Chapter 48 Dust and Light (Part 7) What do you have that's worth taking from me? ...

As June arrived, the weather in Beijing became quite hot.

Every ten days, Physician Wang would visit the Song residence. He observed that Zhi Rou's injuries were no longer serious. After examining her several times, he was always amazed by the Fourth Miss's extraordinary physique. Her recovery time was much shorter than he had expected, and she was once again a lively and energetic girl.

As soon as she could walk, she dragged Song Hanjin around the courtyard to play, and it wasn't until the next day that she remembered to go to Danyu Garden to pay her respects.

Xu Yueyuan had always been indifferent to Zhirou, this illegitimate daughter. Seeing that she was in good health, she casually gave her a few instructions and then let them go back to their studies.

Several figures stepped out the door, and Xu Yueyuan muttered to herself inside, "Jin'er still treats a concubine's daughter like a treasure and clings to her, but she goes far away from her cousin Mingying. What kind of logic is that?"

During the days that Zhi Rou was confined to Longyue Pavilion, Song Hanjin went to keep her company every day to relieve her boredom. Seeing the two of them being so friendly, Xu Yueyuan felt a little uneasy.

“Doesn’t this just show how kind and benevolent Madam is?” Granny Liu comforted her. “Everyone outside sees how harmonious our young lady is and praises Madam for her compassionate heart. She treats Fourth Miss as her own daughter and is a model of gentleness and kindness for women.”

Xu Yueyuan smiled slightly: "Are you making fun of me?"

"How could that be? In all these years, has Madam ever shortchanged Fourth Miss in anything? Her food, clothing, and daily necessities have all been provided according to Third Miss's standards. There is no other mistress as impartial as you."

That's true. Xu Yueyuan straightened her sleeves, her voice no longer carrying any anger: "It's fortunate that the one in Xixiang Garden knows her place, unlike his concubine."

Mentioning Lin He, Granny Liu continued, "Master hasn't been to Xixiang Garden for a long time. In my opinion, Master has never been interested in Concubine Lin, but he values ​​Fourth Miss quite a bit."

"She's his own flesh and blood after all, he knows how to cherish her." Xu Yueyuan snorted softly, her tone ambiguous, "Once Fourth Sister gets married, I'm afraid there will be no more noise from Xixiang Garden."

The air is humid, and it looks like it might rain.

Zhi Rou and Song Hanjin entered the family school together. Song Qiyu's seat had been vacant for a long time, and now Song Hanjin used it to pile up idle things, not giving anyone else a chance to use it.

Upon reaching her seat, Song Hanjin gestured to the maid to move the small items away so that Zhirou could sit down.

"No need to rush." ​​Zhi Rou leaned against the window. "The last thing I want to do right now is sit."

As soon as she finished speaking, she leaned forward, away from the wall, and waved to the figure under the door frame: "Wei Yuanzhan, you're here." Her voice was filled with her usual smile.

Song Hanjin curled her lip in disdain: "What 'you've come'? He comes every day."

Wei Yuanzhan stood frozen in a daze beneath the door frame.

Having not seen Song Zhirou for over a month, he felt a sense of trepidation, like someone returning home with trepidation. After a moment, he swallowed hard and went behind the desk.

Zhi Rou's brows furrowed slightly for a moment, a hint of confusion in her expression.

Why is he ignoring her?

They were exchanging letters and chatting quite well, but in less than two months, Wei Yuanzhan and she... have become so estranged?

Seeing that Zhi Rou had made a fool of herself, Song Hanjin shook her head indifferently. Remembering something, she said to her, "In another six months, Fourth Sister will be fifteen. It seems that Father intends to ask the clan elders to name you on your coming-of-age ceremony."

Zhi Rou looked away from Wei Yuanzhan: "Father didn't tell me."

"Aren't you happy?" Song Hanjin looked at her for a while and felt that she wasn't very interested in this matter. Then she thought about it and realized that her fourth sister never seemed to celebrate her birthday.

If Song Hanjin hadn't bumped into Xing Hui going to the kitchen to ask for longevity noodles a few years ago, she wouldn't have known which day her birthday was.

Thinking of this, Song Hanjin suddenly asked, "Aren't there any customary birthday celebrations in Luozhou?"

Zhi Rou paused for a moment: "Yes."

“Then you…” Song Hanjin frowned and looked at her.

In Luozhou, Zhirou celebrated Xiao'e's birthday three times. Xiao'e's father would buy a lot of firecrackers for them to play with on that day, making it as lively as the New Year.

Zhi Rou's birthday is two days later than Xiao E's.

On that day, her mother would take her to Qingyin Temple in the North Mountain to stay overnight, and they would not leave until New Year's Day. Therefore, she spent her birthday with those female Taoist priests every year.

Zhi Rou's eyelashes drooped slightly, giving her an almost docile appearance: "I don't like celebrating my birthday."

Upon hearing this, Song Hanjin's gaze turned to her with a more complex expression, and she stopped asking questions.

Meanwhile, Wei Yuanzhan kept glancing at the window out of the corner of his eye. He unintentionally met her gaze, and without looking away, he looked her over and saw her completely.

Zhi Rou was suspicious of his fluctuating attitude and couldn't figure it out, so she simply used lip reading to ask him, "What are you looking at?"

These three simple words were spoken with an arrogant expression.

Wei Yuanzhan chuckled softly, finally convinced that Song Zhirou was indeed hiding beneath that facade, not just his imagination.

He looked away and waited for her to come closer before asking, "Is your injury fully healed?"

Zhi Rou said lazily, "I'm better now. If it weren't for Physician Wang insisting that I stay in bed, I would have recovered much faster."

Wei Yuanzhan neither confirmed nor denied, but only asked, "Where are you going tomorrow?"

Before she could answer, he added, "It might rain tonight. We have a day off tomorrow. Come to the river. I'll be waiting for you."

Zhi Rou raised her eyebrows slightly: "Aren't we going to Qiyun Garden?"

"It's not too late to go after you've picked the longevity threads."

That night, the capital city was indeed hit by a torrential rain.

After brewing for several days, and with great fanfare, Zhi Rou chose to go to the Yuan residence tonight to return the letter. Even though she had brought rain gear, her clothes were soaked through when she left the Yuan residence.

This time she learned her lesson. Zhi Rou told Song Qizhang to wait for her at the end of the street. As soon as she jumped off the white wall, she ran a few steps down and got into the carriage.

"Why do you have to do things on a rainy night? It's creepy."

Song Qizhang tossed a clean robe to Zhirou, glanced at her, frowned, and looked away.

"Didn't Second Brother say he wouldn't ask me?" Zhi Rou took off her raincoat, put on her robe, wiped her face with her sleeve, and revealed her bright eyes again.

Song Qizhang was silent for a moment, then lifted the curtain to look outside. Raindrops drifted in, instantly soaking his clothes. He withdrew his hand and asked, "Fourth Sister, are you going to see Cousin Wei tonight?"

If so, why are they being so secretive? Can't they even meet in the open?

Zhi Rou found his question puzzling. What reason did she and Wei Yuanzhan have to meet on a rainy night?

After a moment, she chuckled softly, "Second brother, you've got a screw loose."

Her teasing momentarily made the atmosphere in the carriage a little awkward. Zhi Rou didn't notice him, but Song Qizhang turned his head towards the car door as if he had been glancing at her.

After a while, he cleared his throat and said, "My sister has been talking about you a lot lately. She knows you haven't pierced your ears, so she's been thinking of doing it herself. Aren't you afraid? Try to avoid her."

But how could they hide under the same roof? Zhi Rou's face showed surprise, then she resignedly lowered her head: "I understand."

The storm finally subsided, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, and the sky was crystal clear.

The longevity threads worn during the Dragon Boat Festival are traditionally thrown into the river during this period, believed to ward off evil spirits and bring peace and good health.

Zhi Rou didn't believe in ghosts or gods, but wearing longevity threads was a habit she had developed while living in Luozhou. Last year on the Dragon Boat Festival, she told Wei Yuanzhan about this custom, and to her surprise, he remembered it and even asked her to go to the riverbank to pick them together.

Early that morning, Zhi Rou finished practicing her skills, washed and tied her hair, and walked out the door in one go. When she arrived at Yunliu River, she ran into Ling Hewei.

There were few pedestrians on the riverbank, and a breeze was blowing under the green shade. Zhi Rou, who was always on the move, got off the carriage as soon as she reached Lingzhen Bridge and bought a bag of chestnuts.

"Miss Song!" someone suddenly called from behind.

Zhi Rou turned around and saw Ling Hewei walking briskly towards her. She offered her hand: "Thirteenth Miss. Roasted chestnuts, would you like some?"

Ling He glanced at her, smiled, shook his head, and walked beside her: "Where are you going?"

"It's just ahead, the Yunliu River."

"Perfect timing! Ninth Brother is also by the river. Didn't we agree to go fishing? Let's seize the day..."

Before she could finish speaking, Zhi Rou interrupted, "Not today, my friend is still waiting for me."

Ling Hewei rarely showed his emotions on his face. Although he was slightly displeased at being turned away, the corners of his lips were still curved: "Miss Song took the initiative to visit last time, and then I heard nothing from her. Did I say something I shouldn't have that day?"

She was straightforward, leaving Zhi Rou momentarily at a loss. When she came to her senses, she looked at her with some surprise.

The girl remained expressionless, as if she had only asked casually without any probing.

Zhi Rou frowned slightly: "I did make plans with a friend." There was no further explanation.

Upon reaching the riverbank, Zhi Rou saw Wei Yuanzhan and immediately softened her tone, saying to Ling Hewei, "Thirteenth Miss, I'll head over now. We'll talk another day."

Ling He nodded slightly in response, but as he watched her walk to the riverbank with a young man in brocade robes and satin boots, he couldn't help but frown. Did she really have an appointment?

Because it was summer, boats and barges raced along the Yunliu River, and the sound of zithers lingered.

Has he grown taller again? Zhi Rou wondered to herself.

Wei Yuanzhan turned around at the sound, glancing around at her: "You came from here?"

"If I don't walk around soon, my leg, which has just recovered, will be ruined." Zhi Rou strolled over. "I promised to have a match with you before, but I haven't done it in a long time. How about today? Let's go to Qiyun Garden later and I'll have a match with you."

Confined to Longyue Pavilion for so long, unable to unleash her full potential, she was itching to get her hands dirty. Wei Yuanzhan stared at her for a moment, then smiled: "I don't want to."

Why?

“Your leg injury has just healed. If you were to fall to my spear, my master would question my guilt.”

Zhi Rou scoffed: "You're so confident before we've even compared?"

Wei Yuanzhan remained confident and refused to admit his inner worries about her.

Zhi Rou felt bored and took two steps to the side. Suddenly remembering something, she said, "Wei Yuanzhan, did you take any of my things?"

That was a strange question. He raised a thick eyebrow slightly: "What do you mean by that?"

"Why did you appear at the Yuan residence that day? How could you guess where I went based on the gift I gave you, unless you went to the Zhitu Pavilion and were certain that I had been there as well?"

She didn't think much of it that night, but during those difficult days, she pondered it over and over again.

Wei Yuanzhan was able to find her not because the Marquis's residence was near the Yuan residence.

Zhi Rou raised her eyelashes and, seeing his furrowed brows and evasive expression, couldn't help but feel a little confused: "If you took it, why don't you give it back to me?"

Hearing this, Wei Yuanzhan felt guilty, as if he had intentionally taken something from her.

But he himself didn't know that it was just a jade pendant, so why had he never thought of returning it to her?

Wei Yuanzhan's cheeks flushed, and his voice was no longer as confident as before: "What do you have that's worth me taking?"

He was so angry that he told Rou to be speechless.

She didn't like her personal belongings being left outside. The day she went to Yi and Zhitu Pavilion was just a temporary measure; she would retrieve them sooner or later.

Judging from Wei Yuanzhan's expression, something was clearly different. Was he doing this to tease her?

"Never mind if you don't have it." Zhi Rou reached into her sleeve, deftly removed the longevity thread, and threw it into the river.