Few people in this world dared to strike Commander Shen. Standing to the side, Baoxian heard her master’s command and boldly stepped forward a few paces. But upon second thought, something felt amiss, and she halted, turning back to glance at Qingyuan.
Qingyuan clicked her tongue. “Call someone.”
Shen Run raised an eyebrow.
Baoxian immediately lowered herself three degrees, shrinking her neck as she said, “This servant will fetch tea for the Commander.” Then she abandoned Qingyuan and hurriedly left.
Qingyuan was stunned with anger, but she knew that such verbal intimidation wouldn’t frighten him at all. Seeing Baoxian flee in panic, he even smiled at her mockingly, “Young lady, please calm down. I’ve come today to propose marriage to you.”
Since it was a marriage proposal, there was something to discuss. She spoke with a sarcastic tone: “Commander has come to the wrong house. This family’s surname is Chen, not Mu. The Second Miss Mu you wish to betroth isn’t here.” After speaking, she ignored him, turned around to sit down, and picked up a brush to write down that couplet by herself.
Shen Run stood at the side watching, taking the opportunity to explain, his tone as light as the willow branches swaying outside: “I’m extremely particular. If I could so easily become betrothed to other young ladies, in the twenty-five years before meeting you, how many young ladies could I not have been engaged to? I thought you and I were similar people, that you should understand me well. It seems I overestimated you.”
Qingyuan puffed her cheeks in anger, sneering, “Commander Shen, just for these two sentences alone, you’ll never win my favor in this lifetime.”
He indeed froze, and after careful consideration, decided to have a heart-to-heart talk with her: “I was upset. You had me, yet you went on to become engaged to Li Congxin. So extreme emotions bred resentment, and I falsely became engaged to Miss Mu to anger you once. I originally planned to hold out for a day or two, then tell you the truth when the elders arrived. Who knew that among all my calculations, I failed to account for Fangchun.”
Qingyuan was always loyal and never betrayed her friends. “It wasn’t Fangchun, I figured it out myself. Did you think those tricks could fool me?”
He followed her lead with flattery: “The young lady is right. I was being ugly and causing trouble, making a fool of myself before you.” As he spoke, he watched her brush hover over the contract, rising and falling, unable to write. He kindly asked, “Have you never written a cat adoption contract before?”
Qingyuan was secretly pleased but maintained an indifferent expression, glancing at him: “I’ve never kept cats, how would I know how to write this! Commander is such a busy person, you know about matters like adopting cats?”
Shen Run naturally wouldn’t tell her that to win her favor, he had stayed up all night learning all the procedures for adopting cats, including writing cat adoption contracts. The wastepaper basket in his study at home was filled to the brim with discarded papers. Now, not only could he easily compose the couplets above and below, but he could even draw a decent likeness of a cat in the middle of the contract.
Brothers, for instance, were meant to be used in crucial moments. Shen Run said: “Previously, Shen Che liked to keep cats, and I drew several cat adoption contracts for him. I still remember how to this day.” As he spoke, he took the brush from her hand. She stood up to make way, and he lifted his robe to sit in her chair.
Qingyuan watched him dip the brush in ink and skillfully draw a semicircle, then carefully outline it as the cat’s form gradually took shape on the paper. Those hands that usually wielded weapons now held the brush like a scholar. He had an elegant yet strong wrist, and the tiger bone thumb ring used for drawing a bow, such a militant item, somehow displayed a unique dexterous charm in his hands.
She still didn’t understand him very well. This man had too many unknown faces, needing to be peeled away layer by layer to see his true core. She wasn’t afraid of him now like before. Previously, truly, at the mention of Commander Shen, her heart would tighten – that feeling wasn’t like love, but real fear.
Today he wore sky-blue clothes, with dense brocade patterns on his shoulders like lotus leaves connecting to the sky in a pond. He came to propose marriage, and the knot of anger in her chest suddenly dissipated. It turned out she really couldn’t hold a grudge against him. Qingyuan knew that perhaps she had truly reached a turning point in her life – she should prepare to become someone’s wife.
Secretly watching his profile, peaceful and warm, his appearance of studying diligently was so much like a child learning to draw in a private school. She covered half her face with a round fan, hiding her silent laugh that he couldn’t see, and while laughing, she pointed out: “Hey, how do you know the cat looks like this?”
Shen Run raised his head, looking at her puzzled, “Aren’t you adopting the cat from the Introduction Official’s house?”
Qingyuan glanced at him sideways, “Are they the only ones in the world who keep cats?”
He became somewhat melancholic, “So you are going to adopt someone else’s cat… In that case, what does the cat you want to adopt look like? I’ll draw it for you.”
She couldn’t quite say, stammering as she urged: “Oh, just draw it like this, all cats look more or less the same anyway.”
He said that wouldn’t do, “Later we still need to write the charm. If it’s written wrong, the cat won’t stay and will run away.”
Qingyuan became increasingly embarrassed, her bright eyes glancing east and west, “Just this one, white with black spots.”
A smile floated in his eyes as he pulled back his sleeve to dip in ink again, chanting melodiously: “A black-spotted cat it is, originally before the Western Buddhas all, brought home by Tripitaka to raise, protecting sutras among the common people…”
She finally admitted defeat completely, “Commander truly makes me see you in a new light, even understanding cat-raising scriptures.”
His small regular script was extremely beautiful. As he wrote, he murmured: “Because I didn’t know how to make you happy. All these years I’ve either been in the military or the government office and haven’t had much interaction with girls. The other day when talking with His Majesty, His Majesty taught me this trick, saying that besides loving powder and rouge, young ladies love puppies and kittens.”
Qingyuan suddenly understood, “His Majesty is truly experienced and knowledgeable.”
He smiled, “Just like when we lead troops into battle, stabilizing morale is very important.”
But Qingyuan caught a contradiction, “Then you just said earlier that it was because you drew many cat adoption contracts for Second Master back then that you became familiar with how to draw them.”
He complained too, “Didn’t you also pretend to have a cat elsewhere in front of Run when there wasn’t one?”
Qingyuan blushed, not because he had exposed her – after all, one claimed there was a cat elsewhere, one claimed there was someone else, they were even. What made her heart flutter was his self-reference, from “Shen” to “Run” – just this one word was full of sensual tenderness.
Anyway, she didn’t dislike this person. Although he was clumsy and childish, this was good too – men who were too sophisticated were slick, and she couldn’t handle them. Just feeling a bit shy, she lowered her eyes and urged him to finish writing quickly, then tentatively asked him, “When do you think you’ll have time to take me to adopt the cat?”
He put down the brush, his tone quite meandering: “Adopting a cat is a small matter, betrothing a person is a big matter. Young lady, do you remember what I came here for today?”
Qingyuan’s gaze began to wander again, “You must let me think about it first, take me to adopt the cat first and we’ll discuss it later.”
So women were indeed good at bargaining. He had no choice but to agree, placing a paperweight on the cat adoption contract on the table, then standing up and walking down from the wooden pavilion, strolling towards the willow trees by the river.
Qingyuan stood at a corner of the terrace watching him, his tall figure wandering between the waters, the way he reached up to pick willows had a youthful elegance and innocence. After breaking off a willow branch, he waved it at her, “Let’s go, we’ll go to the market to buy fish.”
Qingyuan became excited – young ladies couldn’t go out without reliable company, but now with him here, it seemed she didn’t have to fear going anywhere. She lifted her skirt to go down, walking hurriedly, while he remained as always, watching her with a smile, telling her to slow down, not to fall.
Qingyuan muttered: “I never fall while walking, can’t you wish me well!” She took the willow branch from him and swayed it, “Do we need to prepare fish as a betrothal gift?”
He made a sound of agreement, “Buy salt and fish, send them to the cat’s owner’s home, then submit the cat adoption contract, and we can take the kitten away.”
She didn’t quite understand: “Why salt? Cats don’t eat salt… Is it for warding off evil?”
Shen Run stroked his chin thoughtfully, “If the fish isn’t finished, it can be preserved – probably for preserving the fish!”
When the two were together, their two brains combined barely seemed enough, as if they were never quite clear-headed, all muddled. Qingyuan had gained a new playmate, and at this moment had forgotten about Baoxian, busy asking her elder for permission, shyly asking: “Grandmother, may I go out for a while now? Commander says he’ll take me to adopt a cat.”
Old Madam Chen was truly delighted in her heart, seeing them get along well was all she could ask for. She nodded repeatedly saying it was fine, then smiled at Shen Run: “Commander, I entrust Yunya to you. Seeing that it’s getting dark, you two eat dinner outside before coming back.”
Shen Run said alright, “Old Madam, please call me Shouya, always using my official title is too distant.”
The Old Master clapped his hands beside them, “This name is good, sounds like an upright and proper gentleman at first hearing. Your father truly lives up to his background as Prime Minister, indeed raising a good son and giving him a good name.”
Old Madam Chen smiled and spat at him, “Making things up all day long!” While fixing Qingyuan’s hair, she called for someone to bring a money pouch, carefully hanging it at her waist, “Don’t fool around outside, listen to what others say, remember?”
In the Old Madam’s eyes, the young lady was still a child, and going out with Shen Run was like a child following an adult, so she had to give a few reminders. As for the money pouch, the Old Madam had her intentions – before engagement, not using a single copper from others was a matter of dignity for a young lady. Whether things turned out well or not later, there would be no room for gossip. Taking from others makes one’s hands short, and eating others’ food makes one’s mouth soft.
Qingyuan made a sound of agreement, “I understand.”
As they left, just as Baoxian was about to follow, the Old Madam lightly pulled her sleeve, keeping her back.
The Old Master was puzzled, “Why not have someone accompany them? It’s almost dark.”
The Old Madam complained about his confusion, “When the Xie family sent her to the Commander’s mansion, she stayed in the same courtyard for two nights. If something were to happen, it would have happened then, why wait until now? I think Shen Run is not bad. These days, there aren’t many people with power and influence who still respect young ladies so much. I don’t care how bad his reputation is outside, as long as he’s sincere to our Yunya, he’s a good child.”
The elderly’s well-meaning expectations were this simple, but the Old Master was still not quite at ease, “I’ll follow from a distance. If anything happens, I can help.”
The Old Madam poured cold water on his idea, “With your old bones if something happened, you wouldn’t even be enough for kindling.” Seeing the Old Master about to flare up, she quickly said, “Alright, alright, I’ll let you drink wine tonight. But let’s be clear, just two cups.”
Hearing this, the Old Master turned around and shouted: “Someone, quickly bring my large wine cup…”
Meanwhile, Qingyuan and Shen Run went to the market. Youzhou had morning and evening markets – the morning market was more lively, while the evening market only had shops open and a few scattered vendors, but chicken, duck, fish, and meat were all available.
Qingyuan’s ten fingers had never touched spring water; as a young lady from a good family, she had never been to such a place and even felt uncomfortable walking. Shen Run glanced at her and smiled, “There’s a lot of dirty water here, find a clean place to wait, I’ll go buy what we need.”
She said it wasn’t necessary, lifting her skirt hem, carefully following behind him. There were many mosquitoes and flies in summer, she fanned them away with her round fan, saying softly, “Has the Commander been to the market before? You seem quite familiar with it.”
In her imagination, he should have been someone who sat high in the government office giving orders, far from the life of common markets. Shen Run didn’t conceal anything from her, “During the ten years of exile, I did everything – fought enemies on the battlefield, and even served as a mess officer. Do you know what a mess officer is? Cooking for the entire army, with ladles as big as shovels, one pot could fit three of you.” He said with a smile, showing an even row of teeth in the remaining sunset light, “Later, when I served as an attendant before His Majesty and then entered the Palace Guard, investigating cases took me to places far filthier than this – when we had to wade through, we had to wade through.”
Qingyuan sighed: “You have suffered a lot.” A place in her heart ached faintly – even after so many years, she still pitied who he was then.
He didn’t mind though, “Having suffered early means only good fortune remains. As long as you’re by my side, every day feels like a festival!” When he spoke sweet words, she became shy – when she was embarrassed, she looked a bit dazed, especially adorable. His heart rippled, and he turned back to say, “The ground isn’t clean, I’m afraid it will dirty the young lady’s shoes. May I carry you on my back?”
Qingyuan said no, “I can walk by myself, why do you need to carry me?” While saying this, she followed behind him, stepping in his footprints and slowly moving forward.
He saw this and made his steps even smaller, so her feet fit perfectly in his footprints. Neither mentioned it, but their hearts grew increasingly tender.
The fish stall was ahead, with five or six carp swimming in the large fish basin. The elderly vendor bowed repeatedly, “How many would you like, customer? They’re all caught from Qianjiang, the meat is both fresh and firm.”
Adopting a cat probably only needed one fish, but Shen Run said he wanted two, “Good things come in pairs.”
Qingyuan took out her purse to pay for the fish. He didn’t argue, using the willow branch to string up the fish before buying two packages of salt, then led her through the long street towards the Introduction Official’s neighborhood.
Yan Fu had been waiting at the door, and seeing the Commander bringing the Fourth Miss, swaying his wide sleeves as they came gracefully, he hurriedly went out to greet them with clasped hands, “Commander, our old cat gave birth to five kittens. The one you came to see earlier isn’t as good-looking as the younger ones now.”
Shen Run coughed lightly, not wanting Qingyuan to know he had personally come to look before, and just responded perfunctorily, “Congratulations, congratulations, your household is prospering.”
The full-bearded Yan Fu’s smile somehow appeared honest, and he hurriedly returned the greeting, “Mutual congratulations…”
While the men were dealing with each other, Yan Fu’s wife came forward to receive Qingyuan. Since this was her husband’s superior’s intention, she naturally received her with the utmost hospitality.
“Young lady’s visit truly brings light to our humble home. The weather is still hot, please come inside quickly. I’ve had people prepare iced lychee paste, please have a cup.”
Qingyuan smiled, “Please forgive my sudden visit, Madam. It’s just that I heard from the Commander that your household has beautiful cats, so I begged him to bring me to ask for one.”
Madam Yan was a warm-hearted young woman, leading people inside while saying, “I wonder which one will have such fortune! This litter is almost two months old now, this size is very easy to raise. Young lady doesn’t know, this cat came to our home half a year ago and wouldn’t leave – isn’t that fate? Later when we saw its belly getting bigger day by day, we realized it was pregnant. I specially invited a midwife to help it deliver, and it gave birth to five at once, all white with black patterns.”
Coming to adopt a cat, naturally, all talk was about cats. Qingyuan was anxious to see the cats but couldn’t rush, so she had to be patient and sit properly in the hall accepting hospitality.
Shen Run was more direct, “We have important matters later, let’s see the main subject first.” Saying this, he presented the fish and salt, “Please accept these, master of the house.”
Yan Fu took the items and handed them to servants, ordering a maid to place the documents before the Buddha shrine, smiling, “Commander is too polite, it’s just a cat, what value…”
Shen Run brought out what he wanted, producing a string of dried fish, saying these were to pay respects to the mother cat. The group went into the woodshed, finding the kittens huddled together in a corner. Among them was the one Yan Fu mentioned – completely white except for two round black spots on its cheeks, looking like it had dabbed on rouge. It was also sturdy and chubby, quite adorable. Qingyuan fell for it at first sight, softly exclaiming: “Oh my, how lovely this one is!”
Yan Fu was a rough man, picking up the cat by its scruff, saying in a loud voice: “If the young lady likes this one, take it home. It was the runt of the litter, I thought it wouldn’t survive, but unexpectedly it grew better and better, surpassing its older siblings.”
Qingyuan smiled and asked Shen Run, “Do you think this one is good?”
Shen Run said it was good, “Cats take after their owners. If carefully raised, it will surely become even better.”
His words had a deeper meaning, and she understood – wasn’t it true? With him around, this runt wouldn’t be inferior to others.
The cat adoption was successful, and the Yan family prepared a grass basket for the cat. Although the kitten was weak, its spirit of resistance was not small – its sharp claws could scratch the skin if one wasn’t careful, but it became docile once in the basket. Qingyuan looked at the cat through the gaps, feeling her heart melt even when it just blinked. After leaving the Yan house, she bent down to look every few steps.
Shen Run held the grass basket higher so she could look to her heart’s content. After she finished looking, he clapped his hands, and two guards appeared from somewhere, pressing their hands on their swords and waiting with lowered heads.
Shen Run handed the grass basket to them, instructing them to deliver it to the Chen residence first, then said to Qingyuan: “The Old Madam said we don’t need to go back for dinner. Shall I take you to the Rouge River up ahead? There’s food and entertainment of all kinds there, shall we go take a look?”
The sun had already set, leaving only dim twilight. Qingyuan still remembered when she first met him, it was at this time too – the sky was hazy, and people were hazy too.
He reached out his hand to her, and after a moment’s hesitation, she gave him her hand. Long sleeves covered everything, but she felt his palm was warm and soft – once held, it felt like being bound together for a lifetime.