Chapter 643 A Dream of Youth 175

Xie Qi was unaware that his studies had become even more demanding. He climbed up the wall of the Xu family's backyard again, but today no red-tasseled spear came at him. He even dodged it reflexively.

Looking down, one could see a woman dressed in a red dress sitting blankly on a stone bench, with a broken spear in front of her.

In his haste, Xie Qi flipped over and jumped down, but he didn't cushion the fall and landed face-first in the dirt.

The loud bang startled not only the woman in red but also the maidservant guarding the door at a distance.

"Miss, are you alright?" Two maids peeked their heads in from the courtyard gate.

"It's alright! Don't come any closer!"

The two maids shrank back; their mistress was in a bad mood today, and they shouldn't disturb her.

Do you drink alcohol?

Seeing Xie Qi standing there dumbfounded, Xu Hongying turned and left. Hearing rustling sounds behind her, she said again, "Hide well."

Xie Qi stopped moving and continued to shrink back.

Xu Hongying took a shovel directly from the storage room and dug out the peach blossom wine she had buried under the peach tree.

"You're not happy."

Xie Qi's voice came from behind. Xu Hongying simply hummed in response and then handed over the small wine jar covered in a little yellow mud.

"Have a drink with me."

Xie Qi silently followed Xu Hongying up to another wall and looked down from there.

The river stretches endlessly, willow branches droop wearily, and autumn lotus leaves dot the landscape, all sharing in the feeling of autumn.

"Xie Qi, can you come and propose marriage?" Xu Hongying's voice was very low; if Xie Qi hadn't been paying close attention to her, he probably would have ignored it.

Hearing this, Xie Qi should have been happy, but for some reason he felt very sad.

"You...don't like me." Xie Qi's voice was extremely hoarse. Although he didn't want to admit it, he knew very well that Xu Hongying had no feelings for him, neither in her heart nor in her eyes.

"So you knew? You idiot."

Xu Hongying laughed a few times, a strange bitterness in her voice, then turned to meet Xie Qi's gaze, "Then why are you so persistent... following me all the time?"

She didn't understand. If it were an ordinary man who took a liking to her, he would probably send someone to her house to propose marriage. But Xie Qi insisted on asking for her opinion.

Does her opinion, her preference, matter?

"I know."

Xie Qi's voice was soft, as if he was afraid that if he spoke too loudly, he would hurt her.

"But I still want to try. If I can win your heart, I will have my parents come to propose marriage, complete the formalities, and we will be bound together for life."

The autumn wind rustles, and black hair intertwines.

Xu Hongying suddenly felt a little lost. She couldn't see Xie Qi clearly; perhaps the wind had gotten into her eyes.

The boatman shouted his work song as he cast a large net, seemingly trying to catch all the fish in the river. Xu Hongying felt as if her heart was also caught in the net; it didn't hurt, just felt tingly and numb.

Facing the wind, she heard herself ask, "A fallen marquis's daughter can't help you; she might even be a hindrance."

She knew Xie Qi; he was the son of a newly noble family in the court. Not only was his father a high-ranking official in the court and highly regarded by the emperor, but his younger sister was also a female official. He was highly praised by both the court and the harem.

"The only person I've ever loved is the one I'm with."

Xie Qi finally loosened his clenched hand and caught a hot tear.

"I don't need to borrow the wind to fly to the sky, I only wish to climb step by step, and together with you, we can see all the mountains from the top of the mountain."

Even if he climbs to the top, he won't be the only one.

The figures of the two gradually appeared in the obsidian-like eyes. Both of them smiled. Xu Hongying was the first to look away, gazing vaguely at the passing river boats, her hand wearing a bone thumb ring gently resting on her other large hand.

Xie Qi's ears turned bright red, but he still mustered up the courage to shake hands back. What he touched was not a delicate palm, but a calloused hand, rough but warm.

The emerald green and the yellowish bone color gently tapped together, seemingly creating ripples on the lake of their hearts.