Forbidden to Bully the Storybook’s Heroine – Chapter 114
by Little PandaExtra 2: The ‘What If’ Timeline
Of course, Jiang Yao wasn’t pushed away. She gripped Song Muyun’s slender, snow-white hand, stopping her from pushing again. Her expression was a little helpless. “Didn’t you say you disliked it? If you don’t like it, I’ll take it back and get you something you do like next time.”
The young woman’s brow was still furrowed tightly, as if she were still processing Jiang Yao’s words. After a long moment, she replied sullenly, “No. I want this one.”
Jiang Yao froze. The strength in her hand slackened, and Song Muyun smoothly snatched the hairpin and clutched it to her chest.
She seemed to treasure the hairpin, holding it tightly.
Not wanting to make her cry, Jiang Yao could only concede. “Alright, then. You can keep it.”
The anger in her heart subsided a little more.
Song Muyun was still not sober. Jiang Yao stroked the girl’s soft, pampered cheek and asked helplessly, “What kind of wine did you drink? How is it so strong?”
The drunken young woman answered whatever she was asked. So when Jiang Yao asked, she answered obediently, “I drank fruit wine.”
Jiang Yao: ???
She drank what?
Fruit wine?
And she’s still drunk?
Am I the one who’s not thinking straight, or are you talking nonsense?
To think that even fruit wine could get you drunk… you really are… ahem, really cute.
She subconsciously avoided using the harsh words she’d learned from the army generals on Song Muyun.
“If you can’t hold your liquor, then don’t drink next time.”
It would save her from getting this drunk again. Muyun had said Madam Song would punish her. If she wasn’t there one day to protect her and Madam Song punished her, it would be too late for regrets.
Song Muyun lowered her head, and her fluffy, dark hair bumped against Jiang Yao’s waist. “I only drank because you were ignoring me.”
For a second, Jiang Yao thought she’d misheard. Her expression went blank, and when she recovered, she asked urgently, “What did you say?”
But having said it once, Song Muyun was unwilling to repeat it.
Jiang Yao was in a daze.
She suspected she must have heard wrong. How could Song Muyun say something like that?
The girl was usually so aloof and indifferent toward her. Would she really care whether Jiang Yao paid her any attention?
Forget it. I must have misheard.
Jiang Yao thought resentfully, There’s no way Song Muyun likes me that much!
“It’s getting late. You stay here and don’t go out. I’m leaving now. And don’t drink again next time.”
Song Muyun looked at Jiang Yao blankly, as if she didn’t understand what was being said. But when the other woman opened the door to leave, her eyelashes trembled, and she instinctively followed.
She leaned against the doorframe, watching as Jiang Yao deftly vaulted over the courtyard wall and disappeared.
For some reason, a trace of reluctance bloomed in Song Muyun’s heart.
Then she heard a voice… “Miss, when did you return? How come this servant didn’t hear anything!”
Song Muyun looked over in a daze, her eyes veiled with a watery mist. She was clearly not her usual self. The maidservant’s expression was strange. As she drew closer, the faint scent of alcohol wafted from Song Muyun. The maid was shocked. “Miss, why have you been drinking?!”
The moment Jiang Yao returned to the Jiang Residence, she fell into bed and passed out. She had been in a foul mood for the past few days and hadn’t been sleeping well, but today her mood had suddenly lifted. The sight of her own bed was enough to make her drowsy.
She slept until it was time for the family dinner.
Jiang Yao felt as if she had just finished lunch and now it was already time for dinner. It was exhausting.
She stretched lazily, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and went to the banquet.
The Jiang family was already seated. As Jiang Yao took her place, she called out, “Father, Mother, I’m late.”
“Jie,” Jiang Huai greeted her.
Jiang Heng nodded, signaling a nearby maid to begin serving the dishes. He then asked casually, “What have you been busy with these past two days? Your cousin said you’ve been frequently attending poetry gatherings with him?”
He couldn’t describe how shocked he’d been to hear that.
He knew his own daughter. Poetry gatherings?
Did that have anything to do with Jiang Yao at all? Wasn’t she the one who had always detested those stuffy, pretentious poets?
Attending poetry gatherings… His first reaction had been that Liang Yunhe was lying to him. But later, the men he’d sent to secretly protect Jiang Yao had also reported that she was a frequent visitor at poetry gatherings, which had given her old father quite a shock.
Jiang Yao stirred the steaming porridge in her bowl, waiting for it to cool. “Yeah, I went,” she answered nonchalantly.
Her mother smiled. “Why the sudden interest in poetry gatherings?”
“My beloved1 is there. I go to see her.”
“Pfft—”
Even a man as composed and refined as Jiang Heng couldn’t stop himself from spraying a mouthful of tea. Everyone at the table stared at Jiang Yao in utter shock.
Jiang Huai’s hand trembled. Which family’s young master is so unlucky as to be fancied by Jiang Yao? he thought. His days are going to be miserable.
A smile, however, appeared on Madam Jiang’s face. “Oh, my,” she said happily. “Our Yao’er has a beloved! Which family’s young master is he? Quickly, tell your mother.”
Jiang Yao stated plainly, “It’s not any family’s young master. She’s a woman.”
Jiang Heng nearly bit his tongue. The smile vanished from his wife’s face. Jiang Huai’s jaw could have dropped to the floor.
The word “woman” echoed in their minds. Jiang Yao didn’t like men. She… she liked women?!
After a long moment, Jiang Heng was the first to recover. He cleared his throat with a soft cough, then said in a heavy voice, “You’re still young. What do you know of love! Focus on your martial arts. In a few years, your father will send you to the battlefield. Come back and talk about this after you’ve earned some military merits.”
“What’s wrong with being young? I’m already sixteen. Girls in the capital marry at fifteen. I have to marry her before I’ll join the army.”
Jiang Heng’s eyes widened. “You want to marry her? Nonsense! Where is there such a thing as a woman marrying a woman? Don’t you dare bring shame upon this family!”
He was furious.
Madam Jiang was a bit calmer. She frowned and asked, “Which family’s young lady have you taken a liking to?”
Jiang Huai also chimed in, “That’s right, which young miss is so unlucky? It’s one thing for you to hit me, I’m a man, I can take it. But you won’t beat a young lady to death, will you?”
His sister had done something outrageous and was sure to be punished. It was a rare opportunity for Jiang Huai to speak so smugly.
Jiang Yao shot him a look, not even bothering to scold him. Her little brother was right here at home; she could beat him up whenever she pleased.
“She’s the young lady of the Song family.”
She was used to telling her parents everything. Most problems could be solved that way.
Madam Jiang’s mouth twitched. The finger Jiang Heng pointed at her was trembling. “Which… which Song family?” he asked in disbelief.
“The eldest daughter of Lord Song Yunqian, Song Muyun. She’s a famous talent in the capital. Father and Mother have probably heard her name.”
Jiang Heng nearly passed out. His disbelief intensified. “That’s the Song family’s daughter? Song Yunqian’s daughter? Have you gone mad?!”
He had been a colleague of Song Yunqian for many years and naturally understood the man’s temperament. How could he possibly allow his daughter to be with his own?
This was doomed from the start!
Jiang Yao said nothing. Matters of the heart weren’t something she could control.
Seeing her silence, Jiang Heng’s face darkened. “You will immediately put that notion out of your head,” he ordered. “She is not someone you can covet!”
“No. If I can’t marry her, I’ll grow old and die alone2.”
She was incredibly stubborn and refused to listen to anything.
Jiang Heng’s heart ached with fatherly frustration. Hearing her say she’d rather grow old and die alone, he was tempted to throw her out on the spot.
What kind of nonsense was this? Not a single word was what a father wanted to hear.
Madam Jiang’s face was etched with worry. “How could you fall for her? Her family’s rules are incredibly strict. It’s impossible for you two.”
“Then I’ll grow old and die alone.”
Jiang Yao slumped onto the table. The person who was usually so lively and carefree now showed a hint of melancholy.
Madam Jiang had intended to persuade her to give up, but seeing her like this, she hesitated.
Apart from martial arts, her daughter had never been particularly fond of anything growing up.
They had all assumed she would marry a military man, since she detested scholars who spoke in roundabout ways3. But in reality, she had fallen for the most refined person of all.
That family was one of the strictest in the capital, and that young woman was a renowned talent, one who had even bested the young master of the Cui family in poetry.
Such a woman should have been completely at odds with her daughter.
Unlike his gentle and sensitive wife, Jiang Heng couldn’t accept the fact that his daughter was a mirror-polisher4. “Even if you grow old and die alone, your father will not approve of you liking her!” he said angrily. “Miss Song is destined to marry a man. It’s useless for you to hover around her every day. It’s nothing but a fantasy!”
The thought of Song Muyun marrying someone else made Jiang Yao inexplicably angry. Her face turned cold. “I won’t allow it. If she gets married, I’ll go and snatch the bride!”
Jiang Heng: …
He was about to cough up blood from rage.
Madam Jiang: Hesitant and at a loss.
Jiang Huai: Enjoying the show.
The meal ended on a sour note. Jiang Heng couldn’t accept that his daughter was a mirror-polisher who had fallen for Song Yunqian’s girl. The next day during the morning court session, his gaze toward Song Yunqian was indescribably complex.
Normally, the two were like needle point against wheat awn5 in the court due to their differing political views. Today, after Song Yunqian expressed his opinion and was waiting for Jiang Heng’s rebuttal, none came. He turned his head, only to see Jiang Heng’s stern eyes fixed on him, his thoughts unreadable.
Song Yunqian: …
Has my political rival finally approved of my policy?
At the Song Residence, Song Muyun was summoned to the front courtyard by her mother early in the morning and given a punishment for drinking the day before.
It was just a little fruit wine, but it had kept her drunk into the evening. Recalling her actions while intoxicated, she was so mortified that she uncharacteristically abandoned her decorum and reserve, rolling around on her bed.
She hadn’t slept well all night, replaying the words she’d said. She had said them all, and Jiang Yao had heard them. Jiang Yao had even brought her home. So she shouldn’t be angry anymore, right? Would she come looking for her again the next day?
If she hadn’t been drunk, she might never have known that Jiang Yao was ignoring her because she refused to wear the hairpin she’d been given…
She really was petty.
As night deepened, the young woman looked at the jade-colored hairpin nearby. The thought of wearing it made her flush with embarrassment. Who would wear such a large flower in their hair?
Her mother would scold her if she saw it. She had explained it all to Jiang Yao, and Jiang Yao had said she wasn’t angry anymore. She wondered if she was just being placated. Probably not. Jiang Yao didn’t seem like the type to lie.
Despite this positive speculation, Song Muyun still couldn’t sleep. Perhaps it was the wine, or perhaps it was because the embarrassing memories from her drunken state remained vivid in her mind. She was shocked and a little annoyed at how soft and pliant she had been in front of Jiang Yao. Every time she thought of it, she couldn’t help but roll around on her bed again. As a result, she stayed up very late before finally falling asleep.
But the next day, she was woken by her mother before she’d had enough sleep.
Madam Song had learned from a maid that Song Muyun had been drinking. Early in the morning, with a cold face, she took a bamboo slip6 and punished her.
Her palms burned with a fiery pain, but unlike yesterday with Jiang Yao, she didn’t feel like crying.
She wasn’t one to cry easily anyway. She didn’t know what had come over her yesterday…
Thinking of the concern in Jiang Yao’s eyes as she left, a worry grew in her heart. Jiang Yao will come today, won’t she? I was drunk yesterday, so she’ll definitely come to see how I am. What if she finds out I’ve been punished?
The fiery woman wore her emotions on her sleeve. Song Muyun was afraid that if Jiang Yao became too concerned and anxious, she wouldn’t be able to handle it.
A maid looked at the red marks on her palms and stepped forward in concern. “Miss, your hands… shall this servant fetch some medicine for you?”
But Song Muyun inexplicably shook her head and refused. “No need. It will heal on its own. There’s no need for such trouble.”
“Ah?” the maid asked, looking bewildered.
Song Muyun paid her no mind. She straightened her back and returned to her courtyard, where she sat on a stone bench to wait for Jiang Yao.
The sun gradually rose, reaching its zenith. It was starting to get hot. The cold morning had passed, and Jiang Yao… still hadn’t come.
Song Muyun finally began to feel uneasy. She’s not coming, is she…
Didn’t she say she wasn’t angry anymore? Why isn’t she here?
She used to come every day.
A surge of grievance rose in the young woman’s heart. Her long lashes fluttered, and her red lips pressed into a thin line. She waited from dawn until high noon, and then until the sun began to set. Finally, she couldn’t sit still any longer. She summoned her personal maid and said, “Go to the Jiang Residence and find Jiang Yao. Tell her I have something to ask of her.”
Jiang Yao hadn’t gone out all day. She was rolling around on her soft couch, bored out of her mind, when she heard someone report that a visitor from the Song Residence had come looking for her.
Hearing the words “Song Residence,” Jiang Yao paused. After a three-second internal battle between choosing her pride and choosing her xifu’er, she got up decisively and walked out.
As a martial artist, her movements were light and swift. She was outside the residence in moments and followed the maid from the Song family.
She was actually a little nervous. She had always been the one to cling to Muyun; Muyun had never sent someone to summon her before. What could it be about?
Was it a truly important matter, or was it about yesterday?
Thinking of the girl’s soft demeanor the day before, Jiang Yao’s heart suddenly felt warm. An inexplicable desire to see her welled up, and her pace quickened. The maid behind her could barely keep up and was left far behind, hearing only a single sentence: “You take your time. I’ll go on ahead.”
The maid was relieved to hear that. At least this young miss wouldn’t blame her for being slow.
Jiang Yao rushed on, disappearing down the street like a gust of wind.
Ever since Song Muyun had told her off, she had stopped climbing the wall and had started using the main gate.
Today was no different.
But just as she entered, she happened to run into Madam Song, who was admiring flowers in the garden. Out of courtesy, she stepped forward to greet her, only to hear Madam Song ask gently, “Miss Jiang, were you with Yun’er yesterday?”
Jiang Yao paused, then instinctively replied, “Yes, Aunt. Is something wrong?”
Madam Song shook her head. “It’s nothing serious. It’s just that Yun’er came home having had some wine yesterday and broke a family rule.”
Jiang Yao’s expression changed slightly. So she was found out after all. Don’t tell me Madam Song actually punished her?
But Madam Song seems so gentle!
“I just wanted to ask a favor of you, Miss Jiang.”
Jiang Yao found herself asking, a hint of nervousness in her voice, “What favor?”
“In the future, if you go out with Yun’er again, I hope you can look after her and also keep an eye on her. Don’t let her drink again. How can a young lady drink wine, and with a group of men at that? It’s damaging to her reputation. Do you understand, Miss Jiang?”
Witnessing the strictness of the Song family’s rules once again, Jiang Yao’s mouth twitched. But considering this was Muyun’s respected mother—her future mother-in-law—she still answered pleasantly, “Alright. I’ll watch her in the future and won’t let her drink.”
Hearing her promise, Madam Song felt a little more at ease. She nodded with a smile, then asked, “Were you the one who brought Yun’er home yesterday?”
At this question, Jiang Yao felt a little embarrassed. She scratched her head awkwardly. “Er, yes. She was drunk yesterday, so I brought her back.”
“As long as it was you, that’s fine. But the gatekeeper said Yun’er didn’t come through the main gate yesterday. How did you bring her back?”
Jiang Yao: …
“Well, I, uh…”
She braced herself, unsure how to reply. She didn’t know if her words would cause Muyun to be scolded, and for a moment, she dared not speak.
Seeing her hesitation, Madam Song said with understanding, “Rest assured, Miss Jiang. No matter how you came in, I will not blame Yun’er.”
For a family of rules, a promise was worth a thousand gold pieces7. Hearing this, Jiang Yao felt relieved and finally said, “I carried Yun’er over the wall. It was… it was faster that way.”
She would rather take all the blame herself than let Muyun be scolded.
Even though Madam Song had prepared herself, her eye still twitched when she heard Jiang Yao’s honest answer.
Climbing a wall. That was a crude act that a proper lady like them would never do in her entire life. If anyone saw, it would be extremely damaging to one’s reputation.
And Yun’er hadn’t even tried to stop her.
From Madam Song’s perspective, her Yun’er and the Jiang family’s Jiang Yao had personalities as different as still autumn water and a startled rabbit8. They were truly unsuited to be friends.
However, her husband had said that the Jiang family’s daughter was extremely reliable, and with her around, no one in the capital would dare bully Yun’er.
Song Yunqian was, after all, too upright a man. He had offended many people in the court, which often led to the younger members of his family being ostracized.
It was indeed better to have someone who could act with impunity protecting her. Having thought it through, Madam Song put on a gentle smile again and, true to her word, did not reprimand her. “So that’s how it was. Although you enjoy martial arts, you must still be careful not to injure yourself. Alright, you should go. Yun’er is waiting for you.”
The servants of the residence had to report to the steward whenever they left, so Madam Song naturally knew that it was Song Muyun who had summoned Jiang Yao.
As for why she had actively called her over…
Madam Song smiled helplessly. It was probably to complain. She had indeed been a bit too harsh with her punishment today. It was to ensure she wouldn’t be so reckless in the future, but she knew her daughter might feel wronged.
Jiang Yao bid farewell to Madam Song and strode toward Song Muyun’s courtyard.
She arrived quickly.
Standing at the entrance to the courtyard, she could see the young woman sitting on a stone bench, her head lowered, a picture of quiet tranquility.
She couldn’t help but call out, shattering the stunningly beautiful image. “Muyun.”
The woman on the stone bench looked up abruptly. Jiang Yao saw it clearly: the moment she looked up, her eyes were filled with delight. But in the next second, all the delight was retracted, replaced by her usual cool and reserved demeanor.
Jiang Yao: …
So you have two faces, huh.
“You’re here.”
…
Even more speechless, Jiang Yao also feigned a cool indifference and swaggered in. She sat down opposite Song Muyun, expertly poured herself a cup of tea, and then asked, “You had someone call me over. Is there something you need?”
Song Muyun clenched her untreated, still-swollen palm. A sharp pain shot through it. The slight smile that had just touched her lips vanished, and her voice was a little strained. “Can’t I call you over even if there’s nothing?”
Jiang Yao: ???
That tone, that voice…
She was instantly reminded of the tearful Muyun from last night. She quickly sat up straight, her hand tightening around her teacup. Her voice also tensed. “If you have something to say, just say it. But please, whatever you do, don’t cry.”
She couldn’t handle it!
Song Muyun’s expression faltered. She looked up at Jiang Yao, her tone returning to its usual calm and detached state. “Who said I was going to cry? You’ve misunderstood.”
Seeing her acting so cold and distant again, the tension on Jiang Yao’s face disappeared, and she became nonchalant once more. She shrugged. “Oh. Then what did you call me for?”
She asked so urgently, as if she couldn’t be summoned without a reason. But before, she would always come over and laze around for the entire day, never in a hurry to leave.
Song Muyun felt a flicker of displeasure and pressed her lips together.
During her wait, she had already come up with a reason. She began slowly, “About yesterday, thank you for bringing me home.”
A question mark slowly formed over Jiang Yao’s head.
“You’re thanking me? You specifically called me all the way over here just to thank me?”
She had never seen anyone express gratitude this way. Shouldn’t she be the one to pay a formal visit to offer her thanks?
Song Muyun had always been clever, but this time she had uncharacteristically failed to think things through. Jiang Yao had found a flaw in her story, and she sat there stunned, her body slightly stiff. A faint blush crept up the side of her face, and she turned her head away. “In any case, thank you for bringing me home. I will pay a formal visit another day.”
No, something’s strange.
Jiang Yao looked at her oddly. “Are you sure you only called me here to say thank you?”
The young woman shook her head. “Not entirely.”
“Then what else is there?”
She lowered her gaze as if in deep thought, but she unconsciously placed her red, swollen palm on the stone table, as if she had done so unintentionally in her contemplation.
Jiang Yao had always been sharp. She noticed the redness on her palm almost instantly. Her eyes widened in shock, and the nonchalant, roguish posture she had feigned completely vanished. She stared at Song Muyun’s hand and realized she still cared for her deeply. She was worried sick. Of course she was. She had even argued with her father for her last night. How could she not like her?
Even her feigned indifference couldn’t last long. The sight of her apparent injury made it crumble even faster.
“What happened to your hand!” she exclaimed, her voice suddenly loud, unable to control her emotions.
It was the first time Song Muyun had ever put on such an act to get someone’s attention, and she was a little embarrassed. The tips of her ears turned a faint red, hidden beneath her dark hair. Her fingers curled slightly. Before she could pull her hand back, someone urgently grabbed her wrist. The other hand cupped hers almost reverently, her eyes filled with a simmering rage. “Were you hit? Who bullied you?”
In her panic, she had lost her reason. An injury on the palm like that—besides the two elders of the Song family, who else could it be?
But she didn’t realize it. She was still directing her fury at some unknown scoundrel who dared to bully Song Muyun, while treating Song Muyun’s injured hand with the utmost gentleness, even bringing it to her lips to blow on it.
Song Muyun’s cool expression softened slightly. “My mother found out I was drinking yesterday,” she said softly. “This was my punishment.”
…
“You’re saying… Aunt was the one who did this to your hand?”
Jiang Yao could hardly believe it. When she had met her in the garden just now, Madam Song had seemed so gentle. How could she be so harsh with her own child?
“Yes. The family has a rule that women are not to drink. I broke the rule, so it’s only right that I be punished.”
She raised her cool eyes and looked at Jiang Yao quietly. But Jiang Yao could read the grievance in them, and her heart ached for that grievance.
At this point, she had completely forgotten about the other reason Muyun had supposedly called her over for. All her attention was on the injury.
Fortunately, the skin wasn’t broken, but that was also bad. It meant the injury was internal and would be difficult to heal.
Jiang Yao’s heart softened again and again, her tone growing gentler and gentler, until her heartache was practically overflowing. But the words that came out were still a scolding. “If you knew you’d be punished for drinking, why did you do it? Were you tired of living too comfortably?”
“I was unhappy, so I drank,” Song Muyun said in a low voice.
Jiang Yao vaguely remembered her saying something similar yesterday. At the time, she had thought she’d misheard. She thought she’d said, You were ignoring me, so I drank.
For once, the martial artist’s brain was working clearly. Unhappy, so she drank. Ignoring her, so she drank. That meant… Jiang Yao ignoring her had made her unhappy, so she drank.
So it was her fault. Her ears hadn’t been playing tricks on her yesterday!
She had really heard it!
Jiang Yao could barely contain the smile spreading across her face, and her eyes sparkled. A moment later, she gave a theatrical cough. “Then from now on, I’ll watch you. I won’t let you have a single drop.”
Song Muyun’s eyes brightened. This was undoubtedly telling her that she would continue to stick by her side, just like before.
A hint of a smile touched the corners of the young woman’s eyes and brows, but only for a moment. She quickly suppressed it and gave a slight nod of her delicate chin.
Still trying to maintain her composure.
Jiang Yao didn’t notice these small details. She was like this anyway. She was just anxiously holding the other’s red, tender palm, frowning. “It looks like you haven’t put any medicine on it. Did no one treat it for you?”
Song Muyun was the one who had said not to apply any medicine. Now that she was being asked, she naturally had to come up with an excuse. “I thought it would heal quickly, so I didn’t trouble them.”
Telling lies one after another had already made the tender skin under her clothes flush pink.
From embarrassment.
“How could that be a bother? It’ll heal faster with medicine. Otherwise, who knows when in the year of the monkey and the month of the horse9 it’ll get better. Quickly, have someone fetch a doctor to prescribe something.”
“I have medicine for bruises. I’ll have them bring it now.”
Having gotten the concern she wanted, Song Muyun was clearly satisfied. It was time to treat the injury.
The young woman had her maid fetch the medicine, then watched as Jiang Yao carefully applied it for her, making sure to cover every spot, the very picture of attentiveness.
Finally, she wrapped it with two layers of fine cotton cloth and warned her not to get it wet.
Just as she finished, Song Muyun raised her other hand. Her loosely clenched fingers unfurled and lay flat on the table. Her expression was somewhat innocent as she tilted her head and said, as a reminder, “There’s still this one.”
Jiang Yao: …
Her expression was complicated. “Did Aunt not plan on leaving you a hand to eat with?”
Both hands were injured, and so severely at that. Jiang Yao couldn’t bear to look. Madam Song was Muyun’s own mother, yet she was so harsh and strict. It was just a little wine. A few words of reprimand would have been enough. Was it necessary to resort to physical punishment?
And on both hands!
She remembered her parents talking about how strict the Song family’s rules were. If Muyun… was really won over by her, would Uncle and Aunt beat her to death?
A sudden worry seized Jiang Yao, even though she hadn’t even won the girl over yet.
But Song Muyun’s voice was faint, as if she didn’t care, or as if she were already used to it. “Those are the rules.”
“But rules are made by people.”
Her voice was a little muffled, and she didn’t look happy. Song Muyun could see the almost irrepressible heartache in her eyes. She was hurting for her.
Footnotes
- The term 'xīnshàngrén' (心上人) literally means 'person on the heart', a poetic and common way to refer to one's beloved or sweetheart.
- A four-character idiom (gūdú zhōnglǎo) meaning to live and die alone, without a spouse or family.
- An idiom (jiǔ zhuǎn shíbā wān) meaning 'nine turns and eighteen bends', used to describe something overly complex or convoluted.
- A classical and literary euphemism for female homosexuality (mó jìng), literally meaning 'mirror polishing'.
- An idiom (zhēnjiān duì màimáng) literally meaning 'a needle's point against a wheat's awn'. It describes two parties who are sharply and evenly matched in their opposition.
- A zhúmièzi (竹篾子) is a thin, flexible strip of bamboo, often used for weaving or as a light switch for corporal punishment.
- An idiom (yī nuò qiān jīn) meaning 'a single promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold'. It describes someone who is utterly trustworthy and always keeps their word.
- An idiom (dòng ruò tuō tù) meaning 'to move like an escaped rabbit', describing someone extremely lively and agile.
- An idiom (hóunián mǎyuè) literally meaning 'monkey year, horse month'. Since this combination is not on the traditional zodiac calendar, it's a colloquial way of saying 'a time that will never come' or 'not in a million years'.
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