In Ji Yingying’s eyes, Yang Jingyuan had always been a privileged young master. He spent his days idle and carefree, finding his greatest pleasure in calling friends together for drinking and entertainment, aimlessly seeking thrills and amusement. Now, seeing him in coarse cloth clothing, though his features remained handsome, he seemed like a different person entirely.

“Second Miss Ji used to be fierce as a tigress before me. How strange that today she’s turned into an obedient rabbit,” Yang Jingyuan muttered to himself while his hands kept working, wrapping the cleaned rock frogs with seasonings in banana leaves. He tried to maintain an indifferent expression under Ji Yingying’s stare, but the corners of his mouth wouldn’t stay down, and a pleased smile remained carved on his face, impossible to suppress.

Ji Yingying followed him like a little tail. When he pulled fennel from the herb garden for roasting frogs, she tracked his every step. When he carried the charcoal brazier from the room, she stood at the doorway watching him. As he prepared the seasonings and wrapped the frogs, she sat at the stone table, chin propped in her hands, eyes never leaving him.

Yang Jingyuan glanced toward the kitchen. Ling’er sat at the stove with her back to them. He quickly turned his head and pecked Ji Yingying’s face, challenging her with a pursed lip as she stared back at him. The last time he couldn’t resist kissing her, she had slapped him so hard his heartfelt buried in snow. Would she strike him today?

Ji Yingying only glared at him once before anxiously looking toward the kitchen. Seeing Ling’er hadn’t noticed, she finally relaxed. In broad daylight, with her maid right there, how dare he kiss her?

Yang Jingyuan grinned and leaned his face closer.

This rogue! Ji Yingying blushed slightly as she pushed his face away, warning him in a low voice: “Behave yourself and do your work!”

So she was just a paper tiger after all. Yang Jingyuan couldn’t help but smile.

He remembered when he couldn’t resist wanting to see her, climbing walls and prying windows open, freezing like a dog. And she had still scorned him. Now it didn’t seem difficult at all.

He lit the charcoal brazier and hung the banana leaf-wrapped frogs over the fire to roast. After estimating the time, he stood up: “I’m going to the stream to wash my hands. Little tail, are you following or not?”

“I need to wash my hands too. Are you following or not?” Ji Yingying turned and walked toward the stream behind the house, her heart bouncing like a little rabbit.

Around the back of the house, she suddenly turned around, pointing at Yang Jingyuan’s raised arm: “What are you trying to do?”

Yang Jingyuan pulled her into his embrace with a suppressed laugh, lowering his head to seek her lips: “My father would be so happy knowing he had such a good daughter-in-law. He certainly wouldn’t blame me. He loved me most—as long as I live well, that’s the greatest filial piety…”

He had never properly kissed her before. The first time by Huanhua Stream had been an accident. He still remembered the feeling when she turned her face, his lips brushing against her cheek. Her skin was soft as peach petals, the fine hair by her ear passing between his lips—he still yearned to bite it. When she had dyed his white horse, he deliberately provoked her, planting a loud kiss on her face. He’d forgotten what it felt like, only remembering the sweet scent of peach blossoms.

He kissed her lips. Caught off guard, she froze as he touched her soft lips. He was more nervous than she was—he only knew blood was rushing to his lips, and if he didn’t kiss her, he couldn’t bear it.

Her lips were light and thin, her face neither too large nor too small, fitting perfectly in his palm. Yang Jingyuan silently said to his father in his heart: “Forgive me, I have to leave her tonight.”

He raised his head and held her to his chest. In the distance, the mountain forest was dyed emerald, spring’s new green coloring the branches patch by patch. The varying shades gleamed in the sunlight.

“I’ve arranged to meet Master Shu at the north of the city at midnight. Yingying, I’ve asked Sang Fourteen to help you. If you have any troubles, seek him out. Santai isn’t too far from Yizhou, just over three hundred li. I’ll come back to see you whenever I can. If Zhao Xiuyuan dares to harass you and you can’t handle it, go to Fourteen,” Yang Jingyuan said softly, then laughed deprecatingly, “I’m so useless now. You’ll have to rely on yourself for everything, and trouble Fourteen to help you.”

Ji Yingying hugged his waist tightly and shook her head. She hadn’t expected the parting to come so soon, tonight. She had thought they would have a few more days together.

“What are you going to do in Santai? Will you be a garrison soldier? Who is Master Shu? I’ve heard that people in military camps bully recruits. Can you handle others’ provocations?”

Having been pampered for eighteen years, he would suddenly become a common soldier. Concern for him dampened Ji Yingying’s sadness of parting. Money opens all doors, while without it every step is difficult. Without silver to curry favor with his superiors, would they make things difficult for him?

“I brought twenty taels of private money when I came to find you in Qingcheng. At home, there are still fifty taels…”

Yang Jingyuan covered her mouth: “Master Shu is my father’s old friend, he won’t mistreat me. As a soldier, I’ll have food, drink, and wages. Don’t worry about me. The clothes you made for me will come in handy.”

Seeing tears form in the corners of her eyes, he wiped them away with his knuckle: “You don’t blame me for returning all the property father gave me to the Yang family, do you?”

Ji Yingying shook her head. She couldn’t help but ask: “Is it… related to Concubine Liu?”

Master Yang’s death could be attributed to his age. But that night Concubine Liu had committed suicide to follow him. Others believed it was due to her deep feelings for the Master and wouldn’t suspect otherwise. Yang Jingyuan left the Yang family without taking a single coin. Ji Yingying suspected there was something strange about Concubine Liu’s death.

“Stepmother did commit suicide. My mother raised me for eighteen years. After my father died, she couldn’t tolerate my stepmother, nor could she tolerate me. Yingying, I’ll never return to the Yang family. I’m no longer the former Third Young Master of the Yang family. In the future, we’ll have our own home.”

Ji Yingying nodded.

“Miss! The meal is ready!” Ling’er’s voice came from the front of the house.

Yang Jingyuan took her hand as they returned.

“Weren’t we supposed to wash our hands? I still haven’t washed mine,” Ji Yingying deliberately mumbled loudly.

Yang Jingyuan lowered his head and smiled: “You’re just putting on an act. You led me here to avoid Ling’er so you could take advantage of me.”

Who took advantage of whom? Thinking of how he was still in mourning, yet had apologized to Master Yang before kissing her, Ji Yingying quirked her lips but held her tongue.

Ling’er deliberately gave the couple space, setting the food on the stone table before taking her portion to the side room.

Yang Jingyuan unwrapped the golden-brown banana leaves, and steam rose from the white frog meat. He picked up a piece, shook off the seasonings, and placed it in Ji Yingying’s bowl: “Eat.”

The meat was tender and melted in the mouth. Ji Yingying couldn’t stop praising it. She noticed Yang Jingyuan only picked at the bamboo shoots, not eating the frog meat or the fried eggs, and suddenly understood. He was abstaining from meat while in mourning. But last night he had eaten every bit of the vegetable soup rice she had made, including the cured meat and fried eggs.

Yang Jingyuan unwrapped another banana leaf package and broke off a plump frog leg to put in her bowl: “I wanted to eat a meal made by the family. Father and Stepmother won’t blame me.”

Tears splashed into her bowl. What had happened in the Yang family to force him to leave home?

“Made you cry again. How did I never know you were such a crybaby?” Yang Jingyuan smiled.

Ji Yingying wiped her tears and raised the frog leg: “Who says I’m a crybaby? I’ll eat more meat from now on, I’ll eat your portion too.”

Yang Jingyuan laughed heartily: “Alright, eat double portions. When you’re plump… ahem.”

“What happens when I’m plump?” Ji Yingying glared at him again.

Yang Jingyuan smiled without answering. Ji Yingying’s face instantly turned red.

Perhaps if there were more smiles before parting, there would be more sweetness and less sorrow.