By the time the medicine packet
was prepared, it was already evening. Winter nights come earlier than summer nights, and soon the sky was a deep, dark blue. The lanterns hanging under the eaves of the Dali Temple lit up with warm candlelight.
Inside the main hall, Xie Xiangsi moved her treated forearm and found that apart from a slight ache, she felt fine. She looked at Zhou Yanzhi with some surprise.
She hadn't expected him to be so skilled at treating wounds; he'd healed it so quickly. She had thought it would be as excruciating as tearing off the cloth earlier.
Seeing that it was getting late and realizing she'd been out too long, Xie Xiangsi was about to say goodbye to Zhou Yanzhi.
However, before she could speak, Zhou Yanzhi stood up and said,
"It's getting late. I'll escort you back to your residence."
Hearing this, Xie Xiangsi was slightly taken aback and said somewhat apologetically, "It's too much trouble for you, cousin. I'll just go back myself."
The candlelight in the main hall of the Dali Temple wasn't very bright, casting a dim, yellowish glow. Xie Xiangsi sat in her chair, looking up at Zhou Yanzhi. The candlelight cast flickering shadows on him, making his features appear gentler.
Zhou Yanzhi leaned slightly forward, one hand resting on the table beside her, his eyes gleaming.
He chuckled, "Not at all, not at all. As long as my cousin is alright, I don't mind if I'm a little tired."
Xie Xiangsi was speechless. To be honest, this was the first time she had heard Zhou Yanzhi speak so sarcastically, not even when they were arguing.
Not knowing why, Xie Xiangsi raised her eyes slightly, a worried look on her face, and whispered, "Cousin... are you feeling unwell?"
Why was he suddenly speaking like this? It was a little frightening.
Zhou Yanzhi naturally understood the meaning behind Xie Xiangsi's words, but his expression remained unchanged. He simply lowered his eyes and smiled faintly, "Not at all, not at all. I was just a little tired from interrogating the criminals today. It's not like my cousin, who had to endure the pain and still bicker with me."
Xie Xiangsi's face stiffened.
She said with a hint of grievance, "Cousin, are you blaming me for arguing with the Fifth Princess?"
Hearing her tone, Zhou Yanzhi chuckled inwardly and couldn't help but ask, "When did I say you shouldn't have argued with the Fifth Princess?"
"Then why did you say such sarcastic things, cousin?" Xie Xiangsi lowered her eyes, raised her handkerchief to cover her eyes, sniffed, and whispered, "Besides, when we were fighting in the street earlier, I didn't know she was a noble princess. Her whip was clearly meant to injure Qingshu's face. I brought Qingshu out of the manor; if she got hurt, how could I bear it?"
Zhou Yanzhi didn't respond, instead narrowing his eyes and looking at Xie Xiangsi with interest. "I don't think that's what I meant, is it?"
Xie Xiangsi looked up to meet Zhou Yanzhi's gaze, her eyes clear and serious. "Then what did you mean, cousin?"
Zhou Yanzhi: "..."
Why did he suddenly become so stupid?
With a somewhat helpless sigh, Zhou Yanzhi said softly, "If you encounter something like this in the future, and it's difficult to resolve, take care of your injuries first." He then coughed twice, adding in a low voice, "Your cousin will come to help you."
Xie Xiangsi was speechless.
Why was he suddenly being so sentimental? How was she supposed to respond?!
Lowering her eyes, she twisted the handkerchief in her hand and whispered, "Okay, thank you, cousin."
...
The Dali Temple was quite far from the Prince An's residence, so Zhou Yanzhi had someone bring a carriage for the four of them, while he rode alongside on horseback.
Perhaps due to the winter's cold, most of the street stalls had already closed, and the only sound along the way was the wind and snow.
Moonlight streamed down, quietly falling on the long street.
Thinking about the purpose of today's trip, Xie Xiangsi lifted the carriage curtain and said to Zhou Yanzhi outside, "It's been a long time since I've seen you return home, cousin. Have you been busy with many matters?"
Zhou Yanzhi sat leisurely on horseback, having changed into a scarlet robe with a pure white fox fur coat draped over it. The style was somewhat similar to the black cloak he had left with Xie Xiangsi, and the bright colors made his skin appear exceptionally fair.
Hearing Xie Xiangsi's question, Zhou Yanzhi paused for a moment, mentally calculating that he had indeed not returned home for some time. He nodded to Xie Xiangsi.
"Yes, I've been quite busy lately."
His tone revealed fatigue.
Jie Xiangsi pursed her lips and said, "I've been quite free lately, so I made some calming medicine packets. I noticed you have dark circles under your eyes, cousin. How about I give you some later?"
Zhou Yanzhi smiled upon hearing this, "Then I thank you for your kindness, cousin."
The carriage went straight to the Prince An's residence. Upon seeing their young master return, the gatekeeper took the reins from Zhou Yanzhi and prepared to send someone to announce his arrival, but Zhou Yanzhi stopped him.
"No need to announce, don't disturb Mother's rest."
The gatekeeper replied and withdrew.
Mo Yue and Yu He went to the small courtyard as soon as they got off the carriage and lit the candles in the room beforehand, so it was brightly lit when Jie Xiangsi and the others entered.
As a man, Zhou Yanzhi felt it inappropriate to enter the courtyard, so he waited outside. The plum tree in the courtyard was very tall, with some branches extending over the wall and outwards. At this moment, Zhou Yanzhi stood under this red plum tree, his hands behind his back, looking at the blooming plum blossoms.
Xie Xiangsi moved quickly, and soon emerged carrying a rather heavy cloth bag. Hearing the noise, Zhou Yanzhi turned around, his gaze sweeping over the conspicuous bag with some surprise.
Had she made so many medicine bags?
Just as he was about to decline, Xie Xiangsi glanced around furtively, and seeing no one else nearby, quickly shoved the bag into his arms like a hot potato.
Before Zhou Yanzhi could speak, she quickly said, "I'm sorry, cousin, I was lying to you. I didn't make any calming medicine bags at all. This is your cloak that you left in the library. I was afraid it wouldn't be appropriate to leave it there, so I took it back without permission. I was thinking..." Xie
Xiangsi paused at the right moment.
Zhou Yanzhi understood, subtly pressing the bag, a strange sense of loss welling up inside him.
"Oh, I see."
Seeing that he wasn't angry, Xie Xiangsi continued, "While tidying up, I accidentally found a note. I didn't know if it was still useful, so I put it in this cloth bag."
Hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi suddenly remembered that there was indeed a note, but he didn't react much, only quietly replying "Okay" and saying nothing more.
For a moment, the two under the red plum blossoms were very silent.
After a while, Xie Xiangsi softly called out "Cousin." Zhou Yanzhi lowered his eyes upon hearing this, only to see Xie Xiangsi staring intently at him, saying very slowly but with utmost seriousness, "Cousin, I saw what the note said."
Thinking of what was written on it, Zhou Yanzhi hummed in agreement.
Seeing that he didn't react, Xie Xiangsi continued, "You're going to Yangqu."
Zhou Yanzhi nodded.
Feeling the pounding of her heart, Jie Xiangsi asked earnestly, "Could you take me with you?"
Going to Yangqu required a travel permit, but once that was reported, her aunt would know. An orphan girl going to the capital for help only to leave again would certainly leave a bad impression on her aunt, making it difficult to re-enter the Prince An's residence.
But not going to Yangqu would mean betraying her deceased clansmen.
She truly couldn't think of a way to satisfy both.
Unsure why she said that, Zhou Yanzhi rubbed his temples, somewhat puzzled. "Why are you going to Yangqu?"
He glanced at Xie Xiangsi, seeing her earnest expression, and added, "I'm going to Yangqu to investigate a case. It's fraught with danger. If you want to go, you can wait until spring. I can accompany you then." Upon
hearing the word "accompany," Zhou Yanzhi paused, stunned.
How could he…
But Xie Xiangsi didn't appreciate Zhou Yanzhi's kindness, saying almost hastily, "I don't want to go sightseeing! I'll go with you to investigate the case!"
Her voice was hoarse with a barely perceptible tremor due to her anxiety.
Zhou Yanzhi's expression became inexplicably complicated. "I misunderstood you, cousin, but I have important business to attend to and I'm afraid I won't have time to look after you. I really can't take you with me." Xie Xiangsi bit
her lip, tears welling in her eyes. "Cousin, I don't need you to take care of me. I'll take care of myself. Please take me with you."
Zhou Yanzhi still shook his head.
Knowing the dangers of the journey, how could he possibly be willing to take Xie Xiangsi with him?
Xie Xiangsi continued to plead, but Zhou Yanzhi remained unmoved.
After a while, Xie Xiangsi wiped away her tears, but her eyes still brimmed with them. She frowned and stared straight at Zhou Yanzhi, saying in a deep voice, "Really not taking me?"
Zhou Yanzhi shook his head: "Really not." Xie Xiangsi
pursed her lips, clenched her fist, and punched the frost-covered plum branches, angrily saying, "So annoying! If it's not going to work, it's not going to work!"
Then she ran away in a flash.
Zhou Yanzhi hadn't expected her to be so angry. Caught off guard, he was covered in the frost and snow that had fallen on him. He just watched Xie Xiangsi run into the courtyard, letting the cold snowflakes seep into his collar and melt into lukewarm water from his body heat.
He lowered his eyes and said softly, "Quite temperamental."
...
Xie Xiangsi had really acted impulsively last night. Lying in bed, she still couldn't believe that she had let Zhou Yanzhi get soaked in snow. She had thought that Zhou Yanzhi would continue with his work, so she breathed a sigh of relief.
Avoiding each other would prevent awkwardness.
But fate had other plans. Since that night, Zhou Yanzhi had become quite idle, visiting Aunt Xie daily to pay his respects and making her exceptionally happy. While Aunt Xie was happy, Xie Xiangsi felt a bitter smile, each visit feeling like a death knell.
Therefore, she deliberately avoided Zhou Yanzhi when visiting Aunt Xie these past few days, but whether by coincidence or not, the more she avoided him, the more she seemed to run into him.
Once again, Xie Xiangsi had just finished paying her respects to Aunt Xie and was heading back to her courtyard when she accidentally slapped Zhou Yanzhi as he approached.
Zhou Yanzhi was dressed in an indigo-blue casual robe with unusually wide sleeves, and wore a headband of the same color as his clothes, making him look like a pampered young nobleman.
Upon seeing Xie Xiangsi, Zhou Yanzhi was slightly taken aback. A smile appeared on his face as he was about to say something, but Xie Xiangsi merely glanced at him, bowed slightly in greeting, and quickly left.
She walked away as if some monstrous beast were behind her.
Zhou Yanzhi stared at her retreating figure for a long time. After a while, he instructed a servant to go in and announce her arrival before lifting the curtain and entering.
Aunt Xie was sitting on a soft couch, playing with the calming medicine packet that Xie Xiangsi had brought. Seeing Zhou Yanzhi enter, her eyes lit up, and she gestured for him to remove his formality, saying, "Yanzhi has arrived."
Zhou Yanzhi stepped forward and immediately noticed the medicine packet in Aunt Xie's hand. "Mother, what is this?"
Seeing his question, Aunt Xie handed the medicine packet to Zhou Yanzhi, smiling as she said, "This is a calming medicine packet that your cousin Xiangsi made for me. You must say, the fragrance is truly wonderful, even better than those sold outside."
Zhou Yanzhi raised an eyebrow: "So this is the real medicine packet..."
He just didn't get any, little liar.
Aunt Jie didn't grasp the deeper meaning in his words, only sighing, "Girls are indeed more endearing; they're thoughtful and speak so sweetly." She then gave Zhou Yanzhi a disapproving look, "I just wonder if your mother will ever receive a medicine packet made by her daughter-in-law in her lifetime."
Zhou Yanzhi sighed helplessly, "...Mother, these things are all about fate. I'm away from home all year round; how can I have time to care about other girls?"
Aunt Jie rubbed her forehead, "Then I tried to find you a match, and you said no."
Hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi sighed, "But I have no interest in other girls. If I were to marry one, wouldn't that be irresponsible to her?"
This wasn't acceptable, that wasn't acceptable; Aunt Jie felt her good mood from the morning was completely ruined. She snatched the medicine packet from Zhou Yanzhi's hand and said angrily, "Fine, fine, you're right. Get out of here! Don't hang around in front of me; it's annoying. You're not young anymore, and you don't even have a confidant by your side..." Zhou Yanzhi felt like he'd been granted a pardon, bowed, and quickly left.