Chapter 57: An Encounter on the Road

The sound of the flute lingered behind her, and the figure atop the wall was as flawless as jade. Lu Ying stood quietly, her delicate face flushed with the quickening of her heart, her dark eyes shimmering like water.

Time seemed to pass unnoticed, until distant whispers broke the silence. Only then did Lu Ying see the youth on the wall put away his jade flute and climb down.

When she returned to her room, her cheeks still burned. Lu Yun was holding a book, looking up at her with eyes bright as stars.

Seeing his usually composed sister in such rare girlish spirits, Lu Yun whispered excitedly, “Sister, does Yin Che like you?” His eyes curved into crescents, his joy surpassing even hers. “Sister, he’s so good; only someone like him is worthy of you.”

At this, Lu Ying calmed herself. She sat on the couch, gazing at her shadow stretched long by the moonlight streaming through the window. After a while, she spoke softly, “His family is prosperous, ours isn’t a match.”

“Sister…”

Lu Ying looked up, unable to hide the melancholy welling up within her; her smile was somewhat forced. “Let’s not talk about him. Yun, I’d hoped to wait until you found success before marrying.”

Lu Yun was taken aback, then said quietly, “But by then your age…”

Lu Ying rubbed her brow and replied coolly, “With my current circumstances, I couldn’t marry well anyway. Better to wait a few years.” Her brother was truly intelligent, but his temperament unstable; he often lost focus while studying. She thought it was time to give him some pressure.

Lu Yun looked up, meeting his sister’s expectant gaze. Clenching his fists, he declared resolutely, “Alright, sister, I’ll make my mark soon enough!”

Lu Ying smiled gently. “Good.”

The next day, after sending Lu Yun off, Lu Ying busied herself reading and writing. Whenever she had a spare moment, she pondered how to earn more money. Yet the path to fortune was not easy; try as she might, no idea came.

After reading for a while, Lu Ying recalled Zhang, the widow’s son from the west side, who had blamed her yesterday—thinking of his baseless accusations in the bustling marketplace, her expression cooled. After some consideration, she changed into her brother’s clothes, tied her hair in a style befitting a youth, slipped on his shoes, and left the house.

Lu Yun was a boy, and his frame naturally larger than Lu Ying’s. Though she was a bit taller, his clothes fit her perfectly. Compared to the luxurious garments tailored for that nobleman she’d met, Lu Yun’s outfits were plain in both fabric and style. Yet for reasons unknown—perhaps due to her indifferent demeanor—when Lu Ying donned men’s attire, even the simplest white cloth seemed to accentuate her jade-like features and luminous dark eyes, giving her an elegant, striking beauty.

She walked calmly out of the alley, turning toward the west side of the city.

As she walked, a familiar voice rang out, “Hey, isn’t that Lu Yun of the Lu family? How wonderful to run into you again! Yun, Yun, look over here!”

The person hadn’t even approached, yet his loud calls drew several heads to turn in their direction.

Lu Ying turned around.

She was met by three familiar faces—three youths, one shouting, another watching her intently with ink-black eyes. Weren’t these the very same three she’d met with Yin Che that day?

What rotten luck, Lu Ying thought, lips quirking in frustration. I should have waited before leaving the house.

She knew that using her brother’s name meant she couldn’t always appear in men’s clothing. She’d originally planned to visit the west street in disguise, as it would be easier. Moreover, since she was inquiring about matters of her own marriage, it would be inappropriate to appear as a woman. She hadn’t expected to run into them so soon.

At that moment, the grand and imposing carriage the three youths rode stopped abruptly before Lu Ying. The youth in fine clothes, surnamed Wang, beamed at her, “Yun, where are you off to? Come on up!” With that, he reached out to pull Lu Ying toward the carriage.

Lu Ying was vexed.

She had no wish to board the carriage, but the youth’s loud shouts drew even more attention. If this continued, she feared all the reputation built for her brother with the nobleman’s help would be ruined.

After a moment’s hesitation, Lu Ying sighed inwardly. “Brother, you are too courteous. I’ll come up.”

She walked toward the carriage.

Seeing her agree, the Wang youth was delighted, grabbing for her hand as she reached for the door.

Just then, Yin Che, who had been silent until now, moved. His movement was subtle, but the basket full of books beside his leg tipped suddenly, landing heavily on the Wang youth’s foot.

The youth cried out in pain, withdrawing his hand and hopping around holding his injured foot. In his haste, he banged his head against the carriage roof, letting out another loud groan. Amid the commotion, no one noticed as Yin Che’s hand reached out from the side, grasping Lu Ying’s right hand with precision and firmness.

Their fingers intertwined, both froze. Lu Ying looked up, her dark, glistening eyes fixing on him. Though she said nothing, her expressive gaze clearly conveyed her meaning: Let go!

Yin Che did not release her hand. Instead, he gripped it tighter, his usually pursed lips tugging slightly as he spoke, expressionless, “Come on, I’ll pull you up!” As if he couldn’t understand her intent at all.

Lu Ying had no way to argue with him. She resisted the urge to rub her brow, inwardly regretting her decision: Had I known, I should have found an excuse not to board.

Still, customs at the time were more lenient than in later generations; though Lu Ying regretted it, she wasn’t afraid.

Yin Che hauled Lu Ying up, pulling her into the carriage. Without waiting for her to steady herself, he drew her toward him.

His pull was strong, and Lu Ying stumbled forward, barely managing to steady herself with a hand on the carriage wall. Yin Che, still expressionless, said, “There’s a lot in here, steady yourself.” Yet as he spoke, his hands gripped her arms with hidden force, dragging her firmly into the seat beside him.

Once Lu Ying was settled securely at his side, separated from the other two youths, Yin Che turned to his friends.

At that moment, the other two were glaring at Yin Che. After a while, the Wang youth exclaimed, “Che, how can you play favorites like this?” The other chimed in, “Che, this is too much! The other day, when that shrew knocked me down, you didn’t even look back. I may not be as handsome as little Lu, but I’m certainly cuter!” With that, he scrunched up his nose and eyes, making a comical “cute” face.

Yin Che showed no reaction, only glancing sidelong at Lu Ying. Seeing the faint embarrassment and annoyance in her eyes, he cleared his throat and said coolly, “Enough, can’t you see little Lu is uncomfortable?”