By youthful stirrings, Yi Shuyuan meant Zheng Yiming. For a moment, it brought back memories of his former self, imagining all sorts of possibilities whenever he grew a little closer to a girl he liked on campus in his previous life.
As for Yu Xinmei, though, she merely knew about matters between men and women; she could hardly claim to truly understand them.
Yu Xinmei walked briskly along the rain-washed streets, considering what Zheng Yiming lacked. Scholarly honors were one thing, and his family needed to become comfortably well-off too. Then, heh, he probably needed a woman.
With that thought, Yu Xinmei decided she had better not appear before her benefactor again, lest he truly sink in too deep to pull himself free.
Yu Xinmei knew herself well enough. She knew something of romantic love, but could not claim to understand it. She could quietly watch over her benefactor for decades, yet she did not want to do so in that way.
Besides, humans and demons could not form such unions. With mortal families placing such great importance on carrying on the family line, the inability to bear children alone constituted a grave failure of filial duty.
"The real key is scholarly honors, wealth, and status. Once he has those, there'll naturally be no shortage of marriage prospects!"
As she murmured to herself, Yu Xinmei noticed that some people on the street had been drawn to her. I can hardly blame my benefactor. Who told my transformed appearance to be so naturally, indescribably exquisite? Ha!
Back at the inn, Zheng Yiming returned looking somewhat lost and dispirited. It was no longer so early, and more people had arrived, though the inn was not particularly busy yet.
The waiter led a newly arrived Confucian scholar upstairs while the innkeeper worked on