It was only at times like this that he showed a hint of childlike innocence…
Chu Mingse had slept sprawled out in every direction. When she groggily opened her eyes, the sun outside the window had already begun its slow descent toward the west.
She was still a bit dazed, blinking as she realized that what met her eyes was not the colorful bed canopy of her own room. Her heart gave a startled jump, and then she turned her head—only to see Pei Zhaoxue’s utterly unguarded sleeping face.
He was sleeping deeply, his long lashes like butterfly wings, his breathing soft and gentle, his brows relaxed, and his fair cheeks flushed with a tender warmth from his deep slumber.
It was only at times like this that a hint of childlike innocence surfaced on him.
His sleeping posture was so neat it looked as if he’d been framed in place. Little Chestnut’s furry head was tucked against the side of his neck, both front paws pressed against his face, snoring softly in his sleep.
Little Chestnut really was sleeping without a shred of restraint. Chu Mingse was silently “rebuking” him in her heart when she realized that her own leg was even more shamelessly pressed across Pei Zhaoxue’s leg.
Oh no! She was pressing on his wound again!
Chu Mingse quickly and gently moved her leg away, but that tiny bit of movement startled Pei Zhaoxue awake.
His thick lashes flew open like startled butterflies beating their wings, the drowsiness in his eyes vanishing in an instant. Only when he saw that it was Chu Mingse did the wariness fade from his brow.
“Awake?” he asked, his voice still carrying a trace of just-woken languor.
Chu Mingse obediently scrambled up and sat on the edge of the bed, nodding. “I woke you up. Sorry.”
“We should have been getting up anyway.” Pei Zhaoxue propped himself up into a seated position. Little Chestnut, who had been squeezed against his neck, tumbled over in a roll, his fur all ruffled and messy as he flopped flat like a pancake at the edge of the bed.
Chu Mingse hopped off the bed, scooped Little Chestnut into her arms, and looked at Pei Zhaoxue with eager, pleading eyes. “Did you sleep enough? Do you want to sleep more? There’s still a long time before dinner.”
She fired off questions one after another, and how could Pei Zhaoxue not know what she was thinking? Before she could continue asking, he turned the question back on her. “Want to go out and play?”
Chu Mingse’s eyes lit up, and she nodded happily because he had guessed her thoughts exactly.
“Go wait for me at the gate.”
Xuetuan-gege was going to go out and play with her!
Chu Mingse’s eyes brightened even more, anticipation and delight nearly spilling over. She nodded vigorously again and dashed out the door to take her position, afraid that if she were even two steps slower, he might find an opening to refuse her.
The daylight outside poured down without any obstruction, warming her and the Little Chestnut in her arms as the air carried a cozy, sun-soaked scent.
Chu Mingse scratched Little Chestnut under the chin, bouncing happily on her toes one after another, mentally planning what they should go play first.
After a rustling sound from inside the room, there came the noise of wheels gliding over the bluestone floor.
He’s coming out!
Chu Mingse quickly turned around and saw Pei Zhaoxue propelling his hand-cart toward her.
A gentle breeze lifted the hem of his plain white robes, flowing like drifting clouds unfurling. His jet-black hair was gathered up with a cat-shaped wooden hairpin, neat and refreshing. Even seated in his Plain Sedan Chair, he was every bit the handsome, unparalleled young gentleman.
Following the courtyard path outward, Pei Zhaoxue maneuvered his Plain Sedan Chair along several unusual routes—up the covered walkway, through the rockery, and across the cobblestone path.
After all, he was still just a child at heart. Having gotten a “new toy,” he couldn’t help but want to try it out everywhere.
Chu Mingse hopped and skipped along beside him, many times more excited than when she went out on her own.
Beneath the locust tree on West Lane, Lin Ergou was leading Ah Hua and a group of children in a fierce “battle.”
Under the locust tree on West Lane, Xiao Shitou, with his hair tied up in a little topknot, had been backed into a corner by Lin Ergou.
“Surrender, General Stone! You have nowhere left to run!” Lin Ergou raised the branch he was using as a spear high in the air, his face fierce with determination.
Xiao Shitou was deeply unwilling. Every single battle ended with Lin Ergou winning, and he refused to accept it!
He was about to raise his hands in defeat when his gaze suddenly drifted past Lin Ergou’s shoulder, and his face lit up with surprise. “Brother Ergou, look! It’s Sese!”
Lin Ergou whipped his head around and broke into a grin. “Sese!”
Xiao Shitou lunged forward, snatching the “spear” from his hands, and crowed with delight. “Haha! Disarmed! I win!”
“Sese!” Lin Ergou had completely forgotten about Xiao Shitou. He took off running to greet Chu Mingse, but the moment he caught sight of Pei Zhaoxue behind her, his smile faded.
“Isn’t this Young Master Pei? What brings you to…” Lin Ergou couldn’t find the word he was looking for, so he rephrased, “lower yourself to come out here?”
“You mean, condescend?” Pei Zhaoxue’s tone was as calm as if his tutor were giving him a lesson.
Lin Ergou felt utterly dwarfed by the remark, like some uneducated little ruffian, and his face flushed red with anger—though it was hard to tell against his dark skin.
“Ergou, you should call Brother Xuetuan ‘elder brother,'” Chu Mingse corrected him seriously.
Lin Ergou glanced at Pei Zhaoxue, snorted, and turned his head away.
Pei Zhaoxue said dismissively, “I don’t play elder brother to fools.”
Lin Ergou was furious. “You—!”
“Brother Pei, are you here to play with us?” Ah Hua popped her head out from behind Lin Ergou in a flash. She could call him brother—she wasn’t a fool!
“Mm-hmm!” Chu Mingse nodded emphatically and suggested, “Dragon Boat Festival is almost here—let’s play the grass-pulling game!”
Usually, they were either running wild all over the place or climbing trees and splashing in the water. Brother Xuetuan probably couldn’t join in on those, so the grass-pulling game would be better.
Xiao Shitou looked disappointed. “Aw, but I just won the battle against Brother Ergou—it’s my turn to get promoted!”
Lin Ergou snorted at Pei Zhaoxue. “We’ll do what Sese says.”
Xiao Shitou: “Fine, then.”
Pei Zhaoxue: “Literary duel or martial duel?”
At that, a group of little kids stared at him with sour faces.
Chu Mingse pouted. “No literary duel.”
Pei Zhaoxue: “…”
He had forgotten—the children here weren’t his classmates from the academy. They probably rarely read poetry.
A literary duel meant finding different plants and introducing them in rhyming couplets, with the one who found the most varieties winning. A martial duel, on the other hand, meant hooking plant stems together and pulling—whoever’s stem broke lost.
The kids of Denghua Lane knew plenty of plants, but they were hopeless at composing couplets.
Lin Ergou quickly settled it. “Martial duel, martial duel. No literary duel.”
Whoever was there, none of them had read as much as that guy. Playing a literary duel would be a guaranteed loss!
Hmph, once he found the toughest stem around, he’d show him what was what!
“Wow, Brother Xuetuan, you’re amazing!” Chu Mingse leaned in with admiration to look at the stem in Pei Zhaoxue’s hand.
Ah Hua, Xiao Shitou, and the other little ones crowded around him in a tight circle, gasping in awe.
“This one’s the true undefeated champion!”
“How come it never breaks no matter how many times you pull? Brother Pei, what’s your secret?”
Chu Mingse: “Brother Xuetuan, teach me!”
It wasn’t until Chu Mingse asked that Pei Zhaoxue finally spoke, in a calm, unhurried tone. “There are a few things to keep in mind when applying force…”
Lin Ergou stood off to the side with a dark expression, arms crossed, a pile of snapped stems scattered at his feet.
This was utterly unjust—how could he lose even at grass-pulling? Someone needed to come and exorcise this demon!
The capital, the western side gate of the Pei residence.
A maidservant glanced furtively left and right, and only when she saw no one around did she take a letter from the messenger, then slipped behind the gate.
“Isn’t that the maidservant by the lady’s side?”
On the southern wall, a boy dressed as a book boy muttered to himself.
The youth beside him, wearing a bamboo hat, lifted the thin veil covering his face, revealing a face full of childishness. He looked to be about eight or nine years old, with a spirited air and a mischievous glint in his eyes. “That woman—hasn’t she been bedridden since she sent her precious son away, refusing to see anyone? Who would be sending her a letter at a time like this?”
“Come on, let’s go check it out.” He jumped down with a thud and went after the maidservant.
The book boy, Yiqi, scrambled to jump down after him, twisting his ankle in the process but not daring to delay. He limped after him, trying to stop him. “Young master, you can’t go over there! You’re supposed to be lying in bed with serious injuries right now. Sneaking out to play was already a huge risk—how can you go running off to the lady’s courtyard? What if someone sees you and tells the master? How will we explain that?”
Pei Jiaping irritably shoved aside Yiqi’s hand blocking his way. “Can’t we just be careful? Besides, my mother is there. As long as my mother is there, my father won’t dare hit me!”
He stared at the maidservant’s figure with malicious intent, speaking in a tone of someone enjoying the drama. “I bet this letter has something to do with my dear big brother! That woman must have hidden him somewhere. I need to find out for Mother.”
Hmph, so-called “genius of the Pei family,” so-called “young master of a prestigious house”—hadn’t they been driven out in disgrace by him and his mother? How dare he bully his mother, call her a low-born illegitimate daughter? Did he think that getting hurt and hiding somewhere no one knew about would make it all go away? He wouldn’t let Pei Zhaoxue have his way!
Author’s note:
None.