Grandmother’s meaning was… she wasn’t forcing him to marry Gu Jinchao anymore.

Ji Yao didn’t know what to say. Now that he didn’t have to marry Gu Jinchao, he felt not joy but rather disappointment.

He understood Ji Wu’s tactics. Before this, he had already made up his mind. Besides Gu Jinchao, Ji Wu wouldn’t let him marry anyone else. He had even thought about how to marry her—if he went to the Gu family to propose, would Gu Jinchao be happy? She would probably agree to marry him, right?

The two of them could live in the same courtyard, one sleeping in the east wing room, one in the west wing room. The west wing room was colder, so he would sleep there. Even if they didn’t love each other, living together shouldn’t be a problem.

Gu Jinchao was a gentle person who liked peace, but she also enjoyed growing flowers. When she had been with the Ji family before, she especially liked playing the qin. Her qin could be placed in his study, next to the window. Outside the window, they could plant a Western crabapple tree, so she could see it while playing. She seemed to dislike having few people around her and always wanted many maids and servants surrounding her. Then they would arrange for more maids to serve her, making the household lively.

Sometimes Ji Yao thought about these things. As he thought, he felt that marrying Gu Jinchao might not be so difficult. Perhaps it would even be fun. She had once baked crab shell yellow pancakes for his grandmother in the warm pavilion. He had eaten them once more after that, but they weren’t as delicious as the ones she made…

Ji Yao paused, then said, “Grandmother… I’m not refusing this marriage.”

Ji Wu waved her hand, smiling helplessly, “I was being selfish as an old woman. I can’t disregard my own grandson’s wishes for the sake of my granddaughter… You needn’t consider my feelings. If you don’t like her, just say it directly, so your grandmother won’t waste her efforts.”

Ji Yao didn’t know what to say for a moment and was afraid that Ji Wu would truly reject the matter. He stood up, his voice tight: “Grandson doesn’t dislike her. When you asked me last time, I had considered it… In any case, please rest assured, after my fourth brother’s wedding celebration, I’ll come immediately to tell you!”

This time he didn’t even say farewell and walked quickly out of the west side room.

Ji Wu watched Ji Yao’s retreating figure, a smile gradually appearing at the corners of her mouth.

Song Mama watched beside her and also smiled, saying, “Our Second Young Master does have feelings for the young miss. Usually such a polite person, he even forgot to say farewell. Second Young Master is always decisive in front of the various managers, nothing is too difficult for him, yet he was rendered speechless by your pressure… The Grand Madam is truly clever.”

Ji Wu stroked a string of bodhi beads in her hand, saying slowly, “He’s just that kind of person. When you force him to take something, he doesn’t want it. When something no longer belongs to him, he suddenly starts to like it desperately. It’s not that I’m provoking him—he and Jinchao grew up together, and they certainly have affection for each other. There are things I don’t know… Tomorrow, let Ji accompany Ji Yao to Baodi once. He needs to help look at the things being added to his rooms. Jinchao should go along too. Go down and tell everyone.”

Song Mama acknowledged and went down.

Jinchao woke up after sleeping for a while, only to see that the sky outside the latticed window was already dark. She called for Qing Pu to come in and ask about the time, then said, “…Why didn’t anyone wake me up… It’s already past mealtime, right?”

Cai Fu responded, “It’s already past the hour of xu. Song Mama came once and saw you sleeping. She told us not to wake you. The small kitchen has prepared food, all things you like: sliced meat in sauce, braised perch, stewed mushrooms, and fresh cucumber strips…”

Jinchao said, “I can’t eat all that. Just bring me a bowl of plain porridge.” Cai Fu acknowledged and went out. Qing Pu helped Jinchao get up, draping a cloak around her and told her Song Mama’s message: “You can sit on the kang… Let me tell you, Song Mama came to say that you should accompany Fourth Cousin to Baodi tomorrow… It’s not good for you to stay with the Ji family all day, so it’s better to go to Baodi for a change. You can also advise Fourth Cousin, which would be nice.”

Hearing that Ji Yao was also going, Jinchao understood Ji Wu’s intention.

Jinchao felt both amused and helpless. This was wasting her ladyship’s effort.

Perhaps she should say something to her grandmother. She couldn’t keep burdening Ji Yao; he was already nineteen by the traditional counting method.

Early the next morning, Ji Wu personally came to wake Jinchao.

Jinchao saw Ji Wu pick up a gold butterfly-shaped hairpin and was frightened, hurriedly saying, “Grandmother, I’m still in mourning!”

Ji Wu laughed at her, “What are you so nervous about, as if I’m going to eat you! Your grandmother knows you’re in mourning…” She put down the gold hairpin and instead selected a pair of jade lotus petal ornaments for Jinchao, paired with an ivory-colored diamond-patterned satin jacket, a stone-blue eight-panel moonlight skirt, a goose-yellow vine-patterned belt, and an embroidered eight-auspicious-pattern purse with blue-purple tassels. Dressed this way, the colors were both elegant and appropriate, while still respecting the mourning period.

After looking her over and finding everything satisfactory, Ji Wu let Jinchao leave with Qing Pu.

Ji Yao and Ji Can were both waiting for her. Ji can speak quietly with Ji Yao, and when he sees Gu Jinchao approach, he says to her, “…Cousin, you’re just in time. We’re going to Baodi, and we can drink salty soybean milk in Ansong Lane!”

Ji Yao chided him, “You still dare to go to Ansong Lane? I remember the young master from Xiangyuan Tower lived there. That time you competed with him in cockfighting, didn’t you lose over three hundred taels of silver?”

Ji Can say softly, “Look who’s talking. Didn’t you also bet one hundred taels with him that time? My money ended up being won by you…”

The last time Ji Yao went with Ji Can to Ansong Lane to watch cockfights, he couldn’t resist the Xiangyuan Tower young master’s urging and casually bet one hundred taels with him. The odds were one to three, and he happened to win three hundred taels.

Though it was gambling, Ji Yao raised his eyebrows and said seriously to Ji Can, “When I participate in cockfighting, it’s merely to build a relationship with the young master of Xiangyuan Tower. What about you? Are you trying to build a relationship with that rooster?”

Gu Jinchao watched from the side, finding these two brothers very interesting.

Ji Can was so agitated he stamped his feet, “Second Brother, you shouldn’t humiliate your brother like this!”

Unable to argue with Ji Yao, he could only turn his head and first instruct Jinchao, “…Cousin, don’t tell Grandmother about this. If you help me keep this secret, I’ll pay for your bowl of salty soybean milk!”

Jinchao secretly smiled. A bowl of salty soybean milk cost only two copper coins, yet he made it sound like he was offering some great favor. She nodded seriously, “Since Fourth Cousin is bribing me like this, how could Jinchao tell Grandmother? When your new sister-in-law arrives, I’ll tell her instead!”

Ji Can glared at her, “…You’ve learned to be sharp-tongued from Second Brother. Now I can’t win arguments with either of you!” He angrily boarded the carriage first.

Ji Yao had the servants bring over a mounting stool and waited for Gu Jinchao to board the carriage before getting on himself.

The inside of the carriage was very spacious, lined with sapphire-blue vine-embroidered soft satin and hung with olive-colored fine cloth curtains, arranged quite comfortably. The carriage departed from the Ji family and headed toward Baodi. Baodi was not far from Sanhe, and beyond that was Wuqing. The Du family’s son, to whom Gu Yi was betrothed, was from Wuqing.

Baodi was the most prosperous area in Tongzhou, with the official road built wide and smooth, lined on both sides with various shops, temples, and teahouses for resting. This was when the new Emperor had just ascended the throne, and the streets were bustling with people: porters, street vendors, farmers in brown short clothes, peasant women with bamboo baskets, simply dressed young girls…

Jinchao lifted the curtain slightly to look outside. The last time she came to Baodi was when she was twelve years old. But that was when she was twelve in her previous life, now hazy and unclear. She vaguely remembered that beyond this road was the Grand Canal, which was very prosperous. Many ships docked at the pier. Porters unloading cargo, accountants keeping records—countless people coming and going—and right next to it was the Ji family’s largest goods warehouse. Goods unloaded from the ships went into this warehouse.

On that arched stone bridge, there were people selling scissors, noodle figurines, mortise, and tenon baskets, and someone making scallion candy.

Jinchao said to Ji Can, “…I still remember when I was little, Fourth Cousin secretly took me to Baodi to eat a package of scallion candy.”

Ji Can thought for a moment, then said with a smile, “Cousin, you’ve remembered incorrectly. It wasn’t me who took you, it was Second Brother. That time, you didn’t bring any servants and just snuck out from home. When Grandmother heard about it, she was nearly worried to death and sent people to search everywhere. When Second Brother brought you back, Grandmother coaxed you to sleep, and Second Brother was punished to kneel in the ancestral hall for two days.”

Jinchao only remembered a child holding her hand as they walked on the bridge. The two children were having a lively time. But she couldn’t remember at all who it was. She asked Ji Yao, “Second Cousin, did I cause you to be punished to kneel?”

Ji Yao shook his head, smiling, “I was the one who took you out, how could it be you who caused me trouble?”

He had always remembered this incident.

It was when Jinchao was only five years old. She was fair-skinned and delicate, with her hair in little buns, as adorable as a child attendant of Guanyin. Little Jinchao heard her maid talk about how interesting it was to watch scallion candy being made and became intensely curious, insisting on seeing it for herself. At that time, she was studying together with Ji Yao, and she tugged at Ji Yao’s sleeve, refusing to let go, forcing him to take her to see it.

Ji Yao was talked into a daze by her and took only her and a money pouch, sneaking out through the side door.

He was going to take her to see the scallion candy craftsman, he promised solemnly.

Ji Yao was only about seven years old at the time. The two children wandered around Tongzhou and, amazingly, weren’t kidnapped by human traffickers. When they grew tired, they sat by the Grand Canal, watching the boats come and go. Ji Yao became a bit scared, but little Jinchao was still very happy, finding everything new and exciting, not afraid at all.

Ji Yao found the scallion candy craftsman on the bridge, and they watched the entire process from beginning to end: boiling the syrup, pulling the candy strands, and cutting the candy pieces. Ji Yao bought a package for little Jinchao. She ate it, thought it was wonderful, and didn’t give him a single piece.

As Ji Yao led her back home, he kept asking her what it tasted like. Little Jinchao finished the last piece without saying a word to Ji Yao.

When the two returned to the Ji family, they discovered the household had been thrown into chaos looking for them. Ji Wu put on a stern face while coaxing little Jinchao to go back to sleep, then personally took a rattan cane and gave Ji Yao a beating, sending him to kneel in the ancestral hall as punishment. Ji Yao knelt there feeling very wronged—he wasn’t the one who wanted to go out, nor was he the one who ate the candy, yet he was the one beaten and punished to kneel. He knelt in the ancestral hall for half a day, stubbornly refusing to shed a single tear.

It was from then that Ji Yao began to dislike Gu Jinchao. He thought this cousin was both domineering and annoying.

Now, thinking back to his childhood, he no longer disliked Gu Jinchao. He had never done anything so bold as to sneak out of the Ji family home with Gu Jinchao. He seemed to still remember the scene of the two children holding hands, swaying as they walked on the bridge.