Chapter 9

Chapter 9

After leaving the cloth shop, I strolled along the street, wondering what I should buy for Qingqing.

I was picking out sachets at a stall when a sudden disturbance reached my ears.

It was the sound of synchronized, orderly running-heavy footsteps and the clanking of armor.

I looked toward the end of the street. The crowd was bustling, but I saw nothing unusual at first.

A moment later, the crowd suddenly cried out and scattered as a troop of soldiers jogged into view.

The leader shouted incessantly, “Nobles entering the city! Clear the way! Step aside!”

He shouted all the way, forcing people to the sides of the road.

I was torn between a blue sachet and a silver one, so I stepped aside and lowered my head to examine the patterns and embroidery.

Just then, a gold-painted carriage drove slowly past.

“Kneel, quickly!”

The stall owner pulled me down, and we knelt together behind the stall.

The carriage was massive, draped with flying gauze on all four sides. I could vaguely see a woman sitting upright inside.

When the carriage drew level with me, a sudden gust of wind blew, lifting a corner of the gauze curtain.

A flash of emerald green caught my eye.

My eyesight is excellent; with just that one glance, I recognized it as a jade pendant.

Its color and shape were identical to Jun Qingyu’s-exactly the same!

In that fleeting glimpse, I even clearly saw the inscription carved upon the jade.

-Jun Qingyu.

I craned my neck to watch the carriage disappear into the distance. Just as I was about to stand up in confusion, I saw another carriage approaching behind it.

Unlike the gold-painted one from before, this carriage was entirely vermilion.

Behind the red gauze, a man reclined lazily.

There was no wind this time, and the curtains didn’t budge until the carriage had driven away.

I was keen to find out who these two nobles were, but none of the commoners knew, and the soldiers remained tight-lipped.

Boarding the donkey cart back to the village, I asked Madam Zhao and Brother Li about it.

They only replied with things like, “That display was terrifying,” and “Their entourage was even grander than the Prefect’s.”

I entered the village with a mind full of worries.

I hopped off the donkey cart, paid the fare, and ran all the way to the schoolhouse.

The children inside were sitting bolt upright, swaying their heads as they recited the Three Character Classic.

Sitting on the platform was Jun Qingyu, dressed in a robe of coarse white cloth.

He rested his cheek on one hand, his long lashes cast downward, while his other hand idly flipped through a book.

When he was outside, though he was a man of few words, he wasn’t harsh. When he smiled, it was like a spring breeze, but when he didn’t, he was as cold as frost and snow.

The young children feared him most of all.

I picked up a small pebble and tossed it through the window with unerring aim.

It landed exactly three inches from his shoe.

He looked up at me, and I broke into a wide grin.

He smiled back.

Closing his book, he stood and said to the students, “Lessons are over for today. You may all go home.”

Only upon hearing those words did the children dare to shed their restraints. Like a brood of little chicks, they all scrambled out as fast as they could.

I waited for him at the door.

When the little chicks saw me, they even gave a proper, formal bow.

“Greetings, Mistress. Peace be with you, Mistress.”

I waved them off. “Hurry home now, and be careful on the road.”

Once the children were gone, Jun Qingyu walked out slowly.

Just like the children, he gave me a slight smile.

“Greetings, Wife. Peace be with you, Wife.”

This man was no child. His beauty was striking as he called out to me with a soft laugh near my ear.

I froze instantly.

My spine tingled, and my face grew hot.

Unlike the inexplicable excitement from before, this was pure, heart-fluttering emotion-not quite as intense, but deeply comforting.

“I brought some things back for you.”

I hurried to hold up the long string of items in my hand, rattling them off like a menu. “There are zongzi from Seven Treasures Pavilion, dried fruits from Daxing, roasted goose from Tianwai Residence, and osmanthus wine from Green Bamboo Pavilion…”

“So much? I’m afraid I won’t be able to finish it all,” he laughed.

“If you can’t finish it, just take your time.”

I didn’t think much of it as I took his hand and led him outside. “We have a long life ahead of us; I didn’t expect you to eat it all in one day.”

Our fingers intertwined, our steps in sync.

On the way home, I hesitated several times, wondering whether I should tell him.

It wasn’t until he went to start dinner that I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I spoke up:

“Qingqing, have you ever considered that maybe… your name isn’t actually Jun Qingyu?”