Chapter 26 A Moment of Annoyance "I like you, I'm sure of it."...

When Jiang Ce climbed out of the water, he was still not fully recovered. He stood by the water's edge, soaking wet and lost in thought.

"Hello"

Zheng Shaoyu and Xiao Huaiting appeared beside him at some point.

"How did you end up looking like this?"

Seeing his disheveled appearance, Zheng Shaoyu laughed without any restraint.

Seeing that he was soaking wet and still dripping water, Xiao Huaiting said, "Although it's spring now, it's still a bit chilly. You should go back and change your clothes."

Jiang Ce tugged at his robes slightly: "Alright."

As the group walked forward, Zheng Shaoyu moved closer to his side, arms crossed, with a playful expression.

"Jiang Bozhou, where's your prize?"

"I don't know where he went."

"Oh, I see..." Zheng Shaoyu said meaningfully, then asked him, "So how did you fall into the water? Did you fail to show off and get rejected instead?"

Jiang Ce gave a perfunctory smile: "I was drunk, lost my balance, and fell."

He stopped laughing and strode forward.

Zheng Shaoyu and Xiao Huaiting followed behind him. He asked Xiao Huaiting, "Do you believe it?"

Xiao Huaiting shook his head.

Zheng Shaoyu curled his lips, his tone certain.

"He must have fallen for some girl, but he's too ashamed to admit it."

Jiang Ce stopped and turned around, staring at him as he said, word by word, "I was drunk and fell."

Zheng Shaoyu smiled and waved his hand, "Oh, I know, I know."

He and Xiao Huaiting exchanged a smile.

Xiao Huaiting shook his head: "A hypocrite."

The group returned to Shaoguang Pavilion and waited for Jiang Ce to change his clothes.

To the right of Shaoguang Pavilion is Yuquan Pavilion. Looking out the window, you can even see the entire view in front of the pavilion.

Xiao Huaiting held a cup of wine outside the railing, drinking in the breeze and admiring the peach blossoms not far away.

His gaze shifted downwards, and there were several girls playing football under the peach tree in front of the pavilion.

According to etiquette, one shouldn't have looked too much, but the woman playing Cuju was wearing a green shirt and yellow skirt.

Xiao Huaiting couldn't help but take another look.

Upon closer inspection, he realized it was that girl.

Xue Chan lightly kicked the football, and couldn't help but laugh out loud again as she recalled the scene just now.

Chu Tao stretched out her foot to catch the ball that she kicked, puffed out her cheeks slightly, and said, "Miss, I thought you had really been wronged."

Xue Chan twirled her skirt and turned around, her movements light and graceful.

"A few tears are worth it if it makes him suffer."

Yun Sheng took the football: "He deserved it, who told him to be so foul-mouthed."

Chu Tao asked with some concern, "But... won't Jiang Erlang harbor resentment because of this and treat you badly in the future?"

"No way," Xue Chan said, deftly bouncing the ball on her toes. The ball landed on her shoulder, and with a spin, it gently returned to her toes.

"Jiang Ce... although he's a bit annoying, he still has good character and manners."

She floated over and caught the football that Yun Sheng kicked at her: "He's a good person, I suppose."

Hatsune asked again, "What if he doesn't like you because of this?"

She turned around and smiled.

"What happened?"

Yun Sheng failed to catch the ball she kicked, and it flew outwards.

Just as Xue Chan was about to step forward, someone extended a gold-embroidered shoe and kicked the ball high into the air.

With such beauty and spirited bearing, who else could it be but Yu Lang?

She kicked the ball up, and after a few nimble movements, passed it to Xue Chan.

Xue Chan took it with light and effortless movements.

Yu Lang crossed his arms and laughed: "I didn't expect your Cuju skills to be so good."

Xue Chan: "Thank you for your kind words, Your Highness."

Yu Lang stepped forward and asked her, "Who taught you this skill?"

Xue Chan said, "My mother taught me; she's a master of Cuju (ancient Chinese football)."

She looked behind Zhao Yulang and saw only Yu Luan and a few palace servants.

"Speaking of which, I haven't really seen Miss Fang yet."

"She said she went to Anping to worship Buddha."

"Anping?"

Although Anping is close to the capital, it still takes two or three days to travel back and forth.

Xue Chan frowned slightly: "Why would you go there?"

Yu Lang: "How would I know? Perhaps the Buddhist temples in the capital didn't meet her expectations."

Xue Chan just smiled.

Because of a football, Yu Lang was in a rare good mood and played enthusiastically with her in the courtyard of Yuquan Pavilion.

On Shaoguang Pavilion, Xiao Huaiting was about to go downstairs when he ran into Xiao Yangjun again.

"Brother, what are you looking at?"

Xiao Huaiting was overjoyed and grabbed her sleeve: "Yang Jun, I found her. When we get home, I'll tell my parents."

Xiao Yangjun followed her gaze and saw Xue Chan and Yu Lang playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football).

Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt a pang of sadness. She bit her lip and spoke.

"Brother, her surname is Xue."

Xiao Huaiting glanced sideways, somewhat realizing what was happening: "What?"

He smiled, but his sister's face was full of reluctance.

Xiao Yangjun repeated it again.

“Brother, her surname is Xue, and she is Bozhou’s fiancée.”

Xiao Huaiting's hand, gripping the wine glass, gradually tightened as he continued watching.

The girl's movements while kicking the ball were light and agile.

He lowered his head and closed his eyes, finding it amusing, and chuckled softly.

How could this happen?

How could Heaven be so heartless?

--

The football match lasted until sunset before finally ending.

Xue Chan and Cheng Huaizhu stepped into the Cheng residence together as the sun set.

As soon as Cheng Huaizhu returned, she ran to Zhou Niangzi to act coquettishly. Xue Chan put away the Cuju ball she had brought back and sat in front of the mirror, letting Chu Tao remove her hairpins and tidy up her makeup.

She propped her chin up and gently dozed off, her gaze sliding from the mirror to the table, where she saw a letter pressed under the dressing case.

When was this delivered?

Yingyue, who came in from outside, said, "It was delivered in the afternoon. The messenger said it came from Daxiangguo Temple."

"Daxiangguo Temple?"

Xue Chan opened the letter, unfolded the paper, and the first thing she saw was a sentence.

To my dear sister

The handwriting is steady and elegant, and I am very familiar with it.

When Yun Sheng saw her open the letter, his expression changed from initial doubt to surprise, and finally to a faint joy.

"It's a letter from my senior brother."

"Young Master Li? But isn't the eldest young master in Cheung Chau? What did he write in the letter?"

After reading the letter, Xue Chan said, "He didn't say much, only that he was going to the capital for the imperial examination. He also asked about my father's leg ailment and my health."

When Xue Chenghuai was serving in Changzhou, he had a chance encounter with the famous calligrapher and painter Li Qingyan in the countryside. They drank and admired the moon together on the same small boat and became good friends.

His eldest son studied painting under Xue Chenghuai, while Xue Chan studied calligraphy under his wife He Ying for several years.

The couple treated her as their goddaughter and were quite fond of her.

She walked to the desk with her hair down, sat down, and picked up her pen to write a reply.

Yun Sheng then asked her, "Shouldn't we go out and meet the young master?"

Xue Chan paused, thought for a moment, and then shook her head: "The imperial examinations are just around the corner these two days, so let's not bother him. Let's go see him off in a couple of days."

Yun Sheng nodded: "That makes sense."

Xue Chan yawned and fell asleep, and the rain started to fall again outside the small window. The clump of bamboo under the south wall swayed and rustled in the rain all night.

It rained continuously for several days in mid-spring in the capital.

The carriage left the Cheng residence and exited Zhishu Lane. The sunlight broke through the clouds and mist, and a scene of spring warmth unfolded.

About half an hour later, the carriage stopped outside the examination hall.

As Xue Chan stepped down from the carriage, someone was already standing not far away, watching her with a smile.

She walked up quickly.

The man was dressed simply, without any ornaments or rings. He had a handsome and refined face, and even his voice was gentle and clear.

"Qiao Niang"

"Brother Li, have you been waiting for a long time?"

Li Wu shook his head: "Soon."

Xue Chan stood on the other side of the stone steps and said to him, "Brother, you are going to the capital alone, without any relatives to take care of you. The examination hall is simple, and it's chilly in the spring nights, so you must take care of your health."

She intended to open it for him to see, but Li Wu had already taken it first.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of myself."

"But you..."

Li Wu took out a fine brocade cloak from his bundle and handed it to Yun Sheng, gesturing for her to put it on Xue Chan.

“It rained the other day and it was cold and damp. Why didn’t you wear more clothes? Your health isn’t good, and Mother keeps bringing it up. Even though our families are far apart now, the friendship remains. Putting everything else aside, you should send letters to Cheung Chau more often.”

Xue Chan smiled shyly: "I received a letter from Aunt He when I went to the capital, and I sent it to her several times."

Li Wu sighed and said, "You came to the capital alone. If you are not careful, Uncle Xue will be worried."

Xue Chan straightened her clothes, somewhat embarrassed. "I came here to see my senior brother off to the exam, so why am I getting scolded instead?"

Li Wu smiled faintly, her expression carrying a hint of earnest advice.

"If you take good care of yourself, why would you be scolded?"

Xue Chan said softly, "It's been a few years since I last saw you, and you've become even more talkative than before."

As he spoke, he sighed again, his voice becoming increasingly gentle: "It's been years, and you're still just as stubborn and reckless."

"I'm perfectly fine," Xue Chan muttered, trying to defend herself. "I can jump and bounce around; I haven't wronged myself at all."

"Yeah?"

Li Wu didn't expose her, but simply said, "Qiao Niang, sometimes forgetting is a good thing. Don't force yourself."

Xue Chan remained silent for a moment, then raised her face again with a gentle smile and a soft voice.

"I will."

"You won't."

The crowd outside the examination hall was growing. Xue Chan changed the subject and said with a faint smile, "Senior brother, hurry up and go in, or there will be even more people."

Li Wu sighed inwardly, then relaxed her slightly furrowed brows and smiled gently.

"It's windy and dewy outside, you should go back early too."

Xue Chan nodded, offered him her best wishes, and watched him go inside.

The crowd outside the examination hall was growing larger, and people were separated by the throng.

Jiang Ce and Zheng Shaoyu also saw Xiao Huaiting off.

Xiao Yangjun stepped forward, and Zheng Shaoyu coughed and winked at Jiang Ce.

She called out, "Bo Zhou, Liu Lang."

Jiang Ce nodded with a slight smile, and Zheng Shaoyu said with a grin, "It's been a long time since I've seen Yang Jun, come to my house to play next time."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Jiang Ce frowned and kicked him, making him jump in pain.

Xiao Yangjun smiled and said, "You've been back for so long, and this is the first time we've actually spoken."

Her gaze fell on Zheng Shaoyu again, and her smile was somewhat disappointed.

Jiang Ce smiled and asked, "I heard that the old man fell ill this winter. With family by his side, filial piety comes first. There's nothing strange about it. It's just that I haven't visited him yet. I'm truly ashamed for the Third Miss to say such things."

"That's not what I meant," Xiao Yangjun tried to explain, his words quickening, "I just felt..."

Everyone dispersed...

I know what you're trying to say.

Jiang Ce said softly, "I appreciate your kindness, Third Miss. Thank you."

He spoke in a relaxed tone, with a hint of a joke: "Don't worry, once your brother passes the imperial examination, he will definitely come to our door for a banquet. Your Mingyi Marquis's mansion shouldn't be stingy with the wine."

Xiao Yangjun was amused by his words: "Let's wait until my brother passes the imperial examination before we celebrate."

Jiang Ce looked up at the rising sun and spoke softly.

"There are too many people here, Miss. You should go home soon. If you stay out too long, the Lord and Madam will worry."

Xiao Yangjun bowed to Jiang Ce and Zheng Shaoyu.

"Then I'll be going now."

The two returned the greeting, and Xiao Yangjun turned and got into the car.

Zheng Shaoyu: "Yang Jun, she..."

Jiang Ce said calmly, "Don't say anything, don't think anything, it's better for everyone."

"oh"

After a while, he asked again, "I know it's a bit inappropriate to ask this, but don't you really have a girl you like?"

He held up two fingers and showed them to Jiang Ce: "Not a single one? Not even a little bit?"

Jiang Ce couldn't help but roll his eyes at him, and said decisively.

"No"

Zheng Shaoyu crossed his arms and scanned him, shaking his head and clicking his tongue: "I don't believe it. You're different from before. Are you sure?"

Jiang Ce raised his hand and patted Zheng Shaoyu on the shoulder, smiling affectionately.

I like you, I'm sure of it.