The young couple spent the entire afternoon playing outside and only returned to the Jing Guogong Residence when dusk was approaching.

Yin Furen noticed the deep affection in their gazes, something different from before. Does going out together really enhance the bond between husband and wife? If that were the case, she thought, perhaps she should let Huanxi take Nian’an out for a little fun every so often.

During dinner, Xu Nian’an said to Zhao Huanxi, “After we finish eating, go to the Second, Third, and Fourth Branch to invite our Tang brothers, and then invite Zufu as well. With a respected elder like Qu Gong present, perhaps Zufu would be willing to join us too.”

Zhao Huanxi nodded.

He didn’t ask whether he should call Zhao Huanchao and Zhao Huanyang.

He didn’t mind being mistreated himself, but twice his mother had been wronged by his father, and as a shu sons, the two brothers only stood by, watching. Since they had never truly accepted his mother as the legitimate mother in their hearts, why should he recognize them as brothers?

Xu Nian’an reminded him again, “When you invite the cousins, don’t mention that elder masters like Qu Gong and Yanmei Xiansheng will be there. It’s simply a gathering for you and your friends. If they want to come, they can, and if not, that’s fine. If they attend just for the presence of these esteemed seniors, they might unintentionally spoil the elders’ enjoyment.”

Zhao Huanxi understood and replied, “I got it.”

Yin Furen felt a bit embarrassed. She hadn’t considered this level of subtlety and had even boasted in front of Ning Shi. She just hoped that Chun Ge’er wouldn’t spend the whole day tomorrow trying to impress Yanmei Xiansheng.

At the beginning of the Hai hoit (around 9–11 p.m.), after finishing his martial arts practice, Zhao Huanxi returned to Shenhui Courtyard. After bathing, he entered the room and saw Xu Nian’an standing motionless by the bed, looking at the festive lanterns, her back turned towards him.

He tiptoed over and suddenly wrapped his arms around her, playfully asking, “Dong Jiejie, what are you thinking about?”

Startled, Xu Nian’an angrily hitted him twice before replying, “Nothing. Is Zufu coming?”

“Zufu said he’ll come.”

“Then remember to seat him together with Qu Gong and other elders.”

“En!” Zhao Huanxi released her and went over to twist the phoenix-shaped knob, making the festive lantern gently rotate.

When he turned back, he saw Xu Nian’an standing there with her long hair cascading down, her eyes bright like blooming flowers. A stirring of emotion rose within him.

He slowly reached out, taking Xu Nian’an’s arm, thinking of the last time she had said “no”. He paused, a soft, tender light in his eyes, his ears faintly flushed, and asked gently, “Dong Jiejie, is it okay now?”

Xu Nian’an looked at the handsome young man before her, her face warming with a blush. “No, it’s still not okay.” He was only sixteen, and she’d heard that it wasn’t good for young men’s health to engage in such things too early.

“Oh,” Zhao Huanxi responded softly, then suddenly leaned down and gently kissed her on the cheek. He quickly apologised, “I’m sorry, Dong Jiejie, I was wrong!”

Embarrassed and annoyed, Xu Nian’an scolded, “You did that on purpose! You’ll have to write five thousand characters as punishment!”

Zhao Huanxi, delighted, replied, “Alright, I’ll start right away.”

He turned and walked out to the main room but suddenly stopped. He returned to the room and pretended to take an orange from the fruit bowl on the table. Taking advantage of Xu Nian’an’s moment of distraction, he cupped her face and gave her a quick peck. Before she could react, he dashed out, laughing loudly, “I know, I’ll write ten thousand characters!”

Xu Nian’an watched as he quickly disappeared outside, feeling a mix of exasperation and amusement. At the same time, she realised she might have overthought things. He just wanted a hug, not to consummate their marriage as a real couple.

✦

The next morning, Xu Nian’an went to handle matters for Yin Furen and, upon returning, she dressed Zhao Huanxi beautifully, saying, “Today is just for fun. Anyway, Zufu will accompany you on Qu Gong’s side, so just make sure Qian Ming and the others don’t mess around. I’ve prepared two sets of clothes for you to change into. If they get dirty, go find Songyun to get them.”

Zhao Huanxi asked, “I’m taking all the maids with me. What about you?”

Xu Nian’an replied, “This event of yours is quite grand, with so many elders coming. Mother wouldn’t feel at ease, so I’ll stay with her today. There will be people to serve me, so don’t worry.”

“Dong Jiejie, I really want to take you with me,” Zhao Huanxi said, feeling dejected.

“Next time. In the future, we’ll get a small painted boat and take Mother and your sisters along for a day out,” Xu Nian’an replied.

Only then did Zhao Huanxi cheer up a bit, clinging to Xu Nian’an and playfully whining, “Since I won’t be able to see you for a whole day, I need a kiss.”

Xu Nian’an, feeling that this person was growing bolder, glanced outside and refused, “The maids will come in soon.”

“If they see we’re like this, they won’t dare to come in.”

“You…”

Before Xu Nian’an had a chance to protest, Zhao Huanxi leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her cheek.

Just as Zhao Huanxi was about to say something, they heard Yin Luochen calling loudly from the courtyard, “Huanxi, Xixi, are you ready yet? Can we set off?” His voice was drawing closer to the main room.

Xu Nian’an hurriedly pushed Zhao Huanxi away.

Fuming, Zhao Huanxi went out and shouted, “You don’t live here anymore, so how can you just barge in like this?”

“Well, should I shout for you from the gate then? Why is your face so red? Doing something naughty?” Yin Luochen teased with a grin.

“You’re the one making me mad! Let’s go, let’s go! Dong Jie… Dong’er, I’m leaving now!” Zhao Huanxi called out from outside.

Xu Nian’an covered her still-warm cheeks with her hands and responded from inside the room without stepping out.

Zhao Huanxi and Yin Luochen, accompanied by Zhiyi, Zhi’er, Songyun, Yisu, and others, arrived at the Bian River and stood at the dock to welcome guests. Qian Ming and his large group were the first to arrive, followed by students from Canglan Academy and Yanmei Xiansheng, and then Miaoyin Niangzi.

Today, Miaoyin Niangzi wore a stunningly bright red dress with an ornate yellow forehead ornament, accompanied by a man in blue carrying a sword and a young maid holding a pipa. When she stepped down from the carriage and walked gracefully toward the painted boat, Qian Ming and his group crowded around the boat’s entrance to watch, each one staring in awe.

Miaoyin Niangzi paused in front of Zhao Huanxi as she reached the dock, her bright, alluring eyes casting a subtle glance his way.

With lowered eyes and a respectful demeanor, Zhao Huanxi bowed to her and gestured invitingly with his hand.

Seeing his politeness, Miaoyin Niangzi let out a light huff, lifted her delicate chin, and continued toward the boat. Qian Ming quickly instructed everyone to clear a path, enthusiastically escorting Miaoyin Niangzi and her entourage on board.

Qu Gong and the others arrived last, with Guogong Yé arriving even later, only making it after attending the morning court session.

Zhao Huanxi glanced at the guest list held by Zhiyi, confirmed that everyone had arrived, and ordered the boat to set sail.

In the Fifth Branch’s courtyard, Wu Taitai walked out of Zhao Shuxian’s room, deep in thought. She looked up and saw Zhao Huanxu by the birdcage under a tree, playing with the birds, and asked in surprise, “Why are you still at home? Isn’t Zhao Huanxi hosting a river gathering today?”

Zhao Huanxu replied disdainfully, “Him and his crowd of good-for-nothing friends. Who would care to go? It’s just a waste of time.”

“What do you mean ‘good-for-nothing friends’? Aren’t there also students and teachers from Canglan Academy? The Second, Third, and Fourth Branch all went, even Guogong Yé attended. Why didn’t you go?” Wu Taitai asked.

“What?” Zhao Huanxu froze in shock. Without further questions, he turned and ran towards the stables.

By the time he galloped to the Bian River, there was no trace of the pleasure boat in sight.

“Zhao Huanxi!” he muttered through gritted teeth, angrily kicking the willow tree by the riverbank.

In the Jing Guogong Residence, the family’s business holdings combined with those of Yin Furen were extensive. If they waited until the end of the year to reconcile everything, it would be overwhelming. Thus, Yin Furen had a rule: the household’s accounts were tallied every six months, while her own enterprises were balanced quarterly. Now, it was that time again.

Xu Nian’an sat in her room, surrounded by thick stacks of account books on the table. With one hand flipping through ledgers and the other working an abacus, she was completely absorbed in her task.

Yin Furen, however, couldn’t seem to find a comfortable position, sighing and fidgeting restlessly.

Xu Nian’an, knowing Yin Furen was worried, figured it was pointless to try persuading her, so she pretended not to notice. Finally, Yin Furen couldn’t hold back anymore and instructed Qianhe, “Go get me an abacus as well.”

Xu Nian’an had to pause and said to Yin Furen, “Mom, the physician advised against overworking yourself. Leave this to me—I promise to finish everything within two days at most.”

Yin Furen replied, “I’m already much better.” In her mind, she felt much improved since Zhao Mingkun left.

“If one is already recuperating, why not take the chance to fully recover? When San Jiejie returns, you will need to be well enough to help make arrangements for her,” Xu Nian’an said, helping Yin Furen back to her bed.

Yin Furen’s attention was diverted, and with a furrowed brow, she said softly, “As for Jiazhen’s matter, it’s not going to be easy. That Ding Guogong Furen is not an easy person to deal with.”

“As long as we have their weak point, even the hardest person to deal with can be reasoned with. Don’t worry, Mom, I have this under control. When the time comes, all you’ll need to do is explain the situation to Zufu. Once he agrees to San Jiejie’s divorce, everything will be settled,” Xu Nian’an reassured her.

Yin Furen now had an unusual level of trust in her daughter-in-law, beyond what was normal. If Xu Nian’an said it would work, she believed it without question.

So, she became worried about Zhao Huanxi again. “I wonder how things are going over there with Huanxi? With so many people and such a grand event, I hope nothing goes wrong.”

“On our side we have Guogong Yé, and on the Canglan Academy’s side, we have Yanmei Xiansheng and my brother, even Qian Ming and his group have the older, familiar elders with them, so what could possibly go wrong? Even if something happens, it doesn’t matter. Sanlang is only sixteen, and it’s his first time hosting such an event. If there are any oversights, who would blame him?” Xu Nian’an said confidently.

Yin Furen thought it over for a moment and nodded, “You have a point. Sigh, I just hope everything goes smoothly.”

It wasn’t until it was nearly dark that Zhao Huanxi returned, bringing a drunken Yin Luochen and the maids with him. After settling Yin Luochen into his own room, Zhao Huanxi quickly made his way to Yin Furen’s courtyard, and sure enough, he found Xu Nian’an there as well.

He hadn’t had dinner yet, so Yin Furen quickly ordered for the meal to be prepared.

“Why did you only come back now? Your clothes are dirty too. Didn’t you bring a spare set?” Yin Furen asked in concerned.

“Everyone was having so much fun, I lost track of the time,” Zhao Huanxi chuckled. “Dong’er prepared two sets of spare clothes for me. I lent one to Huo Xiong, he got drunk and vomited all over himself, he was in a terrible state. The other I lent to a young man from Canglan Academy, a brother surnamed Wen. He wrote a poem for Miaoyin Niangzi, but others claimed it was an obscene poem, disrespectful to her. A group of people, without asking any questions, threw him into the river. When they pulled him out, he was completely soaked. Hahahahahaha!”

Yin Furen was both shocked and amused. “They really threw him in? Aren’t they afraid something might happen?”

“It’s fine, nothing happened. Miaoyin Niangzi was playing the pipa on the pleasure boat, and there were many smaller boats nearby, people who came to listen to the music. As soon as Wen Xiong was thrown in, people from those boats immediately pulled him out. Later, Miaoyin Niangzi even danced the pipa dance on the second level of the boat. Some people from the other boats, eager to watch, fell into the water as well, but luckily, they were all saved in time. No one lost their life,” Zhao Huanxi said, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Miaoyin Niangzi even danced?” Xu Nian’an asked.

Zhao Huanxi nodded. “Everyone says she rarely dances, but she danced beautifully. Qian Xiong and the others were all stunned watching her. After seeing her performance, Kuang Xiansheng (maybe a teacher at Canglan Academy) spontaneously composed a Miaoyin Fu (or Ode to Miaoyin). Qu Gong had it written down and gave it to me as a gift, thanking me for inviting them to the lake for the boat ride and the dance.”

In Chinese literature, 赋 (fù) refers to a specific form of literary composition that is a type of descriptive or narrative prose poetry.

Xu Nian’an quickly asked, “The Fu, where is it?”

“When we returned, Zufu said he’d frame it for me, so I gave it to him,” Zhao Huanxi said, completely unaware of the implications.

Xu Nian’an smiled and exchanged a glance with Yin Furen. Both the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law knew that the Fu was likely never coming back, at least not while Guogong Yé was still alive.

“By the way, Mom, Dong’er, I have some news to share with you. Today, on the painted boat, I met Yanmei Xiansheng from Canglan Academy. He’s a great person. He told me that they’re currently giving lectures at Jiyuan Garden, and if Biao Ge and I are interested, we can audit the classes. Do you think it would be appropriate for us to go?” Zhao Huanxi asked.

Xu Nian’an responded, “Do you want to go?”

Zhao Huanxi nodded. “I want to see for myself what makes Canglan Academy different from the Imperial Academy.”

“Then go ahead, what’s the harm? If you feel awkward about attending without contributing, you can bring some delicious food and drinks as gifts for Yanmei Xiansheng and the students of the academy,” Yin Furen said generously.