Pei Huai’an, though he had no experience in matters between men and women, was two years older than Liang Qingluo, and naturally knew more than she did.
Just now, when the ambiguous sounds of a woman—half crying, half pleased—floated over, he immediately realized what was happening. As he was feeling awkward, the person beside him suddenly moved and even tried to stand up.
Pei Huai’an hurriedly reached out, pulling Liang Qingluo, who was halfway to her feet, back into his arms, pressing her down and covering her ears, not allowing her to hear those intimate noises.
Yet she still had a righteous heart, and struggled in his embrace. “Let me go, I want to go…”
She still wanted to go see what was happening?
What a silly girl.
Her voice was getting a bit loud, and Pei Huai’an worried she’d startle the couple. Then all four would be embarrassed, so he could only lower his head and cover her mouth, taking advantage of a lull in the sounds to explain quietly, “There’s a couple being intimate here. Don’t make a sound.”
Hearing this, she finally quieted down, staying still in his arms. After squatting for a while, her legs tired and she sat on the ground with him.
Pei Huai’an kept one arm wrapped around her, the other hand covering her ears. She was at peace, but he could hear everything on the other side, loud and clear.
He was at an age when blood ran hot, and hearing such sounds made certain bodily reactions difficult to suppress.
Especially with a soft, fragrant girl in his arms—the hair that had come loose from running brushed against his neck, her warm, jade-like body pressed against his, the rise and fall of her breathing even perceptible through their clothes.
The arm wrapped around her tightened involuntarily. A fierce longing surged in his heart, and he almost wished they could become one right then.
But that was only in his imagination.
As a proper gentleman, he had studied the classics since childhood, the Four Books and Five Classics memorized by heart, the Five Virtues recited daily. The rules of propriety etched deep in his bones—no matter the impulse, he could not truly overstep, nor offend such an innocent, pure girl.
Reason and desire were in fierce conflict—when suddenly, she looked up, her nose brushing his Adam’s apple.
His hand, as if not under his own control, held her head, pressing her lips to his skin.
Soft and tender—the very lips he’d just tasted—now pouted against his neck in dissatisfaction…
It was almost like she was kissing him.
The fire inside him burned even hotter. He pressed his lips together, struggling to endure, as the sounds nearby rose higher, shrill and swirling, battering what little self-control he had left.
As he was barely holding on, the person in his arms—
This really couldn’t go on!
In that moment, as she moved forcefully, Pei Huai’an pressed her down to the ground, catching the misbehaving hand and pinning it above her head.
“Liang Qingluo, are you trying to kill me?”
“Ah?” came her innocent voice from below. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Why are you touching me there?”
“Where? I just felt something hard like a stick poking me. It’s uncomfortable…”
“That’s not a stick,” Pei Huai’an gritted his teeth and explained, “that’s a part of my body.”
“Ah?” She didn’t react for a moment. “Which part?”
Pei Huai’an gathered her in his arms, shifting their positions so she wouldn’t get hurt.
He took her hand and had her feel it again. “Do you understand now? It’s not a stick. It grew from my body…”
The girl on top instantly retracted her hand, curling up on him, not daring to move again.
The sounds nearby finally faded. About a quarter of an hour later, he heard the couple’s footsteps as they left.
Liang Qingluo scrambled off him, back turned, and said softly, “I want to go home.”
Pei Huai’an sat up, dusted himself off a bit, then took her hand. “Let’s go. I’ll take you.”
They chose a different path out of the forest and returned to the bustling night market. Liang Qingluo had come by horseback, while Pei Huai’an had taken a carriage. He told her to tie her horse to the carriage, and they rode together.
After rolling around in the woods, both had leaves and wood shavings stuck to their clothes and hair, which had gotten messy. Pei Huai’an took out a vanity mirror and comb from the carriage, handing them to her so she could tidy her hair.
“Why do you even have these things in your carriage?” she asked, looking in the mirror.
“I didn’t before. I just got them recently,” Pei Huai’an said. Seeing her about to fix her hair, he took the mirror and held it for her so she could have a free hand to arrange her hair.
Once she was tidied up and had brushed off her clothes, Pei Huai’an spoke of the night’s events.
“About tonight, I—”
“Wait, don’t say anything yet!” After hugging and kissing him, and hearing him confess his feelings, Liang Qingluo’s mind was a mess, unsure how to respond. She could only dodge for now, saying, “Let me think about it, and I’ll give you an answer later, all right?”
“All right, I’ll wait for you.”
After that, they rode in silence. When Pei Huai’an’s carriage neared the General’s Manor, Liang Qingluo told him to stop. “Just drop me off here.”
His carriage bore the Pei family crest; she likely didn’t want the household to know it was him who brought her back.
Pei Huai’an said nothing more, watching her lead her horse into the General’s Manor before telling the driver to move on.
Later, Sixth Brother also came to her courtyard, calling her out to talk.
She hid in her room and refused to come out. Sixth Brother waited outside.
That night, she didn’t sleep well, her dreams shifting between Qingjian and Pei Huai’an—especially about what happened…
The next day, she slept in until late morning. Figuring her Sixth Brother would have gone to work by now, she finally dared to leave her room.
To her surprise, her mother was waiting in the main hall.
“Your Sixth Brother said he saw you being very close with a man by the Vermilion Bird Bridge last night,” Madam Liang’s beautiful eyes flashed. “Tell me, who was that man?”
Liang Qingluo dropped to her knees with a “thud.” “Mother, I was wrong.”
She just kept admitting fault, but refused to say who it was. Her mother was furious, punished her to kneel in the ancestral hall all day, and then confined her, forbidding her from stepping out of her courtyard.
She was locked up for a whole month.
Before the Mid-Autumn Festival in August, the cousin her mother had mentioned before came from afar to deliver gifts to the General’s Manor. Her mother had someone help her dress up early, telling her to meet her cousin in the flower hall.
Her cousin was cheerful and handsome, witty and humorous, which greatly pleased her mother.
Liang Qingluo knew he was a good man, but couldn’t muster any feelings for him.
Locked up for a month, she’d spent the first half grieving for Qingjian, but gradually, she began to think more and more about Pei Huai’an.
For example, as she sat across from her cousin now, she couldn’t help comparing him to Pei Huai’an.
In looks, her cousin was elegant and refined, with the scholarly air of a learned man, but not as handsome as Pei Huai’an.
In knowledge, they were about the same age—her cousin had just passed the imperial exam for xiucai this year, while Pei Huai’an had already passed the provincial exams and entered the Hanlin Academy.
In conversation and manners, both were admirable—the former witty and worldly, the latter gentle and thoughtful. Their ways of dealing with people were just different.
Both she and her cousin understood their elders’ intentions. To be fair, she didn’t dislike her cousin, but she’d rather have him as another brother than marry him.
Her mother asked her cousin to stay a few more days, but Liang Qingluo kept avoiding him until one day her mother came to say, “Your cousin will be leaving soon, and he hasn’t had a chance to see the capital. You should take him out for a stroll.”
She confirmed again with her mother: “You’re not going to arrange a marriage between us, right?”
“If you’re unwilling, how could I force you?” her mother sighed. “You two used to be as close as siblings when you were children, but now you’ve grown apart…”
Assured that her mother wouldn’t force a marriage, Liang Qingluo dared to see her cousin, who teased her, “I thought you were going to hide until I left.”
She smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, cousin, I’ve neglected you.”
“It’s fine. I heard you were confined for over a month—weren’t you bored to death? Let’s enjoy ourselves today…”
After being stuck inside so long, she really needed to let off steam. Today, she took plenty of silver, planning to eat, drink, and have fun.
She had someone book a small private room at Fengle Pavilion, then took her cousin sightseeing along Panlou Street East, Yujin Garden to the south, Fangchi Pavilion and Yuxian Temple in the outer school, and in the afternoon, they rented a pleasure boat at Jinming Pond’s west bank to sip tea and enjoy the view. At night, she hosted dinner at Fengle Pavilion.
She’d booked a private room with a great view—one could look out and see the whole city, even a glimpse of the lantern-lit palace in the distance.
They’d played the entire day and had a wonderful time. As she and her cousin walked to their room, she chatted about tomorrow’s plans, not noticing the group of guests approaching from the other side. Among them, one man frowned, clearly displeased.
“Tomorrow morning, let’s go to Jinshui River first—there’s Balou Temple and Yangzhong Courtyard, with flourishing gardens worth seeing. Further south is Yao Liang Garden…”
She was talking excitedly about their plans when she noticed the gaze of someone in the other group as they passed each other.
She looked up—right into the eyes of Pei Huai’an, whom she hadn’t seen in over a month.
Meeting his unhappy gaze, her heart skipped a beat, as if she’d done something to let him down.
Though her mother had confined her for a month, if she’d really wanted to sneak out, she could’ve climbed the wall. Her mother couldn’t really keep her in.
The reason she stayed obediently was because she didn’t know how to face him.
He said he liked her, but she wasn’t ready to accept someone new. So she hid at home and didn’t come out.
She never expected to run into him the first day she went out.
Her cousin saw her freeze up and tugged her hand.
She followed absent-mindedly, only realizing as they reached the private room door that she was still holding her cousin’s hand.
Flustered, she pulled away and scolded him. “Why did you grab my hand?”
“You were just standing there in a daze, blocking the way…”
“Even so, you shouldn’t have grabbed my hand!”
Her cousin smiled helplessly. “Alright, my mistake.”
The meal tasted like wax in her mouth—her mind kept flashing back to those heavy, silent eyes beneath the corridor.
Would he misunderstand her?
She had mentioned to him before that her mother wanted to arrange a marriage with her cousin.
Should she explain?
But she still wasn’t sure if she wanted to accept his feelings.
If she didn’t explain, would he keep misunderstanding and stop liking her?
The thought filled her with a strange panic.
No, she had to clear things up!
Liang Qingluo suddenly stood up, startling her cousin. “What’s wrong?”
“You eat first. I’ll be right back.”
As soon as she stepped out, she saw the person she wanted to see, standing beneath the corridor pillar, watching her with a calm expression.
“So this is your answer?”