In the culturally liberal border town, the night was when things truly came alive. The overlapping cries of street vendors, the cheers of young girls successfully launching flower lanterns onto the river, and the clusters of fireworks bursting in the sky illuminated youthful faces with a jubilant energy unseen during the day.
People bustled along the long street. Xue Lingmiao clung dependably to her fiancée’s sleeve, allowing herself to relax and listen to the scattered laughter around her. Though she couldn’t see the scene, she could picture it in her mind. It had to be beautiful.
“Want a pine nut candy?” Su Yu produced one from her sleeve. Out of habit, she deftly peeled the wrapper even as she asked.
“Pine nut candy?” The girl’s steps faltered slightly. She turned to “look” at Su Yu, her cherry-red lips parting slightly—a sight more amusing than the Little Koi blowing bubbles. Catching a glimpse of her pink tongue as she looked up, Su Yu quickly popped the candy into her mouth.
It happened so suddenly that it gave Lingmiao a start; her reflexive fear caused her teeth to snap shut, nearly biting Su Yu’s finger.
“You little ingrate, trying to bite me?”
Xue Lingmiao’s cheeks puffed out as she used her tongue to roll the candy from one side to the other, playing with it tirelessly. “I did not,” she mumbled defensively. Her eyes were squinted, radiating pure joy.
Su Yu was determined to pay back the silver the “little kitten” had spent on her; a single piece of candy wasn’t nearly enough.
Handing her parcels to the young maid following behind, she took the girl’s hand and led her to a riddle-guessing stall. As the stallkeeper shouted his invitations, Xue Lingmiao, still savoring her candy, understood the challenge. “Riddles?
I’m good at those. Ayu, how about I win the grand prize for you?”
As shrewd as Su Yu was, she was momentarily stunned: Since when did this girl start stealing my job?
A crowd gathered. The girl’s voice was like a celestial melody, and those who turned to look couldn’t help but gasp in wonder—the soil of the border town rarely produced a beauty as delicate as a peach blossom in spring. However, seeing who was standing beside her, the crowd collectively averted their eyes. Ah, the dandy Su Yu. Best not to provoke her.
“Ayu, I want to try.”
The girl was usually shy and timid, so her sudden courage regarding riddles was unexpected. Not wanting to discourage her, Su Yu prepared herself to step in if she failed. She nodded. “Then I shall wait for my grand prize.”
“I, I will work hard!”
Seeing how young she was, the stallkeeper gave a friendly smile. If “hard work” were all it took, no one would have failed to guess his grand prize for the past half-month. With an air of self-importance, he slowly recited the riddle.
In contrast to his theatrics, the girl’s response was impeccable. The moment he finished, the answer flew from her lips, faster than a spring breeze: “It’s moonlight!”
It was indeed moonlight. Once the scholars in the crowd realized it, they sighed in self-deprecation. Xue Lingmiao leaned closer to her fiancée, her face flushing. “Ayu, I got it right.”
Yes, yes you did, Su Yu thought with a dry roll of her eyes. So, following the pastries, clothes, jade pendants, and trinkets, she now had a one more. Her eyes slowly widened, and she let out a silent “owoo” of excitement: A spirited, snow-white steed!
The crowd erupted as the horse was led forward. Amidst the brilliant lanterns, all of Su Yu’s irritation vanished, replaced by sheer delight. Sensing the sudden noise around her, the girl grew curious. “Ayu, what is—”
A sudden cry escaped her throat as her feet left the ground; she was swept up in an embrace.
“It’s a magnificent, rebellious horse, white as the fallen snow!” Su Yu hugged her waist tightly, spinning her around in a joyful circle. The girl’s face turned crimson as she shyly clung to Su Yu’s neck, feeling her legs turn to jelly.
Ayu sounds so happy. That’s wonderful. If I’d known she liked beautiful horses, I, I should have brought one with me to find her.
*
Amidst the shifting shadows, a woman dressed in a brocade gown stared at the scene, her face as cold as still water. “Is that Ayu? She’s holding someone else?”
Her maid peeked over and quickly withdrew her head in fear. “Replying to Eldest Miss, it is indeed Miss Su.” But why was Miss Su holding someone in public and laughing with such unrestrained passion?
Everyone in Xiushui City knew that the Eldest Miss Ning was hopelessly in love with Su Yu. At sixteen, she had dared to write poetry to woo her; to win her heart, she had sent meals to the Su residence for forty-three consecutive days in the dead of winter, stopping only when her own health began to fail.
Even so, she had never moved Su Yu’s heart. That person only cared for play—when had she ever cared for another? The little maid sensed the heavy scent of vinegar in the air and felt a nameless dread.
The woman clutched her silk handkerchief and let out a sharp, cold sneer before walking toward them with an arrogant stride.
When her feet touched the ground again, the girl leaned breathlessly against her fiancée’s chest, her eyes curving into happy crescents. “Ayu, will you take me riding?”
Just as Su Yu was about to agree, a forceful voice cut in: “Ayu, if you like fine horses, I shall gift you one.”
Su Yu looked up. “Ning Xi?”
Miss Ning’s smile softened. She knew what kind of person Su Yu liked. She glanced at the girl still leaning against Su Yu; her gaze darkened as she cursed the girl’s “shamelessness” inwardly, but she quickly masked it with a pleasant expression. “Ayu, won’t you introduce us?”
“This is Xue Lingmiao. Lingmiao, this is Ning Xi.”
The gaze directed at her was sharp and piercing. Lingmiao’s spine stiffened, and she bit her lip in silence.
Ning Xi maintained an air of poise, her lips curling into a playful smirk. “Is the little girl too shy to see people?”
The girl bit her lip. Driven by instinct to find safety, she buried her head in Su Yu’s neck. She hadn’t expected the collective sound of people gasping around them.
The little maid covered her mouth in shock, while the jealousy in Ning Xi’s eyes threatened to turn into a cold arrow.
The bystanders were stunned. Ever since Miss Ning nearly caused a fatality with her whip four years ago, who would dare to openly provoke this dandy?
They all waited for Su Yu to push the girl away. Instead, Su Yu looked up and hesitantly reached out to stroke the girl’s glossy black hair. “Are you cold? Why is your body shaking?”
“Ayu, take, take me away.”
“Alright, I’ll take you away.” Su Yu gave Ning Xi an apologetic smile. Ning Xi, suppressing her rage, stepped forward. “Wait, Ayu. I have a little trinket for you.”
It was a clever jade cat, small enough to be played with in the palm of one’s hand. Su Yu’s heart jumped with delight at the sight of it. She wavered, but eventually, with great difficulty, she made her choice between the jade cat and the “little kitten” in her arms.
“It’s a very exquisite piece. You should keep it. I’m heading back now.”
How could a dead object be as interesting as a living one? Her little kitten was shivering so much her “fur” was practically falling off. Su Yu laughed softly. “Don’t be afraid, Lingmiao. Let’s go home.”
Ning Xi’s hand tightened abruptly around the jade cat, yet she maintained a smile as she watched the pair ride away.
The passersby, not daring to linger around the Eldest Miss Ning when she was “providing entertainment,” scattered like startled birds. Standing alone on the spot, Ning Xi raised her hand and hurled the exquisite jade cat to the ground, shattering it. “Go find another one. Better material, cuter appearance.”
Ayu was clearly moved. She almost accepted my gift!
Her expression was terrifyingly dark, a stark departure from her previous facade of gentle generosity. Her little maid, accustomed to her mistress’s volatile and violent nature, lowered her head and obeyed.
“Did you notice? That girl.” Ning Xi admired the white jade archer’s ring on her finger and let out a sudden, mocking laugh. Her voice was dripping with scorn: “Her looks are practically tailored to Ayu’s tastes. A pity she’s blind. A little blind girl, what right does she have to compete with me?”
Under the bright moonlight, Su Yu sat on horseback with her arms around the trembling “little kitten,” caught between laughter and sighs. “Are you really that afraid of her?”
“She, she’s terrifying.”
“Where is this coming from? You were the one who ignored her first.”
“I didn’t mean to ignore her. It’s just that the way she looked at me was like a wolf staring at a rabbit. I was afraid of being bitten to pieces.” Leaning back into Su Yu’s embrace, Xue Lingmiao whispered, “Does Ayu think she is good?”
Recalling the events of recent years, Su Yu let out a bitter laugh. “No. You’re right. Ning Xi is very terrifying.” They had been childhood friends, but Su Yu could never forget the sight of blood splattered on the pavement that day.
Simply because a songstress at the Jiaoyue Pavilion had publicly declared she wanted to invite Su Yu to be her “honored guest,” Ning Xi had lashed the woman with a whip until her clothes were shredded. If Su Yu hadn’t arrived in time, the woman would likely have been whipped to death.
“She doesn’t like me, and I don’t like her.” Annoyed that the “bad woman” had ruined their night out, Xue Lingmiao said petulantly, “You aren’t allowed to say she is good.”
“Hoh, quite the little bully, aren’t you? Trembling like a leaf in front of Ning Xi, but acting tough with me? What, do I look weaker than her?”
“Not at all. You’re just softer of heart.”
“Bullying the soft-hearted, I see!”
Unable to tell if Su Yu was truly annoyed or joking, the blind girl turned her head back and said with total gravity, “You are soft, and I am even softer than you. You can ‘bully’ me back.”
Mercy. How was anyone supposed to respond to that?
Su Yu raised an eyebrow. “Shut it!” Glib-tongued girl, stop trying to coax me.
Many girls had tried to charm her, but one who could do it so seamlessly, so sweetly that it made Su Yu want to pat her head.
The dandy Su Yu stared at the back of the girl’s head and offered a random, blunt compliment: “Lingmiao, the shape of your skull is actually quite pretty.”
Xue Lingmiao: “?”
Because of Ning Xi’s appearance, the sensitive girl felt a powerful surge of insecurity. Ignoring her fiancée’s peculiar choice of words, Xue Lingmiao tilted her head and brushed her cheek against Su Yu’s. Her voice trembled slightly: “I’m not just ‘pretty-skulled.’ From head to toe, everything about me—except for my eyes—is beautiful.”
The starry night was gentle. Su Yu’s face felt hotter than if she had just played ten consecutive matches of Cuju (ancient football). As the moonlight reflected in the girl’s sightless eyes, Su Yu fell into a rare state of distraction. Possessed by some unknown whim, she murmured, “Lingmiao, do you even know what it means to flirt?”