The Innocent Heart - Chapter 69

The voice rang out so abruptly that Guan Yueyao was startled, and she looked over along with the stall owner.

The one speaking was the diner who had just arrived at the mutton stall. Seeing him suddenly speak up, Guan Yueyao couldn’t help but steal a few extra glances at the man. He appeared to be about forty years old, with a stern expression and the dress of a Confucian scholar—not particularly wealthy, but by no means plain.

Guan Yueyao shrank her neck, reminded of those stern Deans from her old school. Even after nearly a year, seeing someone who looked like a teacher still made her heart tremble; she only wanted to keep a distance.

“What does that mean?” Not wanting to strike up a conversation with the stern-looking elder, she turned and whispered to the stall owner.

“This old man is just a mutton seller, how would I know such things?” The owner smiled, but unlike Guan Yueyao, he wasn’t awkward. He turned and bowed to the elder. “I beg for the gentleman’s enlightenment.”

The elder raised his eyelids and looked at them, but did not reply. Instead, he went back to sipping the clear soup in his bowl.

Guan Yueyao and the stall owner exchanged glances, momentarily confused as to what the man intended. Guan Yueyao wasn’t one to take a stranger’s words to heart anyway. Seeing he didn’t intend to answer, she tossed him to the back of her mind and resumed talking with the owner.

“My hiding it from my friend was originally unintentional. But now, I feel like I am hiding it on purpose, so I feel quite guilty. That is why I asked.”

Guan Yueyao still intended to untie this knot in her heart. In truth, she wasn’t sure what kind of resolution she wanted to reach through the stall owner’s words.

“Then this old man will take the liberty to ask: what kind of matter is it?” Since business was slow and Guan Yueyao was a familiar customer, the owner sat down at the table to talk with her seriously.

“For example, you are exactly the type of person your friend would never associate with, but because of some coincidences, you became friends. However, he doesn’t know you belong to that category he usually avoids.” Guan Yueyao’s words were vague. After all, in this era, revealing that she was a girl disguised as a boy would be far too shocking.

Furthermore, she was currently an official. Although Guan Yueyao lacked political awareness and wasn’t obsessed with being an official, her time in the military and officialdom had taught her one thing: if her disguise were exposed, the first to be implicated would be Lord Wei and Qubing, who had recommended her. They were good people and shouldn’t suffer for this. Moreover, Qubing had such grand ambitions; even if she couldn’t help him, she must never be his stumbling block.

Thinking this, even before the stall owner could speak, Guan Yueyao felt a sudden sense of clarity. Instead of letting Qubing know and forcing him into a dilemma, it was better to keep him in the dark. At worst, she would live as a man her whole life. As long as she didn’t get married and carefully kept her distance from others, she could keep the secret.

Lacking social experience, teenagers of this age often imagine that things will naturally proceed according to their own designs. Guan Yueyao felt she had found the perfect solution; the gloom on her face vanished, and her mood brightened again.

“If two people are to become close friends, there must be shared interests and a connection of hearts. Status is just an external thing, not a deciding factor. Since you have already become friends, it suggests your friend’s original preconditions weren’t actually necessary. However, if you have confidence in your friend, why not leave the decision in his hands?” The stall owner offered his view after some thought.

“Even if he knew my identity, I would still be me. I believe my friend would still like me!” Guan Yueyao blurted out without a second thought. Qubing had even believed something as bizarre as her coming from another time; it was just a change of gender—surely he could accept it.

Thinking of this, Guan Yueyao even started to imagine what kind of shocked expression Qubing would make if he knew she was a girl. Pity she didn’t plan on letting him know.

A teenager’s mood is like the weather—sunny one moment, rainy the next. Guan Yueyao, believing she had sorted it out, couldn’t help but want to go to the training grounds to find Huo Qubing. She finally had the heart to care about Li Gan’s competition. She wondered if he had gotten a good ranking today.

With that thought, she couldn’t sit still. She stood up, paid her bill, and prepared to head to the training grounds.

“Aiya, where is my purse?!” Just then, the strange elder behind her cried out. Likely on the way there, the purse hanging at his waist had been swiped by some little beggar.

When Guan Yueyao looked at him, he was standing by the table with a look of embarrassment, fumbling around his waist, hoping the purse was still there and he just hadn’t felt it yet.

“Old gentleman, how much is his meal? I’ll pay for him.” Guan Yueyao was in a good mood today and didn’t want the elder she respected to suffer a loss, so she took out two ban-liang coins and handed them to the stall owner.

“This…” The owner hesitated, looking reluctant to take it.

“This money is a loan. I ask this gentleman to wait here a moment; I will go home, get the money, and return it to you,” the elder said. The look of embarrassment on his stern face had not faded, making him look somewhat comical.

“No need. Consider it my treat. It’s not worth much anyway, don’t worry about it,” Guan Yueyao waved her hand dismissively.

“I will not accept a reward without merit. How could I, Dong, be a person who accepts favors for no reason? If the little master is in a hurry, leave your residence address, and I will have a servant deliver it later. If you are uneasy, I live in a nearby neighborhood; I can go home and get it now.” The old scholar spoke with clear logic, but his attitude was somewhat stiff, making one want to keep their distance.

Guan Yueyao didn’t want to get further involved with this elder, and instinctively didn’t want to reveal her address to a stranger. But if she didn’t let him pay back those two coins, he probably wouldn’t let her leave easily.

Guan Yueyao cursed herself for being a meddler, but after thinking it over, she reluctantly accompanied him home to get the money.

They bid the stall owner farewell and walked through streets and alleys for about fifteen minutes. Finally, the elder stopped before a somewhat old and low-built courtyard. This was his residence while living in Chang’an. To the eyes of the time, it was merely a middle-class home.

Guan Yueyao was used to the magnificent manors of the nobility and the majestic Weiyang Palace, so she didn’t think much of this unremarkable courtyard. She simply took the elder for an ordinary scholar seeking office in the capital.

The elder led Guan Yueyao into the study and called for an elderly servant to fetch two ban-liang coins. Not a cent more, not a cent less.

Guan Yueyao didn’t care about the coins; she just wanted to leave the elder and get to the training grounds. She took the money and hurriedly prepared to leave, only to collide head-on with someone at the gate.

It was a middle-aged man with a similarly solemn expression who looked somewhat familiar. But remembering faces wasn’t Guan Yueyao’s strong suit, and she was in a rush, so she didn’t look closely. She muttered an apology and hurried out.

“Guan Yueyao? Why is he at the home of Master Dong?” The man seemed to recognize her. He watched her for a while with a puzzled expression before shaking his head and walking toward the study.

By the time Guan Yueyao reached the training grounds, the archery finals were nearing their end. Unsurprisingly, Li Gan was bound to win. Seeing Guan Yueyao suddenly arrive, Huo Qubing was surprised, but more so delighted.

“A-Yao, why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be resting at home?”

The two were so used to each other’s company that not only Guan Yueyao, but even Huo Qubing felt quite out of sorts. Although the military trials were exciting, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of regret whenever he snapped out of his focus. If only A-Yao could see such a brilliant match.

Perhaps it’s true that you shouldn’t talk about people—Huo Qubing had only just thought it when Guan Yueyao appeared.

“I’ve been fine for a while. I just didn’t sleep well last night and couldn’t help but want to be lazy and stay in bed,” Guan Yueyao said, sticking out her tongue and winking at her friend.

Huo Qubing gave her an annoyed glare. “Li Gan’s performance today was outstanding. You missed it just to sleep in—isn’t that a loss?”

“Ah? It’s over already? I thought I’d catch the afternoon finals!” Guan Yueyao was surprised. The sun was still high; how could the match be ending?

“It’s not over yet, but Li Gan’s performance was so superior that he locked in the top spot early. No one else in the trials has been as brilliant as him. The suspense is gone, so it’s boring to watch.” Then, Huo Qubing looked wistful. “I really look forward to next year, when I can personally compete against him.”

“It’s a pity I’m injured, or I could have had a good fight with him tomorrow.” At this mention, Guan Yueyao also felt regretful. The two teenagers, both unable to compete, sat back in the stands feeling a bit dejected.

In these military trials, Li Gan, the young son of General Li Guang, had truly stolen the spotlight, taking first place in the horse archery on the second day and the close-quarters combat on the third day. For a time, the entire Northern Army was in awe. Compared to him, even Guan Yueyao and Huo Qubing, who had performed brilliantly before, seemed to pale a little.

Guan Yueyao wanted to challenge Li Gan once her injury healed, but unfortunately, once the trials ended, the soldiers from various regions began to leave Chang’an. Li Gan was no exception. In fact, his schedule was tighter than others. As the weather grew colder, the Xiongnu might gather at any moment to raid the border commanderies; he needed to return to his father’s side as quickly as possible.

The three teenagers bid a reluctant farewell on the road outside Chang’an. After promising to meet again, Guan Yueyao and Huo Qubing watched their new friend leave the bustling capital for the bitter cold of the border.