"I am Lu An, courtesy name Zizhan, a person from the Jin Sect, currently on my way to the capital for the exams. I happened to pass by here feeling hungry, but I have not a single silver coin. I wonder if the young lady might spare a few buns to alleviate my hunger..."
"A ghost!"
Cheng Caiyun exclaimed, her voice already colored with a hint of sobbing.
In the middle of the night, as she was burning incense paper, a man suddenly appeared beside her asking for food— who wouldn't be scared?
Seeing her reaction, Lu Zizhan quickly explained, "I am a scholar and would not harm the young lady. Please, don't be afraid."
Cheng Caiyun, still not over her fright, clutched the fire tongs, eyeing him as if facing a formidable foe. All she saw was a scholarly gentleman, not yet crowned as an official, looking at her warmly.
"Are you human or a ghost?"
"I'm a scholar on my way to the examination place."
A scholar, a man of letters?
Her heart eased slightly. Just as Cheng Caiyun was about to ask more, she saw the scholar licking his lips, eagerly eyeing the buns she placed in a bowl.
"You must be hungry, right? These buns are for wandering souls... How about this, you wait here, and I'll fetch some fresh tea and buns for you from the shop."
In the end, Cheng Caiyun could not bear to leave him hungry and hurried back to the shop.
But by the time she returned with tea and buns to the roadside, she found the scholar already patting his satisfied belly, cupping his hands in thanks for the meal.
Cheng Caiyun was puzzled; she just brought the buns out, yet no one seemed to have touched the ones on the ground...
Looking down, she discovered the buns in the bowl on the ground had turned cold and hard, marked with dimpled impressions akin to fingerprints.
She did not overthink it, merely assuming the future scholar gentleman found it unappetizing, thus squeezing the buns and returning them to her.
That night, Lu Zizhan went nowhere, standing under the eaves of the Incense and Candle Shop, swaying and chanting scholarly texts.
Cheng Caiyun found it curious, so she couldn't help asking, "How come you're on your way to the exams without any travel expenses?"
Lu Zizhan paused his recitation, sighing, "I met robbers on the road; they stole my family wealth and intended to break my spirit."
"There's no need for surprise, young lady. It is said that scholars of ancient times were all frail, struggling to shoulder burdens. I am no different. It's easy for them to take my wealth, but extinguishing my spirit is incredibly tough!"
Cheng Caiyun's eyes lit up. Though she felt it was a bit inappropriate to inquire about Lu Zizhan's unpleasant past, her curiosity couldn't be contained.
She truly wanted to know how a talented young scholar ended up robbed of family wealth and property, yet still determined to take the exams...
Before Cheng Caiyun could extend her query, the crow of a rooster echoed from the street.
Lu Zizhan's expression changed, immediately cupping his hands, "Thank you for your hospitality, young lady. I have urgent affairs and will return someday to repay you once I have achieved merit and apprehended the robbers."
Cheng Caiyun watched Lu Zizhan leave, lamenting what a missed opportunity it was.
Though the melon was right at her lips, it slipped away.
Yet, a month later, once again a full-moon night,
that evening, the sound of scholarly recitation emerged outside the Incense and Candle Shop once more.
Cheng Caiyun's heart leaped with inexplicable joy; clutching a candle, she opened the shop door to find Lu Zizhan nodding rhythmically, engrossed in study.
"Weren't you going to the exams? How come you've returned?"
Looking a bit embarrassed, Lu Zizhan replied, "I ran short of travel expenses, and my hunger was unbearable, so I had to return midway..."
"Wait here; I'll warm up some food for you!"
Observing the customary divide between men and women, Cheng Caiyun refrained from inviting Lu Zizhan inside. Instead, she prepared the meal and brought it outside for him to eat.
However, this scholarly fellow maintained a sense of decorum, always taking his meal aside to eat in private.
When Lu Zizhan returned the bowl and chopsticks, they were impeccably clean, although Cheng Caiyun couldn't quite dismiss the strange sour odor clinging to them...
Preoccupied with the previous unfulfilled 'melon-eating' incident, Cheng Caiyun paid little mind to such details.
"Could you tell me about your encounter with the robbers?"
Lu Zizhan hesitated for a moment, then furrowed his brow, a bit dazed, "I can't quite remember. All I recall are the events before encountering the robbers."
Seeing the evident disappointment on Cheng Caiyun's face, Lu Zizhan added, "Perhaps I can recount my earlier experiences for you. By starting from the beginning, I might remember the rest."
Hearing this, Cheng Caiyun's spirits instantly reignited.
And that's how it went. Every month, waiting for the fifteenth full moon, Lu Zizhan would unfailingly arrive.
No matter how busy she was, Cheng Caiyun would always prepare a hearty meal for the young scholar on those nights.
"Last time, you mentioned your friend's Treasure Sword being seized by Young Master Ni..."
"Did you forget again? Last time, you said you were drafting a petition for your friend, seeking justice for him..."
"This time, you must reach the part about the robbers..."
Over the span of two intermittent years, Cheng Caiyun had this regular occurrence to look forward to each month.
Lu Zizhan, too, never missed their appointed meeting each fifteenth.
By this time, both seemed to tacitly forget about the capital exams.
Then, two years later, during the Ghost Festival, Lu Zizhan finally recounted his entire life.
He, Lu Zizhan, was a person from the Jin Sect.
Though born into humble circumstances, with a house nearly barren, he was a prodigious talent, brimming with learned knowledge!
In his hometown, he was renowned for his talents. All declared that his writings were splendid, destined to one day earn him laurels of distinction.
However, fate is ever unpredictable.