Shen Che glanced at Chu De, as if to say: Is this how you explained it to me?
Chu De rubbed his nose. “Well, if you ask me, if we can’t figure out how to arrange things now, let’s just leave it be. After three to five years, what should fade will fade, what should disperse will disperse, and it’ll naturally resolve itself.”
Shen Che smiled. He could understand Chu De’s reasoning, which was precisely why he had arranged for Liu Jun to be involved.
However, even though some matters had been arranged, there was still an unease in his heart that he couldn’t shake. Shen Che picked up his wine cup and took a sip. After a while, he said, “Tell me, if a woman can be so ruthless, what must she think of me?”
Shen Che spoke without meeting Chu De’s eyes.
Chu De felt a pang in his heart, though he wasn’t sure why. He thought about how someone of Shen Che’s stature had always been confident and successful with women. Even Fang Xuan hadn’t caused him such distress. But now, he had encountered this troublemaker, Ji Cheng.
Chu De was tempted to tell a few comforting lies to Shen Che, but he knew nothing could escape Shen Che’s perceptive eyes. Besides, false words couldn’t become truth. “Women are soft-hearted by nature,” he said, implying that if Ji Cheng had even a hint of feelings for Shen Che, she wouldn’t have been able to harm him.
Hearing this, Shen Che tilted his head back and drained his cup. He turned to Chu De and said, “I’m leaving now.”
As Chu De watched Shen Che’s solitary figure, he felt an indescribable loneliness. Although Shen Che was surrounded by admirers, this solitude was just an illusion, but Chu De couldn’t help feeling distressed. “Ai, how did you two end up like this?” According to Chu De’s understanding, once a woman had given her body to a man, her heart usually followed. Even if she was unwilling at first, she would eventually become jealous for his sake. Taming a woman was like taming a horse – as long as you stayed in the saddle and didn’t fall off, even the wildest mare would be subdued.
Shen Che couldn’t explain how they had reached this point.
Chu De stamped his foot and followed Shen Che’s figure as he walked out. “Hey, if you really can’t let go, then…”
Shen Che didn’t turn around, waving his hand to signal Chu De not to follow. Indeed, he couldn’t let go. His thoughts were in turmoil, with many questions he wanted to ask. But as Chu De had said, a woman’s heart was always soft, and Ji Cheng clearly felt nothing for him.
That’s why she didn’t even bother to fabricate lies, neither begging for mercy nor complaining of hardship.
During the days Shen Che was recovering at the Nine Li Courtyard, his inaction was, in a way, giving Ji Cheng an opportunity. It was her best chance to explain herself. While on the road, he had even thought that if Ji Cheng could come up with a not-too-far-fetched lie, he might have been able to pretend nothing had happened.
But clearly, Ji Cheng had no intention of explaining herself.
Thinking of this, Shen Che’s heart inevitably hardened. He had given Ji Cheng hints, but she had never shown any intention of stopping him from going west.
Upon his return this time, Shen Che hadn’t seen any emotional outburst from Ji Cheng. She was more like a fearless female warrior, silent and waiting to be executed. Did she really believe he had no choice but to kill her?
Ji Cheng was projecting her own intentions onto Shen Che. Since she had tried to kill him, she naturally didn’t doubt that Shen Che wanted to kill her too. It was only her many attachments that made her reluctant to leave this world.
Two days later, Ji Cheng’s sister-in-law, Fan Zengli, came to the Shen residence to visit her. Ji Cheng finally had a chance to ask, “Why did Father suddenly rush back to North Jin?” She suspected Shen Che might have done something.
Fan Zengli replied, “A letter from home said Mother was feeling unwell, and Father was also in a hurry to return to North Jin on business.”
Hearing this, Ji Cheng pressed further, “What’s wrong with Mother?”
Fan Zengli said, “It shouldn’t be anything serious. When I came in April, Mother was fine. But you, if you’re worried, you should quickly settle your marriage arrangements so you can return to North Jin to embroider your wedding clothes.”
Ji Cheng looked at Fan Zengli and asked, “Did Sister-in-law come today about the Liu family’s marriage proposal?”
Fan Zengli nodded and smiled, “You already know?” She took Ji Cheng’s hand and sat down. “Actually, I never expected a matchmaker to come so soon. I think the Liu family is very sincere. Madam Liu seems kind and gentle. If you marry into their family, you’ll surely get along well with your in-laws. In a few days, we’ll go to Baoguo Temple to pray, and you can meet Young Master Liu. If there’s nothing amiss, we can settle the engagement.”
Ji Cheng responded with a soft “Mm.”
Fan Zengli couldn’t help but feel pleased as she looked at Ji Cheng. “Master Liu is a professor at the Imperial Academy. If our two families can really settle this engagement, he might be able to give your eldest brother some guidance before the autumn imperial examinations. That would increase his chances of passing. Once your eldest brother becomes an official, we won’t have to be so subservient and looked down upon anymore.”
Ji Cheng responded with another “Mm,” feeling listless inside. Seeing Fan Zengli so happy, she only felt guilty, hoping that she wouldn’t bring trouble to them in the future.
Before leaving the Shen residence, Fan Zengli naturally had to thank the Old Madam. She expressed a thousand thanks, even mentioning lighting longevity lamps for the Old Madam.
The maid listening nearby couldn’t help but curl her lip in disdain. What kind of talk was this? It was so unrefined. Did the Old Madam need her to light longevity lamps? Sometimes, flattery that’s too blatant can be off-putting.
After Fan Zengli finished her chatter, the Old Madam said, “This marriage arrangement seems a bit hasty. Your family should inquire more about the groom’s family background. It’s important that Cheng girl can live harmoniously after she marries.”
Fan Zengli smiled, “Old Madam, you’re being too modest. How could there be any mistake in the family you’ve chosen for our Cheng?”
After Fan Zengli left, Yun Jin couldn’t help but comment, “This Ji family’s eldest sister-in-law is too greedy and unsightly.”
The Old Madam sighed. No wonder Ji Cheng was in a hurry to marry. Her sister-in-law probably couldn’t tolerate her anymore and was just hoping she could make a good match to benefit the Ji family. She didn’t care who Ji Cheng actually married.
Ji Cheng escorted Fan Zengli to the door. Fan Zengli turned and said, “Miss, don’t see me off anymore. Hurry back and spend more time talking with the Old Madam. When you marry into a Beijing family in the future, our family will be far away, and we’ll still need to rely on the Shen family as your support.”
Ji Cheng smiled faintly without saying a word.
Fan Zengli continued, “Although we’re going to Baoguo Temple to pray, you shouldn’t dress too plainly. I know you’re naturally beautiful, but clothes make the man as gold makes the Buddha. You must take this marriage seriously and not think about what happened before.”
Ji Cheng was tired of entertaining Fan Zengli. She nodded perfunctorily and saw her off to the carriage. As she was heading towards Ruiying Hall, she happened to see Shen Yu and Young Master Hong walking one after the other. She quickly dodged to the side, leaning against the wall to avoid being discovered.
Shen Yu indeed didn’t notice, but Young Master Hong had sharp eyes and immediately called out loudly, “Aunt Cheng!”
Young Master Hong ran towards Ji Cheng. “Aunt Cheng, why haven’t you come to see me these past few days?”
Now Ji Cheng couldn’t avoid it and had to reluctantly greet Shen Yu. She didn’t know exactly what Shen Che had told Shen Yu, but she could sense Shen Yu’s attitude towards her. As for the marriage, she hadn’t heard him mention it again.
Not knowing what Shen Che had revealed, Ji Cheng inevitably felt guilty when she saw Shen Yu.
Shen Yu also felt awkward upon seeing Ji Cheng. At first glance, he thought she seemed to have lost weight, as thin as morning dew. With a gentle breeze, who knew where she would fall to nourish the green grass and tender shoots?
“Young Master Hong, you haven’t finished practicing your calligraphy,” Shen Yu said.
Ji Cheng also bent down to speak to Young Master Hong, “Go back and practice your calligraphy. I’ll come see you when I’m free.”
Ji Cheng’s voice had a natural softness to it. Looking at her appearance and hearing her voice, one could never imagine she was a person with a heart as hard as iron.
Shen Yu didn’t dare to look at Ji Cheng, but just hearing her voice made him a bit entranced. The Ji family’s affairs stuck in his throat like a fishbone, but he couldn’t help thinking to himself that Ji Cheng was just a sheltered young woman who rarely left home. How could she have anything to do with the Ji family’s affairs?
However, Shen Yu didn’t dare risk the Shen family’s safety, so he could only painfully give up his love.
When Shen Yu led the reluctant Young Master Hong back to the nearby Changheng Courtyard, Young Master Hong immediately shook off his hand and ran back to his room.
Don’t say that children don’t understand. Sometimes they are more sensitive than you can imagine. As soon as Young Master Hong returned to his room, he started throwing a tantrum at Yun Zhu, “They’re all liars! Rui Xue clearly said that Father was going to marry Aunt Cheng. Why is he going back on his word now? And he won’t even let me play with Aunt Cheng.”
Shen Yu, standing under the window, overheard this and felt no less distressed than Young Master Hong. He thought that Ji Cheng must be blaming him for going back on his word. Even Young Master Hong knew to accuse him, yet Ji Cheng hadn’t uttered a single word of complaint.
Feeling guilty, Shen Yu impulsively strode out of the courtyard towards the direction where he had encountered Ji Cheng earlier. But how could he find any trace of her now? Shen Yu felt lost and melancholic. At night in his dreams, he often saw Ji Cheng as she was when she rescued someone from the water, like a pool of white lotuses blooming before his eyes. The rustling sound fell on people’s ears and hearts, growing white lotus roots that could never be severed.
Shen Yu returned to Changheng Courtyard in a daze and called for a servant, “Go to the Nine Li Courtyard and see if the Second Young Master is there.”
At this moment, Shen Che was not at the Nine Li Courtyard, but had already gone far to the Three Goodness Residence.
When he saw the Three Goodness Residence before him, he suddenly realized he had come here without knowing why.
The “Three Goodnesss” referred to good mountains, good waters, and good people. Unfortunately, while the mountains and waters remained, the person was no longer good.
Shen Che’s hand rose gently, and with a flick of his sleeve, the wooden plaque he had carved stroke by stroke in February broke into two pieces and fell to the ground.
Old Luo, who was sweeping dust, heard the noise and flashed out. Seeing the broken “Three Goodness Residence” plaque on the ground and Shen Che’s listless appearance, he laughed and said, “Why have you come up the mountain at this time?” Shen Che usually didn’t come during this month.
Shen Che leaned against the wicker gate without responding.
Seeing that Shen Che was unwilling to go inside, Old Luo said, “Want to sit at my place for a while?”
Old Luo’s thatched cottage was far inferior to the Three Goodness Residence, but it was open on all sides, making it cool in the height of summer. As the two sat face to face, Old Luo was about to boil water for tea when he heard Shen Che say, “No tea. Do you have any wine?”
“Oh? Didn’t you always say that drinking hurts the mind and spirit, and that you only drink tea, not wine? What’s the matter today?” Old Luo laughed.