The young bride nodded shyly: “Officer Zhao and Hundred-Household Zhao are relatives. Every month, he sends a letter to Hundred-Household Zhao’s fiancée, Miss Fu, who lives in Zhangye. All the rewards that Hundred-Household Zhao receives are also kept by Miss Fu. Everyone knows this.”

Fu Tingyun felt embarrassed and muttered to herself: Since when did Zhao Ming become a relative of Zhao Ling? And “everyone knows”—most likely, this Zhao Ming had been blabbering everywhere.

She was considering whether to inquire further when Hundred-Household Si’s wife entered, carrying a tray with meat soup and dishes: “Miss Fu, Hundred-Household Zhao said that it gets cold at night. Since you’ve washed your hair, he’s afraid you might catch a cold and suggests you eat here in the room.”

Making her sound so delicate and frail.

Fu Tingyun thanked Mrs. Si. Thinking that Fu Tingyun and her daughter-in-law were about the same age and seemed to get along well, Mrs. Si gave her daughter-in-law a meaningful look, indicating that she should take good care, and smilingly withdrew.

The young bride stood by, serving dishes to Fu Tingyun, and admiringly said: “Hundred-Household Zhao is so good to Miss Fu!”

Fu Tingyun immediately felt uncomfortable and smiled: “Why don’t you go eat too? I’ll let you know when I’m finished here.”

The bride firmly refused.

To decline further would seem affected.

Fu Tingyun had no choice but to let her be, though she quickened her pace and soon finished dinner.

The bride smiled as she cleared the bowls and chopsticks. From outside came Zhao Ling’s cheerful laughter.

Fu Tingyun found this curious.

The bride peeked outside and then turned back to smile at her: “My father-in-law and several Banner Commanders from the Hundred-Household’s garrison are accompanying Hundred-Household Zhao for drinks!” She looked proud, as if making Zhao Ling happy was an extremely honorable thing.

Fu Tingyun grumbled inwardly. The bride brought a fan to fan herself. Having traveled for days and experiencing both great sorrow and joy in Ledu, Fu Tingyun fell asleep in the gentle breeze.

When she groggily awoke, she saw the moon filling the window lattice. She was alone in the room. The bride who was supposed to sleep with her was nowhere to be seen, but someone had thoughtfully covered her with a blue floral cotton sheet.

Fu Tingyun felt thirsty. By moonlight, she found a teapot of cool boiled water on the table. Just as she took a couple of sips, soft voices came from outside the door: “You go to sleep, don’t worry about me. Miss Fu is still in the room!”

“I don’t care,” the bride’s voice was sweet and tender. “Miss Fu is already asleep. I want to stay here with you. Besides, Hundred-Household Zhao is drunk, and he’s bound to be restless in the middle of the night. If I’m here, I can help you fetch water and bring hangover soup.”

“Silly girl!” The man’s voice sounded very young, with a hint of doting affection. “You have to get up early tomorrow to serve your parents-in-law. If you sleep too late, you won’t be able to get up. Be good, listen to me, go to sleep quickly. I can handle Hundred-Household Zhao by myself.”

“But I want to stay with you!” The bride whined coquettishly.

The loving young couple brought a smile to Fu Tingyun’s lips.

She coughed lightly.

Suddenly, there was dead silence outside.

They must have been startled…

Fu Tingyun wanted to laugh. Then she heard the door creak open as the bride slipped in, cautiously calling out, “Miss Fu.”

“I’m here!” Fu Tingyun smiled.

“Oh my!” Seeing her standing in the middle of the room, the bride was startled and hurriedly explained, “Hundred-Household Zhao drank too much. My husband is taking care of him, and he just asked me to help fetch some water…”

Presumably, the young couple had received instructions from their parents to look after her and Zhao Ling!

Fu Tingyun quickly smiled and said: “Thank you for your trouble.” Then she asked: “Did Hundred-Household Zhao drink a lot? How is he now?”

This fellow, drinking carelessly in a subordinate’s home. Misbehaving while drunk would diminish his dignity as a superior!

Seeing that Fu Tingyun wasn’t blaming her, the bride relaxed and honestly replied: “He’s been sleeping groggily. Just now he called for water, and my husband has already helped Hundred-Household Zhao drink it.” As she spoke, she reached for a candle to light a lamp.

“No need to light the lamp,” Fu Tingyun smiled. “Let’s go check on Hundred-Household Zhao.”

The bride immediately accompanied Fu Tingyun to the adjacent wing room where Zhao Ling was resting.

Hundred-Household Si’s eldest son was a fair-skinned young man, at most seventeen or eighteen years old, his face still bearing some childishness.

Fu Tingyun sighed inwardly as she looked at him.

She and Zhao Ling were only one or two years older than this couple, yet they seemed to have experienced so much more, lacking such pure joy.

Under the dim light, Zhao Ling lay quietly, but his brows were tightly knitted, as if troubled even in his dreams.

What was making him so unhappy?

Wondering this, Fu Tingyun asked Hundred-Household Si’s eldest son: “Has Hundred-Household Zhao been sleeping the whole time?”

“Yes!” The son respectfully replied. “Hundred-Household Zhao has been sleeping since he got drunk.”

Fu Tingyun felt slightly reassured.

The person on the bed let out a moan: “Water, water…”

The young couple scrambled somewhat nervously to pour water.

Suddenly, Zhao Ling grabbed the hand of Fu Tingyun, who was standing by the kang bed.

“What’s wrong?” Fu Tingyun asked anxiously, not understanding.

Zhao Ling seemed a bit confused, half-opened his eyes to glance at Fu Tingyun, then closed them again.

Hundred-Household Si’s eldest son brought over the water.

Since Zhao Ling continued to hold Fu Tingyun’s hand firmly, she had no choice but to stand by and watch as the son helped him drink.

Zhao Ling fell into a deep sleep again, but his hand still gripped Fu Tingyun’s tightly. Despite trying to pull away several times without success, Fu Tingyun’s face flushed red. Considering that Zhao Ling was drunk, she didn’t want to make an issue of it.

Seeing this, the bride tugged at her husband’s sleeve, and they quietly withdrew.

Suddenly, Zhao Ling opened his eyes.

Fu Tingyun was startled and quickly asked: “What’s wrong?”

Zhao Ling gripped her hand forcefully, pulling her down into his arms.

“You, what are you doing?” Fu Tingyun was greatly alarmed, her voice sharp.

The heads of Hundred-Household Si’s son and daughter-in-law peeked through the door crack but quickly retracted.

Zhao Ling tightly held Fu Tingyun’s waist. Unable to move, her gaze fell on his face.

Though Zhao Ling’s face was somewhat flushed, his eyes were clear and bright, showing no sign of the confusion typical of someone intoxicated.

“You…” Fu Tingyun’s heart pounded like a drum, vaguely sensing that something was about to happen.

Zhao Ling had already whispered: “Don’t move!”

He gazed intently at Fu Tingyun, from her black hair to her eyebrows and eyes, from her eyebrows and eyes to her red lips, so carefully, so earnestly, as if she were his most treasured possession that he could never look at enough. This made her face burn like fire, and she dared not look directly at him.

“You, what are you doing?” Fu Tingyun struggled to get up.

“You, what is your name?” Zhao Ling’s grip tightened, his voice somewhat hoarse as he asked. There was an emotion in the air that she couldn’t understand, making her heart flutter.

“You, why are you asking this?” Fu Tingyun lowered her eyelids.

A girl’s intimate name was not casually shared with others. Apart from parents and siblings, only a husband could know it.

“Then may I call you Nan’nan?” A hint of mischief flashed in Zhao Ling’s eyes. “I am from Songjiang. In Songjiang, we call girls we like ‘Nan’nan’!”

“Nonsense,” Fu Tingyun retorted with a red face. “Are you taking advantage of me because I haven’t been to Jiangnan? I’ve read in books that people in Songjiang call young girls who haven’t grown their hair up ‘Nan’nan’. Who would call a girl who has come of age ‘Nan’nan’?”

A flash of amusement crossed Zhao Ling’s eyes: “Then what should I call you?”

Fu Tingyun suddenly realized that Zhao Ling was teasing her!

That usually cold man who remained unfazed even when faced with a collapsing mountain was using his drunken state to tease her!

Fu Tingyun was momentarily at a loss.

But Zhao Ling continued on his own: “Anyway, you’re going to marry me eventually, and your temperament is as unpredictable as a child’s, so I’ll just call you ‘Nan’nan’…”

Fu Tingyun was both anxious and angry: “Who said I’m going to marry you?” Realizing she was still lying on top of him, her body felt as if it were on fire. What’s more, the warm, slightly alcoholic scent from his body made her dizzy and weak. “You, you’re bullying me!” Tears couldn’t help but fall.

Zhao Ling was merely using alcohol to bolster his courage. Fu Tingyun’s tears fell on his heart like burning magma, causing him unbearable pain.

“Please don’t cry!” He quickly released Fu Tingyun. “It’s all my fault, all my fault…”

Fu Tingyun took the opportunity to sit up, wiping her tears with her sleeve.

Zhao Ling produced a handkerchief from somewhere and offered it to Fu Tingyun.

Fu Tingyun didn’t take it and stood up: “Since you’re fine, I’ll go now.” Her voice was muffled, showing her unhappiness.

Zhao Ling became very anxious.

Opportunities are fleeting, but they always favor those who actively seize them.

He jumped down from the kang: “Don’t go yet, I have something to tell you.” His voice was urgent and hurried, quite different from his usual steady, composed, and confident demeanor.

Fu Tingyun looked up in surprise.

Anxiety filled Zhao Ling’s brow, but his voice became more even: “I understand your meaning. My feelings for you are the same as yours for me.” As he spoke, his expression gradually became serious. “Rest assured, to win one heart and never part till white-haired. I, I will never let you down… Between us, there will be no other person…”

Fu Tingyun froze.

To win one heart and never part till white-haired.

Between us, there will be no other person.

Was this his promise to her?

Did he understand what this meant?

Fu Tingyun stared blankly at Zhao Ling.

Zhao Ling nodded, his expression extremely solemn.

Fu Tingyun sat softly on the edge of the kang, tears blurring her vision.

“I know that I am orphaned, without a permanent home, lacking in scholarly achievements, just a small hundred-household—in the eyes of parents, I am indeed not a suitable match.” He crouched beside her, holding her small hand, which was nervously fidgeting with her clothes, in his large one. Looking up at her, he sincerely said, “But I will treat you well for a lifetime, and I will earnestly plead with your uncle and aunt. I will work hard to become someone who can protect you, someone they can feel comfortable giving you to in marriage…”

Fu Tingyun’s tears fell in streams.

Was it so easy to become a son-in-law of the Fu family?

Especially for her, once the repository of boundless hope.

“What if my father and mother refuse no matter what?”

“Then I will kneel at the main gate and beg them,” Zhao Ling said earnestly. “If others ask, I will say directly that I am asking to marry the ninth daughter of the Fu family. If they say, ‘Hasn’t the ninth daughter of the Fu family already passed away from illness?’ I will reply, ‘No, she is alive and well…'”

“You scoundrel!” Fu Tingyun broke into laughter through her tears and gently pushed Zhao Ling.

Zhao Ling, as if made of paper, fell sitting on the ground.