Chapter 53 The blossoms on each other's faces were like blooming flowers...
The group of corrupt officials were dealt with, and the veil that had been covering the sky over Jinling City was instantly lifted. Time flew by, and half a month passed in the blink of an eye. The days were all sunny and clear, and the sun shone brightly, eventually taking away Qian Linye and Ren Yuqing.
On the day the couple took Tuanjie back to the capital, Qian Yingyi was quite reluctant to part with her. She looked at Tuanjie with pleading eyes and softly called out, "Tuanjie, Tuanjie, your aunt will be returning to the capital soon too. Don't forget your aunt."
Ren Yuqing said half-jokingly, "If it weren't for the fact that your brother really couldn't stay in Jinling any longer, I really wouldn't want to leave. Since you're so reluctant to part with him, why don't you leave Tuan'er in Jinling to keep you company?"
Qian Yingyi glanced at Qian Linye and gestured with her chin, "Would he be willing to leave his darling behind?"
“Never mind,” Qian Yingyi waved her hand. “I’m going back to the capital anyway. A short separation is fine.”
Qian Linye was quite reluctant to part with his younger sister. Before leaving, he looked at Qian Yingyi several times, and those mushy words swirled on his tongue before he changed them, "Don't you have someone you're even more reluctant to part with? Don't worry, when I return to the capital and see him, I'll immediately urge him to come to Jinling to pick you up."
At that time, Qian Yingyi just smiled and urged them to leave quickly.
As Qian Yingyi sat in the garden basking in the sun, a pang of reluctance resurfaced in her heart. She felt that the once bustling house had become quiet and deserted again, lacking the sounds and the people she longed to see.
Fortunately, Qian Jiayu was still in Jinling. She was carrying a basket of wild chrysanthemums into the garden when she saw Qian Yingyi looking dazed. She quietly went around behind her and then snapped her fingers in her ear. "What are you doing!"
Qian Yingyi suddenly snapped out of her daze and saw her leaning over to sit down. She snuggled close to her and then casually picked up a wild chrysanthemum from her fingertip, took a deep sniff, and laughed, "Sunbathing? Xia Ling said the sun won't burn your skin at this time of day. Sister, where have you been?"
The two sisters sat in the large garden, the autumn breeze carrying the fragrance of flowers, petals falling on their skirts, making them look like flower fairies who had grown out of the garden.
Qian Yuxing smiled with her eyes narrowed, feeling lazy from the sun. She leaned against Qian Yingyi's lap, pulled a handkerchief to cover the upper half of her face, and her red lips parted slightly. "Where else can I go? It's already the 15th of October. Isn't Chuntang's wedding date set for the 10th of November? She used to keep you company, so you wouldn't be all alone. As your older sister, I saw that and when I have nothing to do, I have to help out, right?"
“Wild chrysanthemums taste bitter, so I went outside to pick some and planned to boil them into a flower syrup. I’ll make some wild chrysanthemum cakes for her wedding day,” Qian Yuxing said with a sly smile, rubbing her hands together, “to tease the little hawksbill turtle.”
Qian Yingyi chuckled, her bright eyes darting around before she leaned down and whispered in Qian Yuxing's ear, "Speaking of which, I've also thought of a few games to tease him, sister, let me tell you..."
The two burst into laughter. After a while, Qian Yuxing remembered something, climbed up from Qian Yingyi's lap, shook the petals off the ground, and said, "Speaking of which, I went outside and passed by the government office. I saw a notice about the Fan family. Do you want to hear it?"
Qian Yingyi paused for a moment, then, thinking of Fan Baozhu, this simple girl, she gradually straightened her posture and said, "Listen."
Qian Yuxing glanced at her and smiled first. "Look how nervous you are. No one in the Fan family will die. I read the notice carefully. It was an order issued by the Emperor in advance. Lord Fan has been honest and upright all his life, which the Emperor has seen. Considering the instigation of villains, the Emperor did not severely punish Lord Fan's family. He only dismissed Lord Fan from his post and ordered him to return to his hometown to reflect on his actions. Although Lord Fan's family is in the procession escorting them back to the capital this time, I think it's probably just a formality."
Upon hearing that Lord Fan and his family had survived, Qian Yingyi sighed with a touch of melancholy, "It's all fate..."
Seeing that these heavy topics were being brought up again, Qian Yingyi quickly shook her head, instantly changing her expression. She smiled and helped Qian Yuxing to her feet, saying, "Oh dear, it's other people's business, no matter what, it's none of our business to be sad. Let's talk about Chuntang. Her wedding dress and dowry are all prepared. Sister, tell me, is there anything missing?"
Qian Yuxing laughed along, tilting her head to think, "Hmm... I heard you say that they are planning to move to a new house, right? Since they won't be living with their parents, there aren't that many rigid rules to follow. Has the house been decorated yet?"
Qian Yingyi fanned her two eyelashes, then suddenly clenched her fist and slapped it against her palm, overjoyed, "Yes! How could I have forgotten about that!"
A warm breeze lingered in the garden, petals swirling around her apron, carrying Qian Yingyi away as she happily went about her business. So, the following afternoon, she went to Chuntang and Xiao Daimao's house near Huaiqing Bridge.
The little hawksbill turtle's parents were both open-minded people. When they heard that they wanted to decorate the new house, they decided not to follow the usual methods.
The bed curtains and beaded curtains were all brand new, dazzlingly red. The cups, plates, bowls, and copper, tin, and bamboo utensils were all brand new. The furniture had been made by a familiar carpenter and was now being placed in the house.
After a flurry of activity, dusk had fallen, and the setting sun cast a golden glow.
They sat under the tree, sweating profusely, to rest. Mr. Jiang smiled and brought over a round bamboo table. Mrs. Jiang then served up the dishes she had prepared: a plate of pickled crab, a dish of braised pork, a dish of chicken meatballs, a dish of fried pork ribs, two kinds of green and white seasonal vegetables, and a pot of plum soup.
Perhaps because she wasn't familiar enough with Qian Yingyi, Jiang's mother remained polite, saying, "Miss Qian, if you don't mind, please eat more."
Qian Yingyi had been busy all afternoon and was already starving. She smiled and sat down, picked up a chicken meatball and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly. After a moment, she praised with delight, "Auntie, your cooking is really good. It's better than what I've had in restaurants!"
Jiang's mother covered her mouth and laughed shyly, then urged, "Eat, everyone eat more!"
After the meal, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang knew it was inappropriate to stay any longer, so they waved goodbye and told Xiao Daimao to find them at the incense shop if they needed any help.
Qian Yingyi glanced at Little Tortoiseshell and Chuntang, wanting to leave the two alone, so she looked up at the sky and said, "Hey, Xia Ling, did you hear that? It's lively by the river. Shall we go and have some fun?"
Xia Ling, quick-witted as a fox, her eyes darting around, hurriedly replied with a smile, "Yes! I heard you!"
So the two of them talked as they walked out. As soon as they finished speaking, the door opened and closed, leaving only Little Tortoiseshell and Chuntang sitting facing each other.
Little Tortoiseshell had drunk a little wine this time, her face was flushed, and her eyes were fixed on Chuntang, making Chuntang blush with embarrassment.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that some withered leaves on the holly tree beside her were about to fall. So Chuntang got up and walked over there, looked up at the withered leaves, and then stood on tiptoe to knock off the leaves that weren't that high up.
Just as she reached out, her fair and delicate wrist was grasped by a burning hot hand.
Chuntang was startled, spun around by a force, and landed in a pair of eyes that were both amused and bright. Little Tortoiseshell raised his thick eyebrows, grabbed her with one hand and pressed her against the tree root, while gesturing with the other—"Avoid me?"
In fact, whenever they were alone together, it was usually Chuntang who would take the initiative to kiss him. Perhaps because he felt that kissing her was too offensive, Xiao Daimao was always very careful. This time, perhaps because he had been drinking, or perhaps because the wedding was approaching, being in the festive house, Xiao Daimao found it difficult to control his feelings.
He glanced at Chuntang's blushing face, and even though his own ears were red as if they were about to bleed, he still leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.
Seeing that she didn't dodge, he slowly moved his gentle kiss to her lips, lightly brushing the tip of his nose against Chuntang's face, feeling her slight trembling. He then deepened the kiss, sweeping his wet tongue across her lips, taking away her lip gloss, and grinding it little by little.
As their breaths grew heavier from the kiss, he gently pinched her chin and plunged inside her. In the heat of the moment, knowing she couldn't hear him, he still called her name again and again, "Chuntang... Chuntang..."
Chuntang leaned against the tree root, tilting her face up to receive his kiss. Unlike the previous light kisses, this one was filled with their deep love. She wrapped her arms around his neck, responding to him with rapid breathing.
When he reached his limit of breathing, Little Tortoiseshell finally let out a soft breath and released Chuntang. He licked his lower lip, nuzzled his face against her, and hugged her tightly.
After a long pause, Chuntang finally calmed down. She smelled the alcohol on him, chuckled, pushed his shoulder, and gestured to him – “Go wash up, you stink.”
Little Tortoiseshell laughed, its shoulders shaking with a sweet laugh that emanated from its chest. It nodded repeatedly, stepped back and walked toward the main room. After taking only two steps, it ran back, cupped her face in its hands, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
He quickly disappeared into the main room, and soon a dim yellow light came on inside, casting his busy shadow on the gauze window.
Chuntang smiled happily, rubbed her lips with the back of her hand, and felt shy when she thought of the passionate kiss just now. While he was not around, she also needed to do something to cool down her burning passion.
She noticed a few wine jars lying askew against the wall, so she went over and tidied them up. She opened the door and placed the jars outside one by one, so someone would come to collect them at dawn.
After placing the last item, Chuntang straightened up, clapped her hands, and was about to lift her skirt to go inside when a hand suddenly reached out from the side, pulled her up abruptly, covered her mouth and nose, and dragged her into the next room.
Startled, Chuntang struggled wildly, but seeing that she couldn't break free, she quickly pulled the hairpin from her hair back and tried to stab him, but her hands were twisted behind her back and she was pinned against the door.
The house was dark and covered in a thick layer of dust. The dust on the door made Chuntang squint. As the dust settled, she could see a face slowly hanging in front of her by the moonlight.
Pei Ji flicked her earlobe, tilted his head to examine her birthmark closely, and after a while, he gave an excited smile, "Pearl, little sister, it really is you."
"It's me, it's your brother," he said, his fingertips gently tracing the small patch of skin behind Chuntang's ear, a glint of light in his eyes. "Don't you remember your brother?"
Chuntang stared in surprise, her gaze towards Pei Ji filled with defensiveness, anger, and unfamiliarity, yet devoid of memory or familiarity. Pei Ji raised an eyebrow and let out a low chuckle, "Forgot everything?"
He nodded slightly. "That's true. It's common to forget the past after suffering some hardships."
"It's alright, I'll help you remember."
Pei Ji was extremely lucky this time. He seized the opportunity to escape from the city in time, thus avoiding being captured by Qin Lizheng. Ever since the criminal official was escorted back to the capital, he had guessed that Qin Lizheng still had a backup plan for him.
Therefore, he waited for half a month until Qian Yingyi left, and was temporarily separated from Chuntang.
Hmph, those Imperial Guards who were guarding Qian Yingyi wouldn't be guarding Chuntang, which gave him the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
The housekeeper was pressing on Chuntang's back.
Although he knew she couldn't call for help, Pei Ji thought that her fiancé was in the house next door, so he had to act quickly. He took out a worn-out rattle drum from his pocket. The drumstick was engraved with the word "Pearl" and the drumhead was painted with flowers and plants. It was obvious that it was a child's scribbling.
With a cruel smile, he patiently waved the rattle in front of Chuntang's eyes, even though he knew she couldn't hear him, and still said, "Pearl, do you still remember this?"
When Chuntang's gaze fell on the rattle drum, it quickly became blank. Gradually, her gaze shifted to the word "pearl," and her face turned deathly pale. She closed her eyes tightly in pain, and cold sweat even seeped from her temples.
In an instant, a sealed memory overwhelmed her like a floodgate bursting open.
Pearls, rattles, brother, parents, the Pei family of Huai'an—these words flooded her heart, making her gasp for breath and gradually feel suffocated.
When she was six, she was taken away from her home and suffered greatly along the way. But what made her cry day and night the most was what that person told her—
Your mother doesn't want you anymore.
Because her constant crying and screaming could easily arouse suspicion, the man beat her several times. After a series of beatings and scoldings, she gradually lost her hearing.
Later, she was sold to a brokerage firm not far from Huai'an. Tortured by the brokers, she had no choice but to bare her fangs and bite fiercely to protect herself.
She could no longer remember how long she had been rolling around in the mud. She only knew that in the long days and nights, she gradually forgot who she was and only knew how to protect herself.
On another occasion, because of her cruel and tyrannical behavior, she was sold to Jinling. During the delivery of the goods by the broker, she escaped. It was on that same evening when she was being chased that she encountered the young lady and the old master on the street.
She remembered... she remembered everything...
The moment Chuntang raised her eyes, filled with fierce hatred, Pei Ji knew she had remembered. He slowly knelt down in front of her, took out paper and pen, and wrote:
"You remember now? Sister, Mother has been looking for you, but she couldn't find you for so long. She was so anxious that she died two years ago. Do you want to go see Mother?"
Chuntang's eyes widened in shock. What did she mean by "her mother has been looking for her"? Did her mother not want her anymore?
Pei Ji also wrote:
"But unfortunately, as you know, that was your mother, not my biological mother. I used a trick. When your mother was buried, only an empty coffin was placed in the ancestral mausoleum. A hundred years later, the one lying next to Father is still my mother. As for your mother's real burial place, I found another place. Do you want to know? Do you want to see Mother?"
Tears welled in Chuntang's eyes. The devastating blow left only one thing in her mind—her mother hadn't abandoned her, her mother had been looking for her, and her mother was dead.
She was momentarily panicked, and her struggles gradually weakened until she collapsed against the door, completely exhausted.
Pei Ji glanced down at her, smiled indifferently, and then wrote:
"Pearl, you and I are siblings. I have a favor to ask of you. The Miss Qian you serve actually has another identity. She is Jinling Little Red Bean, the author of those supernatural tales, isn't she?"
Chuntang suddenly looked at him, her bewildered eyes filled with wariness.
Upon seeing her like this, Pei Ji knew that his guess was correct. At first, he didn't know either. It was later when he was with Yingniang, that actress, that he saw her flipping through storybooks, pointing with a smile at the portraits of martial arts actors and young women on the book covers, and marveling at how interesting they were. He then paid more attention to them, especially the droopy-eared rabbit seal under her signature.
At the time, he thought that this Jinling Little Red Bean must be a woman. He knew he understood women quite well, and only women would put their minds to such things.
On the day he fled the city amidst the chaos, knowing that Qin Lizheng had been looking for him, he deliberately disguised himself as a rower and slipped into the bustling Huai River. It was in this way that he spotted Qin Lizheng and Qian Yingyi rushing out of the music hall on the riverbank.
That's when he deduced the big event and secretly left the city before the gates closed.
Naturally, he also noticed the seal hanging from Qian Yingyi's waist.
To verify his guess, he risked entering the city these past two days, sneaking into the Seal Pavilion, and finding the owner surnamed Chen. He probed him twice, but did not receive a clear answer. However, he had not done business for nothing over the years, and he knew from the owner's evasive expression that his guess was correct.
Seeing Chuntang's wary gaze again, Pei Ji's smile grew even more sinister as he wrote:
"Don't glare at me, Pearl. I want to ask you to bring Miss Qian to see me."
“Brother also loves reading her stories. I remember her latest one was about a young master from a noble family who coveted the military power of his young mistress's family and was subsequently killed. Isn’t that right? Pearl, look, aren’t the endings of Prince Rui and Miss Guo very similar to those in this story?”
"Tell me, if brother were to reveal the secret that Miss Qian is Jinling Little Red Bean, and then add fuel to the fire, wouldn't the people, who have always been wary of gods and ghosts, find Miss Qian too strange and gradually avoid her like the plague? Pearl, you've been in the inner circle of the household for so many years, you should know that rumors can kill a person."
Pei Ji skillfully concealed the hatred in his eyes, then looked at Chun Tang with tenderness, and held the last piece of paper in front of her eyes—
"Pearl, if you want to know where your mother's grave is and if you want to see her one more time, then you'd better behave yourself and take Miss Qian to the local temple on the mountainside of Embroidered Ball Mountain on the 30th of the month. Your brother will be waiting for you there."
He immediately ordered the steward to loosely tie her behind the door and left on his own.
A cool breeze blew along both banks of the Huai River. Qian Yingyi's graceful figure circled around the riverbank. She walked straight ahead and first went to a dessert shop. When she caught sight of the closed door, she realized that Liang Tu had taken Liang Xizhao to the capital.
So they linked arms and walked around, looking here and there.
Perhaps it was because they had seen several pairs of mandarin ducks on the road, but Qin Lizheng's shadow was everywhere in the bustling world.
One moment it's him buying snacks for her and standing quietly in front of the stall waiting; the next it's as if time has reversed, returning to the night of the Qixi Festival, when he clumsily danced with her in his arms.
Qian Yingyi glanced at the figures behind her and knew they were the Imperial Guards left behind by Qin Lizheng to guard her. She curled her lip and couldn't help but curse him inwardly.
"Miss, look! The stars are so bright tonight!" Xia Ling gently tugged at her arm.
Now that the person wasn't around, Qian Yingyi was much quieter. She gently lifted her eyelids to look at the stars, but she felt that the stars lacked something. She used to love looking at the stars, but back then it was pure appreciation. Now, looking at them again, it was as if she was chasing a figure through the stars. She couldn't help but wonder—did he see this star?
She thought that the world was vast, and even if they were separated by prefectures, mountains, and rivers, they would still be under the same sky when they looked up.
“It is very bright…” Not wanting to dampen Xia Ling’s enthusiasm, Qian Yingyi joined in the praise. Just as she was about to point to an even brighter star, a figure suddenly appeared beside her in surprise.
It turned out to be Yingniang rushing over to her in surprise, wearing a blue cloak. She grasped her hands tightly as she spoke, "Miss Qian, it really is you! I thought I was seeing things. Why aren't you home at this hour? Why are you playing by the river?"
Qian Yingyi's bright eyes widened instantly, and she couldn't help but scrutinize her for a moment before breaking into a smile. "You look comfortable today, didn't you go to the palace to perform?"
Yingniang rolled her eyelids upwards and spoke with a slanted gaze, "This is a long story, and this is not the place to talk. Would you like to come with me to the theater for a while, Miss?"
Qian Yingyi glanced around and, seeing the lively atmosphere, had no intention of going back at this time. She smiled and nodded slightly, "Okay."
"What? You said you slapped Pei Ji a few times?" In the private room of the opera house, Qian Yingyi held a cup of hot tea, and after a long moment of astonishment, she finally spoke, "So..."
Yingniang pursed her lips, looking as relaxed as a thin sheet of paper. "Yes, to be honest, my initial intentions for being with him weren't pure. You know, that time I was slandered at the Yan family, that incident has always been a thorn in my side. I was after his money, I don't know what he wanted from me, but it was ultimately a matter of mutual consent."
She said, “Miss, didn’t I bump into you in Pipa Lane that day? He was very enthusiastic at first, but for some reason, he suddenly became cold. I couldn’t stand it and gradually lost interest.”
"Later, he suddenly disappeared, and I simply gave up on the idea. Now, I occasionally perform in theaters, and quite a few young masters from wealthy families come to listen. This makes me realize that I'm not so bad after all. If I'm not bad, why should I keep dwelling on the slander I was made of in the past? There are people in this world who understand me. Now that I've saved some money, I'm not so short of cash anymore."
“There are people in this world who understand you…” Qian Yingyi murmured, glancing up at her face. There was no sorrow, only a smile. Qian Yingyi smiled back and nodded repeatedly. “You’re right, you’re right. Finding someone who understands you is the truth.”
Yingniang pushed the pastries forward, her body lurching forward as well, bending her slender waist slightly, and whispered to Qian Yingyi, "But speaking of which, does Miss know where he went? Come to think of it, the last time I saw him, I overheard him talking to the steward, though I didn't hear it very clearly."
Qian Yingyi naturally did not know where Pei Ji was. She guessed that he might be hiding in the Huai'an area, but that was not something she should worry about. As long as Pei Ji showed up in front of her, the Imperial Guards would capture him.
So, smelling the agarwood scent in the room, she smiled lazily and asked, "What did you overhear?"
“I didn’t quite understand,” Yingniang muttered. “There were words like ‘second young lady,’ ‘pearl,’ ‘sold,’ and ‘birthmark.’ Just as I was about to listen carefully, he pulled the door open and came out with a strange expression.”
Qian Yingyi didn't take it seriously and nodded in agreement. The two of them then exchanged a few more words.
In the end, Yingniang slammed her fist on the table, saying that Pei Ji was only good at deceiving women and that she should never see him in Jinling again. Otherwise, she would have several servants surround him and give him a good beating.
Qian Yingyi chuckled twice. Seeing that it was getting late, she got up to take her leave. "Looking back... I don't think there will be a day when I can go back. I will be setting off for the capital in a while. You know I am from the capital. Once I leave, I don't know when I will be able to return to Jinling. The fact that we met again today proves that we are destined to be friends. If I have any happy events when I come, I will send an invitation to Jinling. You must come."
Yingniang had also heard about her story with that commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. In the end, after so many years of performing, Qian Yingyi was the first and only person who had never looked down on her.
She was genuinely happy for Qian Yingyi. Thinking of her return to the capital, she couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat, but she still managed a smile and gently hugged her. "It's settled then. I will definitely go."
Qian Yingyi embraced her back, feeling happy for herself as she found another sincere friend just before leaving Jinling.
When they finally returned to the Qian residence, they happened to enter Yunteng Pavilion one after the other.
Seeing Chuntang looking distraught, Qian Yingyi held the lantern up to her face to get a better look. She noticed that Chuntang's eyelids were swollen, as if she had been crying. Her expression immediately changed—why did she cry all of a sudden? Did Little Tortoise Turtle bully you?
Chuntang remained silent, her eyes lowered, showing no reaction.
Qian Yingyi's face darkened, and she immediately turned around. "Where is he? I'm going to find him!"
Suddenly, Chuntang hugged him tightly around the waist, and his back pressed against her face. Then came soft sobs, a kind of awkward, long-unspoken sob.
Qian Yingyi turned around in disbelief, put her arm around Chuntang's shoulder, and exchanged glances with Xia Ling. She subconsciously asked, "...Chuntang? You can speak?"
Fu realized that Chuntang couldn't hear, and seeing her tears streaming down her face, he became even more anxious. He hurriedly started gesturing—What's wrong with you? Tell me, did Little Tortoise bully you? If it was him, I'll beat him to death. What happened between you two after Xia Ling and I left? How come you can suddenly make a sound?
Chuntang silently shed tears, her expression filled with indescribable pain. Qian Yingyi also became anxious and raised her voice, "Tell me quickly!"
After a long pause, Chuntang closed her eyes briefly, grabbed her sleeve, and hugged her. After a moment, she took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped away her tears—it's nothing, I just feel sad thinking about getting married and not wanting to leave you all.
Xia Ling had been pacing anxiously, but seeing that she was alright, she breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "It's good that you're alright. How come you can suddenly make a sound? Can you hear us? If you can, can you be cured?"
Several years ago, Qian Yingyi had tried various methods to help Chuntang, who was neither able to hear nor speak. However, the doctors she consulted all shook their heads in disappointment. In addition, Chuntang herself did not care much about it, and gradually, the matter was left to its own devices.
Hearing Chuntang speak for the first time, Qian Yingyi felt a surge of hope and stared intently at Chuntang.
Unfortunately, Chuntang could only manage a forced smile—she didn't know if she could suddenly make a sound or if she couldn't hear what they were saying, but it didn't matter.
Qian Yingyi stared intently at her expression, a strange feeling gradually rising in her heart. Before she could grasp it, Xia Ling's teasing of Chun Tang interrupted her.
Xia Ling chuckled, probably just wanting to cheer Chun Tang up. She took Chun Tang's handkerchief and gently wiped away her tears, but then quietly turned around and looked over Chun Tang's shoulder at Qian Yingyi. "Alright, she rarely cries. The wedding is coming soon. After she gets married, we'll quietly go and invite a doctor to take a look at her."
Qian Yingyi pursed her lips and said nothing more, thinking to herself that this made sense, and then patted Chuntang's back as well.
The late autumn night wind was a bit chilly. After standing for a while, the three of them hunched their shoulders, huddled together, and went inside. They let the wind blow and blow, until the stars in the sky gradually disappeared and the sun rose in the east. Day after day, half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
On the thirtieth, with only ten days left until the divorce, according to the custom of newlyweds, the two newlyweds could not see each other again. Little Tortoiseshell couldn't bear to part with Chuntang, so she happily and secretly took her to the new house to try on her wedding dress one more time.
The young man, dressed in a bright red embroidered round-necked robe, gazed longingly at Chuntang, who was dressed in a phoenix coronet and wedding gown. The look of longing in his eyes lingered. Thinking that they would not be able to see each other again, he pulled Chuntang into his arms and gently rubbed her, as if he could melt her into his bones and keep her by his side.
Chuntang smiled and gently hugged him for a moment. Suddenly, she lifted her face from his embrace, stood on tiptoe to kiss his chin, and moved little by little to his lips, rekindling the passion from before.
She kissed him until she was breathless, then her fingertips parted his shirt and lightly kissed his neck, where several veins stood out, leaving a few light pink marks. It was as if this time, the one who couldn't control her emotions had become her.
Little Tortoiseshell flinched back in surprise, but she pressed him down again. He swallowed hard, his breathing becoming increasingly labored. After waiting for half a day, Chuntang finally released him.
Chuntang gazed at him for a long time, her fingertips tracing his eyebrows, then his nose and lips, her eyes filled with deep reluctance. After a long while, she quietly went into the house, took off her wedding dress, changed back into her original clothes, and picked up a basket of flowers, as if to leave.
The little hawksbill turtle was still confused and asked, "Where are you going? Aren't you going to stay a little longer?"
Chuntang turned around and smiled at him—I have a relative in Jinling. I had a dream a few days ago and remembered it. Wasn't I supposed to marry you? I'll go and meet my relative first, and then I'll decide whether to invite him.
When she mentioned that she remembered having relatives, Little Tortoiseshell looked slightly bewildered, her suspicious expression shifting before she gestured—"I'll go with you."
Chuntang gently broke free from him, her figure as thin as a wisp of gauze—"Miss is sending wedding candles home, you wait here."
When she said "home," the sweetness that had just been lingered in Little Tortoiseshell's heart returned from all directions. He pursed his lips, pondered for a moment, then nodded and placed a kiss on her lips.
Soon after Chuntang left, Xiao Daimao was left alone in the new house, looking around at the festive red decorations. After waiting for half a day, Qian Yingyi arrived with Xia Ling, her basket filled with bright red wedding candles. He hurriedly went to greet her and took the candles, chuckling twice, "Thank you, Miss."
Qian Yingyi stood at the doorway, stomping a speck of dust off her shoes. She peeked into the house and asked, "Where's Chuntang?"
“She said she went to visit relatives,” Little Tortoiseshell bent down to place the wedding candles on the veranda. “She said she dreamt that she had relatives in Nanjing. Is it really such a coincidence? I said I would go with her, and she told me to wait for you here.”
Qian Yingyi's heart skipped a beat, and her expression changed instantly. "She's from Huai'an. I know her situation best. Where would she get relatives in Jinling?"
The little tortoiseshell paused, its smile fading, a hint of panic flashing in its eyes. Its tone was undeniably certain, "...She's lying?"
“She’s from Huai’an…” Little Tortoiseshell murmured, “Yes…she’s from Huai’an, how could I forget!”
He immediately drew his sword and rushed out, shouting, "I'll go find her right now!"
The strange feeling that had been suppressed earlier lingered in Qian Yingyi's mind again. She stopped Xiao Daimao and frowned as she asked, "When you two were alone that day, did anything unpleasant happen?"
The little hawksbill turtle's expression grew cold. After thinking for a moment, it denied, "No."
Qian Yingyi took a deep breath and paced anxiously back and forth in front of the door. What exactly happened to Chuntang? One moment she was crying in front of her, and the next she was lying to Xiao Daimao.
Relatives? Qian Yingyi understood perfectly well that when she bought the runaway Chuntang from the broker, the broker said that she had been sold from Huai'an Prefecture and could not possibly have any relatives in Jinling!
At that time, Chuntang was filthy from head to toe, except for her ears, which were relatively clean. The maids in the house were usually signed on a contract with outsiders, and it was rare for them to be bought and sold directly into the house.
At that time, Second Aunt was observant. She noticed that Chuntang had a birthmark behind her ear and that her ear was pierced. She went outside to investigate, fearing that she might come from a family of disgraced officials and had been sold to a brokerage firm to serve at home. She thought it best to be cautious.
Qian Yingyi paced back and forth, forcing herself to calm down, especially at such a critical juncture. Otherwise, without knowing Chuntang's purpose, where in the vast city of Jinling could she find her in such a short time?
Qian Yingyi carefully recalled Chuntang's strange behavior these past few days. It all seemed to have started after Chuntang returned from the riverbank. Qian Yingyi couldn't help but feel a little guilty. If she hadn't gone to the riverbank that night, if she hadn't lingered at Yingniang's place...
Suddenly, Qian Yingyi stopped in her tracks and looked up at Xia Ling abruptly. "Do you remember that day at the opera house, did Yingniang mention the word 'birthmark'?"
Xia Ling was anxious. She lowered her head and thought carefully for a moment, then quickly nodded her chin slightly, "I think she did mention it, but it was about her eavesdropping on Pei Ji's conversation..."
“Pei Ji is also from Huai’an!” Qian Yingyi interrupted her abruptly, her face filled with shock. “He’s from Huai’an. I don’t believe such a coincidence. It just so happens that he was talking about a birthmark and the Second Miss. It just so happens that Chun Tang has a birthmark behind her ear and was sold from Huai’an to Jinling. But now we can’t help but think of him!”
She frantically speculated about the relationship between Chuntang and Pei Ji, and after a moment, she couldn't help but take a gamble, suddenly shouting, "You all come out!"
The next instant, five Imperial Guards appeared behind her one after another, "Miss."
Qian Yingyi clenched her teeth, a hard curve forming on her cheeks, but her voice trembled, "There are a total of six city gates in Jinling that lead out of the city. You all go and find the maids beside me. I'll take the remaining gate to leave the city. Hurry!"
The Imperial Guards looked troubled. "But the commander ordered that Miss is not allowed to make the slightest mistake..."
"If she makes a mistake, it's my mistake!" Qian Yingyi suddenly shouted, rushing out of the alley with Xiao Daimao and Xia Ling. She immediately cut the reins, borrowed a horse from a house at the alley entrance, and shouted, "The worst guess is that Chuntang is going to be in trouble!"
The three of them immediately spurred their horses, which galloped off. Upon reaching the bustling market, they had to slow down. Qian Yingyi was anxious, and just then, she overheard the owner of a pharmacy across the street lazily leaning against his doorway, talking to someone. "Hey," he said, "business is slow these days. Since I opened this morning, guess what? Only one mute girl has come to patronize the shop, and she bought arsenic, saying it was from a rat in the pharmacy. Business is bad, isn't it?"
Qian Yingyi's expression changed, and she hurriedly dismounted, stumbling and running to the front of the pharmacy, urgently asking, "May I ask the owner, what clothes was that mute girl wearing?"
The master was startled and didn't speak for a moment. Seeing this, Little Tortoiseshell became anxious and quickly took out a silver ingot and threw it to him. The master thought for a moment and said, "A pale white skirt, with a light blue short vest on top, embroidered with hydrangea flowers."
Qian Yingyi closed her eyes, her panic intensifying. She pressed Chuntang for directions, then quickly mounted her horse again. No longer caring about anything else, she whipped her horse and galloped out of the city.
After traveling for half an hour, they left the city. The road was deserted, but Embroidered Ball Mountain was not far away. They saw two paths fork in the road, one encircling the foot of the mountain and the other stretching up the mountain. Qian Yingyi gritted her teeth, turned around and said to Little Tortoiseshell, "Let's split up and search!"
She immediately rode up the mountain. As soon as she entered the mountain, the afterglow of the setting sun disappeared without a trace, and the damp cold hit her face. The wind was like a knife, scratching her skin with a fine, dense pain. Qian Yingyi did not care about these things, and did not even care about the rugged mountain road and the danger of falling to the bottom of the mountain if she was not careful.
The more panicked and afraid she became, the faster Qian Yingyi rode her horse.
All she knew was that she couldn't let things repeat themselves, and she couldn't bear to watch the important people in her life leave her again.
Pei Ji waited quietly at the local temple for half a day, and finally Chun Tang's figure appeared at the temple entrance. Not seeing Qian Yingyi, he couldn't help but have a gloomy face. He waved to the steward, who then escorted Chun Tang into the temple.
There was paper and pen on the table. Chuntang lowered her eyes and wrote down:
“Brother, Miss is busy. I arranged to come here with her to pick flowers for our wedding. She will come later.”
She immediately placed the flower basket on the table, bent down, and quietly gazed at Pei Ji for a moment.
Pei Ji looked down at her for a long time, chuckled, then sat back down, closed his eyes, and waited quietly.
After waiting for about half an hour, Pei Ji lost his patience. He got up again and circled around Chun Tang, tilting his head as he asked the steward, "Do you think... she's lying to me?"
The butler stood behind Chuntang, glancing sideways at her back. Knowing she couldn't hear, he spoke without any restraint, "You lied to her about her mother. As long as she cares about her mother, she'll definitely trick Miss Qian into coming here."
With her eyes lowered, Chuntang appeared very obedient. She quietly took the teapot from the table, poured a cup of cold tea into a bowl, gently tugged at Pei Ji's sleeve, handed him the tea, and wrote on a piece of paper:
"Brother, where is my mother buried? Can you tell me now?"
Pei Ji held the cup and swirled it around, peering at the fine powder on the rim. A meaningful smile appeared on his face as he stared at Chun Tang without moving.
Chuntang met his gaze, her expression shifting rapidly before finally ruthlessly drawing a dagger hidden in her sleeve and lunging at Pei Ji's chest.
Little did Pei Ji know that he was already on guard when he realized that she had put something in the tea. He dodged in a few quick movements and then grabbed the cup and smashed it against her wrist!
The dagger fell to the ground. He grabbed both her wrists, pinned them against the table, and bent her back. His eyes darted brazenly under her clothes. "Pearl, are you playing tricks on your brother?"
Chuntang struggled with all her might, but she was no match for Pei Ji. He tied her legs up, and there was a hint of madness in his eyes. "Hiss, looking at you closely, you're not like your brother anymore. Your personality is also far less cute than when you were a child. You still want to kill your brother? Pearl, you're too bold. But I think you're quite beautiful. Tell me, what do you taste like?"
After saying that, he gave a cold smile and slowly leaned down towards Chuntang.
Before she could react, a series of hurried footsteps began to sound, and Qian Yingyi suddenly appeared in front of the temple. She was immediately terrified and shouted, "You beast! Let her go!"
Pei Ji was taken aback, then turned his head to look at Qian Yingyi, his eyes immediately filled with surprise. "I thought I had come here empty-handed today, Miss Qian. I underestimated your affection for my sister. Since she came alone, she must have kept it from you. How did you guess?"
"How I guessed it is none of your business," Qian Yingyi said coldly. "You've been hiding like a stray dog. Even if you tricked me into coming here, so what? Do you think you can escape?"
Perhaps the words "stray dog" stung Pei Ji deeply, causing him to release Chuntang, walk around to the other side of the table, and stare coldly at Qian Yingyi. "So what if you're a stray dog? You're destined to die by my hand today. Do you know how much I hate you! Qin Lizheng dared to break both my legs, so I'll kill you today and make him regret it for the rest of his life!"
They exchanged a glance with the butler, and the two men pounced on Qian Yingyi.
Xia Ling's heart leaped into her throat. She immediately kicked the butler hard, but he grabbed her hair and dragged her forward. Gritting her teeth, she simply climbed onto him, taking advantage of his pull, and suddenly bit his ear. When he released her, she kicked him hard in the groin.
Chuntang was desperately trying to hold Pei Ji back, but Pei Ji moved extremely fast. He pulled out a dagger at some point and suddenly stabbed Qian Yingyi!
Qian Yingyi blocked with her hand, and the string of beads in her hand fell to the ground in a sparse manner. She also stumbled backward and sat down on the threshold.
When Chuntang got angry, she bared her fangs. Knowing she was no match for Pei Ji in strength, she grabbed a brick from the ground and smashed it against him. Pei Ji, in pain, lifted her up abruptly. "You want to die that badly?! Fine, I'll grant your wish!"
He then raised the dagger high—
Qian Yingyi's breath caught in her throat for a moment. Her gaze fell on the beads on the ground, and she realized what Pei Ji was doing. A surge of anger boiled over in her heart.
Because Qin Lizheng gave her the love knot, she took off the glass incense bottle that she used to always carry with her. She missed Sister Lian so much that she carefully placed the bottle in her makeup box, leaving a string of horn strings and pearls that Sister Lian had given her to wear on her wrist.
Today, Pei Ji severed the horn string, and the dagger was just a hair's breadth away from cutting her wrist.
She couldn't help but wonder if it was Sister Lian secretly protecting her.
Seeing Pei Ji about to kill Chun Tang, Qian Yingyi's surging blood suddenly roared from her bones—kill him.
Kill him! Kill him!
Because of a man, my beloved sister died on that cold night. She was filled with remorse and unbearable grief then, and now another man has appeared, trying to take away the person closest to her. How can she tolerate this? How can she tolerate it again?!
Qian Yingyi scrambled towards the beads, gathering them in her hands along with the dust, and then called out, "Pei Ji—!"
Pei Ji slowed his movements and subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound, only to have two hard objects pressed into his eyes. He screamed in pain as the dagger fell to the ground with a thud, and he covered his eyes and cried out in pain.
Before he could catch his breath, Qian Yingyi took advantage of his open mouth and cried out in pain, stuffing the beads back into his mouth. Then she picked up the horn string that had been cut off and was only about the length of his forearm, suddenly passed through him, and twisted the horn string around his neck.
She stumbled and dragged him toward a pillar in the temple, then pressed him tightly against the pillar from behind. Behind the pillar, her figure could be seen straining to pull the horn taut.
Her face held a manic resolve, a resolve tinged with unwavering determination, and her voice escaped through clenched teeth, "What kind of skill is it to act tough on a woman? I want you dead... I want you dead... I want you dead!"
The horn string cut her fingertips until they bled, but she felt no pain. Her past hatred and present anger intertwined. She knew only one thing: she had to go through the long years to avenge her sister Lian and protect Chuntang so that there would be no possibility of repeating the same mistakes!
Pei Ji's face was flushed red from being strangled, and it seemed as if blood was about to burst from his eyes. He flailed his limbs wildly and kept making "hoarse" sounds, trying to call for help from the steward.
Qian Yingyi tightened her grip on him with all her might, as if she hated that she wasn't tight enough. She then wrapped all the horn strings around one hand, freeing the other hand to take the hairpin from her hair. She bit down on the petal, suddenly pulled out the hidden mechanism, and strangled the thin string to Pei Ji's throat as well.
Two strings, drawing out bright red, ferocious blood, drawing out her boundless rage.
The butler snapped out of his daze and hurriedly reached for Qian Yingyi, only to be suddenly slammed on the back of his head. Xia Ling's fierce expression appeared behind him, holding a dilapidated oil lamp in her hand.
Then, the butler fell to the ground, and what came into view was Chuntang's resentful eyes. Then, her left eye reflected the bricks and stones that Chuntang was holding high, and her right eye saw the broken oil lamp that Xia Ling smashed down on her head.
The two men relentlessly pounded on his face, again and again, until blood splattered everywhere, blooming like flowers on each other's faces. The butler was disfigured beyond recognition and lay motionless on the ground.
After an unknown amount of time, only the rapid breathing of the three girls remained in the earth god temple. Exhausted, Qian Yingyi slumped against a pillar, but still held tightly to the two strings in her hands.
The next moment, she abruptly released her grip, and Pei Ji's body swayed and fell to the side. She staggered to her feet, looking at Xia Ling and Chun Tang, their faces splattered with glaring blood, "They survived..."
"The three of us..." she smiled brightly, "we all survived."
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The author's note: The three little flowers nestled together.
Yingyi finally traversed the long years, indirectly avenging her sister Lian, and finally protecting those around her after many years.
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