FYM - 63

Early the next morning, Song Mingzhen, the second young master of the Song family, indeed went to the Qiao residence to pick up his younger sister.

As he was leaving, he hesitated for a moment, thinking it would be inappropriate to disturb Third Brother again. After all, the latter wasn’t particularly close to his sister, and accompanying them out the last time had already been a great favor. To pester him again would truly be considered rude. However, just as he passed through the garden, he unexpectedly ran into Third Brother. After glancing at him, the other man asked casually, “Are you going to pick up your sister?”

He responded with a simple affirmation, assuming it was merely polite small talk. But to his surprise, the other man nodded and said, “Then let’s go together.”

… Hmm?

The single word “together” carried a subtle implication that inexplicably made Song Mingzhen’s heart skip a beat. He paused momentarily before responding belatedly with a hesitant “Alright.”

When his sister came out, there was something strange about her demeanor.

She was naturally beautiful, but on this day, she looked excessively so—even a man as unobservant as him could tell she had carefully dressed up. She had even applied rouge to her already exquisite face. Upon stepping outside, her first glance wasn’t toward her elder brother but instead toward Third Brother. Then, deliberately turning her head, she called out, “Second Brother,” followed by an awkwardly directed “Third Brother.” Whether it was due to applying too much rouge or not, her ears were visibly red.

… Things grew even stranger once they hit the streets.

His sister walked in the middle, while he and Third Brother trailed slightly behind. Whenever they encountered something interesting or eye-catching along the way, she would always turn back and smile at Third Brother. And the latter—normally such a reserved and aloof individual—gazed at her with an unmistakable…

Song Mingzhen hadn’t yet figured out how to describe it when his sister was suddenly detained by a shopkeeper selling the Four Treasures of the Study. The merchant insisted on showing her a fine Longwei inkstone from Huizhou. Since she had always loved painting, she was particularly enthusiastic about examining brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. This particular She inkstone was exquisitely carved, smooth, and reputed to neither hinder the brush nor reject the ink. Its convenience alone was worth dozens of gold coins.

She was startled and quickly placed the item down, no longer daring to touch it. Before Song Mingzhen could fully process the situation, Fang Xianting had already summoned Linze, who was guarding nearby, to pay for it. This truly shocked him, and he hurriedly intervened, saying, “Third Brother, there’s no need for such extravagance. This bill should rightfully be paid by me—”

For heaven’s sake… This wasn’t like the trifling sum of three to five strings of cash from Chang’an’s Western Market days ago. A figure as large as dozens of gold coins—how could he possibly allow an outsider to cover it?

“Ziqiu…”

To his surprise, Third Brother sighed softly, looking at him with an expression that seemed to want to say something but held back. After a pause, he continued, “If it’s something she likes… it’s still more appropriate for me to pay for it.”

This statement was essentially an open declaration. Although Song Shuyan had already agreed with Fang Xianting the previous day on Yuhuang Mountain to clarify matters with her second brother today, now that the moment had arrived, she couldn’t help but feel timid and reluctant. While her older brother was still somewhat bewildered, she hastily cut off the conversation, protesting, “I don’t want this inkstone anymore. Neither of you should pay for it…”

At that moment, Song Mingzhen’s thoughts were in complete disarray, leaving him no spare capacity to focus on what his sister was saying. Only Fang Xianting looked down at her, raising an eyebrow as he asked, “Why don’t you want it?”

After a pause, he picked up the inkstone again and gently asked, “Don’t you like it?”

It seemed he was quite insistent on confirming whether she genuinely liked something. When he gifted her the jade comb the other day, he had acted similarly. Clearly, he disliked seeing her suppress her true feelings. She was deeply moved; the sensation of being cared for and cherished was indescribably wonderful. Meanwhile, Song Mingzhen finally pieced things together. Alternating his gaze between his sister and Third Brother, his face displayed nothing short of utter astonishment.

“You, you two…”

His tongue stumbled, and for the first time in his life, he found himself unable to form a coherent sentence.

Even during lunch, he hadn’t fully recovered.

Dazedly following the other two as they walked along, he didn’t even realize where he was when they entered the restaurant. Seeing her second brother’s peculiar expression, Song Shuyan couldn’t help but feel uneasy herself. Worse still, just before entering the private room, Linze stepped forward to whisper something into Fang Xianting’s ear. After hearing it, his expression immediately turned grave, and his brows furrowed tightly.

What was…

Her heart clenched, and without caring that her second brother was still present, she took a step closer to him. Her own faintly furrowed brows revealed her unease and concern as she asked, “… Has something happened?”

Fang Xianting glanced down at her, his expression remarkably composed. He first reassured her with a simple “Nothing’s wrong,” then, after a brief pause, added, “I’m afraid I must leave first. I’ll come find you later.”

Ever since arriving in Qiantang, he had stayed by her side for three full days, showering her with affection that made her forget how difficult it had been to even see him in the past. Now, faced with the sudden emergence of these responsibilities, she felt panicked. For some irrational reason, she didn’t want him to leave, but her rational mind hadn’t entirely abandoned her. All she could say was, “Alright… Then, then I’ll wait for you.”

He nodded at her, his eyes betraying a hint of apology. Then, raising his head to look at Song Mingzhen, who had now regained his composure, he instructed solemnly, “Take good care of her for the day and send her back early.”

Perhaps due to his deep trust in Third Brother, Song Mingzhen nodded decisively without much thought. It was only after Fang Xianting left that he suddenly realized—this was his younger sister! How could an outsider dare to give him instructions like this?

Song Mingzhen was utterly indignant. Just as he pulled his sister into the private room and settled down, he immediately downed a cup of cold tea. Then, leaning forward, he pressed urgently, “You must explain clearly to me—what exactly is going on between you and Third Brother? Is it really…”

Song Shuyan had originally been deeply worried about how to broach the subject with her second brother. But now that Fang Xianting had left, her mind could think of nothing else. Sitting in the private room, she couldn’t move, her eyes fixed longingly out the window below. It wasn’t until his figure disappeared at the end of the long street that she silently withdrew her gaze, her expression already tinged with loneliness.

“Hmm…” She nodded with half-lowered eyes, her voice distant. “Yes… it’s real.”

This disheveled, distracted state rendered Song Mingzhen utterly speechless. He couldn’t comprehend how his usually composed and dignified younger sister had transformed into this. After a sigh, he pressed further, “When did this happen? Was it after arriving in Qiantang? Or did it start back in Jinling?”

Pausing, his expression grew even more alarmed: “Could it have started as far back as Chang’an?”

“Of course not,” Song Shuyan finally snapped back to attention, blushing at her second brother’s overly bold speculation. “It was just a few days ago… On the first day of the month…”

Her explanation was vague, but Song Mingzhen understood every word. Upon reflection, it was precisely during the Zhonghe Festival. Around the time he had sent Zhuier to the clinic, the two of them must have secretly arranged things behind the scenes. This… this was truly…

He raised a hand to his forehead, his mind still a chaotic jumble. He simply couldn’t believe that Third Brother had developed feelings for his fourth younger sister. After a moment of silence, he asked, “So, what exactly did Third Brother say to you? Did he promise to marry you as his wife? Or…”

Though Song Mingzhen had always held Fang Xianting in high regard, when it came to his sister’s future, he couldn’t help but exercise caution. Admittedly, in his eyes, his fourth younger sister was the most virtuous and talented woman in the world. However, Third Brother was still of the Fang family of Yingchuan, now the head of the clan. For her to become his principal wife was truly…

“He promised to take me as his principal wife,” Song Shuyan, aware of her brother’s concerns, replied with both gratitude and joy. “I’ve already met Madam Fang. She said that in a few days, they would visit my grandmother at the Qiao residence to finalize the matter…”

Upon hearing this, Song Mingzhen finally exhaled deeply, setting aside his fear of seeing his sister become a concubine. After feeling reassured, he nodded repeatedly, saying, “Good, good, this is good…”

Perhaps overwhelmed by the emotional rollercoaster, his throat parched, he drank another full cup of fresh tea. Sitting there, the more he pondered, the more unbelievable it seemed. Turning to look at his sister, he sighed, “I always worried that the challenges posed by the mistress of the house would hinder your marriage prospects. Who would have thought that in the end, you’d marry Third Brother…”

How could Song Shuyan herself have foreseen this? Even now, she still found it hard to believe. Hearing her second brother’s words, she sighed in agreement and laughed, asking jokingly, “What, does Second Brother think I’m unworthy of him?”

Hearing this, Song Mingzhen raised his eyebrows and replied with a laugh, “How could that be?” Though his words praised his sister’s elegance, education, and grace, a different concern lingered in his mind. Third Brother was a man of impeccable character, certainly not someone who would break promises or act dishonorably. However, if he hadn’t misheard earlier, what Linze had whispered to him seemed to suggest…

He furrowed his brows slightly, his gaze subtly drifting toward the northwest. The deep, imposing imperial city of Chang’an loomed hazily in his mind, followed by the tangled web of conflicts and calamities that seemed like a monstrous abyss ready to swallow countless people whole with just the blink of an eye.

That day, Song Shuyan was sent back to the Qiao residence early by her second brother. She waited anxiously in her room late into the night, but still, there was no news from Fang Xianting.

She wasn’t usually so unsettled, but for some reason, she couldn’t calm her heart that day. It seemed the elders’ saying—”It’s easy to grow accustomed to luxury but hard to return to simplicity”—was profoundly true. In just three short days, she had grown used to the sweetness of his company, and now, being alone again felt unbearable, as though each moment dragged on endlessly.

Zhuier could clearly see her distress. After failing to persuade her for a long time, Zhuier, despite her still-healing injured leg, hopped on one foot to go fetch news. She returned just before the hour of Xu, reporting that Linze, who served by Lord Fang’s side, had come by to deliver a message on behalf of the Marquis.

Just those words brought Song Shuyan back to life. Anxiously rising from the bed, she clutched Zhuier’s hand tightly and asked, “What did he say?... Did Third Brother come?”

“No, no, he didn’t…”

Zhuier shook her head, watching helplessly as the light dimmed in her young mistress’s beautiful almond-shaped eyes.

“He said Lord Fang had urgent matters to attend to and has already left Qiantang. But he asked the young miss to rest assured, saying that once the wedding of Cousin Biao passes on the fifth day, he and Madam Fang will visit together. He promised not to break his word…”

After the fifth day…

Today was only the third day… Did this mean he wouldn’t see her for two consecutive days, the fourth and the fifth?

A chill spread through Song Shuyan’s palms. Though she knew he must have been detained by something critically important, the sense of helplessness and panic in her heart only grew heavier. He wasn’t even in Qiantang anymore, and she had no idea where he was—or how to find out.

Her heart suddenly felt hollow. The changes brought by just three days were unimaginable. At some point, the once clear-headed and composed person had become so insecure and calculating, her once tranquil mindset of “gain is my fortune, loss is my fate” seemingly cast aside completely.

—I seem to truly be unable to lose you now.

Can you… return to my side sooner?