Chapter 12 The sachet didn't get to dry properly, so why is my face so hot? ...
The electronic pet fell silent, with only occasional faint electrical hums proving it wasn't completely offline. Yu Man was happy to have some peace and quiet, holding Xiu Xiu and Xiao Chun on either side of her. Before she could ask, the two children started talking about what they had learned at the village school that day, especially Xiu Xiu, whose childish words couldn't hide her admiration for Pei Ji; she was practically a different person.
Meanwhile, Pei Ji handed the betrothal letter to Liu Yiyi and said, "Miss Liu, please keep your betrothal letter safe. I wish you a long and happy marriage."
His words were polite but distant. When Liu Yiyi looked into his eyes, they remained calm and undisturbed, extinguishing the last glimmer of hope in her heart. She looked at Pei Ji, her lips trembling, but she couldn't utter a single word.
Seeing that Pei Ji was no longer looking at her, she turned and walked into the ancestral hall. A moment later, she held an umbrella in her hand—not an ordinary pale yellow oiled paper umbrella, but an oiled paper umbrella with a dark, inky surface that gleamed with a calm luster in the light. He walked leisurely, catching up with Yu Man and the other two who were walking slowly under the shade of the trees in a few steps.
She recalled that she first met Pei Ji in the early summer of the year before last. The "Ink Fragrance Studio," a place renowned for its literary atmosphere in the county, hosted a scholarly discussion and invited talented young scholars from several nearby villages and towns. Liu Yiyi was with her father when she went to the county to buy timber. She happened to pass by and was attracted by the elegant and lively atmosphere, so she couldn't help but stop and watch.
Within the circle of scholars, their discussions swirling, she spotted Pei Ji at first glance. He stood in the center of the crowd, dressed in a slightly worn blue robe, his posture upright as bamboo. Facing the surrounding skepticism and criticism, his expression remained calm, as he unhurriedly quoted classical texts, analyzing the issues meticulously. His words were not forceful, yet always hit the nail on the head. His composed and dignified demeanor contrasted sharply with the excited or anxious students, like a solitary white lotus standing alone in turbid water.
She didn't quite understand, but she knew the man in the blue robe was superior. She couldn't help but ask the scholar on her left, "Who is this?"
The scholar kindly replied, "My surname is Pei, and my given name is Ji."
Only then did she realize that he was Pei Ji, a scholar who had been able to study at Shanqing Academy since childhood.
In the end, his insightful argument impressed several respected elders present, who nodded repeatedly in agreement, leaving no room for further rebuttal. The owner of Moxianzhai smiled and presented a folding fan as a prize for the discussion.
Liu Yiyi's gaze was immediately drawn to the folding fan. The fan ribs were made of fine Xiangfei bamboo, its naturally occurring purplish-brown markings resembling tear stains, elegant and understated. The unfolded fan surface was pure white Xuan paper, upon which the faint shadows of distant mountains were outlined with extremely fine ink strokes, sparse yet well-proportioned. Beside it were two lines of poetry in tiny regular script, the brushstrokes clear and vigorous. Even more remarkable was the exquisite jade pendant hanging from the handle, its luster lustrous. The entire folding fan exuded a low-key elegance and luxury, clearly no ordinary piece.
She watched as Pei Ji politely accepted the folding fan and thanked the shopkeeper and the gentlemen. Countless envious glances were cast around them, and Liu Yiyi's heart skipped a beat as the fan fell into his hands. Such an elegant object was truly befitting someone of his stature.
However, the next moment, she saw that Pei Ji did not put the folding fan into his sleeve or hold it in his hand as she had expected. Instead, he turned around and walked straight towards the second floor of the Ink Fragrance Studio. Liu Yiyi followed him a few steps as if possessed, hiding behind the screen at the top of the stairs and secretly looking up.
On the second floor, in a quiet spot by the window, sat a young girl, none other than Yu Man. She seemed to be browsing through the miscellaneous books on the shelf when she heard footsteps and looked up. Pei Ji walked up to her, said nothing, but simply handed her the Xiangfei bamboo folding fan that he had just won and that had attracted so much attention.
Yu Man was clearly surprised. She blinked, took the folding fan, and unfolded it with a touch of novelty. Her slender fingers traced the cool Xiangfei bamboo ribs, her gaze sweeping over the light ink landscape and elegant calligraphy, finally settling on the jade pendant, which she gently fiddled with. A hint of appreciation appeared on her face, but there was no amazement or greed. She simply played with it a few times as if it were an interesting trinket, then closed the fan, handed it back to Pei Ji, and smiled faintly, as if saying something.
Pei Ji did not respond.
From a distance, Liu Yiyi couldn't hear his words clearly, but she saw him lower his head slightly, gazing at Yu Man with eyes like ripples on early summer water. He moved his lips and said a sentence.
Even though she couldn't hear it from a distance, Liu Yiyi had a sudden flash of inspiration and intuitively guessed the meaning of those words—he was saying, "What I won for you to play with, you don't need to return to me."
Yu Man seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then smiled and didn't refuse anymore. She casually placed the valuable folding fan next to the book in her hand and continued to look for the book she wanted to read.
Liu Yiyi stood there, finally realizing that Pei Ji's willingness to participate in that debate, and his display of brilliance and dominance over everyone else, was perhaps not for any so-called fame or to show off his literary talent, or even for anything related to himself. He simply wanted to win this rare treasure and then give it to someone he cared about, as if it were just an ordinary gift.
At that moment, a surge of emotions welled up within her, including jealousy and an indescribable hope: what if he cared about her?
This pursuit lasted for two years, and many intense emotions eventually faded in the blink of an eye, such as jealousy and resentment. She also gradually realized that Pei Ji only had one person in his heart.
“Yu Man…” she murmured the name, her fingers, which had been tightly gripping the marriage certificate, slowly loosened.
Liu Yiyi was a pampered daughter of her family and had her own pride. Clinging to a man who already loved someone else and had never reciprocated her feelings would only make her a laughingstock and humiliate herself. Having figured this out, she smiled slightly, deciding to tell her father when she got home that she would arrange for the two of them to sit separately on her wedding day, one on the east side and the other on the west.
Who told Pei Ji to be so blind?
...
[A significant shift in the romantic storyline of the important female supporting character 'Liu Yiyi' has been detected! Key plot points have become invalid! The overall plot deviation has increased by 5%!]
[Buzz... Unknown energy fluctuation detected... Reassessing...]
[Assessment complete. Congratulations, host, you have gained 10 'Plot Salvation Points'! Please keep up the good work!]
Towards the end of the broadcast, the system's electronic voice became somewhat uncertain.
Yu Man, preoccupied with the two children's conversation, had no time to reply. Sunlight, filtering through the leaves, occasionally pierced her eyelids. She mentally rehearsed the Sun-Shooting Plan a thousand times—perhaps sincerity brought results? Suddenly, the scorching sunlight above her head was blocked, and a cool shade enveloped her, accompanied by the familiar scent of bamboo. Yu Man looked up in surprise, and what came into view was a dark, somber umbrella. She stopped, and the person holding the umbrella stopped as well.
"This is...it's finished?" Yu Man reacted, her tone filled with obvious surprise. She reached out and took the umbrella handle, examining it carefully. The dark black umbrella surface was not simply dyed, but rather had a profound quality, like thick clouds before rain, or the color of fine Huizhou ink after it had been ground. It was so even that there wasn't a single impurity. The handle was delicate to the touch, and the ribs were more sturdy and upright than ordinary oiled paper umbrellas. Holding it in one's hand, one felt a calm coolness that insulated against the scorching heat of the outside world. Clearly, a great deal of thought had been put into it.
"Hmm, let's see if it suits your taste." Pei Ji looked at the undisguised liking in her eyes, a smile flickering deep within them.
"Wow! Brother Pei, your umbrella is amazing! It's even better than the ones sold in town!" Xiao Chun exclaimed first, tilting her little face up, her big eyes full of amazement. "It's dark, but so shiny! Just like... just like Sister Xiao Man's hair!"
Xiuxiu leaned closer and whispered in agreement, "Mmm! It feels so cool here. The sun seems to disappear as soon as you stand down here! Sister, this umbrella is so pretty!"
The origin of this ink-colored umbrella is actually quite simple. It was on a sweltering summer evening last year when Pei Ji was escorting Yu Man home. She shielded her forehead with her hand, gazing at the bright sun, and casually complained, "This sun is so scorching, it makes me dizzy. Ordinary oil-paper umbrellas let in the light and don't block much. If only there were a darker-colored umbrella that could absorb all this light." Surely there weren't sun umbrellas in ancient times?
Her brows furrowed with a hint of irritation from the summer heat. Pei Ji, taking it to heart, didn't say much at the time, but instead shielded her from the sunlight.
As Yu Man walked home with the unexpectedly pleasing ink-colored umbrella, she felt the air around her was a bit cooler. Unable to contain her curiosity, she turned to Pei Ji beside her and asked, "The umbrella is dyed so well, the color is so deep and even. How did you do it? Ordinary tung oil can't produce this effect."
Pei Ji walked slightly ahead of her, subtly shielding her from the hot wind that might come from the side. Hearing this, he replied, "I tried several methods. I added a little finely ground pine soot ink to the tung oil, and mixed in a small amount of fish glue to prevent cracking. I brushed it on seven or eight times, and each time I let it dry completely in the shade before I got this color and toughness."
"The umbrella ribs seem to be denser than usual?" Yu Man gently turned the umbrella handle, feeling the force on it.
Pei Ji nodded, "We chose three-year-old old bamboo, which is very resilient. We added six more ribs to the umbrella, which cross and support it, making it more stable and able to bear more weight, and it's not afraid of the wind."
He spoke calmly, as if he were describing a trivial matter, without mentioning the tedious process of finding materials, testing formulas, repeatedly applying and drying the coating, and reinforcing the umbrella ribs... It took about a year.
Yu Man stopped and looked up at him. The edge of the black umbrella cast a clear shadow on his handsome face, making his high nose bridge and light eyes appear even more prominent.
She didn't ask any more questions, but unconsciously tightened her grip on the umbrella handle.
When the group arrived at the Yu family's fenced courtyard, the sun had already set. As they were about to part, Yu Man seemed to remember something, took out a plain indigo sachet from her sleeve, and handed it to him: "This... is for you."
Pei Ji paused slightly, then took the sachet. The fabric was soft cotton, warm to the touch. The stitching wasn't perfect, even a little clumsy in some places, but the seamstress's care was evident. Bringing it close to his nose, he could smell a light, calming herbal fragrance, mixed with a very faint scent that belonged to her.
“When I was cutting the fabric last time, I thought this material was quite soft, so I kept a piece.” Yu Man smiled. “I put some calming herbs inside, so it might come in handy when you’re tired from studying. My craftsmanship… please don’t be offended.”
Aunt Xiang had been teaching her needlework for years but hadn't been able to get it right, which frustrated Aunt Xiang for a long time. At night, she would stare at Yu Man's embroidery over and over again, and then look at her own embroidery.
They're completely different!
Now, Yu Man thinks it must be the transmigrator's genes at work! Yes, that's right, who transmigrates and maxes out all their skills?!
Pei Ji knew about this as well. Holding the sachet that still held her warmth, he couldn't help but smile. His fingertips caressed the slightly clumsy stitches, and his heart felt a gentle ache, as if something had struck it. He looked up at her, his gaze deep, and his voice softened unconsciously: "It's very beautiful. I like it very much."
Yu Man watched as he tried to stuff the embroidery into his arms as usual, then crossed her arms and said, "If you don't want it, I won't embroider it for you."
The person in front of him reluctantly tied the sachet around his waist and said with a smile, "I'll come back to get the sachet in a month. Go inside."
Yu Man was momentarily blinded by his laughter, and snorted twice, "You really think I'm an embroiderer?"
She turned around and subconsciously touched her cheek. Something was wrong; it felt a little hot. She hadn't been exposed to the sun.
A note from the author:
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