4

As the baby blue sky deepens into an beautiful hue of orange, they knew their time together is coming to an end. 

“It is time to go home and rest.” Ke Qun agrees. “Let’s go.” Chun nods as they made their way back home.

“Rest well then.” Ying Jie smiles as she and Ya Lun walks in their own direction.

“I’ll you back my lady.” Yi Ru smiles as he nudges Dong Cheng to come along with him. Xue Fu looks over to see Ya Lun retreating. She knew that marriage in this time was not about love but she can’t stop the tightness in her chest. Watching Ya Lun walk further away from her made her sad.

“Yes, thank you.” She whispers as she turns her back and walks with Yi Ru and Dong Cheng.

Truth: Ying Jie is one of the girls who is envious of her beauty. She grew up with books and watching her brothers train to be warriors and scholars. Treading and ettiequte lessons were not her passion but she did it nonetheless.

She has heard of Guo Xue Fu’s beauty. How could she not? Most of the girls have praised highly of her beauty and elegance. If it isn’t Guo Xue Fu, the name that leaves girls in a bliss is Yan Ya Lun. He was a remarkable gentlemen, talk around the city is he’s handsome, intelligent, and diligent. Lucky her.

Ying Jie looks over at him once more before looking straight ahead. Oh right! She suddenly remembers something, stopping her in her tracks.

“Is it okay for us to take the long way home?” 

Ya Lun looks at her, was she kidding? This was the longer way of getting home. If they wanted to take the faster route, he would’ve turned and went straight into their road but he wanted to take the longer way home tonight. 

“We are almost home.”

He caught her silence. What was on her mind right now? Could it be that she didn’t want to come home with him? Not that he was sad about the thought of it, they were not intimate with one another nor did they seek each other. So why was she suddenly feeling this way?

“Let’s go home, we can sit down and talk tonight.”

Ying Jie’s eyes widen. Since they have been married, there hasn’t been a time for them to properly talk to each other. He comes back late from work while she waits for him to return. Not much time has been given to them. Her only concern now is their room. She remembered Grandmother Yan saying something about leaving everything to her. All Ying Jie could so was high, if only she knew what she meant. 

When they stepped into the Yan house, she fought back and fourth about what Grandmother Yan meant. Her mind wandered off until she realized they were close to their room. So she stepped in front of him and smiles. His eyes widen, there was not a soul who was brazen enough to step in front of him. He tried to reach into his memories to recall if someone had stopped him before but nothing. There was no memory… until now. Sure enough, his wife is the first.

“Master Yan and I will be in the gardens. Can you kindly prepare tea for us?”

“Yes my lady, my lord.” The servants went off as Ying Jie turn around on her heels and made her way to the gardens.

“You don’t mind do you?”

Ya Lun shook his head, allowing her to lead as he followed after her, sitting down at one of the tables in the garden while the moonlight illuminated the night sky. The pond reflected the moonlight magnificently but it wasn't the reflection of the water that caught Ying Jie in a daze, it was the