Lu Qian’s readiness to agree took Lu Hong entirely by surprise.
Surely he didn’t think he could win Ling Jingshu over simply by opening his mouth? Ling Jingshu had flatly rejected even himself without a second thought — why would she take a liking to Lu Qian, who was two years her junior and inferior to him in every respect?
Lu Hong furrowed his brow, and in a low, cautionary tone reminded him: “If Cousin Jingshu refuses you, you absolutely cannot keep pestering her.” He had grown up alongside Lu Qian, and knew the boy’s stubborn, tenacious temperament all too well.
Lu Qian raised an eyebrow, a confident smile spreading across his face. “Cousin Jingshu won’t refuse me.”
Lu Hong: “…”
Where on earth did this self-assurance of his come from?
Lu Qian said nothing more, and turned to leave.
Lu Hong stood rooted in place for a long while, not moving. The handsome, finely-made face of his was flooded with regret and pain.
The Old Madam of the Ling family’s birthday celebrations were held across three consecutive days.
When the celebration was finally over, everyone in the Ling household was utterly exhausted. Yet there was still a great deal of follow-up business to attend to, and the female relatives of the household were kept no less busy than before.
The management of the inner household affairs was shared among the daughters-in-law. The Ling family’s eldest daughter-in-law of the main branch, Sun Shi, had returned to the residence, but it was only a brief visit before she would head back to the capital. She did not involve herself in any of this sprawling domestic business. Each day she spent leisurely keeping the Old Madam and the Ling woman company in conversation, at perfect ease.
Women like Li Shi and the others were far less fortunate — just cataloguing the received gifts, entering them into the ledgers, tallying the costs of the birthday celebration, and so forth was enough to give anyone a headache.
Ling Jingshu had been kept busy for several days running and was feeling somewhat fatigued. Still, the relief she felt was considerable: ever since that day when she had firmly and unsparing rejected Lu Hong, he had not appeared before her again. It had done a great deal to improve her state of mind.
“Shu Jie’er, come here to your Aunt.” The Ling woman called out with a warm and amiable smile, gesturing for Ling Jingshu to come closer. No matter how reluctant Ling Jingshu was inwardly, she had no choice but to step forward and softly greet her aunt.
Lu An sat right beside the Ling woman. His gaze fell quite naturally upon Ling Jingshu’s face.
It was like being watched by a greedy and venomous snake. Her entire body immediately tensed and stiffened. It was a wholly instinctive, bodily reaction — one that, no matter how calm and composed she tried to be, she could not control.
Ling Jingshu steadied herself and performed a proper greeting toward Lu An. “I pay my respects to Uncle.”
Lu An smiled — an easy, genial sort of smile — and asked in a casual tone: “Shu Jie’er, your aunt tells me you are skilled at cultivating prized varieties of peony. Which varieties have you grown? Tell me about them.”
Even as he spoke, his gaze made a swift, furtive sweep over Ling Jingshu’s fine features and slender figure.
Since arriving at the Ling family home, Lu An had been caught up in social engagements and had seldom spent time in the inner household. Ling Jingshu had also been deliberately keeping her distance. This was the very first time the two of them had been this close, speaking alone together.
Her stomach began to churn and roll. That nauseating urge to retch came surging back.
Even stronger than it had been when Lu Hong touched her fingers.
Ling Jingshu forced the nausea down with great effort. Her face paled slightly, though her expression remained tolerably composed. “Aunt must be exaggerating. In truth, I only tend to the peonies to pass the time when I have nothing else to do.”
“You are too modest, my dear. I’ve already taken your uncle to walk through the peony garden, and pointed out every one of the peonies you’ve grown for him to see. Your uncle was full of praise!”
The Ling woman said this with a bright smile as she took hold of Ling Jingshu’s slender, slightly cool hand. “But for a young lady, there’s no need to seek such outward recognition. Your cleverness and thoughtfulness — we can all see it plainly.”
Over the past two days, the Ling woman had privately asked Lu Qian again — and his answer had not wavered. He liked Ling Jingshu, and he would marry no one but her.
The Ling woman knew her own son’s obstinate temperament better than anyone. Reluctantly, she had begun to seriously consider this match. Ling Jingshu was two years older than Lu Qian — but the age difference was not too wide. Settling the engagement first and waiting a few years before the actual wedding would be perfectly workable…
Thinking along these lines, the gaze with which the Ling woman regarded Ling Jingshu grew a few shades warmer.
“Aunt praises me too highly. I truly could not live up to such kind words.” Ling Jingshu made a show of shy modesty and lowered her head, then quite naturally leaned a little closer toward the Ling woman’s side.
This couple — she hated them both to the marrow of her bones. But being close to the Ling woman was still considerably preferable to being close to Lu An.
The Ling woman said pleasantly: “We are all family here — no need to hold back, or to make hollow pleasantries. I, as your aunt, genuinely care for you from the heart!”
Then she glanced toward Ling Wuye, and said in a half-joking, half-serious tone: “Fifth Brother, Shu Jie’er and I get along so wonderfully — I am quite taken with her. Let her be my daughter-in-law!”
Ling Wuye took it lightly as well, and with an easy laugh replied: “Very well then — consider it decided.”
If the Ling woman were genuinely proposing a match — then Lu Hong, with his outstanding talent, excellent looks, and distinguished standing as the eldest legitimate son of the Lu family, would be a fine match for Ling Jingshu by any measure.
A cold jolt went through Ling Jingshu’s heart.
That wretched Lu Hong!
She had already rejected him without the slightest mercy or hesitation — yet he still had the audacity to go and ask the Ling woman to propose a marriage on his behalf…
Still, a matter as serious as the marriage of one’s children could not truly be decided with such a casual, offhand remark. This was nothing more than the Ling woman testing Ling Wuye’s reaction. Very quickly, she moved the conversation on. “Elder Sister-in-law, when do you and Elder Brother plan to return to the capital?”
Sun Shi answered with a smile: “I would love to stay longer. But my husband’s post at the Ministry of Works keeps him very busy, and he was only granted a leave of two months. Between the journey here and back, a good portion of that time will already be spent on the road. So we will stay only a few more days before we must begin preparing to set out.”
The Ling woman sounded genuinely regretful. “And here I had hoped to spend more time with Elder Brother and Sister-in-law.”
With such vast distances and such poor roads in these times, the journey between Jizhou and Luoyang was a thousand li and more — visits were no simple matter. Now that this gathering was nearly over, heaven only knew when they would all be together again.
Her words left the Old Madam of the Ling family feeling a little sorrowful as well.
She was seventy years old now, and wanted nothing more than to have her children gathered around her and her grandchildren filling the house. Yet once the birthday celebration was over, each of them would scatter again to their separate corners of the world.
After everyone had paid their respects and taken their leave, the Old Madam specifically asked the Ling woman to remain and speak with her privately.
“A’Hui, was what you said to Old Fifth just now truly meant? Have you discussed it with your husband?”
The Ling woman gave a smile and nodded. “This is such an important matter — how could I say it carelessly without any thought? My husband and I have already talked it over. He has a very good impression of Shu Jie’er, and is entirely in favor of forming a marital alliance with the Ling family.”
The Old Madam let out a small breath of relief, and a smile softened the lines around her eyes. “Since your husband is also genuinely willing, there is nothing unsuitable about the arrangement — it would be a joyful union, bringing the families even closer together.”
The Ling woman gave a small cough, her expression shifting to a slightly awkward one. She lowered her voice. “It would indeed be a joyful match. However, this matter differs a little from what I said before.”
The Old Madam was startled, and asked with a puzzled look: “Differs how?”
“The one I am proposing for is not A’Hong.” The Ling woman’s expression grew more uncomfortable by the moment, yet she had no choice but to speak plainly. “It is A’Qian.”
The Old Madam: “…”
She hadn’t heard wrongly, had she?
The Old Madam could not trust her own ears. “A’Hui — what did you say? You are not proposing for A’Hong?”
“I asked A’Hong about it, and he said he wishes to focus on his studies and does not want to marry early. So I thought this match would simply be set aside.” The Ling woman sighed with a wry smile. “But then, out of nowhere, A’Qian said he was fond of Shu Jie’er, and made a great fuss insisting that I propose a match for him…”
“What utter nonsense!” The Old Madam finally recovered from her shock and exclaimed outright: “A’Hong hasn’t even settled an engagement yet — what right does he have to step forward first?”
And besides, in the Old Madam’s eyes, Lu Qian was still a child who had not yet grown up. What could he possibly understand of liking someone, or of marriage?
The Ling woman sighed again. “Indeed, and I said the very same thing to scold him. But he was as fixated as if he had lost his senses, insisting stubbornly that Shu Jie’er was the only one he would ever marry. He even said that if I would not propose for him, he would live out the rest of his life alone and never wed… A whole heap of nonsense. Thank heavens he only said it to me in private — if his father had heard, he would have been furious!”
“I have been turning it over in my mind these past two days. A’Qian has been frail since childhood, and his temperament has always been a little willful and indulged. If he were to marry a woman two years his senior, it might actually be quite a good thing. For one, it would put his heart at ease. And for another, Shu Jie’er is steady, thoughtful, and careful — she would be better able to look after him in the future.”
The Old Madam composed herself and thought it over slowly, then said: “What you have said makes sense. Even so, this would be rather hard on Shu Jie’er. She would have to wait several years before she could be wed.”
Lu Qian was only twelve. With that slight and delicate frame of his, he could not possibly be ready to marry before sixteen at the earliest. Which meant Ling Jingshu would have to wait until she was eighteen before she could leave her family’s home. All those years of her youth and bloom would simply be passed away in waiting.
Ling Jingshu had always been gentle and obedient since childhood, and was the grandchild who had most won the Old Madam’s heart. Thinking of Ling Jingshu having to drag out her days until she was nearly past marriageable age before she could finally wed, the Old Madam began to waver.
“Mother, I understand everything you are saying.” The Ling woman clasped the Old Madam’s hand and softly entreated her. “I know this would be asking a great deal of Shu Jie’er. But A’Qian is utterly set on her — he will not be moved, and I cannot bend his stubbornness. I have no choice but to come to you shamelessly and ask. As long as you give your consent, I am sure Fifth Brother will not refuse.”
The Old Madam knit her brows in troubled deliberation, a look of genuine uncertainty on her face.
Shu Jie’er was her granddaughter. A’Qian was her grandson from the side of her married daughter. They were both flesh of her flesh — she could not bear to see either of them put in a difficult position.
Seeing that the Old Madam had not outright refused her, the Ling woman’s heart steadied considerably. She added with a look of sincere earnestness: “Mother, I am Shu Jie’er’s own aunt, and of course I hold her dear. If Shu Jie’er were to marry into the Lu family, I would take good care of her and would never allow her to suffer even the smallest grievance.”
The Old Madam finally let out a long sigh. “Very well. Since you are so sincere about this, I will grant my consent on behalf of the family. I will speak with Old Fifth myself.”
Then, in a more serious tone, she added: “A’Hui, do not forget what you have said today. In the days to come, you must treat Shu Jie’er well — do not let her be wronged.”
The Ling woman, having successfully persuaded the Old Madam, felt both overjoyed and invigorated. Without hesitation she replied: “If Mother still has any doubts, I will swear an oath here and now. Should there ever come a day when I have wronged Shu Jie’er in any way, may I be struck down by thunder and lightning and meet a wretched end.”
The Old Madam gave her a reproachful look. “What is this — making such a dreadful oath in broad daylight for no good reason? Having the heart for it is enough.”