Full Hall of Pear Blossoms Overwhelming Crabapple - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

In truth, when I first came to seek refuge at Shen Manor, the first madam had not been pleased.

Since ancient times, the Meng Clan of Jiangnan had been known for producing beauties.

And as the legitimate daughter of the family, I was even more striking than most.

I had developed early. My chest had filled out, and by the time I passed my coming-of-age ceremony, the first hints of graceful allure were already showing.

When Mother was still alive, she often teased me.

She said that if I found a husband in the future, he would surely be unable to bear parting from me day or night.

At the time, I felt nothing in particular about it. Not until I saw the deep wariness in Madam Shen’s eyes.

In that instant, I understood.

Madam Shen was a noble lady from a prestigious family. Naturally, she would not like a woman of lowly origins with an overly vivid beauty like mine.

Not to mention that I was now living under someone else’s roof.

She had two sons. Her eldest legitimate son was the current Capital’s Chief Magistrate, as well as the head of the Shen family. Deeply favored by His Majesty, his future was boundless.

Her second son had only just come of age and was studying hard for the imperial examinations. It was a crucial moment for him.

With a beautiful young woman suddenly arriving in the household at such a time, anyone would have found it hard to sit still.

But Madam Shen had a bodhisattva’s heart. She could not bear to turn me away at the door, and in the end, she could only reluctantly agree to my aunt’s request.

I was grateful from the bottom of my heart. I lived in the manor cautiously and humbly, paying attention to my every word and action at all times, terrified that others might find even the slightest fault in me.

When she saw that I knew my place and understood propriety, she gradually began to treat me with a kinder expression.

The first time I saw Shen Jibai was when he returned from duty.

His features were cool and composed, his posture straight and upright. The official robes on him looked like fresh snow brushing over his shoulders.

I heard the gatekeeper respectfully call him the family head, and only then did I realize he was the eldest young master of the Shen family, Shen Jibai.

He held a scroll in one hand. As he walked, the hem of his robe drifted like flowing clouds, gentle and refined.

Seen from afar, he did not look like the decisive, formidable head of the household the servants feared. Instead, he resembled an elegant, noble young master from an old aristocratic family.

I stared, utterly transfixed.

Jiangnan was a wealthy and flourishing place, but even there, I had rarely seen anyone like him.

He truly was as the rumors described.

A man like jade upon the road; a young master unmatched beneath the heavens.

When he saw me, Shen Jibai paused slightly, then nodded in greeting and brushed past me.

A faint scent of agarwood clung to him, like the last remnants of snow hanging from pine branches in winter, gone in the blink of an eye.

Chapter 3

The next time I saw Shen Jibai was on the day of the Lantern Festival.

My aunt could not stand seeing me shut up in my room all day, so she chased me out to join the festivities.

“You are only sixteen. What does it look like for you to spend every day keeping company with a married woman like me?

“You are beautiful and obedient. If some fine young gentleman happens to take a liking to you, then all the careful planning I’ve done for you won’t have been in vain.”

I nodded meekly.

I knew my aunt had brought me here from Jiangnan because she pitied me for being all alone in the world.

She thought there were many talented young men in Capital City, and with my looks, if some good family took an interest in me, she would have done right by my mother in the afterlife.

…

During the Lantern Festival, the whole city was ablaze with lights. Joyous voices rang through the night sky. The bustling streets were extraordinarily lively, filled with laughter and cheer.

I held a skewer of candied hawthorn in my hand and ate it by myself.

By the time I lifted my head, I realized I had become separated from my maid.

Panic rose in my chest. I blamed myself for being greedy, and in my anxiety, tears nearly spilled from my eyes.

Ever since I was young, I had been terrible with directions. Back at home, I always had to have someone accompany me whenever I went out. Now I was here, in a place where I knew neither the people nor the roads.

What if I truly got lost?

If I had known, I would never have bought that skewer of candied hawthorn.

I darted about the street like a mouse on fire, and the more I thought about it, the more frightened I became.

But there were too many people on the street. Everywhere I looked was a dense, dark sea of heads, and no matter how hard I searched, I could not find my maid.

Just then, a warm hand took hold of mine. I looked up-and it was Shen Jibai.

My anxious heart settled at once. I followed him in a daze, letting him lead me to a place with fewer people.

Seeing that my eyes were slightly red, Shen Jibai’s brow moved faintly. In a low voice, he asked me, “Why are you crying? Did someone bully you?”

I shook my head in silence, and for no reason, a hint of grievance welled up inside me.

“No. I just don’t know the roads, and I got separated from my maid…”

Back in Jiangnan, I had often been laughed at by the other girls in the family because of this failing. Even Father thought I was stupid.

But Shen Jibai did not laugh at me. He merely smiled gently and said softly, “Then next time you go out, bring two more maids with you.”

In that moment, all those clumsy, unspeakable shortcomings of mine seemed to amount to nothing before him.

For some reason, my heart grew light.

“It is getting late. I will take you back first.”

I nodded hard and followed closely at his side.

“May I call you Ah Tang?”

Shen Jibai turned his head to look at me. Beneath the bright lantern light, his eyes looked even more like lacquer touched with starlight, clear and lustrous.

My heart gave a violent tremble, and a secret joy rose in me without warning.

“Y-yes. Of course.”

I forced myself to answer calmly, while the hand hidden in my sleeve curled slightly.

“Jibai.”

My steps halted. In an instant, my face went deathly pale.

It was Madam Shen. She stood at the doorway, her gaze cold and sharp as she examined me.

Shen Jibai stood calmly in front of me, shielding me from view, and bowed. “Mother.”

“Why have you come back together with Meng Tang?”

Madam Shen’s eyes darkened, her expression drawn tight.

Shen Jibai answered unhurriedly, “Miss Ah Tang became separated from her maid. I happened to be on duty today, so I brought her back.”

Madam Shen was half doubtful. “That is all?”

Shen Jibai’s expression remained even. He smiled with perfect composure. “What else did Mother think it was?”

Only then did Madam Shen relax completely, and the relief on her face was plain to see.

I let out a breath as well.

“Since you have returned safely, go rest early.”

“Yes.”

I nodded timidly.

When I lifted my eyes, I happened to meet Shen Jibai’s gaze.

There was something unclear in his eyes, something I could not understand.