Senior Sister Chapter 17
Sunny days and beautiful jade, a perfect match (End of Senior Sister’s Story)
In the Jiangnan branch of the Shadow Guard Camp, Song Shuqing, leaned back with her feet up, casually cracking melon seeds in the leader’s study.
“Senior Brother Jiang, these melon seeds of yours are really good.” Indifferently tossing the melon seed shells into the jade plate beside her, the woman then picked up the plums from the wooden bowl and began to eat them leisurely.
“Junior Sister Song, it’s been a long time since we last met. You shouldn’t act as if you’ve come here just to eat melon seeds with me.” Looking at his former colleague, whose relationship was still quite good, Jiang Yu, sitting in another chair, sighed with frustration.
“Then what? Do I have to hug you and tearfully say, ‘Oh, how I’ve missed you’ as if I’ve been yearning for you?” Song Shuqing put her feet down, shook her index finger, and made a rejecting gesture. “I’m a married woman now, I can’t afford to give people the wrong idea.”
With a helpless sigh, Jiang Yu felt unable to continue the conversation, so he changed the subject and asked, “Speaking of which, Junior Sister Song… Ah Yun lost his arm, Qinqin went through a life and death situation, I can understand, but are you really not planning to return to the capital? Dalin does need manpower in the capital.”
Jiang Yu and Lin Yan are of the same age, and they are also familiar with several other shadow guards.
Unfortunately, they were injured in a mission seven years ago, resulting in a significant loss of combat effectiveness. As a result, they volunteered to be dispatched to Jiangnan to gather intelligence, and later, relying on their steady and meticulous personality, they became the leader of the branch.
“No, I won’t do such thankless tasks.” Taking a bite of the plum in her hand, Song Shuqing leaned her head lazily and said, “With the country being peaceful and prosperous now, there’s not much going on. Dalin can handle things on his own, and besides, I never had the talent to be a shadow guard anyway…”
Looking at the relaxed woman in front of him, Jiang Yu dared not frown.
In fact, in his opinion, Song Shuqing was the most talented one.
In terms of intelligence, she could be described as sharp-witted, knowing ten things from one, and extremely accurate in judging people. When necessary, she never hesitated to take action and always proceeded with caution.
However… she just wasn’t very diligent.
She lacked motivation, only acting when absolutely necessary, and was lazy to the extreme.
“Well, well, after all, you also have someone to care about now.” Jiang Yu waved his hand and then sighed lightly. “To be honest, when I received your carrier pigeon message a year and a half ago, I was really taken aback.”
“Huh? Are you saying this because you’re unwilling?” The woman raised her eyebrows, tossing the fruit pit aside.
“It’s not possible.” Shaking his head, Jiang Yu also grabbed a handful of melon seeds. “It’s just… rare to see you willing to ask for help. It’s just a bit surprising.”
“Is it?” After a moment of silence, the only sound in the room was the cracking of melon seeds. Song Shuqing straightened her back, changing her previously slouched posture, and said to the man seriously, “Senior Brother Jiang, I sincerely thank you for this matter.”
Waving his hand casually, Jiang Yu replied relaxedly, “Don’t be so polite with me. Besides, the camp already needs someone to cook, and the brothers especially like the new cook’s skills.”
When the man received a letter from his junior sister, the contents of which asked him to discreetly take care of a particular household, he felt curious and unsure about what extent Song Shuqing hoped he would go to.
Fortunately, he heard that the widow of that household was skilled in cooking, so he hired her with a generous salary.
“As for the school, it was just a matter of passing on the message. Besides, the expenses for books and stationery were all borne by you, my junior sister. I really haven’t done anything special.”
“Even so, you’ve really helped me a lot.” Song Shuqing bowed slightly, rare seriousness in her demeanor. “That household is very important to me. I’ll trouble you to take care of them more when you’re around.”
Nodding, Jiang Yu replied, “I understand. It’s just a small effort.”
The Shadow Guard Camp had been through thick and thin together, with a bond like no other.
Moreover, knowing that finding a good partner was difficult for a shadow guard, it was only natural for colleagues to show rare concern and care for each other.
Song Shuqing and Jiang Yu chatted in the study for a long time, discussing everything from trivial anecdotes to the political situation in the capital, exchanging information with each other.
Both were intelligent individuals, adept at asking probing questions and sharing insights, and they conversed harmoniously, enjoying each other’s company.
Until dusk approached, when the woman finally closed the book, bid farewell with a wave of her hand, and then rode off on horseback.
Before the wooden house, she reined in her horse. Before the shadow guard could dismount, Zi Yan had already opened the door and stepped out.
“You’re here.” Zi Yan looked up at the woman on horseback, her expression affectionate.
“Yes, I’m here.” Softly responding, Song Shuqing looked down at her beloved, loosening the reins she tightly held and dismounting. “Sorry to keep you waiting for so long?”
“No worries.” Pausing, Zi Yan smoothed out the collar of the woman’s disheveled clothes, adding, “I was talking to Sister Zhao earlier, not waiting for you.”
“Is that so?” Squinting, Song Shuqing seemed to casually mention, without exposing the woman’s poor attempt to conceal, “I went to see an old friend just now, and we ended up chatting a bit late. Are you ready?”
“Mm, we can go now.” Zi Yan replied, and the two held each other’s hands tightly.
“Sister Yao, are you leaving?” Zhao Zhao stepped out of the door, following behind was Xun’er. She bit her lip and asked, “Will you come back again?”
Nodding, Zi Yan smiled and said, “I’ll come back in a few days.”
“Don’t worry.” Song Shuqing reassured, speaking to the two figures in the distance, “We’ll be staying in Jiangnan for almost half a month. After your Sister Yao takes me around for a bit, we’ll come back again.”
Wrapping her arms around the woman’s waist, Song Shuqing lifted Zi Yan onto the horse. Then, waving towards the back, she lightly urged the horse forward, riding away at a leisurely pace.
“Did you have a good time last night?” The breeze tousled the shadow guard’s hair, and she tugged at her cloak, wrapping the person in her arms, asking with concern.
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“Mm.” A muffled sound emanated from her throat as Zi Yan turned her head to glance at the profile of the person behind her. “…But I kept tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep for a long time.”
“Oh, why is that?” Looking straight ahead, where the setting sun was about to cast its glow on Song Shuqing’s face, making her instinctively squint, she teased, “Could it be that you miss me so much that you couldn’t sleep?”
Without admitting or denying, Zi Yan simply stared at the woman’s profile bathed in golden light, murmuring to herself, “You and your sharp tongue…”
“I don’t have one.” With a smile in her eyes, Song Shuqing withdrew her gaze from the distance and locked eyes with the person in her arms. “Indeed, last night I also had trouble sleeping because I missed you too much. It’s truly tough to be alone in an empty room.”
“You’re lying…” Lowering her head to avoid eye contact, Zi Yan grasped the hand wrapped around her waist and softly repeated, “You’re lying.”
“I’m not.” The shadow guard, with exceptional hearing, raised an eyebrow and gently brushed the woman’s temple with her lips. “I never lie, you know. If you don’t believe me, you can go ask Qinqin. I really am not good at lying or deceiving people.”
The tone was half serious, half playful, accompanied by a smile.
“But you always lie to me.” Zi Yan lifted her head, staring straight into the eyes of her beloved.
Their lips were very close, their breaths mingling.
“You lied to me, lied to me about not knowing the way while riding your horse, and made me lead the way. But clearly, even after I opened my eyes, you were just chatting with me. Since I never guided you, how did you manage to bring me here smoothly?”
“You lied to me, lied to me about younger siblings being able to go to school. But everyone knows it’s difficult to get into a public school, let alone Xun’er. How did Zhao Zhao, as a girl, manage to enroll without any recommendation?”
“You lied to me again, lied to me about your friend liking the food mother makes and willing to hire her as a cook. But being an official from the capital and unfamiliar with the households in Jiangnan, how could he not owe you a favor when you suddenly asked him for help?”
“You’ve been lying to me all along, lying to me so many times.” Tears seemed to gather in the woman’s eyes, not like being shrouded in rain, but reflecting the golden light of the sunset, shining brightly. “Whether it’s the debts you took for me from Chunfeng Tower, or always pretending to forget and making me pay the bill.”
“Big or small, you always lie to me…”
The voice was gentle.
It sounded like a complaint.
It sounded like coquetry.
“Sigh… technically speaking, I don’t consider those lies.”
Song Shuqing leaned slightly, as if about to kiss in the next moment, “I prefer to call it 『strategically avoiding heavy topics for the greater good』.”
Releasing the reins, on the horse’s back still steady despite the snow, the shadow guard took out a handkerchief and wiped away the tears from the woman’s eyes.
“After all, my wife loves me so much and is so easily moved. If she keeps crying because of something I did, I would feel heartbroken.” With a gentle laugh, Song Shuqing hugged the person in her arms even tighter.
“Even so.” Taking a deep breath, the shadow guard licked her lips, rarely serious. “But every word of love and every promise I’ve said to you is as genuine as gold.”
“Even though I’m so unserious, such a lazy and cunning person, when it comes to loving you, I can’t deny it in any form, even if it’s just a joking remark…”
The two faces were less than half an inch apart, the skin beneath them touching, transmitting each other’s warmth clearly. Song Shuqing couldn’t help but look away first, resting her head on the woman’s shoulder. “I guess… you’re probably my lucky charm.”
Feeling her ears heat up slightly, Zi Yan’s eyelashes trembled. “You always do this…”
“Hmm?” Lowering her head to kiss the woman’s neck, Song Shuqing let out a puzzled murmur.
Involuntarily shrinking away but not fully withdrawing, Zi Yan’s voice was hoarse. “… always so strange.”
The shadow guard couldn’t help but smile, her eyes filled with amusement. “Should I take that as a compliment or an insult?”
Song Shuqing straightened up and looked out at the vast fields ahead. “However, there’s been something on my mind since yesterday.”
“What is it?” Leaning back into the warm embrace of the shadow guard, Zi Yan tilted her head slightly and asked.
“Ah.” Grinning silently, Song Shuqing tried to calm her tone, pretending to be serious as she asked, “I’ve been thinking, should I also call you ‘Sister Yao’?”
“You!”
Biting her lower lip, the woman’s cheeks flushed red. If she weren’t still on horseback, she might have hidden in the embrace of the person behind her out of embarrassment. Her voice trembled, “You… you mustn’t call me that.”
“Eh, can’t I call you that?” Pretending to be disappointed, the shadow guard feigned a hurt tone, “Could it be because I’m a few years older than you and you despise me for being old, so you don’t want me to call you ‘Sister Yao’?”
“It’s not that!”
The woman rarely raised her voice in rebuttal, gently pinching the hand around her waist, “It’s just that calling me that is really embarrassing.”
“And… I don’t like my name…” The latter half of her sentence carried a hint of sadness.
Zi Yan was certainly not her real name.
It was just the flower name she chose when she resolved to leave home and go to Shu.
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But she didn’t dislike the name Zi Yan; in fact, she liked it several times more than her original name.
“Yaojun.”
Barely audible, the woman softly parted her red lips, “My father was once a merchant, and his greatest desire was for our family to produce a scholar, a man who could bring honor to the family as a government official.”
“But I happened to be a girl.” Zi Yan lowered her head, her expression calm, as if she had long been accustomed to it. “My father was so disappointed that he wanted to name me Yaojun.”
“Because I was distant, a woman who could never become a scholar-official.”
“Fortunately, at the last moment, he changed his mind and used the character ‘Yao’ with the jade radical.”
But even so, she still didn’t like it.
Call her willful, call her pretentious, she just didn’t like it.
“So my wife’s name is Yaojun.” Staring straight ahead, Song Shuqing’s eyes held a suppressed heartache, but she sighed, “If you hadn’t told me this story, I wouldn’t have known there was such a background.”
“Because from the first time I heard it, I thought the jade radical ‘Yao’ (瑤) really suited you.”
(LP: In Chinese characters, a radical (部首, bùshǒu) is a component that often provides semantic or phonetic information and helps categorize and identify characters. The character “瑤” (yáo) includes the radical “玉” (yù, jade).)
“I don’t care about those poisonous scholar-official theories; from my perspective, the character ‘Yao’ suits you perfectly.” Shrugging her shoulders, Song Shuqing gently stroked Ziyan’s cheek, guiding her to turn her head and look at her.
“After all, 『Yao, the beauty of jade』.”
“In my eyes, you are indeed as precious and beautiful as jade.”
She wanted to give her life a new meaning; she wanted her to be able to hold her head high and walk forward gracefully and confidently.
“Sunny days and beautiful jade,” the shadow guard chuckled softly.
“Doesn’t that sound absolutely wonderful and perfectly matched? Don’t you think so?”
Her lips trembling slightly, Zi Yan looked up at the woman bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun. “…Yes.”
Choking with emotion, “…Sunny days and beautiful jade are a perfect match.”
“Right? See, I’m very clever.” Lovingly kissing the side of her face, Song Shuqing started to tease again. “So, how should I call Zi Yan then? Yaoyao? Ah Yao? Sister Yao?”
Secretly observing the woman’s face gradually turning red again, she felt mischievous inside.
“No, don’t call me that.” Zi Yan’s face turned as red as if it could bleed, utterly flustered.
Even though she didn’t particularly like her name, knowing the meaning Song Shuqing had given it and hearing her huskily whisper it in her ear now made her feel deeply moved.
“Eh? Why can’t I call you by a pet name?” Pretending to be troubled, the shadow guard casually mentioned, “Every night, Zi Yan also calls me 『Shuqing』.”
“You’ve called it many times—tenderly, surprised, whispering—and if I don’t respond, you’d even cry.” Holding back laughter, Song Shuqing felt immensely mischievous and was about to stop teasing when she found her lips suddenly covered.
“Mmm…”
Zi Yan stepped on the shadow guard’s foot placed in the stirrup, stood up, and turned to kiss the person behind her. The kiss was heavier than usual, as if she wanted to force Song Shuqing to swallow all those embarrassing words.
The last sunlight disappeared behind the distant mountains, leaving only the intertwined shadows of the two on horseback along the rural path.
The woman barely managed to lift her body but couldn’t hold on for long. Her body trembled slightly, and soon she had to return to her original position, gently gasping, “Don’t say any more…”
“Shuqing.”
Her voice softened, sounding both like a plea and a coquettish whine.
Sighing, Song Shuqing licked her lips. “Tsk, I really can’t tease you anymore… How could I possibly win like this?” She nudged the woman’s temple, feeling helpless.
“It’s not that you can’t call, it’s just…” Zi Yan whispered, one hand tightly holding onto the hand that protected her.
“Just endure a little.”
“…We’ll both endure a bit, let’s talk about it when we get back to the inn.” Lifting her head, she looked back at her beloved, her eyes filled with an irresistible surge. Seductive words brushed against the neck of the person in her arms with feather-like breaths. “Tonight is still long, alright?”
The person in her embrace shimmered with a glint in their eyes.
Song Shuqing suppressed the myriad wild thoughts suddenly popping into her head and exhaled slowly. “Okay.”
“Once we’re back, there will be no more restraint.” Shaking her head to maintain clarity of mind, the shadow guard tightened her grip on the reins, paused for a moment, then hoarsely said, “Zi Yan wants to know how fast Snowstep can run, right?”
Embracing the woman tightly, the shadow guard urged the horse forward with force. “Let’s find out.”
Under the moonlight, the black steed galloped like a shooting star.
Throughout the journey, neither of the two on horseback spoke a word, and even Zi Yan, who was not skilled in riding, did not speak up to stop the shadow guard from urging the horse faster.
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They were both enduring.
Enduring the blazing fire in their chests, enduring the surging spring waters.
Their hearts yearned like arrows.
In an inn in Jiangnan, tonight was destined to be another sleepless revelry.
The author has something to say:
The senior sister section has also come to an end~
But don’t worry, there are still many, many extras, and the two of them will still have an extremely high appearance rate, and there will be plenty of sweetness.
Now that the main text and the main extras have both ended, if you feel good about it, please recommend it to others who also enjoy reading (and like finished stories)!
I’ve always been quite curious why so many characters appeared. If they really appeared in real life, who would you hope they would be?
For me, I might hope that Cao Yun is the older brother, Song Shuqing is the best friend, and Ming Qin is the little sister.
As for the one who is older than the emperor in the 21st century, whether to choose Murong Yan or Zi Yan, I really can’t make a decisive decision…
Feel free to leave comments; I’m very curious about your thoughts (laughs)
P.S. Taking a break tomorrow
LP: Re-translated on May 27, 2024