Chapter 394: If You Were to Gift Me a Wooden Hairpin

The setting sun cast its lingering golden light across the Linhuai Marquis’s residence. A pair of swallows, circling together in perfect companionship, lingered for a moment before flitting away. In the distance, the creaking of approaching carriages broke the quiet, and slowly, amid the glow of the evening sky, a covered horse-drawn carriage made its way toward the mansion.

As soon as the carriage came to a stop, Zhu Ping’an was the first to step down. He reached inside and lifted the little girl in his arms, holding her gently.

The mischievous little rascal inside the carriage wriggled out and spread his chubby little hands, clearly expecting Zhu Ping’an to scoop him up as well.

“I only carry girls…”

In the end, the little boy could only hear the teasing, slightly annoying voice of his brother-in-law and had no choice but to slide down from the carriage.

“Hey, the girl’s behind you. Go on, carry her.” Sliding down, the boy planted his hands on his hips, puffed up his cheeks, and called out to Zhu Ping’an.

Behind him, the little maid, Baozi, flushed red, glancing at Zhu Ping’an like a startled rabbit before quickly lowering her head.

“What are you standing there for, silly girl? Hurry up and get down.” Inside the carriage, Li Shu urged her.

“Oh… okay…”

Blushing furiously, the little maid clumsily climbed down, looking like a thief caught in the act. Once on the ground, she reached out her small hands to help Li Shu down from the carriage.

“Hey, Zhu Ping’an, as a newly appointed scholar-official, you’ll soon get a two-month furlough. Are you going home?” Li Shu asked casually as they walked side by side along the small path leading to the rear courtyard.

“Oh, there’s a vacation like that?” Zhu Ping’an paused, his face lighting up with joy.

“Of course. After the ‘release-of-the-vegetables’ ceremony, roughly ten days later, newly appointed officials get a long furlough. This is a special privilege for new graduates. The two-month break allows you to settle your household affairs and take care of personal matters. After this, you’ll devote yourself fully to serving the state, and there will never be a leave this long again.”

Li Shu nodded gracefully. The golden ornaments on her princess-style hair swayed gently, while a string of agate beads shimmered in the sunset, enhancing her delicate, rosy complexion. She looked like a bud on the verge of blooming in the spring breeze, radiantly beautiful.

Zhu Ping’an had never heard of such a furlough. In his modern studies, he had found no record of such extended leave in ancient times. He had assumed officials only had a ten-day break once per ten days, especially in the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Hongwu was a workaholic, granting only three days off a year: New Year’s Day, the winter solstice, and his own birthday. Later, due to difficulties with leave, it was increased to one month and three days. In modern civil service exams, new recruits often have one to two months, or even half a year, before starting work. To find a similar system in the Ming Dynasty was an unexpected delight.

“Two months? How could I not go home? No matter how beautiful the capital is, it can’t compare to Xiahe.” Zhu Ping’an couldn’t hide his excitement.

“Oh, then you’re lucky. I’m heading home too. My uncle will send a boat for me, and you can come along. Besides, there are so many empty cabins anyway…” Li Shu’s playful eyes glanced at him, her red lips parting as a clear, birdlike voice flowed out.

A boat?

Not bad. The ride on horseback had been jostling and exhausting, with meals and lodging a constant concern. Roads in the ancient world were rough, unlike modern highways. Horses could be slow and stubborn, especially dark steeds with little energy.

Even if it couldn’t cover a thousand miles in a day, a boat would be faster, more stable, and provided a place to rest. Plus, Li Shu’s family chef was renowned for their cooking.

As Zhu Ping’an pondered, Li Shu observed him with her playful side glance, her delicate hands hidden in her long sleeves gripping her embroidered handkerchief.

“Hehe, then I’ll come along,” Zhu Ping’an finally agreed.

Li Shu’s eyes sparkled even more, her proud little face tilted as she teased, “Since it’s empty anyway, might as well let you, my silly little toad…”

With that, she lifted her flowing skirt, twisted her slender waist, and quickly stepped in front of Zhu Ping’an. The ribbons fluttered behind her, leaving him with a coquettish, slightly teasing back view.

By then, they had reached the small guest courtyard where Zhu Ping’an was staying. Watching Li Shu’s proud figure, he shook his head, then led the little boy and the little girl back to his guest quarters.

The little boy, thrilled at the news of Zhu Ping’an’s imminent departure, could hardly contain himself. Once he left, freedom awaited…

“Brother-in-law, when will you come back?” the little girl asked, reluctantly.

Come back? When he returned to the capital next time, he certainly wouldn’t stay in the marquis’s residence. But seeing the little girl’s large, pleading eyes, Zhu Ping’an couldn’t bring himself to tell her the truth. He only said he would return when the weather warmed and the dragonflies danced. Ten days or half a month later, she would probably have forgotten him.

Hearing he would return, the little girl’s innocent smile returned.

“Brother-in-law, today’s meat buns outside didn’t have any meat. Let’s not eat them next time,” she complained, her small face lifted pitifully.

Those were actually just plain buns.

Meatless buns… Her complaint could rival the naive words of Emperor Jin Hui: “If the people have no chestnuts to fill their stomachs, why not eat meat porridge?”

Living in the deep mansion, the little girl had enjoyed countless delicacies, yet she had never eaten plain steamed buns…

Unaware that on the very land of Ming, some people could not even afford a single bun…

A long road lay ahead…

“Brother-in-law, what’s wrong?” the little girl asked, worried as Zhu Ping’an’s expression darkened.

“Oh, nothing,” he said with a forced smile, shaking his head.

Li Shu returned to the rear courtyard and let her hair down, black strands flowing in the wind. The little maid re-styled her hair into a proper chignon suitable for a hairpin, carefully inserting a finely carved eight-treasure coral pin.

Her pink, floor-length gown, cinched with a satin ribbon at the waist, accentuated her graceful figure. The coral hairpin framed her delicate face, enhancing her alluring charm, her elegance intoxicating.

“She’s so beautiful…” the little maid murmured, gazing at Li Shu in the mirror.

“Flattery suits you. Alright, go rest. We’ve been out all day, and I’m tired too.” Li Shu pinched the little maid’s cheek, smiling gently. The maid, as if praised by her mistress like a happy puppy, cheerfully scampered off.

Once the footsteps faded, Li Shu picked up the peach-wood hairpin wrapped in a handkerchief from the table.

The image of that troublesome little toad placing it in her hands replayed in her mind, making her lips curl slightly.

She removed the coral pin from her hair and casually tossed it onto the table, then carefully placed the peach-wood hairpin in her chignon.

“So beautiful…”

She posed before the mirror from multiple angles, studying it long and smiling softly.

Later, Li Shu moved to the desk by the window, glancing in the direction of Zhu Ping’an’s temporary guest room. She picked up paper and pen, and her small, precise script flowed onto the pink stationery:

If you, my lord, gift me this wooden hairpin,
I shall weave my long hair for you;
Washing away all ornamentation, from now on, we face the sunset together, even at the edge of the world.