Chapter 31 A Romantic Encounter on the Shangsi Festival: The girl is more reliable than your brother! Let Fei also...

Spring is growing stronger in Xudu every day, with willows sprouting new leaves and peach and plum blossoms vying for beauty.

As the Shangsi Festival approaches, young women go out in groups to choose the latest perfumes and face powders, making the business of perfume shops increasingly busy.

Jingnufang naturally took the lead, with a constant stream of people coming and going in front of its doors.

Deng Jie began to follow in the footsteps of her sister-in-law, checking accounts in the neighborhood every day, and she actually began to take on the air of a merchant's daughter.

However, as Guo Jia watched his wife busy, he couldn't help but miss her leisurely demeanor when she was free.

"Has Yi been working too hard lately?" He finished his official duties and came to Xiangfang to keep her company. "I think we should hire a few more people?"

Deng Jie looked up and saw her husband. Her weariness had mostly subsided. She shook her head with a light laugh and said, "No need for that. I heard it's only been a little better for a while. It will get much quieter after the Shangsi Festival."

Guo Jia's gaze swept across the bustling street scene and the elegantly dressed women outside the window. A sudden thought flashed through his mind, recalling his trip to Ye City two years ago.

"The Shangsi Festival... is indeed a good opportunity. Do you still remember the incense shops in Ye City, which have elegant rooms for applying makeup and enhancing the beauty of young ladies?"

Deng Jie was enlightened by his words, and his eyes lit up. Adding this service would help retain customers on weekdays.

Guo Jia then planned to employ the Li family girl for her.

Deng Jie had given her a second chance at life, and she herself was clever, diligent in her studies, capable, and loyal, so she was entrusted with handling this matter.

As expected, Li was virtuous and diligently learned the craft, while Deng Jie was busy looking for a reliable makeup artist.

Even so, Jingnufang expanded its courtyard before the Shangsi Festival, and with the influx of people during the festival, it became even more popular and achieved some success.

On the day of the Shangsi Festival, Guo Jia, seeing that it was a day off, enthusiastically invited Deng Jie to go on an outing to the suburbs together.

Deng Jie chuckled, "We're an old married couple, why are you trying to join in the fun like teenagers? You'll just make a fool of yourselves."

"To be honest, I've never cared what others say; we just need to be happy ourselves."

Without giving a chance to argue, Guo Jia took out a lotus-root-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and held it up against her. "New clothes are ready. How can you go out without new makeup? It's a good opportunity to go to the neighborhood and see what Li's work has been accomplished."

Deng Jie was so persuaded by him that she couldn't resist and let him arrange for her to change clothes and get ready before going out.

The two carried food boxes and fine wine, and asked Ayu Huai Niang to drive them, and they arrived at the waterside on the outskirts of the city.

Here, spring is in full bloom, with green willows like smoke, wildflowers like brocade, and men and women in pairs, creating a lively and bustling scene.

The two shared some food with Ayu and her husband, and then strolled around until they came to an open meadow where they saw a crowd of people gathered ahead, cheering.

Curiosity piqued, I squeezed in to take a look, and there was Zhang Fei, bent over his desk, painting.

He carried some plain silk with him, and with great gusto, he wielded his brush. Before long, a painting titled "Beauty on a Spring Outing" appeared before his eyes.

His brushwork is bold and unrestrained, yet his lines are precise and powerful. With just a few strokes, he captures the charm of a young girl, drawing widespread admiration.

Zhang Fei's original intention was to present the painting to the beautiful women, hoping to find a kindred spirit to enjoy the spring scenery together. However, he was a burly man with a leopard's head and bulging eyes, and his imposing presence was intimidating. The girls were happy to see the painting, but none of them dared to approach him when invited, let alone go on a trip together.

After the crowd dispersed, Zhang Fei was left alone, feeling dejected.

Looking up, he saw Guo Jia and his wife still laughing and chatting. He couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed and annoyed. Especially when he saw Guo Jia, he remembered Guan Yu's words and was not very nice to him. He snorted heavily, "If the Chief Minister has nothing to do, hurry up and take your wife to enjoy the scenery. Don't leave this place blocking Fei's peach blossom luck."

Guo Jia was even more excited and stepped forward to praise him, saying, "I knew General Yide was good at painting, but I didn't expect his painting skills to be so exquisite."

The late general mentioned to my wife that he wanted to give her a painting; why not take this opportunity to fulfill his promise?

Zhang Fei raised his thick eyebrows and pouted unhappily: "Giving it to the lady is fine, but you are an eyesore to me, so I don't want to paint you!"

Guo Jia chuckled, took out a wine gourd from his waist, uncorked it, and waved it in front of him. "Don't mind Jia."

This wine was also made by my wife; consider it a token of my gratitude.

The aroma of the wine awakened Zhang Fei's craving. He glanced at Deng Jie, who was beaming with joy, and clapped his hands, "Good! All for the sake of the lady!"

He took the gourd, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp, feeling incredibly refreshed.

"Excellent wine!" he exclaimed, feeling a surge of pride and inspiration. He turned to Deng Jie and said, "Madam, please watch closely, Fei will paint it for you right away!"

With focused concentration, the brush moved swiftly and gracefully, capturing Deng Jie's elegant spring attire, smiling eyes, and gentle, lively demeanor with perfect accuracy.

It is said that Xiahou Yuan's family had many children, all of whom were sons.

Xiahou Yuan cherished his only adopted daughter, who sacrificed her own infant son during a famine to save his younger brother's life.

In the blink of an eye, the children grew up one after another. The eldest son, Xiahou Heng, got engaged to Cao Cao's niece, and this precious daughter was also of marriageable age to consider finding a husband.

When Xiahou Yuan saw that Xiahou Heng had arranged to meet Cao Shi in the suburbs, he instructed Xiahou Ba to take his sister with him and, if they found a suitable family, to come back and inquire about it.

Therefore, the four of them came here together and happened to see Guo Jia and his wife standing in front of them watching. So they went up and bowed.

Guo Jia, seeing that they were from the Xiahou family, greeted them along with Deng Jie: "What a coincidence! General Yide is painting a picture for my wife! How about we have a drink together after he finishes?"

Deng Jie patted the food box Guo Jia was carrying: "Not bad, we brought spring wine and snacks!"

While Xiahou Heng was still exchanging pleasantries with the two, the still-childish Xiahou Shi was drawn to Zhang Fei, who was engrossed in painting at his desk.

He had a pair of wide-open tiger eyes that shone with a fierce light, but at this moment he was calm and focused, and the elegant style of his writing was in stark contrast to his rugged appearance.

Xiahou was captivated by the sight, from the vivid beauty gradually emerging from the silk, to his strong fingers holding the fine brush, and then to his tightly furrowed brows.

Zhang Fei seemed to sense the intense gaze and looked up to meet her clear and bright eyes.

The moment their eyes met, Xiahou felt her heart skip a beat. She quickly looked away, but then she saw Zhang Fei oblivious and continuing to paint. Her emotions plummeted again.

After Zhang Fei finished the painting, he presented it to Deng Jiezheng, who was very pleased and enjoyed their praise. Xiahou Shi couldn't help but glance at it a few more times.

Xiahou Ba, young and impetuous, saw his sister's strange expression and assumed she was scared. He tugged at her and muttered in a low voice, "Sister, stay away from this dark fellow. He looks creepy."

Unexpectedly, Zhang Fei overheard these words, which instantly ignited his arrogance. He said in a rough voice, "You little brat, what bad things are you saying behind people's backs!"

Xiahou Ba wasn't intimidated and stepped forward to argue back: "I'm talking about you!"

"You look so strange, I wonder how old you are, shamelessly trying to piggyback on the Shangsi Festival. I bet your kids are old enough to get married by now!"

Zhang Fei was so angry that his beard almost stood on end. He stepped forward to attack, shouting, "What do you know! You weren't even born when I was fighting the Yellow Turbans with my elder brother!"

I'm busy restoring the Han Dynasty, how could I possibly have time to get married! I'm so angry!

Xiahou Shi was so frightened that she hurriedly stepped in front of Xiahou Ba, "General, please don't be angry!"

"Brother, you've been so disrespectful. I apologize on your behalf!" he said, bowing respectfully to him.

Her soft, gentle voice was very pleasant to hear, like a splash of cool water extinguishing the anger in Zhang Fei's heart.

He looked up and saw the girl with her head tilted back, her cheeks flushed red, and her eyes brimming with tears. His heart clenched, and he backed down, "You..."

Guo Jia stepped forward, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said with a forced smile, "General Yide, children speak without thinking! These are the young master and young lady of General Miaocai's family."

"That arrogant young master speaks without tact, but the general possesses heroic qualities; why bother arguing with a mere youth?"

Xiahou Heng also stepped forward to apologize. He tugged at Xiahou Ba, who then reluctantly bowed.

Zhang Fei gave a slightly childish "humph," then lowered his head slightly when he caught a glimpse of those bright, watery eyes.

Her fingers gripped her sleeve tightly, clearly revealing a hint of nervousness beneath her earlier courage.

More than the anger that burned within him from the contempt, Zhang Fei now wanted to soothe her panic.

He tried to make his voice sound less intimidating, but he couldn't shake off its inherent roughness: "Ahem, never mind! Fei isn't that petty..."

He rolled up his sleeves, pretending to be nonchalant: "Actually, I just came here today to relax. I don't have time for romance."

He was eager to clarify that he was not a "strange" widower, and his tone even revealed a hint of grievance.

Xiahou found his feeble explanation somewhat amusing. This mighty general actually cared about his appearance, and he tried to justify his unmarried status as his own choice.

Zhang Fei caught the fleeting smile in her eyes, and his pent-up frustration vanished instantly. Suddenly, inspiration struck him, and he turned around, slamming his hand on the table. "Hey! This girl is more reliable than your brother! Let me paint a picture for you too!"

He took a deep look at the shy girl who was still standing there with a rosy face, gathered his strength, picked up his brush, and focused on painting.

This time, his brushstrokes were even more delicate, carefully outlining her delicate features, full forehead, and upturned nose, focusing on depicting her clear and bright eyes, and incorporating the heroic spirit of her military family into the painting.

Xiahou took Zhang Fei's painting, looked at herself in the painting, blushed, and whispered her thanks.

Guo Jia and his companion invited him again, but Zhang Fei looked shy and stammered, "It's getting late today, I should go back first... so my brothers won't worry about me."

Before leaving, he couldn't help but look back at Xiahou Shi.

After returning, Zhang Fei was still somewhat uneasy.

He could never forget the lingering meaning in Xiahou's eyes before they parted that day. As if possessed, he found himself outside Jingnufang.

He watched the women inside, their faces beaming with delight as they smelled the face powder in each other's hands, and for some reason, he went in and randomly picked out a box.

"General Yide?" Deng Jie came out from the inner room and bumped into Zhang Fei stuffing in face powder. "Is the general going to give it to someone?"

Zhang Fei turned around and saw it was Deng Jie. He hurriedly put it away, saying, "N-nothing!"

I just...I just bought these for my sisters-in-law...yes, for my sisters-in-law.

Seeing his flustered state, Deng Jie deliberately played a trick: "Oh, so it's for the ladies."

I thought the general was looking for Miss Xiahou.

"Indeed, General Miaocai is currently looking for a husband for the young lady, so even if General Yide sends a gift, it will probably be just a token of his appreciation."

"Looking for my husband's family?!" Zhang Fei blurted out, but seeing all the women in the neighborhood turn to look at him, he quickly covered his mouth. "Cough, cough. What does this have to do with me! Madam Deng, farewell!" He raised his hand and hurriedly retreated.

He was somewhat unhappy.

Originally, she had only thought that if fate allowed, she might be able to send a small token of her affection. But Deng Jie's words didn't seem to be a lie, otherwise she wouldn't have gone out on the Shangsi Festival.

Zhang Fei's mind was in turmoil. Deng Jie's words and Xiahou Shi's gaze intertwined in his mind, so he simply spurred his horse out of the city to vent his anger.

As we drove along, we reached the edge of a forest on the outskirts of town, when suddenly we saw a familiar figure standing in the bushes.

It was Xiahou Shi, who was gathering firewood in the forest with her maids.

With both hands reining in the horse, its hooves stopped and it neighed, Xiahou Shi turned around.

The two looked at each other and stood there stunned.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell on her, a gentle breeze ruffled her skirt, and the woman in his painting was looking directly at him.

Zhang Fei's heart pounded like a drum, and for a moment he didn't know what to say. On impulse, he reached out his hand to her.

As Xiahou looked at Zhang Fei reaching out to her, the image of him focused on painting that day overlapped with his burning anticipation today, and a surge of courage welled up in her heart.

Under the maid's surprised gaze, she also reached out and placed her hand on Zhang Fei's rough and powerful hand.

Zhang Fei was overjoyed. With a strong pull, he steadily brought Xiahou Shi onto the horse's back and sat in front of him to protect her.

With a long shout, the horse reared up and carried the two away from the maids' astonished gazes, galloping through the splendid spring sunshine.

When Zhang Fei rode his horse to escort Xiahou Shi back to her residence, the Xiahou mansion was already in complete chaos.

Xiahou Yuan heard from his maid that the young lady had been kidnapped by a dark-faced, burly man. He was about to leave the city to search for her when he saw Xiahou Shi enter the door, looking ashamed.

"Juan'er!" Xiahou Yuan rushed forward, grabbed Xiahou Juan's shoulder, and looked her up and down: "Are you alright? Was that black-clad fellow Zhang Yide? Did he hurt you? Did he take liberties with you?!"

"No, no!" Xiahou Juan shook her head repeatedly, her eyes still filled with tenderness and girlish feelings. "General Zhang just took me riding around...he just brought me back..."

"Galloping on horseback?! He... he actually dared to let you ride with him?!"

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Yuan was enraged. "A man and a woman alone together, what kind of behavior is this! How can he be so presumptuous towards my daughter, Xiahou! This is outrageous! I'm going to find him and Liu Bei right now!"

As he spoke, he pushed Xiahou Juan aside and rushed out the door.

Seeing her father's fury, Xiahou Juan was both ashamed and anxious. She grabbed Xiahou Yuan's sleeve and repeatedly explained, "Father, please calm down! It was...it was my own choice..."

"Voluntary?!" Xiahou Yuan was struck dumb, incredulous, and then roared, "Voluntary?! That guy is so much taller and stronger than you, even if you didn't want to, it would be 'voluntary'!"

Don't try to fool me; your father will take care of it for you!

"Wonderful talent! Where is Wonderful talent!" Cao Cao's voice came from outside the mansion as he strode in.

It turned out that Deng Jie had witnessed Zhang Fei and Xiahou Juan riding together on his way home, so he went to the Sikong Mansion to inform Guo Jia and Cao Cao.

Guo Jia followed closely behind, bowing slightly to Xiahou Yuan and signaling him to calm down with his eyes.

"Ming Gong!"

Xiahou Yuan could not remain calm. He stepped forward with even greater grief and indignation and accused, "My lord, you must do justice! That Zhang Yide kidnapped my daughter in public, ruining the reputation of my Xiahou family! How is such behavior any different from that of a bandit!"

I implore Your Excellency to severely punish that dark-skinned fellow, so that Liu Bei may be held accountable!

Cao Cao ignored Xiahou Yuan, beckoned to Xiahou Juan, put his arm around her shoulder and asked, "Juan'er, tell the truth, and I will make the decision for you."

Xiahou Juan mustered her courage and looked up. Although her cheeks were still slightly red, her voice was much clearer: "Uncle, it was not a kidnapping."

It was Juan'er who encountered General Zhang by chance in the woods. He...he reached out his hand to me, and I volunteered to mount his horse.

"You're so foolish!" Xiahou Yuan exclaimed in anguish.

Cao Cao clapped his hands and laughed: "Wonderful talent, look at you, you almost ruined Juan'er's wonderful marriage!"

"A marriage?!" Xiahou Yuan exclaimed in surprise. "Does my lord intend to..."

Cao Cao patted Xiahou Yuan on the shoulder, "Fengxiao also told me that the two of them hit it off on the Shangsi Festival, and Yide even gave her a painting..."

Xiahou Juan nodded shyly and pulled out the treasured scroll from her sleeve to show the two of them. Xiahou Yuan was so angry that his face turned green.

Cao Cao put his arm around Xiahou Yuan and led him into the courtyard, comforting him as they walked: "I have long heard that Yide is skilled in painting and has a straightforward personality. He is a rare hero in this world."

Juan'er also has a keen eye for people. She is not afraid of appearances but admires talent. This is true nature!

This is truly a match made in heaven; such a wonderful talent should be brought together!

He lowered his voice and said, "Now is the perfect time to win over Liu Bei and make him my loyal servant. Yun Chang and Yi De will naturally serve in the same court as you. When the time comes, you two, father-in-law and son-in-law, will be able to pacify the world together, which would be a wonderful story."

"You've won over Liu Bei yourself, yet you want Juan'er to suffer..." Xiahou Yuan muttered irritably, "I think it's clearly you who stole Lady Du and is using my daughter to make up for it..."

Seeing Cao Cao's beard and eyebrows standing on end, Xiahou Yuan immediately fell silent.

Cao Cao snorted coldly and said loudly to Guo Jia, "Fengxiao, go and invite Liu Yuzhou to my residence for a chat! Tell him that I have important matters to discuss with him, concerning the lifelong happiness of his third brother, Yide!"

"So it really happened?" Deng Jie poured wine for Guo Jia and inquired about the follow-up.

"Of course, with you in charge, there's no way you'd lie about it," Guo Jia said leisurely, taking a sip of his drink. "Now that you're doing this, my lady can even arrange marriages for people."

"But... is it really okay for me to do this? We've only met once..." Deng Jie was worried that he was just trying to set them up, but then he remembered the look in their eyes that day, which was undeniable.

"What does this have to do with you? This is a happy ending for everyone, so don't worry about it."

Guo Jia pulled her into his arms and gently comforted her, "Besides, didn't we ourselves... 'get engaged in haste after knowing each other for less than half a month'?" Guo Jia still remembered her words from back then.

Deng Jie's ears burned. "That's different! Besides, we were together day and night, going on adventures together... our friendship was naturally much stronger."

“But that’s not what you said back then…” Guo Jia leaned down to look at her, his eyes filled with mischief. “Other people’s marriages are preordained by fate, so you don’t need to worry about it anymore. Just focus on me.”

He moved a little closer, his gaze lingering in her eyes. "It's a promise, 'From now on, you're only allowed to think about me and my affairs.'"

When the two met, the two silver ornaments at their waists collided, producing a crisp sound that seemed to echo their vow from years ago.