Chapter 3 How can there be such a handsome man in the world?
She is indeed troublesome.
That day, Qin Lizheng bought some steaming hot chestnut cakes and placed them in front of the young lady. "Are you satisfied?"
This was Qin Lizheng's first time serving a young lady in her boudoir, and even his immense patience was worn thin. He stood outside the carved window, staring at Qian Yingyi as she got up after her afternoon nap, his knuckles clenched tightly.
Qian Yingyi, with a pale yellow cloak draped over her shoulders and a jade hairpin tucked diagonally into her dark, flowing hair, was still leaning on the desk behind the window. Her pretty face was marked with smudged pillow marks, and her eyes were still half-closed with sleep.
Upon hearing this, she looked up at Qin Lizheng and let out a soft, weak "Hmm?"
It seemed as if he was still reluctant to take a nap, which only fueled Qin Lizheng's anger.
This young lady is more than just troublesome! It's been five or six days since he entered the Qian family. Not to mention finding out anything, she has no intention of going out at all. She often lazes around in Yunteng Pavilion. Once she asks him to go to the east of the city to buy plum blossom drink, he assumes that she has already drunk the plum blossom drink and will go out when she is happy.
She wouldn't drink it, and then she asked him to go to the west of the city to buy chestnut cakes. Going around in circles, it didn't seem like she was greedy, but rather like she was trying to test his patience.
Qin Lizheng coldly pushed the chestnut cake in front of Qian Yingyi, his eyes fixed on her. "Chestnut cake, didn't Miss want to eat some before her afternoon nap?"
Qian Yingyi blinked, as if she had remembered something. Her lazy muscles suddenly straightened up, and she straightened her back and washed her hands to the side. She picked up a piece of food with her fair fingertips and put it in her mouth to taste it.
After chewing a couple of times, she raised her eyebrows again. "This isn't the right store. You bought the wrong one. Go back again, and let Little Tortoiseshell lead you."
Qin Lizheng took a deep breath, his usually quiet eyes unusually showing emotion, and finally turned and left without saying a word.
After his figure disappeared, Qian Yingyi lightly tossed the chestnut cake in her hand into an oil paper bag, laid out paper and brushes on the table, and began to paint a little figure with colored ink.
The storybooks of "Little Red Bean of Jinling" sold very well, thanks in large part to the male students of the prefectural and county schools.
These students all came from relatively well-off families. Their daily studies were already tedious and boring, so when they finally got their hands on a book of strange tales, they naturally took the opportunity to sneak a peek at it at night with a silver lamp.
Qian Yingyi often drew little figures and gave them to Chen Chao, who then printed them out and pasted them into storybooks. Most of the figures she drew were young women in green.
Chen Chao then came up with another mischievous idea: he proposed that a whole book of paintings of ten figures in blue robes be randomly arranged and pasted onto the book cover. If someone bought a lot of these paintings and collected all ten, he would give them a painting of a martial arts actor personally drawn by Jinling Xiaohongdou.
Young masters, not fond of female impersonators, were at the prime of their youth, full of vigor and ambition. Having read tales of the strange and supernatural, they naturally assumed they could be as brave as martial arts performers, and thus put all their effort into buying them.
This allowed Qian Yingyi and Chen Chao to make a fortune.
Qian Yingyi is currently repainting a different kind of blue-clad woman.
Xia Ling stood to the side, shaking her shoulders and laughing, talking about Qin Lizheng: "Miss, aren't you afraid that you'll drive him away by making him suffer like this?"
After the rain cleared these past few days, light dust swirled in the sunlight. Qian Yingyi didn't even look up, sketching on the paper, saying, "Grandpa thinks I'm naive, that I just picked up a man and brought him home. How could I be so stupid? How can I know his temperament or whether he's obedient enough if I don't try him out?"
Xia Ling, having learned her lesson, stepped forward to adjust Qian Yingyi's cloak, saying, "I'm just afraid he'll think you're being too delicate."
Qian Yingyi paused her pen, amused, and lightly brushed herself aside. Not at all modest, her eyes sparkled with amusement, "That's not wrong either!"
After speaking, Qian Yingyi peeked out the window, then turned to Xia Ling and asked, "Where's Chuntang? Where is she?"
Speaking of Chuntang, a maid in pink quietly entered the courtyard. She wore a light white skirt and carried a basket of plum blossoms on her arm. She was walking in this direction.
Xia Ling smiled and chimed in, "Didn't you mention plum blossom drink a few times? You didn't drink the one Lin Zheng bought, so Chun Tang was thinking of you and took advantage of your lunch break to pick the last ten or so plum blossoms in the garden."
As the two were talking, Chuntang had already reached the door. She shook off the weeds on the hem of her skirt outside before stepping lightly into the house, like a quiet cat, silently gesturing a few times to Qian Yingyi.
"Miss, would you like some drinks today? I'll go get them for you."
The room was filled with incense, but Qian Yingyi picked up a plum blossom and held it next to Chuntang's temple, smiling as she leaned in to smell it lightly before stepping back two steps and raising her hand to gesture.
- So beautiful, so fragrant. If it's made by a beautiful woman, I'll naturally drink it.
Chuntang blushed with embarrassment at Yi's teasing. The two, secretly annoyed and amused, turned and walked out.
Qian Yingyi had two personal maids. Xia Ling had been with her since she was a child in the capital. She was always chattering and followed her mistress's personality. Chun Tang was someone Qian Yingyi bought when she was eleven years old after she came to the capital and went out with Qian Lanting.
When she bought Chuntang, she couldn't hear or speak anything; she just stared blankly at Qian Yingyi.
At that time, Qian Yingyi was not accepted by the young ladies of Jinling. Every day, besides drawing on paper, she would learn Chuntang's usual way of communicating with Xia Ling.
Before long, Chuntang came in carrying a tray and presented Qian Yingyi with a cup of plum blossom drink. Qian Yingyi smiled and took a couple of sips before continuing to sketch the little figure in blue.
Xia Ling gently nudged Chun Tang's arm, glanced at the door, and gestured for the two to go outside and wait. Chun Tang, however, fluttered her eyelashes, remembered something, and hurriedly pulled out a piece of paper from her waist, showing it to Qian Yingyi under the beam of light.
Qian Yingyi glanced at it quickly, paused, took the letter and examined it closely, then chuckled softly.
"I've been feeling a bit bored lately, and Qiuyan invited me to her house for a small gathering tomorrow, which is just what I wanted!"
After saying that, she simply stopped writing, let the little figure picture air out for a moment, then neatly stacked the drawings in the corner, and gracefully picked up her skirt and sat in front of the mirror. "Xia Ling, help Chun Tang dress me up. Tomorrow I want to wear that new golden cicada hairpin. It's beautiful, I like it very much. Also, please help me put my hair in a simple bun."
Xia Ling responded and immediately pulled Chun Tang over to demonstrate for a while. The two of them buried their heads behind Qian Yingyi's head and began to ponder.
As he pondered this, the beam of light on the table grew increasingly dim, and before he knew it, it was already sunset. When Qin Lizheng returned with the right chestnut cake, Qian Yingyi was dressed up and gently swaying the thin wings of the golden cicada hairpin on her head under the eaves.
Qin Lizheng saw her lightly drawing her crescent-shaped eyebrows, applying makeup, and her skirt swaying slightly with her movements, like a butterfly fluttering against the season. He couldn't help but pause and stop at the corner of the corridor.
After running west through the city again, Qin Lizheng's pent-up anger was completely blown away by the wind. He found it amusing that he had been angry with such a delicate flower. So he quietly watched her, waiting for her to notice his return.
As Qian Yingyi turned around, she indeed caught a glimpse of the figure in the corner. Considering that she was going out tomorrow, she decided to take another look to see if the new guard was loyal and obedient enough.
So she stepped over lightly, took the steaming chestnut cake, and ate two pieces this time. After finishing, she looked up at the man in front of her, a harmless and innocent smile on her lips. "I'm going out tomorrow. Will you come with me, or will Little Tortoise come with me?"
Qin Lizheng's mind raced, and his gaze first fell on the bag of chestnut cakes. He thought to himself that he had bought the right thing to make her happy, and sure enough, there was a different reaction.
He didn't show it on his face, turning slightly to the side, treating her as his mistress, and not lingering to look at her face any longer, saying, "I'll follow."
Qian Yingyi nodded and instructed Qin Lizheng to inform the little hawksbill turtle.
Qin Lizheng brushed past them swiftly, but after taking only a few steps, he paused outside the carved window, glancing slightly at the cup resting quietly on the table, a trace of pale pink lip rouge remaining on its rim.
It wasn't the one he bought; it looked freshly made, and she had already drunk from it.
Qin Lizheng blinked his indifferent eyes and quickened his pace as he returned to the bedroom he shared with the little hawksbill turtle.
Strangely enough, the anger that had been blown away by the wind inexplicably returned. Qin Lizheng took out a self-made notebook from his pocket, opened it to a page, laid it on the table, dipped his brush in ink, and wrote a line on the new page:
Feeling upset and confused, this master is strange and difficult to serve.
The handwriting was neat and the strokes were sharp. Qin Lizheng watched the ink on the paper gradually dry before putting the note back in his arms. He then took out some mint leaves that he always carried with him, soaked them in water, and drank it down. After regaining his senses, he calmly opened the door and went to look for Little Tortoiseshell.
At this time of year, fog still rises at night, the misty vapor gathering and dissipating, while the morning glow gradually unfolds on the horizon.
Qian Yingyi got up early and was dressed up by Xia Ling and Chun Tang, her cheeks rosy and her lips and teeth red.
Qian Lanting had to get up early every day to go to the Ministry of Works, Qian Qiyu lived in the prefectural school, and Qian Younian had been staying at the county government office for the past two days. Therefore, when Qian Yingyi went to the small flower hall, she had breakfast with her second aunt Xu Jun.
She also mentioned to Xu Jun that she was going to visit her close friend's house.
Xu Jun, who had never had a daughter, always adored her beautiful niece. Hearing that she was attending a small gathering, she took off the colorful bracelet on her wrist and put it on Qian Yingyi, saying with a smile, "You are dressed beautifully today, but too plainly. Your second aunt is giving you this bracelet to wear for fun."
Qian Yingyi had no choice but to obediently wear it when she went to the banquet.
The carriage traveled through the streets and alleys, and after a quarter of an hour, it stopped in front of a mansion in Taiping Lane, where a servant was waiting for the guests.
When Qian Yingyi stepped out of the car, Qin Lizheng stood not far behind her, glancing at the plaque above the door.
The Yan family residence was the mansion of Yan Song, the Minister of Works in Southern Zhili.
The weather was warm today, and the sun was shining brightly. The servant led Qian Yingyi into the garden, and soon they saw several beautiful figures sitting together. In front of them were some bamboo round tables, on which were placed seasonal fruits and snacks.
Before Qian Yingyi even got close, her words drifted over first, "Well, you guys arrived secretly again!"
The few beautiful figures smiled and chimed in, "Next time, if you arrive earlier, you'll be the one who gets here first, right?"
It was Guo Yue, the young lady of the Guo family; Wen Ninglan, the young lady of the Wen family; and Yan Qiuyan, the young lady of the Yan family.
Qin Lizheng stopped far away under the corridor, standing there with his arms crossed, guarding the place.
Today, Yan Qiuyan took the initiative to invite Qian Yingyi out. It was just a spur-of-the-moment decision because she was bored. It was just a chance to get together, have some fun, and chat about interesting things.
Qian Yingyi affectionately put her arms around Wen Ninglan and Yan Qiuyan, pressing them close to each other, and took the opportunity to ask Yan Qiuyan in a low voice, "Why is Guo Yue here too? She always likes to argue with me and her words are never pleasant. Why did you invite her?"
Yan Qiuyan looked troubled. "I wrote a letter yesterday and asked my father for permission. It just so happens that her father is at the mansion, so I can only ask him along the way."
Then she smiled and said, "Don't worry, besides her, I've invited others too, so you won't be bored. Sister Yan is coming too."
Qian Yingyi raised an eyebrow slightly, "Sister Yan?"
Before they could exchange more than two words, Guo Yue suddenly appeared behind them, asking suspiciously, "What are you two talking about behind my back?"
Yan Qiuyan blinked twice, then immediately turned around and replied with a smile, "It's nothing."
Guo Yue glanced at Qian Yingyi's attire, then sat back down, leaning back in the bamboo chair to lazily bask in the sun, and asked, "I heard that Wu Niansheng came looking for you again a few days ago?"
"It was just a coincidence," Qian Yingyi said, not sitting down yet, but bending down to admire the flowers not far away. After a moment, she asked from afar, "How did you know?"
Before she could finish asking the question, a person rushed over from the other side of the hanging flower gate. Qian Yingyi glanced at him quickly and realized that it was none other than Wu Niansheng, her nemesis from her previous life.
She immediately crouched down, groaning, "Qiuyan! How did he get here too!"
Yan Qiuyan was also taken aback, but Guo Yueying laughed twice and replied half-jokingly and half-seriously, "I just happened to run into him. I blurted it out to him yesterday."
Qian Yingyi cursed her bad luck inwardly. Seeing Wu Niansheng heading her way again, she quickly called out, "Lin Zheng!"
Wu Niansheng was overjoyed to learn from Guo Yue that Qian Yingyi was coming to the Yan family for a small gathering today. He missed Qian Yingyi terribly, and longed to be close to her, gazing at her intently. He walked straight towards the flower pile where Qian Yingyi was hiding.
Having caught a glimpse of Qian Yingyi's clothes, Young Master Wu was secretly delighted. He coughed twice, adopting the demeanor of a refined gentleman, and immediately took two more steps forward.
Before he could take that step, the back of his neck was suddenly tightened, and Wu Niansheng felt his breath catch in his throat, struggling wildly.
Qin Lizheng indifferently lifted him up a little higher, then turned his head to look at Qian Yingyi, "Miss, please come out."
Qian Yingyi then walked out of the flower pile with proper manners, bowing to Wu Niansheng before giving him a warning look, "If you follow me again, I really won't be polite."
The tall, imposing guards carrying Wu Niansheng looked rather bizarre, as if Qian Yingyi was abusing her power. Yan Qiuyan and Wen Ninglan were stunned for a moment before they realized what was happening and hurriedly went to Qian Yingyi's side, advising, "Yingyi! How could you let the guards fight him? What if the elders blame you?"
Qian Yingyi watched as Wu Niansheng's face grew increasingly red, and the two or three servants following him dared not step forward. Only then did she realize that Qin Lizheng had not let go. She was slightly afraid that something might happen, but seeing that Qin Lizheng had really come out to protect her, she immediately thought of taking this opportunity to sever all ties with Wu Niansheng.
He gritted his teeth and said, "You're not allowed to follow me anymore! Do you hear me? If you agree, just wave your hand!"
At this moment, Wu Niansheng had no time to think about spring fever; he only knew that his life was more important, and hurriedly waved his hands.
The restraints on her neck immediately disappeared, and Wu Niansheng, panting heavily, finally had the energy to turn around and find the culprit after regaining her senses.
Upon catching sight of Qin Lizheng, Wu Niansheng immediately cursed fiercely, "You dare lay a hand on me, you guard!"
Qin Lizheng glanced at him, and under his series of questions, turned around and stood not far from Qian Yingyi.
Since the elders in her family still worked together, Qian Yingyi was unwilling to make things awkward, nor could she make decisions for the Yan family. So she simply lifted her skirt and sat to the side, far away.
After sitting down, he glanced back at Qin Lizheng and muttered to himself, "He's really obedient..."
Yan Qiuyan mediated between them, but she couldn't very well kick Wu Niansheng out, so she had to instruct her maid to bring over a screen to separate the seats for men and women.
The girls sat together again. Although Wu Niansheng was angry that she had lost face, she still wanted to take another look at Qian Yingyi, so she sat quietly behind the screen and stopped talking.
This was truly a disappointment. Qian Yingyi had only just managed to muster the interest to play a game of cards with the three of them for a while.
Gradually, Guo Yue grew impatient and put down her cards, deciding not to play anymore. She asked Yan Qiuyan, "Why hasn't Sister Yan arrived yet?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Guo Yue seemed to have thought of something, and mysteriously beckoned to the group. Once they were all gathered around, she said, "Speaking of Sister Yan, do you know that Lin Yuhu caused quite a stir a few days ago?"
Qian Yingyi blinked her beautiful eyes, pretending not to understand, "What happened?"
Guo Yue, confident in her better connections, proudly recounted how Lin Yuhu had been taken from the brothel back to the Lin family, and sure enough, Yan Qiuyan and Wen Ninglan looked surprised.
Qian Yingyi also pretended to be shocked and wide-eyed, "Wouldn't that make it known to everyone?"
"So what if everyone knows about it?" Guo Yue squinted as the sunlight stung her eyes, and laughed, "That Lin Yuhu was useless to begin with. Sister Yan was really wronged to marry him. Fortunately, Yan Sanlang has returned home and is now a solid support for Sister Yan. I heard from my father that he just went to take up his post in Jiangning County yesterday."
Stirred up by her thoughts, Yan Qiuyan asked, "Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I've seen him. I only remember that he was handsome since he was a child. I wonder if he has changed since I last saw him?"
Qian Yingyi was drawn to the word "handsome," but felt it was an exaggeration. "Who describes a man as handsome?"
“Yingyi, Qiuyan wasn’t exaggerating this time…” Wen Ninglan, though timid, answered softly, “I also played with Yan Sanlang. I was young then, but even so, I thought he was very handsome…”
Qian Yingyi looked at the two of them suspiciously, then immediately leaned back on the bamboo chair. "Alright, who cares if she's pretty or not? We have to see her in person before we can say anything. Qiuyan, when is Sister Yan coming? Once she arrives and we've met, I'll head back."
After speaking, he glanced at Wu Niansheng, his meaning all too clear.
Just then, a commotion came from afar, and the woman who led the way was dressed as a married woman, dazzling and radiant, showing no signs of being implicated by the sordid affair. It was Yan Wenying.
Qian Yingyi turned her head to look around, but her gaze missed Yan Wenying and landed directly on the figure behind her.
The person wore a light blue robe, a fox fur draped over their shoulders, and an ordinary silver crown. Their elegant and noble figure exuded a sense of tranquility as they walked. Their face was beautiful, and from a distance, they resembled the moon reflected in a lake.
While he was still in a daze, Yan Wenying had already walked up to him.
Yan Qiuyan was already on good terms with her and was very happy that she came. She quickly got up and went forward to greet her. Yan Wenying smiled and introduced the two parties. "This is my younger brother, Sanlang. You two played together when you were young. He has been serving in Fengyang for the past few years, so you should be familiar with him, right?"
Wu Niansheng had been silent for a long time, and when a man finally came, he was very excited and rushed over to greet Yan Sanlang with a cupped-hand salute.
As soon as he moved, Qin Lizheng stepped forward, getting even closer to Qian Yingyi.
Yan Sanlang bowed and greeted everyone in turn. When he turned to Qian Yingyi, he seemed not to recognize her, his face showing hesitation, unsure of how to address her.
Yan Qiuyan quickly twisted her arms behind her back and gently pushed Qian Yingyi away.
Qian Yingyi snapped out of her daze, a smile playing on her lips. She couldn't help but think how could there be such a handsome man in the world. She immediately raised her hand to return the greeting and introduced herself.
Unexpectedly, as he raised his hand, the eight-treasure bracelet on his wrist, a gift from his second aunt, bumped into a cup of tea on the edge of the table.
The tea wasn't exactly scalding hot, but it was poured very full; if it spilled, her skirt would inevitably get damp again.
Qian Yingyi stole a glance at that face and saw him coming towards her against the light, and a glimmer of hope arose in her heart.
At this distance, although Yan Sanlang couldn't catch the teacup, it would be good to take two steps forward to get closer and let her admire it a couple more times.
With these thoughts in mind, Qian Yingyi made her choice in an instant. She did not accept the cup of tea, but her gaze gradually fell on the black boots on Yan Sanlang's feet, hoping that he would come a few more steps closer.
She could already faintly smell a citrus scent on him.
As luck would have it, the tea did not spill at the bottom of her skirt.
A hand with distinct knuckles caught the cup just as it was tilting.
The cup was held in front of her by that hand, and Qian Yingyi suddenly smelled a refreshing minty scent.
She turned her head blankly and saw that a young man dressed as a guard had appeared beside her at some point.
Qin Lizheng held the cup of tea, his gaze fixed on Qian Yingyi's face, and reminded her, "Miss, please be careful."
A note from the author:
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When driving away Wu Niansheng, Qian Yingyi said: "Very good! The new guard is very obedient!"
Upon meeting Yan Sanlang, Qian Yingyi remarked: "Sometimes it's not good for guards to be too obedient."
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