Xu Zhihe stepped forward with a trace of worry between her brows. Zhang Fuyong reached out to stop her. Taking a deep breath, he asked with a trembling voice, “Zhihe, your younger uncle asks you, how much do you know about this young man?”
“Which aspect is Younger Uncle asking about?” Xu Zhihe feigned ignorance.
“Still putting on an act for me.” Zhang Fuyong reached out and tapped Xu Zhihe’s head. Coughing once, he asked in a low voice, “For example, what is his name, where does his family live? How many people are in his family?”
Xu Zhihe: “So this is what Younger Uncle was worried about…”
She glanced at Chen Yundu sitting in the sunlight and spoke slowly and leisurely, “His name is Chen Yundu, from Chenjia Village in Eqiao County. Both his parents are still living. He has an older brother and an older sister above him; he is the third in line, the youngest son of the family.”
Zhang Fuyong: “…”
He looked at Xu Zhihe, who was speaking with assurance and composure, choked on his words for a moment, and asked in an unkind tone, “This is what you call ‘only met once’?”
Xu Zhihe blinked. “Younger Uncle, this is all I know… We have indeed only met once, but at that time, it wasn’t my first time seeing him.”
Zhang Fuyong reached out and rapped her on the forehead again. “You silly girl!”
Although his face showed reprimand, searching his own heart, he was not actually angry. He even felt a pang of heartache—his niece had always been completely alone in the Xu family. For her to scheme for herself like this, it was evident how many grievances she had suffered over the years.
Fortunately, she knew how to plan for herself.
Zhang Fuyong couldn’t bring himself to utter another word of reprimand. Standing behind the wall, he carefully scrutinized that young man once more.
Xu Zhihe’s eye for people was naturally not bad. The first time he saw him, even he couldn’t help but feel that although the youth was still tender and green, he already possessed an extraordinary, refined, and handsome aura. His focused and serious expression while reading suggested that passing the provincial exams to become a Juren was likely only a matter of time.
Zhang Fuyong pursed his lips, neither immediately agreeing nor immediately refusing.
He looked at Xu Zhihe and said, “…I still need to assess his character. Don’t set your heart completely on this person just yet. If he is no good, you must extricate yourself in time. In the future, your younger aunt will still be here to manage things for you.”
Xu Zhihe naturally agreed, looking at Zhang Fuyong with a beaming smile. “Zhihe will listen to Younger Uncle in everything. I will interact with him first and not be stubborn… We will only consider anything else when Younger Uncle and Younger Aunt nod in agreement.”
Zhang Fuyong breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s more like it!”
He silently recited it twice, memorizing the name “Chen Yundu” in his heart.
As he recited it, he suddenly felt that this name was chosen with quite a high level of literary skill; it didn’t sound like the name of an ordinary farmer’s son.
…
Zhang Fuyong said, “As for Magistrate Xu, as long as I do not relent, he likely won’t look for a husband’s family for you in the short term. Pay attention to your own boundaries. If he is unwilling, absolutely do not force him.”
Although in his heart he felt his niece was delicate, beautiful, spoke generously, and was sensible and obedient… scratch that last one for now, how could anyone not like her?
But he also knew that as Xu Zhihe’s uncle, he naturally saw the best in her everywhere—what he thought was good didn’t mean others would think it was good… Well, if they didn’t, it meant that person was as blind as a bat!
Xu Zhihe had no idea of the myriad twists and turns in Zhang Fuyong’s mind. She blinked and smiled, “Zhihe thanks Younger Uncle for his help!”
Zhang Fuyong waved his hand.
The person had been seen, the words had been laid bare, and with the matter lifted from her heart, Xu Zhihe felt as if even the sunlight overhead had grown warmer and more endearing.
Zhang Fuyong still had to go to the ferry crossing to catch a boat back to Shuiyang County. Having seen what the person looked like, memorized his name, and learned where he lived, he prepared to leave.
He turned around, but Xu Zhihe didn’t move an inch. He voiced a reminder: “Zhihe, we have seen the person. It’s time for us to go.”
Xu Zhihe: “That is true. Younger Uncle still has a boat to catch. Zhihe will stay here to wish Younger Uncle smooth sailing on your return journey.”
Zhang Fuyong paused sluggishly for a second before realizing, “Are you not going back?”
Xu Zhihe lowered her head to smooth out her skirts. The northern wind had blown in gusts all the way here, and she didn’t know if it had messed up the hairstyle Fang Li had done for her.
Hearing Zhang Fuyong’s question, Xu Zhihe shook her head. Her gaze was crystal clear, and her tone innocent. “No, I am not going back. I… have an appointment with him.”
Zhang Fuyong: “???”
He was just preparing to ask for details when he saw Xu Zhihe fly out like a fluttering butterfly, alighting beside the young man.
He stared at the two of them in disbelief, then turned his head to look at Fang Li. “Ah? Ah?!”
Fang Li curtsied to him. “Young Master Zhang, do not worry. The Miss and Young Master Chen agreed to return a book today.”
She deliberately emphasized the words “return a book.”
Although Young Master Chen and her Miss’s first meeting was indeed orchestrated by Xu Zhihe, their conversation and behavior had never overstepped the bounds of propriety.
It was merely returning a book…
Having clearly explained on behalf of her Miss, Fang Li also trotted after Xu Zhihe.
Zhang Fuyong’s heart calmed down significantly. Pacing back and forth a couple of steps at the base of the wall, he offered a silent apology to the Sages in his heart, and couldn’t resist peeking at the two of them.
The moment Chen Yundu raised his head, the pleasant surprise and tenderness in his eyes nearly overflowed. The corners of his mouth naturally curved upward, as if, aside from Xu Zhihe, everything else in the world had become silent and colorless.
Xu Zhihe’s eyes curved in a radiant smile. The green-lotus silk flower on her head perfectly complemented her bluish-purple dress today.
—A perfectly matched pair of youths, truly a feast for the eyes.
Sensing a shadow cast in front of him, Chen Yundu immediately raised his head. After clearly seeing Xu Zhihe’s face, his breath hitched uncontrollably.
Having not seen her for ten days, he only felt the young miss had grown even more beautiful—the clothes on her body were elegant and graceful, her skin was like creamy jade, and her eyes held the brilliance of the Milky Way, rippling with light.
It was as if looking for even a second longer would cause him to drown in the autumn waters of her eyes.
She was smiling at him.
Coming to this realization, a stormy sea surged in Chen Yundu’s heart. Steam rose and transformed into a spring rain preceding a clap of thunder.
Spring bamboo shoots sprouted in the drizzle.
Xu Zhihe did not possess mind-reading abilities, so she naturally couldn’t guess Chen Yundu’s thoughts.
However, just from the momentary lapse of focus in his eyes, Xu Zhihe could already conclude that she must hold a certain level of attraction for Chen Yundu… right?
She maintained a gentle smile on her face. “Last time we forgot to agree on a specific time. Young Master hasn’t been waiting long, has he?”
The tips of Chen Yundu’s ears flushed a faint red, but his face remained fairly composed as he replied, “Not at all. I only just arrived.”
The smile on Xu Zhihe’s face deepened a little.
She had been talking with her younger uncle for so long; naturally, she knew exactly how much time Chen Yundu had spent waiting at the entrance of the bookstore.
But Chen Yundu was being considerate, and she naturally wouldn’t take the initiative to expose his lie.
Her gaze shifted, landing on the books he held in his arms.
Chen Yundu noticed her gaze and voluntarily explained, “These, besides the book by Vice Councilor Fan, are some similar ones. If Miss likes them, you are very welcome to take them back to flip through.”
As he spoke, he looked at her again with some uncertainty.
To his shame, the two of them had only met once, and he couldn’t even say he understood Xu Zhihe’s hobbies particularly well… Bringing these books from home was merely because…
He imperceptibly raised his eyes to look at the girl before him, a wave of softness rising in his heart.
It was because he still wanted to meet her again.
But now that he had truly seen her, he felt somewhat uneasy… He wondered if the young miss would like the books he had selected.
Xu Zhihe reached out to take the books Chen Yundu handed her. Placed right on top was, of course, that combined edition of the Memorial to Yueyang Tower and the Pavilion of the Old Drunkard. She flipped down slightly and saw Yan Shu’s Huanxi Sha, as well as a collection of essays from the state-supported scholars of the second year of the Qingli era, which included one by the double-board Jinshi, Wang Anshi…
She couldn’t help but smile in her heart. Chen Yundu was truly… straightforward and endearing.
If someone didn’t know better, they would think she was preparing to take the imperial examinations for an official rank as well.
But this was Yan Shu and Wang Anshi! Both were resounding, major historical figures in later generations. Yan Shu could write essays at age seven and was summoned to take the imperial exams as a child prodigy at age fourteen, being bestowed a title equivalent to Jinshi. Wang Anshi became a Jinshi at age twenty-one; his writing was seasoned and experienced, incisively critiquing the ills of the time…
To be able to personally experience the Northern Song Dynasty—one of the most culturally brilliant eras in the long span of history—Xu Zhihe felt deeply honored to be a part of it.
Chen Yundu, seeing her smile, grew even more uneasy in his heart.
Hugging the books, Xu Zhihe raised her eyes and looked at him with a smile. “Thank you, Young Master. I like them very much.”
The young miss liked them.
Chen Yundu imperceptibly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart and quietly noted down a second point: The young miss likes to read.
The first point was: The young miss likes sleeping in.
After thinking this, he felt his conclusion was too arbitrary and hasty. He quietly added three more words after that line in his mind: To be supplemented.
After this brief exchange of books, the two of them didn’t know what else to say.
Fang Li looked at the red tips of both their ears, chuckled secretly, and while neither was paying attention to her, took small steps up the stairs.
That day, it was all thanks to the bookstore clerk’s help that they managed to ask Young Master Zhang for assistance. Before, she and the Miss had been unable to get away, and aside from the silver in the box, they hadn’t been able to properly thank him afterward.
Since she had free time today, she absolutely had to express her gratitude properly.
Xu Zhihe noticed Fang Li’s departure but did not stop her. For the matter of Xianwei Wei taking a concubine, they indeed owed the clerk a proper thank you.
Once Fang Li finished expressing her thanks, she would still need to prepare some food and wine, and add two strings of cash in a red envelope… After all, making that round trip from Eqiao County to Shuiyang County—especially traveling at night—was truly not easy.
She looked at the book cover. The book was frequently flipped through by people, and its corners were already slightly worn. She couldn’t help but curve the corners of her mouth. The moment she raised her eyes, she met Chen Yundu’s gaze.
Both of them froze simultaneously, then immediately looked away at the exact same time, pretending nothing had happened.
…If I don’t say something else, the young miss will probably go back now.
Chen Yundu cheered himself on in his heart.
Although the early winter sunlight was not intense, the young miss’s skin was delicate, and she certainly shouldn’t stand in the sun for too long. His gaze swept along the long street, and seeing the waterside pavilion by the river completely empty, he took the initiative to say, “Is the Miss busy today? If you are not busy, why don’t we sit at the waterside pavilion for a while?”
Xu Zhihe: “Okay!”
She agreed extremely readily.
Chen Yundu suppressed his nervous heart, following a half-step behind Xu Zhihe.
This was a polite, yet gentle gesture. Ancient times placed great importance on a woman’s reputation. Before a man and woman were officially engaged, they could not walk shoulder to shoulder. Generally speaking, the man would mostly walk in front.
But Chen Yundu naturally allowed her to step ahead.
Xu Zhihe was in a joyful mood, sitting beneath the waterside pavilion. The pavilion had aged, and the bells hanging from the four eaves were stained with a layer of verdigris.
She placed the books beside her. Her gaze landed on Chen Yundu, then darted away quickly.
She was waiting for Chen Yundu to take the initiative and find something to say to her.
Just like he did moments ago.
T/n: The New chapter is up! Enjoy the ride and do join us on this adventure 😍🎉🎊. If you want to support me, do check my other novels on my Translator’s Page🫶. You can support the original author here. Please vote on NU here. If you’re interested, you can also buy me a Ko-Fi. Happy Reading 🤓 💅.