At dinner time, Zijun brought the dishes from the small kitchen to the table, but the young miss was nowhere to be seen. After asking Fengshang, she learned that the young miss was still in the inner room, reportedly cramming for tomorrow’s test, studying diligently in her quarters.

Zijun walked into the inner room for a look and indeed saw Shen Xiling reading books. A lamp was lit on the desk with thick books surrounding it in a circle. Shuipei sat beside her as company.

When Zijun entered, she smiled and said, “Miss, why don’t you have dinner first? You can continue studying later—it’s not too late.”

Shen Xiling seemed overly absorbed and hadn’t heard Zijun’s footsteps. When she suddenly heard her speak, she was startled. After collecting herself, she said quietly and gently, “You all eat first. I’ll go later… I still have some books to read here.”

Shuipei covered her mouth and laughed to herself, thinking that though the young miss had been reading for most of the day, she hadn’t actually turned many pages. Instead, she’d been lost in thought quite a bit, though who knew what she was thinking about.

She exchanged glances with Zijun and continued persuading Shen Xiling: “Miss, you should have dinner first. These books are as vast as the sea—you can’t finish them all at once. Besides, tomorrow is your first time attending Master Wang’s class, and you haven’t learned anything from him yet. How could he expect you to answer everything correctly?”

Shen Xiling truly wanted to study hard, but ever since returning from the main hall today, she’d been somewhat distracted. While reading, that Fu family sister’s beautiful face kept inexplicably floating through her mind, and her ears would often echo with the “good” that Second Young Master Qi had said at the end. This made her thoughts increasingly chaotic, and after sitting at her desk all afternoon, she hadn’t absorbed much.

When her father was alive and taught her to read, he always told her to concentrate wholeheartedly. With her current absent-minded state, it definitely wouldn’t work. She deliberately forced herself to continue reading, but Zijun and Shuipei kept persuading her from the sidelines. Shen Xiling thought that if she didn’t go eat, she’d be wasting the dinner that the sisters in the small kitchen had worked so hard to prepare, which would be too spoiled and willful of her. So she still listened to them and got up to eat in the outer room.

However, she had no appetite and ate very little, unable to eat anymore after a short while. The maids cleared everything away, and Shuipei served her a cup of tea, advising, “Miss, you’ve been sitting in the room all day. Would you like to go out for a walk? It would be good to take a stroll after dinner to aid digestion.”

Shen Xiling shook her head. Zijun added, “Go on, go on. We’ve been at our main family’s home for several days now, and we haven’t really gone out for walks.”

The several maids coaxed her like this, actually because they saw that Shen Xiling was in low spirits today. These two maids, along with Fengshang, chattered together—three people who were actually more lively and talkative than Shen Xiling, this young girl not yet twelve years old. Pestered beyond endurance, Shen Xiling compromised: “Alright then, let’s go out for a walk—just don’t be too conspicuous…”

Though the three—Shuipei and the others—hadn’t been with Shen Xiling for long, they already knew she had a reserved and shy nature. Living under someone else’s roof and not wanting to be conspicuous was normal, so they all nodded in agreement. Fengshang even said, “If all four of us go out together, it might still be a bit too showy. How about just Shuipei accompanying the young miss? Zijun and I will stay to watch the house.”

Upon hearing this, Zijun pouted—she also wanted to go out. Shuipei covered her mouth and laughed, saying, “What would you go out for? We’ve only been at the main family’s home for a few days, and how many times have you gotten lost already? If you went out with the young miss, you wouldn’t be able to find your way back all evening.”

Teased like this, Zijun stuck out her tongue embarrassedly. She wanted to retort, but unfortunately what Shuipei said was the truth, so she could only watch helplessly as she accompanied the young miss out the door.

The first lunar month hadn’t passed yet, and the night air was still cool.

The courtyard where Shen Xiling lived was somewhat remote, quite a distance from both the garden and the main hall. During the day it was bearable, but at night after leaving the door, few people could be seen, making it seem particularly desolate.

The maids like Zijun somewhat disliked such desolation, but Shen Xiling thought it was very good. She didn’t want to be too conspicuous, and moreover, she was currently using someone else’s identity, making her feel guilty and not wanting to be ostentatious. The quietness actually made her feel safe.

However, today’s quietness was inexplicably somewhat unbearable. She didn’t know why she suddenly felt that Qi Mansion was alarmingly vast, and the current quietness made her feel vaguely melancholic. She was aware that she’d been quite abnormal recently, with her mood fluctuating unpredictably, which annoyed even herself. Her father had once taught her not to be elated by external things or saddened by personal circumstances. She thought she was doing well, but unexpectedly…

Shen Xiling was walking with her head down, lost in thought, when she heard Shuipei behind her exclaim “Eh?” and then say joyfully, “Miss, look—isn’t that Second Young Master over there?”

Shen Xiling was startled upon hearing this and looked up in the direction Shuipei pointed. She saw a lantern swaying back and forth, with Qing Zhu carrying the lamp and Qi Ying walking behind him.

Shen Xiling was somewhat dazed. Shuipei again covered her mouth and laughed, whispering in Shen Xiling’s ear, “This place is so remote—Second Young Master must have come here specifically to see you. Shall we quickly go over and speak with the young master?”

Shuipei’s words made Shen Xiling’s heart rise and fall again. She looked up once more and saw that Second Young Master Qi had already walked close, so she quickly composed herself, went forward to meet him, and performed a greeting.

Qi Ying had indeed come to see her.

Today in the main hall there were many people, and later grandmother had sent him to escort Fu Rong out of the mansion. He hadn’t had a chance to speak with her and still didn’t know whether her meeting with Master Wang had gone smoothly today. Feeling somewhat uneasy, he came to see her in the evening, unexpectedly encountering her halfway.

By the light of the lantern in Qing Zhu’s hands, Qi Ying saw that the young girl’s hands in her sleeves were somewhat red from the cold. He frowned and scolded Shuipei: “When your young miss goes out, you should always bring her a hand warmer. How can you be so careless?”

His tone wasn’t particularly severe, but his expression was serious, making people afraid. Shuipei was frightened pale, fearing that Second Young Master might misunderstand that she was mistreating Miss Fang. She hurriedly apologized. Seeing this scene, Shen Xiling also felt uneasy. All the sisters treated her very well, and she didn’t want Shuipei to be blamed. She quickly said, “Young Master misunderstands… It was I who said I didn’t want a hand warmer, finding it troublesome to carry while walking.”

Qi Ying’s expression remained calm—it was unclear whether he believed her or not. He only said to Shuipei, “Go get one for her.”

Upon hearing this, Shuipei quickly responded with a “Yes” and hurried back. Fortunately, Shen Xiling’s residence wasn’t far from there, so Shuipei returned quickly, pressing the hand warmer into Shen Xiling’s hands. The warmth immediately soothed her hands, making her much warmer.

She didn’t know whether she should thank Qi Ying, but heard him ask first, “Out for a walk?”

Shen Xiling answered, “…Mm.”

Qi Ying nodded and said, “Then let’s walk together.”

Shen Xiling and Qi Ying walked side by side along the mansion’s pebbled path, with Qing Zhu and Shuipei following behind them. This night, the moonlight was like silk, and the garden was tranquil and deserted.

Qi Ying asked, “Did you meet Master Wang today?”

Shen Xiling nodded, then heard him ask, “How was it?”

Shen Xiling recalled for a moment, pressed her lips together, and answered, “Everything else was fine, except Master said… there’s a test tomorrow.”

Qi Ying smiled and asked, “Nervous?”

Shen Xiling looked up at him and saw his phoenix eyes smiling. The cold and desolate feeling from moments ago faded away. Like confiding her concerns to an elder, she said to him, “Mm, I’m afraid I’ll answer too poorly… How embarrassing would it be to come in last?”

Seeing the young girl with furrowed brows and a worried expression, Qi Ying found it amusing. He coughed to hide his laughter and asked, “What books have you read?”

Hearing him ask this, Shen Xiling quietly blushed. She actually didn’t much like reading proper books, preferring travel accounts and regional chronicles, occasionally reading some supernatural tales and legends, though she wasn’t very fond of those either. These were all things that couldn’t be mentioned in proper company, making her somewhat embarrassed to speak of them.

Shen Xiling secretly glanced at Qi Ying, hesitated for a moment, then answered in a small voice, “I’ve only read some poetry here and there.”

Qi Ying nodded and asked again, “Whose poetry?”

Shen Xiling mentioned a few contemporary names. Qi Ying raised an eyebrow: “Metaphysical poetry?”

Metaphysical poetry was a popular poetic form in present-day Jiangzuo, focusing on discussing philosophy and sometimes Buddhist doctrine. Generally speaking, children found this type of poetry tedious to read.

Shen Xiling indeed didn’t much like reading it, but her father had always loved reading such poetry, often saying that though these poems were obscure and mostly superficial, reading them could distance one from worldly affairs and had a calming, peaceful effect.

The young girl kept her head half-lowered in tacit acknowledgment. Qi Ying was silent for a while, then said, “Among metaphysical poetry there are many excellent works, but they’re rare nowadays. Master Wang has always felt that this type of poetry flows on the surface while lacking substance, making it somewhat shallow. If you’re to take his test, it’s better to avoid discussing metaphysical poetry.”

Shen Xiling had always known that Qi Ying had passed the imperial examinations at thirteen and was the famous young runner-up scholar of Jiangzuo, but this was the first time she’d heard him discuss anything related to learning. When he spoke of these matters, his manner was slightly different from usual. Shen Xiling observed carefully and felt that his brows and eyes were gentle and refined—different from when he was reviewing official documents and constantly frowning.

At this moment, he very much resembled her father, critiquing poetry and books with a natural, comfortable feeling.

Her heart thus also gave rise to a sense of openness and clarity. She obediently nodded, then heard him ask, “Have you read the Book of Songs?”

Shen Xiling blinked and nodded again. Among the Four Books and Five Classics, the Book of Songs was her favorite—she’d forced herself through all the others.

Qi Ying smiled and said, “Since you haven’t studied under Master Wang before, for tomorrow’s test, Master probably won’t examine fine details. He’ll most likely ask what books you’ve read and what insights you have. If you enjoy reading poetry, discussing the Book of Songs would be more reliable than metaphysical poetry.”

He paused, then added, “Of course, if you don’t like it, then…”

“I don’t… don’t dislike it,” Shen Xiling said urgently, “I quite like it…”

Qi Ying looked down at her, making Shen Xiling realize that her tone had been too eager just now. Her face flushed red again, and she wanted to explain, but Qi Ying didn’t seem to mind. He only asked her again, “Which piece in the Book of Songs do you like most?”

Hearing his question, Shen Xiling thought for a moment and answered, “Ge Sheng (Kudzu Grows).”

Qi Ying’s expression moved slightly.

Kudzu grows over the brambles,

Creepers spread across the wilds.

My beloved is gone from here,

With whom shall I dwell alone?

Kudzu grows over the thorns,

Creepers spread across the tomb.

My beloved is gone from here,

With whom shall I rest alone?

The horn pillow gleams,

The brocade quilt shines.

My beloved is gone from here,

With whom shall I wake alone?

Summer days, winter nights.

After a hundred years, return to the dwelling.

Winter nights, summer days.

After a hundred years, return to the chamber.

It was an elegy for the dead.

Qi Ying turned his head to look at Shen Xiling. In the watery moonlight, he saw the young girl with lowered brows and downcast eyes, yet hidden sorrow in her gaze. He knew she was thinking of her deceased father and mother. After a moment of silence, he said in a gentle voice, “Summer days, winter nights—your honored father and mother need not wait a hundred years. At this moment they have already returned to their dwelling—Wenwen, this is great fortune within great misfortune.”

Perhaps because the hand warmer in her hands was intensely warm, Shen Xiling felt that the Qi Ying before her was also especially gentle. This wasn’t the first time he’d called her Wenwen, but she still felt her face grow hot whenever she heard it. He was like her elder, yet Shen Xiling occasionally felt it wasn’t quite the same—though she couldn’t say exactly how it differed, it was all hazy and unclear.

She nodded in bewilderment.

The two had unknowingly walked a complete circle around the garden, returning to where they’d first met. Qi Ying looked at the sky and said, “It’s getting late. Let’s go back.”

Shen Xiling agreed, then thought for a moment and said to him, “Thank you for your guidance, Young Master. I’ll go back and read the Book of Songs again tonight.”

“Don’t stay up late,” Qi Ying instructed her with lowered head. After a pause, he added, “It’s fine if you don’t do well on the test.”

Hearing these words, Shen Xiling couldn’t help but wonder internally whether Second Young Master Qi had already regarded her as a blockhead. Feeling somewhat gloomy, she answered, “…Oh.”

Qi Ying noticed that the young girl’s response lacked enthusiasm, and a trace of amusement appeared in his eyes. He then waved his hand to indicate she should go back, waiting until he’d seen her enter the courtyard before turning to leave with Qing Zhu.

Author’s Note:

Shen Xiling: I’m going to work hard and get first place on the test!

Qi Jingchen: That’s not necessary—it’s fine if you fail.

Shen Xiling: ?