Wei Qinglou looked at her and said, "Yes."
It was precisely because he understood her, understood her determination and perseverance, and knew that she was the kind of person who would not turn back even after hitting a wall, that he was even more worried about her.
But Zhu Jiayu just stared at him steadily, looking at him gently yet firmly, as if she had already calculated that even if he was reluctant or hesitant, he would not stop her.
After a long while, Wei Qinglou was indeed defeated by her gaze.
"I only have one request: let me stay with you," he said.
Zhu Jiayu thought for a while and then said okay.
So later, whenever Zhu Jiayu did good deeds, Wei Qinglou would always be by her side.
And so, it came to October 25th.
That evening, there was a lantern festival on Zhonghe Street. Zhu Jiayu had told Lüzheng early in the morning that she was going out to see the lantern festival.
As night fell, Lüzheng reluctantly saw her off at the door, her eyes filled with pleading: "Miss... I beg you, please take me with you."
Zhu Jiayu smiled gently, pried her hand off his, and asked softly, "Have you remembered everything I told you?"
Green Kite nodded, pursing her lips: "This servant has remembered clearly. Miss..."
"What's going on?" Zhu Congjian, who had just returned from outside, saw the master and servant arguing at the door and couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"
Green Kite's expression changed instantly. She obediently bowed to him, but dared not look at her young mistress again.
Zhu Jiayu glanced at her before smiling at Zhu Congjian and saying, "Father, it's nothing. I'm just going to Zhonghe Street to see the lanterns, and I asked Lüzheng to stay home and watch the house, but she wouldn't listen to me and wanted to come with me."
“Zhonghe Street? You can go there during the day, but at night… it’s a mixed bag, and you’re alone, so maybe you shouldn’t go.” Zhu Congjian hesitated.
Nighttime is a chaotic time, and being on Chung Wo Street made him very worried about his daughter.
Zhu Jiayu shook her head: "It's alright, I've made an appointment with someone, Dad, don't worry."
Hearing her say this, Zhu Congjian thought of the young man she had brought back that night, and also of what the housekeeper had told him a few days ago: that he had seen her being intimate with a man while she was distributing porridge.
Zhu Congjian thought for a moment and felt that he should give his daughter some space, so he slowly nodded: "Then you should come back soon."
Zhu Jiayu smiled and agreed, then turned and left the mansion, heading towards Zhonghe Street.
At this time, Zhonghe Street was ablaze with lights, and lanterns were hung everywhere, in front of tall buildings, under willow trees, and by ponds.
There were young knights-errant leading their horses, ordinary people carrying swords and drinking wine, and even more young women in their prime, dressed in long skirts, strolling through the lantern market. Occasionally, they would stop to buy clay figurines from the stalls, and when they turned around, their faces were already covered with blue-faced, fanged masks, startling their female companions into whispering gasps, followed by a string of silvery laughter.
As Zhu Jiayu walked among them, she suddenly thought of Wei Qinglou.
If Wei Qinglou were here, things would be much better.
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