Maternal grandparents’ home?
Feng Wenyu was momentarily stunned before understanding her mother’s implication.
Regardless of how one looked at it, she had just called off her engagement. There would inevitably be some gossip in Jingcheng. While such talk might not be hurtful, it would still cause discomfort.
Especially since she resided in the capital, social interactions were unavoidable, and she would inevitably face various judgmental gazes.
Although Feng Wenyu believed she could endure it, there was truly no need to subject herself to such treatment.
She wasn’t foolish enough to willingly seek out suffering.
It was better to avoid the spotlight during this period.
Her maternal grandparents lived far away in Guangling. The round trip alone would take two to three months. Adding the time she would spend at their home, by the time she returned to Jingcheng, the matter of her broken engagement would long have been overshadowed by newer events.
Moreover, Zhou Yueyu had another plan:
“Your cousin is currently at home preparing for the imperial examinations as well.”
Every year, countless scholars participated in the imperial exams, but few passed on their first attempt. Most ended up failing.
Although her cousin from the Zhou family hadn’t failed, after passing the Provincial Examination, he felt he still had shortcomings. He had spent three years traveling and studying before returning home. Now, he was at the Zhou residence, preparing for next year’s metropolitan examination.
Feng Wenyu immediately felt overwhelmed. Her cheeks flushed with anxiety:
“Mother, please don’t do anything rash.”
She desperately hoped her mother wouldn’t try to play matchmaker.
She didn’t like her Zhou cousin—she never had from the start, and that would never change.
If her mother conveyed such intentions to the Zhou family and she later refused, it would inevitably create tension between the two families.
It was better to prevent such a situation from arising in the first place.
Zhou Yueyu patted her head, exasperated: “You always have your own ideas. Hasn’t your cousin always treated you well?”
Feng Wenyu blinked but didn’t deny it:
“He treats me well, yes, but I only see him as a cousin. That will never change.”
Zhou Yueyu felt a pang of frustration, but she didn’t force the issue. Marriage was a lifelong commitment, and she couldn’t possibly pressure Feng Wenyu into it, lest she create an unhappy couple and cause a rift between the Zhou and Feng families.
Moreover, Zhou Yueyu sighed imperceptibly.
Although Feng Wenyu appeared unaffected on the surface, Zhou Yueyu didn’t believe her daughter had truly moved past the broken engagement.
Fine, she thought, let this trip serve as a chance for her to relax.
Feng Wenyu didn’t refuse the visit to her maternal grandparents’ home. Coincidentally, she could use it as an excuse to prevent her elder sister from worrying about her.
“When should I depart?”
Zhou Yueyu glared at her: “What’s the hurry? Your second brother will accompany you.”
Feng Wenyu’s face fell again:
“Huh?”
“Isn’t Second Brother also preparing for the exams?”
Zhou Yueyu shook her head: “How could I let a young lady like you travel alone? I wouldn’t rest easy.”
Feng Wenyu inwardly grumbled—she would be bringing maids and guards, so how was that traveling alone? But she knew her mother wouldn’t budge.
“Your second brother needs to return to Guangling for the Provincial Examination anyway. This way, he can travel with you and study with your cousin.”
The Provincial Examination required candidates to return to their ancestral hometowns, and the Feng family wasn’t originally from Jingcheng.
Hearing this, Feng Wenyu had no choice but to concede.
Preparing for the trip to Yangzhou wasn’t something that could be done overnight. It required months of packing and preparing gifts for her maternal grandparents’ family. After all, she would be staying with them for a while—it wouldn’t be proper to arrive empty-handed.
While Zhou Yueyu busied herself with the preparations, Feng Wenyu received a letter from Jiang Zhilan, who expressed her intention to visit her at the residence.
The next day, when Jiang Zhilan arrived at the Feng residence and entered Mingxin Xuan, she saw Jinshu and Shuyao busy packing trunks and boxes.
Jiang Zhilan froze in surprise and asked curiously, “Where are you preparing to go?”
Feng Wenyu told the truth but reversed the order of events:
“Second Brother is returning to Yangzhou to prepare for the imperial examinations. Mother asked me to accompany him back, and I thought it would be a good chance to relax a bit.”
At the mention of “relaxing,” Jiang Zhilan immediately fell silent.
She knew exactly why Feng Wenyu needed to get away. When it came down to it, it was all Gu Yushi’s fault.
During the Qiao family visit, she had sensed something weighing on Feng Wenyu’s mind, but Jiang Zhilan never imagined things would escalate to the point of calling off the engagement.
Frowning, Jiang Zhilan expressed her disapproval of Gu Yushi:
“What was he thinking? No matter how dangerous the Imperial Envoy’s mission might be, it shouldn’t have led to breaking off the engagement.”
Feng Wenyu’s expression turned peculiar, as if she wanted to say something but held back.
Did Sister Jiang really believe that excuse?
Mentioning Gu Yushi stirred up mixed emotions in Feng Wenyu—annoyance and an indescribable ache, compounded by that dream which left her feeling unsettled. She pursed her lips and said, “Why bring him up?”
Seeing her reluctance to discuss Gu Yushi, Jiang Zhilan lightly tapped her own mouth in regret:
“My apologies, let’s not talk about him anymore.”
Feng Wenyu paused, genuinely feeling troubled.
This matter had nothing to do with Sister Jiang. Sister Jiang, out of kindness, had specially come to visit her, yet now she had to tread carefully, weighing every word she spoke.
Forcing a smile, Feng Wenyu changed the subject: “What about you, Sister Jiang? I heard Auntie has been quite worried about you lately.”
It was, of course, still about Jiang Zhilan’s marriage prospects.
Jiang Zhilan’s expression fell slightly. She had started to develop some resistance to the matchmaking process:
“Mother is full of regrets now.”
Suppressing her own emotions, Feng Wenyu feigned curiosity.
Jiang Zhilan pressed her lips together: “She says she should have started arranging matches for me earlier. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be like this now—all the good ones have been taken.”
Her parents doted on her, so even when discussing marriage prospects, they hadn’t planned to marry her off within a year or two.
But since she hadn’t found anyone suitable after so long, her mother had grown anxious and regretful, even suspecting she might have delayed things unnecessarily.
Jiang Zhilan felt helpless about it and could only take the matchmaking process seriously. She no longer had the energy to be picky, just hoping to set her mother’s mind at ease soon.
Especially after what happened to Feng Wenyu.
Seeing how considerate Gu Yushi had been toward Feng Wenyu before, yet it still ended with the broken engagement…
It showed that people could change.
No matter how perfect someone seemed now, who knew what they might become years later?
As long as her father and brothers remained influential, her future husband’s family wouldn’t dare treat her poorly.
Feng Wenyu knew nothing about these matters and didn’t dare offer careless advice. Hesitantly, she said, “Father and Mother always say that character is the most important quality when choosing a husband. I think they’re right.”
Jiang Zhilan smiled. She didn’t want Feng Wenyu worrying about her at a time like this. Shaking her head, she said:
“Alright, don’t trouble yourself over me. By the time you return to Jingcheng, I might already be engaged.”
Feng Wenyu fell silent, knowing full well that Jiang Zhilan might be right.
Jiang Zhilan patted her hand: “So you must come back soon.”
Don’t linger in these gloomy feelings—forget all that unpleasant business quickly.
Feng Wenyu caught her underlying meaning and burst into laughter: “Alright, alright, I’ll definitely return early to thoroughly vet your future husband for you, sister.”
Jiang Zhilan flushed red and made a show of raising her fist to hit her:
“Only you have such a glib tongue.”
Three days later.
Feng Wenyu was fully prepared. Instead of taking the water route, she planned to travel south all the way to Yangzhou.
In front of the Feng residence, Feng Wenxu frowned deeply. He couldn’t say he approved of Feng Wenyu’s trip to Yangzhou, but in this matter he had no right to voice opposition. He could only instruct Feng Wenzhou:
“The journey is long. You must take good care of A-Yu.”
Feng Wenzhou was young, his adolescent frame slender as he stood by the gate in a blue gown. Hearing this, he nodded earnestly: “Don’t worry, eldest brother.”
Seeing him like this, Feng Wenxu couldn’t feel reassured at all.
Feng Wenyu exchanged a glance with her eldest brother and shrugged innocently – their mother insisted that Second Brother accompany her, there was nothing she could do about it.
Feng Wenyu didn’t understand how, though she and Feng Wenzhou were twins, they weren’t similar in the slightest. She had no idea how Feng Wenzhou had developed such a rigid, old-fashioned temperament.
The Feng family had few descendants in this generation, so regardless of gender, all were given the “Wen” generation name.
Feng Wenyu tugged at Feng Wenzhou and said to Feng Wenxu: “Don’t worry, eldest brother. I’ll take good care of Second Brother and make sure he doesn’t get lost.”
Could they really rely on her bookworm of a brother?
Feng Wenzhou looked bewildered at Feng Wenyu, seeming like he wanted to refute something, but after being glared at by Feng Wenyu, he puffed up with indignation and stayed silent.
Feng Wenxu massaged his forehead, ultimately choosing to give instructions to Feng Wenyu: “I’ve hired escorts to accompany you on this journey. The road is long, and there may be bandits about. When traveling far from home, you must be cautious above all.”
Seeing this, Feng Wenzhou grew even more dejected.
Only after they had boarded the carriage and the party set off did Feng Wenyu hear his muttering:
“I’m the elder brother. I should be the one taking care of you.”
Feng Wenyu nodded perfunctorily: “Yes, yes, Second Brother is right.”
Feng Wenzhou fumed, turned his head away, and refused to speak to her.
Not until the carriage had left Jingcheng, when the bustling noises outside gradually faded, did Feng Wenyu finally give in to temptation and lift the brocade curtain to look outside.
The city gate grew increasingly distant until it finally disappeared from view.
Feng Wenyu seemed somewhat lost in thought.
Truth be told, she had never traveled far alone. After all, she had just come of age and wasn’t yet seventeen. No matter how carefree she appeared at home, it was only to set her family’s minds at ease.
Sensing the quiet in the carriage, Feng Wenzhou looked up and saw his younger sister’s distant expression. His grip on the book tightened, and he suddenly lost interest in reading.
He didn’t like Gu Yushi.
Hadn’t liked him from the start, and now liked him even less.
Before it was because he wanted to take his younger sister away, now it was because he had abandoned her – the latter being even more detestable.
Feng Wenzhou said quietly: “Don’t waste your feelings on someone unworthy.”
Feng Wenyu snapped back to reality. She blinked and resumed her carefree expression, saying with a laugh:
“I don’t care about him at all.”
Feng Wenzhou glanced at her but said nothing, thinking she had confessed without being pressed.
Not wanting him to worry, Feng Wenyu deliberately teased: “Bookworm, aren’t you going to read?”
Feng Wenzhou frowned, quite displeased:
“Don’t call me bookworm.”
Feng Wenyu immediately put on an act of fake crying: “You know I’m upset right now, yet you still bully me.”
Feng Wenzhou was flummoxed. Seeing that his younger sister seemed genuinely about to cry, he grew so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead.
“When did I ever bully you? Stop crying. If you want to call me names, go ahead. I won’t argue back.”
Feng Wenyu blinked, sniffed, and suddenly said, “Then call me ‘big sister.'”
Feng Wenzhou’s eyes widened, realizing she was teasing him on purpose. He immediately turned away.
“You can keep crying then.”
Since she still had the energy to tease him, it was clear she was fine.
Seeing him turn his back and no longer look at her, the mischievous smile on Feng Wenyu’s lips gradually faded. She turned her head to gaze at the scenery outside the carriage, falling into an inexplicable silence.