Notes on Longevity

Chapter 81: Seemingly the awakening of first love, yet not like the arrival of first love.
Zhang Ze'an noticed her unease and smiled, saying, "It's alright. Anyway, I already know the general idea from Miss Wanyi."

"Hmm?" Xie Xiaoshuang was puzzled at first, then felt uneasy and asked, "What did Sister Wanyi tell you?"

“She told me that after you two met in that alley, you often met in secret, and then you secretly pledged your lives to each other,” Zhang Ze’an replied in a serious tone.

Jie Xiaoshuang felt a headache coming on, thinking: Why is Sister Wanyi still like this? Brother Shuping has already been forced to leave, how come she still doesn't have any sense of responsibility?

She sighed deeply, glanced at Zhang Ze'an, and said helplessly, "Love at first sight is true, and being captivated at first sight is also true, but it may not be as exaggerated as Sister Wanyi said."

"How so?" Zhang Ze'an became interested when he saw Jie Xiaoshuang was about to speak, and he sat opposite her to listen to her tell the story.
"Miss is a scholar."

"Scholar?"

In the narrow alley, Xie Xiaoshuang stood behind Shu Ping, peeking out and looking towards Yang Youan through the lamplight.

At that time, Yang Youan was being chased by thieves and did not look well, but in the dim light, he seemed somewhat unusual.

His rapid breathing and the dim light gave his handsome face a flushed red. He wiped the sweat from his brow, and the tension in his eyes was very obvious.

Is this what a scholar is like?

This is the first time Xie Xiaoshuang has seen what Yang Youan is thinking.

She had originally thought the scholar would be like the one in the opera they performed.

Dressed simply in white, carrying a chest on his back, with clear and bright eyes and a clean and handsome appearance, he also possessed a dignified and refined air, remaining calm and composed in the face of adversity.

But now it seems that's not the case. Perhaps it's because they were being chased that they looked so disheveled.

After she had looked Yang Youan closely, she suddenly realized that he was staring at her. And the tension in his eyes seemed to have vanished completely, replaced by a look of careful appreciation as he watched a flower slowly bloom, his eyes filled with anticipation and excitement.

Their eyes met, and Xie Xiaoshuang blushed.

When she saw Yang Youan staring at her, she quickly lowered her head like a frightened rabbit.

She smiled shyly and gently, her eyes shining softly in the lamplight of the alley. Her slightly drooping eyelashes made her even more adorable in the firelight.

Yang Youan took in her appearance and found Xie Xiaoshuang quite adorable. He had encountered women of similar age in villages on his journey to the imperial examinations, but none had ever seemed as different as her.

"Miss, that boy wouldn't happen to have feelings for you, would he?"

"Brother Shuping, you don't believe in those stories of love at first sight, do you?"

On the way back, she didn't think Shuping was wrong; on the contrary, she thought he was right.

As she turned around, her eyes involuntarily glanced at the direction Yang Youan had left.

Although she spoke with skepticism, she felt inexplicably happy. Yes, inexplicably happy, inexplicably joyful—a feeling she couldn't describe, couldn't articulate, and even she herself was confused about.

His eyes, his expression, his fear, his nervousness, inexplicably drew her in.

Don't know why though.

I felt a mix of emotions: a little conflicted, a little excited, a little like a flower seed hidden in the soil, suddenly sprouting from the earth in this summer spring, revealing a green shoot the size of a teardrop, swaying gently in the scorching summer breeze.

"No, that's not it. I'm just afraid that bookworm might have bad intentions towards you."

"Brother Shuping, if you say that again, I won't talk to you anymore."

If Shu Ping's words were like the gentle breeze and rain of spring, nourishing her budding sprouts, then Yang You'an's playful antics with Zhang Ze'an after the initial chaos were like the spring sunshine, illuminating her unfolding new shoots. And the old troupe leader's words to Shu Ping were like the soil that nurtured her.
"Shuping, does Shuang'er like that young master Yang?" "How did you know?"

"Because Shuang'er doesn't blush when she sees Young Master Zhang, but she does when she sees Young Master Yang. If this isn't love, then what is it? It's like all the flowers. They stand there calmly, waiting for the sunshine or the rain. But there's one flower that grows towards the sun, droops its head at sunset, and hides from the rain. That's the difference between how Shuang'er sees Young Master Yang and Young Master Zhang."

"When Shuang'er met Young Master Zhang, she was like a hundred flowers, accepting the sunlight and calmly facing the rain; when she met Young Master Yang, she was like a flower that blooms with the sun, displeased with the setting sun, and content with the rain."

Shuping didn't understand.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

"I have sung it in the play, but I have never actually seen it in real life."

That's because you're a fool too.

"Later, the aunt and uncle who adopted You'an accidentally fell off a cliff and were brought to the capital with the help of Minister Chen of the Ministry of Rites. Later, my father found out about this and, because I had always wanted him, brought him to the Pear Garden. You know what happened after that."

Zhang Ze'an looked at Xie Xiaoshuang, whose face was flushed with embarrassment, and laughed, "So that's how it is. What Miss Wanyi told me was quite different."

"He told me that you were caught having an affair with him, and that you cried and made a scene to persuade the troupe leader to agree to your marriage."

Zhang Ze'an laughed so hard he slapped his thigh, completely oblivious to Xie Xiaoshuang's flushed face.

"Actually, it's not a big deal. I understand why you didn't tell me. After all, it's not appropriate for a woman like you to talk to a man like me about these things. But why didn't Youan tell me?"

Zhang Ze'an looked at Xie Xiaoshuang, puzzled.

"Perhaps it's because You'an doesn't treat me that way." As she said this, Xie Xiaoshuang's face lost some of its rosy hue, and her expression became somewhat sad.

"What do you mean? You'an doesn't like you?" Zhang Ze'an was a little confused.

Jie Xiaoshuang said, "I don't think so."

Zhang Ze'an was even more confused: "What is that?"

"After You'an arrived at the Peking Opera Academy, he became completely absorbed in his studies, and so did I."

"Young Master Yang, it's time for your meal."

Xie Xiaoshuang looked at Yang Youan with some worry. He had been in the pear garden for some time now. But during this time, he had treated Xie Xiaoshuang with great respect, as if she were his savior. Apart from seeing her at mealtimes, he spent the rest of his time in the house, engrossed in the words.

Upon hearing this, Yang Youan looked up at Xie Xiaoshuang at the door, then stood up somewhat flusteredly and bowed to her, saying, "Miss Xie."

"Young Master Yang, it's time for your meal." Xie Xiaoshuang said with great disappointment, then turned and left with tears in her eyes.

Yang Youan was left standing there dumbfounded.

During the meal, the old troupe leader secretly sighed as he watched the two men, who seemed to be in different moods.

He was eating with his head down, his body stiff, as if he were in a hurry to leave.

"Master, I've finished eating. When I become the top scholar in the imperial examination, I will definitely give you the money for the meal and lodging."

After saying that, he hurriedly left the place where he was eating and returned to his room to bury himself in his studies.

Xie Xiaoshuang lowered her head and sobbed softly. She had finally managed to beg her father to go to the Ministry of Rites to bring Yang Youan over. She thought that Yang Youan would miss her as much as she did, but she never expected to see such a scene.

(End of this chapter)