Chapter 20 Farewell to the Beginning of Life (Part 8) Until Song Zhirou called his name from afar…

In the end, Zhi Rou did not receive a reply from her mother, but fortunately, she had only asked casually and did not dwell on it.

After solving the problem, she chattered excitedly around Lin He like a little sparrow, and when Xing came back to call her, she went back to her own courtyard.

The next day, the weather was fine.

"Fourth Sister, will you go tomorrow?" Song Qizhang took Song Peiyu's seat, stretching his legs out. "You promised to come with me to the river to catch fish as soon as spring arrives. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

Tomorrow is Her Majesty the Empress's birthday, and not only will there be a banquet in the palace, but a lantern festival will also be held among the common people. Not long ago, during the Lantern Festival, Zhi Rou was unable to leave her residence, so of course she wanted to see this lively celebration tomorrow.

“I remember,” Zhi Rou said, “but whether I can go out or not, I need to ask…my mother’s opinion.”

Except in front of Xinghui, she still had to address the Second Madam as "Mother" in front of others. It was a bitter pill to swallow, and she had to wait a while before she could spit it out.

“That’s easy. I’ll have my older sister talk to my second aunt and tell her that she… she wants to light lanterns with my fourth sister… In short, I’ll take care of this!” Song Qizhang proudly raised his chin.

Just as the two were talking, a figure in blue walked in from outside the door, stood beside their desk, and looked down at them.

Song Qizhang looked up, glanced at him casually, and said lazily, "Wait a little longer, the master hasn't arrived yet."

Song Peiyu smiled and said, "This is my seat."

"How about you switch with me?" Song Qizhang suddenly asked.

Song Peiyu glared at him, a sudden surge of anger rising within him, as if only "their Song family" were truly noble, while he was merely a surname.

"What benefit would I get from exchanging with you?" A hint of sarcasm crept onto his lips.

Song Qizhang had never been refuted like this before, and was taken aback. He raised his eyes and looked at him coldly.

Song Peiyu was still smiling, but he looked incredibly irritating.

"Second brother, don't mind him. It's the same wherever you sit," Zhi Rou said at the right moment. When Song Qizhang looked over, she gave him a sweet smile, which was very cute.

He then softened his cold expression, stood up and said warmly, "Then wait for me after school, and we'll walk together."

This scene of deep brotherly and sisterly affection jumped into Wei Yuanzhan's eyes. It wasn't unpleasant to look at, but it was somewhat dazzling.

"You said you wanted to play with me. You're so fickle." He snorted and turned his gaze to the other side, toying with his short knife.

Lan Ye vaguely heard his master speak and bowed slightly: "What did you say, Master?"

"Get out," he replied coldly.

By the evening of the second day, Xu Yueyuan indeed allowed Zhirou to leave the mansion with the others to stroll around the market and lantern festival for an hour or two.

Song Hanjin and Zhi Rou were in a carriage.

She sat down at the small table and opened a box of pastries.

It would take a while to get to Liuli Street from here. Song Hanjin read a book while taking a couple of bites of pastry, as quiet as if she had fallen into a desert, without any echo.

Although Zhi Rou was not used to it, she kept her mouth shut, only glancing at her face from time to time.

Song Hanjin noticed her movement, her brows furrowed slightly, but she didn't even lift her eyelids: "Eat if you want, help yourself."

Zhi Rou wasn't just greedy; she was carefully examining her.

Strangely enough, she had been in the capital for five months, yet she had never had a chance to speak with the Third Sister, even though they lived under the same roof. Based on her observations, this Third Sister, aside from being arrogant, was not an unreasonable or domineering person.

"My third sister said last time that anyone with ability should not be underestimated by others, regardless of their background."

These are the words Song Hanjin spoke to Madam Song, commenting on the early mistreatment and miserable life of Liu Wen, a founding hero of the previous dynasty.

Hearing Song Zhirou say it in her clear, crisp voice, Song Hanjin paused in her book-turning and raised her eyelashes.

She stared at Zhi Rou for a while, and then, unusually, replied, "Fourth Sister, you remember what I said so clearly."

"Third sister, what do you think of me?" Zhi Rou leaned forward slightly, her dark eyes sparkling like stars.

Song Hanjin raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"

"I might have some ability in the future."

These words, coming from someone in an awkward position, inevitably smack of bluffing. Song Hanjin was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.

Seeing this, Zhi Rou wasn't annoyed. She slowly straightened her back and asked, "Third Sister, don't you believe me?"

There were only the two of them in the carriage, and taking advantage of the rare opportunity, she opened up and chatted like a friend.

“Once, I hid a thousand herbs in my books. They wanted to tear my books apart, but the herbs made them itchy all over. In the end, they could only beg me to save them.”

The next day, they turned on each other. Four or five boys cornered Zhirou at the alley entrance, saying they were going to teach her a lesson.

The alley was so narrow that she couldn't see the end of it. She was trapped in a human wall, feeling only anger, not fear.

The boy in the lead, annoyed by her glare, deliberately shoved her, saying, "What are you looking at? Be careful, or I'll gouge your eyes out and give them to your father!"

After saying that, he exchanged glances with the people around him and said, "I forgot, I forgot, she doesn't have a father, only a widowed mother." This caused a burst of laughter.

Unable to bear the humiliation, she slammed a book down on the boy's knee, and as he bent over in pain, she slipped through the opening and ran away.

"When it comes to the ability to escape, there's no one in the entire Yinxi County who can match me." Setting aside the provocative words, Zhi Rou stated her conclusion succinctly.

As Song Hanjin listened, her smile gradually faded.

Before today, she had never sat down and spoken to Song Zhirou.

Actually, there was no enmity between them. If one had to point to one, it would be that her arrival and Lin He's arrival disrupted her life and drove away Zheng Shi.

Therefore, Song Zhirou was nothing more than a detestable name to her. She wouldn't delve into her past, and she never imagined that she was so... pathetic.

The girl's long eyes dimmed slightly, as if she were pondering something.

Zhi Rou asked softly, "Third Sister?"

Song Hanjin finally came to her senses. She glanced at her, a sneer playing on her lips, and said, "What kind of skill is that? Are you a savage?"

Imagining her being chased, she pursed her lips and said, "Useless."

Zhi Rou didn't offer any explanation. She reached out and picked up a pastry, then poured herself a cup of tea. Her movements were extremely proper, not at all like a "wild woman."

Song Hanjin watched coldly, feeling that there was something strange about her.

For example, on the day I first met her, in the Wenrong Hall, she walked in without looking to the side, only staring straight ahead. Her actions were neither impolite nor timid.

Judging from her usual words and actions in the mansion, it didn't seem like she was deliberately putting on an act, but rather that she was very skilled at it, as if she had done it thousands of times.

She's a girl from a small county who grew up being chased and beaten by others. Who taught her manners?

Once inside Liuli Street, the carriage slowly came to a stop.

Song Hanjin pushed open the door and went out, and saw her two older brothers already standing by the carriage.

When we left, it was already late, and the only bright lights were the two lanterns with the character "Song" hanging on them in front of the car. Now that we were in the city, the lights stretched out and merged, and the sky seemed to brighten up again, becoming extremely bright.

Song Qiyu took over from the driver and slightly raised one hand to help Song Hanjin land. After she landed, he did not let go of her hand, but looked up at Zhirou.

Despite his refined manners, Zhi Rou dared not accept them. She lifted the hem of her skirt and lightly jumped down.

Song Qiyu's gaze paused briefly before he casually withdrew his hand.

"Big brother, you all have fun. Fourth sister and I will go for a stroll along Yunliu River. If Granny Xin comes looking for us, please help us out." After saying this, Song Qizhang only told two attendants to follow him, preparing to slip away before Granny Xin arrived.

"There are no river lanterns today, what's the point of going to Yunliu River?"

He had no choice but to turn around, a guilty smile appearing on his face.

Things like catching fish in the river wouldn't be allowed at home. Unable to think of an excuse, he turned slightly to the side to signal to Zhirou.

Little did he know that Rou had no intention of getting into the water today; she just kept looking back at him and letting him make up stories.

A phoenix lantern danced merrily ahead, while the surrounding noise grew louder, and the congestion worsened.

"The riverbank is damp and shady, don't go there." Song Qiyu suddenly spoke, his words sounding like a command coming from above, leaving no room for doubt.

Song Qizhang's lips moved, wanting to disobey him but not daring to, so he could only respond listlessly.

To celebrate the Empress's birthday, the lantern festival was exceptionally elaborate, and as a result, the streets were filled with all sorts of people.

Song Qizhang slowed his pace and turned to look at Zhi Rou: "Why didn't you say anything just now?" His eyes showed a hint of grievance.

Zhi Rou hugged her sleeves and said, "Second brother, it's still so cold today."

Girls raised in the South are generally more susceptible to the cold than those from the North. Upon hearing this, Song Qizhang didn't feel comfortable blaming her, and muttered with his head down, "I wonder when the next opportunity like this will come..."

The car swayed gently. Wei Mingying glanced out the window through a crack and said to Wei Yuanzhan beside her, "You come with me to find Banban and the others later..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wei Yuanzhan chimed in, "Understood."

"What do you know? You don't mean you don't want to go, do you?" Wei Mingying frowned.

Just then, the coachman gave a soft "whoosh" and reined in the horse.

Wei Yuanzhan lifted the curtain and heard Lan Ye report in a low voice from outside: "It's Young Master Sheng. He invites you to get out of the carriage and go to Yipin Shop."

Why isn't he coming over?

“Young Master Sheng said…” Lan Ye’s gaze fell on the girl in the carriage, but he quickly looked away after only a moment, “He is a little afraid of young ladies.”

Wei Yuanzhan chuckled softly, lowered the carriage curtain, and said to Wei Mingying, "Yes. I won't accompany you any longer, sister. Lan Ye is yours." He then climbed out of the carriage.

In front of the Yipin Shop, Sheng Xingyun sat on a bench, warming his hands with a hand warmer. Seeing Wei Yuanzhan coming from across the street, he quickly stood up and took two steps to greet him, but his gaze was fixed on the passing carriages and horses.

"Your sister...has gone far away?"

Seeing his expression, Wei Yuanzhan found it amusing: "It seems Lan Ye has misunderstood. You want to see my sister?"

"What nonsense are you talking about!" He turned his gaze away from the horse-drawn carriage and pulled Wei Yuanzhan to the other side of the crowd.

The endless stream of words reached Wei Yuanzhan's ears. He lowered his sleeve and stroked the pattern on the sheath, listening quietly.

The bright moon overhead illuminates the painted lanterns hanging on the frame, casting a shimmering play of light and shadow as they tilt and turn.

The Song siblings broke through the hustle and bustle of the street, and suddenly met their gaze across the endless stream of people.

Zhi Rou took the lantern her second brother had bought and saw Wei Yuanzhan in front of the brightly lit pavilion.

Her smile widened instantly, and she raised the lantern, waving it at him.

Wei Yuanzhan paused for a moment, unable to respond, feeling that the footsteps around him were too chaotic and disorderly, and he could not hear any other sounds.

Until Song Zhirou called his name from afar.

"Wei Yuanzhan!"

A note from the author: