The street was much less crowded by dusk. Watching Chun Lan wiping away tears behind him, Cheng Si-lang had no choice but to turn back and comfort her again.
“Don’t worry, there are always business trips to the capital. It will be easy to send word through one of our shopkeepers on their way. If anything goes wrong, we can bring Jin Ge’er back,” he said.
Chun Lan nodded, thanking him through her tears.
“Thank you, Young Master,” she choked out.
“You look so pitiful with all these tears, like a flower drenched in rain. Stop crying now,” teased a young man dressed in blue beside them. He then glanced at Cheng Si-lang. “I knew you had a soft spot for damsels in distress. Couldn’t even finish drinking with me, rushing out here for this maid.”
“Human bonds, the ties of family, are the deepest emotions,” Cheng Si-lang responded, raising his eyes to the path ahead. At this point, he felt a strange sensation in his heart.
In truth, he should be here to bid farewell to his sister, not because this maid is sending away her brother.
Had anyone thought of that? If it weren’t for Chun Lan coming to beg him, he wouldn’t have even thought of it himself.
“Chun Lan, did you bring money?” he asked.
Chun Lan nodded and pulled out a small pouch from her sleeve.
It was all the money she had saved, hoping her brother would have a better life in the capital.
To a maid, this was a significant amount, but to Cheng Si-lang, it was hardly worth mentioning.
“Chang Ming, how much did you bring?” He turned to ask his companion.
The companion asked the maid behind him, who then handed over a money pouch.
Without waiting for the companion to check it, Cheng Si-lang snatched it up and weighed it in his hand.
“I’ll pay you back later,” he said with satisfaction.
The young man, addressed as Chang Ming, shook his head with a smile.
“You’re quite generous,” he remarked.
The silver in that pouch was enough to support Chun Lan’s entire family. He had heard that this maid had saved Si-lang’s life, and it seemed that was indeed the case.
“Young master, is that them?” Chun Lan shouted.
By this time, they had already exited the city gate, and a group of people was approaching from the road that encircled the city on the left.
“Jin Ge’er…” Chun Lan cried as she held onto Jin Ge’er, giving him advice while stuffing money into his hand.
Jin Ge’er seemed a bit shy and slightly impatient as he listened.
Cheng Si-lang, meanwhile, stepped forward to speak with Steward Cao.
“Please take good care of my sister on the journey,” he said.
Steward Cao was a bit surprised and looked over the young man.
How rare, someone from the Cheng family actually came to see them off.
While they were talking, Fourth Master Chen was also speaking with his own steward.
“… Make sure to lay out extra cushions… keep moving without stopping, day and night…”
“Fourth Master, on the way, the Wen family from the Privy Council sent their visiting card. Should we meet them or not?”
“How would we have time to meet them? Didn’t we say not to let anyone know our whereabouts?”
“Third Master was concerned about potential inconveniences on the road, so he informed all the inns along the way. However, outwardly, he said you were returning home to visit family…”
Cheng Si-lang didn’t pay much attention, but the young man accompanying him overheard a few words, and his expression immediately changed.
Privy Council? The Wen family? They even sent a visiting card?
Who are these people?
He couldn’t help but look over. On the other side, Fourth Master Chen noticed and glanced back. Although he didn’t hold any official position, his family background and prestige were far beyond what this young man could compare to. With just one look, there was a certain air of authority.
The young man quickly averted his gaze.
“I’ll go see my sister,” Cheng Si-lang said.
Steward Cao responded with a couple of “ohs” and pointed in the direction but was unwilling to approach the young lady and her maid any further.
At the back, on the carriage, a lively maid dressed in a ruqun (traditional Chinese garment) was sitting on the shaft, holding a book and reading aloud.
“… In front of the temple, the road was crowded with sedan chairs and horses, and many young men were…”
In the outskirts, near the carriage, some people were inspecting the travel arrangements, while on the other side, Chun Lan and Jin Ge’er were tearfully bidding farewell. Amidst this noisy and sorrowful scene, the maid calmly reading her book appeared especially at ease, unfazed by the chaotic atmosphere of the farewell.
Reading at a time like this? This maid certainly had refined taste, no wonder she was sent by the Zhang family.
Cheng Si-lang approached and bowed.
The maid glanced up at him, but her reading didn’t stop, and she didn’t seem inclined to ask any questions.
“I am Cheng Si-lang. I know my sister is leaving, so I’ve come to bid her farewell,” Cheng Si-lang had no choice but to speak first. “Take care while traveling.”
“Ban Qin.”
A lady’s voice came from inside the carriage, and only then did the maid stop reading, jump down from the carriage, and bow to Cheng Si-lang.
Ban Qin?
Cheng Si-lang looked at the maid, then glanced at the carriage, and suddenly understood.
In the end, she was only concerned with that one name, wasn’t she?
“Fourth Young Master, did you come specifically to see off the mistress?” the maid asked with a hint of amusement.
In truth, it wasn’t exactly intentional. If his own maid hadn’t cried and begged him on her knees, he wouldn’t have remembered.
“Here’s some money. The weather is getting colder, and you’ll need to buy more things. Take this and use it,” he said, changing the subject and handing over the money pouch.
The maid smiled but said nothing and didn’t take the pouch.
“Thank you.”
A lady’s voice came from inside the carriage.
“Thank you, Fourth Young Master,” the maid immediately reached out, took the pouch, and smiled as she bowed in thanks.
Cheng Si-lang looked again toward the carriage.
After he arrived, he hadn’t paid much attention to the carriage itself; all his focus had been on the maid. Naturally, a fool would need the maid’s care, so it was only right to give her instructions. However, the brief exchange seemed to imply that the one in the carriage, the fool, was the one in charge…
“Sister, is there anything else you need?” he asked tentatively.
“No,” Cheng Jiao-niang’s distant voice replied, pausing slightly, “Thank you.”
Cheng Si-lang wanted to say something else, but Steward Cao approached.
“Fourth Young Master, it’s getting late, and we’re in a hurry to be on our way,” he said.
Cheng Si-lang nodded and stepped aside.
The maid smiled at him, then climbed back into the carriage and lifted the curtain to enter.
“Fourth Young Master, thank you for seeing us off.” The maid lifted the curtain of the carriage and smiled at him.
“Be careful on the road,” Cheng Si-lang said, glancing over, when suddenly he froze.
Opposite the maid sat a lady, initially facing forward. He could see her long black hair cascading down, a full forehead, and a high nose bridge. As the maid spoke, she slowly turned her head.
At that moment, the carriage curtain was lowered, and the carriage moved away.
Cheng Si-lang stood there, mouth agape and expression astonished.
What… did he just see?!
“Wait a moment…” Cheng Si-lang snapped back to his senses and shouted, then hurried to chase after them.
“Fourth Young Master, we will part eventually. No need to be so polite,” Steward Cao called from his horse, clasping his hands in greeting.
The carriage sped away, hooves kicking up dust, quickly disappearing from sight.
Cheng Si-lang ran a few steps but ultimately stopped, looking helplessly at the vanishing carriage, his expression complicated.
Yes, yes, it’s her, it’s her.
Of course, it’s her. The lotus pond was where the sisters lived, and even if she’s a fool, she’s still a sister, it’s her.
It’s really her…
“I didn’t know, Si-lang, that you were so close to your sister,” Chang Ming said as he caught up, smiling. He also looked toward the departing group, his brows slightly furrowed. “Who is your sister’s maternal family?”
Everyone in Jiang-zhou naturally knew about the Cheng family’s simpleton; after all, it wasn’t a good thing, and while there were private discussions about it, friends typically wouldn’t mention the word “simpleton” to his face.
Cheng Si-lang was lost in thought when Chang Ming asked him again before he heard.
“Master Zhou is an official of the Guide General,” he replied.
“Is that all?” Chang Ming asked, surprised.
“Yes, his ancestors were also military officials, and they held positions in the outer court from Shan Xi,” Cheng Si-lang explained, noticing Chang Ming’s astonished expression. “What’s wrong?”
This certainly wasn’t enough to warrant a visiting card from the Wen family of the Privy Council.
Chang Ming looked again in the direction they had left, where the group had already dwindled to a small black dot.
They were in such a hurry…
Aside from them, there were others who had come to see them off, and Chang Ming inquired about those from the Zhou family who managed the shop here.
“Are those people from your family too?” he asked.
“No,” replied the Zhou family member.
Cheng Si-lang was taken aback as well.
“Then who are they?” he asked, puzzled. Wasn’t it said that the Zhou family had come to pick them up? Why were there people who weren’t from the Zhou family?
Familiar acquaintances?
“I don’t know. They came along and said their surname is Chen, from the capital,” the Zhou family member answered, and after finishing, they walked away, playfully kicking at the ground.
From the capital, Chen?
“Could it be from the family of Minister Chen Shao?” Chang Ming blurted out.
Cheng Si-lang was taken aback; he obviously knew who Chen Shao was and immediately burst out laughing.
“What are you thinking!” he laughed, reaching out to pat Chang Ming on the shoulder. “Minister Chen personally came to pick up my sister? You might as well think it’s the Jade Emperor coming to pick up my sister, which would be more believable!”
That was true. Chang Ming laughed as well, but as he laughed, he couldn’t help but glance in the direction of the road where they had disappeared.
So, who could they be?
Cheng Si-lang couldn’t help but look as well.
So it turned out that a girl transforms with age, whether she’s a normal person or abnormal.
She had became so beautiful.
It’s wonderful, but it’s truly a pity.
The two of them stood there lost in their thoughts for a long time, while Chun Lan was the first to wipe her tears and stop looking back. She was startled by the two young masters, who were lost in their emotions over the parting.
The one who is heartbroken is merely the one left behind.
But for the one who is sending off, the sorrow is not merely about parting; the one departing is not heartbroken either.
“Miss.”
Someone outside called out.
The maid raised the carriage curtain and saw a servant riding up.
“Please, Miss, bear with us for a moment longer. If we travel a few more miles, we can rest at the Mei Xian post station,” he said.
The maid frowned slightly.
“Are we not stopping at Mei Xian City?” she asked.
The servant shook his head.
The maid turned to look at Cheng Jiao-niang.
“Alright,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
The servant breathed a sigh of relief. Steward Cao had said that as long as the mistress agreed, it would be fine, and he turned his horse around to head back.
As she raised the curtain, Cheng Jiao-niang looked outside, still gazing out long after they had traveled a considerable distance.
“Miss, it’s chilly. Let’s lower the curtain,” the maid said.
“Indeed, the mountains and rivers are magnificent,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
The maid followed her gaze; the setting sun cast its glow over the road, creating a seemingly endless expanse that felt vast and open.
“When we reach Hu Nan and Guang Xi, it will be even more beautiful,” the maid said, reminding her again, “Miss, let’s lower the curtain.”
Cheng Jiao-niang followed her advice and sat up straight, letting the curtain fall and the maid carefully tucking it in to prevent it from being blown up by the wind.
“I’ve traveled this road before,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
The maid knew a rough outline of the story—how this lady had returned to Jiang-zhou alone with her maid from Bing-zhou.
So now, was she reminiscing as she walked the same path again?
Or was it a sense of sorrow for how things had changed?
“Back then, I didn’t see such magnificence,” Cheng Jiao-niang said, her lips curving into a smile as she looked at the maid.
At that time, she had been focused solely on the journey, planning every detail, and yet the beautiful scenery around her had gone unnoticed.
“When you return, Miss, the scenery you see will surely be even better,” the maid said with a smile.
“Yes,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied, without a hint of hesitation or ambiguity. “I will surely see nothing but beautiful scenery.”
