Chapter 2 The Slow-Returning Guest (Part 1) The young man appeared to be a few years older than Zhi Rou. ...

On the day of the Beginning of Autumn in the sixteenth year of Shuode, dark clouds covered the sky, and it looked like it was about to rain.

Two nine-year-old girls sat against the wall under the eaves. The one on the left looked blankly at them, cupping her round cheeks and asking, "Everyone says that the women in the capital are all like celestial beings. What are celestial beings like?"

“When I see it, I’ll draw it and send it to you. It’ll probably be like that…” Zhi Rou turned her eyes toward the door, thought for a while, and then turned her head back, “like my mother.”

Zhi Rou's mother was quite famous in the county, a beauty of undeniable beauty. Her special status added a touch of breathtaking allure to her beauty.

Xiao'e agreed wholeheartedly and continued, "After you've gone, will you come back?"

Zhi Rou didn't answer her immediately. To be honest, even she herself wasn't sure.

Just then, large raindrops fell from the eaves, forming a curtain of water in an instant.

Zhi Rou patted her trouser legs and got up, preparing to go inside to get an umbrella, when unexpectedly a staggering figure came from the other end of the corridor.

Xiao'e immediately ran towards her, took her hand, and then turned back to Zhirou and shouted, "My grandma has come to pick me up, Zhirou. I'm going back with grandma. You can rest. No need to see me off!"

Zhi Rou paused, opening her mouth several times to call out to her and say goodbye properly, but in the end, she watched the figure disappear into the rain before turning her gaze away after a long time.

The next day, the clouds and fog cleared, and the roses that had been knocked down by the rain were scattered all over the ferry crossing.

Zhi Rou was awakened early by knocking on the door. She remembered her mother saying that the Song family would come to pick them up to go to the capital today. She opened her eyes, paused for a moment, then quickly got up, tidied herself up, and went outside with Lin He.

The carriage gradually slowed down and soon stopped in front of the Shili Chun Ferry. The driver helped the two women down and pointed behind him: "Madam, please wait there for a while. I'll go and make arrangements and return shortly."

Zhi Rou had always been an active person, but today she was unusually quiet. Lin He looked at her for a while, understood the reason, stroked her hair, and remained silent.

She paused for a moment, then looked up, her former spirit gradually returning. She then turned around, pushed through the crowd, and ran outside.

When she reached Xiao'e, she stopped and chuckled softly, clearly pleased, but her nose felt a little sore: "Why did you come?"

Xiao'e held back her tears, squeezed Zhirou's hand, and stuffed a chain into her palm: "Take this, my mother made it for us, one for each of us. When you get to the capital, don't forget me, because who knows, I might come to the capital to find you one day."

Zhi Rou's face was mostly bathed in the morning light. She clenched her fists, sweeping away all the regrets of yesterday.

"Okay, don't forget me either. I'll write to you often. If Cheng Wu and the others dare to bully you, write to me and I'll teach them how to teach them a lesson." As she spoke, her eyebrows lifted, and she gradually regained her usual playful expression.

Upon hearing this, Xiao'e finally couldn't hold back her tears and cried out, "Zhirou, I really can't bear to part with you..."

Xiao'e's father frowned slightly. Seeing his children distressed, he could do nothing to help. In the end, he had to cruelly pry their clasped fingers apart one by one, letting Zhi Rou return to her family and board the ship with the others.

Even after the boat had sailed far away, Zhi Rou could still vaguely see Xiao E on the shore. Led by her father, she gradually faded into a blurry, indistinct figure.

After traveling by water for two months, we transferred to horse-drawn carriages in Zhangzhou Prefecture, and after several more days of bumpy travel, we finally arrived in the capital.

Zhi Rou lifted the curtain and peeked out the window, her gaze fixed on the city wall. It was unusually tall, and from a distance, a few places were covered with a layer of mottled white, indicating that it was extremely old. It seemed as if one could see the weathering of the past dynasties, but it did not feel dilapidated. Instead, it was domineering and majestic.

The carriage slowed down as it approached the city gate, and the guards checked the carriages as they entered the ranks. The chatter of the people coming and going made this unreal dream a little more tangible.

"Rou'er, sit properly." Lin He's voice rose softly in the carriage.

Upon hearing this, Zhi Rou withdrew her head, her face sparkling with excitement: "Mother, the capital is much more magnificent than I imagined, but it's too far from Luozhou. Even if Xiao'e wants to come and find me, it will take a long time."

She paused, then a thought struck her: "Once we get to the city, let's go for a walk. Let me see what's fun for Xiao'e. Is that alright, Mother?"

Lin He looked at her, regretting that he hadn't been stricter with her. Now that they were in the capital, she was afraid she would cause a lot of trouble.

Thinking of this, he became more serious: "Have you forgotten what you promised me? This is under the emperor's nose, unlike Luoyang, where nobles and dignitaries are everywhere. With your mischievous nature, if you don't intend to..."

Before she could finish speaking, Zhi Rou slumped down, like a wilted puppy: "If you offend someone important, you must not act recklessly. Remember to be patient and obedient, and don't worry your mother. Mother, I remember everything you said."

She raised an eyebrow and stole a glance at Lin He, but Lin He caught her gaze. She quickly lowered her head, swallowed the words that were about to come out of her throat, and changed to a frightened tone.

"I'm not going, I'm not going..."

The Song family was located in the west of the city, in accordance with the layout of the capital, where the east was rich and the west was noble, and the west side was mostly inhabited by officials and nobles.

Lin He and his party entered the capital through the South Gate. Shops lined both sides of the road, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares filled the air. It was the most bustling and prosperous place in the city.

Zhi Rou was unable to step out of the carriage, feeling restricted, but her heart was still struggling. She was currently huddled in the corner of the carriage, peeking out through a small part of the curtain.

"Miss, you've had a long journey. We can't rush in the city; it will take a while to get to your residence. Would you like to get off and walk a bit?"

There were three people escorting them to the capital. The one who spoke was the leader, with a narrow face and thick eyebrows. He seemed unapproachable, but in reality, he was extremely kind. Just now, while on horseback, he glanced down and noticed that her face looked troubled, but her eyes were darting around. After a moment's thought, he gave her an excuse to stretch her muscles.

Zhi Rou was initially feeling a bit down, but upon hearing his question, she immediately turned her head to look at Lin He. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded slightly in response.

The little girl's pretty face finally blossomed, and she greeted everyone with a cheerful smile. Then, she quickly hopped out of the carriage, led by the old woman accompanying her.

Lin He was cautious by nature and didn't want Zhi Rou out of her sight, so she lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, thinking that she would call her back when the time was right.

The sky was clear that day, and the wind carried the fragrance of clothes. Zhi Rou walked along, looking around, and stopped leisurely in front of a peddler's stall, as if she had taken a fancy to something.

There were many pedestrians on the street, but few came to respond to the hawker's calls. When the peddler saw her approaching, he greeted her with a smile: "Young master, take a look. These are all new styles from the south."

Zhi Rou often dresses as a boy when she is out, and because of her young age, few people can tell that she is a girl.

Seeing her eyeing the small wooden knife hanging at her waist, she pulled it off and smiled, "Young master has a discerning eye. This wooden knife was made by the famous craftsman Changchun from Yongzhou. The previous ones were all bought up at high prices, and I only have one left. If you like it, I'll give it to you at a discount, and you can take a look at other styles."

Zhi Rou's words were well-said, and she curled the corner of her mouth slightly. The old woman next to her frowned slightly.

This is typical behavior of the merchants in the city. Seeing that she was young and not dressed very well, they thought she wouldn't know how to distinguish things. So they exaggerated their claims and tried to sell her their wares.

Zhi Rou liked the wooden knife, but she wasn't stupid. She smiled and was about to speak when a group of beggars suddenly appeared from behind her, crowding around her and pushing and shoving, separating her from the old woman.

She turned around in a hurry, but was shoved again, and fell down because she lost her footing.

There was no pain as expected; it felt like I had fallen on someone, scraped my bones, and my skin and flesh felt a little sore.

Shortly after, someone spoke from beneath him; it was a young boy's voice.

"stand up."

"Where did this kid come from, daring to bump into our grandpa!"

She looked up to explain, only to see the young man straightening his clothes and looking down at her. The attendant beside her, seeing this, fell silent.

The boy looked a few years older than Zhi Rou. He wore a gauze round-necked robe and black leather boots. He was handsome and his eyes were full of disdain.

She hurriedly bent her neck and apologized to him: "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, someone pushed me just now, brother..."

Then she suddenly fell silent, raised her face, and stared at him for a moment with a worried expression: "Brother, are you hurt?"

Seeing her like this, the boy pursed his lips, his mood calming down a little, but the burning sensation on his back was hard to get rid of for a while.

The "important person" didn't speak, glanced at her up and down a few times, and then turned his head away.

The attendant understood and stepped forward, saying to her, "Alright, you can leave now! Our master won't hold it against you."

Zhi Rou blinked, seemingly surprised that the matter could be resolved so easily. But since the other party didn't blame her, she accepted the favor. So she smiled, said thank you, and then quickly turned around and hurriedly ran back the way she came.

The boy then frowned, reached behind him, and felt a sharp pain wherever his fingertips touched, causing him to bite his cheek.

His attendants, seeing this, quickly bent down and looked him up and down, then down and up again.

"Where does it hurt, sir? Let me take you to the clinic for medicine. Otherwise, if the Marquis's wife sees this, she'll scold you again."

At this point, her voice lowered, and she began to complain about the impetuous man, "I really don't know who this kid is, he doesn't even have a caretaker outside, and he just barged in like that."

The boy said it was alright, "I'm not that delicate. I'll just have Changhuai check it when I get back. My mother won't notice." He stretched his shoulders, patted his robe, and suddenly realized that the jade pendant fastened to his waist was missing.

After a moment's thought, he slowly lowered his hand, his expression showing some displeasure.

He turned his head and looked at the long street.

Amidst the bustling crowds and moving traffic, that fleeting figure was like a fish, about to escape and disappear in a few moments.

He recalled that just moments ago, the child had stood obediently before him, speaking sincerely. A slight, wry smile appeared on the boy's lips.

"Bring him back."

A note from the author:

The male and female leads are one year apart in age, but the female lead looks younger.

See you tomorrow~