Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Touching her warm fingertips.
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are temple fairs during the day and moon worship ceremonies in the evening. From morning on, the streets are bustling with traffic.
The county magistrate was going to Yixiang Tower in the evening, so Xue Yuanyin and Zhang Jingxuan agreed to go out at 5:00 p.m.
After dinner, Xue Yuanyin locked herself in the room to dress and put on jewelry. She had never bought any rouge, and her face was bare.
After dressing up, she looked at herself in the bronze mirror. There was nothing wrong with her, but she looked like a different person, which made her feel uncomfortable.
She pushed the door open a little nervously and looked at Zhang Jingxuan who was waiting for him in front.
Zhang Jingxuan was standing in front of his door, playing with a few folding fans with his head down.
It was rare to see him in ochre-red, and at first glance, he looked quite striking. His hair was tied up, a forehead band across his forehead. His jade-white face diluted his calm and composed demeanor, leaving behind a hint of youthful sharpness. The jade pendant at his waist was a turquoise green, adorned with a bamboo-like ornament.
Normally he wore coarse cloth and plain clothes, but they couldn't hide his fine appearance. Now he was dressed in a noble outfit, with a tall figure, thin but not frail, like a young man who had walked out of a painting and was carefully carved with fine brushwork. Just by standing there casually, one could see his handsomeness like the ink mountains and green waters.
Calm and reserved yet sharp, the splendid and graceful are natural and graceful. The ochre red is even more flamboyant, giving the person a touch of cynicism.
Xue Yuanyin was blinded for a moment by his handsome and almost arrogant appearance, and it took her a while to regain consciousness.
Seeing Zhang Jingxuan raise his head and look towards her after hearing the noise, she felt a little embarrassed for the first time in a long time and asked nervously:
"How's it going?"
Zhang Jingxuan stared at her for a few seconds, then waved at her and said, "It's hard to see clearly. Come closer."
Xue Yuanyin felt the distance was too far, so she trotted towards him. The bells on her waist tinkled as she swung. She stopped a few steps in front of him, lifted her skirt, and said,
"How is it? Is it okay?"
Zhang Jingxuan's eyes fell on her.
When a sixteen-year-old girl takes off her unkempt silk clothes and puts on a skirt and jewelry, she looks like a different person with just a little dressing up.
She still had that oval face and a pair of dark, clear lychee-shaped eyes, but her hair was tied up in a lily bun, adorned with pearls and jade pendants. The layers of pleated skirt dangled in front of her shoes like flower stamens. She was clearly just standing there, but for some reason, she exuded a youthful and delicate charm from the inside out, brightening the whole room.
Seeing that he hadn't answered yet, Xue Yuanyin's heart began to slump. She asked nervously,
"Isn't it pretty?"
Zhang Jingxuan stroked the handle of his folding fan with his fingertips. His tone was calm and composed as usual as he said:
"It looks normal."
Xue Yuanyin uttered a sigh of disappointment, feeling unhappy. She clutched the hem of her skirt and walked forward first.
"Hmph, who wants you to think it's beautiful? I don't need you to be interested in me."
Zhang Jingxuan's lips curled up into a slight smile, his eyebrows slightly raised, and he said slowly:
"You look just like you always do. Even more attractive than the new crabapple blossoms displayed in front of the rouge shop at the end of the alley."
Xue Yuanyin was stunned for a moment, turned her head to look at him in surprise, and blinked gently.
So, what he meant was… that her ordinary appearance before was just as beautiful as the one she was wearing today?
After understanding the deep meaning of the words, she felt her cheeks flushed inexplicably, and said hurriedly:
"You, why don't you just compliment people directly? You're beating around the bush, as if you're afraid I won't understand."
Zhang Jingxuan closed his folding fan, held it in his hand and gently tapped her head, then walked out of the courtyard slowly and said:
"You can't understand my compliments, can you blame me?"
Xue Yuanyin raised her chin slightly, swung the bell at her waist, and hummed happily:
"I'm naturally beautiful, and I can't let myself be disdained! You know how to appreciate it. That's the blessing I bestow upon you. Do you understand?"
After a pause, she decided to return the favor and said:
"Then I'll compliment you for once. After dressing up, you can barely be considered handsome."
Zhang Jingxuan's tone was not surprised at all, and he said as a matter of course:
"You don't need to praise me, I know it naturally."
Xue Yuanyin: “…”
-
When Xue Yuanyin and Zhang Jingxuan went out, the sunset dyed the sky into a fiery cloud.
The streets were bustling with people, vendors were hawking their wares, and laughter could be heard from both sides from time to time. As they walked among them, they also felt a bit of the worldly air.
Xue Yuanyin enjoyed this feeling, a rare moment of relaxation. The Xue family didn't even have a concubine, and her father was always busy with court affairs. She usually ate alone and had no time to go out and play, rarely immersing herself in the world of business.
Occasionally, when a young lady passed by, she would unconsciously slow down her pace and secretly glance at Zhang Jingxuan. They thought they were very discreet, but for someone like Xue Yuanyin who was skilled in light martial arts, she would immediately notice those overt and covert gazes.
Xue Yuanyin glanced at Zhang Jingxuan beside her, who looked leisurely and nonchalant, and had to admit that he was indeed very attractive to young ladies after dressing up.
She felt like she was being stared at like a hornet's nest by a group of young ladies, and couldn't help but mutter, "Attracting bees and butterflies."
Zhang Jingxuan had good hearing, so he naturally heard it clearly. He said calmly, "I'm like this naturally, and I'm not pretending."
Perhaps he was also annoyed by those gazes, but he didn't have the upbringing to put on a cold face, so he put away the folding fan he was waving in his hand.
He originally wanted to pretend to be a rich young man by holding the folding fan, but after putting it away, he seemed a little less ostentatious.
It was not yet completely dark, and it was not time for the county magistrate and his men to go to Yixiang Tower. They had plenty of time, so they went to the market first to buy the materials needed for the compass.
To make a simple compass, you need wood, cinnabar pen, carving knife, needle, rush, etc.
Qin Fang had cut the wood himself and was carving the prototype of a compass. They wanted to buy the following items.
After buying a cinnabar pen at the calligraphy and painting shop and rush at the medicine shop, I bought the rest of the things at the grocery store.
Xue Yuanyin took out his purse and suddenly found that they had no more money!
The remaining few taels of silver must be kept for going to Yixianglou later and cannot be used again.
They didn't bring enough more money!
The shopkeeper looked at the richly dressed young man and young lady in front of him who were still reluctant to pay, and without suspecting that they had no money, he urged them:
"A total of one ounce of silver and two hundred coins."
The two of them were of outstanding bearing and appearance, and looked like a young couple from a wealthy family. Usually the hostess brought silver, so he said to Xue Yuanyin:
"Sir, please look..."
Xue Yuanyin was at a loss for a moment, and was too embarrassed to ask for credit, so she looked at Zhang Jingxuan.
Zhang Jingxuan pondered for a moment and said to the shopkeeper:
"Shopkeeper, my wife and I are in a hurry to go out, and we don't have enough money. I wonder if there is anything else we can use to temporarily pay for it?"
If someone else said this, the shopkeeper would definitely suspect that he was a scammer and would have his guards take the person who refused to pay to the government office.
But the two people in front of him exuded dignity and grace from the bones. They looked like they came from wealthy families and lived a comfortable life. They were not ordinary people with such grace. It was understandable that they forgot to bring money when they went out. So he smiled and said:
"Generally speaking, a small shop like ours doesn't accept credit, but since you're an important guest, the gift you're offering must be very good. I wonder what it is? Let me take a look."
Zhang Jingxuan took out two folding fans from his sleeves and handed them to the shopkeeper, saying:
"I painted this folding fan myself, and it's made of precious materials. Could you please take a look at it, shopkeeper? Can I use it as a token of exchange?"
When the shopkeeper saw the folding fan, he became more certain about the identities of the two people in front of him.
Their county town occasionally had other young men from wealthy families who came to the countryside to experience the hardships of life. It was said that those people usually traveled with folding fans in their hands to show their talent and elegance.
The young masters of the wealthy families in their county also followed suit. During festivals like temple fairs, they would walk around the city in groups of three or five, holding folding fans.
But none of them were more magnanimous than the young man in front of them, not even by a finger.
The shopkeeper carefully took the two folding fans and opened them to take a closer look.
The handle is carved with lotus patterns, and the two fan panels are exquisite and elegant. One panel depicts vast mountains and rivers, with towering pines and rocks, while the other depicts a lonely beauty under the moon, holding a lantern.
They have completely different styles, but they are both very beautiful. They can even be described as exquisite paintings and paintings that are beyond imagination.
The shopkeeper boasted that he had seen some good things, and at this moment he could not help but exclaim in admiration:
"Nice fan! Nice painting!"
Xue Yuanyin knew that Zhang Jingxuan had many folding fans. Zhang Zimo once said that his cousin practiced painting on folding fans. There were more than a hundred folding fans piled up in the study, all covered in dust.
But she had never paid attention to what was painted on the fan. Only now did she see how skillful his brushwork was. Whether it was mountains and rivers or beauties, they were all brought to life with just a few strokes.
Xue Yuanyin said in disbelief: "Zhang... Li Dazhu, did you paint all these fans?"
Zhang Jingxuan didn't answer, obviously not thinking there was anything worth talking about.
The shopkeeper liked the beauty lantern more, but the fan with mountains and rivers was obviously easier to sell than the beauty lantern, so he asked for the fan with mountains and rivers.
Feeling that he had gotten the upper hand, he thanked him again: "Sir, your painting skills are perfect. I will accept this painting with a shameless face!"
After buying the materials needed for the compass, they left them with the shopkeeper and would pick them up when they returned.
Xue Yuanyin walked out of the shop and was still studying the beauty fan.
The beauty's black hair is as black as ink, her cheeks are as beautiful as peaches, her breasts are soft and her waist is as willow as a willow. He really painted her so well that the image of the beauty comes alive on the paper. It is hard to believe that it was painted by a humble young man from a noble family like Zhang Jingxuan.
She looked around, feeling a strange feeling in her heart, and asked:
"You paint this beauty very well... Who is it? Do you have any close female friends?"
Zhang Jingxuan glanced at her and saw that she was so absorbed in her studies. He replied:
"I copied a painting of a beauty by Master Gu of the previous dynasty. I rarely paint beauties, so my skills are not very good. This painting is not very good."
This is why the shopkeeper asked for the mountain and river fan. Compared to the beauty, the other fan is undoubtedly more smooth and exquisite.
Xue Yuanyin: “…”
Her skills were rusty? She really couldn't tell at all.
Xue Yuanyin lost interest, handed him the folding fan, and said:
"Your folding fans are almost gone, so you can keep this beauty fan for yourself."
Zhang Jingxuan took the folding fan, concealing the deep meaning in his eyes, and looked at her calmly.
The girl had already put what just happened behind her, and walked happily to look at the novelties sold by the roadside vendors. Her eyes were bright, the golden and round beads swayed gently by her ears, and the bells on her waist jingled together. She was completely unaware of the gaze he was casting at her from behind.
Zhang Jingxuan looked away and hung the folding fan around his waist.
I will use this folding fan when I go to Yixianglou later to pretend to be a rich and dissolute young master.
But he originally thought that this beauty fan would be confiscated by her.
But judging from the results of the test, she might not have thought about it any further.
…
After the two of them bought the things they needed to make a compass, it was already getting dark. Roadside lamps were lit up along the way, and you could see the bright lights swaying, the lights were dim, and there were many people walking on the road.
Yixianglou was not open yet, and Xue Yuanyin and Zhang Jingxuan were strolling leisurely on the street.
Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival and the streets are bustling. Although not as prosperous as the capital, it has the customs and tranquility of a secluded corner.
There were a lot of people gathered in the front, and a high platform was built in the middle. No one knew what was on it, but from time to time, noisy shouts and cheers could be heard.
Some people walked quickly around, chatting excitedly:
"Poetry gathering! It's a poetry gathering! Go see what the first prize is!"
“…”
Xue Yuanyin hadn't participated in such a grand event for a long time, and was extremely interested. She grabbed Zhang Jingxuan's clothes and hurriedly squeezed into the crowd, saying:
"Poetry gathering! It's the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering! Come and take a look!"
The first prize was placed in the front row. Xue Yuanyin immediately saw a Pixiu jade carving and his eyes lit up.
"That jade carving is so beautiful!"
Several people on the platform were competing in guessing games. Another scholar-looking man was surpassing the others and was about to take first place. Some people were already cheering for him.
The scholar turned his head and looked around, his eyebrows unconsciously revealing a smile of confidence, and said:
“Who else can challenge me on stage?”
Xue Yuanyin and Zhang Jingxuan were originally watching. When they glanced at the question, they found it familiar. Xue Yuanyin nudged Zhang Jingxuan and whispered:
"Did we learn that topic in school?"
Zhang Jingxuan looked up and realized that he had indeed learned it, but it was a rather niche topic that others could not answer, but it was easy for him.
Glancing at Xue Yuanyin's excitement, Zhang Jingxuan replied calmly:
"The body is upright and solid. Although it cannot speak, it will respond if it speaks - the answer is inkstone."*
The scholar on the stage immediately looked over and saw the young man below, dressed in noble attire and looking like a rare talent. He immediately suppressed his arrogance and bowed politely, saying:
"It is indeed an inkstone. Seeing that you are so knowledgeable, why not come up and give it a try?"
Zhang Jingxuan wasn't particularly interested in the spotlight, and was about to politely decline when Xue Yuanyin, who was standing beside him, maliciously answered for him:
"Okay! Let's give it a try!"
The commotion here attracted many people to watch. Gradually, young ladies gathered around, including some unmarried girls. They covered their faces with fans and looked at the handsome young man shyly.
Zhang Jingxuan glanced at Xue Yuanyin, and she looked back at him with a sly smile. He didn't know what her plan was by pushing him forward.
Xue Yuanyin curved her eyes and said, "Hurry up and go! We're all waiting for you."
He sighed helplessly in his heart, stepped onto the platform, and when he passed her, he said lightly:
"Wait a minute, I'll let you block the handkerchief and sachet for me."
Xue Yuanyin didn't react to what he meant for a moment. Seeing that Zhang Jingxuan had already gone to guess the poem riddle, she put it behind her mind and looked at the platform with interest.
Zhang Jingxuan glanced at the questions, and within a stick of incense, he had calmly guessed several difficult answers.
"Wangjiang Pavilion, the answer is a pavilion near the water."
"The Milky Way meets the double stars, the answer to the puzzle is a match made in heaven."
"Eyes without pearls, belly empty, lotus flowers emerge from the water to reunite. The leaves of the sycamore tree fall, parting, a loving couple will not last until winter. The answer is Madam Bamboo."
"How can there be fire without smoke? The answer lies in the Noctiluca scintillans."
He easily won the applause of the whole room. The scholar felt that his knowledge was not as good as this person, so he admitted defeat, bowed and walked down the platform.
The dealer smiled and asked, "Is anyone willing to challenge me again?"
Xue Yuanyin could no longer suppress her desire to win. She raised her hand with her eyes curved and said crisply:
"Zhuang's, if I am willing to challenge him, what should I do after defeating him?"
The dealer was a little surprised. He thought the two were an engaged couple, but he didn't expect them to be competitors. He smiled and said:
"Of course, whoever wins will get the top-ranked Pixiu jade sculpture!"
Xue Yuanyin's face lit up with a smile. She lifted her skirt and climbed onto the platform. Standing in front of the newly changed question paper, she challenged Zhang Jingxuan:
"Then I'm going to start!"
Zhang Jingxuan looked up at her. The girl's eyes were bright and she was eager to try. If he couldn't guess what she was planning at this moment, then he would have known her for so many years in vain.
He raised his brows slightly and said calmly, "Let's talk about it when you can beat me."
Xue Yuanyin was determined to beat him. Although Zhang Jingxuan was relaxed in guessing the questions on the stage, he refused to give up the top spot, and the competition was undecided for a while.
Finally, the focus of people from miles around gathered here, and the people below came to watch them guess the poetry riddles and cheered.
Someone commented, "Enemies always meet, but when will they stop?"*
Another person next to him shook his hand and said:
"No, no! There's a saying that goes, 'The dog barks outside the door, I know it's my handsome man. I scrape my socks off and walk down the fragrant steps, and we're both drunken tonight.' Aren't these male and female enemies just lovers?"*
This statement won the approval of the crowd, who praised:
"These two are both outstanding people. They are a perfect match."
"A perfect match, a match made in heaven!"
Seeing that there was only one question left, whoever grabbed it would get it. Xue Yuanyin didn't listen carefully to what was said below, but she noticed that Zhang Jingxuan next to her suddenly glanced at her.
Huh? Why was he looking at her suddenly?
Ignoring Zhang Jingxuan's gaze, Xue Yuanyin took advantage of his distraction and, determined to defeat him, quickly answered the last question:
"The fragrance of osmanthus fills the cup, and the moon shines through the window. Answer: a grand celebration of the moon... The answer is to drink osmanthus wine!"*
Zhang Jingxuan came back to his senses and looked at the poetry competition topic. He missed the last question.
Xue Yuanyin couldn't hide the smile on her face, and she said joyfully, "I won, I won!"
Zhang Jingxuan nodded and said, "You win."
Xue Yuanyin was in a good mood. The dealer came over cheerfully, having attracted so many customers and making a lot of money. He readily put the Pixiu jade carving into a box and handed it to her: "My lady, the first place in the poetry competition is yours. Take it!"
Xue Yuanyin thanked him excitedly, and left the prize with the dealer first, agreeing to pick it up in the evening, then jumped down the platform lightly.
Seeing that Zhang Jingxuan was a step late, she asked him provocatively:
"You glanced at me just now and were distracted! Were you planning something nefarious, trying to steal my attention and take the opportunity to solve the last question?"
Zhang Jingxuan sneered, "With your brain, how did you manage to stand shoulder to shoulder with me in the capital?"
Xue Yuanyin snorted softly, "Why are you still mocking me? Are you dissatisfied with my victory?!"
Zhang Jingxuan curled the corner of his lip, too lazy to answer.
Before the two of them had taken a few steps, a few pretty girls came over and threw the handkerchief right at Zhang Jingxuan as they passed by.
The next second, a scented sachet fell down, and at the same time, a bold yet shy voice called out:
"Sir, my sachet accidentally fell on you..."
Zhang Jingxuan was probably used to this kind of scene. He dodged the shy look of the little girl without changing his expression. He immediately grasped Xue Yuanyin's hand beside him, and touching her warm fingertips, he paused and said to the newcomer in a gentle and cold tone:
"Sorry, I already have a fiancée."
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The author has something to say: *The titles and answers of the poetry gathering were used as reference for reference.
*“Enemies always meet, but when will they stop meeting?” is a folk saying.
*“The dog is barking outside the door, I know it’s my handsome boyfriend coming. I take off my socks and walk down the fragrant steps, my friend and I are getting drunk tonight.” From the Tang Dynasty poem “The Drunken Young Master”.
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