I noticed."
"You're avoiding it."
"I am."
She smiled without apology.
"I'll answer eventually."
"Eventually?"
"When the answer will mean something."
He frowned.
"That's a convenient excuse."
"I've always thought so."
The breeze swept through the courtyard once more, carrying the scent of rain-soaked bamboo across the old stone paths.
Somewhere beyond the walls, a night bird called once before falling silent again.
Violet watched the shadows stretching beneath the covered walkway.
"This house remembers people."
Yè Yī followed her gaze.
"It's a house."
"No."
She shook her head gently.
"It's older than that."
There was no humour in her voice now.
"It has watched generations arrive believing they'll stay forever."
Her eyes lingered on the dark entrance to the main hall.
"And it has watched every one of them leave."
Yè Yī studied her profile.
Until now, she had spoken with the relaxed confidence of someone who enjoyed making other people wonder.
This was different.
For the first time...
she sounded like someone remembering something she wished she could forget.
"You speak as though you've been here before."
She smiled again.
The moment disappeared.
"Maybe."
"I don't believe in 'maybe.'"
"I know."
"You know?"
"I know a few things."
"Like what?"
She looked at him.
Not in some playful or mysterious kind of way.
Simply... directly.
"I know you've spent most of your life believing your past began at the orphanage."
His expression remained unchanged.
"I know you've never stopped wondering why your family's records ended where yours began."
She let the words settle before continuing.
"And I know that tonight isn't the first time this manor has been waiting for you."
The fire crackled softly.
Neither of them spoke.
Finally, Yè Yī broke the silence.
"How?"
Violet looked down at the dying flames.
A small smile returned to her face.
"You wouldn't sleep if I answered that."
She stood, brushing ash from her cardigan.
"Finish eating."
He looked up.
"Why?"
She glanced toward the darkened main hall.
Because for the first time since entering the estate...
she could feel it too.
Something beneath the manor had awakened, though not completely.
Just enough to notice them.
Her smile didn't disappear.
It simply became smaller.
"You'll need your strength."
Yè Yī followed her eyes toward the silent building.
"For what?"
Violet looked at the old house as though greeting someone she had expected to meet all along.
"For remembering."
The night answered with silence.
But somewhere beneath the ancient stone foundations...
something had begun to remember them too.