Ever since learning that Lan Tingzhou was to change academies, Lan’s mother had urged the two of them to set off for Dànzhōu Fǔ as soon as possible.
Lan Tingzhou was thinking of the people he needed to visit, while Gan Cai’er was preoccupied with visiting embroidery workshops.
Thus, the two of them packed their trunks early, hitched the carriage, brought along their servants, and embarked on the road to Dànzhōu Fǔ, beginning a new life.
In their previous life, Lan Tingzhou had never left Qingshui Town before passing the imperial examination, and naturally, Gan Cai’er had never lived in Dànzhōu Fǔ either.
This journey would be an experience entirely different from their past life, leaving Gan Cai’er both anxious and excited.
Anxious because the road ahead was entirely unknown.
Excited because this very unknown meant that everything from their past life could be corrected.
When Lan Tingzhou visited with generous gifts, he discovered that the seemingly obscure “Listening Wind Recluse” on Lu Yu’s list was actually Xu Nanshi, a renowned prose master of the era, while “Leaning Pine Elder” was none other than Wei Buzhen, a legendary master of painting!
Lan Tingzhou greatly pleased Wei Buzhen. The two hit it off immediately, conversing congenially, feeling as though they had met far too late in life.
Upon learning that Lan Tingzhou wished to study at Lùmíng Shūyuàn, Wei Buzhen said nothing more and immediately led him there.
Hearing of Wei Buzhen’s visit, the headmaster of Lùmíng Shūyuàn, former Taifu Ouyang Shu, personally came out to greet them at the academy gates.
With Wei Buzhen’s recommendation, Lan Tingzhou naturally received considerable attention from Lùmíng Shūyuàn. Moreover, his achievement of securing first place twice within a year had long been widely circulated among the major academies.
Whether a student had potential could often be discerned at a glance by experienced elders.
From the moment Lan Tingzhou stepped through the academy gates, the teachers were all eager—a promising seedling had arrived.
After two rounds of written exams and one round of debate on the classics, Lan Tingzhou successfully secured admission to Lùmíng Shūyuàn.
Three days later, he could begin his studies.
On the question of whether to board at the academy, Gan Cai’er and Lan Tingzhou found themselves in serious disagreement.
“You don’t want to board?!”
“You want me to board?”
Lùmíng Shūyuàn was located on the southern foothills of Cuiyun Peak, covering an extensive area. To facilitate focused study, the academy had dormitories where students could reside during their studies, returning home only once every month or two.
Gan Cai’er had assumed Lan Tingzhou would choose to board without hesitation.
After all, he usually cherished peace and quiet and avoided her whenever possible, finding her presence bothersome except on the first and fifteenth days of the month. If he lived at the academy, he could completely escape her disturbances—shouldn’t he have chosen without a second thought?
Lan Tingzhou, on the other hand, had expected Gan Cai’er to cling stubbornly and prevent him from boarding.
Given how attached she was to him—as if she wished to stick to him every hour of the day—how could she possibly allow him to be away from her sight for one or two months?
The two stared at each other in astonishment for a long moment before suddenly realizing that what the other said was actually true!
“Do you really want me to board?” Lan Tingzhou asked again.
“Classes at the academy start at dawn. Living there saves you from traveling back and forth, allows for better rest, and lets you interact more with the teachers.”
Gan Cai’er counted on her fingers, explaining logically.
Lan Tingzhou’s gaze grew profound, tinged with a hint of scrutiny.
He simply watched Gan Cai’er quietly.
Gan Cai’er grew uneasy under his stare, her heart fluttering. Some thoughts slipped out without passing through her mind.
“There are no women at the academy, so my husband can focus on his studies in peace!”
Sure enough, this was the real Gan Cai’er.
Lan Tingzhou’s lips curved slightly upward, his gaze softening.
“We’ve just arrived in Dànzhōu Fǔ and are unfamiliar with the place. I wouldn’t feel at ease leaving you alone here.”
“Before coming to Dànzhōu Fǔ, Mother specifically reminded me not to disturb your studies.”
Lan Tingzhou glanced sideways at her, his tone cool. “Since when have you been so obedient to Mother’s words?”
Gan Cai’er twisted her handkerchief, glared at him fiercely, then turned and went inside.
In the end, Lan Tingzhou still took Mo Yan and went to live and study at the Academy. Gan Cai’er rented a small courtyard at the foot of Cuiyun Peak, bought a few rough-handed maids and a cook, and settled in. Lan Tingzhou, worried about Gan Cai’er, would return to check on her every few days.
“Miss, now that we’re finally free from the old madam’s control, why did you insist on sending Gu Ye to live at the Academy? You’ve only been married for a little over a year—what new bride drives her husband away?” Xiao Hong grumbled.
“If he studies well at the Academy, I can become an official’s wife sooner,” Gan Cai’er replied with a smile, her answer perfunctory.
In truth, Gan Cai’er was truly afraid.
She feared that spending too much time with Lan Tingzhou would slowly rekindle her lifeless heart, only to end in disappointment and humiliation once again.
That feeling of exhaustion and pain—pouring all her energy into chasing and pleading, only to end up empty-handed—she never wanted to experience it again.
No matter how good Lan Tingzhou was, he was not hers.
When it came to matters of the heart, she refused to involve herself even a little.
“Gu Ye has already taken first place in two examinations, and now he’s entered the best academy in Danzhou. If Miss wants to become an official’s wife, isn’t that as easy as reaching out and taking it?”
In Xiao Hong’s eyes, her Gu Ye was perfect in every way—simply the best in the world. And indeed, Lan Tingzhou later did become the best in the world.
Gan Cai’er smiled without responding, her fingers splitting threads and twisting silk as she began embroidering a pouch under the lamplight.
“Huh, Miss, why is the boat floating on clouds in your embroidery?” Xiao Hong leaned over to look, her expression puzzled.
Gan Cai’er froze, lowering her head to look at the needlework in her hands.
On the dark blue pouch in her hands, a solitary boat floated atop clusters of white clouds.
For a moment, Gan Cai’er was lost in thought, her mind pulled back to her previous life.
A solitary boat on clouds—this was the pattern she often used for Lan Tingzhou’s embroidered items after returning to Lan Fu in her past life.
The boat was Lan Tingzhou, and the clouds were Shen Yunxi.
In her past life, when she was framed by Mei Wanyin and driven out of Weiguo Duke’s Mansion, she was penniless, covered in injuries and illnesses, holding her three-month-old daughter Meng Fu. Mother and daughter nearly died together in an abandoned temple.
It was Shen Yunxi, passing by, who saved them and brought them back to Lan Fu.
Thus, Gan Cai’er married Lan Tingzhou for the second time, becoming his concubine. This way, she and her daughter finally had a place to stay.
After returning to Lan Fu, every time she made small items for Lan Tingzhou, she would embroider the “solitary boat on clouds.” She sincerely wished for Lan Tingzhou and Shen Yunxi to be safe, smooth-sailing, and happy.
She remembered that before her death in her past life, she had been embroidering just such a pouch.
She had intended to give it to Lan Tingzhou as a New Year’s gift. But the weather was too cold at the time, freezing her hands and feet stiff. After several days of embroidery, she still hadn’t finished it.
Gan Cai’er clutched the pouch in her hand, her heart tightening.
She had merely been idle and wanted to practice her skills and regain her feel by making a pouch. Who would have thought she would unconsciously recreate the same one from her past life?
Was this repaying a debt from her past life in this one?
That unfinished pouch from her past life eventually still ended up in Lan Tingzhou’s hands.
The blizzard in the twenty-fourth year of Jinghe made Lan Tingzhou’s right eye twitch all night long.
The next morning, he took his personal guards, carrying silver charcoal and new clothes, to Gan Cai’er’s dwelling. Yet, the house was empty.
The dilapidated wooden hut was frozen like an ice cellar, howling with the north wind, filled with a bone-chilling cold, without a trace of warmth.
Did she know he was coming, so she ran away again? Or, upon hearing that Meng Yu had returned, did she go looking for him?
Lan Tingzhou lowered his gaze, his eyes dark and profound, his lips pressed into a sharp line. The chill emanating from his entire body was colder than the icy world outside.
But when his sinister gaze swept over the sewing basket, he saw a half-finished pouch lying inside.
His heart gave a violent jolt, suddenly stirring a trace of panic.
He knew well that Gan Cai’er always saw things through to the end, never abandoning them halfway.
At that moment, he sincerely hoped she had gone to find Meng Yu.
“You shouldn’t worry too much. Perhaps Elder Sister has moved again. Send more people to inquire, and we’ll find her eventually,” Shen Yunxi’s voice was as gentle as ever.
“Her feet are her own. She can go wherever she pleases. Why should I worry about her?” Lan Tingzhou lowered his eyes, his voice cold and hard.
Shen Yunxi choked, her eyes filled with helplessness.
“It’s getting late, and the study is bitterly cold. Your health is not good, so you should return to your room and rest early. There’s no need to rush copying these classics,” Lan Tingzhou softened his tone.
Shen Yunxi sighed softly, set down her brush, rose gracefully, and withdrew from the study.
Leaving Lan Tingzhou alone, sitting solitary under the lamplight.
As she was about to leave, she glanced at the pouch Lan Tingzhou had been clutching in his hand. The craftsmanship was ordinary, hardly exquisite.
If she remembered correctly, Lan Tingzhou had another, even uglier pouch that he always carried close to his body. Torn and mended, mended and torn again, washed until it faded, yet never discarded.
Outside the study, the moonlight faded, and a sliver of dawn light emerged from the distance. Lan Tingzhou had sat there all night, clutching the unfinished pouch tightly in his hand.
He knew that his Nannan might never return.
If only he had stepped forward to stop her that day, would she have stopped running and hiding? Could he have kept her then?
Lan Tingzhou hated Gan Cai’er deeply, with a hatred that pierced to the bone. How could she, how dare she, abandon him again and again?!
As the rising sun spilled into the study, Lan Tingzhou clutched his chest and vomited a mouthful of blood.
Lan Tingzhou fell ill, burning with a high fever that would not subside.
The Imperial Physician came to Lan Fu twice a day, shaking his head and sighing.
“The cold is easy to treat, but the troubles of the heart are hard to resolve. Taifu, you must learn to let go of things. Otherwise, no amount of medicine will help.”
Lan Tingzhou closed his eyes and remained silent.
When he was finally able to leave his sickbed, his figure had grown even more gaunt, his demeanor increasingly aloof, making it difficult to discern joy or anger.
Shen Yunxi held Lan Fu’s hand, gazing from afar at Lan Tingzhou’s figure, and sighed softly. “Fu’er, one must learn to speak their heart, or they will regret it for a lifetime.”
Lan Fu blinked her big eyes, tapped her little finger on her own mouth, and said sweetly, “Mother, Fu’er has a mouth.”
Shen Yunxi smiled gently. “Yes, Fu’er has a mouth. You will surely be happy in the future.”