This girl is truly unlikable.
Master Zhou had this fleeting thought but hadn’t said anything before Zhou Liu-lang walked in from outside.
“No one’s stopping you,” he said.
The young man strode in with an air of exhaustion from staying up all night.
“Get in the carriage. I’ll take you,” he said.
“Liu-lang!” Both Master Zhou and Madam Zhou called out at the same time, one with urgency and the other with concern.
“It’s just a servant. What are you doing? Report it to the authorities, and have someone search the streets. Why are you siblings getting involved in this?” Madame Zhou stepped forward, pulling her son back. Then she turned to Cheng Jiao-niang, taking her hand as well.
“Jiao Jiao, your health is poor.” She looked back at her son. “Liu-lang, you’ve already been out all night. You can’t go out again.”
Zhou Liu-lang looked at Cheng Jiao-niang, and she looked back at him.
Wearing matching plain cloaks with fur-lined hoods, standing beside Madame Zhou, they made a striking pair of golden boy and jade maiden.
“It’s fine,” Zhou Liu-lang said, shaking off his mother’s hand and heading for the door.
Madame Zhou froze, calling after him in a panic, while Cheng Jiao-niang seized the moment to pull her hand free and followed him out.
“Go, go!” Master Zhou waved his hand impatiently. “Do whatever you want.”
After all, with Liu-lang watching her, she wouldn’t be able to escape.
Liu Sizhang had lived at Yuzhai Bridge for so many years, but this was the first time he found the commotion nearly unbearable.
“I’ve already answered several times. The boy headed east. He looked unfamiliar, so I took an extra glance. Otherwise, who would remember?” He repeated the same words once again. Since last night, this was already the fourth group of people coming to ask about it.
Who was this boy, anyway? Whose young master had gone missing to cause such a stir, even involving the authorities and the military patrol?
It didn’t seem likely. With that timid demeanor, exuding the rustic air of an out-of-towner setting foot in the capital for the first time, he looked like nothing more than a stablehand tasked with tending horses and preparing feed.
“Was it this way or that way?” Cheng Jiao-niang asked.
Liu Si couldn’t help but glance again at the young lady. Though her hood obscured her face, the bit that showed was smooth as jade. Her voice, however, was rather grating—he couldn’t quite guess how she truly looked.
“She’s asking you a question—speak up!” Zhou Liu-lang frowned and barked.
Startled, Liu Si quickly turned his attention to the imposing young man, whom he recognized from the previous night.
“This way or that way…” He scratched his head, earnestly trying to recall. “This way, I think…”
He pointed in one direction, only to second-guess himself.
“No, that way! That way—he went that way.”
Cheng Jiao-niang lifted her foot and stepped forward, with Zhou Liu-lang following close behind.
“Get in the carriage,” he said.
Cheng Jiao-niang ignored him, prompting Zhou Liu-lang to reach out and grab her arm.
“Get in the carriage,” he repeated, his voice low.
Cheng Jiao-niang turned her head to look at him.
Zhou Liu-lang held onto her arm, neither speaking nor letting go.
For a moment, the two were at an impasse.
A carriage came rushing over, and the curtain was lifted to reveal Young Master Qin, who leaned out, his face still bearing traces of exhaustion from a hangover.
“It’s all my fault, all my fault,” he said without preamble, skipping formalities and clasping his hands in apology. “Yesterday’s drinking and foolishness led to this.”
“What’s it got to do with you!” Zhou Liu-lang snapped, glaring at him as he released his grip.
Cheng Jiao-niang lifted her foot and continued forward.
Young Master Qin let out a soft sigh, his gaze following the small figure wrapped in a large cloak and hood, bathed in the morning light.
“Miss, accidents happen. Please, don’t blame yourself too much,” he said, bowing again before lifting his head, his expression tinged with worry as he looked at Cheng Jiao-niang.
At the mention of self-blame, Cheng Jiao-niang’s steps faltered slightly.
Behind her, the maid’s nose tingled, on the verge of tears once more.
Jin Ge’er was lost. Whether it was the chaos caused by Zhou Liu-lang’s sudden carriage hijacking or because none of them had thought of him in time, the guilt weighed on her heart—and even more so on her mistress’s.
“Miss, this is all my fault. It’s my fault for forgetting about Jin Ge’er. It’s all my mistake,” the maid said through sobs, tugging at Cheng Jiao-niang’s sleeve.
“There are no accidents in this world,” Cheng Jiao-niang said, lifting her head to look at Young Master Qin. “If it’s a mistake, then it’s a mistake.”
As the mistress and servant walked away, Zhou Liu-lang finally stepped forward. Young Master Qin looked at him, and Zhou Liu-lang met his gaze.
“Why are you afraid of her?” Zhou Liu-lang said. “Groveling like that.”
Young Master Qin shook his head.
“No, it’s simply shared sorrow,” he replied, looking at Zhou Liu-lang. “Liu-lang, you wouldn’t understand.”
More people dispersed through the streets, searching for the missing servant boy.
The crowd buzzed with noise, and as the day passed, night fell, and the streets lit up with dazzling lanterns, transforming the bustling city into a scene as radiant as a celestial realm.
But Jin Ge’er couldn’t spare a moment to admire it. As he walked, he felt tears threatening to fall.
Back at the house, he had waited and waited, hoping his mistress would come or someone from the Chen family would show up. When he could wait no longer, he decided to go to the Chen residence himself to ask—but slowly, step by step, he had wandered out and lost his way.
He thought of asking passersby for directions, but he couldn’t even explain which Chen family he was looking for.
“Chen family? There are so many Chen families in the capital you couldn’t count them all,” a passerby replied with a laugh.
Jin Ge’er wiped his nose with his sleeve, the cold winter night after the snowfall making his legs ache.
It was the pain of his wounds.
He had been bitten by a wolf on the way here. After arriving at the Chen residence, his mistress was treated with the utmost hospitality by the hosts, and even he, as her attendant, was well taken care of by the Chen family’s servants.
They had given him his own room, delivered three meals a day, and even had someone wash his clothes and socks. It was as if they were treating him like a lord.
The result of this indulgence was that, during nearly twenty days in the capital, he hadn’t once left the house. Other than knowing the family’s surname was Chen, he knew absolutely nothing else.
“Watch where you’re going!”
A drunken man’s shout startled Jin Ge’er, and in his flustered attempt to dodge, he accidentally bumped into a nearby tree. This drew even louder laughter, mostly from women’s playful giggles.
Clutching his head, Jin Ge’er looked around in panic, only to realize he had no idea where he was.
This place was far more bustling than the area around the residence he had been staying in.
Bright lanterns lit the scene as if it were daytime. Crowds surged, filling the air with deafening noise. Songs and melodies from strings and flutes mixed with the scents of perfume, wine, and food, swirling in the chilly winter night.
Jin Ge’er was completely awestruck.
Even during the Lantern Festival back in Jiang-zhou, it had never been this lively.
Nearby, women’s laughter rang out again—it came from the very ones who had laughed earlier. Jin Ge’er turned to see four or five extravagantly dressed women standing at the entrance of an alleyway. Despite the winter night, they wore thin, revealing clothes that exposed their pale, fair chests.
Jin Ge’er’s eyes widened in shock, and he quickly raised his hand to cover his face.
His dumbstruck reaction elicited another round of laughter from the women. They swayed with laughter, their chests trembling, creating waves that left a nearby man gaping in awe, his mouth open and drool dripping unknowingly.
“Bangchui!” A man smacked the drooling onlooker on the head, snapping him back to his senses. “Stop embarrassing yourself!”
The man rubbed his head sheepishly, hastily wiping his mouth as the women across the way giggled. He didn’t dare look at them again, his embarrassment turning into irritation. When he glanced around, his eyes landed on Jin Ge’er, still frozen by the tree.
“So young, and already sneaking around brothels and red-light alleys? Useless brat!” he scolded in a low voice, glaring at Jin Ge’er.
After his tirade, he suddenly paused, squinting at Jin Ge’er.
“Hey, why does this kid look so familiar?” he muttered, rubbing his eyes for a clearer look.
“Bangchui, don’t cause trouble! Let’s hurry and find a place to stay,” urged the man beside him.
As they were about to leave, they heard a sudden shout.
“Ha! Jin Ge’er?”
Someone is calling my name! Is it Miss looking for me?
Jin Ge’er quickly turned around, only to see a huge head suddenly in front of him, causing him to jump in fright. His legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Jin Ge’er?”
The few men who had already walked away turned back at the noise, equally startled, their surprise no less than Jin Ge’er’s. “What are you doing here? Where’s your mistress?”
It’s them…
Jin Ge’er recognized the seven men in front of him. Although he had only seen them twice, the memory of the fierce battle with the wolf pack was vivid in his mind. In this surreal, dreamlike night, meeting familiar faces felt like a relief. He immediately felt all the fear and frustration he had been holding in come rushing out.
“Miss is lost!” he cried out, his voice breaking into sobs.
Translator’s Comment:
Merry Christmas everyone! It’s two chapters for today :)
