A Slip of the Tongue

Father was going to drag this boy into another conversation, treating him even better than he treated her. Was it because she was his daughter?

Su Ziji found it rather baffling, but Little Pepper had always been like this—usually treating him well, then turning on him without warning, her face changing faster than a dog's.

"You mean you want Bu Hui to go with me to the prefectural city now?"

After hearing only a few sentences, Su Ziji hesitated. "I have no objection, but your health has not recovered yet. You need someone to look after you."

"I already have a plan for that. I will stay at the medical clinic for a few days." Ye Weihan repeated to Su Ziji what he had told Ye Buhui.

"Stay at the medical clinic?" After giving it some thought, Su Ziji actually felt that this plan could work.

But the question was, even if Ye Weihan was willing to stay at Doctor Zhao's clinic, could Ye Buhui really be persuaded so easily?

Ye Weihan sighed. "This child does not understand my painstaking intentions. My body is already like this, and she will soon come of age. Then people can begin choosing her. If she does not take part in the chess tournament now, she may never have another chance. How can I let her be left with such a regret?"

"Besides, a dowry is what serves a girl best. Our household cannot give her much of one now, so I can only hope she gains more abilities. If she can marry with the title of chess player, then even if something happens and husband and wife are not quite harmonious, she can still make a living through her title and chess skills. Only then can I stop worrying."

As he spoke, Ye Weihan broke into another violent fit of coughing.

What he said was very practical. It truly was so.

Beauty faded easily, and love was not something one could say did not exist, but neither could one gamble on such luck. When a girl married, great lineages relied on her natal family's standing, while ordinary households relied on her dowry.

After all, whether under Great Wei law or the current laws of Great Zheng, a woman could take her dowry with her in the event of separation. That was her final safeguard for survival.

Su Ziji hurriedly patted his back and nodded repeatedly. "Uncle Ye, I understand what you mean. Rest assured, I will persuade Bu Hui to listen."

"You do not need to persuade her. Call her in, and I will speak to her myself." Ye Weihan waved his hand and had Su Ziji fetch her. Yet when Su Ziji stepped outside, he saw Ye Buhui standing blankly at the door, holding a bowl of porridge that was still steaming. He did not know how much she had heard.

"You heard what Uncle Ye said just now?" Seeing that she remained silent, Su Ziji considered his words before saying, "Uncle Ye is worried. He hopes you can take part in the chess tournament and earn the title of chess player."

"I think you should go."

"Uncle Ye's condition is not critical for the moment. If you earn the chess player title, it will make him happy. When good fortune comes, the spirit brightens. Perhaps Uncle Ye's health may even improve."

"I understand." Ye Buhui spoke in a muffled voice, then turned and went inside. It was a private conversation between father and daughter, so naturally Su Ziji could not eavesdrop. He went instead to Doctor Zhao's clinic to explain matters.

"Rest assured, Brother Ye is an old neighbor of ours. We have known each other for decades. I cannot boast about anything else, but at my clinic, his medicine will be brewed and his prescriptions taken punctually, without fail." Doctor Zhao said this while thumping his chest.

Su Ziji trusted him. When he returned to Ye Bookshop, he saw Ye Buhui standing there with a bundle in hand.

Her eyes were somewhat red and swollen. Though she was dressed as a girl, she had specially changed into light blue clothing for easier travel. It was not men's attire; rather, she wore a cloth skirt over it that reached only to her knees, tied with a red sash. It made her waist look so slender it seemed almost graspable in one hand.

Though fourteen or fifteen was still an unripe age, it was also the age of flower buds. This girl, nearly fifteen, was like a delicate little flower blooming by the roadside, and Su Ziji stared for a moment.

"What are you looking at, you fool? Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and go." Seeing him dazed, Ye Buhui shot him a glance and headed forward first.

Su Ziji touched his nose and secretly scolded himself. She only changed her hairstyle and clothes. How could that possibly be worth staring at?

He had only just caught up when Ye Buhui slowed again. She turned back to look at the shut shop doors, sorrow surfacing in her crescent-shaped eyes.

"Su Ziji, am I useless? Father only has me as a daughter. If I were a son, or if I had an elder brother, I could definitely help Father hold up the family business. It would not be this deserted—our business used to be quite good."

Hearing this, Su Ziji said softly, "It is not like that. When Uncle Ye opened the bookshop back then, he caught a good time. Great Zheng had just been founded, people's livelihoods were recovering, literary culture was gradually awakening, and not many people had entered the trade yet. That was why everything went smoothly."

"Now we have entered a prosperous age. More people have money, and more people are investing. Uncle Ye does not wish to expand the scale of his business, so naturally it is not doing as well as before. There is nothing to be done about that. It is not your fault."

Ye Buhui had merely voiced a passing sentiment, never expecting to hear this. She could not help glancing sideways at him, feeling even more unwilling inside. What he said sounded perfectly right as soon as she heard it, but why could she not think of it herself? Was the gap between sons and daughters truly so great?

Feeling even more depressed, she walked in a daze for some distance before suddenly raising her head. "I heard that Mount Tong Temple and Three Mountains Temple are both very efficacious. Do you think we could ask the immortals and gods there about Father's illness, and pray for their blessing?"

At the mention of Mount Tong Temple and Three Mountains Temple, Su Ziji's eyelid twitched. "Mount Tong Temple is a place where the Daoist Sect cultivates in quiet seclusion. It was never a place for seeking immortality or medicine."

"As for Three Mountains Temple, it is Illicit Worship."

Su Ziji knew full well that calling it Illicit Worship at such a time was improper, and that she would not listen. He could only say, "The so-called Illicit Worship venerates evil ghosts and Evil Gods. They drain people's vital essence and fortune. Worshipping them will only make things worse."

"Besides, even if immortals and gods exist, how can they save someone without karmic ties? Rather than place your hopes in that, you might as well cultivate into an immortal or god yourself and save your family." Su Ziji possessed fourteen years of memories, but after awakening to his past life, his past-life personality still dominated. Without thinking, he let those words slip out.

"Cultivate into an immortal or god myself?" Ye Buhui's eyes immediately lit up, as if a great door had opened before her.

Su Ziji was instantly startled and realized he had misspoken, letting words spill out without restraint. In a world where ghosts and gods existed, this was almost the same as saying, "Is the Son of Heaven born with a special seed? He who has strong soldiers and sturdy horses may become him." If ghosts and gods heard it, disaster would immediately follow.

Just as he was thinking how to take back those words, they arrived at the inn, where Yu Lü came out to greet them.

"Brother Su, this must be Miss Ye?" Since Su Ziji had mentioned bringing Ye Buhui to the prefectural city, Yu Lü immediately guessed her identity upon seeing the young girl following him.

Before Yu Lü, Ye Buhui was very polite. "Greetings, Young Master Yu."

"No need for such formality. Miss Ye looks even younger than I imagined. Seeing you is like seeing my own younger sister. You may treat me as an elder brother." Yu Lü smiled, then looked toward Su Ziji. "I have arranged a boat and hired an ox cart to take us there. We will go to the docks first, then travel upriver by boat."

"I heard this Prefectural Chess Tournament is being held at Coiling Dragon Lake in the prefectural city. We can take the boat directly into the lake and join them there. There may already be quite a few students gathered there."

"Excellent, excellent."

Yu Lü had brought along a bookboy on this journey, and the arrangements were most proper. Su Ziji did not stand on ceremony and agreed at once.