Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 185

Chapter 185: Beautiful

At first, An Zhi prayed that Pei Que wouldn’t come in, hoping he would just pass by. But then she thought, she hadn’t even spoken a word to Young Master Xia, so what would it matter if Pei Que came in?

But would Pei Que get angry? An Zhi asked herself.

Considering Pei Que’s tendency to be jealous, he probably would get angry.

So it would be better if he didn’t come in.

But just as An Zhi was thinking this, Shunzi was knocking on the door. “Is anyone inside? My master’s shoes and socks are wet; may we come in to warm them?”

Normally, if someone’s shoes and socks were wet, they would have gone home long ago, so An Zhi knew it was an excuse and nervously stared at the door, unable to look away.

Xia Yunjiang didn’t understand the relationship between An Zhi and Pei Que. He was a warm and hospitable person, but he felt a bit awkward being with An Zhi. Hearing the knocking, he immediately got up to open the door.

However, Xia Yunjiang’s servant was more cautious. He grabbed Xia Yunjiang’s hand and whispered, “Young Master, Young Lady An is here; it’s not appropriate to let a man come in.”

Xia Yunjiang grew up in the countryside and didn’t have any sisters, so he knew little about the rules surrounding young ladies. Hearing the servant’s reminder, he finally realized.

“Then you go and get my spare shoes and socks; I’ll go out and give them to the gentleman outside,” Xia Yunjiang instructed his servant.

An Zhi breathed a sigh of relief hearing Xia Yunjiang say that. This young master of the Xia family probably wasn’t interested in her.

After Xia Yunjiang and his servant left, An Zhi’s tense back relaxed slightly. “Miss, why is Fourth Master Pei here?” Binglu recognized Shunzi’s voice.

An Zhi shook her head. If she could predict the future, she wouldn’t be sitting here, agonizing.

Hearing Xia Yunjiang talking to Pei Que outside, An Zhi felt both nervous and curious.

She tiptoed to the door and pressed her ear against it.

At first glance, Pei Que knew Xia Yunjang was a bit naive; otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to deliver the socks and shoes.

But that suited him perfectly. He just regretted not being able to see An Zhi’s reaction.

“So, it’s Fourth Master Pei. I’m Xia Yunjiang.” Xia Yunjiang had only recently arrived in the capital and had received many invitations. After attending some banquets, he wasn’t particularly interested in the people and things in the capital, except for Pei Que.

In the eyes of the powerful people in the capital, Pei Que was willful and vindictive—two traits that resonated with Xia Yunjiang’s personality. He had always wanted to meet Pei Que, and he never expected to encounter him here.

“There are ladies in the room, so I can’t invite Fourth Master Pei inside,” Xia Yunjang said, pointing to the carriage nearby. “If Fourth Master Pei doesn’t mind, he can change in my carriage.”

Pei Que smiled and thanked him, then walked towards the carriage with Xia Yunjiang.

“Is Fourth Master Pei here to enjoy the snow?” Xia Yunjiang asked.

Pei Que shook his head. “I’m busy with official duties, but I heard that a lady I like is visiting nearby, so I came to see if I could have a chance to meet her.”

An Zhi’s heart skipped a beat.

She pressed her ear even closer, but she couldn’t hear Pei Que and Xia Yunjiang’s conversation anymore. Peeking through a crack in the door, An Zhi saw Pei Que and Xia Yunjiang had already walked away. Worried that Pei Que might say something inappropriate, she felt her heart pounding with anxiety.

Sitting back down at the tea table, she noticed the tea in her cup had gone cold. She raised the cup and took a sip, then heard her aunt and Madam Xia talking outside. She quickly put down her cup and straightened her clothes.

When Madam Qian and the others entered, they saw An Zhi sitting gracefully at the tea table, smiling and offering to make tea for them.

Xia Yunjiang had been called back by Madam Cheng, looking dejected and unhappy.

Madam Qian had seen Xia Yunjiang outside earlier and knew the matter was already settled. She exchanged a few words with Madam Cheng and then left.

After Madam Cheng entered the carriage, she called her son in as well. Seeing the Bai family’s carriage leaving, she frowned and scolded her son, “I told you to talk to Young Lady An, but you ran off outside? Even if you don’t like her, you should at least maintain proper etiquette. Couldn’t you even wait a little while?”

“Besides, Young Lady An is so beautiful and well-mannered. I even saw you blushing. Why didn’t you talk to her more?”

While in Lingnan, Madam Cheng had arranged several potential matches for her second son, but he never showed much interest. When pressed, he always said he wasn’t interested.

This time, with An Zhi, Madam Cheng had hoped her son would be interested, since who doesn’t like a beautiful woman? But he abandoned An Zhi halfway through and started talking to some stranger named Pei Que.

She was furious. Xia Yunjiang pursed his lips, and only after his mother pressed him for an explanation did he speak up: “They say a man should focus on his career before starting a family. My brother and several of my cousins ​​all got married after obtaining official positions. I also want to earn some merit on the battlefield before marrying and having children.”

“Preposterous!” Madam Cheng felt a surge of anger. She never imagined that her second son wouldn’t marry because of this reason. Now, hearing him say this made her so angry she wanted to slap him. “Your brother had an early start because he followed your father from a young age, and as for those cousins, they were striving for official positions to secure better marriage prospects. You don’t lack family background; why compare yourself to them?”

Madam Cheng frowned and said sternly, “Just tell your mother, do you have any feelings for An Zhi?”

When An Zhi’s name was mentioned, Xia Yunjiang immediately pursed his lips, and his ears turned visibly red.

“Say something!” Madam Cheng sighed. “If there’s something you don’t like, you have to give a reason. Next time, I’ll find someone else for you.”

Thinking of An Zhi’s gentle smile while drinking tea, Xia Yunjiang turned his head slightly. “Young Lady An… is very beautiful.”

Xia Yunjiang had focused on martial arts since childhood, lacking eloquence. He couldn’t find the right words to describe An Zhi’s beauty, and all that came to mind was “beautiful.”

Madam Cheng, being an experienced woman, knew from her son’s hesitant manner that her guess was correct. There wasn’t a man in the world who didn’t like beautiful women; only her foolish son couldn’t express himself. He thought the girl was beautiful, but instead of trying to win her over, he ran away.

Thinking about how clueless her son was about romance, Madam Cheng sighed.

“In a couple of days, An Zhi’s brother will be getting married. Although our family doesn’t have any relationship with the An family, the Yuan family is our relative, so we should still go to the wedding.” Madam Cheng looked at her son’s face and said, “If you like a girl, you have to be charming and thoughtful and find ways to make her happy. Do you understand?”

She explained everything so clearly; if her son still didn’t understand, there was nothing more she could do.

Xia Yunjiang nodded silently, and An Zhi’s pretty face flashed in his mind again, making his ears flush red.

Meanwhile, An Zhi and her aunt were riding back in a carriage.

“Don’t worry too much about that Xia boy,” Madam Qian said, still annoyed about Xia Yunjiang’s foolishness. “He actually left you to talk to Pei Que. You don’t need to have anything to do with that kind of person.”

An Zhi wanted to hear exactly that from her aunt and nodded in agreement.

Madam Qian, afraid that An Zhi might be upset, comforted her, “Don’t worry, there are plenty of good men in the capital. Your aunt will find you the best one.”

Previously, Madam Qian thought Xia Yunjiang was a good boy, but now that she realized he was so clueless, she didn’t think highly of him anymore.

The carriage swayed along the road. Madam Qian heard the sound of horses’ hooves behind them and looked out the window. It was Pei Que and his servant. She immediately frowned and told the driver to stop.