Upon seeing Fengxian, Zhao Ai also cupped his hands in return, his demeanor elegant and his expression gentle, just as he would normally respond to noble ladies and gentlewomen, with impeccable manners and bearing. Zhenzhen, watching from the side, recalled the "Song Ai" who had earlier mischievously teased her with a slingshot and a sly smile, and suddenly felt that this young gentleman before her seemed to have changed along with his name, becoming a completely different person.
"Why has Miss Ling come to Pujiang?" Zhao Ai asked Fengxian, glancing at Zhenzhen with a smile, "It seems you and Miss Wu are old acquaintances?"
Zhenzhen looked up at the sky speechlessly: thanks to Fengxian, she had finally been politely addressed as "Miss Wu" by this libertine.
"Well... it's a long story." Faced with Zhao Ai's question, Fengxian seemed somewhat hesitant, lowering her head slightly and speaking softly, "Zhenzhen's mother was my teacher's wife. I grew up in Pujiang."
Zhao Ai recalled what Ling Tao had previously said about Fengxian being "raised in a rural household" and began to understand. He then remarked, "No wonder I saw a Miss Ling on the list of candidates for tomorrow's selection in Pujiang County. The surname Ling is quite rare, and I thought it was a coincidence to meet two young ladies with the surname Ling within a month."
Fengxian smiled slightly and asked Zhao Ai in return, "Is Second Great King also here to select palace attendants for the Bureau of Palace Provisions?"
Zhao Ai shook his head with a smile. "No, I'm just here to watch the excitement."
He had traveled to Lin'an with Shangguan Chen, enjoying the scenic sights along the way. Upon entering the Liangzhe region, he noticed that various prefectures and counties were preparing to select palace attendants for the Bureau of Palace Provisions. For some reason, he recalled Wu Zhenzhen, whom he had met in Pujiang the previous year.
Since the Wu family ran a restaurant, he wondered if Wu Zhenzhen might participate in the selection. On a whim, he found an excuse for Shangguan Chen and himself to detour to Pujiang first. Arriving in Pujiang, he checked the list of shortlisted women at the government office and, sure enough, found Wu Zhenzhen's name among them. Eagerly, he went to the Suitable Treasure Tower to visit, only to unexpectedly learn that the restaurant had changed hands. After some inquiries, he discovered the upheavals of the past few months and then went to Pu Bo's residence to look for Zhenzhen.
Xiangye, hearing the noise, came out and scrutinized this well-dressed, handsome young gentleman. Upon learning he wished to visit Zhenzhen, she warmly invited him inside to wait, not forgetting to repeatedly ask about his hometown, age, marital status, and whether he had passed the imperial examinations...
Before Zhao Ai could answer, Pu Bo from the inner room couhed repeatedly, signaling Xiangye to be quiet. Xiangye went in to ask Pu Bo what he meant, and Pu Bo scolded her, saying that Zhenzhen was an unmarried young lady and should not so casually allow a man to visit.
Xiangye suddenly understood and turned back to tell Zhao Ai that Zhenzhen was not far away and she could take him to find her. Hearing this, Pu Bo coughed anxiously again. This time, without waiting for Xiangye to enter, he called out loudly, "Xiangye, is the rice on the stove ready yet?"
Xiangye replied loudly, "The steamer was just placed on it. It's still early."
Pu Bo said, "Go check quickly. I smell something burning."
Xiangye looked puzzled. "The fire isn't strong, and there's water in between. How could it burn?"
Zhao Ai smiled knowingly, cupped his hands, and took his leave. Xiangye apologetically pointed him in the direction Zhenzhen had gone and then muttered as she went to check the steamer.
Fengxian, in the inner room, heard this entire conversation and faintly recognized Zhao Ai's voice. Unable to calm her mind, she found herself unable to continue reading the book in her hands. After much thought, she could no longer restrain herself. Setting the book aside, she stood up and hurried after Zhao Ai.
Fengxian seemed to want to chat with Zhao Ai a little longer, but then she heard Zhenzhen ask, "Sister Fengxian, are you here to see me?"Fengxian was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "Yes. The culinary competition is tomorrow. Have you prepared? And yet you’re running around carelessly."
Zhenzhen smiled and said, "We can’t choose our own ingredients, and recipes rely on past experience. Cramming at the last minute won’t help. It’s better to relax and clear my mind. With a joyful mood, cooking will feel divinely inspired."
Fengxian studied her and noticed a faint trace of tears at the corner of her eye. Reaching out to touch it, she asked, "Did you have fun? Why were you crying?"
Zhenzhen recalled her earlier tears over the bird’s nest and felt a little embarrassed. Unwilling to reveal the truth, she glanced at Zhao Ai and said, "It’s all his fault. He shot me with Tang Guo’er’s slingshot."
Fengxian’s gaze shifted uncertainly between Zhenzhen and Zhao Ai. She wanted to ask but didn’t dare, finally hesitating and uttering just two words: "You two..."
"We were just fooling around," Zhao Ai said with a smile, his tone carrying a natural intimacy.
Fengxian lowered her head with a polite smile and fell silent. Zhenzhen glared at Zhao Ai. "I am me, and you are you. Who said ‘we’?"
Quickly stepping forward, Zhenzhen took Fengxian’s hand and whispered in her ear, "Let’s go back. Ignore him."
Fengxian nodded, hastily bowed to Zhao Ai in farewell, and then walked hand in hand with Zhenzhen toward home. Zhao Ai made no attempt to stop them, standing with his hands behind his back, smiling as he watched until they disappeared from view.
When the two returned to Pu Bo’s courtyard, Xiangye hurried out to greet them from afar, eagerly asking if they had met the handsome young gentleman. Knowing Xiangye’s personality, Zhenzhen thought that if she admitted to meeting him, Xiangye would pester her for hours with endless questions about every detail. And if she learned he was a prince, it would be even worse—Zhao Ai would likely become their main topic of conversation for days to come. So Zhenzhen claimed they hadn’t met him. Xiangye seemed skeptical and looked to Fengxian, who also shook her head and said they hadn’t seen him. Xiangye sighed regretfully, but her eyes soon lit up with new curiosity. "He spoke with the refined accent of the capital—he must be a nobleman. Zhenzhen, let me describe him to you, and you tell me how you know him and why he came looking for you..."
Zhenzhen, exasperated, used the excuse of needing quiet to prepare for the competition and pulled Fengxian into the bedroom, shutting the door on Xiangye, who was still trailing behind with questions.
Once alone in the room, Fengxian couldn’t help but ask about how Zhenzhen had met Zhao Ai. Zhenzhen recounted everything from witnessing him playing water polo to investigating the fake venison shop, including Qiu Niang’s assessment of him as a frivolous nobleman. However, she omitted the palm-reading, riding together on horseback, and Zhao Ai’s intimate remarks toward her.
"The Second Great King helped you shut down the fake venison shop—that was a good deed. Why are you so cold toward him?" Fengxian asked, puzzled.
"Because... he doesn’t seem like a gentleman," Zhenzhen replied after a moment of thought. Zhao Ai had created opportunities for physical contact with her several times, whether intentionally or not, which made her uncomfortable. As a young woman, she couldn’t bring herself to say this outright, so she could only express it indirectly.
When Fengxian had arrived earlier, Zhenzhen had already broken free from Zhao Ai’s embrace, so Fengxian hadn’t witnessed him holding Zhenzhen. She had only heard a bit of their conversation and assumed Zhenzhen disliked Zhao Ai’s lack of respectful speech. "We live in this small place," Fengxian said. "Most of the men we’ve seen since childhood are peddlers, laborers, or pleasure-seekers. How many gentlemen can there be? If he doesn’t seem like a gentleman, then hardly anyone else does either."Zhenzhen immediately retorted, "Gentlemen certainly do exist..."
Fengxian quickly understood her implication and couldn't help but smile. "Ah, right, your Mr. Wenqiao is indeed a gentleman."
Yes, yes. Teacher Lin's heart is like the Bodhi tree, his body a clear mirror stand. His demeanor is dignified, often serene and composed, untouched by even a speck of dust. He is a gentleman who remains calm and self-possessed, utterly unlike the common men of this world who are easily swayed by appearances. Even that brief moment of affection on their last night together was likely due to her initial ignorant and impolite touch...
Thinking of Lin Hong, it felt as if a honey-coated blade gently swept across Zhenzhen's heart. After the sweetness came a chill, followed by a faint, lingering ache.
In the room, a vase held several branches of crabapple blossoms, which Xiangye had cut from the flowering tree in the courtyard. They were casually arranged in the vase, without much adornment. Zhenzhen took out one straight branch, held it evenly with both hands, and brought it to a fist's distance from her abdomen. Closing her eyes, she imagined Lin Hong shaping the flower branches and began to bend it with force.
Seeing that Zhenzhen did not continue the topic about Lin Hong, Fengxian worried she might ask about how she and Zhao Ai had met. She prepared a lighthearted account in her mind, but Zhenzhen did not seem as interested in such private matters as Xiangye was and never asked Fengxian. The room suddenly fell quiet between the two young women, with only the faint "crack" sounds accompanying Zhenzhen's slight opening and closing gestures.
When Zhenzhen's hands relaxed again, the once-straight branch had taken on the curve of a bowstring. As if fully absorbed in flower arranging, she placed the reshaped branch back into the vase, adjusted the positions of the other branches to create an elegant arrangement, and then sighed under Fengxian's scrutinizing gaze, saying wistfully, "I miss Teacher Lin very much."
(To be continued)
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