That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

Xie Yunqi then thought of the banquet that was ostensibly for flower viewing but was actually a blind date, and he slammed his fist on the table, furious.

"In Fengling City, young men and women are usually unable to meet in private due to etiquette, so this festival was probably established."

Lu Zhao nodded.

In comparison, the regulations in the capital are much more lenient in this regard; otherwise, Miss Xie wouldn't be running around the capital like a street urchin every day, causing trouble and playing with cats and dogs.

"Yes, that's why my father was so eager for me to make a name for myself at the Festival of Rains and find a good husband."

As Zhang Huahua spoke, her face grew even more troubled, and she looked deeply preoccupied.

"Miss Zhang is beautiful; she will surely meet a good man."

Lu Zhao smiled, thinking it wasn't a big deal. At least they could see each other before the wedding, whereas often the bride and groom wouldn't see each other until after the wedding.

"But......"

Zhang Huahua hesitated, her gaze darting anxiously back and forth between the group.

Finally, Fang Zhiyi withdrew her gaze from the window, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Miss Zhang... has she already secretly given her heart to someone else?"

She glanced at Jiang Jingming as she said this, as if to make him guess whether what she said was right or wrong.

Jiang Jingming met her gaze and pondered for a long time.

That seems to be true.

The Joyful Rain Festival, a festival imbued with a touch of literary romance, should have been the most anticipated time of the year for men and women.

A beautiful woman sailed by, and a talented man on the shore fell in love at first sight, throwing flowers at her and composing a poem.

From a fleeting glimpse to a happy marriage, it's far more heartwarming than a marriage arranged simply by a matchmaker.

Chapter 116 Elopement to the Ends of the Earth

However, this young woman, Zhang Huahua, was very resistant to this.

She seemed to be preoccupied with this matter, so much so that she boarded the cruise ship alone, without even a maidservant by her side.

Logically speaking, on a day like the Joyful Rain Festival, girls who receive invitations should dress up carefully, wear their best and most expensive clothes, and apply rouge that they wouldn't normally use.

However, Zhang Huahua arrived dressed only in plain clothes, which showed that she was not serious and even seemed to want to escape.

As expected, Zhang Huahua's expression was complicated and filled with mixed feelings after hearing Fang Zhiyi's words.

After a long while, she finally nodded gently.

“You’re right, young lady. I’ve already given my heart to someone else.”

"Heavenly Bodhisattva~~~"

Upon hearing this, Xie Yunqi immediately perked up, even forgetting to eat the apricot blossom pastry, and shook her hand, urging her to continue.

Zhang Huahua pursed her lips, hesitated for a long time, and finally made up her mind to tell the whole story.

"I'm not afraid to tell you, but it actually happened not long ago."

“Our Xinghua Village is famous for Fenjiu liquor. Although it can’t compare to Wenxinzui in the city, it is still a well-reputed restaurant. My family is in the Fenjiu business, so we have good relationships with the big restaurants in the city.”

“A few days ago, because some details of the accounts didn’t match up, according to the old rules, the accountant from Tingyuxuan was supposed to come to my house in person to reconcile the accounts. My father wasn’t home that day, so he asked me to receive him in his place.”

At this point, a hint of girlish shyness suddenly appeared on Zhang Huahua's somewhat haggard face.

“A young man in a blue robe and a scholar’s ​​hat stood in front of the courtyard. He was as fair-skinned as a girl. When he saw me, he quickly bowed and said his name was Kong Ming. The former accountant was too old to travel far, and I was his new apprentice.”

"..."

Xie Yunqi listened intently, while Lu Zhao turned to Jiang Jingming and whispered:

"It's another story of a handsome, refined scholar falling in love with a young lady from a wealthy family!"

"Jealous?"

Jiang Jingming didn't even blink, answering casually.

"cut!"

Lu Zhao was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to refute.

"Give up. Compared to a cold-faced guy like Brother Lu who's good with knives and spears, ladies from respectable families simply prefer a charming and talented scholar."

After saying that, Jiang Jingming couldn't help but smile.

"If I had known this would happen, I would have gone to school and taken the imperial examinations back then!"

Lu Zhao sighed deeply, feeling that one wrong step led to another.

"What's the use of passing the imperial examinations? No matter how hard you try, you can't compare to the son-in-law of the Vice Minister of Revenue."

Jiang Jingming casually tossed out another sentence.

"..."

Lu Zhao's face turned ashen, and he waved his hand to signal him to stop talking.

He then jumped into the river and died to prove his resolve.

"If I don't answer him, he just stands there with his hands clasped behind his back, not daring to lift his head, like a complete idiot!"

Zhang Huahua chuckled as she said this.

Speaking of Kong Ming, this lifeless young lady suddenly became as lively as a different person.

"When he was checking the accounts with me, he spoke so softly it was like a mosquito humming. If I looked at him for even a few seconds, his face would turn bright red... He was completely different from the frivolous playboys I had met before."

"Finally, I saw him to the door. He paced back and forth at the door for a while before finally mustering up the courage to say, 'Thank you for your hospitality, Miss. I would like to see you again if I have the chance.'"

Given the conservative nature of Fengling City, this statement was actually quite straightforward.

Jiang Jingming thought to himself, "This is incredibly audacious for a scholar. This kid is really savvy."

In most traditional Chinese stories, the scholar is portrayed as timid, hesitant, and submissive, never daring to express his true feelings, which makes the audience feel sorry for his misfortune and angry at his lack of ambition.

“From then on, he would always use the excuse of reconciling accounts to walk two hours from the city to Xinghua Village, just to see me for a moment.”

“We never crossed any lines; we just chatted casually. Sometimes he would tell me interesting things about the city, and sometimes I would bring him a plate of snacks I had made myself…”

"I don't know if you all understand, but ever since I met him, I feel like there's something to look forward to in life. The thought that he might come today makes me feel like there's a mischievous little bird flying back and forth in my heart. But if he doesn't come in the end, I feel like today is really boring and the night is really long."

As Zhang Huahua finished speaking, she seemed to try to force a smile, but then let out a long sigh.

"I love him even when he's pale and haggard. That's what love is all about."

Fang Zhiyi smiled slightly.

Zhang Huahua pondered for a moment, then couldn't help but feel a little excited.

"Being haggard is also related... What you said is absolutely right, young lady!"

It's true that all girls in the world share the same feelings. She had wanted to talk to someone about these feelings before, but she could never explain them clearly. Now, however, the girl she had just met had easily seen through her thoughts.

"And then what happened?"

The carefree Miss Xie clearly had no time to think about such delicate matters.

She urged him on like an eager listener to a storyteller, wanting to know what happened next.

“A few days ago there was a family annihilation case, and the city was investigating so strictly, but he still came to see me despite the storm. He was just a lowly accounting apprentice, and his monthly salary wasn't even enough to make ends meet, yet he was willing to buy me the best cosmetics in the city.”

"But if this goes on for too long, others will eventually notice something's wrong. A few days ago, my father stayed home and personally received Kong Ming. He was so nervous he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet, and his face turned red as he apologized to my father, saying that he hadn't formally paid a visit yet, but that he truly liked me and would treat me well for the rest of his life..."

“My father just smiled and asked him how much silver he could earn in a month. How could a poor scholar with no land or money treat me well? Kong Ming said that he was working hard to prepare for the imperial examination while he was an apprentice. If he passed the examination, he would be able to treat me well.”

“My father said he didn’t believe him. Even if he really had the ability to pass the imperial examination, wouldn’t he meet a woman who was better looking and from a better family? Nobody could say for sure whether he would still be faithful to me then.”

"..."

As she finished speaking, everyone in the cabin looked at each other in bewilderment.

Surprisingly, this isn't the kind of story in traditional folk tales where lovers are forced to separate.

Although Master Zhang was somewhat lacking in social skills, what he said wasn't anything harsh, just quite realistic.

Even Zhang Huahua would probably feel a chill run down her spine upon hearing this, since no one can predict the future.

Although Master Zhang was considered a wealthy man in the village, he was nothing to the promising scholar who had passed the imperial examination.

By then, their positions would be reversed; the one being married off would become the one marrying up. The only thing that remained unchanged was that they were never a good match in terms of social standing.

Not suitable.

“After that day, my father forbade me to see him again. My mother also advised me to give up on him as soon as possible, saying that everyone has had such experiences when they were young, and life still goes on in the end.”

Sometimes, when I sit in the courtyard, I can hear the maids laughing and talking, saying that the silly scholar came again today and waited alone at the gate until sunset...

At this point, Zhang Huahua was already on the verge of tears, covering her face with her sleeve:

"After this Joyful Rain Festival, my father will formally arrange a marriage for me with a family of equal social standing. The matchmaker said that several young men are waiting to meet me during the festival. I think my fate with Kong Ming is about to end, and it's a pity that I didn't even get to say sorry to him in the end..."

"To hell with matching social status!!!"

Xie Yunqi slammed his fist on the table and stood up, so angry that his two braids trembled.

"You like him, and he likes you! Isn't that great?! Why think so much? Is your dad marrying off his daughter or running a business?"

"Young Miss, don't speak too soon."

Lu Zhao coughed, interrupting her:

"Think about it, if you suddenly brought a random kid to your house and told Commander Xie that although he's not very capable and his family is poor, we like each other and I want to marry him, do you think Commander Xie would agree?"

"If he doesn't agree, he doesn't agree. I'm going to be with him! Even if the King of Heaven himself comes, he can't separate us!"

Xie Yunqi snorted coldly, his eyes bright and arrogant.

"It would be fine if you didn't agree to me eloping with him. The ends of the earth are so far away, we can go wherever we want and never go back to the capital!"

The light in her eyes was so bright it seemed to burn you.

Jiang Jingming suddenly felt that as long as he was with her, the ends of the earth were not so far away, and he could reach them by holding her hand.

"..."

Lu Zhao scratched his head, suddenly realizing that he had used the wrong excuse on the wrong person; this young lady was really capable of doing such a thing.

She's fearless, so why would she be afraid of eloping?

If she were afraid, she wouldn't be running away with that Jiang Jingming kid, enduring hardships, as a fugitive.

“When my dad doesn’t see me all year round, he will regret being so heartless back then. He will ask around to send messages to me to come home and see him, and he will agree to anything I want, and let me marry whoever I want.”

Xie Yunqi burst into laughter as he said this, as if he could already picture his father's miserable expression.

Seeing the young lady's cheerful expression, Jiang Jingming couldn't help but smile slightly.

Unfortunately, not everyone is as reckless as the young lady; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many ill-fated couples separated in the world.

Although Kong Ming had a sincere heart, he was just a weak scholar. Even if Miss Zhang eloped with him, what would happen after that?

How far can the two of them run, and how will they make a living afterward?

Master Zhang probably thought of this, which is why he didn't keep a close watch on Zhang Huahua, because he knew that this ill-fated couple would also think of this.

At least Kong Ming wouldn't selfishly trick Zhang Huahua into eloping with him; he's a kind-hearted person, no wonder his daughter likes him.

"I suddenly feel that it's better to be a cold-blooded guy who wields swords and spears."

Lu Zhao leaned closer and whispered to Jiang Jingming:

“At least in times like this, I can put a knife to old Deng’s neck and force him to marry his daughter to me.”

"That's true."

Jiang Jingming nodded in agreement.

If he were in that situation, he would probably draw his sword and use force to suppress and intimidate them.

Forget about reason and logic for now; get the girl back first.

That's the reason for wielding swords and spears.

Otherwise, he would end up like Kong Ming, utterly useless, a scholar in a blue robe, only able to wait idly day after day.

"In that case, why not just not show up at the Rain Festival? There are so many beautiful women; who knows, those young masters might take a fancy to another girl?"