Chapter 13: Distancing
The echoes of the shopkeeper's voice lingered, informing everyone of the lord's impending visit to inspect the accounts the following day.
Having spent the better part of the day at the rice shop, Xi Che understood that this was a routine procedure conducted annually at this time of year in the border town.
The rice shop held a significant position, and Ji's Rice Shop, adhering to its founding principles, would even distribute porridge during harsh times of the year.
Over the years, this act of benevolence had garnered the Ji family considerable prestige.
Moreover, General Ji Yunshen had been stationed at the border for decades, and tracing their lineage further back, the General's family had always been unwaveringly loyal.
In a sense, the Ji General's family could be considered one of the symbols of the border town.
Xi Che listened attentively as Lai Fu, standing beside him, imparted this knowledge.
Unknowingly, his understanding of Ji Li's past and the Ji family's history deepened.
He relished this feeling and was content with his current situation.
After the young man had discerned his own feelings, his subtle thoughts, both overt and covert, seemed to multiply greatly.
Therefore, the possibility of seeing his crush was only one in a million.
For him, this was enough to make him elated for a while.
As he listened to new information about Jili that he didn't know before, a faint smile played on his face.
This even made Lai Fu sneak several glances at him.
Thinking about the speculation among the others about him being brought back by Miss Ji secretly, Lai Fu approached him, saying, "Hey, Xi Che, I've told you so much, why don't you tell me something in return?"
Lowering his tone, he added, "I have a question for you..."
Lai Fu was a straightforward and good-natured person, with a hint of humor.
Xi Che had a favorable impression of him and replied, "Go ahead and ask."
Lai Fu said, "I heard... that Miss Ji brought you back intentionally?" Clicking his tongue twice, he looked at Xi Che and asked, "Is this true or just a rumor people are spreading?"
Xi Che's eyes subtly narrowed, pretending to be hesitant, "Well, uh..."
Many times, words don't need to be spoken explicitly.
Not answering is a kind of answer in itself.
Seeing this, Lai Fu widened his small eyes immediately, with a big question mark in them, feeling confused, "Uh?"
Unconsciously swallowing, he said, "Really, for real?" and quickly showed respect, "I apologize, I apologize."
"So, is it also true about the matter of choosing a son-in-law? Is that really happening?" Lai Fu raised his eyebrows playfully, "You're... so quiet, you're really something!"
This made Xi Che fall into silence.
Rumors had already deviated from their original track, spreading like wildfire and adding a gossipy twist to the situation.
A few days ago, Xi Che would have explained firmly.
But now, he couldn't bring himself to say, "Miss Ji is kind-hearted and has shown me favor." He just remained silent.
He... despicably didn't want to deny it.
Lai Fu didn't understand the subtlety of the situation, just scanning back and forth with his eyes.
After a while, he coughed lightly twice, patted his shoulder in a friendly manner, and chuckled in a straightforward manner.
Xi Che nodded slightly at him and smiled as they exchanged glances.
After finishing his work for the day, he returned to the general's mansion.
For the past two days, he had been practicing horse stance in Ji Li's courtyard as instructed.
Unfortunately, he hadn't run into her for two or three days.
Luckily, the household members were coming to check the accounts today.
Xi Che rarely wore a light blue embroidered robe with a subtle pattern, arriving early at the designated place.
He seldom wore such bright colors.
His already exquisite features were accentuated by the attire, attracting glances from Lai Fu.
But it had been a while since they had seen each other for three days.
The young man suppressed his complicated thoughts and just waited patiently.
However, the person who arrived was someone he didn't recognize.
The person went about checking the accounts methodically, with the shopkeepers surrounding him with friendly faces.
But it wasn't Ji Li who had arrived.
He had perhaps grown too accustomed to the good days, which led him to act foolishly.
Why would Miss Ji go out of her way to make a trip?
He had to push his thoughts back down and continue waiting.
But in the end, that day was just one of many ordinary days in his life.
As November arrived, the autumn air weakened slightly, allowing the cold breath of winter to seep in.
Only a few scattered leaves remained on the tree branches, covered in the chill of frost.
He and Ji Li had not seen each other in almost ten days within the mansion.
More importantly, he learned of another important piece of news.
Her cousin was coming.
Xi Che didn't know the cousin's name or age, but from the snippets of conversation from the staff, he guessed that this cousin was highly educated.
Suddenly, he felt a slight sense of loss in his heart, unlike the days before.
With heavy frost and cold winds creeping through the cracks in the windows, fluttering the pale blue curtains hanging on the canopy bed, Xi Che sat on the bed, staring at a point for a long time, his expression devoid of any emotion.
The words "cousin" lingered on his tongue before drifting away.
He even thought about going out to pick a flower to bring in.
The young man didn't have a particularly nuanced understanding of the relationship between cousins, only vaguely remembering scenes from childhood where people joked about marrying off certain cousins.
Back then, he used to gaze up at the cloud-wooden beams above, thinking the palace was quite luxurious.
Much better than where they lived.
Then, that cousin went off to marry someone, and the next year, news came that she had died far from home.
The memories of the past weren't all pleasant, and happiness was always in short supply.
That's why he felt so insecure and cautious when he first met Ji Li.
He didn't consider himself a fortunate person, and his only stroke of luck seemed to be in meeting Ji Li.
She seemed to have grown up in a loving environment, unlike him.
The girl grew up radiantly, blossoming slowly and gracefully like a precious flower.
And now, she had unexpectedly dragged him into the same world.
As he blinked his thick eyelashes, they fluttered up and down like a dark brush.
In the next moment, Xi Che started to feel insecure again.
Maybe he was just assuming things on his own?
These secretive and vague feelings always entangled him, filling his mind with more thoughts before falling asleep.
His past tumultuous experiences had made him more mature than most people his age most of the time.
He was not completely ignorant of love and relationships.
It was precisely because he understood that he cared so much.
At this moment, he inexplicably felt a tightness in his heart.
All the guessing and turmoil left him feeling restless, but despite feeling uneasy, he still lay down on the bed fully clothed.
He fell asleep with a decision in his heart about what to do, feeling slightly restless.
...
The next morning, he went about practicing his basic skills as usual.
But this time, he made much more progress.
He even stood out a bit.
The young man closed his eyes lightly, focusing solely on his practice.
But deep down, he had his own thoughts.
He knew that both Yun Yi and Yun'er would be watching.
It had been the same for the past dozen days.
Ji Li's intentions were clear from the start – she wanted him to improve.
Initially, Xi Che felt a bit overwhelmed by this help and felt unworthy of it.
Now, however, he vaguely guessed at her intentions—
Miss, perhaps she wanted to cultivate him.
Or maybe... she wanted him to do something for her.
But as he unraveled these intentions in his mind, there was a hint of joy.
She thought he was useful.
This realization left his heart empty for a moment.
People who are deemed useless are quickly abandoned.
If he was useful, it meant at least for now he could always be by her side.
A drop of sweat trickled down his cheek, soaking the red mole on his face.
Xi Che steadied his posture and resumed his practice once more.
In these few days, Ji Li had been busy investigating the Xu Cheng case, her feet barely touching the ground.
Luckily, she was able to gather some details, combined with her memories from her past life, allowing her to piece together fragments of the case.
As she wrapped up her findings, she heard that Xu cousin would be arriving in the next couple of days.
She looked at the young man outside diligently practicing and couldn't help but furrow her brow.
Today was meant for rest, he didn't need to go to the mill but instead, he was here practicing his stances early in the morning.
She had expected him to leave as usual when the time came, but to her surprise, he remained steadfast.
Tirelessly pushing himself with extra drills.
She couldn't help but think to herself: Young people really do have a lot of energy...
After just a couple of weeks, it already felt like winter.
The borderlands were always cold early, and with just a dark robe on, he looked quite desolate.
She couldn't tell if it was just her imagination, but she felt like Xi Che had grown taller this month.
The clothes she had made for him when he first arrived at the mansion seemed a bit short now.
Beneath his long legs, his ankles were exposed, glaringly white.
She wondered if he was cold...
But he seemed like a block of wood, never asking.
After almost half an hour, she pushed open the door and called out a name from the yard, "A Che, stop practicing."
She gestured for him to come over, "Come, have a cup of hot tea to relax."
The young man quickly stood up and walked over to her side, saying, "Okay," with a faint smile in his voice.
Ji Li responded casually, without looking at him, and walked into the inner courtyard.
Seemingly just informing him not to overdo it.
Xi Che hesitated slightly and subconsciously asked in a hushed tone, "Miss...?" He seemed to sense that Ji Li was somewhat distant from him today.
She appeared very occupied recently, and he wondered if someone had upset her?
He couldn't help but search his mind to make sure he had always behaved well before he quietly relieved a sigh of relief.
But in a split second, he remembered the scholars that servants mentioned earlier in the day.
Ji Li's cousin, Xu Zexu.
Although he was precocious, he was only about fourteen or fifteen years old.
The sudden subtle change in the girl's attitude left him somewhat confused.
Could it be... she also thought scholars were better?
Would she prefer a scholar for a future husband...?
Xi Che couldn't help but think about his limited academic level, restricted to reading the Four Books, and fell into a long silence.
The warm ginger tea warmed him up, with red dates delicately adorning it, the sweetness seeping in with every sip.
He usually didn't like sweet things, but whenever he was with Ji Li, he found himself enjoying them.
Sometimes, he even savored them unexpectedly.
But this time, the cup of hot tea was a farewell gesture.
Ji Li simply told him to come back tomorrow to learn something new.
A cool breeze wafted through, carrying the scent of flowers from the yard.
Xi Che stared at the teacup in his hand and chuckled.
If she meant to teach him something new, he suspected it was more than just what was in the cup.
He wondered when she would actually teach him.