Chapter 61 The Matchmaker's Daughter "She said... she doesn't like me..."
Xue Chan didn't know what to say, and remained silent for a while.
Yu Niangzi didn't say anything more, but just sat next to her, eating snacks and quietly listening to the rustling of the juniper in the evening breeze.
Until she saw a crescent moon hanging on the wall, Madam Yu smiled and asked her, "Are you feeling better?"
Xue Chan nodded, her tone relaxed: "Much better."
Actually, this argument and commotion actually helped to clear up a lot of the complicated emotions that had been building up inside me.
Lady Yu stood up and extended her hand to her: "It's getting late, let's go back."
Xue Chan was pulled up by her, and the two said goodbye in front of the small hall.
Only after Xue Chan and the other two had gone far away did Lady Yu slowly return to the Zen temple with her maids.
Jiang Ce had returned at some point and was now sitting on the veranda, leaning against a pillar, lost in thought.
When Lady Yu and Lanxi exchanged glances, the maids who were with them withdrew.
She walked up the stone steps and stopped in front of Jiang Ce.
Jiang Ce lowered his head, one side of his face was swollen and red, with clear finger marks. His waist was soaked with water, and he was still holding a pear blossom in his hand.
He didn't even notice that someone was standing in front of him.
It wasn't until Lady Yu sighed softly that Jiang Ce raised his head. Looking at her, his eyes suddenly welled up with tears, and the lamplight above revealed the moistness in his eyes.
He sniffed slightly, then immediately lowered his head and called out softly.
"Mother, I..."
Madam Yu turned and went inside: "Go change your clothes first, then come over."
Jiang Ce slowly stood up, quickly changed his clothes, and walked in with heavy, slow steps to sit opposite her.
Looking at the pear blossom on the table, Madam Yu softly asked, "What do you want to say?"
He lowered his head, opened his mouth but found his throat was sore and blocked, and it took him several attempts to finally speak.
The voice that came out was no longer the bright and lively one of the past; it was almost hoarse and trembling.
She said...
Jiang Ce felt so bitter and astringent that his words were like a flood in early spring, overflowing uncontrollably and leaving a trail of bitter and sour tears.
She said... she doesn't like me.
His head drooped even lower, almost level with his slightly trembling shoulders.
In truth, Jiang Ce didn't even know how he got back; his face, swollen and burning from the three slaps, was red and swollen. But he was so heartbroken that he didn't care about the pain on his face. Walking back from the covered bridge, as he passed the Longevity Pool, he saw the pear blossom that had been thrown into the water.
He seemed to only remember standing by the pool looking at the pear blossoms for a long time. When he came to his senses, he was already soaking wet as he stepped out of the Longevity Pool, still holding the pear blossom in his hand.
He couldn't remember when he went into the pond or how he retrieved the flowers.
In a daze, I held a flower branch in my hand.
Jiang Ce didn't know where to go. He didn't want to go back to the Marquis's mansion, and he couldn't tell Xiao Huaiting and Zheng Shaoyu. He was even more ashamed to go to Xue Chan.
I don't know where to go, who to tell, or who to ask for advice.
He entered the temple in a daze and sat on the veranda, looking lost and dejected.
Actually, the moment Yu Niangzi walked up to him, he really wanted to run away, but he still wanted to be with Xue Chan.
"So, do you like her?"
Jiang Ce nodded twice, and hot, sour, invisible beads fell to the ground with those two movements.
"I like it, I really like it."
He clutched his robes tightly: "But it seems I've done a lot of wrong things."
Yu Niangzi said, "That is a child with a fragile heart. Your toughness and pressure will not make her submit and become docile, but will only shatter her and become a weapon that takes lives."
"Then... what should I do?"
"Think carefully about how to get along with her and in what way you should get along with her."
Jiang Ce raised his face slightly, but he still looked somewhat lost and confused.
"But I don't know what kind of person she likes, I don't know what to do, and I don't know how to make her like me..."
Lady Yu looked at him and asked, "When she was with you, did she ever laugh heartily?"
Jiang Ce thought for a moment.
They rarely met, and aside from those who parted in haste without exchanging a word, nine times out of ten they were just arguing.
It seems that... when she was with him, she never truly felt completely at ease and happy.
Only once, on the Shangsi Festival at Ningcui Tower, the two stood by the window and experienced a brief spring together.
The cicadas begin to sing, and the noise grows louder day by day.
The days passed with the chirping of cicadas and the increasingly warm summer breeze, and the Dragon Boat Festival arrived.
Along with the summer breeze, what swept into the Cheng residence was not only the chirping of cicadas and the heat of summer, but also the imperial decree announcing the wedding date.
October 17th is an auspicious day for marriage.
Both the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion and the Cheng family had made preparations for the marriage well in advance, and every step of the process was proceeding smoothly.
The Marquis of Wu'an's residence delivered the betrothal gifts and gift list early in the morning, and the palace also added a lot of rewards. The long procession made the Dragon Boat Festival even more lively.
Madam Zhou was checking the gift list with the people from the Marquis's residence.
Cheng Huaizhu looked at the betrothal gifts with curiosity in the flower hall, but then she thought that once the wedding date was set and the betrothal gifts arrived, Xue Chan would soon have to leave her courtyard.
The girl immediately became unhappy, and put the gift given to her on the table, snorting.
Her emotions changed quickly. Mingxia and the others saw that she was happy one moment, looking at the large box of round pearls in her hand, and the next moment her expression changed.
Then, with a furrowed brow, a pout, and a puff of cheeks, he grabbed Xue Chan and ran off like the wind.
Without saying a word, Cheng Huaizhu pulled Xue Chan across the high threshold, and the two walked hand in hand into the inner courtyard.
"Huaizhu, what's wrong?"
Xue Chan pulled her to a stop, and the two stood under the shade of a clump of green bamboo.
Cheng Huaizhu looked unhappy and turned away without saying a word to pluck the bamboo leaves. She dropped a pile of broken leaves on the ground, but she was still somewhat unhappy, grumbling and throwing a tantrum under the green bamboo.
Xue Chan chuckled and bent down to look at her. Cheng Huaizhu turned her face away to prevent her from looking, but couldn't help stealing glances at Xue Chan.
"You were fine just now, why are you upset?"
Xue Chan pulled her by the sleeve and turned her around: "What, is there something between us that we can't talk about?"
Cheng Huaizhu looked at Xue Chan, who was smiling at her, and sighed inwardly.
This should have been a joyous occasion, and she should have been happy for her. She shouldn't have thrown such a tantrum on such a day, and Xue Chan should have had to coax her.
But she felt inexplicably irritable, and there was also a sense of unease about something being about to be missing from her heart.
She felt annoyed and upset, which in turn made her feel wronged and heartbroken.
Perhaps it's the hot weather that's making me feel irritable.
Xue Chan bent down slightly, tilted her head, and smiled at her. Cheng Huaizhu felt a sudden pang of sadness, hugged Xue Chan's arm, and quietly shed a few pearl-like tears while leaning on her shoulder.
The two sat on the threshold, leaning against each other. Xue Chan held Cheng Huaizhu close, letting her bury her face in her neck and sob.
She patted the girl's back gently and said softly, "It's okay, there's still plenty of time."
Xue Chan smiled and counted on her fingers for her.
“We can still celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival together, as well as the Qixi Festival, the Golden Autumn Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and many more days and nights. We can also fly kites many times, play cat's cradle many times, play cuju many times, and have many meals together. And even if I really get married, I will still be in the capital, and we can still meet.”
Cheng Huaizhu raised her face, her little face streaked with tears: "But, but he will do these things with you. He will play football with you, eat with you, and even sleep with you."
"And..." Cheng Huaizhu sobbed, continuing, "Don't even mention other people, even if you were to marry a god, I wouldn't be happy. I'm not happy at all. They're not as good as me."
The more she talked, the sadder she became, especially when Xue Chan smiled at her, she couldn't stop her tears and wanted to hug Xue Chan and cry her heart out.
But she didn't, so she was a little out of breath. Her eyes were brimming with tears, and huge teardrops seemed to keep falling to the ground.
Xue Chan cupped her face and wiped away her tears. She knew that this usually innocent girl could also overthink and be sensitive, so she did not tell her to stop crying or to stop feeling sad.
"Of course I know. No one in this world can compare to Cheng Huaizhu, and no one can replace Cheng Huaizhu. You are the most unique."
Cheng Huaizhu hiccuped: "Really?"
Xue Chan smiled and nodded: "Of course, if I'm lying to you, I'll be a giant turtle in my next life."
Cheng Huaizhu burst into laughter through her tears, and laughed along with Xue Chan.
She first wiped her tears with her sleeve, then sat on the doorstep and sighed, "I want to eat zongzi (sticky rice dumplings)."
"I'll have Chunniang do it."
"I want to eat honey, red dates, meat, vegetarian rice... I want to eat them all."
"good"
Xue Chan pulled her to stand up together: "Anyway, the elders will take care of these things. Let's go celebrate the festival. Chu Tao and the others are hanging mugwort and calamus and weaving longevity threads. Shall we join them?"
Cheng Huaizhu nodded: "Okay."
Xue Chan took her hand and jumped over two high thresholds.
The group sat together, wrapped zongzi in clean broad leaves, and had them taken to the small kitchen to be cooked.
In her haste, Cheng Huaizhu accidentally grabbed one and burned it, tossing it back and forth between her two hands.
"Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot!"
The girls rushed to catch it, but the last dumpling fell onto the table.
Cheng Huaizhu looked at her hands, which were covered in red marks, and wailed.
"It hurts so much!"
Xue Chan shook her head helplessly. Yun Sheng brought back some medicine and applied it to her wounds while blowing on it.
Cheng Huaizhu looked at Xue Chan with a pitiful expression: "My hands, I still want to peel the zongzi..."
"Alright, I'll peel it for you." Xue Chan picked up the zongzi that had cooled down a bit and slowly peeled off its greenish-brown skin. The soft glutinous rice mixed with the fragrance of leaves wafted out.
She dipped the plain rice dumpling in osmanthus honey and fed it to Cheng Huaizhu's lips: "Eat."
Cheng Huaizhu propped herself up with both hands, took a bite of the zongzi (sticky rice dumpling) from her mouth, and smiled so much that her eyes resembled crescent moons.
Yun Sheng came in from the outer courtyard and walked up to the two of them: "Miss, the Lady of Wu'an Marquis sent an invitation, saying that you and Miss Huaizhu are invited to Guanyin Lake tomorrow to watch the dragon boat water show."
After saying that, she handed the invitation to Xue Chan.
Xue Chan lowered her eyes as she looked at the invitation.
Since returning from Jixiang Temple, she has received several invitations and visiting cards.
Even at the spring banquet at the Marquis of Mingyi's residence a few days ago, Lord Xiaoyang wrote her a letter, but Xue Chan declined it all, citing illness.
Looking at Xue Chan's calm and expressionless face, Cheng Huaizhu sighed inwardly, guessing that Xue Chan would most likely refuse again.
Xue Chan already dreads the summer heat and dislikes crowds. Moreover, she has been restless lately, often filled with worry and fear, making her even less inclined to go out and play.
However, the dragon boat water show at Guanyin Lake is the most spectacular every year. Back when her elder brother, Cheng Qingpei, was still in the capital, she would always drag him along to watch the water show.
It's most likely not going to happen this year...
No, she had to stay with Xue Chan. After all, there were water plays every year, but Xue Chan was a one-of-a-kind.
“Go reply to the post, and you will be here tomorrow.” Xue Chan turned her gaze away from Cheng Huaizhu’s face, smiled, and said to Yun Sheng.
Cheng Huaizhu was surprised, but she couldn't shake the smile on her lips: "Are you really going out? Did I hear you wrong?"
Xue Chan picked up a zongzi and slowly peeled off its outer leaves.
“We’ve been staying at home for so many days, it’s time to go out for a walk. Besides, you used to write to me every year telling me about the amazing dragon boat races and water sports in Beijing during the Dragon Boat Festival, I’d like to see them for myself.”
Cheng Huaizhu chuckled, then snuggled into Xue Chan's arms, eating the zongzi in Xue Chan's hand while muttering to herself.
"Let me tell you, it's amazing! Not only are there dragon boat races and water sports, but there are also tons of vendors selling food, drinks, and all sorts of unusual things. It's really fun! You should definitely go check it out..."
She recalled the scenes of the Dragon Boat Festival in previous years and began to tell stories and describe the scenes.
As everyone hung calamus, scattered the five poisonous creatures, and burned realgar, they listened to Cheng Huaizhu vividly recount the scenes of dragon boat races from previous years.
When Cheng Huaizhu got to the most exciting part of the story, she deliberately kept it a secret. She slowly sat down and cleared her throat.
"Tell me quickly, what happened next?"
Chu Tao, together with Yun Sheng, hurriedly asked, "Yes, yes, and then what?"
Cheng Huaizhu took a couple of sips of her drink, slowly ate a piece of fruit, and continued telling them her story.
The afternoon was pleasant, with dappled bamboo shadows on the ground.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
