The Beloved One (2)

It was nearly the third month of the year. The almond blossoms had fallen and the peach flowers were budding. The spring breeze filled the air.

Thick, padded clothing was no longer needed. Everyone changed into thinner clothing that reflected the colors of spring. It was a merry sight in Bianliang.

Song Caitang greeted her grandmother in the morning, then greeted Guan Qing and Guan Wan, then walked out into the warm sunshine and the lovely breeze as she stepped out of her house.

She was meeting someone today.

Along the way, she walked past a river. Willow trees were planted by the side, so their thin roots swayed in the wind with such gentleness. An almond tree was planted by the little bridge and the wind made the almond blossoms fly off the branches. The pale pink and white petals landed on the soil with a timid sort of softness, making one’s heart go out to the flowers.

Song Caitang couldn’t help but stop and admire the sight with a faint smile on her face.

The scene before her was a simple composition of willow trees and almond blossoms, so it wasn’t majestic or anything like that. But it was perfect to her. It was probably the prettiest spring scenery she had ever seen.

And because she was admiring the scenery, her gaze was fixed on it for a long time before she noticed someone walking toward her from afar.

This person was tall, wore a bamboo green robe and exuded a gentlemanly elegance.

It was none other than Wen Yuansi.

Wen Yuansi was the most gentlemanly person Song Caitang had ever known. She had read a lot of novels and watched a lot of films, and every story had their own idea of what a gentleman ought to be like. But she didn’t have much of an impression until she got here and met Wen Yuansi.

Without experiencing it for herself, she simply couldn’t imagine what the classics meant by the elegance of a scholar.

Wen Yuansi’s personality, actions and attitude helped her to understand what a gentleman really was.

In this extremely patriarchal society, getting to know Wen Yuansi was a blessing.

Wen Yuansi seemed to have noticed her too. He waved at her and broke into a warm, brilliant smile.

Song Caitang waved back and smiled at him too.

Wen Yuansi went into a daze for a moment.

Song Caitang stood beautifully in the distance, the breeze blowing through her hair and making her skirt hem sway like a playful child insisting that their pretty, older sister should play with them. She looked so pure and refreshing.

The wind picked up a little and caused several almond blossoms to rain down.

The pink and white flowers spread their fragrance as they danced in the wind. They seemed to like the young lady standing beneath the tree very much and timidly tried to come close, yet when they got close to her, they flew to the side gently, as though they were afraid of ruining the lovely scenery before the young lady.

The only thought they had was to allow this young lady to remember the beauty of spring and how wonderful these flowers were, even for just a fleeting moment.

These flowers… as well as the person standing among them, was probably the prettiest spring scenery Wen Yuansi had ever seen.

He lowered his gaze slightly to watch where he was going.

After that, he began to take more confident steps toward Song Caitang.

An elegant gentleman was walking slowly but confidently through the rain of petals with such grace and ease. Song Caitang wouldn’t have minded in most cases and would have just admired him from the side. After all, everyone would love to stop and look at anything that pleased their eyes.

But at that moment, she suddenly remembered what Zhao Zhi said before.

All this time, Song Caitang’s only interaction with Wen Yuansi was always with regard to work, so she never thought about him in this manner. But if…

She looked at Wen Yuansi as he approached her slowly and her eyes flickered with uncertainty.

Wen Yuansi bowed slightly when he reached her and continued smiling as elegantly as ever. “Miss Song.”

Song Caitang bowed back and smiled. “Bianliang is such a small city.”

In other words, what a coincidence.

“Bianliang is actually a very large city,” Wen Yuansi did not seem to pick up what she was saying. His eyes sparkled with warmth, as if something was about to grow roots and shoots and turn into a huge tree in no time. “Sometimes, two people could live on two ends of the same street, or just around the corner from each other, yet they remain strangers and never meet for years.”

“The concept of fate is very mysterious and hard to find.”

In other words, being able to get to know a person and to run into them was something very rare.

As though this… was all fated to be.

Wen Yuansi was an upright and honest man who was very clever, so he could come up with many ways to deal with the people at work and was able to take control of almost any situation with ease, but when it came to matters of the heart… He was gentle and kind to others, but he was also quite shy. There were things he wanted to say, but was a little embarrassed to actually say them.

But because he was shy about it, he said such words with a different sort of emotion and sweetness.

When a gentleman said sweet nothings, it took someone who knew him well enough to understand it.

And Song Caitang understood it. Which also frustrated her.

So… what Zhao Zhi said was actually true?

Wen Yuansi was a considerate man, so even though he was behaving a little out of character, he didn’t want to make things awkward for Song Caitang. He pointed at a teahouse in the distance. “Since we happened to meet today, if you have the time, why don’t we go over and have some tea?”

Song Caitang looked at him. “Have some tea?”

Wen Yuansi smiled. “That teahouse just got some tea leaves from Xuanxzhou. The leaves are flat and don’t curl up in hot water. Its fragrance lasts for a long time and has a sweet aftertaste. I think it would suit your taste.”

“How do you know I’d like it?”

“You look like you’re easygoing, but actually, just like other women, you also like things that are fragrant and taste sweet. When it comes to tea, you prefer something lighter and not strong. Better still, if the tea color is almost clear and the leaves don’t curl up after steeping…” He found her staring at him in shock. “Am I wrong?”

Song Caitang shook her head.

He wasn’t wrong at all. He was a hundred percent correct.

She was usually very busy with investigation work and didn’t really care about such details when she was busy, so sometimes, she didn’t even know what she really liked. Guan Wan had made so many dishes she didn’t like and had taken a long time to finally understand her taste. Guan Wan was now able to cook only dishes that she liked.

But Wen Yuansi… how did he do that?

Just by observing her while they cracked a few cases and had some meals together?

That would be impossible, unless he took the trouble to observe her.

She stared at him in shock for quite a long time and Wen Yuansi quickly sensed it. His ears turned a little red and he couldn’t look straight at Song Caitang anymore, so he turned to look elsewhere. He even cleared his throat and attempted an explanation, “Well, you know, I’m pretty good at handling cases and my observation skills are not bad.”

What he said made Song Caitang’s heart sink.

It was not possible to understand a person to this extent with sheer observation skills.

Uh oh.

Before this, she hadn’t noticed Wen Yuansi’s feelings for her at all. Zhao Zhi always made it seem like it was a thing, but she brushed it aside as a joke and never took it seriously. But now that she knew this wasn’t a joke, she had to face it and she had to resolve it.

She was a person who spoke very directly, so she asked him straight, “It sounds a little shameless of me to ask a question like that, but… Wen Yuansi, do you have feelings for me?”

Her direct question stunned Wen Yuansi and he took an extra five seconds to respond. “I—”

Song Caitang sighed inwardly. “I think and behave like a man sometimes, so I’m not detailed, not considerate, I don’t have the best temperament and I don’t have any good habits. I’m not lovable at all.”

Wen Yuansi burst out laughing and looked at her seriously. “There are plenty of lovable women in the world, but… none of them is you. Song Caitang, I don’t think you realize how special you are.”

Song Caitang’s heart sank right to the bottom. This was not right.

This was not right at all.

The slightly warm breeze refused to stop blowing and the almond blossom petals continued swirling as though it was desperately trying to create the right ambience or help this young man out.

But Song Caitang did not want Wen Yuansi to remember today at all.

“If… I don’t know how to say this, but if… I’ve done anything to cause a misunderstanding, I want to apologize for that.” Song Caitang was not used to being confessed to and wasn’t good at handling such situations, so she could only do her best to be as sincere and honest as possible. “That was not what I meant.”

She didn’t have to put it across so plainly, anyway. Wen Yuansi was smart enough to get it.

She was rejecting him.

She knew that he had feelings for her, but she was apologizing because she had no feelings for him.

He looked down at the petals on the ground that had been trampled on and were stained with soil. He didn’t even notice that he sounded disappointed, “So… who do you have feelings for?”

Song Caitang immediately thought of Zhao Zhi, his embrace in the night, his passionate kiss and the warmth of his large hand. She couldn’t help but feel a little shy and she bent her head slightly.

Wen Yuansi sighed quietly. “Is it him?”

He didn’t have to give a name. They both knew who Wen Yuansi was referring to.

Zhao Zhi. It was Zhao Zhi.

Song Caitang nodded without hesitation. “Actually… we’ve known each other some years ago from elsewhere, but there were some unresolved misunderstandings along the way and that’s how it’s dragged on until now.”

“So… I’ve lost to time?” murmured Wen Yuansi as he stared at his feet.

If he had gotten to know her earlier, if he was part of her past, perhaps today he could have been…

But these were all useless thoughts. A feeble attempt to comfort himself.

He let out a sad chuckle and his smile faded slightly.

Actually, he knew very well that these thoughts were pointless. Some people knew each other for years and never fell in love, while some could fall in love at first sight…

Some would say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Some would say familiarity breeds contempt. But that was how such things worked.

It had nothing to do with time or what each other did. He was just not the right one for Song Caitang. But she was the right one for him.

And that was probably the case for many people. It was really hard for two people to fall for each other.

He was able to convince himself rationally, but he still felt awful inside. He could only sigh and say, “Time… is very cruel indeed.”

Song Caitang knew that Wen Yuansi understood what she was trying to tell him. He didn’t look upset and barely reacted, but that was because his personality was like that. It didn’t mean he wasn’t hurt. She felt a little bad for him.

It wasn’t because she had feelings for him. She would feel bad even if this happened to another person.

But she knew that she could not show him any concern. Any actions that seemed contradictory to what she just said would only burden the other party and make the situation messier.

She remained standing where she was and only sounded a little apologetic as she started, “You…”

But before she could say anymore, another man approached her from a different direction. “I was wondering why you were so late. So it turns out you have an appointment with someone else?”

It was Wei He’an.

He had just walked over and had no idea what Song Caitang and Wen Yuansi were talking about earlier, so he didn’t know that what he said wasn’t appropriate. But he wasn’t stupid. He could sense the weird tension in the air.

He blinked a few times. He had… come at the wrong time?

“I don’t have any appointment with Miss Song, we just happened to run into each other,” Wen Yuansi explained with a smile. “Since you have other matters to attend to, I will take my leave first. I’ll treat you to tea another time.”

He was addressing Song Caitang but he didn’t look at her at all.

Song Caitang got a little worried and felt that perhaps she had gone overboard. “You—”

“I understand what you meant just now, we’ll talk another time. Farewell, Miss Song and Mr. Wei.”

Wen Yuansi walked away very quickly. A little too quickly.

His tall figure disappeared into the deluge of petals and blended in with the spring scenery. The further he was, the lonelier he looked.

Song Caitang let out a long sigh.

She suddenly recalled what Zhao Zhi said about their past.

According to him, she was a clever girl who was an expert at disciplining others.

But she was at such a loss when it came to dealing with a situation like this…

She figured that she wasn’t very good at romance. It wasn’t that she never fell in love, but as long as that person wasn’t the right one, her heart wouldn’t be with him at all.

Regardless of whether she realized it or not, once she had fallen for someone, her subconscious would react accordingly. It wasn’t something that was borne out of logic or deep thought.

She didn’t mean to tease or bully Zhao Zhi. She just… enjoyed being like this with the person she liked and he had accepted it, so they suited each other well.

She was not very clever when it came to matters of the heart at all.

“Miss Song, why are you looking for me?”

Song Caitang had remained silent for too long, so even though Wei He’an knew he hadn’t appeared at a good time, he had no choice but to break the silence.

That’s right – the person Song Caitang was meeting today was Wei He’an, not Wen Yuansi. Wen Yuansi was not lying when he said that they happened to run into each other.

Song Caitang put aside her thoughts about Wen Yuansi and turned to look at Wei He’an. “There was a hooligan named Wang Liu who stopped me in the streets and said a lot of things with confidence… Were you the one who sent him to do that?”

Wang Liu had appeared out of nowhere and ran off quickly. She wasn’t able to find out who he was, so she got Guan Qing to help, but Guan Qing couldn’t find anything either. It was as though this man had never existed. He had vanished completely.

And so, she was very certain that Wang Liu wasn’t trying to extort her for money. He was… trying to sound her out for some reason.

Wei He’an had behaved very strangely during the investigation of Fourth Missy Gan’s case, so she couldn’t help but suspect him.

But he shook his head. “Not me.”

Song Caitang narrowed her eyes at him. “Is that so?”

“But I do know that Wang Liu.” Wei He’an responded very earnestly, but he knew from Song Caitang’s suspicious expression that she wasn’t letting him go anywhere if he didn’t give her a good explanation today.

He let out a long sigh. “It really wasn’t me. But I know Wang Liu because he’s from Zhending. Both of us used to live there… Do you remember?”

Song Caitang did not nod or shake her head, or even say anything.

Wei He’an lowered his gaze. “Wang Liu is not anybody important so it doesn’t matter if you know him or not. I happened to know who he is, but he doesn’t know me and nobody else knows that either. He suddenly appeared in Bianliang and secretly tried to get close to you. I found out because I was trying to do the same.”

“He doesn’t know me and the person who hired him doesn’t know me either, while I had my own intentions, so I didn’t warn you and just observed from the side.”

Song Caitang understood now. It was a coincidence.

Wang Liu was trying to sound her out, and so was he, so Wang Liu saved him the effort of doing this himself.

“Who hired him?”

Wei He’an replied, “I really don’t know.”

Song Caitang observed his expression and every tiny movement he made while he spoke. But after she was sure that he was not lying to her, she felt even more frustrated.

If it wasn’t Wei He’an, then who was it?

She wasn’t going to get an answer to that question today.

But she could ask a different question.

“So… why did you watch him try and sound me out?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Trying to confirm my memory?”

Wei He’an rubbed his nose. “You do seem like… you’ve lost your memory.”

Song Caitang ignored his remark. “So, you got your answer. And then?”

“I wanted your help with something.” Wei He’an was fairly honest.

That was exactly what Song Caitang expected. And since she was good at only one thing, the answer was obvious. “You need help with a dead person?”

Wei He’an explained, “I suspect my biological mother’s death was not an accident and it is connected to Madam Wei, so…”

“Madam Wei is the Countess of Peace, so it’s too hard for you to conduct any investigation, regardless of your status,” Song Caitang analyzed his thought process and behavior. “But after the last case was solved and Zeng Deyong was pronounced dead, the title of Count of Peace will cease to exist and once he has been sentenced, she will probably no longer be a countess. Madam Wei will no longer be protected and you can question her even without my help.”

“You are very clever, Miss Song,” Wei He’an nodded. “That’s exactly the case. I was a little too anxious before this and said things I shouldn’t have, so I hope you will forgive me for that. Just that it’s been a little difficult for me to keep my head above water for the time being, so…”

He was apologizing for not taking care of this situation properly.

But Song Caitang didn’t think he needed to apologize.

He wasn’t the one who committed those crimes and hadn’t offended her either, so she couldn’t blame him for anything. As for Wang Liu, he wasn’t obliged to warn her about him since she didn’t even know who he was, so he hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Well, that saves me some trouble.”

Things between them had become much simpler after they spoke honestly about the matter. There was nothing else to talk about, so Song Caitang quickly bid Wei He’an farewell.

“Having so much fun talking to other men? Without consideration for how your man would feel? Hmm?”

Song Caitang was about to walk in the opposite direction when she felt a gust of wind. Zhao Zhi’s lips touched her ear and left those… rather shameless words.

Not just shameless. Childish.

He probably wanted to see her blush.

But she wasn’t shy about it at all and even smiled back at him. “My man? Who? I don’t see him.”

She even pretended to look left and right as though she was really looking for someone. “By the way, Commandery Prince Zhao—oh wait, no, you’re Prince Ping now. Your Highness, you promised to get the most talented and handsome young man in all of Bianliang to be my husband. Did you bring him? Where is he?”

Zhao Zhi flew into a panic and glared at her fiercely. “Why aren’t you shy at all?! You already have me, so who else do you want? I said before, I’m the best young man in all of Bianliang! The most talented! The most handsome!”

Song Caitang ignored him and kept walking.

Zhao Zhi was worried that he might have angered her with the way he spoke, so he ran after her and said, “It’s true! I’m the gentlest and most considerate man! I’ll be a good husband! I know whether you’re hungry or thirsty when you wake up in the middle of the night, so I always bring food or drinks to you. I know you’re particular about your tools, so I’ve ordered a new set of scalpels for you. If you’re feeling cold, I can get you more clothing, or get you more blankets, or, or, I could warm your bed if you really wanted to…”

In order to prevent passersby from laughing at him or ruining Song Caitang’s reputation, he spoke with a straight face and kept a distance from her at all times, but his tone was very panicky. His expression was stern but his lips moved very quickly. He had to take small steps despite being so tall, so that he wouldn’t come too close to Song Caitang, so he looked really hilarious.

“I’m really the best man in this world and the man who’s most worthy of you, so my girl,” he glanced around and noticed that they had walked away from the crowd and there was nobody around, so he grabbed hold of her hand, “let’s spend the rest of our lives together, alright?”

Song Caitang looked down at her hand in his, then looked up to meet his passionate gaze. She noticed a little branch peeking out from the wall behind him with peach flowers on it.

The pink flowers were blooming slowly in the warm spring breeze, their first petals excitedly greeting the world.

Zhao Zhi’s face against the branch of peach blossoms did not look as harsh, and he looked even more handsome.

Song Caitang felt that even if she had to go back in time and live all over again, she would probably still fall in love with such a man. A man who was aloof but silly, a little awkward at times, playful and cheeky at other times like a child, yet very sincere and authentic.

He was always doing a lot and said very little, and he never bothered claiming credit for what he had done. Yet he had also managed to drag him into his world, into his life, and made sure she couldn’t get away.

She wasn’t the most interesting person and enjoyed moments of peace and quiet, but she also envied those who had a more tumultuous life. If everything went her way, she might not be happy. But if nothing went her way, she’d definitely be unhappy. That was hard to deal with. But as long as she was with Zhao Zhi, regardless of whether she was the one who made the request, or it was something that she didn’t know she needed, Zhao Zhi would always be able to get it done for her. And when she realized this in hindsight, she was doubly surprised.

Perhaps the road ahead was filled with many dangers and was going to be rough, but she wasn’t afraid. Zhao Zhi definitely wasn’t afraid.

There were some words that didn’t need to be said. She knew, and so did he.

Wasn’t it wonderful to live the rest of her life like this?

Song Caitang nodded very, very slightly, then flung his hand away as she looked at him smiling like a fool against the backdrop of spring.