Earthworms?!

Those dark brown little worms that kept wriggling?!

Yu Tang felt goosebumps rising. She quietly retreated two steps, and her voice carried a few notes of trembling as she said, “Earthworms? Why hang earthworms? Don’t fish eat bran?”

Pei Yan looked at Yu Tang with great disdain and said, “Who told you fish eat bran? It’s pigs that eat bran.”

Was that so?

Yu Tang wasn’t quite sure, so naturally she didn’t dare refute it.

But she still couldn’t stand hanging earthworms and such.

Yet she didn’t want to expose her fear, so she simply pretended to casually retreat several more steps and sat on the beauty’s couch beside the pavilion. From afar she said, “Are there fish in this river? What kinds of fish are there?” After speaking, she surveyed the surrounding scenery and saw what appeared to be several maple trees not far away. She quickly pointed at those trees and said, “Are those maple trees? In autumn, wouldn’t the scenery here be very beautiful? ‘Frost leaves redder than February flowers’—in winter, do people come here to view the scenery?”

Pei Yan watched her desperately trying to hide her fear by changing the subject. She seemed so timid, like a little cat caught and about to be bathed—both adorable and pitiful. He felt a bit reluctant to continue teasing her. He stood up, brushed off his robe, walked to her side, and followed her gaze. Recognizing the maple trees he had planted as a child, he couldn’t help but smile and said, “Those are indeed maple trees. When I was young, the first time I went with Father to Fenglin Temple at Mount Wutai, I saw them along the way. I found them extremely rare, so I had someone request a few saplings to bring back. At that time, Mother was having the courtyard renovated. The craftsmen didn’t know where to plant them, so Father had these trees planted at the villa.”

There was such a story!

Yu Tang was greatly interested and ran over.

Pei Yan smiled and followed, asking her, “How did you recognize these as maple trees? Ordinary people can’t identify them.”

Yu Tang said somewhat proudly, “I’m the only child in my family, and my father loved children. From childhood he would put me on his shoulders, but afraid of what others might say, he would dress me as a boy and often take me to attend his poetry gatherings and such. But once he participated in these poetry gatherings, he would forget about me and let me run around everywhere with those young servants. Because of this, I not only know many trees, but also many flowers.” Speaking of this, she remembered something: “I see your courtyard doesn’t have many flowering trees. Don’t you like flowers?”

“That’s not it.” Pei Yan touched his nose and thought for a while before saying quietly, “When Father passed away, it was summer, with bright purples and vivid reds blooming exuberantly, as if they didn’t know human joys and sorrows. It troubled my heart to see them, so I had all the flowers removed.”

Flowers and trees had no feelings—naturally they didn’t know human joys and sorrows!

Because his father died, he stopped liking bright purples and vivid reds. She hadn’t expected Pei Yan to be so sentimental.

Could he be exactly as that saying goes: “Those who seem unfeeling are actually most affectionate”?

Thinking this, Yu Tang looked again at Pei Yan’s handsome face, which was made even more heart-stirring by its few notes of coldness. Her heart suddenly turned completely soft.

“Maybe it’s because you prefer trees.” Yu Tang couldn’t help but even start making excuses for him. “Look at where you live, and look at the pavilion you chose—they’re all places with lush forests.”

The elders once said that those who like mountains value virtue, while those who like water are sentimental.

So what kind of person was Pei Yan?

Yu Tang’s gaze couldn’t help but reveal a few notes of infatuation as she looked at him.

Pei Yan could naturally sense it.

Being able to receive the frank admiring gaze of a beauty like Yu Tang was already quite rare, let alone from the person in his heart.

Pei Yan experienced a feeling of floating on air.

Just like the first time his father praised his essay as well-written, the first time he participated in the palace examination, the first time he wore official robes… No wonder others compared “success in the imperial examinations” with “wedding night” as life’s great joys.

He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and smile, saying, “Won’t you know in the future?”

Yu Tang watched as her heart pounded fiercely.

When someone who doesn’t smile suddenly smiles, their whole being seemed lit up—truly unbearable.

She forgot to answer Pei Yan’s words and just smiled foolishly along with him.

This girl didn’t know how to restrain herself at all.

Pei Yan’s lips curved in a smile, his eyes full of affection. He didn’t realize how gentle his own smile was, but thought to himself that fortunately he had brought Yu Tang fishing alone. Otherwise, if people saw Yu Tang like this, they would certainly guess there were romantic feelings between them.

He secretly congratulated himself again for his impromptu decision to have Yu Tang learn household management skills from his mother early, giving them time together.

Pei Yan and Yu Tang, one standing and one sitting by the pavilion, stayed together in wordless but peaceful companionship. If A’Ming hadn’t finished hanging the earthworms and called Pei Yan over, the two might have continued sitting quietly like that.

A’Ming’s call not only broke their tranquility but also brought Yu Tang back to her previous terrible mood.

She wrinkled her brow.

Pei Yan looked at her with amusement and walked to sit on the small folding stool by the lake, beckoning to her: “Come fishing too.”

Only then did Yu Tang discover that at some point, two folding stools had been placed on the steps near the lake side of the pavilion. The bamboo basket she had been holding was tied with rope and floating in the lake. Several unfamiliar young servants stood with lowered eyes serving nearby. She saw neither earthworms nor any other bait.

She walked to the lakeside and craned her neck to look.

There was nothing on the lake surface.

How to fish?

Yu Tang was grumbling in her heart when she saw a young servant pick up a fishing rod, cast it into the lake, then hand the fishing rod to Pei Yan sitting on the stool. Pei Yan took the fishing rod and fixed his eyes on the white bobber on the lake surface, watching its movements.

This was fishing?

Yu Tang looked at Pei Yan’s snow-white garments.

She felt she had probably guessed correctly.

She craned her neck again to look around and discovered two young servants huddled together hanging something on fishing hooks.

Indeed, this was what Pei Yan called fishing.

She had overestimated Pei Yan.

The little person in Yu Tang’s heart covered her face, feeling that Pei Yan had once again “greatly broadened her horizons.”

Yet Pei Yan remained completely oblivious and called to her: “Quickly sit down. I’ve had them burn mosquito repellent. The sun is directly overhead, so it won’t shine on you either. Once you catch two fish, you’ll find it interesting.”

She was afraid she would never be able to experience the meaning of fishing.

Yu Tang secretly grumbled and sat on the small stool by her feet.

A young servant cast the fishing rod, A’Ming ran over to receive it, then handed it to Yu Tang.

When Yu Tang took it, she discovered the fishing rod was quite heavy. After holding it for a while, she felt a bit tired and changed positions.

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Pei Yan instructed a young servant nearby: “Help Miss Yu hold it.”

That young servant immediately ran over and helped Yu Tang hold the fishing rod.

With both hands empty, Yu Tang had nothing to do.

She tried chatting with Pei Yan: “Do you fish often?”

Who knew Pei Yan would “shh” at her, indicating she shouldn’t make noise, and whisper: “Be careful or you’ll scare the fish away.”

Then he went back to seriously watching the lake surface.

Then what did they come here for?

Just to sit idly like this?

Yu Tang rested her elbows on her knees and propped her cheeks with her hands, feeling that fishing was truly too boring.

But when her father and his friends went fishing, they talked and laughed, lively and interesting!

Perhaps fishing was only this boring when following Pei Yan!

Yu Tang curled her lips and decided never to go fishing with Pei Yan again. Then she noticed the young servant helping her hold the fishing rod suddenly walk two steps toward her.

She got a big fright.

Her body leaned backward and she nearly fell… then she saw the young servant unable to hide his excitement as he lifted the fishing rod… a large fish a foot long surfaced…

“Not bad, not bad!” Pei Yan beside her stood up, praising Yu Tang. “I didn’t expect you to catch a fish right after casting the line.”

Immediately a young servant ran over, hands holding the bamboo basket she had brought earlier.

The fish was placed in the bamboo basket and put back in the lake.

The young servants continued loading bait, casting the rod, and helping her hold the fishing rod…

This was Pei Yan’s fishing.

Fine!

She shouldn’t have held any expectations for someone like Pei Yan who loved cleanliness to an excessive degree.

Now Yu Tang could peacefully sit there “fishing.”

Yu Tang discovered the surrounding scenery was indeed very beautiful.

Sitting here looking out, there were lakes and mountains.

But Yu Tang still couldn’t help chatting with Pei Yan: “What do you come here to do in autumn? Autumn shouldn’t be a good season for fishing, right?”

Her father usually went fishing in summer.

She thought of those scrolls inserted in the large blue-and-white porcelain vats in Pei Yan’s study and said, “Do you like painting? Do you paint in this pavilion?” She then thought of the flower designs he had painted for her family’s lacquerware shop. “I’ve heard people say that to paint flowers, you must observe and admire them to know when each flower blooms and be able to paint flowers in various poses. Your flower paintings are so good—do you also observe flowers for long periods of time?”

Chattering away, though her voice was pleasant to hear, it was also like a hundred orioles calling in his ears.

Pei Yan felt somewhat stifled.

Never before had anyone disregarded his words like Yu Tang did.

He had told her not to talk, that it would scare the fish away, and she had only been quiet for a moment…

Pei Yan turned his head and saw Yu Tang’s eyes, brighter than usual due to curiosity. All his words were suddenly stuck in his throat.

Yu Tang was still asking him, “I know there’s a greenhouse here. Is there a greenhouse where you live?”

Pei Yan held back and back, but finally said, “There’s one, smaller than this one. The largest greenhouse at the Pei residence is behind Old Lady’s courtyard. My great-grandmother especially loved growing flowers. That greenhouse seems to have existed before then, but it was expanded during my great-grandmother’s time. Later, after my mother married over, because my maternal grandfather liked growing flowers and brought many rare varieties, it was expanded again. The courtyard you stayed in before in Hangzhou also has a greenhouse—it was built by my maternal grandfather. When his health wasn’t good, he feared no one would care for these flowers and trees and they would be neglected, so he moved a large portion to our family’s greenhouse. If you have time, you can go look. Just orchids alone number no less than six hundred varieties in that greenhouse. If you like them, we can transplant some to our courtyard’s greenhouse later.”

What “our courtyard”!

Yu Tang’s face turned completely red, and she didn’t dare look at Pei Yan.

Pei Yan was completely bewildered. After a while, he realized what had happened. But once he realized, he only felt sweetness.

It seemed talking about marriage matters was also quite interesting.

At least right now it was more interesting than fishing.

He sat up straight, staring at the calm, waveless lake surface, and said, “A’Tang, do you like the courtyard where I live now? Should we change courtyards? Or I’ll talk to Mother—when we watch the dragon boats during the Dragon Boat Festival, we’ll stay at the residence for a few days. You can walk around everywhere and see which courtyard you like, and then we’ll move to that courtyard.”