Chapter Sixty-One: Boundless Autumn Light
What is this young master up to now? Ruan Bi carefully chose her words and said cautiously, "My second sister and I are traveling by carriage, which involves going through a busy street. It's not as quick and convenient as riding a horse. It will take more than 35 minutes to get there, which will be around 5 PM."
Gu Xiaobai gave an "Oh," then found himself speechless. The thought of her leaving filled him with a deep sense of melancholy. Although she was in the manor, he could only catch a glimpse of her from afar. But knowing she was there changed his feelings. It was like a mosquito bite on his heart—an itch he couldn't scratch, a restless, uneasy, helpless yet strangely expectant feeling.
Seeing his droopy eyes and slightly dejected expression, Ruan Bi was slightly taken aback, but had no time to discern his thoughts. Since they were in someone else's residence, with the second young lady standing beside her and a large group of people in the chrysanthemum garden behind them, and given the difference in gender, simply standing there talking was already against etiquette. So she nodded slightly to him and pulled the second young lady forward.
The second girl flung her hand away and glared at her hatefully.
Seeing that she was about to leave, Gu Xiaobai became anxious and blurted out, "Wait."
Ruan Bi stopped and turned around. She saw that everyone in the chrysanthemum garden pavilion had stood up and were craning their necks to look in her direction. Displeased, she frowned slightly and asked, "Young Master Gu, is there anything else?"
There was nothing else to it, he just didn't want her to leave. Gu Xiaobai was as anxious as an ant in its nest. He stood there dumbfounded for a moment, then suddenly remembered the "borrow one, return two" matter—this was a very serious matter. His eyes lit up, his heart calmed down, and he straightened his face, saying in a businesslike tone, "There is something. You borrowed the lamp earlier, saying you would return two. When will you return it to me?"
"The palace lantern I borrowed earlier is with your younger sister. I will send someone to deliver another one to you tomorrow when I return to the manor."
Is the pattern still a traditional Chinese ink painting of lotus flowers?
Ruan Bi nodded.
Gu Xiaobai frowned and said, "This is for girls, I don't like it. Do you have any others?" It wasn't that he didn't like it; he just wanted to find an excuse to keep her talking a little longer.
Ruan Bi shook her head.
Seeing that she remained silent, Gu Xiaobai was disappointed. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Then you can embroider something else. I like horses the most, so I'll embroider one that depicts a horse galloping with a whip. If that doesn't work, heroes from the Sui and Tang dynasties will also be fine."
The ink lotus paintings were beautiful, but they were just embroidered and kept as gifts. This time, embroidering them separately was a genuine gift for himself. The more he thought about it, the more beautiful it became. Gu Xiaobai's eyes sparkled, as if sunlight had fallen into them. He was already handsome, and standing in the sun, bathed in the autumn light, he was even more outrageously handsome.
The second daughter watched coldly from the side, her heart aching with unbearable pain.
Her admiration for Xie Mingyue stemmed from the adults' hints and tacit approval, not from deep affection. The failed marriage left her with more humiliation and anger. But Gu Xiaobai was different. That day at Princess Huiwen's residence, he personally awarded her first place in poetry, greatly enhancing her reputation among her younger sisters and winning her heart. Although her mother had mentioned that Princess Huiwen had sent someone to propose marriage to Ruan Bi, she firmly believed it was only Princess Huiwen's personal wish, not Gu Xiaobai's. She was convinced he was interested in her and cared for her as much as she cared for him… However, this scene before her shattered all her fantasies and expectations.
That day, the second sister first endured the accusations and betrayal of her two former best friends, Xie Mingzhu and Han Lu. Then, she witnessed the boy she admired repeatedly flirting with her younger sister right in front of her. Proud as she was, and spirited as she was, she felt as if the world had turned upside down, her heart shattered into pieces. Humiliation, anger, and hatred intertwined in her mind, burning like hellfire and roaring like a raging storm, with nowhere to vent. The hand she held onto Tiger Girl slowly tightened…
Tiger Girl cried out in pain, "Meow!" and leaped high into the air, landing squarely on Ruan Bi's shoulder, who was standing diagonally in front of her. Then she jumped again, skimming over Ruan Bi's hair bun and knocking the flower ornament from it to the ground with a soft clink.
Tiger Girl landed on the ground and quickly burrowed into the bamboo fence.
This whole turn of events happened in the blink of an eye, before everyone could even react. Tiger Girl had already darted into the bamboo fence, and Chunyun had followed her. The Second Miss was still standing nearby, her lips pursed, her face frosty, her brows and eyes fierce, her gaze empty and unfocused.
The gold and ruby-encrusted floral hairpin lying on the ground reflected the sunlight, shimmering with tiny sparkles. Xiuzhi came to her senses and was about to squat down to pick it up when she saw Gu Xiaobai squat down first, pick up the hairpin, and hand it to Ruan Bi.
Ruan Bi was slightly surprised and gestured for Xiuzhi to take it.
Xiuzhi stepped forward and reached out to take it, but Gu Xiaobai withdrew his hand and then handed it to Ruan Bi, his bright eyes staring at her intently and eagerly.
Ruan Bi's heart stirred, and she looked up at him.
The thin autumn sun slanted across his face, making his skin as smooth as jade, with fine downy hair clearly visible. He was somewhere between a man and a boy, his features already showing the beginnings of masculine strength, yet his cheeks still retained a childlike plumpness, his lines soft and beautiful, just as described in the Book of Songs: "A gentleman of noble character, as if carved and polished." His usual haughty demeanor had vanished without a trace; his eyebrows and eyes were still youthful, and his long eyelashes trembled like moths fluttering their wings.
In an instant, Ruan Bi suddenly understood. The memories of her youth rushed back, bringing with them the unique fragrance of adolescence. The awkward and naive boys would secretly peek at girls from the windowsill, and when a girl turned around, they would whistle and pretend to look up at the sky. The awkward and naive boys would do things that were both laughable and absurd, just to get you to turn your head. She had experienced all of these things, but because so much time had passed, she had forgotten them.
Feeling a warmth in her heart, Ruan Bi accepted the flower hairpin and smiled at him. "Thank you."
Gu Xiaobai's cheeks immediately turned red.
A gentle breeze blows, causing the flowers and trees in the garden to sway and rustle, filling the air with a subtle fragrance.
Nearby and far away, the leaves of the flowering trees swayed in the wind, and tiny, fragmented rays of light danced and flowed on the branches.
The autumn midday sun is as clear and bright as if it had been washed by water, untouched by dust.
In the chrysanthemum garden pavilion, three young women, along with a group of servants, stared intently at the young man and woman standing bathed in the autumn sun. One wore a maroon robe, the other a bright pomegranate skirt. One offered a flower hairpin, the other accepted it. One gazed down, the other looked up and smiled… Even though they adhered to etiquette, even though they were filled with envy, even though they felt utterly helpless, they had to admit that the two of them standing together were breathtakingly beautiful, yet their beauty seemed perfectly natural, as if they had been born with the heavens and the autumn light, existing since time immemorial.
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