Chapter 50: Affection. It seemed she truly liked Shen Ji.

After bidding farewell to Prince Yan and his wife, the group prepared to continue their journey.

However, unlike before, this time they had two carriages and an escort of Yan Wang Manor Guards.

There was no need to worry about their safety.

As she was about to board the carriage, Su Zhenyue was a little distracted and habitually went to share a carriage with Nanxing.

Unexpectedly, Ping An beat her to it.

“Miss Su, my sister Nanxing and I will take a carriage together to chat for a while,” Ping An said with a grin.

He had been more severely injured before, and although he had recuperated for some time, he had not yet fully recovered and was unfit to ride a horse. During his convalescence, he had relied heavily on Nanxing’s care. When they had some free time, they compared their ages, and finding that Nanxing was two years his senior, they decided to become sworn siblings.

Of course, although the two were close, they weren’t so inseparable that they needed to stick together in a carriage. But didn’t Ping An figure that, compared to him, the Young Master would surely prefer to share a carriage with Miss Su?

He had always been very sensible.

Fearing Miss Su might not agree, Ping An had a flash of inspiration and came up with another excellent reason. “The Young Master and I, our injuries haven’t fully healed yet. If we get tired from the ride later, we’ll both need to lie down and rest, and there won’t be enough space in the carriage.”

Su Zhenyue paused, and without giving it much thought, she casually agreed, “Mm, alright.”

Shen Ji glanced at her, the corners of his lips curling up slightly, not revealing the fact that he had already mostly recovered.

Come to think of it, they had known each other for so long but had never shared a carriage.

A sense of anticipation unconsciously bloomed within him.

And so, with Shen Ji and Su Zhenyue in the front carriage and Nanxing and Ping An in the back, they set off toward Anle County under the escort of the guards.

The carriage Prince Yan’s estate had prepared for them was spacious and comfortable, furnished with soft cushions and a small table, upon which were several plates of washed seasonal fruits.

Even if it were as Ping An had said, there was more than enough room for two people to lie down.

But Su Zhenyue was a little distracted.

Yes, distracted.

She had only one thought in her mind now: When did she start looking forward to having a wedding ceremony?

Did this mean that she, in fact, also held feelings of love and admiration for Shen Ji?

Did she… love Shen Ji?

Su Zhenyue was a little lost. She had thought it was just a suitable match, just gratitude.

“What are you thinking about?” Shen Ji asked abruptly.

“N-nothing.”

Shen Ji’s gaze narrowed slightly, unconvinced.

Su Zhenyue quickly found an excuse. “I-I was just thinking about your injury. Ping An said you haven’t fully recovered. Why don’t you lie down? I see there’s enough room in this carriage.”

“Listening to his nonsense? I’ve already recovered,” Shen Ji said with a laugh.

“Really?”

Seeing her skepticism, Shen Ji’s brows twitched slightly. “Want me to show you?”

“Show me what?” Su Zhenyue blinked, not understanding for a moment.

“The wound,” Shen Ji said, making a move as if to untie his sash.

Seeing this, Su Zhenyue’s heart panicked, and she hurriedly reached out to stop him. “No, no, really, you don’t have to.”

She moved too quickly, and by sheer coincidence, her hand landed right on Shen Ji’s, which was about to untie the sash.

Before she could pull her hand back, Shen Ji clasped it in his.

Su Zhenyue’s cheeks flushed crimson.

Shen Ji had only meant to tease her, but seeing her cheeks blush as if rouged, he felt a slight itch in his heart. His voice was extremely low. “What? Did you want to help me untie it yourself?”

Su Zhenyue didn’t speak, only shaking her head with a red face.

“Then do you still want to see the wound?” Shen Ji asked again.

Su Zhenyue felt that she should refuse at this point. Since he was able to travel, his injury must not be severe, and his complexion was much better than when he was first injured.

But as if possessed, she nodded, pulled her hand from his, and said softly, “Then… then I’ll take a look.”

Shen Ji was a little surprised; he had thought she would refuse.

The carriage moved along, the ride fairly smooth.

Shen Ji actually did untie his sash, revealing the long scar on his chest.

Su Zhenyue took a quick glance.

She knew that Shen Ji was handsome. But all this time, she had only ever seen him clothed. Seeing his well-defined upper body so suddenly, she couldn’t help but feel her face grow warm.

But it was only for an instant before her attention was drawn to the scar.

The scar was very long and had turned pink. It was a bit conspicuous on his chest, and a bit frightening.

Su Zhenyue had thought she would be embarrassed, but upon actually seeing it, she felt more heartache than anything else.

In fact, she had seen the mangled, bloody wound when Shen Ji was first injured and had even bandaged it for him personally. It was clearly much better now than it was then. But she still felt a sourness in her heart.

She still remembered how he had gotten this wound.

After a slight hesitation, Su Zhenyue reached out and gently touched Shen Ji’s scar.

“Does it hurt?”

However, her touch was so light, yet Shen Ji’s body trembled almost imperceptibly, and even the tips of his ears turned a little red.

He moved extremely quickly, pressing her hand down and saying in a low voice, “It doesn’t hurt when you touch it. It tickles.”

Her fingertips were on the scar on his body, the back of her hand against his warm palm. For a moment, she couldn’t tell which was warmer.

Su Zhenyue looked up and met Shen Ji’s deep, ink-black eyes.

They were so close that her reflection in his eyes was exceptionally clear.

Su Zhenyue suddenly felt that the carriage had become a bit stuffy, so hot that her cheeks were burning.

Letting out a soft “mm,” she feigned nonchalance and averted her gaze. “As long as it doesn’t hurt.”

“The wound on my waist, do you want to see it?” Shen Ji asked again.

Su Zhenyue shook her head. “No.”

When she had applied medicine for him back then, she had seen both wounds with her own eyes and knew the one on his chest was more severe. Since the one on his chest was fine, the one on his waist should have healed as well, right?

“Mm.” Shen Ji didn’t say much more, simply tidying his clothes.

The sound was soft, yet it seemed so loud, almost drowning out the clear beat of Su Zhenyue’s heart.

She placed her hands on her knees, suddenly understanding her own feelings at this moment: she seemed to genuinely like Shen Ji a little.

It wasn’t the suitability of their similar ages and appearances, nor was it gratitude for him saving her several times. It was a genuine affection, a desire to spend a lifetime with him.

She wasn’t sure when exactly this affection had started, but the thought of being with him forever made her heart feel warm and inexplicably at ease, accompanied by a faint, subtle joy.

This feeling was quite novel for Su Zhenyue.

Back at the Jing An Marquis Estate, she and Gu Yuanchen had been childhood sweethearts and had thought about being together when they grew up. But back then, it was more about her wanting to stay in the Marquis Estate forever, and Gu Yuanchen happening to express his willingness to marry her.

It was different from how she felt now.

She was in a daze. So, she could also develop feelings for someone.

Shen Ji quickly straightened his clothes and suddenly felt a tickle on his knee.

It was Su Zhenyue, who had placed her hand on his lap.

“Hm?” Shen Ji’s brows twitched slightly.

Su Zhenyue tilted her head to look at him, her watery eyes sparkling. “Cousin, I’m a little sleepy. Can I lean on you to rest for a while?”

“What do you think?” Shen Ji said with a half-smile.

Did she even need to ask?

“I think I can,” Su Zhenyue replied with a straight face.

The moment she finished speaking, Shen Ji felt a weight on his shoulder.

It was Su Zhenyue, resting her head on his shoulder, just as she had at the Dragon King Temple.

Shen Ji chuckled softly.

As the carriage moved forward, Su Zhenyue’s eyes were slightly closed, quiet and still. After holding the position for a while, her neck became a little uncomfortable, and she gently tugged on his clothes.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Ji lowered his gaze to look at her.

Su Zhenyue didn’t speak, only finding a more comfortable position to lean against him before closing her eyes again.

She thought: He must not know what I’m thinking right now.

…

It was a bit boring sitting in the carriage.

After resting for a while, Su Zhenyue opened her eyes and tugged on Shen Ji’s sleeve again. “Cousin, tell me a story, alright?”

“What do you want to hear?” Shen Ji raised a hand and discreetly massaged his shoulder.

Su Zhenyue saw this and very attentively helped him by patting it a few times. “My fault, my fault. Is it a little sore?”

“It’s fine.” Shen Ji squinted slightly. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt that she seemed particularly lively today.

However, he liked this liveliness.

Su Zhenyue massaged Shen Ji’s shoulder for a while, then pestered him to tell a story. “Cousin, tell me a story about when you were little.”

“A story from my childhood?”

“Mhm, of course, stories from when you were grown up are fine too,” Su Zhenyue said, seeming very easy to please.

Shen Ji felt he didn’t have much to tell, but it was rare to see her so interested. “How about a few interesting anecdotes from my study travels?”

“Okay, okay.”

Shen Ji thought for a moment, then picked a few interesting things he had seen and heard to tell her.

Su Zhenyue listened attentively, being a very supportive audience.

Gazing at her smiling eyes, Shen Ji’s heart stirred. A thought suddenly popped into his head, but he quickly suppressed it.

No rush, no rush. He had patience.

With someone he cared about by his side, even a tedious journey seemed to become interesting.

It was over a hundred li from Prince Yan’s estate to Anle County. The group traveled by day and rested by night, finally arriving in Anle County on the afternoon of the second day.

However, when the carriage stopped in front of the Anle County Yamen and they all disembarked, they were all stunned.

Was this the county yamen of Anle County?

It looked a bit dilapidated, incomparable to the Shuo Chuan County Yamen.

One of the escorting guards shouted, “The magistrate of Anle County has arrived to take up his post! Why aren’t you coming out to greet him?”

After a moment, a few people emerged from the rear hall of the yamen. “Coming, coming. Which one is the new Lord Magistrate?”

They said they were coming, but their pace was not very fast.

“It is I, Shen Ji.” Shen Ji took a step forward, calmly sizing up the men before him.

The leader was a man in his forties with a goatee, named Yan Haisheng, who introduced himself as the local County Clerk. He smiled, his expression excited. “Excellent! Ever since we received the transfer order from above, we’ve been hoping day and night. We’ve finally managed to wait for you, Your Lordship.”

With that, he made a “please” gesture. “Your Lordship, please, come inside.”

Before Shen Ji could speak, the man slapped his own head with an “Aiyo.” “Look how muddle-headed I am. The rear residence of the yamen hasn’t been cleaned in a long time. We should go to a restaurant to welcome Your Lordship instead.”

“That won’t be necessary. A quick cleaning will suffice,” Shen Ji politely declined. “I have many people with me; the cleaning will be fast.”

Only then did County Clerk Yan notice the troop of guards following the new magistrate.

This group of men was tall and sturdy, their spirits high. One look was enough to know they were not to be trifled with.

County Clerk Yan quickly asked, “Your Lordship, these are…”

“Oh, we were attacked on the road. Prince Yan was worried and sent a troop of his personal guards to protect me,” Shen Ji said faintly.

Upon hearing they were sent by Prince Yan, the expressions of Yan Haisheng and the others changed slightly, and they unconsciously became much more respectful. “Ah, so they are Prince Yan’s personal guards.”

In Youzhou, who didn’t know the name of Prince Yan? Seeing that Prince Yan had personally sent men to escort him, the men couldn’t help but feel a bit more reverence for this newly arrived magistrate.

Since Shen Ji was unwilling to go to a restaurant, these people didn’t dare to insist and meekly agreed.

The group went directly to the rear residence of the yamen.

Upon entering the rear residence, Su Zhenyue breathed a small sigh of relief. It was better than she had imagined. Although it was old, the layout was good, and there were many rooms.

As long as it was properly cleaned up, it would be livable.

It was getting late, and Su Zhenyue didn’t want to waste time, so she immediately started tidying up.

Although Prince Yan had instructed before they left that the troop of guards was at their disposal, Su Zhenyue felt too embarrassed to order them around. Unexpectedly, they took the initiative to ask what needed to be done.

Since that was the case, Su Zhenyue didn’t stand on ceremony with them and simply divided up the tasks.

There was still some time before dark, so everyone either swept the courtyard, cleaned the kitchen, tidied the furniture, or went out to buy bedding…

They were all busy and happy.

It was a good thing Shen Ji had plenty of money, and a good thing Nanxing had grabbed their valuables when they fled the attack.

The group bustled about, and by the time it was dark, the rear residence of the yamen was finally tidied up.

There was no rice or firewood in the kitchen, so Su Zhenyue simply had someone go to a nearby restaurant and order two tables of fine dishes to be delivered.

Everyone was hungry after a bout of hard work, so they didn’t bother with formalities between host and guest and enjoyed a hearty meal together.

During the meal, Su Zhenyue secretly gave Shen Ji a meaningful look.

Shen Ji understood and gave a slight nod.

After the meal, everyone went to rest, leaving only the two of them behind.

The moonlight was bright, and the courtyard gradually grew quiet, with the occasional chirp of an unknown insect.

A rare look of pride appeared on Su Zhenyue’s face. “Well?”

“Well what?”

“How did I do today?” Su Zhenyue pointed to the clean and tidy courtyard. “Look.”

Shen Ji smiled slightly. “Very well. Exceptionally well.”

He truly thought so. In his eyes, she was beautiful and clever, delicate and cunning. But he had never associated her with handling miscellaneous chores.

He hadn’t expected her to be so decisive and methodical when she worked. Such a messy situation was dealt with in just a few hours, and every aspect had been considered.

“Right?” A smile rippled in Su Zhenyue’s eyes. She thought to herself that she had, after all, grown up in the Marquis Estate and had lived in her own courtyard since she was less than ten years old. This sort of thing was really just a small matter for her.

It was strange, though. She hadn’t thought about anything else before. But ever since she realized yesterday that she might truly have feelings for Shen Ji, she had an inexplicable desire to show him a better side of herself.

Shen Ji nodded with a smile. “Yes.”

Su Zhenyue thought for a moment, then said, “But, I spent quite a bit of your money today.”

“Isn’t it yours?” Shen Ji raised an eyebrow, his expression one of taking it for granted. “Once I give it to you, it’s yours. If it’s not enough, I have more.”

Su Zhenyue chuckled, feeling more and more that her decision to seek him out back then was truly the most correct decision she had ever made.

It was so good that they had both survived.

Although there were still some troubles at present, once Prince Yan ascended the throne, the days ahead would all be good.

“By the way, Cousin, there are a lot of people in the house. I plan to hire two cooks and expand the kitchen a bit.” Su Zhenyue raised a hand to point and asked with great interest, “Over there, how about we plant some flowers?”

“We can.”

“I wonder how many years we’ll be living here. If it’s for many years, we can plant a few trees. If it’s just for a short time, then forget it, they might not survive…” Su Zhenyue continued.

Her voice was soft and gentle, carrying a special charm in the night.

Shen Ji listened attentively, occasionally chiming in with a word or two.

The bright moonlight poured down on the two of them, and their shadows on the ground had, at some point, leaned against each other.

Nestled together, exceptionally close.

Shen Ji’s heart warmed, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: her willingness to come to Anle County with him was truly a stroke of great fortune for him.

But this didn’t seem to be enough.

“…There’s an empty space over there. How about we build a swing set?” Su Zhenyue was still discussing it with him.

But she didn’t hear Shen Ji’s reply.

Surprised, she turned to look and saw him staring fixedly at her.

“Cousin?”

Shen Ji’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Mianmian, let’s get married sooner, alright?”

“Ah? Aren’t we already married?” the young woman’s voice was very soft.

Shen Ji said, “That one doesn’t count. I’m talking about a real wedding.”

Su Zhenyue let out an “oh,” followed by a long silence.

The night was quiet, with only the chirping of insects in the distance.

Shen Ji’s heart sank slightly, a touch of disappointment creeping into it.

He had thought that their relationship had clearly changed recently. Sometimes, he distinctly felt that she might have developed feelings for him.

Was it just… his imagination?

“Cousin, is there something I haven’t told you yet?” Su Zhenyue suddenly looked up and took a few steps closer.

In the darkness, her eyes were astonishingly bright. The thought of what she was about to say made her a little nervous.

Shen Ji’s heart leaped. “What?”

Su Zhenyue looked into his eyes and said sincerely and earnestly, “I think I really like you.”