Chu Chu shook her head vigorously in his embrace. "I won't regret it!"
"What if I remain sick like this forever... still no regrets?"
"No regrets! That way I won't have to worry about you getting angry like Lord Ji and killing me, then eating me."
Xiao Jin Yu's face darkened. How dare this little head entertain such wild thoughts? "...Just don't you eat me..."
Chu Chu traced her fingers over his sharply protruding collarbones. "I would never eat you. You don't have any meat on you at all."
"..."
"Are you angry?"
"No..."
Chu Chu anxiously pressed against his chest. "Don't be angry! Actually, having no meat is fine too—I quite enjoy gnawing on bones!"
Just as Xiao Jin Yu began worrying she might actually take a bite out of him, Chu Chu suddenly exclaimed, "Ah! Wang Ye! You haven't given Feng Yi her shop name yet!"
Xiao Jin Yu breathed a partial sigh of relief. "Don't worry, I've already bestowed it..."
"Already? When did you do that? How come I didn't know!"
Xiao Jin Yu merely smiled.
"What name did you give her then?"
"You'll find out when we return to the capital..."
Hearing the words "return to the capital," Chu Chu pursed her lips and suddenly turned serious. Looking solemnly at Xiao Jin Yu, she said, "Wang Ye... could I ask you for a favor?"
With her lying on his chest like this, holding him like this, and even having thoughts of gnawing his bones—what could he possibly say? "Mm..."
Chu Chu blinked, whispering to Xiao Jin Yu, "When we get to my hometown, could you still introduce yourself as Boss An like before?"
Xiao Jin Yu was taken aback. "Why?"
Chu Chu watched his expression carefully. "My grandmother said... marrying high officials isn't good."
Xiao Jin Yu faintly furrowed his brows but didn't inquire further, nodding instead. "Alright..."
"Really?"
"Mm..."
Chu Chu cupped Xiao Jin Yu's face and gave him a hearty kiss. "Wang Ye, you're so wonderful!"
"..."
☆ 42 Four Great Joys (Part 1)
Heaven-sent rain after long drought,
Meeting an old friend in distant land;
Night in Nuptial Chamber with candlelight,
Success in imperial examination.
—Wang Zhu, Northern Song Dynasty, "Four Great Joys"
The journey from Shengzhou to Suzhou was less than half the distance from the capital to Shengzhou, yet with all the stops along the way, they didn't reach Zizhu County until the end of the twelfth lunar month—just days away from the New Year.
Had it been solely Xiao Jin Yu's decision, they would have likely returned from Chu Shui Town to the capital by now—though not lying in a carriage, but rather in a coffin.
Throughout the journey, Chu Chu exhausted her imagination, employing every sight and sound she'd encountered from their previous trip between Chu Shui Town and the capital. Passing through one place, she'd claim some local delicacy was irresistible, insisting they stop for two days to eat their fill. In another location, she'd praise the scenery, demanding they lodge nearby until Xiao Jin Yu could paint the landscape with his eyes closed. When passing through areas with no particular features, she'd simply declare the local bodhisattva particularly efficacious, compelling Xiao Jin Yu to stay several days and visit the temple with her to pay respects.
If Xiao Jin Yu refused, she'd immediately put on a face that threatened tears, invariably making him feel like he was bullying her. Thus, despite the bumpy carriage rides, Xiao Jin Yu not only avoided developing new ailments but nearly recovered from his old ones.At this time of year, Xiao Jinyu had never felt so physically at ease, nor had his mood ever been so light.
But the moment they entered Zizhu County, Chu Chu couldn't contain her impatience. She hastily picked at her dinner before urging them to leave.
Xiao Jinyu, however, was in no hurry. He served her a bowl of soup and said unhurriedly, "We can't go back today."
Chu Chu widened her eyes in agitation, "Why not? My home is so close—just an incense stick's worth of travel away!"
Xiao Jinyu looked at her with a faint smile. Whenever this little girl grew anxious, she seemed even more like a child. "Does your family know you're bringing someone home to propose marriage?"
Chu Chu froze, then shook her head.
Still smiling but speaking earnestly, Xiao Jinyu said, "If we visit so abruptly, what if your family finds me presumptuous and ill-mannered, and refuses to agree?"
Chu Chu suddenly remembered how, whenever her father took her brother to propose to a young lady, her grandparents would spend ages instructing him on what he could and couldn't do, what he could and couldn't say. She pursed her lips and replied with little confidence, "They definitely wouldn't..."
Unable to resist, Xiao Jinyu reached out and patted her head. "Finish your meal first... After eating, I'll write a letter. Find someone familiar to deliver it to your home. Tomorrow we'll prepare the betrothal gifts in the county town, and the day after, we'll go to your house first thing in the morning. Is that alright?"
Chu Chu nodded with a smile, "That sounds good!"
At the neighboring table, two guards buried their faces in their bowls, silently shoveling food. Over the past half-month, situations where they had to consciously ignore their own presence had evolved from occurring once every few days to several times a day.
Just as they were trying hard to blend into the background, the air suddenly shifted. A person magically appeared on the bench between them.
The two guards dropped their bowls, sprang to their feet, and reached for the knives hidden in their clothes. Before they could grasp the hilts, the newcomer snatched a bowl and chopsticks from the table, exclaiming, "Whew... I'm starving!"
Only then did they recognize Jing Yi's face, grinning as if delighted by the chaos.
In the blink of an eye, none of the other patrons in the tavern noticed anything amiss. Xiao Jinyu and Chu Chu turned around only upon hearing Jing Yi's exclamation.
Chu Chu was pleasantly surprised, "Brother Jing, what brings you here?"
Xiao Jinyu frowned slightly at the already ravenously eating Jing Yi, "Yes... why are you here?"
Jing Yi desperately swallowed the large mouthful of rice, spat out a half-chewed chicken bone, and replied with an expression caught between laughter and tears, "This year's accounts at the residence have all been sorted and stored. The guard watching the house said everyone was so busy they couldn't tell north from south, while I was the only one idle enough to grow mold. He sent me to follow you, sir, to scout the way and manage the accounts. If you don't return, neither can I."
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