Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“Grape, did your cousin give you this White Peony as well?” Miss Zou looked at the White Lion peony, her eyes filled with growing affection for it. “My eldest brother has one in his room too, but it doesn’t bloom as beautifully as this one. Your cousin really is good to you.”

Fearing that Miss Su might misunderstand, Zhou Yuqing refused to tell anyone that I was the surrogate wife meant to bear his children.

He simply said I was a poor cousin from the countryside who had come to seek his help.

Miss Su looked at the flower and let out a cold snort.

I hurried to hold the flower up before her eyes like a precious treasure.

“Sister Su, my cousin said that if you like this flower, I should give it to you.”

She glanced at the flower, then looked at the dress I was wearing, shaking her head in disgust.

“You’ve touched it, so I don’t want it anymore.”

“Besides, if I want any flowers or plants from Young Master Zhou, why would I need you to meddle and pass messages?”

I thought she had a germaphobia similar to Zhou Yuqing’s, so I quickly explained, “I took four baths before coming here. This flower is very expensive, so I didn’t dare touch it. It’s not dirty.”

Miss Zou couldn’t listen any longer and quietly pulled at my sleeve.

“Silly Grape, where did you get this dress made? It’s the same as the one Miss Su is wearing today.”

I looked at the moon-white Fairy Flowing Skirt on Miss Su, then at the Green Ripple Skirt I was wearing. I truly couldn’t see how they were the same.

“Though the style and color are different, isn’t the Suzhou Embroidery on your dress done with the same stitching technique? Miss Su hates it most when others imitate her. She just told me you were like Dongshi imitating Xishi’s frown.”

Zhou Yuqing had also said that my habit of taking small sips of tea like Miss Su was Dongshi imitating Xishi’s frown.

Though I didn’t quite understand what it meant, it probably wasn’t anything good.

I felt a bit uneasy, not knowing how to apologize to Miss Su.

“You’re from out of town. If you have any novelties or local specialties, give one to Miss Su, and perhaps she’ll forgive you.”

Before I could ask Miss Zou for more details, Miss Su called her away. A group of young ladies went off to admire the fish, leaving me sitting all alone by the lake.

As the wind swayed the weeping willows, I looked at the pot of Gardenia that Miss Su had brought, and an idea came to me.

I sat by the lake until fallen blossoms covered my shoulders and the sun began to dip.

A bright green Willow-thread Flower Basket fit perfectly over the pot of Gardenia.

Before I could admire it myself, I heard a voice of praise from behind me.

“What skillful hands! What an exquisite flower basket!”

I looked up.

It was a gentleman in green robes, looking about five or six years older than Zhou Yuqing.

However, he appeared more gentle and refined than Zhou Yuqing, like the spring willows brushing the embankment by the lake. One look at him made people feel a sense of warmth.

Seeing me watch him warily, he realized his intrusion. He sheepishly raised the book in his hand and smiled.

“I was reading here at first. Seeing you sitting by the lake in a daze, I thought you were looking to end your life.”

“Then I realized you were snapping willow twigs to weave something, and I accidentally became entranced.”

“I am the eldest son of the Zou Family, Zou Bo’an. I am not a bad person.”

I froze.

Zou Bo’an?

The Zou Bo’an who wanted to buy me to be his concubine?

Having said that, Zou Bo’an smiled again. “It’s a bit forward of me to say, but you look familiar, as if I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

That was right. When I first arrived at the Zhou Family, Zhou Yuqing thought the freckles on my face were ugly and threw me a box of Peach Blossom Powder to improve my complexion.

After eating white flour buns for two months at the Zhou Family, my figure had filled out more than before.

With my freckles covered and wearing fine clothes, I looked nothing like the dark, thin, and scrawny girl I had been under Madam Liu.

Seeing that Young Master Zou was gentle and kind, seemingly easy to talk to, a flicker of hope rose in my heart that I might not have to pay back those twenty taels of silver.

Looking at the book behind him, I quickly struck up a conversation. “Young Master Zou, you are a scholar. Do you know what ‘Dongshi imitating Xishi’s frown’ means?”

Zou Bo’an smiled and told me the story of Dongshi copying Xishi’s pained expression.

“Oh, so that’s what it means.” I nodded. “Xishi was very beautiful, and Dongshi’s observation skills were also very strong. If Miss Su is Xishi, then it’s not wrong to call me Dongshi.”

Zou Bo’an was amused by my words and couldn’t help but laugh.

“You have a broad-minded nature and unique ingenuity. You truly are different from the rest.”

Seeing him smile, I gathered my courage and asked tentatively, “Young Master Zou, are you currently betrothed?”

Hearing my question, Zou Bo’an’s face suddenly turned as red as the sunset clouds behind him.

He glanced at my hair, which wasn’t pinned up yet, then at my Green Ripple Skirt, and instantly seemed to understand something.

“Not… not yet…”

I was overjoyed. I looked into Young Master Zou’s eyes, my own filled with earnestness.

“Then, Young Master Zou, what do you think of me…”

“How about I come to your door and serve as your concubine?”

Before Zou Bo’an could flush and utter a word of agreement, I heard Zhou Yuqing’s snide voice from behind me.

“Grape, what are you talking to Young Master Zou about?”

His purple bamboo walking stick was resting by his hand as Zhou Yuqing leaned against the pavilion. His gaze was dark and brooding as he stared at the red-faced Zou Bo’an.

“Has Young Master Zou studied the classics only to forget the proper boundaries between men and women?”

Zou Bo’an did not take offense. Instead, he patiently advised, “Brother Zhou, Teacher Chen is returning to the academy next month. He said he very much wishes for you to return to your studies. The brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones have all been prepared for you-the same kind you and I used to use.”

Zhou Yuqing was not appreciative. He merely gave a sarcastic laugh. “Study what? Study how a ‘gentleman’ steals what others cherish? As for your academy’s supplies, they’re all inferior goods I wouldn’t spare a glance for.”

His barbed words left me completely bewildered.

Accustomed to Zhou Yuqing’s temperament, Zou Bo’an simply gave a gentle smile. “Miss Grape, I will think carefully about what you asked me and give you an answer next month.”

I nodded.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuqing’s face instantly turned cold.

He glanced at me, wanting to ask something, yet seemingly felt it was beneath his dignity to deign to speak to me. Seeing his gloomy expression, I approached him with a beaming smile.

“Did you come looking for me because you were worried, Young Master?”

…

Zhou Yuqing’s face remained icy. “I was worried you would ruin that pot of White Lion.”

You see, this man is truly no fun.

In the carriage, seeing me pout, Zhou Yuqing finally couldn’t help but ask, “What did you say to Zou Bo’an? I don’t actually want to know, of course. I’m just afraid you’re a traitor, conspiring with outsiders to harm me.”

I thought about it for a moment. “I asked Young Master Zou what ‘Dongshi imitating Xishi’s frown’ meant. And… and I asked about you, Young Master.”

I wasn’t lying. My intention to become a concubine in the Zou Family was indeed somewhat related to Zhou Yuqing.

Lifting the carriage curtain, Changle gripped the thin whip and gave a mischievous wink. “Miss Grape, while you were away, our Young Master found no joy in his food or tea. I saw right through it. I just said one thing-that there’s a war going on and it’s not safe outside, and what would happen if you ran into bandits? The Young Master came looking for you immediately, even though he claimed he was just afraid you’d damage that pot of White Lion. Miss Grape has the Young Master in her heart too; knowing next month is his birthday, she specifically asked Young Master Zou about his preferences.”

Zhou Yuqing didn’t refute Changle. He simply covered his face with a book, pretending to nap.

After a long while, his lips curled upward. Like a cat whose fur had been stroked the right way, he looked quite smug. “Talkative.”

Changle continued to chatter away. “We’re having West Lake Brasenia Seed Soup and Rouge Duck Breast today. The Young Master knew you liked them, so he specifically waited for you.”

I didn’t take in much of what Changle said. I just stared blankly at Zhou Yuqing and the purple bamboo walking stick by his side. Suddenly, my heart felt a little soft, as if warmed by the moonlight.

Back when I was at home, if I lost a single duck, my father wouldn’t let me eat dinner. He would chase me out to the pitch-black riverbank, where I would cry while searching. No matter the wind or rain, or how terrifyingly dark it was, no one ever came to find me.

Only my lame little dog, Erhei, would wag his tail and come running down from the hills to find me, whimpering all the way.

Zhou Yuqing was like Erhei. Although he barked a lot, he would come to find me and bring me home for dinner.

Thinking of Erhei, I lowered my head in silence and sullenly wiped away a handful of tears.

I regretted it.

I shouldn’t have asked Young Master Zou if he wanted a concubine. I should have asked if I could delay repaying those twenty taels of silver for a few days.

Because tonight, for the first time, someone had come to bring me home for dinner. So, I wanted to stay here with Zhou Yuqing.

The carriage swayed. Zhou Yuqing seemed to have fallen asleep.

I lifted the curtain and asked Changle somewhat anxiously, “…Changle, could you lend me some money? I’ll need it next month…”

Changle had a sudden realization. “That’s right, next month is the Young Master’s birth-”

That’s right. Next month, when I see Zou Bo’an. I want to return the money to him and tell him I’m sorry.

“How much do you need?”

“Twenty taels.”

Changle couldn’t produce twenty taels. He scratched his head. “You’re so good to the Young Master, willing to spend so much on him. How about I ask him tomorrow to give you a raise?”

Beside us, Zhou Yuqing slept soundly. He seemed to be having a beautiful dream; the corners of his mouth were curved like a crescent moon, filled with a smug joy he couldn’t suppress.