A Willing Mistake, My Lady – Chapter 20

It’s the Flower-Picking Thief

Presenting You With a Red Bean of Yearning¹

The two of them spent a dozen or so copper cash² to leave the black horse at a resting spot in a grove. Given the black horse’s temper, she wasn’t the least bit worried about it being led away by anyone else.

            

“Big Long Face, you wait here like a good boy. Once we’re done strolling around, we’ll come back and get you. Don’t go neighing randomly, or you might get drugged and stolen,” Shen Hetang warned, pressing close to the horse’s ear.

The black horse remained in the small grove with great reluctance. Seeing the two of them walking hand in hand toward the river, it bared its big teeth and pulled a long, cold horse face, refusing to give anyone a good look. It was incredibly amusing, almost as if it possessed human understanding.

Shen Hetang held Jiang Chenyu’s hand, stopping in front of a peddler who carried a basket on his back and held a display rack in his hand.

            

“Which one do you like?” she asked, looking at the masks hanging on the rack.

“Wow, there are so many! This white fox one is pretty, and that rabbit one even has furry ears.” Jiang Chenyu was currently acting like a seven- or eight-year-old child, touching them one by one.

“This young lady has a great eye. These two are the best-selling models today. A lot of people love them.” The peddler sounded a bit like he was blowing his own trumpet.

            

As soon as she heard that a lot of people liked them, visible disdain crossed Jiang Chenyu’s face. Pointing to a pair of grimacing masks on the side, she said, “These two, then.”

“Are you sure?” Shen Hetang followed her gaze. Good heavens—slanted eyebrows, glaring eyes, and bright red lips. The eyes bulged outward, and the ears stretched wide. Their designs were imposing, magnificent, and brimming with majesty, bursting with complex, intense, and colorful patterns.

“Hahahaha, that’s right, I like these two.” Seeing Shen Hetang’s dumbfounded, incredulous expression, she found it utterly amusing.

            

“Your taste is truly unique, Miss. Although these two ghost and god masks³ look bizarre and terrifying, they are the most expensive ones here. They cost fifty copper cash each. If you want both, just give me eighty copper cash.” The peddler was quite good at doing business, taking the initiative to offer a discount.

“We’ll take these two.” Though they looked bizarre at first glance, the more she looked at them, the more she inexplicably liked them. The ferocious, fiendish ghost and god masks seemed like they could block out the world’s evil spirits and misfortune; she hoped they possessed some unfathomable, mystical power.

Two brightly and gorgeously dressed individuals—a gifted scholar and a beautiful lady—looked at the masks on each other’s faces, laughing so hard they were bending forward and backward. But they had only been looking at masks; they still hadn’t taken care of the main event for coming to the Qingyuan River. They hadn’t bought their flower lanterns yet. It was about that time. The six- or seven-meter-wide river was filled with floating lanterns of all shapes, illuminating the water’s surface in a myriad of dazzling colors, making it look like a fairyland.

            

One by one, the flower lanterns eagerly flowed downstream with the current. Looking up, there were also people releasing sky lanterns⁴. The flickering lights went from large to small, drifting from near to far, until they slowly became as unreachable as the stars in the sky.

“It’s just too beautiful here. What if I don’t want to leave?” Jiang Chenyu sighed in admiration, gazing unblinkingly at the flower lanterns drifting away down the river.

“Then let’s just live here,” Shen Hetang said nonchalantly.

            

“Really?” The mask-wearing head looked at her comically.

“Of course not. Have you lost your mind?” She tapped her finger against Jiang Chenyu’s mask.

“Oh… I didn’t take it seriously anyway,” she said obediently, covering her mask.

            

“They’re just flower lanterns. If you like them, you can hang a whole circle of them around the house and look at them every day.” Sometimes, it seemed as if Jiang Chenyu was growing younger and younger. When they had first met, she had acted like a resourceful little strategist, but Shen Hetang later realized that most of the time, she was the naive and adorable type. She was more like an idle foodie whose great wisdom appeared foolish, happily fiddling with jewelry, clothes, soups, and broths every day.

The management of the shops under her name had been handed over to Chuntao. She only checked the accounts once a month, which took less than a day, making her truly, incredibly idle. Operating under the identity of a young maid, Chuntao did the work of a chief steward, spending a few hours of the day outside. Fortunately, chores like cooking and laundry were handled by Nanny Wang and Nanny Li from the kitchen. The purchasing and pruning in the courtyard were taken care of by Chuntao’s parents, Uncle Yao and Auntie Yao, while heavy lifting tasks like carrying water and chopping firewood were done by Er Zhuzi from Nanny Wang’s family.

The modest-sized courtyard had been arranged perfectly by Jiang Chenyu, with a clear division of labor where everyone had their own duties. And currently, she only had one thing to worry about: how to turn the relationship between her and her husband from raw rice into cooked rice⁵.

            

Although she was very satisfied with her life now, if one day he remembered his past, would he leave her? Just thinking about this matter made her incredibly uncomfortable. If there truly came a day when they parted ways, she thought she might end up growing old alone. After all, having possessed such a breathtakingly stunning lover, how could she ever settle for any other ordinary mortal?

There was one thing she had never pointed out to Shen Hetang: whether it was his outfit when they first met, the noble arrogance unintentionally revealed in his behavior, or the fragmented phrases that occasionally slipped out during his dreams, everything told her that Shen Hetang’s origins were definitely out of the ordinary. But as long as he couldn’t remember for even a day, he remained the husband with whom she had bowed to Heaven and Earth. No one could snatch him away.

Moreover, when it came to him… she had always harbored selfish motives, whether during their first meeting or in their later mutual understanding…!

            

“What did you write?” Shen Hetang asked, looking at the lotus lantern⁶ in her hands.

“I’m not letting you see.” She lifted her mask to the top of her head, using her sleeve to cover the words she had written. Guarding it as if fending off a thief, she pushed the lantern far away. Accompanied by the murmuring sound of the river, the pink lantern floated off. It was only after seven or eight meters that the petal bearing the words turned back around:

Presenting you with a red bean of yearning,
May you accompany me for an eternity.

            

The neat, hairpin-delicate regular script was written across the palm-sized petal. No matter how good Shen Hetang’s eyesight was, she couldn’t see it anymore.

The lanterns had been released, the masks had been bought, and it was time to head back. Big Long Face was still waiting in the grove.

The two clasped hands tightly and walked into the crowd, unaware that they were just brushing past a group of mounted men in the distance. Seated on the leading jujube-red horse was a burly young general with thick eyebrows and large eyes. When he saw that white-clad figure’s back from afar, a sudden sense of familiarity struck him. He blanked for just a moment, but by the time he thought to dismount and see what was going on, the two figures had already disappeared.

            

“Commandant Zhao, we must hasten back to the capital within ten days. The moonlight is clear tonight; shall we rest once we reach Fuyang County?” a refined-looking man behind him asked.

“Very well. Going back to hold the fort for the Eldest Miss is more important!” With that said, the group of several dozen men passed through Qingyuan Town without halting their horses, pressing on all the way in the direction of the capital.

Fortunately, the little brother who had collected the copper cash to tie up the horse here was a man of his word. When the two went to pick up Big Long Face, it was still standing there obediently. Upon seeing Shen Hetang return, it excitedly kicked its hind legs without stopping, flying high into the air over and over again like a mischievous child.

            

“I’m taking you away now, stop pawing at the ground.” Only then did the black horse shake its head and stop.

“I feel like this horse really listens to you, Ah Tang.” Watching the horse act one way in front of Ah Tang and another way behind Ah Tang’s back, Jiang Chenyu felt like it had become a spirit.

“Perhaps we share an affinity.” This black horse did indeed give her a profound sense of affinity.

            

Before the two of them could mount the horse and make their way out of the crowd, a commotion broke out ahead. Two maidservants were sobbing, crying out that their Miss had gone missing. They had searched back and forth several times but still couldn’t find her. Even the servants of several young ladies traveling together nearby had mobilized, yet they still hadn’t located her.

Someone unexpectedly blurted out, wondering if she had been abducted by that flower-picking thief⁷. At that moment, the crowd exploded. There were screams from the girls and young ladies, and clamorous discussions from the men. Whether or not this Miss had actually been abducted by the flower-picking thief, her reputation was already ruined. Watching the throngs of people ahead scrambling to rush home, Shen Hetang had no intention of fighting them for space. She simply followed behind the crowd at an unhurried pace.

Hearing that there was a flower-picking thief, Jiang Chenyu’s face also turned pale. Twisting half her body around, she forcefully hugged Shen Hetang.

            

“Frightened?” Seeing her contorting her body just to hug her, Shen Hetang was genuinely afraid she would get a cramp in a moment.

“Mhm, mhm, mhm… I heard from Chuntao that this flower-picking thief in the neighboring county has already ruined seven or eight boudoir maidens. Afterwards, five hanged themselves, two became nuns, and I heard there’s even one who wants to marry him. He’s truly guilty of unpardonable evil.” As she spoke, she continued to lean into Shen Hetang’s embrace.

“To think he’s already this vile; then his crimes truly cannot be pardoned even by death.” Working at the Yamen, she ought to have stepped forward and asked about the situation when encountering such a matter. However, this family had searched several times before asking others to help look. If it really was that flower-picking thief, that unfortunate Miss had very likely already met with disaster by now.

            

Moreover, they were trapped in the crowd, and she had Jiang Chenyu with her. She wouldn’t leave her alone and let her stay here by herself.

“You don’t need to hold on so tightly, Miss. You’re still wearing a terrifying mask on your face; even bad guys would be startled to see you.” Good thing the chest binding she wore kept her flat, so she wasn’t afraid of her leaning against it.

“It’s my own husband from my own family, so I’m going to hug him,” she muttered softly in defiance.

            

“Alright, then. Once we pass through the crowd, we’ll need to hurry home as well. It isn’t too safe tonight.” Shen Hetang simply lifted her up and turned her completely around. When Big Long Face started running faster in a moment, Jiang Chenyu would end up falling off if she kept holding onto her like that.

Undoing her own outer garment, Shen Hetang draped it over Jiang Chenyu. Sitting in the front, Jiang Chenyu had only been wearing a single layer of clothing. The night wind was a bit chilly, so it was better for her to put something on. Jiang Chenyu got her wish; she was hugging her husband from the front, tilting her head back and smiling foolishly, her hands on Shen Hetang’s waist occasionally getting a bit unruly.

“You’d best behave yourself, or the two of us will tumble down together.” She seemed to be indulging her far too much; was it time to establish a few household rules?

            

“Oh, then I won’t move.” After saying that, she settled obediently into Shen Hetang’s embrace like a good little rabbit, lifting the mask and clasping it onto the back of her head.

The crowd ahead had loosened up somewhat, and Shen Hetang took Jiang Chenyu and charged straight to the front. The faster the horse ran, the colder the wind grew, but with the two of them leaning against each other, they blocked out a fair amount of the chill.

Jiang Chenyu was roughly a head shorter than her, but right now, sitting on the horse, the height difference wasn’t very obvious. Her cheek rested perfectly against the flat, rising and falling lines of Shen Hetang’s collarbones. Her long, closed eyelashes fluttered gently. She wondered if Shen Hetang would flip out if she were to take a bite right here. In the end, it was merely a thought; she still didn’t dare to be too presumptuous.

            

“Wake up, we’re home.” This girl had slept for half the journey.

Jiang Chenyu opened her dazed eyes, her entire body soft and limp. Whichever direction she leaned in, she would tip over that way. Left with no choice, Shen Hetang could only let Big Long Face go in on its own first. Seeing Jiang Chenyu walking as if both her feet were stepping on cotton, even stumbling after taking just two steps, she could only crouch down and carry the person inside on her back.

Sigh. She felt like a laborer, and an all-purpose one at that.

            

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