The Young Master thought back to the words He Butuo had spoken before his death—he shouldn’t have been so impulsive as to kill He Butuo. But the events of that day were still vivid in his mind. Had he hesitated even for a moment, he would have regretted it deeply. How could he bear it? The spring insects chirped mournfully, the starlight was cool, and through the thin paper window, the Young Master’s gaze slowly fell on a silhouette. It vaguely appeared to be a young girl sitting on a stone bench, her cheek in her hand, deep in thought, but what was she thinking about? Was it the white cub by Little Mirror Lake or the lover she had never met? The Young Master stood up, his long eyelashes hiding a faint weariness, and said softly, “Indeed, this matter might not be over yet.”
Chapter Twenty-One of [Green Willow Alley]
The next morning, the group prepared to return to Cangzhou. When Chu Xia reached the door, the guards were already mounting their horses, but only two horses remained tied to the post. She looked around and asked Qing Long, “Two horses… but there are four of us!”
Bai Xue’s voice came from behind, “The horses are enough. The Young Master has an injury on his back and must travel by carriage.”
Qing Long gave a wry smile and said to Chu Xia, “Let’s ride, Chu Xia. Let Zhu Que accompany the Young Master.”
Chu Xia nodded, but then Zhu Que pointed at her with her delicate finger, “Chu Xia, you just had medicine on your cheek; you can’t have wind blowing on it.” With that, she led a horse over to Qing Long, “Little Qing Long, ride with me.”
Before Qing Long could respond, the Young Master emerged from the courtyard, now dressed in a white robe, his black hair loosely tied with a jade hairpin. He casually called out, “Chu Xia, come here.”
A guard brought the carriage over. Chu Xia furrowed her brows, hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Young Master, where is your Lightning?”
The Young Master’s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, “What?”
Chu Xia awkwardly said, “I want to ride a horse.”
The Young Master no longer looked at her, turned to board the carriage, and casually tossed out a sentence, “Get in.”
Knowing the Young Master’s mood from his tone, Chu Xia realized borrowing his beloved horse was out of the question. She sighed and envied Qing Long, who sat upright on his horse in his blue robe, embodying the phrase “a righteous man in blue, sword in hand.”
Qing Long gave her a sympathetic look and whispered, “If you feel too stuffy inside, just call me, and we can switch.”
Chu Xia happily agreed, but then heard Bai Xue’s half-smiling voice, “Qing Long, have you lost your mind? Two grown men squeezed into a carriage, how fun would that be?”
Qing Long gave Bai Xue a look that said “real men don’t fight with women” and reluctantly spurred his horse forward.
Chu Xia climbed into the carriage and looked around. The Young Master was leaning against the side, reading a book. She chose a corner to sit in, knowing he disliked interruptions when reading, and quietly peeked outside. The spring day was bright, with willow catkins flying. After watching for a while, Chu Xia suddenly asked, “Young Master, have you ever been to the south?”
The Young Master hummed in acknowledgment.
“Is spring in the south… the most beautiful?” Chu Xia was somewhat enchanted, “Flowers bloom along the paths, and one can leisurely return home. Even letters from home are written so beautifully.”
The Young Master smiled slightly, “Next time, come with me to see the south.”
Chu Xia casually asked, “When will that be?”
The Young Master put down his book, thought for a moment, then said, “Let’s change our route and head to Jiangnan Mansion.”
Chu Xia stared at him in astonishment as a gust of willow catkins flew by, making her sneeze. The Young Master looked at her slightly reddened nose, his smile softening, and reached out, “Come here.”
Chu Xia sat beside him, hearing him say with a light laugh, “I know what you’re thinking.”
“What?”
“What else could you be thinking about? Definitely that precious indenture contract.” The Young Master stroked her hair, sighed, “You’d rather go home immediately than delay any longer, right?”
Chu Xia gave a sheepish smile, sat cross-legged on a white soft blanket, the carriage swaying gently, making her feel unexpectedly at ease, and she started to doze off. The Young Master’s voice was soothing like water, patting her shoulder, “Sleep.”
She obediently closed her eyes. The Young Master gently adjusted her head to rest on his lap, his hand running through her hair, resting on her shoulder, while the other still held the book. Suddenly, the curtain was pulled aside, and a young face popped in, shouting, “Chu Xia—”
The Young Master gave Qing Long a stern look, as if warning him, which made Qing Long quickly close the curtain. Chu Xia, hearing the commotion faintly, sleepily asked, “Is… is that Qing Long?”
“No, sleep,” the Young Master reassured, covering her with his cloak, “When you wake up, we might be in Cangzhou.”
The journey was filled with dozing and waking, sometimes even reading a few pages for the Young Master. Perhaps because of his promise, Chu Xia did it willingly, even getting accustomed to resting her head on the Young Master’s lap… although she would inadvertently lean on him when she fell asleep, luckily, the Young Master didn’t mind.
Thus, in mid-April, the group returned to the Cangzhou residence. Cang Qianlang led the household staff to welcome them at the gate. Chu Xia, following the Young Master, jumped off the carriage, feeling as if she had been away for an eternity when she saw the vermilion gate again. Cang Qianlang, seeing the Young Master, nervously asked, “Young Master, are you injured?”
The Young Master didn’t answer but pointed at Chu Xia, “Go fetch her indenture contract and bring it to the study.”
Chu Xia’s heart leaped with joy. She followed the Young Master to the study, and soon enough, Cang Qianlang sent someone with the contract. She took it eagerly, examining it several times; indeed, it was the one she had signed herself. With a beaming smile, she said, “Thank you, Young Master.”
Without hesitation, she lit it with the candlelight. With that, a huge weight was lifted off her heart, and she was almost in tears when she heard the Young Master softly say, “Girl, your contract is returned. Now, where do you wish to live?”
