Chapter 148 Cardamom Tips (XIV) Growing Pains

Song Qiling's growing pains started much earlier than others.

Perhaps it was because she had a large appetite, or perhaps she drank more cheese at night, or perhaps it was because she was naturally fond of running and jumping and got plenty of sunshine.

Like willow branches sprouting new shoots, it grew much taller in just over a month.

The trousers my mother had just made for me were worn only a few times before my ankles started to show, so they had to be made again.

My body has grown so quickly that the summer clothes I wore last year now feel cramped and tight at every turn. The seams are too tight, and the fabric makes a soft tearing sound when I raise my arms.

What embarrassed her most was that two small bumps had quietly appeared on her chest without her noticing, like flower buds about to bloom in early spring, slightly swollen and painful. Even the slightest friction of her clothes when she ran and jumped made her feel sensitive and alarmed.

Her mother saw this and silently changed all of her undergarments to soft satin, and the stitches were also made looser.

In the stillness of the night, the pain in my muscles and bones truly creeps up, not like the sharp pain of a bump or bruise, but like an invisible string slowly tugging and twisting deep within my leg bones, aching and swelling, making it hard to sleep.

She would sometimes straighten her legs, and sometimes curl them up, pressing her aching leg bones against the cold, hard bed for some comfort.

This feeling is truly unbearable.

The next morning, he combed his hair in front of the bronze mirror.

She looked at herself in the mirror and felt somewhat unfamiliar with herself.

His eyebrows and eyes seemed to have relaxed quietly, his face had become much thinner, and he had lost some of his childishness. Even his voice was not as clear as before, and it was a little hoarse.

The silent changes left her more bewildered than the bone pain at night, as if a strange soul had taken up residence in her body overnight.

A vague sense of unease welled up inside me.

This frustration is not as cathartic as anger; it's more like the damp, sticky rainy days of early summer, with nowhere to go.

I don't sleep as soundly at night as before, and I often have bizarre dreams that flash through my mind. When I wake up, my heart is pounding, but I can't remember what I dreamed about.

"Why are you so frowning? Is it because you were resentful when your candy was taken away yesterday?" Gu Lianzhou's irritating voice suddenly rang in my ears.

Song Qiling looked up and, sure enough, saw half a body peeking out from behind the door.

The boy was extremely tall, with a slender figure, just like a bamboo pole that had come to life.

Thinking of the growing pains that had been plaguing her day and night, she calmed down for the first time and carefully examined Gu Lianzhou in front of her.

Although he was only two years older than her, this man had grown taller like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, and was now even taller than her father. Standing in front of him, she had to tilt her head up slightly to see his face clearly.

hiss……

She took a deep breath and couldn't help but ask, "Do your bones feel this pulling pain at night?"

A hint of surprise flashed across Gu Lianzhou's face, but then his brows relaxed and a knowing smile appeared on his lips. "I wondered why you were so gloomy all day long. It turns out you've encountered 'growing pains'."

Song Qiling blinked, her face full of confusion: "Then what is that?"

"He's praising how fast you've grown." He stepped over the threshold and walked in like a gust of wind. Without saying a word, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her out. "Today is the Maple Leaf Lake Poetry Gathering. Your classmates are all waiting. Don't be late."

Yes.

Several familiar classmates from the private school had made plans a few days ago to go to Maple Leaf Lake together today to admire the autumn leaves and compose poems.

Led by him, Song Qiling had no choice but to take small steps to walk outside. As she looked down, she happened to see his hand wrapped around her wrist, with distinct knuckles and slightly calloused fingertips.

My heart skipped a beat for no reason.

The warmth of his palm seeped through the thin sleeves and soothed my wrist, making me feel a little flustered.

only……

Song Qiling pursed her lips.

When did they become so close?

In the golden autumn season, the mountains and fields around Maple Leaf Lake are covered with layers of red maple leaves, so intense that they dye half the sky.

The classmates gathered in twos and threes in the pavilion by the lake, where they had already spread out paper and ink and were chatting and laughing.

Gu Lianzhou released his grip and merged into the group of teenagers who were talking loudly.

Today, he wore an eye-catching light blue brocade robe and stood in front of a landscape of fiery red maple leaves, like a clear spring. A gentle breeze blew by, and his wide sleeves fluttered slightly, making his figure appear even more upright.

Song Qiling stood there, stunned.

Even though the skin around her wrist where his hand had been held was no longer bound, it still seemed to retain the warmth of his palm, making her entire arm feel weak and numb.

She subconsciously rubbed that spot.

"Lingling, come here quickly, we've been waiting for you!" Her friend waved from the pavilion.

She responded, composed herself, and walked over to sit on the cushioned stone bench, but her gaze involuntarily drifted toward Gu Lianzhou, who was discussing poetry with someone.

When he speaks, his Adam's apple bobs gently, and the lines of his profile have lost their childhood roundness, replaced by clear and sharp angles.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the maple leaves, casting dappled shadows on his hair and shoulders... He suddenly seemed to sense something, turned around, and his gaze met hers.

Song Qiling's heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly lowered her eyes, pretending to look at the poems spread out on the stone table, but her fingertips nervously clenched her sleeves.

For some reason, my heart felt like it was pounding wildly, like I was holding a lively rabbit, and my cheeks started to feel warm.

It's a ghost story.

Why does this face, which I'm used to seeing every day, look so different today?

In the following days.

Song Qiling always liked to walk around the back wall of the private school.

It wasn't that she was deliberately looking for Gu Lianzhou; she just didn't like the way he frowned while copying the book and wanted to pick up a pebble to scare him.

Ke Zhen stood behind the window, listening to the rustling sound of his brush tip gliding across the rice paper, but she couldn't seem to throw the pebble in her hand.

Out of the corner of my eye, I couldn't help but stare at him, watching the blue veins undulating on the back of his hand as he held the pen, and the tips of his ears that were slightly red from the sun. Suddenly, I forgot my original plan.

She only snapped out of her daze when he looked up at her, and glared at him defiantly: "What are you looking at? Go copy your book!"

After saying that, she turned and left, her steps quick and hurried, her ear tips burning red, and her back taut, as if afraid he would notice anything amiss.

Before going to sleep at night, I covered myself with the blanket again, getting angrier and angrier as I thought about it.

Why are you afraid of him for no reason?

But the scene at Maple Leaf Lake kept replaying in my mind: that light blue brocade robe, the smiling look in that person's eyes, and the lingering warmth on his wrist...

She raised her hand and patted her burning cheeks, muttering in annoyance, "I must have been bewitched."

-

That afternoon, Song Qiling was reclining on a soft couch by the window, flipping through a book. As she read the line "Guan Guan cry the ospreys, on the islet in the river," her gaze lingered on the line "A fair maiden, a gentleman's good match," and she suddenly choked up for a moment.

She stared at those eight characters for a long time, then suddenly sat up straight.

Gu Lianzhou's appearance... is indeed handsome.

With thick eyebrows, deep-set eyes, a straight nose like it was carved by a knife, and lips that always had a faint blush, the girls in the private school would gossip about him, saying that he was even more handsome than the people in the paintings.

Thinking about it that way, isn't she just like that "fair lady"?

Song Qiling's fingers tightened slightly as she gripped the pages of the book.

Since she is a "virtuous lady," it is only natural that "a gentleman would pursue her."

Therefore, it is perfectly normal for her to treat Gu Lianzhou differently.

After all, everyone has a love for beauty.

This discovery brought her a sudden sense of clarity, and her frustration of the past few days vanished instantly.

She shook her head smugly, feeling quite sensible.

However, this pleasure did not last long.

At dinner time, her mother served her food while casually saying, "I ran into Madam Gu on the street today. She said she's looking for a husband. Her fiancé is getting on in years and it's time for him to get engaged."

Song Qiling's hand trembled, and the chopsticks fell onto the table.

Her mother looked at her in surprise: "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." She hurriedly picked up her chopsticks and started eating, but felt that all the dishes on the table had lost their flavor.

My heart felt like a jumble of emotions, an indescribable mix of feelings, mostly sour and astringent, with a slight stuffiness in my chest, making it hard to even breathe.

She suddenly remembered that a few days ago, a girl wearing a pale yellow dress had indeed come to the private school to find Gu Lianzhou. The girl had curved eyebrows and eyes, two dimples when she smiled, and a soft, gentle voice, like a freshly steamed glutinous rice cake.

Gu Lianzhou and she stood under the corridor and talked for a while. She looked at her from afar and felt that the pearl flowers on the girl's head were dazzling in the sunlight.

Looking back now, could it have been a family that Gu Jia was looking for?

Song Qiling chewed her food listlessly, her mind a jumbled mess.

She remembered how Gu Lianzhou patiently corrected her pen-holding posture when he taught her to write, how he would open his arms and laugh when she couldn't get down from the tree after climbing to pick fruit, and how he would catch her by jumping down. And last year at the Lantern Festival, he won a rabbit lantern by guessing a riddle, and then immediately put it into her hand...

Those familiar moments of intimacy have now lost their flavor.

"Why are you eating so little today?" Mother asked with concern. "Is the food not to your liking?"

Song Qiling shook her head, barely managed to eat two mouthfuls of rice before putting down her chopsticks: "Mother, I'm full, I'm going back to my room now."

Back in her room, she threw herself onto the soft couch, staring blankly at the canopy ceiling. The bitterness she had just suppressed surged up again, like plums swollen from being soaked in rain, so sour that it made her tongue numb.

She raised her hand to rub her temples, inwardly scolding herself for being so weak. It's just that he's getting engaged, what's there to be sad about?

But the more I thought about it, the more intense the tightness in my chest became, and even my breathing became a little sluggish.

I tossed and turned all night, and only managed to drift off to sleep as dawn approached.

When she woke up the next day, she looked in the bronze mirror and saw the faint blue shadows under her eyes. For the first time ever, she didn't think about looking for Gu Lianzhou anymore. Instead, she started thinking about how to avoid him.

In the past, she would always wait early at the entrance of the alley between their two houses, and when he came out, she would go up to him, either to snatch the snacks from his sleeve pocket or to pester him to play slingshot games.

But today, she deliberately lingered until the sun was high in the sky before leaving home, and even took a longer route to the private school.

As soon as she entered the main room, she quickly went to her seat and sat down. Not long after, she heard her classmate whisper to her, "Young Master Gu is here."

Song Qiling's heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly lowered her head, pretending to be engrossed in reading, not daring to even lift her eyelids.

The footsteps grew closer and stopped beside her.

The familiar scent of ink lingered in her nostrils, and her heart skipped a beat. She gripped the pages tightly with her fingers and even held her breath.

"Why are you so late today?" Gu Lianzhou's voice was as gentle as ever.

Song Qiling didn't even look up, and vaguely replied, "I overslept."

He felt a gaze fall on his head as if it were real, and after a moment, the person turned around and returned to his seat.

She was restless all day.

Not only did she keep a close eye on his movements, but whenever he showed any sign of coming over, she would immediately talk to the classmate next to her or make an excuse to go to the toilet to get away.

After school, she ran as fast as she could, sprinting home until she closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief.

The same thing happened for the next few days.

During the day, he would hide from him at the private school, and after school, he would no longer walk around the back wall of the private school. He even rarely left his own yard, spending all his time indoors.

That evening, she was sitting by the window playing with her goldfish when she suddenly heard a slight noise coming from outside the courtyard wall.

I initially thought it was just a stray cat and didn't pay much attention, but not long after, a tall figure climbed over the wall and landed steadily in the yard.

When she saw that the person who came was Gu Lianzhou, she was so shocked that she almost overturned the water vat.

"Song Qiling." Gu Lianzhou walked quickly to the window, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with anxiety and confusion. "Why have you been avoiding me these past few days? What did I do to upset you?"

His voice wasn't quiet, and Song Qiling's heart tightened. She raised her hand to cover his mouth, but froze halfway through.

In the end, she just glared at him with her neck stiff and said, "Who's avoiding you? I just don't have time to deal with you!"

"No time?" Gu Lianzhou raised an eyebrow, looking at her sharply. "When you used to chase after me for snacks and pester me to shoot slingshots, how come you're free now? These past few days you've been running away whenever you see me. What else could it be but hiding?"

His thoughts were exposed, and Song Qiling's cheeks flushed instantly.

A wave of awkwardness and bitterness welled up inside her, and her tone turned sarcastic: "Why should I bother with you? You're about to get married, and you're still climbing over the wall into other people's yards. What kind of image will that have if word gets out? Don't you have any shame!"

"Get married?" Gu Lianzhou looked completely bewildered. "When did I get married?"

"Still trying to deny it." Song Qiling scoffed. "I heard it from my mother. It was your Madam Gu who told her that you're not young anymore and are looking for a marriage partner!"

The courtyard fell silent instantly upon hearing this.

Gu Lianzhou stared at her flushed cheeks and tight lips, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly chuckled.

"What are you laughing at?" Song Qiling asked hesitantly.

He took two steps forward and stood by the window, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Song Qiling, how can you be so carefree?"

Song Qiling frowned in confusion.

"After being my neighbor for so many years, how could you even forget your aunt's surname?" He shook his head helplessly. "My mother's surname is Jiang, not the Madam Gu you mentioned. As for the groom you're going to marry, he's not me either."

Surname...Jiang?

Song Qiling felt as if a thunderbolt had exploded in her mind, and she froze completely.

She stared blankly at Gu Lianzhou, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly, but she couldn't utter a single word. The pent-up frustration in her heart, which had been building up for so long, vanished in that instant, leaving only embarrassment and helplessness.

turn out to be……

It was all a misunderstanding?

She'd been sulking for so long and avoiding him for so many days, only to realize it was because she'd mistaken him for someone else and misheard him?

The heat spread from her neck to her ears. Song Qiling chuckled dryly, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground. "I...I got it mixed up..."

"Besides, I'm only sixteen this year, how could I be old enough to get married?" Gu Lianzhou said, both amused and exasperated. "Can't you wish me well for once?"

He paused for a moment, then asked hesitantly, "Could it be... that you're unhappy because you heard I'm getting engaged, and that's why you're deliberately avoiding me?"

"Stop trying to glorify yourself." Song Qiling was so embarrassed and annoyed that she almost jumped up and grabbed the fish food next to her, wanting to throw it at him.

Gu Lianzhou reacted quickly, firmly grabbing her raised wrist, causing fish food pellets to fall to the ground.

His palm was warm and strong. Song Qiling struggled twice but couldn't break free. Her cheeks turned so red they looked like they could bleed. She gritted her teeth and said, "Let me go, or I'll call for help!"

"Shout it out." Not only did he not let go, but he went even further, grabbing her hand and saying, "Let your uncle and aunt hear it. Their daughter is throwing a tantrum because she's afraid I'll get engaged."

"You, you're being completely unreasonable." Song Qiling was at her wit's end and could only give up and agree, "Yes, I'm afraid you'll get engaged."

She paused for a moment, then suddenly perked up, "That's because I was afraid you'd get engaged before me!"

Gu Lianzhou: "...What kind of logic is that?"