Chasing Jade (Zhu Yu)

The waiter waiting to collect payment and the other diners in the restaurant were all stunned, clearly not expecting such a turn of events.

The men who had mocked the An family's live-in son-in-law were momentarily at a loss.

Fan Changyu was first dumbfounded, then blurted out in confusion, "Was your purse stolen on the way here?"

She then called to the waiter, "I'll pay."

During festivals, the streets were crowded, making it easy for pickpockets to strike.

After Fan Changyu's loud declaration, the roomful of people who had been staring at them returned to their meals, though some commented, "When we go to the Lantern Festival later, the streets will be packed—easier for thieves to strike. We should stay alert!"

Someone else whispered, "That man looks even prettier than a woman. Could he be another pretty boy?"

A companion retorted, "No way—he was just fighting to pay the bill!"

"After seeing the An family's son-in-law humiliated, anyone could put on an act. But with a face like that, he could definitely live off someone..."

Before Xie Zheng could react, Fan Changyu scooped up Changning with one hand and dragged him out of the restaurant with the other.

Once on the street, she caught her breath and asked Xie Zheng, "Was your purse really stolen?"

Xie Zheng's icy expression stiffened slightly before he gave a small nod.

With his skills, it was impossible for someone to pick his pocket without him noticing. The truth was, as Fan Changyu had guessed earlier, he had bought too many things for the child and hadn't realized he didn't have enough money left.

After all, in the past, he had never needed to worry about not having enough silver when buying something.

Fan Changyu recalled that he had visited the Bookstore earlier, thinking the prices there were too high, so he should have known how much money he had left. It shouldn't have come as a surprise when it was time to pay. She sighed, "It must have been stolen in the crowd earlier."

She took out her own purse, counted out two silver coins and a handful of copper coins, and handed them to Xie Zheng. "Take this money. It'll be handy if you see something you want to buy at the Lantern Festival."

Changning also generously offered, "Ning Niang's New Year money can go to Brother-in-law too!"

Her beaming smile made it seem as if they were truly a family.

An odd feeling rose in Xie Zheng's chest. He frowned and said, "No need. I won't be buying anything."

"Why are you so stubborn? Having money on you makes things easier." Thinking he was too embarrassed to take her money, Fan Changyu grabbed his hand and pressed the coins into his palm.

Her hands were always warm, and as she touched him, that warmth seemed to seep through his skin, reaching somewhere deeper.

After she withdrew her hand, Xie Zheng stared at the copper coins and silver pieces in his palm, his fingers curling slightly before he clenched his fist as if hiding something.

Dusk had fallen, and lanterns lit up the streets.

The warm yellow light outlined the sharp lines of his profile as he looked at Fan Changyu, his dark phoenix eyes growing increasingly inscrutable. "Thank you."

"What for? You already bought so much for Changning, and besides, you still have forty taels with me..." Fan Changyu brushed it off.

Xie Zheng listened quietly, only speaking after she finished. "The money for sweets is different."Fan Changyu was momentarily stunned when a burst of cheers suddenly rose from the crowd in the distance. All three of them turned their attention toward the commotion and saw a street performer breathing fire.

It was unclear how the magician managed it—holding a small burning bamboo stick in his hand, with one forceful blow, the tiny flame instantly erupted into a roaring fire. The onlookers gasped and stepped back in alarm when the flames licked too close, then burst into applause and cheers.

Changning found this utterly fascinating and immediately tugged at Fan Changyu’s sleeve. "Elder Sister, Ning Niang wants to see the big fire!"

By now, night had fully fallen, and the streets were crowded. Worried that Changning might trip or get jostled, Fan Changyu picked her up and said to Xie Zheng, "The Lantern Festival seems to have started. Let’s go take a look over there."

Xie Zheng glanced at the fire-breathing performers, his eyes devoid of any emotion, and said to Fan Changyu, "Let me carry her."

Fan Changyu, with her formidable strength, refused outright. "No need. Your injuries haven’t fully healed yet..."

Xie Zheng replied, "Carrying a child won’t be a problem."

After a pause, he added, "I noticed that other children on the street are being carried by their fathers or elder brothers."

Fan Changyu scanned the surroundings and realized that families with children at the festival—if accompanied by parents—usually had the father holding the child.

With her and Yan Zheng accompanying Changning, it was easy for others to mistake them for a family of three. Yan Zheng was tall and imposing, and with her carrying Changning, many passersby had already been casting curious glances their way. Some even pointed at Yan Zheng, unaware of the truth.

Remembering the incident at the restaurant earlier, Fan Changyu hesitated briefly before handing Changning over to Xie Zheng, cautioning, "If your arms get tired, pass her back to me."

Xie Zheng gave a calm nod.

He was a head taller than Fan Changyu, and with Changning perched on his shoulder, she could see much farther. Excitedly, she kept pointing here and there, urging them to look. Her enthusiasm was infectious.

Walking side by side with Xie Zheng, Fan Changyu held the painting the scholar had drawn for them, a rare, relaxed smile gracing her face.

Many passersby who saw them couldn’t help but murmur admiringly about what a perfect couple they made.

A middle-aged couple with their young child out for the festival caught sight of Fan Changyu’s group. The woman, holding her little son, immediately shoved him into her husband’s arms and scolded, "Look at how considerate that young man is toward his wife! You useless lump, can’t you see my arms are about to fall off?"

The man, now holding the child with both hands, winced as his ear was twisted, hastily apologizing, "Ow, ow! My mistake, my mistake!"

Fan Changyu couldn’t help but chuckle, though the woman’s words left her feeling slightly self-conscious.

She stole a glance at Xie Zheng, only to find him turning toward her at the same moment. Their eyes met in the flickering lantern light, and he asked, "What is it?"

Clearing her throat, Fan Changyu spotted the Lantern Tower in the distance, adorned with colorful lanterns, and quickly said, "I think there’s a lantern riddle game over there. Let’s go try it!"

Changning also caught sight of the dazzling array of lanterns and exclaimed, "Ning Niang wants to buy a Pig lantern!"

Fan Changyu laughed. "Alright, let’s go take a look first."

Xie Zheng asked, "Is she born in the Year of the Pig?"

Before Fan Changyu could answer, Changning nodded vigorously, counting on her chubby fingers. "Elder Sister is a Tiger, and Ning Niang is a Pig."Xie Zheng gave Fan Changyu a strange look. "You're only nine years older than your sister?"

Fan Changyu replied, "To be precise, ten years. I was born in the first month of the Year of the Tiger, while my sister was born at the end of the twelfth month of the Year of the Pig."

Her gaze softened as she looked at Changning. "After last December, Ning Niang turned six. According to local customs, we can't openly celebrate children's birthdays during the mourning period for parents to avoid shortening their lifespans. That's why we didn't prepare any birthday gifts for Ning Niang—just made her a bowl of noodles."

She then turned to Xie Zheng. "You've had it too—it was that bowl of fat intestine noodles."

Xie Zheng: "..."

That wasn't exactly a pleasant memory.

But if her birthday is in the first month, does that mean she'll be sixteen this month?

Xie Zheng lowered his eyes slightly.

Fan Changyu suddenly asked him, "What's your zodiac sign?"

Xie Zheng didn't answer.

She guessed randomly, "You're a Dog, aren't you?"

This sounded somewhat like an insult, and passersby couldn't help but glance back at them.

Xie Zheng shot her a sharp look. Fan Changyu tried to suppress her smile but failed.

She said, "If you really are a Dog, it would suit your personality."

Her smile was utterly unrestrained and radiant.

Xie Zheng glanced at her sideways. "Meaning?"

Fan Changyu cleared her throat. "I've heard that Dogs are particularly vindictive and really good at insults."

Before she could finish, she received a chilling glare.

Fan Changyu felt inexplicably guilty. "Don't you know how sharp your own tongue is?"

Xie Zheng smirked slightly. "I haven't said much about you otherwise. Just that your taste in men is rather poor—still hung up on Song Yan after all this time..."

Fan Changyu now understood the meaning of reaping what one sows. Back then, to avoid him misunderstanding her intentions, she had spun a lie about being deeply in love with Song Yan. Now, this man seized every opportunity to mock her for it.

She couldn't help retorting, "When have I been hung up on him—"

"Pfft—"

A derisive laugh came from behind the lantern wall covered with banners and lanterns.

Fan Changyu looked up to see several young gentlemen, who had been solving lantern riddles, push aside the banners and emerge from behind the wall. Among them was Song Yan.

"Brother Song, you truly are full of surprises," said a man in apricot-yellow robes and a headpiece, pointing at Fan Changyu with a closed fan, his face wearing a frivolous smile. "The magistrate's daughter is smitten with your talents, and even your former fiancée, now married, is at odds with her husband because of you!"

Clearly, he was the one who had laughed earlier.

Fan Changyu's expression darkened instantly. She hadn't expected Song Yan and his classmates to be behind that lantern wall.

Her lips pressed tightly together. The last thing she wanted was for that Song fellow to think she still had feelings for him.

Xie Zheng had met Song Yan before and still remembered him. His cold, oppressive gaze swept over the group of dandy scholars, lingering on Song Yan a moment longer.

Song Yan wore an indigo-blue robe and, despite the cold weather, held a folding fan. When his eyes met Xie Zheng's, he instinctively looked away.

His classmates, however, remained unfazed. They were all men of rank who didn't even have to kneel in court—why should they fear the husband of a butcher's daughter?The man in the yellow shirt immediately sneered, "Brother, don’t lose your temper. Brother Song is the only one from Qingping County who passed the provincial imperial exam. It’s understandable that your wife still thinks of him."

Another man beside him studied Fan Changyu for a long while before suddenly clapping his hands and laughing. "I remember now! One year, this young lady even came to the county school to deliver winter clothes to Brother Song. At the time, I asked Brother Song who she was, and he said she was his younger sister!"

"It seems this young lady is indeed deeply in love with Brother Song. No wonder that gentleman flew into a rage at the mere mention of him..."

The Lantern Festival was bustling with activity, and the group’s back-and-forth drew many passersby to stop and watch. Some onlookers even pointed fingers at Fan Changyu.

"So this is the former fiancée who broke off her engagement with Scholar Song."

"She’s quite a beauty, but now that she’s married, why still pine for Scholar Song? Only a live-in son-in-law could tolerate such humiliation..."

"What a coincidence to run into her here. Did she know Scholar Song would attend the Lantern Festival tonight and come specifically to see him?"

Hearing this, Song Yan glanced at Fan Changyu before turning away and saying to his companions, "Let’s go. These lantern riddles aren’t worth solving anyway."

The whispers and Song Yan’s dismissive look made Fan Changyu’s blood boil with fury, her entire body trembling with disgust.

Xie Zheng glanced at her before lazily calling out to the group, "Stop."

His tone was casual, but it carried the weight of a command.

At his words, the crowd grew even more intrigued.

Song Yan and his companions halted. His classmates turned back with smug, mocking expressions.

The man in the yellow shirt teased, "What, brother? Planning to fight us? We’re all scholars with official titles. Lay a finger on us, and you’ll regret it for the rest of your life."

Xie Zheng’s lips curled into an even colder smirk. "After a decade of studying the classics, is this all you’ve learned? Slandering a woman—is this how scholars behave?"

The group faltered, looking embarrassed.

"Apologize," he demanded icily.

Only the man in the yellow shirt retorted, "We never slandered anyone. We merely stated facts."

Xie Zheng lifted his eyelids lazily, his words dripping with scorn. "Did your imperial exam essays also consist of nothing but gossip about women? Forget the virtues of a gentleman—you’ve mastered the art of wagging tongues. Did you crawl out of a male brothel?"

The crowd burst into laughter.

Someone even shouted, "Well said! A bunch of so-called scholars, gossiping like fishwives! Even the male prostitutes at the brothels aren’t as sharp-tongued as you!"

The man in the yellow shirt flushed crimson with rage, pointing at Xie Zheng. "You—you—"

His companion chimed in indignantly, "Such shameless, vulgar words! A disgrace to decency!"

Xie Zheng scoffed. "Decency? You’re unworthy of the word. A few years of study, and you think you’re above everyone else? Do you not know that when geese fly south, even phoenixes find no place to land?"

As he spoke, his indifferent gaze settled squarely on Song Yan, making it clear the remark was directed at him.Several scholars were stunned to learn that Xie Zheng was also a scholar, their faces quickly twisting with indignation. His final remark had clearly been meant to humiliate them, yet they couldn’t think of a suitable retort, leaving their expressions utterly sour.

After Xie Zheng’s words, Song Yan’s expression shifted unpredictably before he finally clasped his hands in apology. “My two friends spoke out of turn earlier and offended Miss Fan… Madam Fan. I apologize on their behalf to both of you.”

Seeing Song Yan take the lead, the others, however unwilling, followed suit and bowed. “We were in the wrong earlier and offer our sincerest apologies.”

Xie Zheng remained silent, his gaze shifting to Fan Changyu.

Changyu knew Xie Zheng was well-versed in literature, but she hadn’t expected him to single-handedly outwit these scholars. After a brief moment of surprise, she coldly retorted, “When I joke with my husband, what business is it of you scholars to meddle? My husband has both looks and talent. I’m neither foolish nor blind—why would I pine for someone else?”

This drew laughter from many in the crowd.

Song Yan’s face flushed red and then paled, his fingers stiffening as he clasped his hands.

Xie Zheng lazily lifted his eyes. Though he knew most of her words were just to save face, they still sounded pleasing to his ears.

After all… he didn’t think they were lies either.

Having reclaimed her dignity, Changyu took Changning’s hand and scoffed, “Let’s go.”

Xie Zheng cast a fleeting glance at the scholars still rooted in place before leisurely following after her.

Song Yan and his companions burned with humiliation.

Onlookers continued to gossip. “They say scholars are often heartless. That Song Yan broke off the engagement after passing the provincial exam, and now he even brought his friends to mock the Fan girl in public—how despicable!”

“That Fan family’s live-in son-in-law seems even more talented than these scholars. I wonder if he’ll take the Imperial exam. If he passes, the Fan family’s fortunes will surely rise!”

Hidden in the shadows of the lanterns, Song Yan’s face darkened.

His friends, desperate to salvage their pride, jeered, “A pretty-faced live-in husband—if he really had the talent for the Imperial exam, he wouldn’t have had to marry into the family!”

“In my opinion, he wouldn’t even pass the preliminary exams!”

Song Yan listened, his icy expression unyielding, and finally said, “Let’s call it a day. We’ll meet again another time.”

With his dismissal, the others, too ashamed to linger after such a public disgrace, dispersed.

Xie Zheng trailed a few steps behind Changyu as they walked in silence. After a moment, he suddenly said, “Earlier… I spoke out of turn.”

If he hadn’t mentioned Song Yan first, those men wouldn’t have overheard and mocked her from behind the lantern wall.

Changyu paused briefly before replying, “It’s nothing. You already helped me. Besides, I deceived you first.”

Xie Zheng lifted his gaze. “Deceived me how?”

Changyu ruffled her hair, slightly embarrassed. “Earlier, I lied and said I hadn’t gotten over him because I didn’t want you to think I had feelings for you.”

At this, a flicker of something unreadable passed through Xie Zheng’s eyes.

He said, “I thought… you were upset.”

Changyu shot him a look that clearly said, “How could I be?”

They had now left the lantern-lit street behind, the surroundings growing quiet and desolate. The occasional alley they passed was dark and eerie.Xie Zheng asked, "Is this the way to the Overflowing Fragrance Pavilion?"

"No," Fan Changyu replied, then handed Changning to Xie Zheng to hold. "Cover Ning Niang's eyes later and take her somewhere far away."

Xie Zheng was silent for a moment before asking, "What are you going to do?"

Fan Changyu led him to crouch in a dark corner, pulling out the hemp bag and laundry bat she had bought when leaving the market. Baring her little canine teeth, she said, "That guy in the yellow robe has such a foul mouth—of course I have to beat him up to vent my anger!"