“A little bride?” Zhao Si could not help but offer a bitter chuckle at Yun Qing’s words. Indeed, although a snow-white, soft, and fragrant goddess draped in scent was currently reclining against her, the realization that she herself was a woman had instantly snuffed out the romantic notions that had sprouted in her heart during their initial meeting beneath the palanquin let alone any thoughts of that distant wife in Taohuawu.
Reflecting on the very first task upon leaving this palanquin which would likely involve heading to the village head to ask him to help her call off the marriage in Taohuawu Zhao Si shook her head lightly and said sheepishly to Yun Qing, “Young sister, please don’t make fun of me.”
“How is that making fun?”
“Since we are both women, how can there be another wife?”
“Why ever not?” Yun Qing pressed close to Zhao Si’s ear, one hand toying with Zhao Si’s fingers while the other stroked the strands of dark hair scattered by Zhao Si’s ear, speaking lazily, “If the young master is worried that the little bride will mind your physical condition, you might as well marry Yun Qing instead. The moment Yun Qing laid eyes on the young master, she felt a deep admiration.”
“Is that so? Is it my poverty you admire, my ugliness, or perhaps my lame leg?” Assuming Yun Qing was merely indulging in the capricious temperament of an aristocratic young lady, Zhao Si raised an eyebrow and retorted with a smile.
Yun Qing paused at the question, then cupped Zhao Si’s face, forcing their eyes to meet.
“Do you know who I am?” A gravity settled into the depths of Yun Qing’s eyes.
“Yun Qing.” Zhao Si answered straightforwardly, giving it no further thought.
“Then do you know who you are?” Yun Qing changed the phrasing of her question.
“Zhao Si.”
“And who is Zhao Si?”
“Zhao Si is a rustic village fellow, a pauper at the head of the village,” Zhao Si provided the details she currently knew.
“Then what about Yun Qing?”
“Yun Qing. Yun Qing is a beauty whose allure scatters the flowing clouds and tilts the jade mountain.” Unable to restrain herself, Zhao Si raised a hand intending to stroke Yun Qing’s face, only to pull her hand back just before making contact, saying with a look of shame, “I was presumptuous.”
“Presumptuous?” Seeing this, Yun Qing covered her mouth and let out a soft, giggling laugh. Once she finished, she tapped Zhao Si’s brow with the tip of her finger and chided playfully, “You, Zhao Si, call me a beauty capable of scattering the flowing clouds and tilting the jade mountain, yet you say it was presumptuous. Are you mocking my appearance for being beautiful, yes, but far too dignified to capture your affections? Or perhaps, having lived this long, you have truly never heard of my name? Or yet again are you completely captivated by my looks, and thus pretending not to recognize me while spouting a random name to fool me?”
“Everything Zhao Si has said comes straight from the heart; I simply do not know where young sister’s words are coming from?”
“That is naturally because the name Zhao Si is far too ordinary. So ordinary that one might reasonably surmise your ancestral hall ought to have three older brothers. Yet judging by your words and actions, you seem to possess none of those.”
“Speaking of that, it truly is a shame.” Zhao Si figured that an aristocratic woman like Yun Qing would certainly not scheme against her, and thus laid out everything she knew: “When I woke up yesterday morning, my past was entirely forgotten, and I only remembered that I still had a wife in Taohuawu waiting to be welcomed. But after my encounter with you, young sister, I now realize there must be some mistake regarding that place in Taohuawu. Truly, I have misplaced my trust.”
“How can you call it misplaced trust? Do you regret the loss of a virtuous wife? Or do you regret that your heart’s anticipation for this marriage has come to nothing?”
Yun Qing asked with such tender care that Zhao Si, seeing the growing warmth in those eyes, shook her head with a faint, unpretentious smile. “It is not like that. It is simply that when I awoke, I knew neither whence I came nor whither I was going. And that bride in Taohuawu felt like my destined path, the very anchor upon which I intended to pin the start of my journey.”
“Who would have thought that within a mere few hours, it would all vanish like a reflection in the water and a mirage in the moon.” Amidst her words, a trace of desolation unconsciously crept into Zhao Si’s eyes.
Yet Yun Qing brushed her lips against the corner of Zhao Si’s mouth, chuckling, “What a remarkable Zhao Si, actually attempting to anchor your origins by searching for a wife. It is a pity that you look so pleasing when you smile, making it utterly impossible for me, Yun Qing, to let you go. I was born willful, and whatever I desire, I never let go of. So, little young master Zhao, you had best follow me.”
“If I follow you, young sister, am I to sweep the courtyards at your manor? Or perhaps serve as a gate guard?” Zhao Si opened her eyes wide, letting slip the yearning she felt for following Yun Qing. Indeed, although Yun Qing was merely a woman, even a glance at her attire and provisions showed she far surpassed the village head many times over.
“What is this? Is a young master’s ambition merely to serve as a menial servant by Yun Qing’s side? Yet Yun Qing has never lacked for such people.” Once again, Yun Qing tapped the red mole between Zhao Si’s brows, her demeanor imperious and spoiled.
“Then what is young sister lacking by your side?” Zhao Si waited for Yun Qing to name her conditions.
Hooking her elbow around Zhao Si’s neck and leaning half-weight into her embrace, Yun Qing let her imagination wander as she murmured, “Yun Qing lacks a husband.”
“Lacks a husband who is utterly obedient to Yun Qing, devoted heart and soul, treasures Yun Qing like a precious jewel, and possesses a love as deep as the sea.”
“Lacks a husband who is proficient in both letters and martial arts, capable of helping Yun Qing shoulder her troubles and braving wind and rain alongside her.”
“Lacks a husband who can tolerate Yun Qing deceiving her, bullying her, wronging her, and even hurting her.”
“And finally, she lacks a husband who is thoughtful and warm, thinking of Yun Qing when walking and thinking of Yun Qing when sitting.”
As Yun Qing spoke, her voice gradually rose. By the time she reached the end, she was looking directly into Zhao Si’s eyes, speaking with soft, lingering intimacy: “Such a fine match does the young master feel that Yun Qing is worthy of him?”
“Worthy.” Zhao Si inexplicably understood the underlying meaning in Yun Qing’s words; what Yun Qing desired was simply a husband who would revolve entirely around her.
That being the case, Zhao Si solemnly said to Yun Qing, “Young sister’s appearance is extraordinary; finding such a husband should not be difficult.”
“Really?” Yun Qing refused to believe it.
“Really!” Zhao Si answered with absolute certainty.
“Then, I wonder if the young master would be willing to be such a husband?”
“What?” Zhao Si thought she had misheard.
Leaning close to Zhao Si’s shoulder, Yun Qing breathed like orchids, pressing her every word closer: “What? In the blink of an eye, is the young master going to learn from those scoundrels and utter empty deceptions to trick me?”
“I… I simply have no auspicious matchmaker.” Zhao Si’s face betrayed her difficulty.
“I will find one.” Yun Qing answered without the slightest hesitation.
“I also have no betrothal gifts.” Zhao Si suddenly remembered her dilapidated house at the head of the village where even the head of the bed leaked rain.
“I will provide them.”
“I…” Zhao Si subconsciously reached out to touch her own leg.
Yun Qing had already clasped her hand, offering a soft and tender promise, “Young master Zhao, marry me. As long as you can become my husband, then no matter how far away across the seas, I, Yun Qing, will find a skilled physician to cure your leg.”
“But…” Zhao Si was still hesitating.
Yun Qing was startled.
“Why are you still unwilling to answer me?”
“I… I…” Seeing the incomprehension in Yun Qing’s eyes expanding wider and wider, Zhao Si gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and blurted out, “I am simply worried that you might go back on your word, young sister.”
“Ah! Go back on my word? Hehehe. How could Yun Qing have ever thought of such a thing? Come to think of it, in this world, seas may run dry and rocks may crumble, and the promises of ordinary people are worth less than a single cash. Since the young master is worried that Yun Qing will regret this, then perhaps only one method will do.” Amidst her laughter and chatter, a spark of playful cunning flashed in the depths of Yun Qing’s eyes.
“What method?” Zhao Si asked, curious.
From a blind spot where Zhao Si could not see, Yun Qing instantly drew a dagger, presented it before Zhao Si, and declared with an air of unbridled daring:
“For women of ancient times who wished to prevent a husband from breaking his vow, nothing surpassed the ruin of her own maiden name and reputation from peach blossoms on the branch. If Yun Qing follows the young master, my chastity will be left with nowhere to turn. If I were to take pleasure elsewhere, I would perhaps need my appearance to aid me.”
“That being the case, young master, use this blade to carve and disfigure Yun Qing’s face.”