Chapter 45: Sister Yuan, Pin Up My Hair

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“Miss Youli, have you come to order a cake from me?”

Cheng Yuan turned around with a standard smile on her face, revealing nothing of what she was truly feeling.

Shen Youli was the only one who had come without a maid. As she approached through the snow, an absurd thought suddenly occurred to Cheng Yuan.

She seemed a little lonely.

Cheng Yuan immediately banished the thought from her mind. It had nothing to do with her.

“The chocolate cake was not bad. Barely acceptable.” Shen Youli stood before Cheng Yuan for a long while before finally speaking. Then, seemingly dissatisfied, she gave a soft snort through her nose and quickened her pace toward the exit.

When Cheng Yuan stepped out of the manor, the snow happened to stop. She folded her umbrella and looked into the distance, where she saw an unexpected visitor.

The Drunken Immortal House.

“Manman, are you satisfied?”

Holding a cup of hot tea in her hands, Cheng Yuan slowly warmed the chill from her fingertips. She tilted her head toward the window; from the second floor, one could see the gates of the distant prince’s residence.

Shen Jingshu smiled. “Sister Yuan, you have truly surprised me.”

She raised a hand, and the maid beside her passed over a sachet.

“I made this myself. It helps with sleep and calms the mind. I hope you will accept it, Sister.”

Cheng Yuan took it and breathed in its fragrance. The familiar scent was deeply soothing.

“Thank you.”

“There is nothing particularly pressing today. I mainly wanted to see you and reminisce, since it has been so long. If you ever find yourself in difficulty, you may come to me. I no longer live at the Zhu residence, however. I am at the far end of Wind Butterfly Alley.”

Though Shen Jingshu’s eyes were covered, Cheng Yuan could still feel her intense gaze.

“Once the greater matter is settled, I will pay you another sum, Sister Yuan. I am truly grateful.”

—

When Cheng Yuan returned home, she searched both the front and rear courtyards but could not find Xie Changzhi.

“Changzhi? I think I saw him heading up the mountain earlier. Or perhaps he went to the fields—I cannot say.”

Cheng Zhi and Jiang He were engrossed in their storybook. Having said this, they lowered their heads and continued reading.

Not wishing to disturb them, Cheng Yuan tucked her things into her robes and walked briskly toward the fields.

At the market that day, she had seen a jade hairpin that suited him perfectly. It had been somewhat expensive, but she had snapped it up without hesitation!

If one wanted an employee to work hard, one had to offer sufficient incentives!

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Thinking of the way Xie Changzhi’s eyes would sparkle with delight, Cheng Yuan felt that even the day’s chill had lessened.

“He is nothing but a pretty boy, yet he really thinks Miss Cheng likes him that much! If looks are all that matter, I am no worse than he is!”

“Exactly. Don’t get so full of yourself. Neither of you is married yet. Once Sister Cheng grows tired of you, she might cast you aside.”

Before she reached the fields, Cheng Yuan saw several unfamiliar figures in the distance. Their backs were blurred by the distance, and one of them raised a hand and shoved Xie Changzhi. He staggered two steps, then suddenly met Cheng Yuan’s gaze.

Those eyes, usually as still as an ancient well, brightened for an instant. He blinked, and two tears clung to his lashes.

He looked on the verge of tears.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Cheng Yuan glanced from side to side, then picked up a branch as thick as her wrist and stormed toward them.

Her voice was loud enough that the group froze at once and turned around.

“Sister Yuan… Ow!”

“Sister Cheng… Ow!”

She had merely given the branch a casual flick, yet the two men’s knees buckled. They dropped directly to their knees before Xie Changzhi.

Xie Changzhi took a step back. The corners of his mouth were plainly curling upward, but his face wore an expression of panic.

“Sister Yuan, just look at them…”

His lips drooped. He hurried to Cheng Yuan’s side and, without making a show of it, slipped his arm around hers.

Cheng Yuan looked coldly at the two ugly men bawling as though they were being slaughtered. She waved the stick before them.

“What have you come here for?”

She was not conceited enough to believe that the two of them had truly come because they fancied her. Most likely, her aunt or someone else had sent them to provoke her again.

Their attempt to sow discord was so blatant that Cheng Yuan could not be bothered to waste words on them.

When neither man admitted anything, she kicked each of them hard.

Resentment flashed through their eyes, but they quickly lowered their heads.

“What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you to rest properly at home?”

“I came to look over the fields and think about what we should do next. I was also planning to go into the mountains to see whether I could find anything edible. But before I even got close, these two started pestering me. I had no intention of arguing with them.”

Xie Changzhi tilted his head to study her expression, speaking with deliberate caution and coy sweetness. “I will be good, Sister Yuan.”

“Mm. Don’t listen to them. They were only trying to drive a wedge between us.”

Cheng Yuan nodded, the corners of her eyes gradually softening. She took the jade hairpin from her robes, and, just as expected, Xie Changzhi’s eyes widened slightly.

Surprise. Delight.

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He raised a hand, then suddenly stopped. For some reason, he became bashful and asked, “Is this for me?”

“If not, should I give it to your younger brother instead?”

A grown man, yet he blushed at the ears over receiving a gift and looked so flustered that Cheng Yuan raised a brow, inwardly amused.

Xie Changzhi’s eyes flew wide. When he saw the laughter in Cheng Yuan’s eyes and realized she was teasing him, he snatched the jade hairpin from her and angrily fixed it into his hair.

“Xie Yanzhi is still young. He does not need one. His hairpins can be bought by his future wife. I… Sister Yuan may buy them only for me.”

Xie Changzhi pressed his lips together slightly. His perfectly measured blend of coquettishness and possessiveness softened something in Cheng Yuan’s heart.

She raised a hand and stroked his hair, smiling. “I know. Come on, let’s go back. I’ll fix your hair for you. Look at how crookedly you put it in.”

Xie Changzhi obediently lowered his head and followed her. Then he suddenly glanced back at the two men.

“Sister Yuan, I think there is something strange about those two. We should be more cautious over the next few days.”

At first, he had thought that perhaps there were simply too many people in Lianshui Village and he had not yet met everyone.

But Cheng Yuan clearly did not recognize them either, which made their identities highly suspicious.

—

“Sister Yuan, I am not a woman, so there is really no need…”

Xie Changzhi had been firmly pressed down in front of the bronze mirror. He sat rigidly, his ears nearly red with embarrassment.

His black hair fell loose, reaching almost to his waist and beyond. Combined with his shy, bashful expression, it gave Cheng Yuan the strange impression of a young maiden.

If his physique had not made the truth so obvious, she would genuinely have liked to see what Xie Changzhi looked like dressed as a woman.

Cheng Yuan studied the bronze mirror, her brows drawing together slightly. Then a simple tabletop mirror appeared in her hand.

Xie Changzhi was startled the moment he saw it.

“Is… is this a mirror, Sister Yuan? Why is it so clear? It is almost as though I were really inside it.”

“It is made of a special material unlike a bronze mirror. Changzhi, look—aren’t you very handsome?”

Cheng Yuan had always believed that the word “handsome” could describe both women and men. Xie Changzhi had striking, strongly defined features, and she could not help turning her gaze away.

Xie Changzhi stared at the mirror, but he was not looking at himself. His eyes shifted slightly toward Cheng Yuan’s reflection.

Her brows and eyes were dark and graceful, and a faint blush tinted her cheeks.

He silently disagreed. In his heart, Sister Yuan was the most beautiful of all.

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