“Your foot hurts? Your foot hurts, yet you still have the energy to pick a fight with me?”
Faced with such a delicate, pampered girl, Su Yu was entirely out of moves. Ceasing hostilities, she dropped the matter of being called Su Yu. Her gaze drifted instinctively toward the girl’s injured ankle, her eyes subtly betraying a flicker of concern. “How bad does it hurt? Let me see.”
Lingmiao turned instantly docile. With childish innocence, she tilted her little foot up and lifted the hem of her skirt. Looking down, Su Yu caught an accidental glimpse of the girl’s fair, translucent calf, and her face flushed crimson. “I said I was looking at your ankle! Why are you lifting your skirt like that?”
“Oh.”
Su Yu glared at her, though the blind girl couldn’t see it anyway. Forcing down the restless wave of embarrassment, she said, “Be more careful when you walk from now on. It’s not a severe injury; it shouldn’t hurt that badly.”
She reached out and lightly brushed the slender ankle, making the girl pull her leg back. “It hurts.”
Crying out in pain the second Su Yu finished speaking was practically a deliberate slap in the face. The rogue Su, who had suffered countless injuries while practicing martial arts since childhood, felt her heart quiver at the girl’s soft whimper. A trivial scratch like this was something she would normally have scoffed at.
Swallowing both ‘Endure it’ and ‘Why are you so frail?’, she awkwardly raised a hand. “Does this feel a bit better?”
Her palm gently stroked the crown of the girl’s head. Xue Lingmiao curved her eyes with sheer contentment, letting out a long, quiet breath: finally, Ayu was no longer trying to argue.
Ayu didn’t want her heart-locking pendant right now, but the future was long.
What belonged to her wouldn’t run away. With proximity on her side, she believed that one day she would coax Ayu into taking her willingly—with an eight-bearer sedan chair, an honorable marriage according to all proper rites. Ayu wouldn’t think of her as a burden; even if she was indeed a handful, she would embrace her with a smile.
Wickedly, she decided to tease the short-tempered rogue. “It still hurts.”
“Still?” Su Yu threw up her hands in defeat. “Then what do you want me to do?”
The girl shyly curled her pretty toes. “If you blow on it, it won’t hurt.”
“Blow on it?” Looking at that exquisite pair of jade-like feet, Su Yu imagined the sight of herself blowing on them and felt entirely unhinged. “Where on earth do you pick up all these ridiculous demands?”
“Is wanting Ayu’s care a ridiculous demand?”
Su Yu found it impossible to reason with her. “In any case, you’re not allowed to say things like that ever again!”
Just then, A-Zhi knocked and entered with the tray of food. Su Yu picked up the teacup on the table, moistened her dry throat, and said, “You eat first. I’ll eat in my room.” Her departure was nothing short of a panicked retreat.
Having arrived late and caught only the tail end of the spectacle, A-Zhi watched in awe. Helping her mistress to the table and setting out the dishes, she couldn’t help asking out of curiosity, “What did you do, Miss? Why did the Master look so thoroughly flustered?”
“Nothing at all.” Lingmiao held her bamboo chopsticks and thought for a moment. “Just teasing her, that’s all.”
Ayu routinely teased her like a pet cat, forgetting that Lingmiao had also raised little koi before. Father had said that when necessary, she could tease and bully Ayu right back. You tease me, I tease you—that was how affection deepened.
Feeling quite pleased with her performance, she rewarded herself by eating an extra piece of fish for dinner.
After dinner, Su Yu was indulging in a petal bath in her room. Through the heavy clouds of steam, her chest heaved as her breathing grew slightly ragged. Suddenly opening her eyes, she smashed a fist into the water, sending up a massive splash. “Don’t think that just because you’re cute, I won’t have the heart to bully you! Do it again, and I’ll make sure you taste the might of this rogue!”
Storming out of the wooden tub, she wrapped herself in an inner robe and sat by the window in a daze. The moon hung high, stars dotted the night sky, and the General’s Manor was brightly illuminated with lanterns.
In the young master Ning’s quarters, the main doors stood wide open as servants filed out in a line. The Eldest Miss Ning, who had been pushed past all reason earlier that day, sat coldly in a rosewood chair, a sliver of chilling murderous intent lingering at the corners of her eyes.
“Elder Sister, is Ayu still refusing to change her mind? With her status, how can she make mistake after mistake? If she loses her heart to a blind girl, Prime Minister Su will never permit it.”
“Lose her heart?” Ning Xi toyed lightly with the lid of her teacup. “It’s far too early to speak of love. She’s nothing more than a plaything; once Ayu has had her fill, she’ll tire of her. You know Ayu’s temper, she just loves doing the exact opposite of what we want.”
Propped up against a soft pillow, Ning Zhou leaned weakly against the carved wooden bed frame. “Yet I can’t shake the feeling that she’s being wrapped around that blind girl’s finger. To cast aside years of our friendship for a complete nobody—you saw how badly I was injured, Sister.
“Admittedly, I was in the wrong first, so it’s understandable that Ayu was furious. But had it been anyone else, she wouldn’t necessarily have stormed the General’s Manor in the dead of night. We both know that not just anyone is worth her flying into a murderous rage.
“Hasn’t reality proven it already? She brought the blind girl to see you. Regardless of whether it was genuine or a charade, that girl accomplished what you have never managed to do. She kissed Ayu, and Ayu didn’t get angry. Doesn’t that prove everything?”
At the mention of this, the murderous aura swirling around Ning Xi showed dangerous signs of spiraling out of control. Ning Zhou, whose injuries were far from healed, bore the brunt of the chilling pressure. Clutching his chest, he broke into a heavy cough. “Elder Sister.”
“Enough. I don’t want to hear it.” Ning Xi took a slow sip of tea. “Ayu has merely lost her head for the moment; it’s quite normal. Didn’t you pick a massive fight with Father and Mother over a courtesan two years ago?”
“Why, why bring me into this out of nowhere? I was deceived because I couldn’t see her true nature!”
“Ayu is being deceived, too.”
Where Su Yu was concerned, Ning Zhou didn’t dare cross his sister. “Fine. Things having reached this point, what do you plan to do?”
“First, uncover where that girl came from. Second, investigate this so-called betrothal between the Su and Xue families. Even if one exists, it must be severed. She is entirely unworthy of Ayu, and Ayu will never truly marry her.
“Ayu is someone used to total freedom. If tied down by a marriage contract, she won’t even need us to intervene—she’ll break under the confinement herself. Just wait and see; I will clarify the truth of their relationship shortly.”
“You intend to step in personally?”
“Indeed.” Pouring herself another cup of tea, she said leisurely, “A-Zhou, we seem to have overlooked something.”
“You mean.”
“The blind girl’s beauty is renowned. It won’t be long before matchmakers beat down the Su family’s door with marriage proposals. When that happens, whether she lets her go or keeps her will reveal Ayu’s true feelings.”
Ning Zhou watched his elder sister walk out, an uneasy feeling gnawing at his heart. Ayu had been his sister’s unobtainable dream for years; he couldn’t bring himself to tell her to give up. He could only hope that Ayu would find her way back before the friendship between the two families was ruined beyond repair.
The Su family had produced a Prime Minister who reached the pinnacle of imperial power, and Su Yu was his sole surviving blood kin. Her marriage was certainly not something a blind girl could aspire to climb into.
Among the young men and women of high standing, his sister was the most fitting match. Still, shouldn’t he advise her to temper her rage? Facing Su Yu with such a domineering temper would never yield a good outcome.
Rubbing his temples, Ning Zhou felt utterly exhausted by it all.
As a qualified ‘cat guardian’, Su Yu remained housebound for several consecutive days to watch over the girl. She skipped horse racing, cockfighting, cuju matches, and gave up listening to ballads at the Jiaoyue Pavilion. While it sounded dull, she had not a single idle moment.
Under a crystal-clear sky, laborers dug a pond in the courtyard in an orderly fashion. Holding a carving knife, Su Yu asked, “A-Miao, wasn’t the little koi I gave you enough?”
“It was lovely, but one little koi is too lonely. Don’t worry, Ayu—I don’t lack money. I can afford to keep you.”
“Who asked you to keep me?” Su Yu scoffed softly.
The girl spent money without batting an eye; even Su Yu had to marvel at how eager she was to burn silver.
Unable to see with her own eyes, she insisted on building a lotus pond in the courtyard—for whose viewing pleasure? Everything from the pond mud to the fish fry was purchased at exorbitant prices, enough to cover an ordinary household’s expenses for a year. Of course, that hardly mattered.
Back when Su Yu became the border city’s talk of the town as a prodigal spendthrift, it had also been on a clear, breezy day.
Having lost her father, the young master had been overwhelmed with grief and had no outlet for it. Seeing the pedestrians on the street chatting and smiling brightly only deepened her desolate loneliness.
She had an exceptionally eccentric streak: clearly wanting to cry, she stubbornly refused to shed a tear. Instead, she piled gold and silver in the middle of the street, paying people to wail for her. In the end, as the entire city wept in loud lamentations, she smiled, remarked that it was quite amusing, and casually waved her sleeves to depart.
Similar antics had occurred frequently over the years; even after squandering the family fortune, Su Yu remained completely unapologetic. In this regard, the little girl was quite like her, summarized in a single word: willful.
Unable to dissuade her, Su Yu couldn’t be bothered to nag. Busy carving a wooden fish plaque, she said without looking up, “Well, money is meant to be spent anyway. As long as you’re happy.
“The seventeenth fish plaque is almost finished. I’ve kept you company long enough. After this, you can stay home and play with the plaques, while I head to Jiaoyue Pavilion to listen to songs. We won’t interfere with each other, deal?”
“How could that be? Didn’t we agree that I would keep you company?”
“We did, but how can you come along right now? Your foot is injured.”
“Riding a horse, taking a sedan chair, why wouldn’t it work? As long as you intend to bring me along, I wouldn’t refuse even if I were broken and crippled.”
She spoke with resolute conviction, scratching right at Su Yu’s soft spot once again. Intrigued, Su Yu teased, “Don’t talk so big. Be careful, or if you can’t keep up, I might just snap your legs.”
“I can do it!” The girl’s pretty face was dead serious. “It’s just a foot injury; enduring it a little will see it through. A-Zhi, watch the house carefully. I’m going to Jiaoyue Pavilion with Ayu.”
Ah, the Jiaoyue Pavilion. A-Zhi rubbed her nose, witnessing her mistress’s surprisingly decisive side, and could only nod in compliance.
Su Yu blew away the residual sawdust from the plaque, revealing a vivid, lifelike koi swimming across the surface of the fir wood. Drilling a hole, she threaded a red cord through it and held it up against the sunlight, reasonably satisfied.
With a smile, she raised a brow. “A-Miao, lean closer.”
Suspecting nothing, Lingmiao leaned forward in a posture of complete, unguarded trust. Pleased by the faint floral scent drifting from her, Su Yu lowered her head and fastened the wooden plaque to the girl’s waist. “Out of the seventeen, this one turned out the best. It’s yours.”
“What a coincidence! I have a gift for Ayu as well.”
Su Yu’s smile faltered slightly. “It’s not another heart-locking pendant, is it?”
“Don’t worry.” The girl had prepared her gift long ago, dedicating twelve tenths of her heart to pleasing her fiancée. From her sleeve, she produced a jade cat. “I asked the manager of Jinye Money House to find it. It isn’t worth much, but its appearance is quite lovely.”
It was indeed a cute, delicate kitten. Su Yu’s gaze deepened; she realized the girl was far too skilled at catering to her tastes.
Earlier, Ning Xi had tried to gift her jade cats twice, and she had resisted accepting them—not because she disliked them, but because she liked them too much. Once accepted, Miss Ning would have sent gifts every other day, shattering any hope of peace.
Holding the jade cat that tucked its tiny paws beneath its chest, Su Yu could tell with a single touch that the jade was ordinary. Trading a piece of fir wood for an inexpensive piece of jade couldn’t be considered taking too much advantage of her. Looking from the jade cat to the expectant girl, she said, “Mm, the cat is nice. I like it a lot.”
“As long as you like it. This way, Ayu and I have our own fun keepsake of love.”
A fun keepsake of love? Su Yu’s hand trembled, almost tossing it back, but her eyes caught the koi wooden plaque resting at the girl’s waist. She scolded, “Who said anything about exchanging love tokens with you?”
Fierce though her words were, she strung the jade cat and hung it from her waist after all. Seeing the girl’s crestfallen expression, she couldn’t bear it and teased, “A-Miao, this cat looks just like you. Strange, why do I feel the illusion of hanging you onto my clothes?”
“Oh?” Lingmiao picked up the koi plaque at her waist, reacting with remarkable speed. “Yes, how strange! I feel the exact same way. Now I can tuck Ayu straight into my pocket!”
Su Yu fell silent. Truly a silver tongue, shifting like the wind. Does she have to take every inch I give her?
Failing to tease the cat and ending up teased instead, Su Yu felt a tangled mix of emotions. Yet, watching the girl’s face blossom into smiles once more, she thought: What’s the harm in letting her smile? We’re still young, the road ahead is long, and who can predict the future anyway?
She was adept at finding her own peace of mind, and once she thought through something, she ceased fretting over it. High-spirited once more, Miss Su declared, “A-Miao, let’s go. Off to the Jiaoyue Pavilion to listen to some music!”
Cheerfully hooking her arm through Su Yu’s, the girl’s face radiated a bright, youthful glow. Looking at her like this stirred something profound, perhaps even moving. Anyone looking on might have thought they were setting out on a grand quest to bring peace to the world.
Who would have guessed they were merely heading to a pleasure house to hear some ballads?
Turning mundane pastimes into a brilliant celebration of life was perhaps the very reason Su Yu was willing to walk alongside her. This attitude toward life, this sheer devotion to accompany her in whatever she did—Ning Xi couldn’t do it, and neither could anyone else.
Su Yu was a rogue dedicated solely to pleasure, and the whims of such a rogue could only be matched by this little cat who had traveled from Jiangnan with a cane.
After several days of rest, the foot injury was mostly healed. Lingmiao was helped onto the horse, settling once more into her fiancée’s embrace. She hummed a tune with clear delight. Su Yu asked in good humor, “What song is this? I haven’t heard it before.”
“It’s a melody Father wrote for Mother.”
Su Yu nodded, pressing no further. “It sounds rather lovely. How about humming a few more lines?”
The girl had a beautiful voice, carrying a tender, lilting grace unmatched by others, let alone when singing an exquisite composition crafted by Master Xue for his wife.
Delighted by her appreciation, Lingmiao agreed immediately. “Of course! Whenever you want to hear it, I’ll sing it for you.”
“No need for whenever.” Su Yu wrapped an arm around her slender waist, unable to resist giving it a couple of gentle squeezes because of how soft it felt. “Will you sing this song for anyone else?”
“Ayu, why are you getting handsy again?” The girl’s ears flushed pink. She shifted her supple frame, unsure how to handle her fiancée’s mischievous antics, and murmured, “This is the Song of Entwined Affection. It can only be sung to one person in a lifetime. I am not someone who wavers from one to another; having sung it to you, there will never be anyone else.”
Su Yu: “?” It’s over. She hadn’t expected even a tune to carry so much weight.
First the heart-locking pendant, now the Song of Entwined Affection. Her expression turned utterly strange, and the words slipped out without passing through her brain: “Just how many tricks do you have hidden away to seduce me?”
“Se-duce?” the girl asked slowly, her tone soft and innocent. “Did I?”
Did you? Su Yu swallowed the bitter truth in silence. How on earth was she supposed to explain to this naive girl that talking like that was bound to invite trouble?