Chapter Sixteen

Perhaps it was mere coincidence that Gu Huaisheng and Miss Meng, the third daughter of the Ministry of Rites, came from across the river. As they had just descended from the bridge, they unexpectedly encountered the two of them emerging from the alley. The bridge faced the alley’s exit directly, so the four of them crossed paths like that.

Jiang Jingchun looked at Gu Huaisheng, whose gaze also fell upon her.

The few of them exchanged silent glances; the atmosphere grew somewhat tense.

Eventually, it was Miss Meng, third daughter of the Meng family, who spoke first. She looked at Gu Huaisheng and asked, “Young Master Gu, is something the matter?”

Gu Huaisheng’s eyes remained fixed on Jiang Jingchun, resting on her lips, which still bore a patch of slightly disheveled crimson.

He had never been to any pleasure quarters before, nor had he ever engaged in such intimate matters with anyone. Yet, looking at her red lips, his mind involuntarily wandered elsewhere.

If this trace of red had appeared under ordinary circumstances, it wouldn’t have prompted much thought. But since the two of them had just come out of that alley... emerging from there evoked all sorts of conjectures.

The alley was dim and impenetrable by light at night, stretching endlessly into darkness. A young man and woman stood at its mouth, bathed in faint light—it was a beautiful sight.

Gu Huaisheng knew that Jiang Jingchun and Song Xuan’an were close; she was also quite playful. So, he wondered if she might have done something like that.

Had they... perhaps kissed?

He didn’t know, but he couldn’t very well ask.

A strange irritation welled up in his chest—an emotion he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Miss Meng, noticing his silence, looked towards the alley’s entrance. There stood a woman with twin hanging buns, strikingly beautiful, and behind her, a man carrying numerous parcels, appearing about two or three years her senior.

Jiang Jingchun’s reputation in the capital was not insignificant; Miss Meng had heard of her. Upon seeing them together, she could guess that this was the cousin who liked to chase after Gu Huaisheng everywhere.

Just as she was about to speak, the young girl before them addressed Gu Huaisheng, “Cousin, didn’t you say you had something to do?”

Her tone carried a grievance she herself hadn’t noticed.

But once those words left her mouth, Jiang Jingchun immediately regretted them.

They made her look even more foolish.

He did have something to do, but it involved accompanying someone else.

And she had to butt in with such a question.

It was irritating.

Miss Meng sensed the awkwardness in the atmosphere and said, “So this is Miss Jiang. And the gentleman behind her is...?”

“He is from the Song family,” Gu Huaisheng answered.

Miss Meng nodded in understanding. Then, looking at Gu Huaisheng, she asked, “Since we’ve met so coincidentally, why don’t we go together?”

Though she did not have a favorable impression of someone who liked to cling to others, after all, they were family on Gu Huaisheng’s side. This was only their first meeting, and she was not yet at a place to decide things for him.

She thought Gu Huaisheng wouldn’t like her much and probably wouldn’t agree.

But unexpectedly, Gu Huaisheng spoke up.

“All right, let’s go together.”

His brows remained furrowed as he looked at the two of them.

Why not go? If he didn’t keep an eye on her, who knew what trouble she might cause?

Jiang Jingchun clearly didn’t want to meddle between the two, and just as she was about to refuse, Gu Huaisheng turned back and left her with a single command, “Keep up.”

His tone brooked no argument. Left with no choice, Jiang Jingchun followed.

The four walked together, with Gu Huaisheng and Miss Meng leading, Jiang Jingchun and Song Xuan’an trailing behind. Since following Gu Huaisheng, Jiang Jingchun had felt uneasy. Initially, she had wanted to follow him out, but now that her wish was fulfilled, she felt no joy.

Seeing Gu Huaisheng and Miss Meng walking side by side ahead, Jiang Jingchun lost all desire to enjoy herself. She trailed behind, listless and dispirited.

Finally, as the evening wound down and they finished admiring the lanterns, they prepared to part ways. Miss Meng boarded her carriage home, while Gu Huaisheng said to Jiang Jingchun, “Let’s go. I’ll see you back to the Jiang residence.”

Song Xuan’an stepped forward before Jiang Jingchun could respond. “No need. I’ll escort her. She came out with me, so it’s only proper I see her home. No trouble for Young Lord Gu.”

He was eighteen now, nearly fully grown, almost as tall as Gu Huaisheng, though standing before him still made him seem somewhat vulnerable.

Gu Huaisheng gave Shuliang a meaningful glance. Shuliang understood and stepped forward to take the heavy parcels from Song Xuan’an’s hands.

Song Xuan’an resisted but was forced to relent when Gu Huaisheng said, “Do you want her to get punished again?”

Last time, she had been punished just for sneaking out with him.

If the Jiang family saw her out with him again, who knew what they’d say?

But with Gu Huaisheng involved, no one dared speak.

Reluctantly, Song Xuan’an handed the parcels over and watched them disappear from sight.

The ruckus of the evening died down; the dragon boat race had concluded. By the hour of Hai, the bustling street noises faded, lanterns were taken down, and the splendid chapter of the day turned back to the ordinary.

The two walked in silence on the way back to the Jiang residence, neither speaking until they neared the gates.

Jiang Jingchun finally broke the silence. Following behind him, she asked, “Cousin, are you thinking about marriage?”

Last time it was Miss Lou; now she didn’t know which lady it would be. Many liked him; he disliked the Lou family and today’s lady, but there would always be others eager to catch his eye.

Today he looked at one; tomorrow another. Sooner or later, he would settle on someone.

But what about her?

What was she to him?

All along, it had been one-sided.

She said, “You didn’t like the Miss Lou last time; do you like this lady now?”

Her words carried an unspoken bitterness, obvious to any listener.

Gu Huaisheng found her childish words hardly worth arguing with. But looking at her lips, he shamefully entertained a childish, mischievous thought.

He said, “She’s all right.”

He said she was all right.

Jiang Jingchun remembered that Gu Huaisheng never lied. She naturally believed him, so... he really thought she was not bad?

Her expression visibly fell.

“Marriage is no trifling matter. Cousin, you should think it over carefully.”

What else could she say? Was she to tell him not to like those girls?

Was she to bluntly say, “Don’t consider them; consider me instead”?

Maintaining what little dignity she had left, she finished speaking and turned toward the mansion.

Yet, her forced composure looked like a child trying to sound grown-up, which only made the scene more pitiful.

Gu Huaisheng watched her retreating figure and finally reminded her, “Your mouth.”

Jiang Jingchun hadn’t gone far. Hearing his words, though unclear what he meant, she feared if she stayed any longer she’d lose her resolve and break down in tears. So she paused briefly, then turned without looking back and went inside.

She swallowed her grief and sat before the bronze mirror. Only then did she notice her lipstick was smudged.

She remembered it was when Song Xuan’an had pressed his palm against her lips earlier—likely then the smudge occurred.

She muttered, “So annoying. It’s all Song Xuan’an’s fault.”

Naturally, she thought nothing else, only assuming that Gu Huaisheng, a man so bound by etiquette and propriety, would find this smudge improper.

But soon she recalled what Gu Huaisheng had said just now at the gate, and a fresh wave of discomfort washed over her. Her mind grew dizzy, and the more she thought, the more unhappy she became.

In the end, tears escaped unbidden, rolling down her cheeks.

Hua Yun was startled but understood why she cried. Having seen Young Lord Gu with others tonight, how could she feel at ease?

But to untie the knot, one must ask the person who tied it. No matter how much Hua Yun comforted her, it was useless. So she let her cry alone.

*

After returning to the Marquis mansion, Madam Gu was already waiting there.

The drifting clouds veiled the moonlight as he came in from outside, his face momentarily shadowed before brightening once inside.

Seeing the young man with frost-kissed brows enter, Madam Gu instinctively felt something was wrong.

Sure enough, when she asked about Miss Meng, Gu Huaisheng replied with the same words: “I don’t like her.”

Madam Gu’s head ached. She had spent much effort liaising with Madam Meng over this matter and had even met Miss Meng once. She seemed a fine young lady.

What could he possibly find unsatisfactory?

She complained, “You yourself agreed to consider the match at first, which is why I sought out a match for you. But now, you don’t like this one, nor that one. Are you teasing me on purpose?”

Those were the best candidates, yet he didn’t like any. Did he fancy a celestial fairy?

Madam Gu had a premonition: no matter how many girls she introduced, he would never like any of them in person.

“Fine. If you don’t like the ones I find, then tell me what kind of girl you do like. You’ve met everyone in the capital by now; I’ll have made enemies of all their mothers.”

“I don’t know,” he said indifferently.

Hearing his bland tone, Madam Gu nearly fainted. “I worry about this and that for you; can’t you care a little yourself?”

“You needn’t worry.”

“Can I not worry?”

If she didn’t worry about his marriage, who else would? If he waited to care himself, she’d never hold her eldest grandson.

Seeing Gu Huaisheng’s stubborn attitude, she felt there was no point in continuing. She could vent her anger, but it would only make her faint.

Madam Gu stood and left. Gu Huaisheng sat a while longer, then prepared to leave.

Just then, a small head peeked in at the door. Gu Huaisheng looked up and saw it was Gu Huailang.

It was odd that he wasn’t asleep yet.

Gu Huaisheng ignored the little figure and stepped outside without stopping.

Only when Gu Huailang spoke did he pause.

“Brother, which dragon boat team won today?”

A few days ago, while walking with their mother, Gu Huailang had seen preparations for the Dragon Boat Festival race and thought the teams were impressive. He wanted to know which had won.

Gu Huaisheng stopped and looked down at him. “You didn’t go out to play tonight?”

Hearing this, Gu Huailang pouted, his tone tinged with grievance. “Mother promised to take me out, but she got busy and forgot me. I said I’d take the servants out myself, but she wouldn’t let me.”

Their mother often broke her word, leaving Gu Huailang too upset to sleep.

Under the lantern hanging by the corridor, Gu Huaisheng saw the child’s eyes were swollen, as if from crying.

Madam Gu had indeed promised to take him out, but with the festival and family dinner preparations, it had gotten late. Gu Huailang wanted to go out, but Madam Gu firmly forbade it.

The memory of Jiang Jingchun once getting lost still haunted them. At the time, she had been with Lady Li’s care, yet disappeared right under her nose. Given that, Madam Gu couldn’t bear to let Gu Huailang out alone.

No matter how much he cried or fussed, Madam Gu paid no mind and only promised to take him out next time.

But “next time” kept being postponed! She always broke her promises, and how could Gu Huailang not be angry?

Gu Huaisheng found his puffed-up face amusing and knelt down to ask, “If you wanted to go out, why not come with me?”

Since Gu Huailang had asked about the race, he must have known Gu Huaisheng had been at the street.

“Brother doesn’t like me,” Gu Huailang said, hanging his head.

He always followed close behind him and must be a nuisance.

The child’s innocent voice reached Gu Huaisheng’s ears, and he fell silent for a moment, lost in thought.

Children were like that—if you didn’t like them, neither would they like you.

But now he thought of Jiang Jingchun. He always saw her as a child, but she was quite a persistent one. No one would keep coming close to him despite his coldness—mother, little brother... many people.

But she seemed different from them all.

Pushing away once, coming close again and again.

Tonight, he wondered why her smudged lipstick unsettled him so deeply.

He thought it must be because what they had done clashed with the strict rules and etiquette he upheld, stirring his restless emotions.

That must be it.

What else could it be?

She said she liked him, yet how could she do such things?

Gu Huaisheng stood and said, “The team with the blue armbands won.”