Chapter 19
Grandmother had a strong hand, and Luo Yan felt completely comfortable after being massaged by her, so she gave up her idea of being lazy.
So, during the day he would go into the mountains with Zhu Yun to practice archery, at noon he would explain the laws of Dali to Guyu and a few others, and when he had a lot of free time he would busy himself copying books.
As her archery skills improved and the manuscript was delivered on schedule, Zhu Yun's fourteenth birthday arrived.
Because it was the Mid-Autumn Festival, children and grandchildren returned to show their filial piety, and the large Qingyuan Village was overflowing with people. They gathered either by the roadside or under the trees, talking about everything from the harvest to their children, and finally about the Jia family's eldest grandson.
A quarter past Chen Shi (7:15 AM).
Zhu Yun came down from the east side of the mountain, and every few steps he would encounter villagers, many of whom were unfamiliar faces, but everyone recognized him and would greet him with a smile and say "Happy Birthday".
A word or two wouldn't have mattered, but hearing too much of it inevitably made him feel embarrassed. In the end, he awkwardly avoided the crowd and took a shortcut home.
In the courtyard, Luo Yan, who claimed to be unwell, was sitting and combing her hair. When she saw the birthday boy covered in weeds and with dew on his hair, she exclaimed in surprise, "Did he go to steal something?"
"......"
almost.
Zhu Yun turned his face away uncomfortably, then quickly turned back to look her up and down.
The girl was dressed festively, in a lotus-colored dress with a scarlet shirt, a pomegranate-colored sachet tied around her waist, and even her hairband was a similar color, like a blooming wildflower.
She was equally romantic; having just finished tying her hair up, she hurriedly pulled him to the table: "Let's unwrap the gifts first!"
The villagers love a good time, and when they learned it was Zhu Yun's birthday, the news spread like wildfire, and people started arriving at her door before dawn to deliver gifts. There was rice, flour, and pastries—all the good things that each family had made.
Luo Yan picked up a sour jujube and fed it to him: "Try it, it's sour with a hint of sweetness, it's especially delicious."
At this moment, Zhou Meixiang came in carrying a bamboo rat, and said with a slight stutter but a strong voice, "Brother Yun, I wish you boundless happiness and longevity."
It's obvious from hearing it that it's an auspicious saying that was just learned from Guyu.
"Thank you, Aunt Meixiang." Luo Yan wanted to go forward to greet her, but after glancing at the thrashing little thing, she took a step back and hid behind Zhu Yun.
Zhou Meixiang laughed loudly: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'll put it in the east kitchen."
Luo Yan breathed a sigh of relief and led Zhu Yun into the house. The gifts she and her grandmother had prepared were placed on the bedside table.
He picked up the brand-new sword tassel and raised an eyebrow: "So it was a gift for me."
"Aren't you touched!" she said proudly. "I've been working hard for almost half a month and finally got my first paycheck. I'm going to use it all to buy you a gift."
Zhu Yun personally chose the sword tassel.
A few days ago, Luo Yan dragged him to the market, but she only looked and didn't buy anything. However, she insisted that he help her choose a style, and the sword tassel was one of them.
Zhu Yun was quite impatient at the time, but now he understands what she was up to.
He curled his lips into a smile, his eyes and brows revealing pleasure: "Very beautiful."
After saying that, he handed her the sword, indicating that she should fasten it herself.
Luo Yan pouted: "You really know how to order people around."
Authentic sword tassels are unavailable in Hanmei Town; these are actually used to tie round fans. Fortunately, my grandmother was skillful and modified them to match the longsword perfectly.
She looked at it with increasing satisfaction, tilting her head back and saying, "You have excellent taste."
Zhu Yun gently touched the tassel a few times, and soon after, she started to untie it with her fingers.
"You don't like it?" Luo Yan pressed down on his hand, her tone fierce, as if she would pounce on him and bite him the moment Zhu Yun nodded.
"like."
His eyes curved into crescent moons, "That's why I wanted to put it away."
He used his sword every day, but the tassel on it was clean and elegant. He would feel sorry if it got wet with rain or mud.
After hearing the explanation, Luo Yan's brows relaxed: "It's not expensive. I'll buy you another one if it gets dirty or damaged. I'll buy you more and better ones in the future."
Zhu Yun was persuaded and solemnly placed the sword on the desk, then picked up her right hand to examine it.
"The cocoons are formed by holding a bow."
His warm breath sprayed onto her palm, making her ears itch. He said in a deep voice, "Even if I don't copy books, I will still practice calligraphy. Don't overthink it."
He remained silent, and the atmosphere subtly became delicate.
But Luo Yan couldn't explain why it was so subtle or how subtle it was, so she simply raised the small wooden sword and made conversation: "You give me a gift, I'll give you a gift, isn't that nice?"
The old and new sword tassels are placed together, like today and the past.
Zhu Yun seized Jinxi without hesitation, letting another red tassel slowly slip down and eventually be held in Luo Yan's palm.
A slight ripple appeared in his eyes as he straightened up: "What did Grandmother send?"
"They're new shoes, two pairs."
Luo Yan's tone was bitter, "They only made one pair for me."
In addition, there were greeting cards written by her friends. Of course, this was a task assigned by her in her capacity as a teacher; each person had to write at least fifty characters.
The book about Grain Rain was placed on top. Zhu Yun glanced at it and found it to be very well-written, probably copied from a book next to it.
Then came the character for "longevity," written in large characters that gradually decreased in size. Clearly, as he wrote, he realized there wasn't enough paper, so he squeezed out as much as he could.
Next are Changyi and Qinglian. The first two lines are auspicious words, but from the third line onwards, every line mentions Luoyan. It is unclear whose birthday they are celebrating.
“And some green grass.” She took out a pair of money pouches and told Zhu Yun, “Aunt Cui gave them to me last night.”
Now, Qingcao has gone to the Sheng family with her aunt, signed a contract, and is working in the shop. Perhaps she heard the news from her mother, who specially brought a gift.
Luo Yan hurriedly changed into the new clothes and kept looking at herself in the bronze mirror.
"We'll take the photos when we get back." He half-pushed, half-carried Luo Yan out the door, warning, "I need to change my clothes, don't just come in."
"You change—"
"Bang." The door slammed shut, and the sound of the latch being pushed could still be heard.
Luo Yan choked and swallowed the word "了" back.
Is someone going through a rebellious phase? Why is he being so unusually sensitive and suspicious lately, as if someone is spying on him while he's changing clothes?
She had no time to argue; she tied her wide sleeves with a hairband and went outside to draw grids.
Before long, the guests began to arrive.
Luo Yan directed Gu Yu to arrange the prizes while referring to the manuscript; they could play ring toss, pitch-pot, and hopscotch later.
Qinglian glanced at it, then asked with a bitter face, "Sister Yan, am I too stupid? Why can't I recognize a single word?"
The manuscript was deliberately written in pinyin to avoid the birthday girl seeing it and losing the surprise. She pinched Qinglian's chubby little face: "I just doodled, I didn't write anything."
"That scared me to death."
Changyi, who was standing to the side, took a fancy to the mud whistle and bowed to his elder brother: "You have to get me this no matter what."
Liu Changsheng was dumbfounded: "Me?"
You've asked the wrong person.
Luo Yan laughed until her stomach hurt: "If your brother can't catch it, I'll just give it to you as payment for today."
Changyi nodded happily, vowing to draw the grid squarely.
After the birthday boy changed his clothes, put on new boots, and appeared with a brand-new money bag and a tassel around his waist, Liu Changsheng went over to congratulate him and said, "Brother, you're really lucky."
Zhu Yun glanced at him indifferently.
Liu Changsheng continued to sigh, "We both have younger sisters, but only yours is so considerate."
He smiled and said, "Your sister thinks the same way."
"What?" Liu Changsheng pondered for a moment before realizing what he meant. "Damn it, those two siblings are worse than each other."
*
The female guests and children remained at the Jia family's house that night.
Jia Yufang prepared a jar of osmanthus wine, set aside half a jar for Luo Yan to entertain her friends, and also cut off a few pieces of meat for her hungry third sister.
Luo Yan dipped her chopsticks in the wine; it smelled delicious, but tasted bitter, making her eyebrows furrow like tadpoles. Seeing this, Zhu Yun snatched the wine glass and drank it down without batting an eye.
Gu Yu, however, smacked his lips and said, "Good wine."
"Don't pretend to be an adult." She couldn't help but laugh out loud. "You won't grow up to be an alcoholic, will you?"
Gu Yu paused for a moment, then said, "I've grown up now."
He was about the same age as Zhu Yun, and by spring he would be able to find work, and his family would gradually begin arranging his marriage. Therefore, in Gu Yu's eyes, he was already 90% an adult, only a tiny speck of dust compared to his older brother and father.
When it comes to marriage, Changyi, who has just turned eleven, is also worried: "My mother even said she wants to cut cloth and sew a wedding dress for me."
I knew that people in ancient times started families early, but hearing it with my own ears was still incredibly impactful. What's more, everyone there looked so young, even Zhu Yun had that characteristic slenderness of a teenager.
Luo Yan sighed, "My worldview has been shattered."
"Sister Yan," Qinglian gestured for her to come closer, "I heard from Mother that my cousin and second sister are getting engaged."
She concluded with a dreamy remark, "I want to marry into the town someday, what about you, Sister Yan?"
Luo Yan replied, "I haven't thought about it."
After saying that, he couldn't help but ponder what she was saying next.
It was getting late, and the guests were gradually taking their leave, but she remained lost in thought. Zhu Yun pinched her full earlobe with two fingers and rubbed it back and forth.
After an unknown amount of time, Luo Yan came to her senses, turned her head and scolded him, "Aren't you annoying?"
Zhu Yun shrugged: "What are you thinking about?"
Upon hearing this, a blush spread across her cheeks, and she stammered, "I was just thinking about breakfast and lunch."
"Who would believe that?" Zhu Yun leaned closer, trying to see the emotions in her eyes.
For a moment, they could clearly hear each other's breathing.
Her gaze wandered aimlessly, her long eyelashes fluttered incessantly, and finally she hunched her shoulders and retreated.
"Be careful." Zhu Yun reached out and pulled the person back, his nose barely brushing against her lips. His eyes widened instantly, and his Adam's apple bobbed.
Adam's apple.
For some inexplicable reason, Luo Yan thought that A-Yun would soon be an adult. Her face flushed even more, burning all the way to the roots of her neck.
The evening breeze went from gently caressing her face to making her long hair fly wildly. She raised her hand to hold it down and cleared her throat: "Let's go back inside."
The boy hastily retreated two steps, half of his body hidden in the darkness, his expression unreadable, but his voice sounded muffled as he said, "You go in first."
"oh......"
Luo Yan hurried away as if fleeing.
After closing the door, raising the curtains, and hiding under the covers, she covered her face and let out a long "Ah!"
It's all because of that guy surnamed Zhu; he's clearly clueless, yet he dared to declare that he wanted to marry her.
So much so that when Qinglian asked about "the future," a concrete answer actually appeared deep within her heart.
Even the words someone once said are still ringing in my ears—
"A family will always be together."
"You can marry me."
I hope you live to be a hundred.
If she could live past fifteen and completely escape the plot, she might consider marriage.
As for who to consider, it goes without saying.
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