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墨書 Inktalez
"Don't you have any worries?" Yun Kexin asked, not believing it.
"Of course I do," the Boatman turned around and said with a smile, "but if you can't solve them right now, you can only set them aside and gather your strength."
"Gathering strength!" Yun Kexin repeated softly. It was nothing much; she just gazed far out at the horizon of the sea, feeling it was so close yet so distant.
At this moment, the boat had already sailed quite far and was in the center of the river, with no sight of the riverbanks.
"Shining, Shan Yue, where are we going?" Yun Kexin looked around at the water surrounding them and asked with some concern, "We won't get lost, will we?"
"We won't. The Boatman makes a living from this; how could he get lost?" Shan Yue laughed. "Don't worry, sister. After we have our fun, he'll safely take you back home."
"Do you trust him that much?" Yun Kexin tilted her head and glanced at Shan Yue, quietly questioning her.
"Of course," Shan Yue said as she shrank her neck and smiled mysteriously.
Yun Kexin felt puzzled by Shan Yue's expression and chose to ignore it, turning her gaze to the emerald river. She noticed the water was clear enough to see fish and shrimp swimming about, some quite large. Excitedly, she exclaimed:
"Shining, Shan Yue, this river shouldn't be deep. Let's go down and catch some fish; we can have grilled fish later!"
Before the two maidens could react, the Boatman turned around to stop her:
"That's not possible; this river is much deeper than what your eyes can see."
"Why? I can only see this little bit," Yun Kexin stood up and gestured with her hands, "It feels like it's right in front of me."
"That's because of the sunlight," the Boatman stopped rowing, stood up straight, pointed to the sky above his head, and then pointed to the river water. "When it refracts into a person's eyes, it looks different. Seventh Sister, just take a look."
He took a long wooden stick that was lying on the boat and plunged it straight into the river. To her surprise, it submerged two-thirds of its length—much deeper than she had indicated. She thought to herself that if she were to go in like that, she might drown.
"Is that so? Boatman is really impressive," Yun Kexin clapped her hands and laughed, "You know so much."
"What's so surprising about that? I'm someone who travels back and forth on the river," Boatman replied with a faint smile.
"Do you all use this to catch fish?" Yun Kexin pointed at the iron fork in Boatman's hand.
"That's right. Seventh Sister, look at the river and see which fish you want to catch," Boatman said, holding the iron fork up and down, smiling, "I'll catch it for you."
"Great, um—" Yun Kexin stood at the edge of the boat, leaning slightly outward, resting her chin on her hand as she observed, "That big one."
"Alright, just a moment!" As soon as Boatman finished speaking, he swung his strong arm, plunging the iron fork into the water. When he pulled it up again, there was already a fish on the prongs.
Yun Kexin was excited, laughing and jumping around, forgetting all her recent unhappiness. Shining and Shan Yue, seeing this scene, couldn't help but chuckle silently: Seventh Sister was finally lively and adorable again, greeting everyone with a smile.
Yun Kexin didn't notice the "stolen smiles" on the faces of her two maids or their thumbs-up gestures towards Boatman. Her attention was completely focused on that magical "weapon" in Boatman's hand—wherever she pointed, no fish or shrimp could escape his steel fork.
"Boatman, who taught you this skill?" Yun Kexin asked with admiration in her eyes.
"It's just some family skills to make a living," Boatman replied modestly with a smile. "A kind-hearted guest taught me, and then I figured it out myself when there were no passengers."
"Hurry and put the fish in the basket," Shan Yue came over with a basket already filled with many fish. "Tonight we can have a barbecue."
"You only know how to eat," Shining laughed as she helped pack the fish and shrimp.
"Sister, look quickly! There's another boat ahead," Shining suddenly exclaimed. "But it seems it's not for carrying passengers; it's a pleasure boat. It's so beautiful!"
Following Shining's direction, Yun Kexin looked over and indeed saw a luxurious pleasure boat gliding toward them not far away. Strangely, there were very few people on board. Just as she was about to ask, Boatman suddenly threw his head back and laughed:
"Shan Yue, you lost! I knew he wouldn't be able to resist coming before the time was up, right?"
"Yes, I lost," Shan Yue said with a cheerful nod and a smile.
Yun Kexin was stunned: "Servant?" Did Shan Yue already know this Boatman? In her bewildered gaze, the Boatman removed his bamboo hat, and Yun Kexin exclaimed, "Wei Qing?! Brother-in-law, what are you doing here? Why are you disguised as a Boatman?!"
"Seventh Sister asked him—" Wei Qing laughed as he tossed aside the hat and pulled off the mask, turning to point at someone on the approaching boat, saying with a smile, "It was his idea."
Yun Kexin was even more confused as she craned her neck to look. When she finally saw someone on the boat, she froze: Feng Yinxiao! Dressed in a light blue robe with silver thread patterns, his handsome face appeared even more refined in the cold wind. He looked elegant and scholarly, with nearly dark blue hair flowing in the breeze. His bright eyes sparkled upon seeing the beauty before him, and his lips curved into a smile that seemed both playful and teasing. He stood at the railing with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance, his eyes never leaving Yun Kexin.
Finally, the two boats drew close, and their eyes met. Yun Kexin's delicate features were further flushed by the setting sun.
"Yun Kexin, come aboard," Feng Yinxiao called out, leaning against the ship's railing and reaching out his hand toward the dazed Yun Kexin.
"Seventh Sister, hurry up! Why are you in a daze?" Wei Qing urged with a smile. "I’m sure Young Lord is waiting impatiently on the other side of the river."
As he spoke, a faint blush appeared on Feng Yinxiao's face.
"Hurry up, Seventh Sister," Shan Yue said with a grin. "We’ve been looking forward to this moment for so long."
Her words were filled with playful mischief.
Yun Kexin hesitated but took a step forward and reached out her hand. Unexpectedly, Feng Yinxiao wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her onto the boat, leaving Yun Kexin blushing furiously.
"Alright, you two enjoy your time on the boat," Wei Qing said teasingly. "I need to find my wife."
"Sister, let's go to the other side of the river to find Fourth Sister; she's still waiting there alone," Shining winked at Yun Kexin and said with a laugh. "With Young Lord by your side, we servants are just unnecessary."
Without giving Yun Kexin a chance to respond or question them, they turned and sat back down on the edge of the boat. Wei Qing began rowing away smoothly with the current, leaving her no time to shout after them.
“Yun Kexin, why are you not talking?” Feng Yinxiao walked up behind Yun Kexin, leaned down, and whispered in her ear, “Are you unhappy to see me?”
“No,” Yun Kexin turned around, her lively eyes fixed on Feng Yinxiao, pouting, “How could the Young Lord treat me like that just now—”
“Like what?” Feng Yinxiao found her angry expression adorable and pretended to be clueless to tease her.
“Just…” Yun Kexin stretched out her hand, mimicking how Feng Yinxiao had held her, shyly saying, “In front of so many people, the Young Lord actually…” She finally turned her face away and ignored him.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” Feng Yinxiao smiled slightly. “This boat is much higher than a small boat. There’s no ladder; I could only carry you up.”
Yun Kexin blushed and walked away, sitting down on a bench by the railing, gazing into the distance. Feng Yinxiao followed and sat beside her.
“Yun Kexin, can you not be angry anymore?” Feng Yinxiao leaned against the railing with one hand while turning to look at her. “I really just wanted you to get on the boat quickly without worrying about anything else. I’m sorry.”
In truth, he didn’t really want to say “sorry,” because there was a lingering thought in his subconscious: he wanted to marry her immediately, to hold her tightly in his arms without letting go—Feng Yinxiao finally understood what his mother meant by being “stifled.” Although his concerns were different from hers, he couldn’t help but want to bring Yun Kexin home, letting her live in his world so that even holding hands wouldn’t feel like such a grave mistake.
“It’s fine; just remember next time, Young Lord,” Yun Kexin couldn’t resist Feng Yinxiao’s elegant and gentle coaxing. No matter how bad-tempered she was, she couldn’t stay angry in front of him. “Fortunately, there were no outsiders just now; otherwise…” Yun Kexin paused and changed the topic. “First of all, why did the Young Lord come up with such a silly idea?”
Feng Yinxiao chuckled in disbelief. “Silly idea? Doesn’t Yun Kexin like taking a boat to enjoy the scenery?”
“It’s about you making Brother-in-law dress up as a Boatman,” Yun Kexin shot him an annoyed glance. “Was that really necessary? The Young Lord might as well have just found a real Boatman and let Brother-in-law accompany Fourth Sister.”
“Here, I don’t want any outsiders,” Feng Yinxiao smiled. “Besides myself, I only trust Wei Qing among the men in this world.”
Yun Kexin suddenly wanted to laugh. “But why disguise as a Boatman? And keep it from me?”
“I just thought that Yun Kexin lived in a big mansion,” Feng Yinxiao explained patiently. “Maybe you’re already tired of that luxurious lifestyle and wanted you to experience another way of living for a bit of freshness. As for Wei Qing—” Feng Yinxiao suddenly grinned. “If he had ‘revealed’ himself early on, what would be the point? You haven’t noticed at all, have you?”
"With a straw hat and mask on, I certainly didn't recognize him," Yun Kexin said, her bent arm resting on the railing, turning her face to press against it as she spoke to Feng Yinxiao. "But it sounds so strange; with his nose covered, his voice just feels awkward. Yet, I didn't think too deeply about it."
"That's because Yun Kexin has been troubled lately," Feng Yinxiao replied, no longer smiling. He gazed at her in silence for a moment before continuing, "Why are you in such a bad mood? You barely smiled while listening to Shining and Shan Yue..."
Yun Kexin felt a sense of grievance: those three maids really had big mouths; she didn't know what else they had said to Feng Yinxiao.
"Discontent with Young Lord, indeed there are worries," Yun Kexin turned her face away again, resting her chin on her arm. "But perhaps I'm just being too impatient."
"Yun Kexin, come with me."
Feng Yinxiao stood up, took her hand, and walked to the bow of the boat where they stood leaning against the railing. He pointed to the river ahead, which glimmered like a huge copper mirror under the sunset, and thoughtfully said:
"Yun Kexin, do you want to go across to explore and enjoy the different scenery over there?"
"Of course."
"But what if you can never reach it?" Feng Yinxiao's voice slightly deepened, his eyes dimming.
"Then I still want to go," Yun Kexin insisted. "If that is my life's mission."
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