Clearing his throat to conceal his momentary lapse, Shen Yu looked down at Ji Cheng from atop his horse. “Cousin, your earlier actions were too dangerous. It’s best to refrain from such behavior in the future.” His words were genuine, born from concern for Ji Cheng. He didn’t perceive her as two-faced, as she had feared, but rather found the young lady surprisingly lively.
In truth, he had already developed a fondness for her. Through this lens of affection, Ji Cheng’s actions appeared merely spirited. Had he harbored ill feelings towards her, the same behavior might have been seen as reckless and unbecoming of a proper young woman.
Such is the unfairness of human perception, colored by our likes and dislikes.
Hearing Shen Yu’s words, Ji Cheng nodded repeatedly, assuring him of her compliance. Seeing her reaction, Shen Yu wondered if he had been too harsh. After all, this Pleasure Garden was a rare moment of leisure for the young lady, and he didn’t want to frighten her into excessive restraint in the future.
After that brief exchange, silence fell between them. The rhythmic crunching of leaves underfoot signaled someone’s approach, the monotonous sound gradually calming their hearts.
Ji Cheng looked up to see Shen Che emerging from the woods, clad in a cyan robe and carrying a pheasant pierced by an arrow. The shock from Shen Yu’s words had been so great that seeing Shen Che now barely stirred her emotions. She was, as the saying goes, like a dead pig unfazed by boiling water.
“Cousin Che,” Ji Cheng called out with a radiant smile.
Shen Che, looking at Ji Cheng, curved his lips into a slight smile. “Cousin Ji’s horsemanship is… quite interesting.”
Ji Cheng blinked, unsure of the meaning behind Shen Che’s pause and the phrase “quite interesting.” She had no time to ponder it further. It’s often said that female beauty bewitches, but male attractiveness can be equally captivating. No wonder the Wang sisters were so enamored with Shen Che, and even the Su and Lu cousins treated him differently.
Shen Yu, hearing this, glanced at Shen Che. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard his cousin use the phrase “quite interesting.” The last time they went out together, Shen Che had said the same about the tofu flower seller on the second floor who had tossed down a handkerchief with a golden hairpin at him.
It was natural for Shen Che to find Ji Cheng intriguing, given her good looks. Shen Yu asked Ji Cheng, “Cousin, why are you here alone?”
Ji Cheng quickly replied, “I was racing horses with my brother.” This single sentence explained her earlier unladylike behavior.
Shen Yu nodded, but Shen Che spoke up, “When we came by, we saw your brother with Fourth Brother on that northeastern hillside. It’s too dangerous for a young lady to be out alone. You should go find him quickly.”
While Shen Che’s words seemed like normal concern for a cousin, they subtly pointed out the inconsistency in Ji Cheng’s story. If she had been racing with Ji Yuan, why was he chatting with Shen Jing on the hillside?
Ji Cheng felt wronged. She had told the truth, only to be undermined by her brother. However, saying anything more now would only be seen as making excuses. So, Ji Cheng could only force a faint smile, swallowing the blood that had surged to her chest.
As Shen Yu and Shen Che walked side by side, Shen Yu glanced at Shen Che again. Shen Che returned a smile, both understanding each other’s thoughts.
Shen Yu sighed inwardly. Though he disliked Shen Che’s philandering ways, he couldn’t muster sympathy for the women Shen Che “ruined.” It was a willing exchange, and they lacked proper virtue. As for Shen Che, he had never failed to win women’s hearts. Shen Yu had no interest in competing with his brother for women. However, when it came to Ji Cheng, Shen Yu couldn’t help feeling a twinge of regret.
Yet, Ji Cheng was but a fleeting fascination for Shen Yu. After the initial flutter of interest, he pushed her to the back of his mind. After all, romance occupied only a tiny corner in the glacier of his heart.
Meanwhile, Ji Cheng, watching Shen Yu and Shen Che’s retreating figures, felt her temper rising. She decided to wait for her brother at their agreed meeting place, curious to see if he would remember to find her.
Ji Cheng sat under a tree on the hillside, hugging her knees. Now, she dared not relax even slightly. Even though she was alone, she couldn’t lie down and gaze at the drifting clouds as she used to love doing.
Her stomach growled with hunger. The sun had already set behind the hill, leaving only a sliver of orange light, yet there was still no sign of Ji Yuan. Ji Cheng’s thin clothes could no longer ward off the evening chill. She sneezed and shook her head with a wry smile, wondering why she was being so stubborn. She knew her brother all too well.
Ji Yuan, as the eldest son of Ji Qing, was destined to uphold the Ji family. However, he had learned little of the merchant’s adaptability and thoughtfulness. Instead, he had fully absorbed the scholar’s arrogance and the Jinzhou men’s disdain for women.
Losing a horse race to a man was acceptable, but losing to a woman was something Ji Yuan found hard to swallow. Unwilling to admit defeat to his sister, he had simply slipped away, planning to make up an excuse later.
Ji Cheng, after all, was still just a fifteen-year-old girl. She looked up at the darkening sky, wiped her slightly damp eyes, and was about to dejectedly get up and return when she heard someone call out joyfully from behind, “Cousin Cheng, you’re still here!”
“Cousin Jing,” Ji Cheng turned to see Shen Jing standing not far away, his face lit with happiness.
“I’ve finally found you. I thought you might still be here,” Shen Jing said, walking towards her with evident excitement.
It turned out that earlier that day, the Old Madam, seeing that her usually busy grandsons like Shen Yu and Shen Che had come, had happily arranged a banquet in the Jing Garden, hoping for a joyous gathering of young and old.
When Shen Cui went to look for Ji Cheng but couldn’t find her, she wasn’t worried. It wasn’t until everyone was seated and the Old Madam asked about Ji Cheng’s absence that they realized she hadn’t returned home.
Shen Cui couldn’t help but speak up, “Cousin Yuan, didn’t Cousin Cheng go horse riding with you? Why didn’t she come back with you?”
Ji Yuan was also getting anxious by this point. “Hasn’t A-Cheng returned?” He had assumed that after waiting for him in vain, Ji Cheng would have come back on her own. Only now did he realize that Ji Cheng had gone out alone, without even a maid. What if something had happened to her in this unfamiliar place?
He cursed his male pride, not wanting to face Ji Cheng, always assuming the best, forgetting that this wasn’t Jinzhou, Ji Cheng’s familiar hometown, but the strange capital city.
“Cousin Yuan, how did you and A-Cheng get separated?” Shen Yuan asked with concern.
Ji Yuan’s face reddened as he explained, “A-Cheng and I were having a playful horse race, but halfway through, I met Zitong and he pulled me away. I thought A-Cheng would come back on her own when she couldn’t find me.” Just like she often did when playing alone back in Jinzhou.
“Oh, how could you leave a young girl alone on the plains?” the Old Madam, always protective of the younger generation, was now worried. “It’s almost dark. Quickly send people to search for her. She must be frightened, all alone out there.”
Thus, several of the older Shen cousins, including Shen Jing, set out with others to search for Ji Cheng.
When Ji Cheng heard the whole story from Shen Jing, she thought it was indeed heaven-sent, finally proving to Shen Yu that she hadn’t been lying.
In human interactions, the most crucial thing is to avoid giving the impression that you frequently lie.
“Are you cold?” Shen Jing, now disregarding propriety between men and women, was about to take off his cloak to drape over Ji Cheng.
Just then, Ji Cheng stepped forward joyfully, exclaiming, “Brother, you’re alright!”
Ji Yuan quickly approached, feeling too ashamed to look directly into Ji Cheng’s eyes. Yet, Ji Cheng’s face showed no reproach, only delight at seeing him, which made Ji Yuan feel a bit better.
Ji Yuan let out an “Ah” and said, “You silly girl, how could anything happen to me? You’re the foolish one. Why didn’t you go back when you didn’t see me?”
“I was worried that something might have delayed you, Brother. But I was also afraid you’d be anxious if you came here and couldn’t find me,” Ji Cheng explained sheepishly. Ji Cheng’s nature was such that she would never embarrass others unnecessarily, especially not her elder brother.
Shen Jing, watching from the side, felt sorry for Ji Cheng. She must have been scared and hungry, yet she still worried about her brother not being able to find her. Seeing this, Shen Jing found Ji Cheng increasingly kind-hearted, pure, and endearing.
As they descended the hillside, Ji Cheng saw in the distance a group of people carrying torches, including Shen Yu and Shen Che, coming around the woods.
The commotion was indeed grand, and Ji Cheng hadn’t expected so many people to come looking for her. She felt very apologetic, but she didn’t dare flatter herself. She knew that only Ji Yuan and Shen Jing had truly come to find her; the others, according to Shen Jing’s account, had come out to reassure the Old Madam.
Seeing Ji Cheng approach, wrapped in Ji Yuan’s cloak, and noticing that Shen Jing’s cloak was still draped over his arm, Shen Yu gave Ji Cheng another appraising look.
A young, beautiful cousin came to stay with the Shen family at the age when marriage discussions were appropriate – Shen Yu didn’t need to think hard to understand the Ji family’s intentions. However, he hadn’t seen in Ji Cheng the kind of eagerness towards the Shen family, or towards him or Shen Jing, that he might have expected. As for Shen Che, Shen Yu could only observe coldly. If Ji Cheng could resist Shen Che’s temptations, it would be to her credit.
Regardless, because Shen Yu had mistakenly thought Ji Cheng was lying that afternoon, and now seeing her actively maintaining propriety with Shen Jing, his impression of her improved slightly.
As for Shen Che, he was quite familiar with young ladies’ playful tactics of advancing by retreating. Despite Ji Cheng’s current show of propriety, her true thoughts were hard to discern. At the very least, from Shen Jing’s eyes that seemed glued to Ji Cheng, Shen Che could tell that Miss Ji had some small tricks up her sleeve.