Chapter 19 It seemed as if a question had suddenly arisen in her heart...

Several years passed by amidst these unspoken thoughts. A riot of flowers dazzled the eye, and the shallow grass barely covered the horse's hooves. Qian Yingyi woke up cheerful that morning, remembering how Boss Chen frequently urged her for manuscripts, so she sat alone for most of the hour, intending to write a new tale of the strange and supernatural.

After writing for half a day, I was a little tired, so I immediately lay down on the table to rest.

Just then, Xia Ling walked past the window, so he waved to her and said, "Xia Ling, come here. I need you to do something for me."

Xia Ling approached with a smile, only to realize that she wanted to hear a performance of "The Story of the Lute".

Qian Yingyi said, "What was the name of the actress we saw in the opera house by the river last time? Yingniang, send a maid to the river to invite her opera troupe over. The weather is nice today, so please invite Qiuyan and Lanlan over as well, so we can all have some fun together."

Xia Ling quickly agreed, and thinking about how to make things lively, she happily went out to call people.

After speaking with Miss Qian last time, the actress named Yingniang felt that the young masters and ladies she received were still arrogant and aloof.

In addition, her godmother had been asking her recently when Miss Qian would invite her troupe of actors to her home, which made Yingniang feel lost again, secretly wondering if it was just a polite remark at the time.

So when the Qian family's maid came to invite her, not only was the godmother overjoyed, but Yingniang also felt even more favorably toward Miss Qian.

After quickly packing their trunks, the troupe of actors and their maids headed to Pipa Lane.

They had sung in the mansions of merchants before, but this was their first time performing in an official's residence, especially for a vice minister of the Ministry of Works in Southern Zhili. The actors laughed their eyes out the whole way.

They just want something to peek out from between the fingers of these wealthy people, so they can pick it up and brag about it to others for a long time.

Yingniang was the same; ever since she entered Pipa Lane, she had been secretly glancing at the rows of golden houses.

As they approached the Qian family's house, the neighbor's door opened wide, and a young official walked out. He had bright, shining eyes, was refined and cultured, and was tall, handsome, and dignified.

Yingniang was stunned for a moment, until the young official seemed to sense something and looked into the group of actors, his gaze landing precisely on her. Only then did she withdraw her blushing face in surprise.

The young maid who was leading the way was also seeing this new neighbor for the first time. Seeing that he was a man, she didn't feel comfortable greeting him or exchanging pleasantries. She just quietly composed herself and headed towards her own door.

Unexpectedly, the young official's servant hurried over, stopped her, and said with a grin, "Are you from next door, sister? My husband's surname is Pei, and his given name is Ji. He used to run a silk business in Huai'an Prefecture. He recently moved to Pipa Lane and hasn't had much opportunity to talk to the neighbors..."

The maid was quick-witted. Her eyes darted toward the mansion, and she thought to herself that the silk business must be very large. However, since merchants have always had to curry favor with officials, she understood the servant's intention. She politely turned to Pei Jifu's back and said to the servant, "Understood."

Not too distant, not too intimate.

The young maidservant remembered Xia Ling's instructions and quickly waved to the back of her head before leading the opera troupe into the Qian residence.

Only Yingniang lagged a few steps behind, her red lips trembling as she whispered, "Pei Ji... his name is Pei Ji..."

Before long, the group entered the Qian residence, not daring to look around too much, yet wishing they could stare intently into the wealth and splendor.

The maid led them to an open space in the large garden and told them to get ready.

A moment later, three beautiful figures emerged from the west, some with rosy cheeks and fair faces, others with charming smiles. Judging from their attire, they must be the young ladies and guests of this household.

Qian Yingyi saw Yingniang from afar and loved her beautiful voice. She liked her even more and hurried over, saying with a smile, "You've come! I was just thinking of hearing you sing at noon, but I was afraid you wouldn't have time to come. It seems we are truly destined to meet."

"I dare not accept such praise," Yingniang said. She was more at ease outside, but once inside the gate, she was overwhelmed with gratitude and became even more apprehensive. "It is a great honor that Miss invited us to perform."

Yan Qiuyan and Wen Ninglan arrived early in a carriage. Seeing that Yingniang seemed to have some affection for her, Yan Qiuyan put her arm around Qian Yingyi's arm and said, "Well, if you invited me to watch the opera, don't leave me and Lanlan out. I'm curious too. I wonder how she sings?"

Qian Yingyi glanced at her, chuckled, and politely invited Yingniang to lead the opera troupe to perform.

When Yingniang arrived, she was instructed by her godmother to make sure she could climb this high branch. Therefore, she sang with great effort, her eyes sparkling, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. This attracted all the maids around her, who stopped what they were doing and stood quietly listening to her sing.

When the sixth act was being performed, one of the young actors got too nervous and bumped into another with a "bang," causing the gongs and drums to stop for a moment.

The young actress, entering such a place for the first time and being timid, committed a grave offense. She immediately prostrated herself on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly to the three young ladies.

Qian Yingyi was stunned and didn't move for a long time. When she came to her senses, she hurriedly said, "I don't blame you. What are you doing? Get up quickly."

Yingniang's face turned pale, fearing that this great opportunity would slip away.

Fortunately, Qian Yingyi had no intention of taking her anger out on the troupe. She waved her handkerchief to let the opera troupe stop, and then beckoned Yingniang over to ask, "Don't be afraid. I invited you here today just to relieve my boredom. Your opera troupe performed well, and I will invite you again in the future."

He then said happily, "But there's no show to watch. Could you tell us about some interesting things happening outside?"

There were quite a few clever actors, and a young man dressed as a scholar quickly stepped forward and asked softly, "What would you like to hear, Miss?"

He guessed that these young ladies, who lived in seclusion, must be very curious about what happened outside.

Qian Yingyi raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Oh? You seem to know quite a bit?"

The boy smiled eagerly, "I often sing by the river, so I know a little bit about it."

"Then just pick one at random and talk about it."

"Alright!" The young man thought to himself, thinking that they were all young ladies from noble families who probably liked to hear about love and romance, so he told them about something that had just happened.

It is said that in the alley behind the Great Bao'en Temple, there lived a merchant named Hu. He had a young lady who was pampered and had reached the age of nineteen, but she was reluctant to get married.

A few days ago, some rumors circulated that Miss Hu was going to elope with someone.

Yan Qiuyan was startled. "Oh, elope? Why would you elope all of a sudden? Does Miss Hu already have someone she loves? Doesn't her father approve?"

The young man said, "Miss is wise. Miss Hu is delaying marriage because of the man she loves. His surname is Bai, and the Bai and Hu families live across the street from each other. The two families used to visit each other often. Bai's parents were busy with their business in their early years, so they entrusted Bai to the Hu family. It is likely that the two of them fell in love at that time..."

Wen Ninglan listened attentively, wringing her handkerchief. "Childhood sweethearts? That's a good match, so why disagree?"

“Miss, let me tell you in detail,” the young man continued. “I heard that the Bai and Hu families were planning to get married back then, and they often addressed each other as in-laws in private. However, the Hu family’s business gradually flourished, while the Bai family’s business declined.”

The boy laughed shamelessly, "In this world, whoever has more money in their hands has a higher opinion of others. The Hu family looks down on the Bai family, so how could they agree? From then on, the two families gradually became distant, and even the gatekeepers would not greet each other when they saw each other from afar."

"Later, Mr. Hu arranged a marriage for Miss Hu with a merchant family. But that very night, Miss Hu, for some unknown reason, ordered her maid to send a message to Mr. Bai, asking him to run away from home together and go to another place."

The young man shrugged. “But before he could escape even a few miles, he was caught by Master Hu himself. I heard that Master Bai’s leg was broken by Master Hu’s servant. Miss Hu wept and knelt down, begging Master Hu to spare Master Bai. That’s how the matter ended so abruptly.”

Yan Qiuyan sighed, "They are truly a pitiful pair."

Wen Ninglan said, "To do something knowing it's impossible is sometimes quite lamentable."

Just then, a theatrical performance was being staged next door. Yan Qiuyan listened curiously for a moment, then turned to Qian Yingyi and asked, "Isn't your house next door unoccupied? When did you get new neighbors?"

Qian Yingyi shook her head. "I don't know who they are. They moved here a few days ago, and they perform plays every day."

Yingniang took these words to heart. Thinking of that fleeting glimpse, she thought to herself, "This is not advisable." After a moment of reflection, she stepped forward and said with a smile, "What a coincidence! When our group entered the alley, we happened to run into the door next door. It was a young gentleman who even exchanged a few words with your maid. We heard his surname is Pei."

Qian Yingyi didn't take it to heart. A smile appeared on her lips. Seeing that it was still early, she wanted to stroll around the garden with her two close friends. So she asked Xia Ling to give the opera troupe some tips and said to Yingniang, "You've worked hard today. Let's come again another day."

Having received confirmation, Yingniang was secretly pleased. She glanced at the other side of the wall and then asked, "What would you like to hear next time, Miss? When will we come to visit?"

"Let's finish singing 'The Story of the Lute' today. As for when we'll come back... in about ten days."

Yingniang laughed heartily and hurriedly told the opera troupe to leave as they had come. Before long, only the three young ladies remained in the garden, holding hands and basking in the sun.

The three walked side by side through the flowers. Because of the sun, they were sweating after a while. Yan Qiuyan was still immersed in the story. She nudged Qian Yingyi with her elbow and asked, "Hey, why didn't you say anything just now?"

Qian Yingyi pursed her lips. "It's not some tragic story, so what am I supposed to say?"

She said, "Leaving aside Miss Hu for now, that Mr. Bai has a serious problem."

Wen Ninglan tilted her head to look at her, waiting for her to continue.

Qian Yingyi squinted from the sun and sat down in the pavilion. She poured tea from a pot into each cup, making sure they were neatly arranged. "If you know it's impossible, don't force it. That Mr. Bai ran off with Miss Hu after just one flirtation. He's a man. Has he ever thought that even if the two of them could abandon worldly condemnation to stay together for life, they've both lived a life of luxury since childhood. When they have neither official rank nor the ability to earn money, and they can't even get enough to eat, where will their passionate love go?"

"Oh, you know quite a lot," Yan Qiuyan snatched a cup of tea, took a sip, and suddenly asked an abrupt question, "Then do you know that Yan Sanlang has feelings for you?"

Wen Ninglan smiled but remained silent.

The three of them said something more, but Qin Lizheng didn't want to listen anymore. He turned his face away and remained silent.

Little Tortoiseshell chuckled sinisterly from the side, "Did you understand? If you know it's impossible, don't force it."

It would have been better if they hadn't mentioned it, but these words somehow provoked Qin Lizheng. He didn't want to hear Yan Ruheng's name from Qian Yingyi's mouth, so he only paused for a moment before walking in the other direction.

He then stepped past Chuntang and handed the hairpin to Xia Ling. He spoke a few words, and Xia Ling gave him a strange look. She didn't say anything, pursed her lips, and went to Qian Yingyi's side.

As they continued talking, Qian Yingyi raised her chin high and smiled happily, "There are plenty of people who are interested in me. What, I may think he's handsome, but that doesn't mean I have to marry him."

"I've said it before, if I'm going to marry, I'll marry the best."

The other two covered their faces with their handkerchiefs and chuckled, echoing, "Yes, yes, we all know you're going back to the capital to get married."

At this point, Xia Ling stepped closer and quietly placed the hairpin in Qian Yingyi's hand.

Qian Yingyi looked at her in surprise, "When was this hairpin sent for repair?"

"Lin Zheng said he asked Chuntang to fix it."

"Him?" Qian Yingyi stood up abruptly, walked to the outside of the pavilion, and used her sleeve to shield her eyes from the glaring sunlight. She carefully searched the vicinity for his figure and found him behind a pillar. His high shoulders were leaning against the pillar, and he was talking casually to the little tortoiseshell. Her voice unconsciously softened, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Before she could react, Yan Qiuyan snatched the hairpin from her hand. "Your guard can even fix your hairpin? Let me see."

"Huh? What's that smell?"

Xia Ling followed behind Qian Yingyi, her lips pressed tightly together. After a long while, she leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Lin Zheng said that with him around, Miss will no longer have to be afraid of insects."

The sun was high in the sky, and these words stung Qian Yingyi, instantly transporting her back to that lazy afternoon ten days ago, when only he and she were in Yun Teng Pavilion.

She took half a step back, staring strangely at the distant figure.

She asked, "Where's the hairpin?"

Where's the hairpin? Xia Ling was startled to find her mistress lost in thought. Her almond-shaped eyes widened as she turned to look at the hairpin in Yan Qiuyan's hand.

Miss Yan just took the hairpin to look at it, don't you remember, Miss?

Xia Ling hurriedly took the hairpin from Yan Qiuyan's hand and handed it back to Qian Yingyi.

Qian Yingyi lowered her eyes and stared at the hairpin in her hand. It was still the same crabapple blossom style as before, but it had a different feel to it.

She tilted the hairpin to look at it in the sunlight and finally glimpsed a faint dark color inside.

Wen Ninglan whispered in her ear, "What smell did I say? I remember now. I was bitten by insects before and was terrified of them. My nanny came up with a solution and stuffed my bracelet with insect-repelling spices. I haven't seen any insects since then."

"That's the taste, I remember it perfectly."

Yan Qiuyan laughed, "You've been bitten by insects? How come I didn't know? Oh! You've been keeping a secret from me!"

Qian Yingyi felt a jolt in her heart. She shook the hairpin, her gaze involuntarily flying towards that figure. That afternoon, she was startled by insects and couldn't stop jumping. Since the servants were not around, she was forced to seek his help.

He teased her back then, it was really annoying. But he secretly added some insect-repellent fragrance to his hairpin...

"Hey, what are you daydreaming about?" Yan Qiuyan suddenly leaned over and patted her.

Qian Yingyi was startled, her eyes darting around erratically, as if she too had suddenly harbored an unspeakable secret, known only to her and him, and fearing that it might be discovered by others.