Chapter 2: Satisfy, seeing her quiet beauty, she is like a lotus

“Should I go meet Pei Langjun in your place?”

Sunlight filtered through the lattice window of the carriage, illuminating Yuran Shen’s pale, frightened face.

She drew in a sharp breath and waved her hands frantically.  

“How could I possibly do that? No, no, absolutely not…”

“This plan will work. Just listen to me.” 

Yunshu Shen caught her sister’s flailing hand and gently pressed down the jittery girl, her voice calm and reassuring.  

“We already look quite alike. In a moment, I’ll put heavier makeup on you. You’ll be on the bridge, he’ll be below it—at least thirty paces apart. That Pei Family Langjun won’t be able to tell the difference. Besides, he’s about to return to Lingzhou for his post and won’t be back for half a year. It’s only this one meeting—he won’t remember you clearly…”

Yuran Shen was still anxious.  

“But what if he wants to come up to the bridge and speak to me…?”

“He won’t,” Yunshu Shen soothed her.  

“My appearance, virtues, and temperament have already been recognized by Pei Laofuren. The fact that Pei Langjun is willing to come today means he’s already learned everything about me from Pei Laofuren. All he needs today is to see what I look like…”

“But isn’t Pei Langjun going to stay in Jingcheng for a few days? If we can’t meet today, you could explain it to him, and once your face recovers, it wouldn’t be too late to meet him another day, right?”

“If I break the agreement at the last minute today, even if there’s a good reason, the Pei Family might overthink it. If they think I’m being deliberately difficult, this marriage could fall through.” 

Yunshu Shen said,  

“Besides, I don’t know when he’ll return to Lingzhou. If he leaves before my face recovers, I won’t have another chance to meet him for another half a year…”

“Why can’t you wait for half a year?” 

At this point, Yuran Shen belatedly realized something. 

Her elder sister had been in Jingcheng for two years and never seemed eager to marry, but two months ago she suddenly told their father she was of age, and not long after, she caught Pei Laofuren’s eye at a Pei Family banquet, leading to today’s arranged meeting.

It all seemed so rushed, as if someone was pushing her.

In truth, Yunshu Shen did have her own urgent reasons for settling her marriage quickly, but these were not things she could share, not even with her father or her sister.

So, facing Yuran Shen’s questions, Yunshu Shen could only evade them, her tone coaxing and gentle: “If you agree to help me, I won’t force you to practice calligraphy or embroidery this morning.”

She always knew how to handle her own little sister.

Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, she saw the jade-like, fair little face across from her suddenly light up, a pair of apricot eyes widening in surprise.

Clearly, her interest was piqued.

So Yunshu Shen continued to tempt her: “And you can skip Qin Yi and Chahua this afternoon as well.”

Yuran Shen’s eyes darted mischievously, and she bargained further: “What about Chayi tonight…?”

Yunshu Shen agreed at once: “No lessons tonight.”

It was rare for her elder sister to let her slack off. 

Yuran Shen pondered for a moment—if all she had to do was stand on a bridge to earn a whole day of leisure, it was a pretty good deal.

“Then let’s agree on this first: if it doesn’t work out, you can’t blame me.”

“Don’t worry. If it doesn’t work, I’ll think of another way.” 

Seeing her sister finally agree, Yunshu Shen took out a box of Taohua Fen from her makeup case and calmly began applying makeup, all the while considering how best to make her sister’s face resemble her own.

Although Yunshu Shen rarely wore makeup, she was skilled at painting, especially miniature portraits, and knew how to use shading to alter facial contours. 

Their brows and eyes were already similar, so she didn’t need to do much there. 

Noting that her sister’s cheeks were rounder and her chin less delicate, she blended a little Dai Fen with the pale Taohua Fen and brushed it along the sides of her cheeks and chin, then swept some along the bridge of her nose and between her eyes…

The tips of willow branches brushed the carriage roof as it stopped not far from Hongqiao. 

By this time, Yuran Shen’s makeup was complete. 

Yunshu Shen told the coachman to step down first, then drew the curtains tightly. 

The sisters swapped clothes, and Yunshu Shen took off her Meiren Hua Zan and Chui Zhu Er Zhui, adorning her sister with them instead. 

At last, satisfied with her work, she handed over the mirror.

“Take a look—how is it?”

Yuran Shen picked up the mirror. 

The reflection startled a cry from her: “It looks just like you!”

At first glance, she really did look like her elder sister—though, on closer inspection, not quite as much.

Yunshu Shen lifted the bamboo curtain to peek outside. 

At the far end of Hongqiao, beneath the drooping willows, stood a tall, elegant figure. He wore fine clothes and a jade crown, his hair neatly tied. 

Though she couldn’t see his face clearly, Yunshu Shen recognized the elderly woman beside him—she was Pei Laofuren’s attendant.

That must be the Pei Family’s eldest son.

The attendant looked up and said something to Pei Langjun. 

He turned to listen, and Yunshu Shen caught a glimpse of a straight, refined nose and a cold, handsome profile.

Birds chirped melodiously on the branches; Yunshu Shen’s heart fluttered. 

She was quite satisfied with Pei Langjun’s appearance.

She took Yuran Shen’s hand, pointed out Pei Langjun’s location, and urged her to get off the carriage.

At the crucial moment, Yuran Shen was still uneasy, but having agreed, she couldn’t back out. 

Lifting her skirt, she alighted from the carriage and, imitating her sister’s usual graceful walk, headed steadily toward Hongqiao.

A gentle breeze rippled the river’s surface. 

Upon the great wooden arch of Hongqiao, a graceful, elegant young woman slowly ascended to the bridge’s highest point, her dark apricot eyes gazing across.

Beside Pei Huai Jin, Jiang Momo spoke at just the right moment: “Eldest Langjun, that is the eldest daughter of the Shen family, Yunshu Shen. Just look at her beauty—there are few in all Jingcheng who could compare…”

Jiang Momo had seen Yunshu Shen at a tea gathering before. 

Among all the powdered faces, she had stood out as the most delicate and elegant. 

Today, in full dress, she looked even more stunning—snow-white skin, flower-like beauty, standing poised on the red bridge over the water, white-walled houses behind her, willows swaying in front, her skirt fluttering in the wind—she seemed to have stepped straight out of a painting.

Pei Huai Jin listened to Jiang Momo’s praise and was satisfied with the appearance of this Shen family daughter.

He had just arrived in Jingcheng the day before yesterday, busy with official duties for two days. 

Last night, upon returning home, his grandmother summoned him for a concerned talk, then suddenly asked if, during his two and a half years in Lingzhou, he’d met any girl he liked.

He replied that he’d been focused on his work, uninterested in romance, and hadn’t met anyone he fancied.

His grandmother then asked what kind of girl he liked. 

Glancing up, he saw the bright, sharp eyes of his grandmother and guessed her intent.

He was twenty-one this year, soon to be transferred from Lingzhou back to Jingcheng, and it was indeed time to start a family.

He didn’t know what kind of girl he liked, but as the eldest legitimate grandson, he should marry someone virtuous and capable. 

He hoped for a wife who was gentle, of good moral character, clever, and diligent in managing the household. 

As for love, that could grow after marriage.

He told his grandmother his requirements. 

She clapped her hands and laughed: “Grandmother just happens to know a good girl—she’s a perfect match for you!”

The “good girl” his grandmother spoke of was none other than Yunshu Shen, the eldest legitimate daughter of the Hu Bu Shangshu.

Yesterday, he’d listened to his grandmother praise the Shen family’s eldest daughter, who seemed to match all his criteria for a future wife. 

Now, seeing her in person—so calm and beautiful, like a lotus in bloom—he was thoroughly satisfied.

With his mind made up, he nodded to the girl on the bridge, signaling that the meeting was over and they could return home.

But the girl just kept staring at him, showing no sign of leaving. 

Thinking she hadn’t seen enough, he continued to stand there, letting her look…

On the bridge, Yuran Shen stood by the railing and leaned forward, squinting instinctively, trying to get a better look at her future brother-in-law.

Then she remembered that her dignified elder sister would never squint like that, so she quickly opened her eyes wider.

Her future brother-in-law’s face was still blurry to her.

Her eyesight was poor. 

When her parents separated during her childhood, she’d been forced to go with her father, and missing her mother so much, she’d cried her eyes out at age four, damaging her vision. 

Since then, she couldn’t clearly see people or objects more than thirty paces away—only a vague outline.

Even so, although she couldn’t see her future brother-in-law’s features clearly, just from his elegant profile and upright posture, she could guess he was quite outstanding in looks.

He and her elder sister truly were a perfect pair—a golden couple.

But…how long was this meeting supposed to last?

Since he was still standing there, would it be rude if she left first?

As she hesitated, a rich, tempting aroma of food drifted over. 

Turning her head, she saw an old man pushing a ram-horn cart across the bridge—the delicious smell wafting from the bamboo basket on the cart.

The Lao Weng noticed her looking and called out cheerfully: “Miss, would you like some Huan Bing?”

Huan Bing was made by twisting strips of oily dough into thin threads and deep-frying them—savory, crispy, and crumbly. 

It used to be a common part of Yuran Shen’s breakfast, though she hadn’t cared for it much. 

But after her elder sister declared such fried foods would make her fat and forbade her from eating them, she hadn’t had any for two years. 

Now, smelling that aroma, she found it irresistible.

Thinking she’d helped her sister with such a big favor today, buying a Huan Bing shouldn’t be too much.

Yuran Shen was just about to ask for one when she suddenly remembered that the Pei Family’s eldest son was still watching from below. 

She straightened up and quickly said to the old man: “No, thank you…”

The Lao Weng wasn’t upset by the refusal; he simply pushed his cart past her.

Yuran Shen’s craving was now fully awakened. 

She just wanted this meeting to end quickly, so that once Pei Langjun left, she could chase after the Huan Bing vendor and buy a treat while he was still nearby.

So, she clasped her hands and knees together and bowed to the Pei Family’s eldest son, signaling the end of the meeting, then turned and walked down the bridge.

Though it all ended rather hastily, Pei Huai Jin, seeing her leave, didn’t linger either and left with his hands behind his back.

Yet, after sitting in the carriage, he felt something and lifted a corner of the bamboo curtain to look out.

There, he saw the girl who should have disappeared from the bridge—no longer so dignified and graceful—hiking up her skirt and running quickly across the arch, her silver-red Baidiequn trailing behind her like a trumpet vine in bloom. 

In a flash, she caught up with the old man and his cart…