The Powerful Minister I Forcefully Married Won't Warm Up; After Rebirth, I Give Up the Chase - Chapter 40

Sincerity.

Wen Qingheng said this when he was drunk, and now Academician Zhang said the same.

Pei Jian fell into deep thought.

On the Qixi Festival of the first year he knew Nian Xi, he made sure to clear his schedule and picked her up to go see the lanterns on time. However, two streets away from the West Market, the roads were already filled with carriages and horses, silk garments lined the streets, and crowds were woven together, noisy and chaotic.

He truly disliked such crowds.

Fearing Nian Xi would be jostled, he did his best to shield her as they moved forward.

Nian Xi knew him and, being considerate, said, “The lanterns aren’t really that great to look at. I heard the Mohele at Pan Lou are the best. How about we buy a Mohele doll and go float river lanterns instead, alright?”

“Mohele” was a corruption of the Sanskrit word “Mahura,” referring to small clay or wooden dolls. They were decorated with colored skirts and elaborate bases, encased in green gauze cages, placed on small tables, dressed in green and gold-threaded clothes, and adorned with gold, jade, and pearls. They were colorful and the hair looked lifelike.

They were highly sought after at the time.

Pei Jian naturally had no objection.

But they underestimated the lively atmosphere of the Qiqiao Festival.

Three to five days before Qixi, the area in front of Pan Lou was already bustling with people. This was because the shop exclusively launched a pair of male and female Mohele dolls for sale during the Qixi period. In observance of the Qiqiao prayer for blessings, the lovers would use the pair of Mohele to pay homage to the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, making a wish for a lifelong union.

Nian Xi really wanted a pair of Mohele.

But by the time they reached the front of the line, they were already sold out.

She was very disappointed and in low spirits. Pei Jian was also unhappy, having wasted so much time only to achieve nothing.

He hastily bought a single Mohele doll at a roadside stall to make do and sent her back to Yi Bridge Street without even releasing the river lantern.

That was the first time he had seen Nian Xi cry.

Her beautiful eyes were veiled with tears, caught by her long lashes, trembling slightly in her eye sockets.

Like a dewdrop trapped in a crabapple flower stamen, exquisitely charming and heartbreaking.

His heart softened. Beneath the flowering tree at the corner gate, he gently embraced her and soothed her softly, “It’s a festival, please don’t cry anymore. Next year, I’ll buy them early and give them to you, alright?”

Nian Xi’s tears soaked his chest, feeling like they were falling onto his heart. She shook her head, her voice slightly hoarse from crying, sounding even softer and more endearing.

She said, “I just wanted to pray for a good outcome, so we could be together for a long, long time.”

He had lost his parents young. Nian Xi was the first person to be so attached to him and love him.

Pei Jian was deeply moved. He leaned down until their foreheads touched, kissing her trembling, red lips. Amidst the gentle caresses, he made a promise. “We will definitely be together for a long, long time, with or without the Mohele.”

But vows made in youth often dissipate with the wind.

By the Qixi Festival of the following year, he still hadn’t bought the pair of Mohele. After that, even they drifted apart…

If he had bought them then, would the outcome have been different?

Would they have avoided becoming strangers?

Pei Jian didn’t know.

He could only use all his strength to make up for all of Nian Xi’s past regrets.

Their regrets.

Pei Jian returned to the present and nodded at Academician Zhang. “Thank you.”

Then he put down his brush, tidied his desk, and turned to walk out of the Hanlin Academy gates.

“Ah, the youth~”

Academician Zhang shook his head at Pei Jian’s disappearing back. “They just have endless energy for trouble!”

On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month (Qixi Festival), the maids at the Wen Residence swept and cleaned the courtyard early in the morning, preparing for the festival. A qiqiao (begging for cleverness) canopy was erected in the courtyard, decorated with various exquisite snacks, fruit carvings, wine offerings, brushes and ink, needles and thread, and the Mohele dolls, all used for incense burning and ceremonial worship, known as “begging for cleverness.”

Gu Ci came early to pick up Nian Xi.

“Didn’t we plan to see the lanterns? It’s still too early for dark,” Nian Xi asked with a smile, being hurried by him to change her clothes to go out.

Gu Ci smiled and explained, “You’re new to the capital, so naturally you don’t know. If we wait until the lamps are first lit to go see the West Market lanterns, we’ll have difficulty even squeezing through the crowd.”

Nian Xi complained about the heat. “Are we supposed to stand there and wait foolishly?”

Gu Ci laughed and ruffled her hair. “Do you think your Sixth Brother is a fool? I wouldn’t dare make you suffer. I’ve already reserved a private room at Xinghe Tower. It’s very close to the lantern street, so after we have dinner, we can take a leisurely stroll to aid digestion.”

Nian Xi was very pleased with this arrangement. She reached out and pinched Gu Ci’s cheek, pretending to be serious. “Be honest. How many other girls have you taken to see the lanterns?”

Nian Xi was tall for a woman, but standing next to Gu Ci, she still looked delicate and petite. Her height only reached his shoulder. Gu Ci, fearing she would tire herself, bent down and let her pinch his cheek, making up a story with his eyes closed. “Oh, maybe five, six, or seven.”

“Only…”

Gu Ci let out a chuckle. “What is it? Haven’t you heard of my title, ‘Jade-Faced Young Master’?”

Nian Xi gave him a look, turned, and lifted the curtain to walk inside without looking back.

Now it was Gu Ci’s turn to be dumbfounded.

He couldn’t tell if she was genuinely angry.

In all fairness, Nian Xi’s temper was very good. But any woman would be upset about something like this. And it wasn’t just women—if he knew Nian Xi was sightseeing with another man at night, he would probably be consumed by jealousy.

He felt uneasy.

However, having been excellently brought up since childhood, he dared not enter a woman’s inner chamber, no matter what. He could only stand outside and speak inward:

“You know what I’m like. I have three older sisters, and all their husbands have gone through this. I’m just summarizing experience and making proper arrangements to save you from needless anger.”

“If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t bother with this kind of festivity. How would I dare seek out anyone else?”

“Nian-er…”

When Nian Xi came out, she was already dressed. She was exceptionally adorned today. She wore a diamond-shaped ruby at the center of her hairstyle. Colorful silk threads were woven into her black hair, faintly visible, tied back at the nape of her neck with a red silk ribbon. Two similarly lustrous rubies were fastened at the joining point.

She wore a court-red crabapple brocade long dress, and her gentle steps emphasized her graceful figure as she moved.

She rarely wore such bright colors, and Gu Ci was completely stunned.

Nian Xi waved her hand in front of Gu Ci’s eyes. “Based on what you’re saying, celebrating this festival with me must be quite tiring.”

Gu Ci felt a wave of delicate fragrance wash over him. Subconsciously, he reached out and took her hand. When he opened it, a hand-embroidered seed-stitch pouch, decorated with pearls, coral beads, and floral patterns, lay in his palm.

“I couldn’t be happier,” he said, holding the pouch, asking cautiously, “Is this for me?”

Nian Xi was amused by his appearance. “My needlework isn’t great. Just make do with wearing it.”

Gu Ci instead brought it to his nose and sniffed. “It smells very much like you. It’s lovely.”

Nian Xi felt a little shy now.

She pointed to the pouch at her waist. “It’s the same perfume, so naturally the scent is the same.”

Only then did Gu Ci notice that Nian Xi was also wearing a scented pouch today. Its color and material were similar to the one in his hand, the only difference being that his pouch had no tassels and was only strung with beads—it was the male version.

Gu Ci’s eyes shone with astonishing brightness, and the smile on his face was impossible to suppress.

He had originally intended to cherish it and put it away in his inner pocket, but he quickly fastened it to the same side of his waist. He felt entirely enveloped by the subtle, delicate fragrance of Nian Xi.

He felt refreshed and invigorated.