They passed Yuhang on the twenty-seventh day of the fourth month and reached Qiantang before noon on the twenty-eighth. Chen Caozhi said, "Brother Yingtai, I must visit an old friend of my late father's in town. I'll see you to the Willow-Breaking Pavilion at the south gate, and we can part there-"
Zhu Yingtai still wore face powder. Her long, narrow eyes glanced sidelong at Chen Caozhi as she said, "Brother Zizhong, we're classmates and close friends. Now that we're in Qiantang, how can you not invite me to stop at Chen Family Cove? Isn't that rather discourteous?"
A faint sweat broke out at Chen Caozhi's temples. "You wish to visit my home village, Chen Family Cove, Brother Yingtai?"
Zhu Yingtai said, "As your fellow student, how could I pass through Qiantang without paying my respects to your mother?"
With Zhu Yingtai putting it that way, how could Chen Caozhi refuse? He apologized, "That was discourteous of me. But first I must visit my late father's old friend, County Magistrate Feng, who came to Wu Commandery for last month's grading. I must also visit my widowed sister-in-law, Ding Chunqiu's cousin."
Zhu Yingtai said, "I've nothing to do in any case. I'll go with you, Brother Zizhong. Ding Chunqiu is my fellow student too, after all."
Though Chen Caozhi felt a little helpless, he was not without a trace of pleasure. Parting always brought melancholy, and as a friend, Zhu Yingtai was certainly a beneficial one. Spending time with her made him feel cleverer. Whether it was knowledge found in books or worldly experience beyond them, Zhu Yingtai had remarkable insights and seldom merely echoed others. Chen Caozhi greatly admired this and felt he had found a kindred spirit.
Zhu Yingtai accompanied Chen Caozhi to western Qiantang to visit Feng Mengxiong,