An Jin placed the noodles in front of me. Having stood in the wind for a long time, his lips were slightly pale, and his usually impeccable hair was disheveled. I came to my senses and hurriedly pulled him to sit down. When I touched his skin, its coolness made me instinctively withdraw.
“Are you very cold?” I cupped his hands in mine, breathing warmth onto them. He had queued to buy food for me, so warming his hands felt like a fair exchange. “This spring seems especially cold. It looks like we’ll have a cool summer.”
His expression softened slightly. He took chopsticks from the holder and casually asked, “That person just now—”
“Duan Gongzi,” I replied, seeing his normal expression. “My father’s supervisor’s son.”
“I know.”
Duan Xiushen’s second son, Duan Chang, is a twenty-five-year-old fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Justice, currently married.
I couldn’t tell if it was my imagination, but he seemed to emphasize “married” strongly.
I admired his ability to assess a person’s background, rank, and marital status at a glance. He is truly worthy of his position as Vice Minister of the Personnel Department, overseeing the employment and assessment of Qi State officials.
He appeared embarrassed by my direct admiration, turning his gaze away. “I just…”
“I understand,” I said, stirring my chopsticks and taking a mouthful of cool locust leaf noodles. “No wonder you’ve been promoted so quickly. Do you remember every official’s background so clearly?”
I feel extremely oppressed. Are the Song family and I just incompatible? Their son snatched my brother’s intended bride, and now their daughter wants to steal my husband. Do the people my family choose seem like delicacies everyone wants to grab?
The Song family is considered prestigious, making their young lady’s desire to become a concubine puzzling. Madam Song acts as if I don’t exist, often complaining to my mother-in-law about her daughter’s devotion to An Jin, whom she praises as an outstanding talent. She subtly hints at my failure to bear a child after a year of marriage. The matchmaker skillfully praises the Song family’s third young miss, and if my mother-in-law hadn’t been coldly sitting at the table, I might have swept them out.
My mother-in-law’s frown deepened, making me uneasy. Could she be swayed to want An Jin to take a concubine?
Unexpectedly, she rubbed her forehead and coldly addressed Madam Song, saying, “This is not something I can manage. Let them decide for themselves.” Seeing Madam Song and the matchmaker defeated brought me joy, and my mother-in-law soon claimed to be tired and returned to her room.
I perked up, picked up the refreshing tea that Que’er had prepared for me, took a gulp, and prepared to eliminate An Jin’s romantic entanglements.
Madam Song remarked that her daughter would not compete for affection if married, but I internally thought, “Do I look stupid?”
Madam Song hinted that if I agreed to the marriage, she could persuade her son to return my brother’s intended bride. I cleared my throat and responded, “No need. We’ll handle my brother’s marriage ourselves. That fickle girl is not suitable for him; she’d be more compatible with your distinguished gentleman.”
Madam Song’s face turned blue, and she pleaded, “My daughter truly loves An. She can’t eat or sleep; she’s wasting away,” and began to sob.
The matchmaker added, “Young Madam An, Song’s third miss truly loves An. Why break up their love?”
I seemed to have become the villain. Over the past year, although I hadn’t obstructed anything, I was aware of An Jin’s romantic encounters, often meeting in crowded places—tea houses, willow banks, or White Crane Plains—making it convenient for me to track and sketch.
Whenever he had a date, I would follow or observe from a distance, completing my paintings about him and understanding his romantic history.
This Song third miss had never actually been on a date with An Jin. She had only met him once through her brother, and An Jin probably spoke no more than three sentences to her.
This sheltered young lady, who rarely saw men, encountered a handsome and gentle man and immediately thought she had found her true love. She began daydreaming, likely seeing me as an imaginary enemy.
With my mother-in-law absent, I carelessly disregarded my demeanor and had Que’er bring a plate of sugar cakes.
Madam Song’s face turned completely blue. She said indignantly, “Madam An, what do you mean?”
I swallowed the last bite of cake and clapped my hands. “Madam Song, I have three words for you.”
“What?”
I smiled sincerely at her. “Not a chance.”
Chapter Nine: Song Third Miss
That evening, An Jin unexpectedly returned home on time, followed by a small, fat, entirely white dog.
I was overjoyed. The big white dog ran towards me happily, barking lightly.
An Jin frowned slightly and said firmly, “Stop.” It reluctantly stopped, sitting and looking at me, then at him.
I stood in place, glancing at An Jin.
The corner of An Jin’s mouth slightly curved before pressing down again, looking somewhat stiff. “On my way back, I passed your home and saw it sitting at the door looking quite pitiful. So…”
I couldn’t help but cheer, bending down to hug Yuan Xiao. Yuan Xiao raised its front legs onto my shoulders, its white fur burrowing into my neck.
An Jin watched quietly, his smile surprisingly gentle.
Yuan Xiao had been sitting at the door for days. Why did An Jin suddenly decide to bring it back? While stroking Yuan Xiao, I speculated darkly that perhaps An Jin knew about Madam Song’s marriage proposal and wanted to curry my favor to introduce a concubine.
The more I thought, the angrier I became. Yuan Xiao sensed my mood change and whimpered questioningly.
“Zhuo Yi,” I said seriously, “This is non-negotiable. I will not agree.”
An Jin was slightly stunned. “What?”
Yuan Xiao growled threateningly at An Jin.
“Today, Madam Song came to propose marriage, wanting her daughter to become your concubine,” I watched his expression carefully.
“I know,” he said with a knowing smile.
As expected, he knew? I continued, “I refused.”
His smile deepened, and the sunset’s afterglow shone in his eyes, making his usually deep black pupils look transparent.
I looked at him suspiciously, trying to find signs of embarrassment or anger, but found none.
He laughed softly, feeling relieved. The small deerskin crown on his head swayed with his movement, and combined with his rosy lips and white teeth, I thought of “delicate and trembling.”
“You’re not angry?” I asked. “I offended someone on your behalf.”
He walked towards me. Yuan Xiang hesitated, tucking his tail and hiding behind me. “You did well, why would I be angry?”
I stood still, watching him come closer. The phoenixes on his purple official robe seemed to come alive, coiling on his body.
An Jin stopped a step in front of me, lowered his eyes, and softly said: “I’m happy.”
I nodded, realizing he didn’t like the third young miss of the Song family. Another thought struck me.
“How did you know about Lady Song’s visit?”
An Jin reached out to pull me, but his fingers froze midair at my question, awkwardly withdrawing. “I met Lord Song on my way home, and he mentioned this.”
Though it was an unconvincing explanation, I didn’t press further. Knowing An Jin for over a decade, I understood that if he didn’t want to share, it was impossible to pry it out of him.
An Jin rarely came home for dinner, but my father-in-law seemed pleased and kept asking when we would have a grandchild.
Even my usually stern mother-in-law’s expression softened. Yuan Xiang wandered around the dining table, finally settling under my father-in-law’s legs, contentedly eating the meat bones he occasionally handed over.
