Chapter 172: On the Bian River
The tide rises over the Bian River in summer, and as the sun rises, songs and melody fill the air.
Like lotus blossoms, the women in their skirts and hairpins naturally resemble countless other lotus faces, overlapping in their most beautiful years. Even the shimmering water can only reflect their unique features; each woman's beauty becomes her own reflection, and her reflection becomes her own gaze. Today, the scenery may be beautiful in a thousand ways, but without exception, it all serves as a backdrop. The rustling of silk robes, the sounds of boats and shores—even if the scenery itself lacks any real brilliance, it is merely a fleeting glimpse, a borrowed image to express a sentiment.
Traditionally, the Lantern Festival is the time for young men and women to meet and socialize. However, those who live a life of freedom and adventure don't care about such things. If there's something to be happy about or something to do, then it's worth singing a song. Over time, they become less restrained. Even young men and women come to enjoy the summer outings. Life is short, so why not take this opportunity to express their joy and happiness by throwing fruit and exchanging pleasantries?
Of course, that's not always the case. Along the several boats and the banks of the Bian River, not everyone is there for these things. Some are genuinely there for leisure, others are there to do business, and most just want to stroll around. They consider everything else an unexpected bonus. Only when young men and women gradually walk together do they truly intend to do so.
Do you have this intention in mind?
He endured the most unbearable half hour of the year with merciless cruelty.
Before boarding the ship, he encountered an old woman begging him to buy flowers. He could tell she was truly hard-working and poor, and he couldn't help but soften his heart, buying all the remaining flowers from her. From that moment on, he felt like ants were crawling all over him. Later, he found an excuse to give the flowers to a young man who had been criticized by his lover for buying flowers that were too ugly, and only then did he feel a little better.
But none of this could change reality. He was determined to stay here, listening to laughter and chatter, waiting for Xie Huailing. If it weren't for the servants he had hired, he might have been able to endure it to an even greater degree. Unsurprisingly, Xie Huailing was late. He didn't know what she was doing, only that she wouldn't not come, and so he continued to wait.
Throughout the ordeal, Wuqing tried desperately to calm himself down, believing that the innocent would clear themselves. He slowly regained his composure, and just when he was feeling a bit better, the young man he had given flowers to returned. He shoved something into Wuqing's hand, saying something like, "Brother, you're such a kind person, but I feel really bad accepting your gift. Besides, what if you get scolded for giving me the flowers? Take this as a gift for your friend." Then he ran off, leaving Wuqing staring at the book filled with impoverished love poems, finally understanding why the young man had chosen such an ugly bouquet of flowers.
There's really no need to reciprocate; I'll save the gift for you... But never mind, I'll pass on this one.
Wuqing hid the poetry collection aside, hoping Xie Huailing wouldn't see it; this was far more difficult to explain than the flowers.
He even felt an urge to sigh. Indeed, the most taboo thing in the world is to be careless for a moment. He would definitely not make this mistake again.
Before he could finish thinking, there was a light tap on the hull of the boat, a sound as faint as a kitten's meow. Wuqing knew immediately it was a vendor introducing his wares. He had no intention of buying anything more, but since he was closest to the boat's entrance, he lifted the curtain and went out. Looking at the table, he was about to refuse when he saw a young girl's face.
She was probably around twelve or thirteen years old, not very old, still a child, but in a poor family struggling to make ends meet, she should already be out earning money, so she appeared here. Her face was a little thin, with skin clinging to her bones through a thin layer of flesh, but her eyes were exceptionally bright and her gaze exceptionally sharp, which allowed Wuqing to clearly see her in the crowd, even though she hadn't boarded the boat.
The young girl was still quite polite. Holding the flowers in her arms, she smiled kindly at him and said, "Young master, I just saw you kindly give the flowers away. Would you like to buy another bouquet? It wouldn't be good if you didn't have any flowers with you today, or people would be angry."
After saying this, she felt satisfied with herself, confident that it would sell. She was such a smart girl; she was sure she could make a lot of money.
Seeing her expression, Wuqing knew what the child was thinking. Normally, he would have bought it if he didn't need the money urgently, but today was a special case, and he had no choice but to refuse.
What are you saying?
But someone else wanted to make the decision for him.
As fate would have it, Xie Huailing arrived at this very moment. She had barely stepped off the carriage when she saw the boat, partly due to her strikingly ruthless appearance. In any case, she wasn't mistaken; a single sentence from her made both of them stop in their tracks. The little girl even turned around – no wonder, the voice was too familiar, and she was an exceptionally clever child.
Upon seeing it, the little girl's eyes widened: "Eek!!!"
She turned back and glanced at Wuqing, staring at his appearance. He looked completely different from the last one, but how long had it been since the last one? The little girl's eyes widened like small lanterns. She turned back to look at Xie Huailing, then back to look at Wuqing. After repeating this action twice, she looked up at the sky and became lost in thought.
Xie Huailing knew exactly what she was thinking, so he slowly walked over, flicked her on the head, and said, "What are you looking at? Are you unhappy to see me again?"
"No!" Xie Huailing had given her so much money, so the little girl's attitude was still very proper. Although she was shocked by her imagination of the world of wealthy adults, she still had to firmly stand her ground for a moment. Then she immediately turned to business and tried to make herself look cute and hardworking. "Sir, no, sister, are you buying flowers?"
"Flowers?" Xie Huailing asked back, then looked around and saw that each of the girls around her had a bouquet in her hand. She bent down and pinched the little girl's cheek.
She said to her, "Sure, I'll buy it and give it to you as a gift. Do you want it?"
The little girl was taken aback: "Huh?"
She was being kneaded and squeezed by Xie Huailing, and she struggled to speak in Xie Huailing's hands. Fortunately, she was quick-witted. What's a little money if you can't earn it? This was money she earned through her own abilities: "Sure, sure, buy me flowers, sister. You're such a kind person."
“I love to hear honest, good boy.” Xie Huailing was probably struck by that perfectly natural “Yeah!” and spoke to Wuqing without looking up, “Young Master Sheng, please take the money.”
It wasn't appropriate to call him "Chief Constable" in public, so Wuqing simply accepted the title "Young Master Sheng." However, she was slightly surprised by the scene before her. The martial world and ordinary people were worlds apart, especially Xie Huailing and a mere little girl. Yet, she was still coaxing him, completely accepting his naivety. She had a completely different attitude, seemingly unchanged, but although there was no smile, she was much closer to him. She appeared somewhat distant, yet also somewhat intimate.
Thinking that he couldn't delay the operation, he ruthlessly took out some money from his sleeve.
Xie Huailing didn't care what he was thinking. After taking the money, she let the little girl count it herself. After counting out the money she had spent, she listened to the little girl's thanks and then flicked her forehead.
Actually, she wanted to talk, but she had to find a reason: "I don't want to hear this. When you're thanking someone, you have to be sincere. Repeat after me—'The beautiful older sister who gave me the flowers.'"
The little girl's expression shifted between speechlessness and confusion. She touched her forehead, feeling the slight pain, but still said sweetly, "Pretty big sister who gave me the flowers!"
“That’s right, that’s right.” Xie Huailing handed back the money, then reached to her waist and untied her priceless jade pendant. The pendant was pure white. She didn’t quite remember what Su Mengzhen said when he gave it to her. He had given her so many things that there was no need to remember them all. As long as it was valuable, that was enough. “You know, a pretty older sister who gives flowers can also be a pretty older sister who invites you to dinner.”
She released her grip, and the priceless jade pendant fell into the little maid's hand: "I'll treat you to a meal."
The jade pendant and silver ornaments clashed, producing a crisp, clear sound. It could be drowned out by any singing on the shore, or it could freely slip into the ears of whoever wanted to hear it, including her expression, which would not be missed.
The little girl was stunned. She had never seen a fine jade pendant before, but she knew Xie Huailing was very rich, and therefore knew that the things she carried would be very expensive. She wanted to refuse, but Xie Huailing pinched her face again.
Xie Huailing pinched her so hard she looked like a little goldfish, almost blowing bubbles. The goldfish maker said, "You can't not eat properly, so you can't refuse me."
If Bai Feifei were here, she would have laughed at those words, but the little girl had no idea how funny they were. She pursed her lips, unable to close them properly, her emotion caught in her throat, and finally weakly said, "The pretty lady who's treating me to dinner..."
Xie Huailing felt completely comfortable, so she let go of the child, wanted to pat her head again, and then let her go.
Unexpectedly, the little girl threw herself into her arms, tugged at her clothes, and whispered in her ear one last time before leaving. She seemed to be making some kind of resolution as she shared the secret she had just discovered with Xie Huailing, mouthing, "Sister, this brother isn't as good as the last one. He just bought flowers and gave them to someone else, and it seems he doesn't intend to buy more. He's not good to you, so don't go out with him!"
After saying that, the child ran off and disappeared into the crowd in a flash, probably to go find his parents.
Xie Huailing watched her leave, then thought of teasing her again, but then decided it was best to let her and her family stay put. She certainly wouldn't misunderstand Wuqing; she just found the child's thinking somewhat amusing and funny. She also thought that Wuqing probably couldn't read her lips and wouldn't know what the little girl was saying. She wondered if she should tease him a little, lest she turn around and bump into Wuqing looking at her.
She wasn't someone who cared about other people's opinions, and she felt nothing for the cruel accident. She didn't care how he viewed her. She raised her eyes, pretending to recall something, and asked, "What's wrong? Was there something wrong with what I just said?"
Then, as if she understood something, she became even more confused and asked him, "Am I not pretty?"
Wuqing snapped out of his reverie, realizing this was a topic he couldn't skip. After a moment of silence, he replied, "Miss Xie, why ask so many questions? You are a beauty of unparalleled grace; everyone would say you are beautiful."
Xie Huailing nodded after hearing this. Before he could understand her meaning, she had already bent down and entered the boat. As the curtain was about to fall, she said, "Let me treat you to dinner too."
The image of her unusually gentle face when he chatted with her immediately flashed into his mind, making him realize that no matter when he met her again, he would not be careful in making conclusions, ultimately because they were still unfamiliar. But what need was there for familiarity? This feeling of not being face-to-face with her, yet being more like being face-to-face, was truly extremely uncomfortable.
The downside of being clever is that you can't help but quickly guess the implied meaning. She was just taking advantage of him verbally, saying that because she was younger than him, she had to say such things. This should have been a speechless or even laughable situation, but for some reason, his face flushed, and he lowered his head without hesitation.
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Some people are just numb from working overtime for their bosses, so they take advantage of the fact that they are younger than the boss and just want to make themselves happier.
I apologize for the late update today. [crying emoji]
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