Fan Zengli sighed. She knew she couldn’t hide anything from Ji Cheng. “Last time, Eldest Young Master wrote home saying your marriage prospects were promising, but then nothing came of it. As a man, it’s not easy for him to inquire about such matters. Father-in-law and Mother were worried about you. Since your aunt is now under house arrest, Father-in-law asked me to come to the capital first, to take care of Eldest Young Master and see if I could help you in any way.”
Ji Qing, fearing Ji Cheng might overthink things, hadn’t informed her in advance about Fan Shi’s arrival in the capital.
Ji Cheng had once eagerly anticipated Fan Shi’s arrival, but now that she was here, it seemed to benefit Shen Che instead. Life truly was unpredictable.
It wasn’t easy for Ji Cheng to slip out under the Old Madam’s watchful eye, but evading Fan Zengli was simple, as she didn’t dare inquire about Ji Cheng’s affairs.
First, they traveled east by boat, then turned north. Shen Che met Ji Cheng at the Qingjiang estuary.
From Qingjiang, they headed north into the Taiyun Mountains. The thousand-foot-high peaks and rugged paths made it impossible for carriages to proceed. This time, however, Shen Che seemed considerate of Ji Cheng and had prepared two local horses.
The local horses, though not as swift as thoroughbreds, were better suited for mountain trails and had great endurance.
Although there were two horses, one was laden with various items and utensils that women typically carried when traveling. Seeing the local horse’s back nearly concave under the weight, Ji Cheng no longer felt comfortable riding it.
Ji Cheng sat sideways in the saddle, nestled in Shen Che’s arms. The horse’s hooves clip-clopped leisurely along the mountain path. The greedy local horse would stop every so often to munch on the grass by the roadside. Shen Che didn’t urge it on but instead pointed out nearby historical sites to Ji Cheng, such as the Jade Maiden’s Washbasin, Lü Zi’s Sermon Spot, the Immortal’s Ascension Cliff, as well as the Waiting Wife Stone and the Sister Rocks.
Almost every great mountain had such historical sites, but when Shen Che described them, they became particularly interesting. For instance, at the Jade Maiden’s Washbasin, Shen Che became excited, dismounted, and, holding Ji Cheng by the waist, flew towards the cliff. Pointing at the pool no larger than a small porcelain basin, he told Ji Cheng, “Am I right? How could this be a washbasin? It’s barely big enough for washing feet. When I was young and ignorant, I admired the Jade Maiden and came to see this before my qinggong was perfected. I nearly fell to my death, only to find this measly puddle. Can you imagine how I felt then?”
She could. Ji Cheng couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
They continued on their journey. When they reached a spot overlooking the Waiting Wife Stone, Shen Che reined in his horse. “The story of the Waiting Wife Stone is said to be about a woman whose husband was conscripted to carry stones to fill the sea. When he didn’t return for a long time, she stood on the cliff constantly watching the path of his return. The small stone beside it is said to be her child turned to stone. However, if they went to the seaside, the direction this stone faces is exactly the opposite. The Waiting Wife Stone became a Turning Away from Husband Stone. Whoever made up this legend didn’t bother to think it through.”
Ji Cheng frowned. If her sense of direction wasn’t off, the Waiting Wife Stone was facing the sea. “Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”
Shen Che smiled. “I’ll show you.”
The Waiting Wife Stone was about as tall as a person. Because its shape resembled a human profile, people had fabricated that legend around it. Even though the Waiting Wife Stone was only human-height, it must have weighed at least a thousand jin.
However, Ji Cheng noticed signs of human manipulation at the base of the Waiting Wife Stone. It must have happened long ago, as the marks were barely noticeable unless one looked closely.
“Did you turn it around?” Ji Cheng asked Shen Che curiously.
“Every time I passed by, it bothered me. Until I turned it around, now it looks much better,” Shen Che said casually.
Though his words were casual, the young Shen Che, barely over ten years old at the time, had put in considerable effort to turn the Waiting Wife Stone. He had found it bothersome since he was seven.
With all these stops along the way, it was impossible to reach the mountaintop before dark. Fortunately, there was a Taoist temple halfway up the mountain that occasionally hosted pilgrims and devotees. The guest rooms were reasonably clean.
Shen Che requested two guest rooms. Being generous with money, they were given the highest-positioned rooms, built against the mountainside with a small terrace offering a view of the mountain mists.
Ji Cheng stood on the terrace, inhaling the fresh scent carried by the wind. She had to admit that coming to the mountains was indeed refreshing. The cool evening breeze made Ji Cheng feel as if she had drunk mint water, invigorating and refreshing her mind.
Behind her, Shen Che said, “I’ve brought two buckets of hot water for you to bathe. Otherwise, you’ll certainly be sore all over tomorrow.”
The bathtub was new, exuding the fragrance of fresh wood and shiny with tung oil.
The steaming water indeed eased Ji Cheng’s fatigue. She thought that when Shen Che wasn’t causing trouble, he was quite pleasant to be around.
Ji Cheng didn’t soak for too long. Being with Shen Che always made her feel uneasy, fearing he might suddenly appear before her at any moment. After all, expecting Shen Che to have any sense of shame would be too naive.
Ji Cheng changed into a light blue Ru skirt. The thin, light gauze was lifted by the mountain’s evening breeze, shimmering like a blooming night orchid. Having just bathed, her face glowed with a moist blush as if water vapor was seeping from her skin.
Lost in thought, Ji Cheng stood there for a while before realizing that Shen Che was leaning on the terrace of his room, watching her.
Seeing Ji Cheng turn her head, Shen Che said, “Come over for dinner.”
The temple’s dinner had no meat. There were two dishes of wild vegetables, several white steamed buns, and mountain spring water.
“It’s not good to drink tea while eating. Tomorrow, after we pick and process the new tea, I’ll brew some for you,” Shen Che said.
Ji Cheng sat down at the table. After a day of travel and having only eaten dry rations for lunch, she was genuinely hungry.
However, Shen Che didn’t pick up his chopsticks. Instead, he stood up and brought over a cotton cloth. “The ends of your hair are wet. Why didn’t you wring them dry?”
“Oh, I’ll just let it dry on its own,” Ji Cheng replied. She lacked the patience to wring her hair dry.
“You eat first.” Shen Che walked behind Ji Cheng, took the ends of her hair, and began wringing them dry with the cotton cloth.
Ji Cheng was thick-skinned. Since Shen Che said so, she did start eating without being polite. After all, Shen Che was usually quite impolite to her most of the time.
Although the temple’s food was very simple, it tasted surprisingly good – light, delicious, and with a subtle sweetness lingering afterward.
Shen Che was very patient. Ji Cheng didn’t even feel her hair being pulled as he worked. Compared to Yüqian’er’s care, his was even better. Regardless of whether his feelings were genuine or not, at least at this moment, Ji Cheng felt a faint sweetness in her heart. She thought that if she weren’t so rational, she might have been fooled by Shen Che.
However, even if there was affection now when he turned away one day, there would certainly be a heartbroken woman left crying.
As Ji Cheng was lost in thought, she felt a movement in her hand. Shen Che had lowered his head and taken a bite of the white steamed bun she was holding.
Ji Cheng turned to look at Shen Che. He must have been hungry too. Suddenly, Ji Cheng felt that compared to Shen Che, she didn’t know how to care for others, or rather, she didn’t understand how men and women should interact.
In contrast, among those women, Shen Che had liked and then abandoned, was there even one who hated him? They probably still harbored hopes of his return. After all, they had once been treated with such tenderness.
Ji Cheng suddenly felt she was truly foolish, having been so stubborn for so long. With such a clear example before her, she hadn’t learned to emulate it. What was the point of her stubbornness with Shen Che? Did she want him to remember only her bad points in the future, making it easier for him to be cruel?
No matter what the future held, Ji Cheng understood clearly that leaving even a thread of affection in Shen Che’s heart, while not necessarily beneficial, certainly wouldn’t be harmful.
Lost in thought, Ji Cheng’s hands didn’t slow down. She took another white steamed bun, wrapped a bit of wild vegetable in its tip, and turned to feed it to Shen Che.
“For me?” Shen Che’s slightly dazed expression made Ji Cheng want to laugh out loud for a moment.
“Yes, it’s considerate of Cousin Che to endure his hunger and help me wring my hair first,” Ji Cheng said with a smile.
The smile flowed from Ji Cheng’s eyes, her starry gaze dazzling.
Shen Che took a bite of the steamed bun from Ji Cheng’s hand. “The cooking skills in this temple’s kitchen are not bad.”
After dinner, Shen Che went next door to bathe. Ji Cheng rubbed her waist, sore from the horse ride, and looked at the bed in the guest room. Shen Che had already remade it with bedding brought from home.
Ji Cheng immediately decided to claim this guest room as her own. She took off her shoes and lay down directly, closing her eyes for a short rest.
However, improved sleep wasn’t always a good thing. Ji Cheng had only intended to take a short nap, but when she woke up again, it was Shen Che helping her undress.
Ji Cheng hadn’t fully come to her senses and reflexively gripped her collar tightly. Shen Che’s fingers gently undid her waistband. “I saw you sleeping in your clothes and thought it might be uncomfortable.”
Ji Cheng still held onto her collar.
Shen Che lowered his head to Ji Cheng’s ear and said, “Even if I wanted to do something, I couldn’t misbehave in someone else’s temple, right?”
As he spoke, Shen Che had already skillfully undone Ji Cheng’s outer garments, peeling them back from her shoulders. Ji Cheng cooperated by moving her hands slightly, allowing the outer clothes to be removed, revealing the white silk undergarment beneath.
“Sleep now.” Shen Che kissed Ji Cheng’s forehead, got up, and blew out the lamp for her.
Hearing the door open and close, Ji Cheng finally relaxed. Although modesty no longer had much meaning, there was still a mental barrier she couldn’t overcome.
In the middle of the night, she felt parched, the thirst waking her from her dreams. Ji Cheng got up from the bed, but before she reached the table, she saw someone sitting cross-legged on a chair by the wall in the moonlight.
Ji Cheng was so startled she took two steps back before realizing it was Shen Che.
“Thirsty?” Shen Che slowly opened his eyes and stood up, stretching his legs.
“What are you doing here?” Ji Cheng asked, covering her chest. What kind of problem was this, not sleeping in the middle of the night and coming to her room to meditate?
Shen Che walked to the table and poured a cup of tea for Ji Cheng, smiling as he said, “You sleep so soundly in such an unfamiliar place? If I weren’t keeping watch for you, someone could carry you away without you even knowing.”
Ji Cheng took the tea and drank it in one gulp, then handed the cup back to Shen Che. He naturally refilled it for her.
Ji Cheng, of course, didn’t believe Shen Che’s words, but she couldn’t find a better explanation for his behavior. Was it because she was so beautiful that he couldn’t bear to sleep and kept staring at her?