“Cheng Wenyu.”
As soon as Master Jiangzhou stepped into the hall, he frowned and called out.
Cheng Si-lang stood up nervously, a bit flustered.
“Go on.”
Master Jiangzhou waved his hand as he spoke.
Cheng Si-lang’s face turned pale at once. He had missed many classes over the past few days without notifying the teacher—was this his way of expelling him?
“Sir, I… I…” he stammered, wanting to explain, but then felt it wasn’t worth it.
Family matters were his own burden to bear. Even if it led to misunderstandings, so be it—there was no need to plead.
He said no more and lowered his head to pack up his books.
“The sooner you’re done, the sooner you can come back. You’ve already missed enough lessons,” Master Jiangzhou said.
Cheng Si-lang froze for a moment, then looked up at him.
This boy… is really that girl’s own brother?
Master Jiangzhou frowned.
“Your family’s here for you,” he said sharply, raising his brows. “Go quickly and come back quickly!”
Cheng Si-lang finally snapped out of it, his face lighting up with joy.
So he wasn’t being expelled after all!
“Thank you, sir.” He smiled brightly and bowed.
But then he remembered—if anyone had come to find him through the teacher, it could only be Cheng Jiao-niang. Unease immediately crept back in.
Had something happened again?
If only he hadn’t come back that day…
Watching the young scholar stumble out in a hurry, Master Jiangzhou shook his head.
“Everyone, sit properly.” He knocked on the desk and said sternly.
The students, who had been whispering and laughing among themselves, quickly sat upright.
“…Wealth and rank are what people desire, but if they are not obtained by rightful means, one should not dwell in them. Poverty and lowliness are what people despise, but if they are not escaped by rightful means, one should not leave them…”
Clear, resonant voices reciting the text echoed through the hall.
“Is Sister…”
Cheng Si-lang had run all the way to the gate. Breathless, he turned to the maid who had come to fetch him.
Before he could finish his sentence, the curtain of the nearby carriage was lifted, revealing the face of a young girl.
Cheng Si-lang’s words were cut off instantly.
“Thank you, Brother,” Cheng Jiao-niang said, bowing politely to him.
“There’s no need to thank me—I didn’t really do anything,” Cheng Si-lang replied awkwardly, quickly looking up.
“Why are you out? You’ve just recovered. You shouldn’t be outside in the wind…”
“I’m fine now. I’ve already recovered,” said Cheng Jiao-niang, offering a faint smile.
Cheng Si-lang gave a soft “oh”. He had never been good with words—especially in front of this girl.
A gust of autumn wind swept by. It was already getting chilly in the capital in September.
Dressed lightly, Cheng Si-lang couldn’t help but shiver.
“These are some clothes for autumn and winter,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
Seeing the maid bring over the bundle, Cheng Si-lang quickly thanked her.
“I shouldn’t trouble you like this,” he said.
“You think of me, so of course I’ll think of you,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied with a gentle smile.
Cheng Si-lang gave another awkward smile and hugged the bundle tightly, thanking her once more.
“I came today because I have something to ask you,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
Outside the academy, a mat had been laid out on the ground. Cheng Si-lang sat upright upon it, facing the girl wrapped in a cloak.
She was holding the sheet of paper he had written and had been reading it for quite some time.
Her expression was focused, yet she seemed somewhat lost in thought—as if her mind had drifted elsewhere. While her gaze was lowered, Cheng Si-lang finally dared to look at her directly.
She wasn’t just a fleeting glimpse from his memory, nor a figure from one of his painted imaginings—she was right here, sitting before him, alive and real.
Her attire was simple, almost plain, yet it couldn’t hide the radiant beauty that seemed to spill out from her effortlessly.
She gave a slight shake of her head.
Cheng Si-lang was startled back to his senses.
“What is it? Is there something I need to add?” he asked quickly.
“This is the Cheng family genealogy?” Cheng Jiao-niang looked up and asked.
Cheng Si-lang nodded.
“Ancestor Cheng Xun?” Cheng Jiao-niang lowered her head to look at the paper in her hand, the ink still not fully dry, and read aloud. “That’s not right.”
Not right? Cheng Si-lang was momentarily stunned.
As a descendant, he would never forget the name of their forebear.
“It is Cheng Xun,” he reaffirmed.
“He was a native of Jiang-zhou?” Cheng Jiao-niang asked again.
Cheng Si-lang nodded.
Not right… not right…
Cheng Jiao-niang shook her head. But then again, nothing was exactly wrong either. Since she was no longer who she once was, it was only natural that these people didn’t match her memories of her family and kin…
“What do you mean it’s not right?” Cheng Si-lang asked.
Cheng Jiao-niang looked up and gave him a gentle smile.
“Nothing—it’s correct,” she said.
The girl before him was smiling, yet Cheng Si-lang felt a wave of desolate sorrow emanating from her.
In that moment, he couldn’t help but feel a deep, aching sadness and guilt.
“I came today to bid you farewell,” Cheng Jiao-niang said. “I’ll be returning to Jiang-zhou in the coming days.”
She’s going back?
“Yes, you should go back,” Cheng Si-lang said with a nod. “It’s hard being alone in a place like this.”
Cheng Jiao-niang smiled at him again.
“Yes, it is hard being on your own. But Brother, if you ever need anything while you’re in the capital, just go to her.”
She gestured toward the maid standing beside her.
The maid stepped forward and bowed, her eyes faintly glistening with tears.
“I’ll be looking after my lady’s affairs here in the capital. I hope you’ll take care of me, young master.”
“No, no, I wouldn’t dare,” Cheng Si-lang replied reflexively, returning the bow.
After doing so, he felt a little amused at himself.
He had just shown such deference to a maid.
Maybe it was because of the help she’d given him over the past few days.
He thought he’d been helping them, but in truth, without this maid, he wouldn’t have been able to manage anything at all.
Well… if he was being honest, he hadn’t really helped much anyway.
And now… now it seemed like what his sister really meant was that this maid would be the one looking after him…
The carriage slowed down. The maid lifted the curtain and saw Tai Ping Residence not far ahead.
“Miss, would you like to take a look?” she asked.
Inside the carriage, Cheng Jiao-niang had been resting with her eyes closed. Upon hearing the question, she still didn’t open them.
“As you see fit,” she replied.
The maid gave a soft oh in response and turned her head to look toward Tai Ping Residence.
“…Miss, Steward Cao said there’s a place up ahead where we could stop and rest… Miss, look at that restaurant—it’s quite well-known…”
“…Is there anything you’d like to eat?”
A bubbling little pot floated into her mind’s eye, steam curling up into the air—half real, half illusory.
“Mm, mm, so good, so tasty!”
A young maid devoured the food eagerly, praising it between bites.
The maid standing there now gave a faint smile to the image of her younger self.
Back then, it had just been a humble inn and a simple hotpot meant only to fill their stomachs. None of them had imagined it would set off everything that followed.
She wondered—when Dou Qi thought back on it all, did he regret ever crossing paths with that passing immortal?
“Miss, look—there’s Immortal’s Abode,” the maid said with a smile, pointing outside the carriage.
Cheng Jiao-niang still had her eyes closed.
“And what do you see?” she asked.
The maid looked outside. The colorful pavilion of Immortal’s Abode stood bright and vivid.
There were no bustling attendants at the door vying for customers, yet the place didn’t feel desolate or deserted in the slightest.
“I see… the world is hard,” she said with a gentle smile.
“And what else?” Cheng Jiao-niang asked.
“The heavens are indifferent,” the maid replied.
“And what else?”
“One must be cautious in all things.”
“And what else?”
The maid smiled faintly.
“And… one must be kind,” she said.
Cheng Jiao-niang opened her eyes and looked at her, smiling as well.
The maid gazed back at her, then bowed deeply—remaining bowed for a long, long time.
At home, Ban Qin was already packing.
“There’s not much to pack, really,” she said with a gentle smile, turning her head to glance outside.
Under the eaves by the doorway, a maid sat on the ground, gazing blankly into the courtyard as if lost in thought.
Ban Qin walked over and sat down beside her.
“It’s actually supposed to be my turn to watch the courtyard,” the younger maid said with a smile. “What are you staring at so intently?”
The maid sighed and turned to look at her.
“It’s supposed to be my turn because now that Miss is gone… this courtyard doesn’t really exist anymore.”
Ban Qin let out a soft giggle.
“I never understand what you’re saying,” she said with a laugh.
The maid looked at her smiling face, then reached out and gently tapped her on the forehead.
“I’m the one hurting from the farewell, and yet here you are grinning like that in front of me—it’s enough to make a person resent you,” she said.
Ban Qin smiled and wrapped her arms around the other maid’s hand.
“I don’t want to part with you either,” she said softly.
The maid let her hold on.
“From now on, you must take good care of Miss,” she said. Then she smiled to herself and looked at Ban Qin. “I probably shouldn’t say this—it’s really you who was taking care of her anyway.”
“I only take care of Miss, but you both can truly help her,” Ban Qin replied.
“That’s because Miss is a good teacher,” the maid smiled, “and because she gave us the chance.”
She stretched lazily as she spoke.
“I’ve learned so much from following her—something you could study your whole life and still not finish. But even if you learn, how well you can do depends on yourself,” she said, clenching her fist.
Ban Qin nodded.
“I know you’ll do great,” she said.
…
Inside the palace, a eunuch hurried in with quick steps.
“Your Highness, Lady Cheng sent a message.”
Duke Jin’an, who had been reading with his head bowed, looked up in surprise and set the book down.
“Huh? She actually took the initiative to contact me?” he said, then quickly broke into a smile. “Ha! She must want to ask how I found out to ask for her name!”
The eunuch glanced at the young prince’s bright smile and suddenly felt a pang of sympathy.
“She… is leaving,” he said softly.
Leaving, huh…
“Before you go, remember to say goodbye to me,” the duke said.
What a friend who keeps her promises.
Duke Jin’an smiled faintly.
