An Jiu avoided Hua Rongjian and glanced back.
Chu Dingjiang’s progress had been rapid. If he deliberately concealed himself, An Jiu could no longer pinpoint his location as clearly as before. But just moments ago, she faintly sensed his presence nearby.
“What are you looking at?” Hua Rongjian followed her gaze but found nothing unusual.
An Jiu’s mood suddenly darkened.
Hua Rongjian asked, “Is it Chu Dingjiang?”
“I don’t know,” An Jiu replied.
“A Jiu, do I resemble him?” Hua Rongjian sighed with a smile. “When I was a guest at the Yu Clan in Yangzhou, I once dreamed of someone while drunk. He said he was me, but he looked nothing like me—instead, his build was more like my elder brother’s.”
An Jiu said, “You’re still better suited to being a carefree young master.”
“There’s no going back. Once you know certain things, you can’t pretend otherwise.” Hua Rongjian gazed at the dimly lit river. “A Jiu, do you know why I wanted to marry you back then?”
“Because I’m good-looking,” An Jiu stated matter-of-factly.
Hua Rongjian burst into laughter. “I’ve never met a girl like you! I wanted to marry you because your purity made me feel at ease. Of course, your looks were part of it too.”
“Purity?” An Jiu didn’t think she had anything to do with the word “pure.”
“Yes. When I first saw you in the graveyard, your face screamed ‘keep away,’ and your eyes were full of killing intent—nothing else. It was clear as day.” Hua Rongjian clasped his hands behind his back and glanced at her. “Though I may fool around, I’m not a fool. You’re different now, but more human.”
His handsome profile was illuminated by the lantern light, his eyes smiling yet tinged with bitterness, standing solitary amidst the clamor.
For some reason, An Jiu immediately thought of Chu Dingjiang—his loneliness was deeper and heavier than Hua Rongjian’s.
“I’ve enjoyed wealth and privilege all these years. If I said I hated Chu Dingjiang, hated everyone who manipulated my fate, would that be too pretentious?” Hua Rongjian asked.
“You don’t have to think that way.” An Jiu paused, then told him, “Actually, you’ve always been quite pretentious.”
Hua Rongjian, exasperated, lifted his leg to kick her. “You wretch! Would saying something comforting cost you a limb?”
An Jiu didn’t dodge, and the kick landed squarely on her calf.
Hua Rongjian froze. “Why didn’t you move?”
“Marrying Mei Ru Yan must have been hard on you.” An Jiu sympathized.
This was likely another reason he resented being controlled. He wasn’t opposed to marriage—he simply knew he had no say in whom he married. Since that was the case, he might as well enjoy his freedom a few more years.
“Mei Ru Yan?” Hua Rongjian said. “An Shun?”
“She’s Mei Fifteen,” An Jiu replied.
“She doesn’t look it. She lacks the beauty of the Mei Clan’s daughters.” Hua Rongjian shrugged. “Are you talking about her being in love with someone else?”
“You know?” An Jiu was surprised. They had only been married for three days.
“Who do you think I am? The dashing young master who ‘flits through a thousand blossoms without a single leaf sticking’—who in Bianjing hasn’t heard of me? I can tell love from indifference at a glance.” Hua Rongjian seemed to read her thoughts. “Even if the man in her heart were still alive, she’d have to stay obediently in the manor. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even need to lift a finger to deal with her.”
Would the Hua Clan ever tolerate an unfaithful daughter-in-law?The surrounding people turned to look at him frequently upon hearing his words.
Hua Rongjian smoothed his hair at the temples, looking quite pleased with himself.
"Originally, I didn’t plan to say anything to upset you further since you were already in a bad mood..." An Jiu hesitated.
Hua Rongjian glanced at her and scoffed. "Go on. You were born to torment others—haven’t you done enough unscrupulous things? One more won’t make a difference."
"The people of Bianjing have always used you as after-dinner entertainment," An Jiu said. She had visited teahouses a few times and often heard gossip about Hua Rongjian—most of it unflattering. He probably knew it himself, yet he remained cheerful. "You’ve always faced such talk with ease. Why now…?"
To put it kindly, Hua Rongjian was broad-minded, optimistic, and carefree. To put it bluntly, he was a heartless fool.
The people nearby, hearing An Jiu’s words, quickly averted their eyes, afraid of incurring Hua Rongjian’s wrath.
Unexpectedly, his reaction was calm—even contemplative. But his carefree attitude stemmed from a life of smooth sailing. If his family were no longer what it once was, could he remain so indifferent?
"A Jiu." Hua Rongjian’s expression turned serious as he faced her. "Today, I finally realized you’ve never had romantic feelings for me. Even so, I still want to marry you."
He hadn’t pursued her relentlessly because he knew his elder brother had already married a woman from the Mei family, making any union between him and An Jiu impossible—even if she were willing to be a concubine.
Just like Hua Rongjun’s childhood betrothal, which had been disrupted by the tides of fate.
"Exposing your own flaws—are you stupid or just foolish?" An Jiu retorted. "You just said you could tell at a glance whether there was affection or not."
"Those involved are often blind. I’ve always been pragmatic—call it cowardice if you will." Hua Rongjian leaned in and swiftly kissed her forehead. "But no matter what, I wanted to tell you how I truly feel."
An Jiu had come today to deliver wedding gifts. His anger earlier stemmed partly from the matter of Chu Dingjiang and partly from realizing she held no affection for him.
Hua Rongjian’s action was like pouring cold water into hot oil. The onlookers, who had been secretly watching, erupted into chaos, with some even shouting, "Young master, give her a hug!"
An Jiu’s face darkened. He always managed to cause a scene effortlessly. She preferred to stay hidden; being watched felt like being stripped bare in public.
Hua Rongjian ignored the commotion, grinning broadly.
"Leaving." An Jiu tossed out the words and turned to go.
Hua Rongjian didn’t follow, watching her figure disappear into the crowd before strolling slowly along the riverbank.
The lantern lights faded into the distance.
Unconsciously, Hua Rongjian found himself at Wu Lingyuan’s wonton stall.
Given the day’s festivities, Wu Lingyuan was just packing up. The surroundings were quiet, save for Hua Rongjian’s footsteps. Wu Lingyuan listened intently. "Young Master Hua is here."
Since visiting once with An Jiu, Hua Rongjian had become a frequent customer.
"Your ears are sharp," Hua Rongjian remarked, sitting down and glancing at the additional tables nearby. "Still have wontons?"
"Saved some just in case." Wu Lingyuan washed his hands and quickly wrapped over twenty wontons, dropping them into the pot. "Miss Shi Si hasn’t come by in a long time."
Hua Rongjian remained silent, staring absently at the Diamond Sutra on the table under the dim lamplight.Wu Lingyuan didn’t press further. After serving the wontons, he smiled and said, “Thank you for the medicine, young master. My eyes can now perceive light and shadows.”
Hua Rongjian, mouth full of wontons, gave a muffled acknowledgment before devouring the bowl in a few ravenous bites.
“Would you like another bowl, young master?” Wu Lingyuan asked.
“No, this is enough,” Hua Rongjian replied. “With continued use of the medicine, you might regain full sight soon.”
“You seem in low spirits today,” Wu Lingyuan remarked as he cleared the bowl and brought him a cup of tea. “For someone in my situation, simply having enough to eat lifts my mood.”
When no response came after a pause, Wu Lingyuan added, “Forgive my presumption.”
Hua Rongjian snapped out of his thoughts. “You possess great wisdom, sir.”
“You flatter me too much, young master,” Wu Lingyuan demurred.
Hua Rongjian continued, “Once your eyes recover, I’ll recommend a tutor for you. You could resume preparing for the imperial examinations.”
Instead of immediately expressing effusive gratitude, Wu Lingyuan fell silent for a moment before asking, “Does the young master require something of me?”
“Not necessarily,” Hua Rongjian replied, studying his gaunt face. “With your intellect, you could have led a far more remarkable life. I simply cannot bear to see you buried in obscurity.”
Though blind, Wu Lingyuan’s mind was sharp. Hua Rongjian’s words suggested his own discontent with the status quo. “Then I entrust my fate to you, Young Master Hua.”
Wu Lingyuan had no attachments and was content with his current carefree life. Yet, if he were truly resigned to mediocrity, he wouldn’t need Buddhist scriptures to console himself. If he could live passionately just once, his life would be complete.
Hua Rongjian, still unclear about his own feelings, was momentarily taken aback by his words. But he quickly grasped the implication. “Do you know of Wei Yuzhi?”
“A figure from the jianghu, I believe,” Wu Lingyuan said. Living near the river’s thoroughfare, he was well-informed. Misty Villa was quite renowned. “I’ve heard he’s a famed strategist.”
“Even the wisest can face desperate times. In terms of experience and temperament, I believe he falls short of you,” Hua Rongjian said, inferring from Mei Ru Yan’s remarks that Wei Yuzhi’s current state was less than ideal.
Wu Lingyuan was puzzled. “I don’t understand why the young master thinks so highly of my abilities.”
“Intuition,” Hua Rongjian answered.
Wu Lingyuan hadn’t accomplished any grand feats, but every small detail revealed his extraordinary nature. Despite his blindness, he had managed to establish a thriving wonton stall in this remote area with minimal financial aid from An Jiu—a feat beyond most people’s capabilities. Moreover, Hua Rongjian had conversed with him often enough to discern his intellect.
“Let me toast you with tea in place of wine,” Wu Lingyuan said, raising his cup.
Under the starry sky, the vast river stretched into the night. Hua Rongjian smiled and lightly clinked his cup against Wu Lingyuan’s.
…
An Jiu returned to Chu Dingjiang’s residence, but he was no longer there, so she hurried back to Plum Blossom Village.
She rowed her boat across the lake, where a thin mist hovered. The water and sky merged into an inky blue, both studded with stars, as if she were drifting through a dream.
In no rush to return to the island, she let the boat drift aimlessly.
Only when the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon did she row ashore.
After just one night away, the flower seeds Mo Sigui had planted had already shot up a foot high, their tender green hue so delicate it seemed they might shatter at a touch.An Jiu stepped ashore, and Da Jiu came bounding over joyfully, its cheeks wobbling as it opened its massive maw in a grin so foolish she couldn’t bear to look. Still, she reached out and patted its big head in gratitude for such an enthusiastic welcome.
Sensing Mo Sigui nearby, An Jiu went looking for him.
He was reclining under a tree in a loose ivory silk robe, puffing away at his pipe.
“It’s barely dawn, and you’re already smoking Medicated Smoke?” An Jiu asked.
Mo Sigui turned his head, revealing a deathly pale face with dark circles under his eyes, startling her.
“I’ve been smoking all night…” His expression resembled that of a weary, struggling beast. “I have a feeling this Medicine has completely stopped working on me. This is the third time I’ve altered the medical formula…”
“I also have a feeling,” An Jiu stood before him. “You’ll eventually poison yourself to death. A Miracle Doctor dying by his own Medicine—what a legacy. Hahaha.”
An Jiu let out three hollow laughs, her face utterly devoid of amusement.
“Piss off!” Mo Sigui hurled his pipe at her.
An Jiu caught it deftly and sniffed the contents. “I had trouble sleeping for a while too. You’ll get used to it eventually.”
Even now, her sleep was shallow, and the slightest noise would wake her.
“If you’re so worried about Lou Mingyue, why not just go with her?” An Jiu sat down beside him.
Mo Sigui bristled instantly. “Who said my insomnia is because of her? Open your eyes and look properly—do I seem like the type to pine over romance?”
“‘In life, we shall return together; in death, we shall share eternal longing.’” An Jiu stared at him, mercilessly exposing his lie. “People who pine over romance usually don’t say things like that.”
“That was written by someone else! I was just borrowing it casually, borrowing!” Mo Sigui fumed. “Besides, how would an uneducated fool like you even understand what it means?!”
An Jiu frowned. “Who says I’m uneducated?”
“Then tell me, what’s written on the plaque above your door? Go on!” Mo Sigui laughed, hands on hips. “Don’t think I don’t know.”
Who could read those scribbles anyway? An Jiu grumbled inwardly.
“You weren’t this irritable before.” She handed the pipe back to him, admonishing earnestly, “You should watch yourself.”
“Da Jiu, bite her!” Mo Sigui waved his hand.
Da Jiu let out a thunderous roar, made a mighty leap, and landed by An Jiu’s feet. It gently nipped her calf, then licked it soothingly as if to apologize, before strutting proudly back to Mo Sigui’s side for its reward.
“You—you—you!” Mo Sigui shook the pipe at it. “How dare you half-ass it like that!”
Da Jiu shrank its head innocently.
“If you’re even picking fights with a tiger now, you’re clearly in bad shape. Go save yourself.” An Jiu advised.
“Hmph!” Mo Sigui flicked his sleeve, pulled out a folding fan, and flapped it vigorously for a while. “You’d do better to worry about yourself!”
The scent of Ice Dragon Brain gradually calmed him, clearing his mind.
Whether it was the insomnia or his mood, he was becoming increasingly short-tempered.
“By the way.” Once composed, he remembered something important. “That Li Qingzhi has gone to the border.”
“He always wanted to join the army.” An Jiu said.
Mo Sigui fanned himself leisurely, regaining his usual composure. “I heard it’s because Ling Jiangjun was urgently recalled. Li Qingzhi was worried he might be in trouble, so he went to see if he could help along the way.”An Jiu asked in confusion, "Why was he recalled?"
"Because he took the initiative to attack the Liao state and reclaimed a prefecture. But the Liao People showed a stance of fighting to the bitter end. The battle was fierce and lasted for a month. Some in the court couldn't sit still anymore and advocated sending someone to negotiate peace." Mo Sigui spoke with rising agitation, fanning himself vigorously. "Those spineless cowards!" (To be continued...)
PS: Recommending a good friend's book: "The Humble Daughter's Fragrance" by Ye Yujinghe.
A humble daughter marries into a poor family, rising step by step with her husband in perfect harmony, leaving a bunch of envious, petty relatives in the dust!
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