Fang Li lagged behind Xu Zhihe by a step. When she caught up and saw her standing in front of the bookstore, completely out of breath, she carefully handed over the pair of cotton roses she had been cupping in her hands.
By early October, there weren’t many flowers still blooming, so these cotton roses were considered the cream of the crop.
The pair of blossoms were delicate and beautiful, and Fang Li had protected it exceptionally well along the way; they didn’t have a single crease.
Xu Zhihe tilted her head and said softly, “Pin these in my hair for me.”
Fang Li nodded. Flowers shouldn’t be held for too long; holding them too long would cause them to crease.
As she helped pin them onto Xu Zhihe, she said, “Miss, you barely have any decent hair ornaments.”
Xu Zhihe’s biological mother, Concubine Zhang, had died early. Without Madam Zhang, even Magistrate Xu’s pity was gone.
Matters of the inner household fell under Madam Lü’s jurisdiction, and naturally, Madam Lü couldn’t care less about a concubine-born daughter’s hair ornaments or clothes. It just so happened that her biological second daughter had gotten married a few days ago, so all affairs in the manor had prioritized Xu Yijin’s expenses. Naturally, even fewer people paid attention to Xu Zhihe.
Aside from Madam Lü, the principal wife who managed affairs, the most favored was Concubine Yao below her. Even if Concubine Du was slightly worse off, she still had two concubine-born sons by her side. Neither of the two concubines held back, finding all sorts of ways to deduct from Xu Zhihe’s monthly allowance.
The money Xu Zhihe brought to the bookstore to buy books was all saved up through her own extreme frugality.
Unable to stand watching this, Fang Li had wanted to fight the injustice on Xu Zhihe’s behalf several times, but Xu Zhihe had stopped her every time. Even though Magistrate Xu was only a minor magistrate, he still had a household full of wives and concubines. Their petty methods of tormenting people were only more numerous than those in noble households, not less. There was no need for her to draw attention to herself right now.
She reached up and touched the freshly pinned flower on top of her head. Her previously empty hair buns suddenly became vivid—the cotton rose was low-key and unostentatious, and with these two blossoms adorning her hair, it made her look even more delicate than the flowers themselves.
Xu Zhihe walked familiarly to the back rows of the Baichuan Bookstore.
Three desks and chairs were arranged in the back row. Pear blossom incense—a type commonly found in every street and alley—was burning. Wisps of smoke rose from the incense burner, curling upward with quite a graceful and elegant charm.
She sat on the side closest to the door and casually picked up a book.
Printed inside the book were two famous essays well-known to modern people: the Record of the Pavilion of the Old Drunkard and the Memorial to Yueyang Tower.
These two essays had been published one after the other during the Qingli era, so it was perfectly normal for the bookstore owner to print them together in the same volume.
As Xu Zhihe stroked the book, she heard Fang Li beside her let out a low, soft cough.
Xu Zhihe immediately sat up straight and pretended to lower her head, reading the book earnestly.
Quiet footsteps echoed in the bookstore, followed by a young man’s clear and clean voice, “I wonder if the shop has Vice Grand Councilor Fan’s Memorial to Yueyang Tower?”
His attitude was modest and polite, making it hard not to feel a sense of goodwill toward him.
Xu Zhihe raised the book slightly higher to block half of her face. Looking through the gap beside the book, she gazed at the young man’s tall and straight figure.
“Sold out. The copy in that young lady’s hands is the last one. If you want it, go ask her,” the bookstore assistant said, pointing in Xu Zhihe’s direction.
Xu Zhihe raised her eyes at just the right moment, meeting the gaze of the young man who was looking over.
The young man before her had bright, clear eyes, as if one could see straight to the bottom at a single glance.
His long, ink-black hair was tied up with a light-colored ribbon, revealing his handsome and refined features. The grayish-blue scholar’s robe he wore was washed until it was faded, but its saving grace was that it was clean and carried the unique scent of dry autumn grass.
The first time Xu Zhihe saw him was also in this bookstore. At the time, he was copying books in exchange for money. His movements were swift and decisive, carrying an effortless ease in his youthful posture.
At an age when he would normally be a first or second-year high school student in modern times, Xu Zhihe actually saw a sense of composure in him.
The young man seemed very unaccustomed to being scrutinized so openly. A blush quickly dyed his ears, and he said softly, “Miss? I am Chen Yundu from Chenjia Village in Eqiao County. The book in your hands is very important to me. I wonder if I might borrow it to read and copy, and return it to you in three days?”
As he spoke, his eyes didn’t dare to look directly at the young woman in front of him.
Outside the window, the morning sun gradually rose, draping over her like a thin layer of silk gauze. The shoulders and hem of her dress were plated with a soft golden edge, making her look both gentle and lovely.
“This book is equally important to me, but since the young gentleman needs it, I will give it to Young Gentleman Chen first.” Deliberately controlling her voice, Xu Zhihe spoke gently and softly, “If three days is not enough, a little later is fine too.”
Watching Xu Zhihe’s fair, delicate fingers holding the book out toward him, Chen Yundu froze slightly in place.
Xu Zhihe’s gaze was gentle and open. She generously placed the book into Chen Yundu’s hands with a light chuckle, “What are you dazing out for? Take it.”
She then turned around, the patterns on her satin skirt fluttering in the light like a dancing butterfly.
A book had suddenly appeared in Chen Yundu’s arms.
As if she hadn’t noticed Chen Yundu’s gaze lingering on her, Xu Zhihe said to Fang Li beside her, “I woke up so early today. Since there are no books left, I’m going back to catch up on some sleep.”
Fang Li was secretly anxious in her heart. The young lady came to the bookstore every single time just to catch a glimpse of this peasant boy. Now that there was an actual opportunity to talk to him, why was she going back at a time like this?
Thinking this way in her heart, the words coming from her mouth became unconsciously urgent, “Miss!”
Seeing the anxiety between her brows, Xu Zhihe smiled faintly and patted Fang Li’s palm comfortingly.
As a magistrate’s concubine-born daughter, she had no care or protection from Madam Lü, and even more so, she had two concubines eagerly eyeing her on the sidelines. Her legitimate older sister’s marriage had already been arranged at the age of fourteen to the legitimate second son of the Vice Prefect of Mingzhou. She didn’t have Madam Lü to scheme on her behalf like her legitimate sister did; she could only rely on herself.
Over the past two years, both she and the principal wife’s Fourth Girl, Xu Yuyan, had come of age one after another. Even before moving to Eqiao County, many people had secretly or openly inquired about whether the daughters of the Xu family were engaged. When Madam Lü accepted their visiting cards, her words were mostly filled with praise for her own biological daughter, never mentioning Xu Zhihe at all.
While Fang Li was indignant, Xu Zhihe felt no waves of emotion in her heart.
Without expectations, there would naturally be no disappointment.
Besides, when it came to the major event of her whole life, it was better for her to choose for herself. If she was truly made to marry and live with a young master she had never met before, she would instead feel uneasy.
Xu Zhihe only confided these plans in her heart to Fang Li.
Fang Li had been arranged to stay by her side by Concubine Zhang’s older brother—her biological uncle, Zhang Fuyong—to serve her daily needs, help her wash, and dress her up. Xu Zhihe trusted her the most.
Serving was serving no matter where it was, and besides, the Miss treated her well. Fang Li was willingly staying by Xu Zhihe’s side. Originally, she had also disagreed with Xu Zhihe finding a husband on her own—an unmarried girl arranging her own marriage, what kind of proper conduct was that? If others found out, it would undoubtedly attract a lot of gossip.
Furthermore, the scholar the Miss had taken a fancy to might look decent enough, but he was, after all, a peasant boy.
Currently, he had neither official rank to rely on nor family support. If he could make a name for himself in the future, that would be fine. But if he couldn’t, the Miss would inevitably have to suffer many grievances.
Fang Li was deeply worried, but Xu Zhihe simply coaxed her, “Relax, relax. I know how to judge people.”
Pulling Fang Li along, Xu Zhihe walked over to the shop assistant. “Assistant, I’ll buy that book.”
The assistant only cared about selling books, not who paid for them. Hearing this, he immediately raised a hand to gesture a number. “One hundred and fifty copper coins.”
Xu Zhihe’s monthly allowance was only one tael of silver, but the amount she actually received each month was often only around five hundred copper coins. After Madam Lü exploited her, and the remainder went through Concubine Du and Concubine Yao, her already meager funds were made even worse.
If it weren’t for the financial subsidies from the Zhang family during festivals and holidays, Xu Zhihe’s life would be even worse than it was now.
Xu Zhihe felt a sharp ache in her heart over the money, but she didn’t show it on her face. Giving a slight nod, she turned her head to look at Fang Li.
Fang Li took a deep breath. When going out today, she had already mentally prepared herself to spend money, but she just hadn’t expected it to be so much. Seeing Xu Zhihe looking at her, she took out the money from her sleeve and placed it into the assistant’s palm. “This is one hundred and fifty copper coins. Do you want to count it?”
The assistant accepted the money and said with a smile, “Third Miss comes here often. How could I not trust Third Miss’s character?”
Chen Yundu stood stunned for a moment, then hastily chased after her, calling out softly, “Miss, please stay a moment.”
Xu Zhihe turned around just as a gust of wind blew past, lifting the loose strands of hair that had fallen beside her temples.
In the hazy light, her eyes were gentle and quiet.
Chen Yundu heard his own heartbeat pounding like a drum, thumping incessantly.
Looking at him, Xu Zhihe spoke with a light chuckle: “Is the young gentleman talking about the book? I took a fancy to this book, so naturally, I had to buy it. Once you finish copying it, just return it to me.”
She had silently practiced this line in her head several times. When she said it out loud, she blinked her eyes, looking both lively and delicate.
Chen Yundu: “Since the Miss likes this book, I naturally wouldn’t seize what someone else loves. I only wished to ask, when the time comes, how should I return it to you?”
Xu Zhihe tilted her head in thought. “Then ten days from now. In ten days’ time, also here at the Baichuan Bookstore—will you return the book to me then?”
Chen Yundu silently repeated “ten days from now at the Baichuan Bookstore” twice in his head, then nodded at her. “Many thanks, Miss.”
Seeing the young man break into a smile, the breath held in Fang Li’s chest eased quite a bit. Although what the Miss was doing was a bit absurd, the scholar’s appearance was truly upright and his temperament clean.
In this Eqiao County, he could be considered one of the very best.
Xu Zhihe gently lowered her eyes, a trace of sly amusement flashing through them.
Having arranged their next meeting, Xu Zhihe felt quite delighted in her heart. Reaching up, she removed the cotton rose pinned in her hair, lightly tapping it against her hand off and on.
The two of them didn’t take the small path they had come on to return. Instead, taking advantage of the early daylight, they took a proper stroll through the marketplace.
The goods at the marketplace were diverse and varied, including tea leaves, dried flowers, spices, fabrics, and pearl and jade pendants. The jade hairpins displayed at one small stall had novel designs, carved in the shape of peacock feathers. It was just that the materials used were somewhat ordinary, yet they still asked for five taels of silver for a single hairpin.
Fang Li was somewhat tempted. Xu Zhihe was born beautiful and clever, and her skin was even more like top-quality suet jade. If she wore this hairpin, it would definitely be the icing on the cake, making her look breathtakingly beautiful.
But there was no way she could take out five taels of silver.
Standing beside her, Xu Zhihe saw Fang Li staring blankly at the jade hairpin and asked with a smile, “You like it? I’ll buy it for you in the future. One isn’t enough; we have to buy a few to swap out and wear so it looks nice.”
Fang Li’s face instantly flushed bright red. She scolded playfully, “Miss, what are you saying!”
As soon as she looked up, however, she caught sight of two figures by the river under a tree that looked extremely familiar. She immediately said to Xu Zhihe, “Miss, look.”
Xu Zhihe looked in the direction Fang Li was pointing. She saw the Fourth Girl of the Xu family, Xu Yuyan, standing under a tree. On her head, she wore the very same pink pearl hair ornament that she had been fiddling with in the principal wife’s room that morning. Her pinkish-yellow padded jacket was highly conspicuous in the bleak and desolate winter days.
Standing opposite her was a tall, somewhat thin man. The man stood with his back facing them, making it impossible to see his face clearly.
Fang Li widened her eyes in shock and tugged at Xu Zhihe’s sleeve. “Miss, the Fourth Girl, she’s…”
Xu Zhihe covered Fang Li’s mouth. “Running into Xu Yuyan today—just pretend we didn’t see it.”
Xu Yuyan was arrogant and willful, and at home, she had Madam Lü backing her up. Even if she reported this to Madam Lü, Madam Lü might not necessarily do anything to her.
It might even plant a thorn in Madam Lü’s heart, leading her to casually find some household to marry her off to later on just to get rid of her.
Seeing Xu Zhihe’s serious expression, Fang Li nodded. “Rest assured, Miss. This servant knows what is important.”
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 🤓 💅.