Returning to her own home was perfectly natural and did not violate any of the taboos previously mentioned by the butler, Wen Kui. A carriage was promptly arranged outside to escort her back.
Wen Xin hurriedly climbed into the carriage and urged the driver to return as quickly as possible. The two accompanying attendants could only follow along.
Along the way, Song Pingping and Xiao Hong discussed what was going on with A Qing and the clan leader. Wen Xin, however, remained silent. She half drew back the curtain, leaning against the window and staring blankly at the streets outside. She was still dressed in men’s clothing.
The bustling crowds outside the carriage window and the chattering voices beside her could not make her eyes shift even once. She looked as though she had lost her soul.
When they returned to the Wen residence and the carriage stopped outside the main gate of Yu Garden, she was finally roused from her trance.
After stepping out and hearing the carriage begin to leave, she glanced at the two chattering women before her. A sudden thought crossed Wen Xin’s mind. She turned and called out to the driver, “Please wait a moment. I remembered I have something to attend to and will need your carriage again.”
“Yes, madam.” The driver quickly halted the carriage. He dared not disobey the Third Miss.
Wen Xin walked briskly inside. Song Pingping caught up and asked curiously, “What do you need the carriage for now? Once you have returned, leaving again requires prior permission from the estate. It is rather troublesome.”
“You two will go for me,” Wen Xin replied.
Song Pingping was stunned. “Go where? And for what?”
Wen Xin did not answer. She went straight to the study, removed the felt hat from her head and set it aside. She picked up a brush at the desk, and Xiao Hong quickly hurried over to grind ink for her.
After dipping the brush in ink, Wen Xin quickly wrote a list of items on a piece of paper and handed it to them. “Go buy me some gifts. Both of you go together.”
Xiao Hong took the paper to read it. Song Pingping also leaned in. Seeing that it listed cosmetics such as rouge and powder, both women were instantly delighted.
They loved such items dearly. However, Wen Xin relied on her natural beauty and always went barefaced, rarely using any cosmetics. As a maid, Xiao Hong certainly could not use them freely. This made Song Pingping feel too embarrassed to use them herself, especially since she admired and imitated Wen Xin.
Now that they were tasked with buying these items, merely thinking about visiting those shops made both women extremely excited.
“Who are the gifts for?” Song Pingping asked curiously.
Wen Xin smiled. “I will not tell you. You will naturally find out when you return. Xiao Hong, take plenty of money with you. If you see anything else suitable to buy, bring it back as well.”
“Yes, yes.” Xiao Hong nodded repeatedly. She went straight to a nearby bookshelf, opened a drawer, and pulled out a banknote.
Afterwards, the two ran off cheerfully, without worrying about whether Wen Xin would be fine alone at the residence. They rushed out of Yu Garden, climbed into the carriage, and ordered the driver to leave immediately.
As the carriage clattered away, Wen Xin also emerged from the study. She walked alone to the pavilion, slowly sat down, and waited quietly.
She did not even change back into women’s clothing, fearing she might miss something.
In less than half an incense stick’s time, just as she expected, Yu Qing returned.
He did not enter through the main gate. He came from the direction of the main courtyard where the clan leader resided, passing through the moon gate that they often used to visit for meals.
In fact, the clan leader’s party, who had departed earlier, arrived slightly later than Wen Xin and her group, simply because Wen Xin had urged the driver to hurry back.
During the ride, Wen Mao had steered the conversation towards moving out of Yu Garden. Yu Qing also knew that staying there after his identity had been exposed was inappropriate, as it would ruin Wen Xin’s reputation.
They had originally planned to send people to help him pack. Yu Qing declined and made a request. Although the Wan family branch already knew his identity, he still hoped to keep it as quiet as possible until he left the Wen estate.
The reason was simple. He feared too many visitors would come, and he did not wish to appear in public. Wen Mao understood and instructed Wen Kui to handle the arrangements.
Furthermore, he personally did not have much to pack. He only needed to take away the personal belongings he had secretly moved from the utility courtyard. The items were all hidden inside Xuan Pavilion, so he could retrieve them himself without needing assistance.
He had not expected Wen Xin to have already returned, let alone to have beaten him back. He had still planned to slip away quietly.
Not only him, but even the butler Wen Kui and the others had not anticipated Wen Xin’s early return.
He saw her. She, sitting in the pavilion, also saw him.
She watched him as he walked all the way into the garden.
After a brief moment of eye contact, he averted his gaze. He acted as though she did not exist, did not head towards the pavilion, and simply took a small path towards Xuan Pavilion as usual.
He did not behave as he normally would. In the past, a servant would naturally bow and greet the young miss upon seeing her.
Not this time. And there would never be a next time.
In that instant of being ignored, which felt like the instant between strangers, Wen Xin held her breath. Her hands had nowhere to rest. Her slender fingers brushed the hem of her clothes and suddenly gripped it tightly. She wanted to approach him, but her upbringing and reserve would not allow it. She felt immense torment, watching helplessly as Yu Qing entered Xuan Pavilion.
Once inside his room, Yu Qing closed the door. Leaning his back against it, he stood in a daze for a long while. Finally, he covered his face with both hands and rubbed it hard, forcing a smile to appear. Pretending to be happy seemed to lift his spirits slightly.
He walked over to the table and looked at Da Tou, who was still lying quietly on the corner. The creature had not moved, and its bloated stomach had finally deflated to normal.
He reached out and pinched its belly. Da Tou immediately twitched and struggled with its limbs.
Confirming it was still alive was enough. However, it was not practical to hide it in his sleeve in its current state.
Looking around, he spotted a small teapot nearby. He immediately grabbed it, removed the lid, and dropped Da Tou inside. He replaced the lid. The spout would allow air to pass, so throwing it into his bag would not suffocate the creature.
Turning back, he pried up a wooden floorboard in the room and retrieved his sword and a bundle hidden beneath it.
He hung the sword back at his waist. Opening the bundle, he took out banknotes and loose silver coins, stuffing them into his clothes. Now he no longer feared anyone discovering he possessed wealth unbecoming of a servant. He also placed some essential medicines for travelling within his reach. Then he grabbed the teapot containing Da Tou, shook it, and tossed it into the bundle before tying everything up.
With the bundle strapped to his back, he walked to the door. His hand rested on the handle, but he hesitated to open it, knowing Wen Xin was watching from outside.
In that moment, he suddenly felt an overwhelming difficulty.
She was merely a frail woman. He wondered where his courage for murder and robbery had gone. How could he, who had even dared to work as a human trafficker, lack the courage to face a weak woman?
He suddenly grabbed the flesh at his waist and twisted it hard. The pain distracted him slightly, allowing him to yank the door open and step outside with a blank expression, pretending not to care about anything.
As he stepped out, Wen Xin, who had been watching from the pavilion, saw he was dressed for departure. Her hesitation vanished. Suddenly summoning all her courage, she stood up, walked quickly out of the pavilion, and hurried towards the path he would inevitably take.
A rare top scholar who had achieved full marks across four examination subjects once in a century, a renowned Tanhua scholar, the finest literary talent in the world whose casual calligraphy could fetch a million coins. He had willingly hidden by her side as a servant. After his confession was rejected, he had silently shielded the Wen family from Yin Jizhen for her sake. Her heart had been constantly surging with gratitude.
Such a favoured son of heaven, who should have been so proud, had abandoned all his pride and dignity for her. In that moment, she knew that if she did not give him an answer, or if she did not give herself an answer, she might never move on in this lifetime.
Yu Qing naturally noticed her movement. Unsure of what she intended, and thinking of a farewell, his heart grew heavy. He continued walking in silence.
Yet, what had to be faced eventually arrived. Wen Xin stepped into his path and waited for him.
And he finally stood before her. Surrounded by blooming flowers, their eyes met.
“Are you leaving?”
Wen Xin spoke first, though her voice trembled slightly. She was struggling to control her emotions.
“Yes.” Yu Qing forced a strained smile. “I am leaving. Thank you, Third Miss, for your care during this period.”
Wen Xin, however, stared straight at him and asked, “Who exactly are you?”
A hint of bitterness mixed with his forced smile. Finally, he gathered his courage and said, “My name is Yu Qing!”
Wen Xin tightened her lips and lowered her head. Eventually, she spoke in a soft, lingering voice, “Follow me.”
She turned and walked away.
Yu Qing was slightly stunned. Unsure of her purpose, he still followed her. They reached the study door. Seeing Wen Xin push it open and enter, he paused outside. Following her inside would be improper.
Unexpectedly, Wen Xin glanced back and spoke in a low, slightly trembling voice, “It is fine. Come in.”
Yu Qing’s heart instantly fluttered. He stepped inside. The moment he crossed the threshold into the study, he suddenly felt his heart pounding like a drum. Allowing him, a man, to be alone in a room with her, a woman, combined with her expression, made him wonder if he had misunderstood something.
Once inside, he looked around to observe the study’s surroundings.
Wen Xin took a metal cylinder from the bookshelf, opened it, and poured out two calligraphy scrolls. She laid them flat on the desk, securing them with paperweights, before raising her clear, water-like eyes and saying, “Come and take a look.”
Yu Qing approached, standing stiffly and obediently like a puppet. He glanced at the two scrolls and instantly froze. They looked familiar, seeming to be his own handwriting, as his calligraphy had long developed a distinctive personal style.
Wen Xin pointed to the scroll on the left. “This is a calligraphy piece by the Tanhua scholar A Shiheng, which Fifth Brother bought from the market at a high price.”
Yu Qing was already examining it. His gaze fell upon the characters reading “Three foolish birds outside”. Those six words finally jogged his memory. This must be a draft he had written while practising calligraphy at Linglong Temple. How had it ended up on the market to be sold?
This left him deeply surprised and suspicious. Anyone who knew his true identity and could retrieve his draft paper from Linglong Temple narrowed the suspects down to two immediately. It was either A Shiheng or his junior martial uncle. There should be no one else.
The two must have released his calligraphy to the public to create a diversion and continue concealing his identity.
While he was filled with doubt, Wen Xin pointed to the scroll on the right. A hint of shyness appeared on her face. “I accidentally found this draft of your calligraphy practice in the utility room, in your bedroom. Noticing its similarity to the piece Fifth Brother bought, I brought one here. After repeatedly comparing it with the one on the left, I found the two calligraphies are exactly identical. I hope you can tell me personally, who exactly are you?”