Zhao Huanxi ran all the way to Jiaxiang House. Upon seeing Yin Furen, he wasn’t quite sure how to start asking his question.

However, Yin Furen, seeing him rush over in such a hurry, felt rather curious and asked, “Why have you come at this time? Is there something wrong?”

Zhao Huanxi scratched his head and tentatively asked, “Mom, did Nian’an come to talk to you about anything today?”

Hearing this, Yin Furen felt a bit suspicious in her heart and thought: Could it be that Nian’an told me not to mention something to Huanxi, but then accidentally let it slip herself? On second thought, given Nian’an’s cautious nature, she wouldn’t make such a mistake.

So she replied, “She came to tell me about renting a pleasure boat for you to host a banquet with your friends. Why do you ask?”

“She… did she mention wanting to invite… invite…”

“Invite Miaoyin Niangzi? Yes, she did. And I agreed,” Yin Furen realized what he had come for.

Zhao Huanxi stared at his mother, dumbfounded. It took him quite a while to regain his composure and ask, “Why?”

“What do you mean, why? Why did I agree to invite Miaoyin Niangzi? Our family can afford it, and inviting her to make you look good in front of your friends, what’s wrong with that?” Yin Furen replied.

Zhao Huanxi blushed and felt a bit moved. He bowed to Yin Furen and said, “Thank you, Mother. I’m going to Zufu’s place to practice martial arts now.’

“Ai!” Yin Furen called after him, “Inviting her is one thing, but I warn you: you must not get any improper ideas about Miaoyin Niangzi or do anything to betray Nian’an. You should know that if it weren’t for Nian’an’s sake, I wouldn’t have agreed to invite her.”

Zhao Huanxi smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Mom. In my heart, no one is more beautiful than Nian’an.’”

Yin Furen pretended to be angry: “Not even your mother is as beautiful as her?”

As Zhao Huanxi ran off, he shouted loudly, “Mom is just as beautiful as Nian’an!”

Watching his figure disappear into the distance, Yin Furen chuckled and muttered, “You little rascal, so glib-tongued!”

At the beginning of the Hai hour (around 9-11 p.m.), after Zhao Huanxi had finished bathing, he went to the small room at the end of the corridor. He saw that Xu Nian’an was once again admiring the festive lantern and thought she must really like it.

Feeling happy, he deliberately walked over and asked, “Dong’er, tell me, how much silver would it take for you to sell this lantern?”

Xu Nian’an looked at the lantern, her expression showing that she was reluctant to part with it. “No amount would make me sell it. Don’t think I’m a money-grubber who only loves silver in this world.”

She straightened up and turned to look at Zhao Huanxi, asking, “Did you ask Mother?”

Zhao Huanxi nodded, “I asked.”

Xu Nian’an immediately extended her hand toward him.

Zhao Huanxi, feeling both amused and exasperated, lightly slapped her palm.

Xu Nian’an glared at him, “Are you trying to renege on your promise?”

Zhao Huanxi muttered, “I wouldn’t dare.” He walked over to the bright cabinet, pulled open a drawer, took out a small, square brocade box, and handed it to Xu Nian’an, saying, “It’s all yours.”

Xu Nian’an took the brocade box, sat down at the table, and opened it. Inside, there was more than half a box filled with scattered silver notes and silver pieces.

Yin Furen had money in her hands and was naturally not stingy with her only son. Ever since Zhao Huanxi started studying at the Imperial Academy, he often went out with Qian Ming and others for outings, dining, and drinking. Worried that he might not have enough money, she would give him money every few days.

Zhao Huanxi originally had no concept of saving money, but now he wanted to buy things for Xu Nian’an. So, he didn’t spend all the money he was given and didn’t mention it. Whatever Yin Furen gave him, he took, and he saved what he hadn’t spent from the last time. After more than a month of school, he had saved up this much.

Xu Nian’an spread out the crumpled silver notes that were bunched together, smoothing them out and organizing them into a neat stack by denomination. She counted them and found they amounted to three hundred and twenty taels. Then she picked up the loose silver pieces in the box, weighed them in her hand, and said, “There’s about seven or eight taels here, so altogether it’s three hundred and twenty-seven taels.”

She took out a fifty-tael banknote and put the rest back in the box. Waving the note at Zhao Huanxi beside her, she said, “I’ll take what’s mine, and I won’t take what isn’t.”

“Dong Jiejie, the way you count banknotes is so interesting, just like how you carefully ate the Crab-Stuffed Orange last time,” Zhao Huanxi said, his eyes shining as he looked at her.

Xu Nian’an turned and walked to the wardrobe to put away the fifty-tael banknote. She said, “If you’ve ever experienced a time when an entire family is waiting for medical treatment and food while you have no money, you’d understand how reassuring it feels to hold a banknote in your hand.”

Zhao Huanxi watched her back, feeling pained by her words, not knowing what to say. In the end, he could only awkwardly say, “In the future, when I can earn money, I’ll give it all to you.”

Xu Nian’an turned to look at him.

Zhao Huanxi’s cheeks reddened slightly, and with a stern face, he said, “Even if we’re not a real couple, I’ll still give it to you. It’s my own choice, and your opposition won’t change anything.”

Xu Nian’an chuckled, picked up the beautifully crafted copper throwing pot from the floor, and asked Zhao Huanxi, “Do you know how to play pitch-pot?”

投壶- a traditional Chinese game that requires players to throw arrows or sticks from a set distance into a large, sometimes ornate, canister.

Zhao Huanxi walked over and said, “I’ve played with Qian Xiong and the others before, but I couldn’t hit it. He Lun is the best at this, he hits it every time.”

Xu Nian’an placed the throwing pot in the empty space of the room and handed Zhao Huanxi four blunt-tipped arrows made of Chinese Mulberry wood. She said, “This also requires accuracy. To improve your accuracy, you can only practice more. You don’t need to be an expert; just be able to play with them is enough.” As she spoke, she playfully threw an arrow into the pot.

Zhao Huanxi: “……”

He threw all four arrows, missing the pot each time.

Xu Nian’an: “……”

She handed Zhao Huanxi another arrow, then moved to his right rear side, raised her left hand to support his waist, and said, “When you throw the arrow, stand firm and don’t sway. If you sway, you won’t hit the target.” Then, she reached out with her right hand to hold his hand, “Keep your eyes focused on the mouth of the pot, and when you throw, gauge the strength needed based on the distance between you and the pot, like this.”

She held his hand and made a motion as if throwing the arrow towards the pot, but he gripped the arrow tightly and didn’t release it. After she had exerted her strength, he loosened his fingers, and the arrow fell to the ground a foot in front of him.

Xu Nian’an let go of his hand and asked, “Were you distracted just now?”

Zhao Huanxi nodded, blushing.

“Then practice by yourself for a while,” Xu Nian’an said as she walked to the table to drink tea.

“I’m nervous, I want a hug,” Zhao Huanxi said.

Xu Nian’an almost spat out her tea. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and looked up at him in surprise, “What are you nervous about? There’s no one competing with you, it’s just practice.”

Zhao Huanxi stared at her intently and didn’t bother making any excuses: “I want a hug.”

Xu Nian’an felt her ears heat up and, with a stern face, said, “No way!”

Zhao Huanxi looked disappointed and dejectedly went to pick up the arrow.

Seeing his pitiful expression, Xu Nian’an’s heart softened a bit, and she added, “You can have a hug if you manage to score one.”

Zhao Huanxi’s eyes lit up with surprise. He quickly picked up the arrows, stood firmly, aimed at the mouth of the pot, and gently threw one.

“It went in!” he cheered and turned around, walking excitedly toward Xu Nian’an.

Xu Nian’an stared in disbelief at the arrow in the pot and pointed at Zhao Huanxi, questioning, “Were you pretending when you could not get it in earlier?”

Zhao Huanxi stopped, looking innocent. “I wasn’t pretending.”

“Then why did you manage to get it in as soon as I said that?”

“I just managed to get it in.”

“I don’t believe it. You must have pretended to miss earlier to trick me.”

“I really didn’t pretend.”

“You did!”

Zhao Huanxi, frustrated and unsure how to explain himself, exclaimed, “Why are you being unreasonable?” After speaking, he threw the arrow in his hand to the ground and, fuming, turned around and walked to the lanterns, standing with his back to her.

Xu Nian’an saw that he wasn’t the least bit guilty and realised that with his composure, if he had been lying, he would never have acted like this. She started to think she might have wrongly accused him.

She stood by the table for a moment, then walked over, looking at his long hair cascading down his back. She reached out and gave his hair a light tug.

“Hmph!” Zhao Huanxi deliberately turned his head to the side, ignoring her.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have wrongly doubted you,” Xu Nian’an said, gently hugging him from behind.

Zhao Huanxi was sulking, but when she hugged him from behind and apologised, his eyelashes trembled, and a wave of warmth surged in his heart, making him forget everything.

“Can you forgive me?” she asked from behind.

Zhao Huanxi raised his hands, gently grasped her wrists, and separated her arms from around his waist. He turned around and joyfully hugged her tightly. Lowering his head, he rubbed his cheek against her temple. His voice was deep, mellow, and sweet: “I forgive you, Dong Jiejie.”

Though he had always thought about not calling her “Jiejie,” there were moments when, from the bottom of his heart, he just wanted to call her “Dong Jiejie,” as if it felt more intimate than calling her “Dong’er.”

Xu Nian’an was held tightly in his embrace. Looking at the strands of his hair illuminated brightly by the lantern light behind him, she felt a bit lost in her heart: What exactly was her relationship with Zhao Huanxi now?

The next morning, Xu Nian’an took Zhao Huanxi to Jiaxiang House.

“Mom, today I’m taking Sanlang to invite Miaoyin Niangzi. We’ll see when she’s available and then set a date for the river outing,” Xu Nian’an said to Yin Furen.

Yin Furen nodded, “That sounds good. I happen to want to visit Jiazhen as well. Let’s go together.”

The three of them left the Guogong Residence in two carriages, one in front of the other, and only separated when they reached the main street.

“Head to Caizhi Zhai on Fulong Street first,” Xu Nian’an instructed the coachman.

“What kind of place is Caizhi Zhai?” Zhao Huanxi asked her.

“It’s our family’s pastry shop. Since we are going to invite Miaoyin Niangzi, we shouldn’t go empty-handed. Let’s bring a box of pastries with us,” Xu Nian’an replied.

“Are the pastries from your shop tasty? I want to try them too,” Zhao Huanxi said.

“Hungry? Didn’t we just have breakfast not long ago?”

“I don’t know. Lately, I feel like I get hungry very quickly,” Zhao Huanxi said, rubbing his stomach.

Xu Nian’an guessed it was because Zhao Huanxi hadn’t been going to school lately and was spending his days at home playing around with Yin Luochen and Zhao Huanrong. He had also been practising martial arts more, so his energy was being used up quickly.

“I’ll buy a box for you later,” she said.

“Okay!” Zhao Huanxi’s eyes lit up with anticipation.

Before long, they arrived at Caizhi Zhai. Manager Liu, seeing that it was Xu Nian’an, quickly came out to greet her personally and bowed, “Da Xiaojie, you are here.” After speaking, he glanced at Zhao Huanxi, who was following beside her.

Nian’an introduced, “This is my husband.”

Manager Liu quickly bowed again, “Da Guyé.”

“No need for formalities,” Zhao Huanxi said, savouring the words “this is my husband” from Xu Nian’an, feeling a sweet warmth in his heart.

Pointing to a nearby shop assistant, Xu Nian’an said to Zhao Huanxi, “Pick whatever you want to eat, and Ah Niu will get it for you. I need to have a few words with Manager Liu.”

Zhao Huanxi nodded and followed Ah Niu into the shop, while Xu Nian’an took Manager Liu upstairs.

After a short while, Xu Nian’an came downstairs with Manager Liu, carrying a red lacquered food box with a lid carved with begonia flowers. As they descended, they heard a commotion in the shop. When they looked up, they were both stunned.

Although Caizhi Zhai had always had good business, it had never been this bustling since it opened. The area in front of the pastry counter was packed with people, mostly women, and the two shop assistants were overwhelmed.

“What… what’s going on here?” Manager Liu looked bewildered.

Xu Nian’an saw Zhao Huanxi standing about four or five feet behind the counter, holding a plate and eating pastries with his cheeks puffed out. Xu Nian’an: “…”

Alright, if any shop’s business isn’t doing well in the future, just have him stand there for half a day.

With too many people crowding the entrance, Xu Nian’an pulled Zhao Huanxi out through the back door of the shop, circled around to the street in front, got on the carriage, and instructed the coachman to head to Xiaomi Garden.

In the carriage, Xu Nian’an took out a handkerchief and wiped the pastry crumbs from the corner of his mouth. She asked, “With so many people watching you in the shop just now, why didn’t you try to hide?”

“I did think about hiding at first,” Zhao Huanxi replied, “but then I thought, this is your family’s shop. If more customers come, you’ll earn more money, and that would make you happy, right? Besides, if they look at me, it doesn’t take anything away from me.” He continued, “I even deliberately ate the pastries in big bites in front of them. If my mother had seen it, she probably would have said I have no manners and eat sloppily again.”

“It doesn’t look bad,” Xu Nian’an said, looking at him with eyes as gentle as apricot blossoms in the Third Month’s light rains.

The Third Month marks the early spring, and apricot blossoms (杏花) are among the first flowers to bloom in spring. The gentle weather and light rain (微雨), represents a transitional period that is neither harsh like winter nor too hot like summer. It symbolizes a tender and refreshing atmosphere.

“If someone else were to eat pastries in big bites like you did just now, it might look unseemly. But not you, because you’re good-looking.” This was also because of his age—he still looked like a young man, and whatever he did seemed endearing. In a few years, if he were to act like that again, it might not be as appropriate.

Zhao Huanxi gave a shy smile. “Alright, if you say it doesn’t look bad, then it doesn’t. I’ll come back for more next time.”