After Transmigrating into a Book, I Was Entangled by the Paranoid Eldest Princess - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

On this rest day, Wen Chenqing woke up early and made ample preparations.

In a strict sense, this was her first official date with her lover since they started dating. Wen Chenqing was determined to spend a perfect day in a “world of two” with A-Jin. If it weren’t for the fact that she didn’t know how to drive a carriage, she wouldn’t even have brought a driver.

Before leaving, Yinxing was still a bit worried: “Miss, are you really not taking me? What if you can’t find your way?”

Wen Chenqing recalled the embarrassment of the day she first arrived. Even with Yinxing, not knowing the way might not necessarily be helped; besides, she had done plenty of research for her “strategy.”

“I’m giving you a day off. Rest well today.”

A-Jin stood beside her, taking Wen Chenqing’s arm and echoing with a smile: “Yinxing, go back like a good girl.”

Yinxing nodded: “Alright then.”

On the carriage, Wen Chenqing checked once more to see if she had brought enough silver. After checking, she looked up at A-Jin’s hairstyle today and couldn’t help but let out another smile to herself.

Si Jinghua raised her eyes languidly, adjusted her hair bun, and complained lazily: “It’s already a bit loose, and yet you’re still laughing.”

Today, Yinxing was supposed to bind her hair, but Wen Chenqing had taken over the task herself. Si Jinghua had sat before the bronze mirror for a long time, only for the result to be barely passable.

However, she made up for it with her gentle touch and how much she cherished her.

Wen Chenqing hurried over: “Where is it loose? Let me see, I’ll fix it.”

Usually, she tied her own hair in a simple high ponytail. Wanting to show off a bit in front of her lover for their date, she had tried her hand at it.

Gently tidying the loose strands, Wen Chenqing touched the lifelike butterfly hairpin she had straightened and said: “Next time, I should buy you an even better one.”

The world’s rarest treasures had long since been sent into the Imperial Palace; the rest were merely common ornaments.

Si Jinghua said nonchalantly: “As long as it’s from you, I’ll be happy.”

She remembered the smile that had instantly blossomed on Wen Chenqing’s face when she took this hairpin from the jewelry box and asked her to put it on this morning. With a slight shift in her thoughts, she added: “Besides, this is the first one you gave me. The meaning is naturally different.”

These words made Wen Chenqing feel as if she were melting a piece of candy in her mouth; after it dissolved, it tasted sweet and wonderful.

The spring light was perfect today. Wen Chenqing thought that since A-Jin had been staying in the villa lately, she must be a bit bored.

The opera troupe she mentioned two days ago didn’t start until the afternoon, so they could spend the morning going for a spring outing nearby.

“There’s a Yangbai Mountain nearby. I heard the magnolias there bloom beautifully. When they flower, they are like jade cups holding up the blue sky; the fragrance reaches far, and the scenery is boundless.”

Si Jinghua pointed her slender finger at the items placed beside her: “What are these?”

“Art supplies,” said Wen Chenqing, who had studied a bit of drawing before. “If needed, I can paint a portrait of you under the white magnolias.”

Si Jinghua was surprised: “You can paint?”

Since ancient times, poetry emphasized that “words have an end but meaning is infinite,” while painting required “vivid spirit and rhythm.”

Both poetry and painting pursued artistic conception and charm. Yet Wen Chenqing was an expert in statutes but unskilled in poetry; the verses she forced out were quite workmanlike, making one want to shake their head and sigh that she was beyond help.

Therefore, she truly couldn’t imagine what a painting created by Wen Chenqing would look like.

Hearing the doubt, Wen Chenqing felt a tiny bit unhappy: “Of course I can. If you don’t believe me, just watch.”

She actually wanted to record the beautiful moments of being with A-Jin, but unfortunately, a certain someone held a skeptical attitude from the very start.

“How is it? Let me see.”

Under the magnolia tree, looking at the artwork, Wen Chenqing rarely doubted whether her past memories had been beautified.

She quickly raised her hand to cover the scroll and looked up at the person in front of her, her voice losing its confidence for once: “It’s a bit unworthy of your celestial grace and jade-like beauty, A-Jin. Better not look at it.”

“Oh?” Si Jinghua said with a half-smile, spreading her palm. “No, let me have a look.”

With flickering eyes, Wen Chenqing handed over the so-called “masterpiece.”

Ever since she had picked up a charcoal stick to draw and gestured up and down at her with a tree branch, Si Jinghua’s doubts had been growing. When she finally saw the actual drawing, she fell silent for a long time.

The person in the drawing had a delicate head but a bizarre body.

This style of drawing was extremely foreign to Si Jinghua. Clearly, the ink strokes lacked charm and were purely technical, yet it was incredibly realistic and lifelike.

It was a strange combination of beauty and the grotesque.

“Is this how I look in your eyes? Or did you just get impatient while drawing?”

Wen Chenqing said defensively: “I overestimated myself. I only know how to draw faces and heads; I forgot how to draw bodies.”

Sigh, it’s all because I didn’t study hard enough in my interest classes back then.

She said dejectedly: “I overestimated myself.”

Under the magnolia tree, as the wind blew and petals fell, A-Jin stood there looking exquisitely beautiful, peerless and unique.

But what on earth did she draw! Only the upper body was barely watchable; the sense of atmosphere was not highlighted at all.

Si Jinghua scrutinized it for a moment longer, then patted Wen Chenqing’s head and said with a smile: “It’s not without its merits. Looking closely, it’s quite impressive. I’ll keep this painting.”

Wen Chenqing straightened up: “Really?”

“Naturally. I will treasure this artwork.”

Wen Chenqing pursed her lips and smiled. She reached out to pluck a magnolia flower from her black hair, leaned in, and kissed her on the lips.

“Qing-qing, you’re so good.”

This term of endearment was essentially equivalent to the modern “baby.” Wen Chenqing felt a bit shy after saying it and awkwardly crouched down to pack up the scattered items.

Si Jinghua was startled. Watching her busy retreating back, she touched her lips that felt as if a spring breeze had brushed past. Recalling Wen Chenqing’s nickname for her, it felt inexplicably like tasting honey; her mouth felt slightly sweet.

They wandered around the area together. Wen Chenqing remembered a classmate mentioning a temple on Yangtai Mountain, so she asked A-Jin if she wanted to visit.

“A temple?” Si Jinghua gave Wen Chenqing a strange look.

“Yes. I heard from a classmate that offering incense and praying to Buddha there is quite effective. If you’re interested, we can go take a look.”

A demon or ghost creature proactively going to worship Buddha?

For a moment, she didn’t know if Wen Chenqing was being foolish again or acting with reckless audacity.

Si Jinghua refused: “Forget it, I have no interest.”

“Alright, then we can cross this bridge and head down the mountain to Yaoding.”

As they walked back, Si Jinghua asked: “Do you believe in Buddha?”

Wen Chenqing stroked her chin and thought: “I’m quite flexible—sometimes I believe, sometimes I don’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, if it’s useful to me, I believe in the gods and Buddhas across the heavens. If it’s useless, I don’t.”

Hearing her bold statement, Si Jinghua suddenly laughed.

Wen Chenqing also knew her words were somewhat arrogant and disrespectful for an ancient person, but A-Jin’s reaction was also a bit strange.

“Don’t you think my words are a bit weird?”

Si Jinghua’s laughter had already subsided. She said calmly and composedly: “What’s weird about it? Only those who can be used by me have value in believing; that’s how it should be.” Only mediocre people would place their hopes in the gods of the heavens.

Wen Chenqing looked delightedly at A-Jin, whose thoughts were on the same wavelength as hers: “That was so well said. That’s exactly how it is. If you’re going to believe, believe in something tangible; just listen to the ethereal stuff and let it go. One still has to rely on oneself.”

She felt her heart and A-Jin’s heart had grown a few steps closer.

After all, when living together in a relationship, one must consider not only feelings but also shared values.

In the afternoon, Wen Chenqing took A-Jin to see an opera that she used to like. Curiously, however, A-Jin’s interest seemed mediocre.

Wen Chenqing thought to herself that perhaps today’s performance wasn’t exciting enough.

Before returning, she asked A-Jin, who had been out for most of the day, to wait in the carriage while she went to buy some things.

When Wen Chenqing returned carrying some snacks and food, A-Jin asked in surprise: “I don’t usually see you fond of these; why did you buy so many?”

“What if you like them?” Wen Chenqing took out a pastry that Yun Qingqing had mentioned was her sister’s favorite and held it to A-Jin’s lips. “Here, try some.”

Si Jinghua glanced at her and opened her lips to take a bite.

“How does it taste?”

“Acceptable.”

“And this one?”

“Average.”

“Try another one.”

“…”

She directly stopped talking; just how bad must it be?

“A-Jin, I promise this is the last one. Try it.”

Si Jinghua was already growing impatient. She didn’t know what Wen Chenqing was doing.

But seeing Wen Chenqing’s eager and expectant look, and considering these pastries looked like they were collected from several different shops, she endured it. She listened to her and took the last type into her mouth.

“How is it, how is it?”

Si Jinghua stared at her and said: “Won’t you know if you taste it yourself?”

As her words fell, she cupped Wen Chenqing’s face, leaned down, and passed it to her with her lips and tongue.

Wen Chenqing tasted a faint, fresh fragrance of peach blossoms.

The two intimately shared a piece of Peach Blossom Jade Cake until it was finished. Si Jinghua’s nose pressed against hers, and she asked affectionately: “How does it taste?”

The hot breath Si Jinghua exhaled seemed to be infused with the scent of peach blossoms.

Wen Chenqing said dizzily: “It’s quite fragrant.”

Si Jinghua laughed softly. Her fair finger moved down to lift her chin, and they exchanged another lingering kiss.

Not until the peach blossom fragrance vanished entirely through swallowing did the lingering kiss end.

Wen Chenqing wiped the glistening moisture from her lips and said: “If you don’t like it, we won’t eat it. We’ll take it back for Yinxing to eat.”

Is it normal for a person’s tastes to change after amnesia?

Wen Chenqing understood, but she was still a bit disappointed. Not a single thing she bought was liked by the current A-Jin; she had wanted to give her a surprise.

“No,” Si Jinghua said with a frown, sounding displeased.

Wen Chenqing was puzzled: “Don’t you dislike it?”

A-Jin said: “This was bought for me, so it is already mine. Naturally, it cannot be given to anyone else.”

“But will you eat it?”

A-Jin frowned: “No.”

Wen Chenqing thought for a moment and said: “Alright. It is indeed your property; it’s only right that you have the final say.”

She didn’t think about waste at the moment, but rather felt that A-Jin had such a strong sense of possession over the things she gave her because A-Jin loved her.

The rest day ended. Early the next morning.

Wen Chenqing was carrying her books, preparing to depart. She saw Yinxing stuffing one last piece of preserved fruit into her mouth, eating with great relish.

“What are you eating?”

Yinxing said: “These are dried apricots Mother Chen gave me yesterday. They’re sweet and sour, really delicious. Miss, do you want to try some?”

Wen Chenqing shook her head and instructed her: “Eat them if you like them, but remember to remind Mother Chen and the others not to give any dried apricots to A-Jin.”

She had only thought about fresh apricots maturing in summer and forgot that some households would pick apricots to make into dried fruit to store.

“Huh?” Yinxing was confused: “But just now when you weren’t here, A-Jin already tasted some.”

Wen Chenqing was horrified: “What?!”