When she rose the next morning, Cui Jingci had not gone to practice his sword. He waited for Huai Zhi to wake, intending to have breakfast with her directly.
However, Huai Zhi seemed somewhat angry. After getting up and seeing him lying beside her, the first thing she did was not even greet him.
Nowadays, Huai Zhi tended to rise later and later, likely because she had nothing to do. Sometimes when she woke, he was already gone. But if she woke and found him still there, she would sidle up beside him, poke her head out, and ask, "Why are you still here?"
Today, however, she simply stepped over him and got out of bed without a word.
Cui Jingci rose as if nothing was amiss, then called for Huai Zhi to come help him fasten his belt.
When Huai Zhi had first married into the household, she couldn't even manage to take off his clothes properly. But later—perhaps she had practiced in secret—she suddenly offered one morning to help him dress, and she did a rather decent job of it.
She was inside washing her face and rinsing her mouth when she heard Cui Jingci call for her. She poked her head out, acknowledged him, and said she understood.
She was indeed a bit angry at Cui Jingci. Just thinking about how he had made her lose control last night made her face flush red, yet she didn't dare throw too great a tantrum.
After drying her face, she set down the towel and went to help Cui Jingci change. She kept her head lowered, not once looking up at him the entire time. Cui Jingci seemed to let out a soft laugh and asked, "Are you angry?"
Huai Zhi shook her head, saying she wasn't, but as she adjusted his belt, she secretly tugged at it with force.
Cui Jingci immediately coughed a few times. The sound of his coughing frightened Huai Zhi—she was terrified he might cough up blood again—so she hastily let go.
He coughed a few times before stopping, and when he turned to look, he saw Huai Zhi's round eyes brimming with tears. Cui Jingci comforted her, "It's fine, no need to worry."
He had only coughed twice, and she was already scared out of her wits. Tears like sweet rain instantly flooded her eyes.
And still, she dared to throw a little tantrum at him.
The little coward just loved to vent her little cowardly frustrations.
After that little episode, Huai Zhi no longer dared to secretly cause mischief. Before Cui Jingci left, she held onto him and stared at him for a long while, afraid that the man who walked out in good health might come back in bad condition. Only after watching him raise his umbrella and step into the rain did she reluctantly withdraw her head and wait for the teacher to arrive.
It had started raining the night before and hadn't stopped by morning. When the female teacher arrived, she closed her umbrella, and Mianmian took it before withdrawing.
The female teacher's surname was Fu. She was said to be a ladies' tutor from the Jiangnan region. In her early years, she had been the daughter of a prominent family, but after their fortunes declined, she devoted herself to teaching reading to young ladies of respectable households.
She entered the room, patted the rain off her clothes, and said, "Once it rains here, it feels a bit like Jiangnan—damp and muggy."
Huai Zhi looked up at the sky and said, "It seems this rain will come and go quickly. It should stop by the afternoon, and once the sun comes out, it'll be fine."
Huai Zhi glanced at Teacher Fu's shoes and asked, "Would you like to change into a fresh pair of shoes and socks?"
Huai Zhi had always hated rainy days the most. Her shoes would easily get wet, and once wet, she'd be miserable for the rest of the day.
Teacher Fu looked down at the toes of her shoes. On the way over, she had accidentally stepped into a puddle, soaking most of them—even the inside was damp, which was rather uncomfortable.
Teacher Fu hadn't expected Huai Zhi to notice and felt a bit embarrassed. "I wouldn't want to trouble you, madam…"
"It's no trouble," Huai Zhi said. "They're new, clean, and I haven't worn them yet."
Cui Jingci treated her very well—giving her good food to eat and fine things to use, beautiful clothes and shoes, many of which she hadn't even had the chance to wear yet.
Thinking of this, she felt even more guilty about having deliberately choked him with the sash that morning.
How had she become so wicked too…
Before Teacher Fu could say anything more, he saw Huai Zhi already pattering off to fetch clean shoes and socks.
By the time afternoon came around, Mianmian took advantage of their rest period to deliver an invitation, saying it had been sent over from the Duke of Yong's mansion. The old madam of that household was celebrating her birthday and had sent an invitation to the Cui family. After the people at Lotus Fragrance Courtyard received it, they immediately forwarded it to their own Lan Chun Courtyard.
After accepting the invitation, Huai Zhi asked Nanny Yao whether she should go.
Nanny Yao said she could wait until the young master returned and ask him.
Huai Zhi thought that made sense, so after Cui Jingci came back from his duties, she held the invitation and went to ask him—asking whether he would go.
Cui Jingci shook his head and let out a light sigh. "I won't go."
Huai Zhi asked instinctively, "Why?"
There was no expression on Cui Jingci's face, but Huai Zhi could hear a hint of sorrow in his tone as he said, "Even if I went, they wouldn't be happy. They'd have to be mindful of me, an invalid, everywhere. On a day of great celebration, it would only bring needless ill fortune."
Cui Jingci was most weary of such social obligations. In the past, there were times when circumstances made it impossible to decline, but now that he was ill, it served as a ready-made excuse.
When he lowered his gaze, his long lashes concealed the turbulent emotions beneath his eyes. Huai Zhi felt a pang of sadness hearing this, and seeing him like this, she immediately said, "How could there be any ill fortune? If I were to meet someone like you, I would surely consider it a blessing. If you're not going, then I won't go either."
He was truly remarkable—even someone as unsophisticated as Huai Zhi knew that.
Just because of this illness, they would consider him ill-omened? That was far too snobbish.
Perhaps her words of comfort had their effect. Cui Jingci sighed, and the sorrow in his eyes faded away with it. He turned to Huai Zhi and said, "No, you should still go. You've only just married me—if you don't attend the Duke's mansion banquet, people will laugh."
People will laugh… Those words sounded so familiar. Huai Zhi felt she had heard them somewhere before. She finally remembered—it was her mother, who would suddenly slap her on the back and tell her to stand up straight, saying her cowering manner would make people laugh.
Huai Zhi might not be able to sort out all the reasons why she absolutely had to go, but hearing Cui Jingci say so, there must be some truth to it. She thought that even if her parents had harmed her, Cui Jingci wouldn't necessarily harm her. He was a very good person, and most of what he said, Huai Zhi would listen to.
Huai Zhi spoke honestly, "But I… I'm a little afraid."
She knew that in such family occasions, it was always the wife who managed things. Back home, her mother would often have such social engagements, but the Cui family's social obligations were different from her mother's. Without Cui Jingci there, she had no idea what to do at all.
Cui Jingci looked at Huai Zhi's pitiful appearance but was not moved. She could be afraid, but she couldn't be afraid forever. Besides, what was there to be afraid of?
He said, "You don't need to be afraid. Have Nanny teach you proper etiquette these next few days. Speak less and you'll make fewer mistakes. The Duke's mansion is distinguished—just go and eat plenty of good food."
In Cui Jingci's mouth, this was nothing more than a trivial matter, but in Huai Zhi's eyes, the sky was about to collapse. The night before the banquet, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Hearing her restless movements, Cui Jingci thought to himself that this cowardly creature truly was hopelessly spineless, and so he said in a low, drawn-out voice, "Huai Zhi, if you cannot sleep, perhaps we should find something else to do."
Huai Zhi finally went still.
When the next day came, Mianmian helped Huai Zhi pick out a lotus-root-colored wide-sleeved robe, layered over with a moon-white gauze vest, paired with a horse-face skirt in a matching shade. Huai Zhi sat before the mirror, her face bare of any makeup, her hair still loose and unbound, yet this appearance was already completely different from the woman who had first married into this household. There was more flesh on her face now, and gone was that miserable look she'd had before, as if she were headed off to plant rice seedlings wherever she went. Her small face was clean and flawless, like one of those painted clay dolls sold at the stalls outside.
Mianmian sighed inwardly—truly, fine clothes make the man, and when life improves, it shows on one's face. She applied makeup to Huai Zhi, styled her hair into a bun, and pinned a filigree gold hairpin atop her head. Now she looked even more refined and elegant than before.
Today was the twentieth of the seventh month, coinciding with the ten-day rest day, so Cui Jingci was at home and not on duty. By the time Mianmian finished, Cui Jingci had just returned from outside, his eyes fixed intently on Huai Zhi for a long while.
Mianmian withdrew first.
Huai Zhi had been lost in thought, but when she came to and looked up, she found Cui Jingci's eyes resting on her. She didn't know when he had arrived, nor how long he had been watching.
She glanced at herself in the bronze mirror, thinking she looked quite dignified, like a different person. Seeing him staring at her, she felt a little shy, but couldn't help asking, "Do I look good?"
Cui Jingci answered bluntly, "No."
Huai Zhi's disappointment was plainly visible.
Her heart was fragile beyond measure. Seeing the corners of her mouth droop, Cui Jingci smiled again and said, "I'm lying. You look good."
Sure enough, Huai Zhi smiled again.
Compared to this exquisitely dressed and beautiful Huai Zhi, Cui Jingci still preferred her bare-faced and unadorned. However, when Huai Zhi's mood swung up and down at his mere two sentences, Cui Jingci realized that Huai Zhi was still the same Huai Zhi—foolish and timid.
Huai Zhi left the house around the hour of Si. This time, it was Cui Jingci's turn to watch her leave. The rain from a few days ago had indeed stopped after just one day, as Huai Zhi had said, and these past few days the scorching sun had been blazing overhead.
He stood beneath the eaves, watching Huai Zhi's gradually receding figure. Not long after she left, Jiang Li came looking for him.
Jiang Li said, "That person went to see the Grand Secretary today. It seems he can't hold out any longer."
That person was none other than Cui Jingci's new colleague at the Ministry of War.
Cui Jingci's expression was cold and indifferent as he let out a light scoff. "Why bother bringing over such a useless man? It's a waste of everyone's effort."
He hadn't even done anything—and the man was already cracking? Hadn't he realized before coming here how disgusting and troublesome Cui Jingci could be? What kind of man he was—didn't they all know by now?
He discussed a few more matters of business with Jiang Li, then suddenly remembered something and asked Jiang Li, "Why is it that she still hasn't conceived a child?"
Jiang Li's expression had been solemn, but when he heard Cui Jingci's topic veer abruptly toward Huai Zhi, his face froze.
There was nothing he dreaded more than Cui Jingci asking him questions like this.
This… he wasn't some old woman or matron, how could he possibly know so many varied questions about women? If he asked him about official matters, he could answer fluently, but asking about these things, he could only recommend someone else more knowledgeable for him.
Jiang Li pondered, "It's only been a little over a month now. The Fourth Young Madam married in half a year ago, and her belly still hasn't shown any movement either."
Jiang Li couldn't help but feel that he was being a bit impatient.
After thinking it over, Cui Jingci said disdainfully, "What is Cui Jingfeng anyway? How can he be compared to me?"
Uh…
Jiang Li was usually literate and well-read, just as ambitious as Cui Jingci, and would even occasionally learn the art of conversation in his spare time. After all, his master was Cui Jingci, whose speech could sometimes be quite baffling, leaving one unsure how to respond. Yet even so, hearing him say this, he found himself at a loss for words.
He hemmed and hawed for a long while without being able to say anything conclusive, and finally had to resort to deflecting the blame elsewhere, saying dryly, "Then it must be that the young madam's constitution isn't up to par…"
If it wasn't him, then it was Huai Zhi. Since he said he was capable, then it could only be that the young madam wasn't.
Cui Jingci shot him a sideways glance, and Jiang Li, pierced by his gaze, immediately pressed his lips together and said no more.
Learning had no end; it seemed he still had much to study.