Chapter 107: Easy to Soothe
"No matter what, I…"
Yu Yeqing's expression was a little grim, panic flickering deep in his eyes.
Song Hemei herself wasn't sure what she had done to seem unwilling, that it would make him think that way.
She let out a soft sigh and reached a hand out toward him. "How could that be? Don't overthink it. I noticed you're quite familiar with the shopkeeper here—shall we invite him to our wedding banquet?"
Yu Yeqing's long lashes fluttered. He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, a smile curving at the corners of his lips. "Alright. But didn't you say you didn't want a ceremony?"
He reached out too, meaning to take her hand, but Song Hemei pulled hers back, avoiding his grasp, and instead reached for the ingots and spirit money he was holding. "We don't need a formal ceremony, but it's fine to invite a few people you're close with for a meal together. My only worry is, if we invite them out of the blue, they might think we're just after their gift money."
She paused for a moment. "We could prepare some wine, sweets, and wedding candies and send them over instead. You still have official duties to attend to. If we really gather everyone for a meal, I'm afraid it might interfere with your work."
Yu Yeqing gazed at her, listening to her make plans for him. The earlier panic had completely dissipated, leaving only a deep, rich affection in his eyes, as if he could never look at her enough.
Song Hemei felt uncomfortable under his intense stare. She cleared her throat lightly and lowered her voice. "Restrain yourself a little. Don't keep looking at me like that."
She pulled at the items in his hands, but Yu Yeqing didn't let go. She urged him. "Give them to me. You still need to hold the reins."
Yu Yeqing's voice was very soft as he bargained with her. "They're a bit heavy. Could you hold the reins instead?"
Song Hemei didn't think much of it. She turned and mounted the horse. But when Yu Yeqing climbed up behind her and his strong arm wrapped around her waist, she realized something was off.
Her hand went up instinctively to touch his, but Yu Yeqing spoke first, his warm breath scattering across her ear. "I'll trouble you. My hands are full, and I'm afraid I'll lose my balance and fall off."
As he spoke, his arm tightened, pulling her back until her spine met his chest. They were pressed together, so close she could feel the steady, calm rhythm of his heartbeat, and it was making her own pulse race wildly.
Song Hemei took a deep breath, feeling her cheeks grow hot. She couldn't tell if he was doing it on purpose, but she didn't refuse him. She let him hold her like that, letting him guide her as she steered the horse forward.
The horse didn't walk fast, just swaying gently. Yu Yeqing rested his chin against her cheek, rubbing against her in a lazy, intermittent motion. The tingling, ticklish sensation made her swallow hard. She whispered, "Stop rubbing. If you fall off, I'm not going to save you."
"How could that be?" He held her even tighter, his voice slightly hoarse. "Second Miss is an excellent rider. You wouldn't just leave me be."
So now he knew she wouldn't abandon him. Now he wasn't worried she might be unhappy.
Still, Song Hemei pulled the reins a little tighter, keeping the horse from going too fast, just in case he didn't sit properly and really did fall off.
Back then, her elder brother had personally taught her to ride.
People in the merchant trade always had to travel around; it was inconvenient not knowing how to ride. When she was little, she'd watched with envy. Her mother wouldn't let her learn, so she'd gone to beg her brother.
Since she was a child, her elder brother had always doted on her. Whatever she wanted, whatever she wanted to do, if she just acted cute and begged her brother, he would always give in. Later on, he even found a female riding instructor for her.
But thinking of this made her a little curious about Yu Yeqing. "When did you learn to ride?"
His family was poor when he was young. Where they lived, having a donkey was considered doing well.
Yu Yeqing was silent for a moment. "It was my father."
That reminded Song Hemei. She had forgotten that he and his sister didn't share the same father.
It involved matters of the previous generation, so she didn't think it appropriate to pry. She only said, "Then your father must have doted on you a lot."
This time, he answered quickly. "Yes, he really did dote on me."
The horse passed through the streets, reached the countryside, and then traveled all the way up the mountain.
Only when they reached a flat area did they spot two solitary graves. It seemed their death anniversary had been about a month prior, and Yu Yeqing must have cleaned the area when he came to pay respects then. There weren't many weeds now, and a layer of soil, a different color from the earth below, had been added.
Yu Yeqing dismounted first, then turned back and raised his hand for her to hold. Song Hemei placed her hand on his arm, and couldn't help thinking—this was the first time she was meeting his parents. Was it really appropriate to be so physically close?
Suppressing her nervousness, she moved closer little by little. When she could clearly see the inscriptions, she saw that Yu Yeqing's father was indeed surnamed Qi, and his mother was recorded as Madam Yu. Looking further down, the name of the person who had erected the stele was his younger sister, Qi Minglian.
Song Hemei lifted her eyes to glance at the man beside her.
This was indeed a bit strange. Logically, stelae were erected by men, and the names inscribed would naturally be men's. Not to mention that Minglian had been in poor health for years and was still quite young when their parents died. How could she have managed these arrangements?
Song Hemei wanted to ask, but didn't know where to begin. Just then, Yu Yeqing knelt down.
She was startled and instinctively moved to kneel beside him, but Yu Yeqing stopped her. "You don't have to kneel. The money for building these graves back then—it was you who paid for it. You have done me a great kindness. You shouldn't have to kneel to my parents."
Keeping things very separate, wasn't he.
Song Hemei stood by his side, watching him draw a circle on the ground and burn the spirit money, her thoughts drifting.
To her, giving out some silver wasn't a big deal. Although she knew the silver she casually gave away was very important to them, she had never truly given it much thought. She had never imagined before that such a casual favor on her part could make him remember it so vividly, even leading him to develop feelings for her because of it.
It was hard for her not to wonder—could he truly distinguish between gratitude and romantic love? Or rather, if it had been someone else who had given him that silver back then, would that person be the one his heart belonged to now?
When this thought surfaced, she was momentarily stunned, and it also brought to mind the question Yu Yeqing had asked her repeatedly back then.
He had asked, if it had been someone else she'd met when she ran out of the Shao residence, would she have been intimate with that other person instead.
The insight that had eluded her three years ago now clicked into place with perfect clarity. No wonder he had asked that question over and over. No wonder he was so concerned about what exactly it was she valued in him. So this was the root of the problem. Perhaps when one truly cared, when one had fallen in love, they would long to be unique and irreplaceable. Even she was like that now. It seemed that in the future, if he asked her these questions again, she couldn't just give casual answers and make him feel insecure.
Yu Yeqing was speaking softly to his parents. When she came back to her senses, she heard him say, "…Your son is getting married. It is the Second Miss Song that I mentioned before."
Hearing him refer to her, Song Hemei bent forward and performed a respectful bow, a gesture for her elders.
Then he talked a bit about Minglian. Over these three years, although Minglian's health hadn't improved significantly, it hadn't worsened either. On good days, she could even walk a few circles around the courtyard. It would be fine if things could continue this way.
He paused, then suddenly turned his head to look at her. His eyes were deep and seemed hesitant, but he still spoke. "Actually, I am not my father's biological son."
Song Hemei hadn't expected him to bring it up voluntarily, but he certainly should have told her. Since they were getting married, they were family, and it was only right to be clear about the family situation.
She nodded. "I know. When I first met your aunt three years ago, Minglian had already mentioned it to me."
Yu Yeqing looked away, lowering his eyes to add another handful of spirit money to the fire. "You said before that you liked that I was a good scholar, that I reached my current official position in just three years. But my position didn't come through the imperial examinations. I was granted an audience with His Majesty through my biological father's influence, which is how I got to where I am now. So… the other officials who came on this inspection tour with me all disdain to travel in my company."
Song Hemei was slightly surprised. So that was why he was always alone, no matter where he went.
But this time, her reaction was quick. Afraid that he would be uneasy because she knew about his official career, and that he might think she would dislike him for it, she quickly said, "That's fine. Even if your position wasn't earned through the examinations, it doesn't change the fact that I'm fond of you."
Yu Yeqing was startled, instinctively looking up at her. Song Hemei broke into a bright smile. She placed her hand on his shoulder and gently reassured him. "But it's only natural that your colleagues disdain to travel with you. You have to admit, you've kind of taken a shortcut. You gain certain advantages, so you have to endure certain cold stares. Don't be upset. Once you do your job well and have some real achievements, it'll be fine."
She half-crouched down, looking him straight in the eye. Her eyes were even brighter than the morning sun just rising behind her. "But I still think you're wonderful. No matter what you are, I'm still fond of you."
Yu Yeqing's breath hitched. His pupils trembled, and a faint blush crept up the tips of his ears.
Song Hemei saw it and smiled, reaching up to pinch his earlobe. "Are you blushing?"
He was pretty easy to soothe.
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