Su Ke listened intently, careful not to inadvertently break any taboos and cause trouble. But halfway there, Xue Qian unexpectedly got off the carriage.
"Eh, didn’t we agree to discuss the palace examination questions together?" Su Ke protested.
"Let’s do it another day. This young master must face what needs to be faced, and the days ahead seem to be bleak!" Xue Qian said, full of emotion.
Before leaving, he turned around to whisper in his ear, "Don’t bla your brother for not warning you. Uncle Lei is a decent man, diligent in his work, but a tad too keen on rank and wealth. It seems he’s taken a liking to you as his son-in-law. You’ll just have to pray for good fortune!"
After saying this, he left with a loud laugh.
Left behind, Su Ke’s face darkened imdiately.
But Xue Qian ran off so quickly and Su Ke couldn’t call him back in ti before he disappeared into the bustling crowd.
Su Ke gave a bitter smile, thinking of what his ntor had said before, especially concerning Miss Lei, whose kite had neither fallen early nor late but precisely when he was saying goodbye and passing by the rockery. It had to fall right on him, forcing him to ponder.
He also rembered that on several occasions his ntor hinted at a desire to arrange a marriage, which made Su Ke feel inexplicably irritable.
The image of Qin Shuan’er flashed through his mind, causing him great frustration, and he rubbed his temples.
What a ssy situation!
He decided it was best not to think about it anymore.
The most important thing at the mont was to prepare for the palace examination. He knew how vital it was for him to do well.
Su Ke buckled down to revise his studies at ho, determined to fully grasp the knowledge within the books.
anwhile, ever since their parting, Qin Shuan’er had been in a state of irritation.
She couldn’t ignore the dejected look in Su Ke’s eyes when they said goodbye.
Fortunately, the next day she heard the news of Su Ke’s success in the High School, which finally set her mind at ease.
Since he had passed, Ke’er must be alright now... right?
She hesitated, wanting to ask but feeling it inappropriate, her heart feeling suffocated. Growing up is such a hassle; she thought about their childhood sweetheart years, sweet and inseparable, always together. Now, those mories tasted sweet in her heart.
Unfortunately, those days were gone with their growing up, never to return.
She looked up at the sky tearfully, seeing through the layers of courtyard walls, as if she could see that young man with his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, standing there with a smile.
Closing her eyes, a tear silently slid down her cheek.
"Entering the door of my longing, you know how bitter my yearning is."
"Long is the yearning, long is the rembrance; short is the yearning, but endlessly deep."
"If I knew this would ensnare my heart so, I wish we had never t at the start..."
Her heartache could not be shared with others; she had to force a smile in public and shed tears in private.
The young girl in the pri of her youth was finally tasting the bitter flavor of longing.
She was quietly heartbroken, but her relatives clearly didn’t feel the sa way.
Zhang Zhongding continued to visit the Qin Family’s Mansion daily, if not to play chess with Qin Hui, then to go shopping with Qin Bin or fishing with Qin Hua, or even to find pretexts to discuss matters with Qin Yu. Practically never at ho, he was always in the Qin residence, much to Qin Shuan’er’s annoyance.
To make matters worse, everyone else seed pleased with the situation, subtly trying to bring them together.
Especially today, when Qin Hui used the excuse of not being able to find the Gomoku ga to summon her, that was enough to finally irritate her!
She lost her temper on the spot and stord into the palace.
As soon as she saw Su Pan’er, tears welled up in her eyes and she couldn’t hold them back any longer, cascading down as she lunged into her embrace.
She cried like a child, "Third auntie..."
"What’s the matter? What happened to my Shuang’er that made her cry into a tearful ss? Who bullied you, tell your third auntie and I will stand up for you!"
Su Pan’er softly patted her back, gently coaxing her.
She also gave a glance toward Jiu Lan beside her, who imdiately left, taking with her Qin Shuan’er’s personal maidservant Huayu.
"It’s nothing, Shuang’er just wanted to cry..."
Qin Shuan’er buried her head in her embrace, struggling to hold back her tears but failing to do so, and could only weep silently, her shoulders trembling.
Even though Su Pan’er didn’t understand what grievances she had suffered, she couldn’t bear to see her weep like this.
"Cry! Silly child, let it all out, and it will feel better. You don’t have to hold back with your third auntie here, cry freely, and after that, our ho’s Shuang’er will be the lovely girl everyone adores again..."
She gently patted Shuang’er’s back, comforting her.
Qin Shuan’er suddenly burst into tears, crying her heart out.
Su Pan’er silently stayed with her. This was the second ti that Shuang’er had cried so hard!
These past few days, Qin Yi had been resting in Huayang Palace, yet he hadn’t said a word about what had happened at the examination hall. Su Pan’er had heard about it through other ans.
After all, there are no walls in the world that can keep out a breeze.
Especially on that day, there were too many witnesses, and after hearing the news, Su Pan’er didn’t say much. She believed that with Qin Yi’s character, he must have already sent people to secretly investigate without her needing to ntion it.
Moreover, with the palace examination approaching, all her attention was focused there, naturally leaving less for others.
But seeing Qin Shuan’er crying like this, a heaviness settled in her heart. Could it be that sothing major had happened without her knowing?
Exhausted, Qin Shuan’er nestled in Su Pan’er’s arms, her gaze listless and devoid of life, sending a chilling sensation to those who saw her.
"Silly child, you must be tired, right? Here, your third auntie has prepared a bowl of Iced Sugar Trella Snow Pear Soup for you. Have so."
Su Pan’er pushed forward the bowl of Iced Sugar Trella Snow Pear Soup that Jiu Lan had just brought.
"Thank you, third auntie."
Qin Shuan’er lifted her head from her embrace, obediently took the bowl, and began to eat slowly, stirring the snow pear and goji in the bowl with a spoon, eating without tasting, which made Su Pan’er inwardly sigh.
"Silly child, hurry up and eat. This is especially good for the throat; we wouldn’t want a young lady’s voice to beco rough and unsightly in the future."
"Mhm, okay."
But Qin Shuan’er ultimately didn’t say anything!
Su Pan’er’s expression flickered, but she didn’t press the issue.
When Little Yanyan finished her schooling and returned to Huayang Palace, hearing that Qin Shuan’er had co to the palace, she joyfully ran over with excitent as if reuniting after a long ti, chirping away non-stop like a little sparrow, finally coaxing a smile from the gloomy Qin Shuan’er.
In the evening, when Qin Yi returned and heard that Qin Shuan’er had co to the palace and cried so much, he strangely felt happy.
"Just a little girl’s whims, no need to fuss over her. Maybe she’ll be fine on her own in a few days."
His words earned him several pinches at his waist from Su Pan’er: "Shuang’er is your niece too, you can’t be so indifferent."
Qin Yi, wincing and trying to dodge, protested, "Your Majesty deals with so many state affairs every day. If I were to manage the sudden whims of a little girl, even splitting myself into hundreds wouldn’t be enough, right?"
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