The two exchanged a silent glance as if quietly expressing their deep feelings. It was enough to make people furious. Shen Qin couldn’t help but stamp her foot again. “Second Brother!”
Shen Qin saw Shen Che give her a cold look before turning his head and saying, “Elder Brother.”
Following Shen Che’s gaze, Ji Cheng saw Shen Yu walking over with another unfamiliar young man. They had probably been hidden from view by the crowd earlier, which was why no one had noticed them.
Seeing Shen Che and Shen Qin’s group, Shen Yu walked over with the young man. “Second Brother,” Shen Yu said, slightly turning his face to look at the young man and introducing him, “This is my second brother, his given name is just the character ‘Che’.” As for Shen Yuan, Shen Qin, and the others, Shen Yu didn’t introduce them. Instead, he turned to Shen Che and said, “This is Brother Xiuwen. He just arrived in the capital yesterday. The Old Madam asked me to show him around.”
Although Ji Cheng didn’t know who this “Brother Xiuwen” was, she immediately guessed his identity when she saw Shen Yuan’s bashful expression.
Ji Cheng’s mind was in turmoil. This was too uncanny – they had met Shen Yuan’s future husband, the eldest young master of the Zeng family, Zeng Xiuwen, in Today’s Life Alley.
Shen Qin was also excited. Forgetting to glare at her second brother, she excitedly squeezed Shen Yuan’s arm and whispered, “Third Sister, it’s him!”
Shen Yuan had already lowered her head in embarrassment. Although Zeng Xiuwen had never met Shen Yuan before, and there were several young ladies present, he immediately recognized Shen Yuan in the crowd. After all, she was his fiancée, and he had heard a lot about her. Among them, she was the one with the most dignified and composed demeanor.
Zeng Xiuwen’s face was also a bit red, and he didn’t dare to look at the group of young ladies again. Seeing that he was so awkward that he didn’t know where to put his hands, Shen Che spoke up, “Brother Zeng, are you and Elder Brother also here to visit the Yuelao Temple? I was just about to go there too. Why don’t we go together?”
As soon as Shen Che and the other two left, Shen Cui immediately pulled Shen Yuan’s sleeve and excitedly said, “Sister Yuan, that was the eldest young master of the Zeng family, wasn’t it? Right?”
Shen Yuan, her face red, said, “I’ve never seen him before, how would I know?” Despite her words, everyone could tell that it was indeed the eldest young master of the Zeng family, undoubtedly Shen Yuan’s future husband.
“Oh my, isn’t this too miraculous?” Shen Cui exclaimed, covering her mouth.
At these words, all the young ladies fell silent for a moment, various thoughts flooding their minds.
Shen Cui was anxious, not knowing who she might encounter in Today’s Life Alley. The three men they had met so far – two were her cousins, and one was her sister’s fiancé – weren’t her destined one.
Shen Qin was regretting that she had met Chu Zhen in Previous Life Alley. How much better would it have been if they had met in Today’s Life Alley?
Su Yun’s heart was both sweet and sour. Sweet because the first man she saw in Today’s Life Alley was Shen Che, but sour because Shen Che already had a beauty by his side. Although such a woman could never become his wife, it still made her jealous.
When Lu Yuan first came to the Shen manor, she was just like Su Yun, captivated by Shen Che’s handsome, otherworldly face. She felt that in this life, even just looking at that face would be enough to satisfy her heart and provide for all her needs. As for Shen Che’s romantic escapades, this wasn’t a flaw but rather added to his charm. After all, wouldn’t conquering such a man be a great accomplishment?
Even Fourth Miss Wang seemed to have some unyielding thoughts about Shen Che.
However, Lu Yuan had recently come to her senses. Although she admired Shen Che, he was indifferent towards her, not even sparing the casual banter of siblings. It was clear there was no hope. Lu Yuan’s feelings for Shen Che were merely surface-level infatuation, so she could quickly detach herself. Moreover, the type of man she liked wasn’t like Shen Che at all.
Shen Che was indeed exceptionally handsome, but he wasn’t the muscular type. Lu Yuan had grown up on the frontier, and her father had spent years in military camps. So, the men she was used to seeing were all soldiers – tall, sturdy, with bulging muscles and bronzed skin glistening with sweat. To her, those were real men.
Unfortunately, such men were rare in the capital. Among those who could barely be considered this type, the only one Lu Yuan had seen was the Shen family’s eldest cousin – Shen Yu. Although Shen Yu was about half an inch shorter than Shen Che, his build was more robust, yet not chubby – probably muscular.
So, Lu Yuan’s girlish heart gradually shifted towards Shen Yu. After hearing about Shen Yu’s great achievements, she admired this man who was so similar to her father even more.
Encountering Shen Yu in Today’s Life Alley, how could Lu Yuan’s heart not beat wildly in her chest?
As for Ji Cheng, although she didn’t believe in past lives and future lives, she was truly shocked by Zeng Xiuwen’s appearance. It was too coincidental, and she couldn’t help but start to half-believe the legend.
This sudden moment of silence brought Ji Cheng back to her senses. She slightly raised her eyelids and saw Qi Hua and Qi Zheng walking towards them from across the street.
Since Qi Hua knew about Wang Yueniang’s affair, her family must have known too. So when she went out, her mother, worried, had specifically asked Qi Zheng to accompany her to the Yuelao Temple.
However, they hadn’t seen Qi Zheng at the Yuelao Temple earlier. He probably felt there were too many women there and had avoided it. Now, unexpectedly, they encountered this pair of siblings here again.
Qi Zheng had seen Ji Cheng’s group earlier but didn’t feel it was appropriate to come forward and greet them. He only nodded slightly towards Ji Cheng from afar. Qi Hua, who had just been severely humiliated by Fourth Miss Wang at the Yuelao Temple, was already embarrassed to face people. Seeing Ji Cheng and the others, she merely nodded in acknowledgment.
Shen Yuan and the others returned their greetings with a smile. After all, they weren’t very close, and the incident of Qi Hua falling into the water last time had made Shen Yuan wary. It was better not to associate too much.
However, Shen Cui seemed to be under some spell. She had known about Qi Zheng before, but the Qi family were down and out, and Shen Cui had never paid them any attention. So she had never really looked at Qi Zheng properly before.
But today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and this was the mysteriously efficacious Today’s Life Alley. Qi Zheng was the first man Shen Cui had encountered face-to-face in this alley, apart from her relatives. So it’s no wonder she took notice of him.
Once Shen Cui took a good look at Qi Zheng, she became interested. Qi Zheng was inherently gentle and refined. Although he couldn’t compare to Shen Che’s elegance, he was considered one of the most handsome men in the capital. Today he wore a bamboo-green robe, looking as fresh and handsome as green bamboo from afar. Several young ladies were already secretly glancing at Qi Zheng.
However, as they were just passers-by, Qi Zheng and Qi Hua quickly reached the end of the alley. Today’s Life Alley was the shortest of the three alleys, and Ji Cheng’s group was about to turn towards Next Life Alley.
Just as the group turned the corner, they saw Chu Zhen and Shen Jing hurrying over. Shen Jing was two steps behind Chu Zhen. They had met by chance on the road, but for some reason, Chu Zhen was walking incredibly fast today, as if the wind was beneath his feet. Shen Jing had to use all his strength just to keep up with him.
“Ah!” Shen Qin cried out in surprise, not expecting to see Chu Zhen here again. Her heart was almost overflowing with joy. Although this area was technically the intersection of Next Life Alley and Today’s Life Alley, Shen Qin subconsciously still considered it part of Today’s Life Alley.
After her exclamation, Shen Qin realized she had lost her composure. She quickly turned her head and called out “Fourth Brother” to Shen Jing, covering up her slip. “Why are you here?”
Hearing this, Shen Jing finally shifted his gaze from Ji Cheng. “Oh, I came to look for Elder Brother and Brother Zeng. I met Zhen Chang on the way and invited him to join us.”
“Elder Brother and the others just went towards Previous Life Alley,” Shen Yuan said.
Shen Jing nodded, “Alright, I understand. It’s not very peaceful lately, you should all head back early to ease the Old Madam’s worries.”
With that, Shen Jing and Chu Zhen went on ahead. Ji Cheng turned her head to look at their retreating figures, feeling a bit strange. She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Chu Zhen’s gaze towards her was somewhat odd. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what was strange about it, but it seemed somewhat lingering and tender, quite different from his usual dark-faced, taciturn image.
Shen Cui was straightforward. They had just seen Chu Zhen in Previous Life Alley, so why was he coming from Next Life Alley now? It was as if he had circled the Yuelao Temple. Curiously, she turned her head to ask Shen Yuan, “Sister Yuan, isn’t it strange? Why is Zhen Chang here again?”
The speaker may be unaware, but the listener is attentive. Shen Qin felt that Chu Zhen had deliberately made this circle, and her heart was pounding.
Shen Yuan didn’t think too deeply about it. “Who knows? Perhaps Fourth Brother brought him along.”
Shen Yuan was wrongly accusing Shen Jing. Chu Zhen and Chu De were looking for Shen Che. Mainly, it was Chu De who wanted to find Shen Che. He had heard that Shen Che had recently succeeded in seducing Rui Yu, and he was itching with curiosity. Imagine, he, the fourth young master of the Ping Prince’s mansion, had been waiting in line for half a year just to hear Rui Yu sing a short tune, but to no avail. Miss Rui Yu simply disdained to entertain these young nobles. Usually, those who could see her were either literary giants or refined scholars. Chu De fell far short of that standard.
Indeed, as soon as Chu De saw Rui Yu, he was rooted to the spot. Although young ladies like Ji Cheng were beautiful and charming, they were after all proper ladies. How could they compare to Rui Yu’s allure? She was seductive to her very bones. On the surface, she seemed very proper, but in front of her, you could make any kind of joke, ribald or clean, without taboo. Chatting with her was so much more interesting. Even if you had been slighted by her for a long time and hated her to the bone, as soon as she flattered you with her sweet words, all your anger would dissipate. She made her living with her silver tongue, and she was truly skilled at it.
Chu Zhen, however, didn’t like women like Rui Yu who swayed with every step and constantly let out coquettish sighs. When he saw Ji Cheng and her group walking from the Yuelao Temple towards Previous Life Alley, he guessed they would walk through Three Lives Alley. That’s why he hurriedly wanted to make a circle to Today’s Life Alley to see Ji Cheng again. Who knew he would first be delayed by Chu De, and then when he met Shen Jing, he was pulled aside to talk for a while. As a result, he almost missed the “encounter of this life.”
Apart from visiting the Yuelao Temple to worship at the Mid-Autumn Festival, each family would also set up incense altars to worship the moon in the evening. After the Old Madam led the women of the family to worship the moon, everyone went to the Twenty-four Moon Pavilion in Qing Garden.