Chapter 20: Repaying Qiong Yao
Liu Xiang was a little surprised.
As they left the bookstore, Zheng Sirui told him to walk slowly on the way back and to be careful around them, so as not to miss anyone. He was lacking in spirituality when it came to matters of the heart, and was baffled. It wasn't until someone pulled him aside, clutching a few books, and he recognized the figure under the cone-shaped hat as Miss You, that he realized what Zheng Sirui was referring to. The incense on Yanru was a bit strong, and Liu Xiang gently covered his nose with his fist, coughed slightly, and smiled, "Thank you for your concern, Miss. I was just caught in the rain the other day, nothing serious. I wonder what you're talking to me about today?"
Yanru softly explained her purpose, but Liu Xiang refused, saying, "It's all Si Rui's fault for being so nosy. I was just chatting with her casually, and I didn't expect it would make you suspicious. It's okay, just three or four books. I can buy more, so there's no need to do this. You can keep them, young lady."
Why should I keep it? I won't read it, and the books the academy gave me are enough to pad the corners of my desk. Yanru quickly evaded the question: "No, no, no, this is a thank-you gift for the student. If I hadn't run into the student the night before, who knows what would have happened. I have to thank you properly."
Liu Xiang thought to herself, it's really just a few books. Declining would only embarrass the other girl, so she happily accepted it. "Then I'll respectfully obey your command. These days, the capital can be said to be a place where people don't pick up things on the streets, and where doors are left unlocked at night. But for a girl to walk alone outside at night is... a little... unsafe and inappropriate. As the saying goes, a gentleman doesn't stand under a dangerous wall. From now on, if you walk at night, it's best to have a companion."
Who could say it wasn't? It was all because of that old scoundrel Ji Mingxiu's cruelty, not even leaving the carriage for anyone. Unlike Liu Jiansheng, who had only met a few times, he was so considerate and kind. Yanru's feelings for Liu Xiang grew even more lingering, and she even changed her way of addressing him: "Thank you, sir, for reminding me." At this moment, a gust of wind blew by, and Yanru nimbly turned slightly, trying to create a bright and pure look in her eyes. She raised her head, just in time for the wind to gently lift the white veil of her conical hat. Like mist dispersing, green mountains and clear waters appeared in the sunlight, and the white veil fluttered and peeled off, revealing the beauty that had been carefully adorned for half an hour, finally "coming out after much anticipation."
This was the third time Liu Xiang had seen her like this: the first time, he couldn't quite make out the stranger's face; he only remembered her wearing the pale blue uniform of Guanyan Academy. The second time, her peach pink and crabapple red, so dazzling it hurt his eyes, and in the dark, rainy night, it was unsettling. She squatted on the ground, crying, her face smeared with powder and rain. The third time, Yanru before him wore a pale blue dress and a pale blue cape. Her most distinctive feature was her conical hat. Other women placed flower ornaments between their brows, then wore a veil or conical hat, a faint hint of red glimpsed through the veil. Yanru, in contrast, applied rouge onto paper and cut out the shapes of peach petals. Tiny pieces, scattered across the veil of her hat, adorned her every move, as if dancing peach blossoms. Just now, the wind parted the veil, letting the delicate flowers flutter, revealing the innocent face of a young girl.
The eyebrows compete with the willow for green, and the face competes with the peach for red.
Seeing Liu Xiang stunned by her meticulously curated beauty, Yanru's confidence soared. She strained to sneeze, then covered her mouth and nose with a pretentious gesture, shrank back and shuddered, shaking the veil back down again. She forced another sneeze and coughed a few times, shaking the veil until just a slit appeared—a technique she had meticulously devised in front of the mirror, practiced extensively, just enough to reveal her features but not her plump cheeks. This also served a secondary purpose, prompting Liu Xiang to ask with concern, "Miss You, are you feeling unwell?"
"It's okay, nothing serious. I'm afraid I just went to the fork in the road the other day to look for something lost for Master Liu. I caught a cold from the rain the night before, and that place is a windy place. I stayed there for a long time and I'm a little cold." Yanru pretended to be disappointed, took out the small box containing the jade from her bosom, and opened it to Liu Xiang. "Unfortunately, I searched for a long time but couldn't find it, so I had to buy a new one and return it to Master."
Inside the box lay a delicate, white jade pendant. Liu Xiang waved his hand, "No, no! It's just a few books. I can't accept such valuable things from a young lady."
"The jade pendants I carry with me are all my favorites. It would be a pity to lose them. I hope you will accept them and don't make me feel bad." Yanru was tender and sentimental. Afraid that she would forget, she quickly looked up the classics in her book last night and recited the poem she had memorized. "The Book of Songs says: 'Throw me a wooden... a melon... a peach, and I will repay you with a jade.' The kindness you have shown me is greater than a wooden melon. It is only natural that I would repay you with a jade."
Liu Xiang was at a loss for words. "Oh! It was just a few casual words, how could that little rascal surnamed Zheng spread them out? He made the young lady misunderstand. That's not jade, it's a stone. I found it by the lake a while ago. I thought it was interesting, so I polished it into a ring, carved a pattern on it, and wore it as a waist pendant. It's not worth much. Why did the young lady give you real jade? It's too valuable. I can't accept it. You should keep it."
Not worth the money, not worth the money...
Poor bastard, if you don't have money, then you don't have money. Why are you still wearing jade like others? You're making me spend money for nothing! A certain place in Yanru's body was bleeding. This jade is not expensive, but it is still more valuable than his broken stone. It would be better if she didn't know. Now that she knew, it's not her fault. She simply walked down the stairs: "Ah, in this case, I won't force you, sir." She quickly closed the box and put it into her wide sleeves. She was afraid that if she was any later, Liu Xiang would regret accepting it. Yanru straightened her clothes and quickly changed the subject: "By the way, there is one thing I don't understand. I have only met you a few times. How did you know my last name is You?"
Liu Xiang said, "Si Rui mentioned it. She told me that over a year ago, she fell seriously ill and was on the verge of death. A girl named You, her best friend in Jinling, stole money and things from her home and sent for a doctor and medicine for her. She was beaten for it. When I heard about this, I admired Miss You very much and wanted to meet this kind-hearted woman if I had the chance. A few days ago, I heard from Si Rui that Miss You came to the capital and was taking classes with her at Guanyan Academy. Si Rui used to be a solitary person and didn't have many close friends. A few days ago, a stranger girl suddenly ran an errand to return her books and even offered to carry the books she borrowed back for her. I knew that this person must be the chivalrous Miss You."
"Hehe." Yanru blushed, blaming Zheng Sirui for sharing the embarrassing story of her beating, but also thanking her for leaving a good impression early on. More and more people were coming and going, and it would be inconvenient for a man and a woman to chat on the street for too long. After a few pleasantries, they quickly said their goodbyes. That night, Yanru tore apart and mashed up the day's events, pondering them over and over again, savoring the sweetness of each, as she finished her dinner.
Twelve hours later, it was evening again. Zheng Sirui brought a bag of medicinal tea that was said to dispel cold and strengthen the body to Yanru's room. There was a small piece of note on it, which was full of words of concern and care. The word "Liu" was written at the end of the note.
The victorious cat was as happy as a tiger. Yanru won the first battle and was so happy that she was shaking her head. She wrote a note of thanks and asked Zheng Sirui to return it to Liu Xiang when she went to the bookstore.
For several days, Zheng Sirui couldn't help but wonder if she had been a carrier pigeon in a previous life, otherwise how could she have delivered letters to You and Liu every day? She didn't understand what was written in the letters, but she knew that every time they handed over letters, both men and women would be embarrassed, their cheeks flushed, half shy and half happy. Finally, on the seventh day, Zheng Sirui handed Liu Xiang's note to Yanru for the last time and said, "Alright, the bookstore and the academy will be on vacation tomorrow, so I won't have to be that carrier pigeon spirit or beacon tower spirit for the time being, delivering messages to you two and also helping you spy on the enemy."
"Look at you being so pretentious." Yanru tore open the glued seal and pulled out a piece of paper. It was filled with a long invitation to go out tomorrow. Yanru smiled without saying anything and stuffed the letter into her arms. They had just finished dinner, and afterward, she picked her teeth and rinsed her mouth. Yanru gurgled and spit out the tea in her mouth, puzzled. "Ruirui, my tea used to be a bit bitter, but what's wrong with it today? Tsk, it tastes sweet."
Zheng Sirui wiped the water from her lips and said nonchalantly, "It's not the wine that makes you drunk, it's you who makes you drunk."
Yanru looked clueless: "What do you mean?" This made Zheng Sirui laugh: "Silly boy, it's not because the tea is sweet that you are sweet, it's because you are thinking about Liu Xiang, and your heart is sweet, so the tea is sweet."
"Little bitch, stop talking nonsense." Yanru said angrily, pretending to hit Zheng Sirui's shoulder. Zheng Sirui didn't get angry and pinched her back: "Are you shy? I'm not talking nonsense. Count it yourself. Tonight I didn't eat with the dishes, I ate with the name Liu Xiang." The two of them clashed, and Yanru slapped Zheng Sirui on the waist: "I'm not friends with you anymore. You were friends with that heartless 'Lu' chicken before, and no one said that to you. Now it's my turn, and you use it to make fun of me."
"Okay, okay, I was wrong. Please forgive my crazy words, young lady." Zheng Sirui apologized and begged for mercy. "But Yanru, you have only met Liu Xiang a few times, and you have begun to admire him. Although you write letters to him all day long, you have never been together face to face. I am really curious, what is it that you two like about each other?"
Is there any need to say this? Yanru said without hesitation: "He is good-looking."
Zheng Sirui asked, "Then what does he like about you? Have you ever thought about it?"
Yanru thought for a long time: "I am beautiful, right?"
Zheng Sirui asked tentatively, "Really? If he likes your appearance, you don't mind?"
This question left Yanru confused: "What's wrong? Is there a problem? My beauty belongs to me. He likes my beauty, and he also likes me. What's the problem with this?"
Zheng Sirui clasped her hands, recalling the same question she had asked Liu Xiang in the bookstore that afternoon: "You and Miss You have only met three times, and exchanged letters for a few days, but you haven't spoken face to face many times. How come you are suddenly in love with each other and are so affectionate?"
Liu Xiang sorted through the newly printed books and said, "A graceful lady is a gentleman's dream. If a beauty like this exists, why not embrace her sooner?"
"Pervert." Zheng Sirui rolled her eyes at him. "A pervert in human form."
"Everyone loves beauty, and I admit it openly. It's better than those hypocritical people who covet a girl's looks and then beat around the bush and bring up some nonsense." Liu Xiang saw Zheng Sirui pouting and frowning, and said, "Why? Do you think I'm not worthy of your close friend?"
"That's not the case." Zheng Sirui hesitated and said what was in her heart: "Maybe it's my fault. When I was a child, I heard about the story of Emperor Wu of Han and Chen Ajiao, and I firmly believed that using beauty to seduce others will never work. Indeed, appearance is the first threshold of love. After all, eye contact is also fate. But if two people are in love, it seems a bit unreliable to have only beauty as the basis. There must be something else to support it, such as the same interests and hobbies. Beauty is an illusion, and interests and character are the essence. If you only love beauty, you can't fall in love with the essence through the illusion. If one day... after all..."
Zheng Sirui concealed the rest of her words, but Liu Xiang understood the implication: "Actually, besides her appearance, it also has something to do with you. You praised her so much before, as if she were a fairy born to be a female knight. I already had a good impression of her before I met her. Now that I have really seen her, she is a beauty that meets my aesthetic standards. Speaking of which, I have to thank you. Don't worry, you and I have known each other for half a year, and you know me inside and out. If I were a playboy, wouldn't I have revealed myself to you long ago? Her beautiful appearance is just a drop in the ocean for me, leading me to slowly discover her good qualities. I won't bully Yanru, don't worry."
Zheng Sirui raised her hand and patted his shoulder: "You still misunderstand me a little. You and her are both my close friends. Naturally, I hope you are all well. Just don't be like me before."
Her thoughts drifted from afternoon to evening, and the person before her changed from Liu Xiang back to Yanru. Watching her friend sweetly choose clothes for tomorrow's outing, Zheng Sirui felt that if she said anything more, it would be annoying. It was all right, if Yanru quickly forgot about the old man, found a good and reliable man, and looked forward to the future again—that wouldn't be a bad thing, but a happy one. Zheng Sirui relaxed, secretly laughing at her own overthinking, gave her a heads-up, and returned to her book.
It was not until many years later, on the day she parted ways with Yanru, that Zheng Sirui recalled the past and realized that her worries were not groundless, but had come true.
[Mumbling]: Spoiler alert, tomorrow, the characters from Chapter 1 will appear briefly in a very unexpected way.
I hope everyone will leave more comments and give more recommendation tickets~~ This week's data is very bad, I always think that my writing is not good enough~
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