Mudan’s face lit up upon seeing Jiang Changyang after several days apart. She took a few steps towards him but remembering Lu Fang was watching, she stopped and simply said with a smile, “You’re here?” As she spoke, she gazed at him appreciatively.
Jiang wore a new dark blue round-collared robe with side slits, the money pouch Mudan had given him hanging from his waist. His hair was tied up without a headpiece, adorned only with a jade hairpin. He looked refreshingly handsome, his usual good looks enhanced with a scholarly air. Mudan couldn’t help but steal a few more glances at him.
Jiang gazed at her tenderly and said, “I’ve been too busy these past few days to visit you during the day. I only had time in the evenings, but you weren’t around. Today I finally had some free time, so I came to see you.”
Mudan shivered slightly under his gaze, playfully baring her teeth at him. Jiang smoothly shifted his attention to Lu Fang, praising, “Young Master Lu, you have excellent skills.”
Lu Fang, not recognizing Jiang despite having seen him from afar once before, felt awkward. He quickly put down his scissors to greet Jiang properly, while giving Mudan a meaningful look, silently urging her to introduce the newcomer.
Noticing Lu Fang’s subtle gesture, Jiang preempted Mudan’s introduction, “I’m Jiang Changyang, courtesy name Chengfeng. You may not know me, but I’ve heard about you many times from Mudan. I’m impressed by your skill with both peonies and irises. You truly deserve your reputation in Luoyang.”
Lu Fang, sensing the familiarity between Jiang and Mudan, especially given Mudan’s warm smile towards Jiang, began to understand their relationship, though uncertain of its exact nature. After a moment, he replied, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Brother Jiang.”
“The pleasure is mine,” Jiang responded, glancing at the sky. He casually moved closer to Mudan, standing beside her and saying affectionately, “Mudan, let’s sit in the pavilion and have some tea. I haven’t sipped water since this morning.”
Mudan, initially flustered by Jiang’s presence, quickly shifted her focus to hospitality. She asked Kuan’er to request food preparation from Zhou Ba Niang in the kitchen and sent Atao to clean the pavilion. She prepared to wash her hands to make tea and invited Lu Fang to join them.
Lu Fang, looking between Jiang and Mudan, smiled and said, “I’d be honored. I have a few questions about flower arranging I’d like to ask you.” He then asked Mudan, “Qilang, what shape of iris did you say you liked earlier? A camel? A monkey? A rabbit?”
The use of ‘Qilang’ for Mudan, despite her wearing women’s clothing, seemed deliberate to Jiang. He raised an eyebrow but maintained his bright smile, saying to Mudan, “Yes, I interrupted your conversation earlier. Mudan, ask Young Master Lu to cut whatever shape you like. Don’t worry about troubling him; I’ll treat him to a drink later.”
“Just call me Shilang,” Lu Fang replied. “No need to treat me, Brother Jiang. Qilang already treated me to a drink earlier.” He then caught himself, “Oh, I forgot. I should address her as Miss He. I’m still used to her disguise as Qilang.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Mudan hurriedly said. “No need to trouble yourselves. Let’s just have tea.” But both men insisted she choose a shape, with Jiang being even more enthusiastic than if it were for himself, and Lu Fang being exceedingly attentive. Despite the spring weather, Mudan felt as if it were midsummer, breaking into a sweat under their persistence. She laughed nervously, “Let’s just pick any shape then.”
“How can we just pick any?” Lu Fang protested. “You need to tell me what you want. A little rabbit? A camel? Or maybe a leopard?”
This time, Jiang remained silent, just smiling indulgently at Mudan with an incredibly doting gaze, as if leaving the decision entirely up to her. Mudan glanced at him, then looked pleadingly at Lu Fang, “There’s no rush. We’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future. For now, let’s have tea. It’s so hot.” She couldn’t help but look up at the sky, fanning herself with her sleeve.
As Lu Fang was about to insist further, Jiang gently pulled Mudan into the shade, saying, “I was careless. It’s too hot to trouble Shilang like this. After we’re married, I’ll pick a good day to invite Shilang over for drinks. If he still wants to cut shapes then, he can do it while enjoying the wine. I have plenty of irises in my garden too.”
Lu Fang was momentarily stunned, then smiled, “So you two are to be married soon. Congratulations.”
Jiang rubbed his head, looking somewhat embarrassed, “Yes, we just recently got engaged, and today we’re setting the date. Mudan is quite strong-willed and doesn’t like others making decisions for her. There are some things I need to discuss with her thoroughly, which is why I came today.” He graciously invited Lu Fang, “Shilang, please, let’s go.”
Setting the date today? Mudan blinked, looking at Jiang questioningly. Jiang didn’t meet her gaze, instead focusing on escorting Lu Fang forward, speaking earnestly, “I heard from your son earlier that you helped Mudan deal with some trouble. I’m truly grateful.”
Lu Fang seemed distracted, “No need for thanks. It was the right thing to do. Mudan and I are friends, and friends should help each other.”
Jiang replied seriously, “Mudan’s friends are my friends. If there’s ever anything I can help with, please don’t hesitate to ask.” He still didn’t look at Mudan.
Seeing that Jiang persistently avoided looking at her, Mudan gritted her teeth in frustration. She left the two men and went to scrub her hands vigorously with soap. Jiang then called out loudly, “Mudan, Mudan, are you ready? Don’t keep Shilang waiting.”
“Coming right away,” Mudan responded glumly. She dried her hands and sat down to prepare tea, listening intently to Jiang’s conversation with Lu Fang. Jiang skillfully chose topics that interested Lu Fang, asking about the best stones for growing irises, discussing which trees to plant where, and comparing the peonies of Luoyang to those in the capital. Initially, Lu Fang was somewhat reticent, but gradually he engaged in the discussion, and the two men soon chatted like old friends.
When the food arrived, Lu Fang politely declined Jiang’s warm invitation to join them, bid farewell to Mudan with a smile, and left. Once alone, Mudan asked Jiang, “You said we’re setting the date today. Why didn’t I know about this?”
Jiang, focused on his meal, merely grunted an “Mm” in response.
Mudan pressed, “Have you heard any news about my father and the others? What day did you set?”
Jiang grunted another “Mm,” taking a large bite of his flatbread. Mudan felt as if he was biting her arm instead. She gently pushed him, “Why aren’t you answering? What does ‘Mm’ mean?”
Jiang put down his chopsticks and looked at her with an ambiguous smile, “What did you say?”
Mudan blinked, “About setting the wedding date? I’ve asked you several times. Didn’t you hear me?”
Jiang smiled faintly, “You’ve been so busy, coming and going at all hours. I’m surprised you even remember about setting the date.”
“How could I forget? I wasn’t intentionally avoiding you. I wanted to wait for you, but you didn’t come, and I know you’re not at Qujiang Pool during the day,” Mudan exclaimed, eyeing Jiang. “Why are you being so passive-aggressive?”
“I’m not being passive-aggressive. I’m just too hungry to talk. You’re overthinking,” Jiang said, averting his gaze and taking another forceful bite of his flatbread, chewing and grinding intensely. Seeing Lu Fang’s attentiveness towards Mudan had unsettled him, but he couldn’t express this discomfort openly.
Mudan, not being foolish, could tell he was upset. She decided the best way to deal with his unreasonable behavior was to be even more unreasonable herself. She snatched Jiang’s flatbread away, saying, “I asked you if you’ve heard any news about my father and the others, and what day you’ve set. If you won’t tell me, then forget it.” She tossed the half-eaten flatbread back onto the plate and turned away to drink her tea huffily.
As she fell silent, so did Jiang. A cool breeze blew by, causing Jiang to sneeze loudly. He then sneaked a glance at Mudan, who casually looked back at him. Their eyes met briefly before Mudan snorted and looked away, trying to suppress a smile.
Seeing that she was ignoring him, Jiang sneezed loudly again, creating an excuse to break the silence, “I didn’t bring a handkerchief. Can I borrow yours?”
Mudan tossed him her handkerchief. Jiang took it and smoothly resumed their previous conversation, saying glumly, “I haven’t seen the others. Sending a message to Guangzhou and waiting for a reply will take at least a month. It won’t be that quick. But we have set the wedding date.” He glanced at Mudan surreptitiously.
Seeing that he was making an effort to reconcile, Mudan went along with it, “When is it?”
Jiang replied, “We’re still saying June 26th. Your mother and second brother have agreed.”
Mudan shook her head, smiling, “I don’t believe you. You’re teasing me.” Her mother had just discussed this with her recently, saying they needed to wait for He Zhizhong and the others to return before deciding. It seemed unlikely that they would suddenly set the date for June 26th in just half a day.
Jiang said proudly, “Why would I tease you? It’s true. Princess Fen just discussed it with your mother. You can go home and ask if you don’t believe me.” He thought to himself, ‘Hmph, I said I would make it happen, and she still doesn’t believe me.’
Seeing that his expression seemed genuine, Mudan began to believe him. Thinking that He Zhizhong and her eldest brother might not be able to see her wedding, she felt a bit sad, “What if my father and the others aren’t back by then? How did you convince my mother?”
Noticing her unhappiness, Jiang felt a bit uncomfortable too, “How do you know they won’t be back by then? I didn’t need to convince your mother. The divination showed that day was the most auspicious. Your mother and brothers want you to have a good life, so they chose that day. I want you to marry me sooner so you’ll have fewer worries and can do more of what you enjoy. What’s wrong with that?”