Chapter 10 revealed that he only had her, only her, standing out starkly in the crowd...
The snow fell intermittently for two days, but stopped before December 13th, making it a rare good day when I went to the banquet at the Marquis of Wu'an's residence.
The sky was clear and the air was crisp; even the winter sun felt warm on people.
Xue Chan went to the Marquis's residence to attend a birthday banquet.
Because men and women were seated separately, the maid led Xue Chan and Cheng Huaizhu to Jihe Pavilion first. After crossing a covered bridge, they encountered two more young girls.
Xue Chan didn't recognize him, but Cheng Huaizhu greeted her with a happy smile, "Yang Jun!"
She immediately pulled Xue Chan along and walked quickly upstairs.
Xue Chan could only see clearly when everyone got closer.
A girl, about fourteen or fifteen years old, similar in age to Cheng Huaizhu, with a beautiful face and almond-shaped eyes, was extremely charming.
Cheng Huaizhu stepped forward and took her arm, complaining softly, "I haven't seen you in so long, and you haven't written to me at all."
"I'm busy, you know my dad's sick. I'll play with you another day, don't worry about it..." Xiao Yangjun tugged at her sleeve to coax her.
The two women were talking intimately, so Xue Chan quietly stepped back two steps to give them some space.
The snow had melted and was slippery, so Xue Chan swayed slightly before being immediately supported.
She looked up and met Shuangyin's smiling eyes: "The snow has melted, so watch your step."
The voice was as soft as if it were tugging at the clouds.
Xue Chan looked up and saw it was the girl who had come with Xiao Yangjun. She thanked her and politely asked, "May I ask who you are, sister...?"
"My surname is Fang, and my given name is Youxi. The young marquis's mother is my aunt."
I heard from Madam Zhou that the Lady Hou who passed away two years ago was surnamed Fang.
So she was a cousin of the Marquis of Wu'an. Xue Chan nodded and smiled gently. Out of courtesy, she prepared to reply.
“I know you are Miss Xue.” She said with a smile, “I have heard of you for a long time, but seeing is believing… I have never seen you in person.”
Xue Chan was stunned for a moment, even more confused, but she saw that Xue Chan remained gentle and proper.
However, she didn't say anything more and gave a polite smile.
Fang Youxi didn't say much either, but stood with her with a slight smile.
After Cheng Huaizhu finished speaking, she pulled Xue Chan aside and said, "This is my cousin from the Xue family."
"This is Miss Xiao, the third daughter of the Marquis of Mingyi's family."
Xue Chan stepped forward, and the two greeted each other.
"So you are Miss Xue." Xiao Yangjun tilted his head slightly, his bright eyes gazing at her thoughtfully.
The group stood on the covered bridge for a while, and then a maid said, "It's cold outside, ladies, why don't you go to the Jihe Pavilion?"
The group walked through the covered walkway and past a flower wall, and arrived at the Jihe Pavilion.
It was still early, and the banquet had not yet begun. There were many people attending the banquet at the Marquis of Wu'an's residence, and the women were mostly gathered in twos and threes, either playing chess or chatting.
Cheng Huaizhu was a playful person, and she dragged Xiao Yangjun and a few other girls together to make a ruckus.
Xue Chan sat down in a quiet spot by the window. There was a chessboard on the table, but it was only half-finished. She stared at a painting on the wall, lost in thought, but there were always subtle glances falling on her.
Looking up, he met Xiao Yangjun's gaze.
If she had avoided her gaze, there would have been something to say, but Xiao Yangjun was just looking at her with some curiosity, and when she looked over, he smiled shyly.
Xue Chan didn't quite understand, but then she thought that Cheng Huaizhu's friends were probably all similar in temperament.
So she nodded slightly, smiled in return, and simply lowered her head, pretending to ponder the remaining situation.
"Miss Xue, do you have a solution?" Fang Youxi sat down opposite her, still with that gentle smile. "This is half a game of chess that my friend and I played. I've been thinking about it for a long time without finding a solution. I just saw Miss Xue looking at it for a long time, so it seems you have an idea?"
"I'd say a little bit," Xue Chan said with a faint smile.
Fang Youxi extended his hand: "Please help me."
The two sat facing each other, Xue Chan playing black and Fang Youxi playing white, taking turns making their moves. The game remained deadlocked, and as Xue Chan pondered, she glanced at the half-open window beside her and saw a large goldfish fly across the eaves.
She thought she was seeing things, but upon closer inspection, she realized it really was a goldfish.
It was just a goldfish-shaped kite.
Who has the leisure to fly a kite on this cold winter day?
"You've yielded to me."
Xue Chan was momentarily distracted. She lost by half a point. She put down her piece and smiled faintly, "Miss Fang's chess style is somewhat similar to that of an old friend of mine, and this game is no exception."
The other person bent down to pick up the card, smiled gently, and said, "Is that so? Perhaps it's fate that brought us together."
Fang Youxi is a very amiable person, to the point of being extremely amiable.
Not only are they friendly, but they are also considerate, meticulous, and thoughtful.
Xue Chan found this close interaction somewhat puzzling and wasn't quite used to it.
"Thank you very much for earlier."
Seeing that she had become somewhat distant, Fang Youxi slowly put away his money: "Thank you or not, it's fine. It's just that you lost a round to me. After passing through the corridor, there is the Plum Blossom Pavilion. The plum blossoms are in full bloom now. Why don't you pick a few plum blossoms for me as a return gift?"
Xue Chan readily agreed and got up to pluck plum blossoms outside.
She walked out along the covered walkway and saw a rockery with the words "Meixuan" carved on it.
Looking up, I saw that the plum blossoms behind me were in full bloom. They were all ancient plum trees that had been growing for many years and had long since grown taller than the eaves.
The sky was clear and bright, reflecting off the snow so brightly it stung her eyes.
After getting used to it, we continued up the path in the middle, and after two turns, we entered the Plum Pavilion.
Just as I was about to go down, something landed at my feet with a "thud".
Xue Chan looked down and saw the kite she had just seen. She picked it up and heard the sound of footsteps on the snow mixed with a few whispers.
"Huh? I just saw it fall around here..."
Unable to leave immediately and fearing she might bump into someone she shouldn't, Xue Chan quickly threw the kite onto a nearby plum tree and hid behind a lake rock, intending to leave quietly.
"Crunch crunch"
As the sound of footsteps approached, the speaker's figure became clearer amidst the plum blossoms.
"What's with Zheng Shaoyu, flying a kite in this freezing weather!"
As Jiang Ce searched, he grumbled to himself. Zheng Shaoyu, who had just lost a game of chess and was in a bad mood, had ordered him to fly a kite for him, and now that the kite string had broken, he was being asked to come and look for it.
He walked along the covered walkway of Meixuan Pavilion, searching the surroundings without success. He looked up and suddenly saw a kite perched on a plum tree beside a lake rock.
Without much thought, he lightly leaped onto the artificial hill, grabbed a plum branch with one hand, and reached out to pick it.
The snow on the lake rocks melted a thin layer due to the warm air.
"Crack!"
Jiang Ce slipped and fell off the artificial hill, landing headfirst in the snow. The commotion was so loud that a plum branch broke off, causing the fragrance of plum blossoms and snow to fall all over him, making him look quite comical.
"Pfft"
He quickly got up to shake off the snow, when he suddenly heard a soft laugh.
"who?"
Jiang Ce chuckled softly, and just as he was about to climb the stone steps and turn around, he heard a series of crisp "clinking" sounds.
He immediately followed the sound through the narrow path of the artificial hill, only to see a green shadow disappear behind the reed curtain of the long corridor.
Jiang Ce suddenly stopped outside the veranda; the crisp sound was the clinking of her jade pendants.
A wall separates the area where the female guests are located.
He took the kite and was about to return home, but a sense of unease lingered in his heart. It was a familiar, sharp feeling, like countless needles sprouting from his heart, constantly pricking out.
I had intended to stop writing, but after being ridiculed so much, I felt resentful.
Jiang Ce leaped up to the plum pavilion, crossed his arms, and looked down, his gaze searching back and forth. Before long, he spotted a girl standing behind the curtain of the covered walkway, talking to Zheng Tan.
Wearing a gold-painted shirt, a light green dress, a peacock blue skirt, and a belt with a sash around the waist.
Because she was turned to the side, her face was not visible; only her slightly thin figure was visible.
"This person..."
There were many young ladies and girls from various families attending the banquet, at least a dozen of them dressed in green and adorned with jade pendants, but they all gave him a different feeling, except for the one who was speaking to Zheng Tan sideways in the corridor…
Only she, only she, stood out in the crowd.
It's not about character, appearance, or clothing. In fact, if you really think about it, this person is quite unremarkable.
Jiang Ce realized that the person who had been hiding behind the screen watching him make a fool of himself and secretly laughing was her.
He pondered for a while, but when he looked again, there was no one under the eaves.
Zheng Tan walked through the cave entrance and saw Jiang Ce standing in the plum pavilion in a daze. He couldn't help but laugh and call out to him, "Weren't you watching the cranes with Liu Lang? Why are you here?"
Jiang Ce practically flew down, and asked her with a smile, "Sister Tan, I just saw you chatting and laughing with a girl in a green dress for a long time under the eaves. Who was she?"
"That's Miss Xue." Zheng Tan's smile deepened as he walked away.
Jiang Ce was slightly stunned.
I saw her painting in the palace last time, and I saw her again. Although I neither saw her nor heard her voice, I could vaguely sense that she must be a very good person.
A breeze carrying the scent of snow drifted by, and the reed curtains along the long corridor swayed gently in the wind, yet the inexplicable sharpness in my heart lingered.
Jiang Ce let out a breath and thought, "Never mind."
Why bother arguing with her? Even if she finds out, so what? He can't just laugh back; that would make him seem petty.
As Jiang Ce walked back, he ran into Xiao Huaiting on the mountain corridor.
"Young Master Xiao, spying in secret is not the behavior of a gentleman."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Xiao Huaiting chuckled lightly and said calmly, "You've been gone for a long time, so Zheng Shaoyu sent me to find you."
He gathered his sleeves and walked up the stone steps: "Besides..."
His words abruptly stopped as Jiang Ce grabbed him by the tail, stepping forward to block his path, raising an eyebrow and saying, "You already have someone you like! Who is she? Have I seen her? What does she look like?"
He launched into a long speech, which made Xiao Huaiting blush and turn to walk up the mountain corridor.
Jiang Ce caught up with him, crossed his arms, and walked backwards in front of Xiao Huaiting: "Will you talk or not?"
Xiao Huaiting: "That's not true, what did I say?"
Jiang Ce didn't believe it at all: "If you weren't here, why would you be running away? Whose family are you from?"
Xiao Huaiting remained silent, while Jiang Ce urged him repeatedly.
"We've known each other for so many years, tell us quickly."
He threatened, "If you don't tell me, I'll go back and tell Zheng Shaoyu. Being targeted by him isn't something you can easily brush off. He'll drive you crazy."
As the two struggled, they reached the mountain corridor, where Xiao Huaiting stopped.
"She is not from the capital."
He looked at the white plum blossom that stretched into the corridor, lowered his eyes and smiled, and slowly opened his mouth.
"This autumn, I went to Nanze to visit relatives. I passed by the Qinglan River and rested for a while at a Taoist temple on the riverbank. When I woke up, I heard the sound of a zither."
Jiang Ce: "If it can move your heart, it must be played extremely well."
No, no, no
"On the contrary, the music was really..." Xiao Huaiting shook his head with a smile and waved his hands repeatedly, "unbearable to listen to."
"Your taste is truly..." Jiang Ce clicked his tongue.
"It's quite unique."
“Yes,” Xiao Huaiting laughed, “I was quite surprised too. I was thinking of getting up to see who had such terrible skills. But when I walked out of the Taoist temple and stood on the hillside…”
He looked up at the flowers, and his memories gradually faded away.
It was a day in late autumn, and the weather was unusually fine.
The sky was high and clear, even the sunlight was gentle, and the mountains were covered in orange and green hues, stretching endlessly.
A young girl sat by the water, playing her zither as the river flowed gently by. The piece was simple, but she played it haltingly, and finally, in a fit of frustration, picked up a small stone and threw it into the water.
He laughed, his gaze following the flying pebble, but he didn't see it fall into the water.
But……
I clearly heard the sound of something breaking through the water, and the sound of ripples spreading.
He just stood there, lost in thought.
When he came to his senses, he immediately went down the mountain to chase after her, but she had already disappeared.
Only the wind blows across the mountains, painting them with autumn colors.
Xiao Huaiting lowered his eyes.
"I don't even know her name or which family she comes from."
Jiang Ce: "Didn't you go look for it?"
Xiao Huaiting smiled gently: "We searched, but it seems she was just passing through there. No one knows where she came from or where she is going."
It was like a fleeting shadow of flowers in late autumn.
A note from the author:
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