Plan B
Mandarin Ducks 7
Have you ever had an experience like this? Falling in love with a city because of a person, or liking a surname because of a person.
Su Xin had grown very fond of the surname Qiu. Although she didn’t know why Lin Suhuai had chosen it for her alias, she had indeed grown to like Lin Suhuai even more.
“I don’t know him.”
Su Xin shook her head, her face full of confusion, her expression still one of utter bewilderment.
Lord Xu was not surprised by Su Xin’s answer. Unable to contain his joy, he paced around the room twice.
“Excellent… Excellent…”
Lord Xu muttered to himself, feeling more and more certain that this daughter of his had a face that brings prosperity1.
Even if that Liu Yunyi was a heartless man, it still proved that his daughter hadn’t misjudged him back then. Who could have known that the poor scholar from all those years ago would rise to his current position?
And now that she couldn’t be with Liu Yunyi, another God of Wealth2 had delivered himself to their door.
Who doesn’t want their business to grow bigger and bigger? Lord Xu had been worrying about being unable to establish a connection in a certain region. He was still fretting over it and had been about to give up in pain, deciding not to eat this piece of meat, when someone unexpectedly delivered it right to his doorstep.
“Papa?”
“Someone has come to our home to propose marriage to you. Quickly, go back and get yourself ready to meet the young master.”
“Father, didn’t you say you’d give your daughter a month’s time?”
Su Xin’s demeanor was one of shock as she took two steps back.
“Yes, yes, yes, ah, but this is different. This isn’t someone I picked for you. He’s a great noble from the capital, who says that upon one glance his heart fell for you and came specifically to our door to inquire.”
“But…”
“Just go meet him and have a talk with the young master.”
Lord Xu said, leaving no room for refusal. While his daughter’s happiness was important, his business was more important. Feelings could be cultivated, and besides, that young master was uncommonly handsome. Perhaps if they met, this matter would have a good chance of working out.
“…Yes.”
Su Xin looked completely helpless, still somewhat reluctant.
“Don’t wear a long face when the time comes… Forget it, just act as you normally do.”
Lord Xu had originally intended to tell Su Xin to look happy when meeting the guest, but the nobleman had said he fell for his daughter after seeing her on the street. He had even mentioned, in a rather bashful tone, that his daughter’s appearance was such that even I see her and feel pity3.
Lord Xu figured his daughter must have been looking gloomy and sullen at the time. After encountering such an ordeal, how could she possibly be happy? Perhaps the man just liked the look of sorrow between a maiden’s brows, that soft and weak appearance that made people want to protect her. Lord Xu was a man too; he knew that heart-aching feeling a man gets when he sees a woman frown.
“…Your daughter obeys.”
Su Xin appeared to leave resentfully, but inwardly she was cheering.
She went back and changed into a set of cyan clothes, lightly applied powder and rouge, and after getting ready, was sent out the door by Lord Xu.
The original owner of the body, Xu Jinyan, was already eighteen years old and no longer suited for colors like peach pink or goose yellow. Su Xin didn’t like those colors either, so most of the clothes she wore were shades of cyan and blue.
The meeting place was set at a teahouse, one that was very elegantly arranged. A screen provided privacy, with servants standing guard outside it, maintaining a certain distance from the two people drinking tea.
Su Xin saw Lin Suhuai. Lin Suhuai’s face had changed slightly; the scar on her face was gone, and there were other minor alterations to her features.
She was wearing a set of blue clothes and looked exceptionally noble.
The two of them deliberately lowered their voices as they spoke. Su Xin would, from time to time, pick up a piece of dessert and pop it into her mouth, followed by a sip of tea.
“I’ve already arranged everything. I’m just waiting for you to agree.”
“I still need to be sad for a few more days. Agreeing so quickly would be illogical. When I go back, my dad will definitely want to talk to me. I’ll just be half-pushing and half-yielding4 then.”
“Alright. This dessert tastes pretty good.”
Su Xin picked up a piece and placed it in front of Lin Suhuai.
Lin Suhuai took a bite and nodded.
Su Xin then fed her another bite from the same piece. After Lin Suhuai finished the delicate pastry, she picked up her tea.
“Hey, don’t you think we’re a lot like two people having a secret affair, the kind who are planning to elope?”
Lin Suhuai had just taken a sip of tea. The words startled her so much that she choked and began to cough violently.
“What are you talking about? We are being upright and bright5.”
Lin Suhuai’s face was red from coughing. She cleared her throat and spoke with a serious expression.
“Just teasing you.”
There was a smile in Su Xin’s voice. After her successful prank, she leisurely continued to eat the desserts.
They had ordered several kinds of desserts. The one Su Xin had just eaten was a soft pastry, fluffy in the mouth, sweet but not cloying.
She had eaten it with her hands just now. Su Xin wiped her fingers with a handkerchief, and once they were clean, she picked up her chopsticks, clipped a dumpling-shaped item, and placed it in her mouth, squinting her eyes in enjoyment.
This stuff was really delicious, though the portions were small. There were only a few pieces of the pastry, and only a few of these dumplings as well. They were tea snacks, after all.
“You like it? I’ve hired a chef for the house. I hear their skill is excellent. You can try it once you’ve settled in.”
“You hear?”
“Mhm, I haven’t had time to try it yet. I’ve been quite busy these past few days handling matters related to this identity.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“It’s what I should do.”
“You look very handsome today, too, but I like your original appearance more.”
Su Xin reached out a hand to touch her, but the distance between them was a bit too far. Seeing Su Xin reach out, Lin Suhuai understood what she meant, so she deliberately closed the distance between them, leaning her face closer.
“Are you using something to cover this spot?”
“Mhm.”
“Does it come off easily?”
“Not easily.”
“Will it be a problem if it gets wet?”
“As long as it’s not too much water, there won’t be a problem.”
They continued their back-and-forth, the atmosphere exceedingly harmonious.
“Why do you like my original appearance?”
Lin Suhuai asked, a little puzzled. She had specifically checked her reflection before coming out today. Normal skin tone, and while she couldn’t be called a dashing young gentleman, she still possessed a noble air. Her features were delicate but not so much as to be feminine, because she had intentionally contoured them to be more masculine. It would only make others think she was a man with a smaller face.
A face like this should be more pleasing to young women. Her own original appearance was honestly a bit too fierce.
“I like it just because I like it. I find that version of you more pleasing to the eye. It’s very dashing, feels like it has a story. There are many kinds of beauty in this world, and I find yours to be one of them. Don’t you like it?”
“I can’t say I like it, but I certainly don’t dislike it, because I was the one who cut that wound myself.”
“Why?”
“For an oath.”
Su Xin fell silent for a moment, then her eyes curved into a smile.
“Then it’s even more beautiful.”
“No one has ever said that to me before.”
Of course no one had. Who would dare say the word ‘beautiful’ to her, a general? It was a blatant insult to a man. Besides, with a face like hers, she herself didn’t think it was beautiful. Someone like Su Xin was what could truly be called beautiful.
“I think it’s beautiful. If you like it, I’ll say it to you every day from now on.”
Su Xin took Lin Suhuai’s hand and swayed it gently. The soft, smooth feeling in her palm made Lin Suhuai’s heart flutter.
Lin Suhuai thought Su Xin was very beautiful. From her brows to her eyes, not a single part of her wasn’t beautiful.
Her hands were also very delicate, with slender fingers that seemed translucent under the sunlight, like the finest jade without a single flaw. They were warm and cool to the touch.
In contrast, her own hands had thin calluses on all ten fingers from years of holding weapons and training, making them somewhat rough.
“Why are you looking at my hand like that?”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Yours is beautiful too.”
Lin Suhuai’s palm was larger than Su Xin’s, about one and a half times the size.
Lin Suhuai had a larger frame, which was a natural advantage for her disguise as a man. If she had a small frame like Xu Jinyan, no one would likely believe her no matter how she dressed.
“Although I don’t know why you’re doing this, you must have your own reasons. You surely aren’t the only woman in the world who loves not rouge and powder6. There must be other girls who like to dress as men, but the nature of what you’re doing is different. They do it for fun; you don’t.”
“I am proud that there is a hero like you among women. You said the scar was for an oath. You must be someone who does great things.”
Su Xin said with great certainty, even nodding her head for emphasis.
Lin Suhuai found her utterly adorable. The way she shook her head made one desperately want to pull her into an embrace and coax her gently.
“Three days from now, I will formally propose. Then we will set an auspicious day7 and marry you into my family as soon as possible.”
“Okay.”
“The betrothal gifts will certainly not be meager. I will ensure you are married off in splendor. My father and mother will also come at that time.”
Lin Suhuai had already given her parents a heads-up, though it was just a brief notice.
It wouldn’t be good to hold another ceremony after returning to the capital. Even if they did, it wouldn’t be quite proper without Su Xin’s parents present.
In any case, this wedding could not be a makeshift affair. This place wasn’t too close to the capital anyway, so word wouldn’t travel that far. Certain people should be busy looking for her elsewhere; how could they possibly imagine she would be staying here and marrying with such fanfare?
“Are you being that serious? I thought it was just a formality.”
Su Xin was a little surprised. She truly didn’t know Lin Suhuai’s parents would be coming.
“Didn’t you say that once you married me, as long as I was willing, you would stay by my side forever?”
“Are you really going to marry me?”
“You’re not willing?”
“Of course I’m willing, it’s just… does this mean what I think it means?”
“Hm?”
“Like a married couple… doing what a married couple should do?”
Su Xin said hesitantly.
“If you’re not willing, then just assume I misunderstood. Ever… ever since him, I’ve had absolutely no good feelings for men as a species. Every time I think about it, I feel extremely agitated. If I am to be your wife, I am naturally willing, but I’m just afraid… just afraid you won’t be able to accept it.”
Su Xin looked at Lin Suhuai nervously, as if afraid to see any hint of disgust in her eyes.
Lin Suhuai hadn’t actually thought that far ahead. She just wanted to be a married couple with Su Xin, living together harmoniously and growing old together.
“That is what I mean.”
Lin Suhuai said with certainty. Regardless of what she had thought before, at this very moment, that was her intention.
“No one in the world knows I am a woman, except for my parents and the one to whom I am loyal.”
“Once I marry you, you will naturally be the wife who sleeps beside me. In any case, I can’t have children in this life. Having you as my companion is enough.”
To be joined in marriage as husband and wife, with love and affection, free of doubt8.
The author has something to say:
The last line of poetry is from 《Parting with my Wife》9 by Su Wu10.
Xin-jie: Successfully hugged the big thigh, so happy.
Qing-jie: Smiles without a word.
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