Childhood Friend or Destined Encounter? - Chapter 13

Since they had to wait for Xuanying to investigate the conspiracy behind the Jiangzhou Prefectural Office, Fengya decided to stay in Jiangzhou City for two more days.

Taking advantage of the leisure time, Fengya and Yezi paid a visit to the Shen estate. This time, they didn’t climb over the walls, they were invited in through the front gates with full honors.

They gathered once again in the Shen family’s backyard, the same four people as before, yet the mindsets of those involved were worlds apart from their previous meeting.

Liuli and Shen Wanqing remained unaware of Fengya’s true identity, knowing only that Prefect Xue had suddenly called off the engagement. The ill-fated lovers, who just the day before were prepared to journey to the yellow springs of the afterlife together, were now free to travel the world openly.

Master Shen also worried that Prefect Xue might regret his decision and stir up trouble later, he had been well aware of how much his daughter had suffered in silence before. After this ordeal, he gave his full support to Shen Wanqing’s plan to travel, preparing a generous amount of silver for her journey. He even specifically instructed her that it would be best to marry the one she loved before returning home.

Shen Wanqing was deeply grateful for her father’s support, but as for that “loved one”…

“Now that Wanqing and I can be together, we owe it all to the righteousness of you two ladies, otherwise, we might not have lived to see Prefect Xue change his mind before we reached the afterlife. Today is our last day in Jiangzhou, and we’ve come to bid you both farewell. Though the green mountains do not change and the clear waters flow on, we shall meet again in the martial world if fate allows.” Liuli clasped his hands and gave a solemn, heavy bow to Fengya and Yezi.

“Tomorrow is the Qiqiao Festival, aren’t you going to stay through the holiday?” Yezi asked, puzzled.

“No, after what happened yesterday, we only want to hurry and wander through this vast world together. Besides, as long as she is there, every day is a holiday, isn’t it?” Shen Wanqing no longer wore the melancholy of the previous day, her face, blooming like a flower, radiated a vibrant vitality.

At the thought that she had played a part in bringing this perfect couple together, Yezi’s good mood lasted all the way until the following night.

The seventh day of the seventh lunar month was the Qiqiao Festival. In the night-shrouded Jiangzhou City, some recited poetry and guessed lantern riddles, some exchanged gifts, and others made wishes while releasing lanterns, the entire city was a scene of bustling celebration.

Now that Fengya was free, she went strolling through the city with Yezi.

One was dressed in white as pure as snow, the other was adorned in pink like carved jade, both were dressed as young ladies, walking side by side in a beautiful and harmonious picture.

This day was also known as the Daughters’ Festival. Unmarried girls would prepare colored paper, pith paper, and thread in advance to weave various ingenious little toys. If they encountered someone they liked, they would give these items as gifts to express their feelings.

The two of them hadn’t handmade any trinkets to seek a good marriage like the other girls, they simply wanted to soak in the festive atmosphere, so they purposefully headed toward the crowded areas.

Up ahead, a crowd had gathered around a stall. Yezi pulled Fengya and managed to squeeze through the press of people, it turned out to be a lantern riddle game.

Ten copper coins bought one chance to guess. Riddles were chosen at random, every correct answer earned a point and allowed the player to continue. An incorrect answer ended the turn, and the points could be exchanged for the small prizes on the stall.

Fengya scanned the prizes: lanterns, folding fans, sachets, and the like. Though not expensive, they were crafted with care and were very fitting for the occasion.

Seeing Yezi staring at the pile of trinkets with glowing eyes, looking highly interested, Fengya handed ten coins to the stall owner.

“Please choose a riddle, Miss.”

Fengya casually pulled out a paper roll and handed it to the owner, who unrolled it and read: “Looks peaceful but truly is not, guess a character.”

“Péng.” Such a simple word construction was something Fengya had mastered when she first started school. The moment the owner finished speaking, she gave the answer directly.

“Three people crossing together on a one-day trip, guess a character.”

“Chūn .”

“A high terrace reflects the moon clearly, guess a character.”

“Tán”

…

Every single time, just as the owner finished reading the riddle, Fengya provided the answer immediately, leaving the surrounding crowd no time to react.

Yezi had originally thought about working hard for a lantern, but seeing how effortlessly Fengya handled it, she decided not to exhaust herself. Instead, she focused entirely on watching Fengya. The moonlight was like water, seemingly pouring every drop onto that one person.

“You have great learning, Miss. The difficulty of the final question will increase, if you can answer it, you will win the ultimate grand prize of this event.”

“Please, state the riddle.”

“An ancient moon shines on the water, and the water flows long; the water accompanies the ancient moon through spring and autumn. The water’s light remains to illuminate the ancient moon; in the depths of the blue waves, it is good to go boating.”

Although the poem was four lines long, much longer than the previous riddles, every line actually pointed to the same answer, making it not too difficult to guess.

“The answer is the character for ‘Lake'” Fengya stated the answer calmly.

Amidst the admiring and envious gazes of the crowd, Fengya expressed that she wasn’t interested in the grand prize. Instead, she asked for a rabbit-shaped lantern. She had noticed Yezi’s gaze lingering on that lantern a dozen times, so it must have been her favorite.

“Since you like it, take it and play,” Fengya said in a tone one might use to coax a child.

The moment Yezi saw Fengya choose the rabbit lantern, the corners of her mouth began to lift uncontrollably. Now that her wish was fulfilled, she didn’t mind the tone of voice.

Holding the rabbit lantern in one hand and Fengya’s hand in the other, Yezi left the riddle stall in high spirits. However, they hadn’t gone two steps before someone called out, more accurately, someone called out to Fengya.

The newcomer was a young lady dressed in green silk, appearing to be of noble upbringing.

“Miss, wait, I am… I was standing right next to you just now during the riddles, anyway, this… please accept it.”

Fengya looked at the exquisitely embroidered sachet in her hand, completely bewildered. Had she misunderstood something? She was definitely dressed in women’s clothing right now, and the person before her was definitely a lady, so… were the local customs of Jiangzhou truly this liberal?

The lady in green gave Fengya no chance to refuse, she stuffed the sachet into her hand, turned around, and vanished into the crowd.

Standing by her side, Yezi witnessed the scene, her eyes flashing with a half-smile as she looked at Fengya.

For some reason, Fengya felt a bit embarrassed under her gaze: “Why are you looking at me like that? If you like this sachet, I’ll just give it to you.”

“This is that lady’s heartfelt sentiment, I can’t possibly take it,” Yezi let out a soft huff.

“What a strange thing to say, that lady and I are both women, what ‘sentiment’ could there be?” Fengya frowned, feeling very odd.

“Can women not give gifts to each other? Didn’t you give me clothes before?”

“That’s different, we actually know each other.”

“So you’re this nice to everyone you know? You give gifts, and even cook for them yourself?” Yezi was a bit more curious tonight than usual.

“Of course not, you saved my life, so I like being good to you. Actually… when I was young, I had a younger cousin I was very close to. She was very smart and cute, but unfortunately, she went missing later. If she were still alive, she’d be about your age by now.”

“So, you just think I’m like your cousin.” Yezi’s curiosity vanished instantly. She clutched her rabbit lantern, lowered her head, and began walking ahead of Fengya.

Seeing Yezi’s sudden drop in mood, Fengya felt a bit at a loss and hurried to catch up.

“Sister Ling’er, it really is you!” Just as Fengya was about to reach her, she was stopped by an abrupt greeting.

Fengya frowned as she looked at the uninvited guest: It was that brat from Old General Han’s family, what was he doing in Jiangzhou?

Han Lei didn’t notice Fengya’s current irritation, his expression was full of joy: “You haven’t returned to the capital for a long time, and a few days ago Xuanying also left the capital with his men. I figured something must have happened to you, so I followed Xuanying to find you.”

Heh, this kid really has loved being a tag-along since we were children, and Xuanying actually failed to report this to me.

Fengya felt disgusted and didn’t care to speak, but that didn’t stop Han Lei’s enthusiasm for talking to himself: “When I went to the post house to find you, they said you were out. I thought I’d take the chance during the Qiqiao Festival to wander the city and try my luck, I didn’t expect we’d actually run into each other. Don’t you think this is what they call fate?”

What fate? Don’t think I didn’t see your group of subordinates scouting everywhere. Han Lei’s tactics were too clumsy, Fengya didn’t even have the interest to expose him.

However, with one person talking to himself and the other ignoring him, it looked quite different to outsiders: a handsome, elegant gentleman smiling broadly and talking incessantly just to win a glance from a beauty; a girl in snow-white clothes with exquisite features listening quietly without interrupting. One was active and the other still, they seemed to complement each other perfectly.

Yezi, of course, noticed Han Lei’s appearance. She didn’t walk too far away, but as Han Lei prattled on around Fengya, she silently put some distance between them.

She looked at the man and woman through the crowd, as if watching the scholars and beauties in a stage play. For the first time, she felt that although Fengya had spent days and nights with her, she was actually very far away.

A quiet sense of inferiority grew in Yezi’s heart. Over the years, no matter how much hardship she endured, even at her lowest point when she was trampled into the mud, she had never felt inferior. Now, looking at this harmonious and pleasing scene, she tasted that bitterness for the first time.

Fengya’s ears ached from Han Lei’s noise, but with people coming and going, she couldn’t lose her temper. She could only quicken her pace, hoping to get back to the post house and shake off this annoying tag-along. It was only after walking for a while that she realized: where had Yezi, who should have been by her side, gone?

Fengya’s eyes searched through the crowd, meeting Yezi’s gaze across the distance.

Fengya felt a flash of joy and wanted to call out to her, but she saw Yezi only hold her gaze for a brief second before turning her head and walking away in a different direction.

What’s going on?

After returning to the post house, Fengya sent Han Lei away. The post house was large, and currently, it only hosted Fengya and Yezi. Since Yezi hadn’t returned yet and the staff had already retired for the night, Fengya sat alone in the courtyard, feeling particularly lonely.

Yezi’s sudden distance made her heart feel heavy: It’s so late, why isn’t she back yet? Young girls really are temperamental. Fine, tomorrow I’ll cook something delicious to coax her.

On the other side, Yezi was walking along the pebble path by the riverbank, carrying her rabbit lantern.

She kept her head down, kicking pebbles one by one, muttering under her breath: “It was just a pretty lady giving her a sachet, just being told I’m like her cousin, just happening to meet a handsome gentleman she knows… just ordinary things, what is there to be unhappy about?”

Yezi bit her lip, leaving faint teeth marks on her red lips. Her pretty little face was currently scrunched up, not looking any more relaxed despite her self-consolation, wearing the sulky expression of someone whose precious treasure had been snatched away.

Yezi reflected on her strange state of mind: Actually, Fengya isn’t anyone to me. We’ve known each other for less than a month. Even if we’ve shared some experiences, we’re just a bit more familiar than strangers. Besides, she is a noble daughter of heaven, and I am just an orphan who doesn’t know who she is or how many days she has left to live. We were always from two completely different worlds, even if our paths crossed briefly, we will eventually drift apart.

I cannot continue to indulge in this fleeting, dream-like warmth and joy. In a few days, I’ll bid Fengya farewell. From then on, I’ll go back to my life alone, just like before, and that won’t be so bad. One shouldn’t crave what doesn’t belong to them, nor rely on what cannot be relied upon.

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