The chestnut horse, Purple Lightning, trotted lightly and rhythmically along. Lu Weiwei sat sidesaddle, one hand gripping the front of the saddle bow, the other pressed against Chen Caozhi's thigh, clutching his robe. Nervous and excited, she held her whole body stiff-
Chen Caozhi held the reins in one hand and slipped the other gently around Lu Weiwei's slender, rounded waist. "Relax a little. Lean against me," he said softly.
Lu Weiwei's heart pounded. She leaned sideways into Chen Caozhi's embrace, resting her head against his collarbone. It felt hard and dependable, setting her heart at ease. Filled with boundless joy and shyness, she murmured, "Master Chen, how did you get here so early?"
"I rode," Chen Caozhi said. "I only just arrived myself. I ran into Banli and learned you were here, so I came to meet you-" He suddenly sneezed.
Lu Weiwei quickly raised her head and turned to look at him. "Master Chen, have you caught a chill?"
Chen Caozhi released her slender waist and gently brushed at her twin coiled-serpent buns. "Your hair tickled my nose and made me sneeze," he said with a smile.
Lu Weiwei giggled, tilted her head, and rested it on his shoulder. "Could it be, 'Waking, I cannot sleep; when I think of you, you sneeze'?" she asked slyly.
These lines came from "The Unceasing Wind" in the "Airs of Bei" section of the Book of Songs, describing a woman's sorrow at not receiving the love she desired.
Chen Caozhi smiled. "The wind blows ceaselessly and fiercely; you look at me and smile. You tease and jest and laugh at ease, while grief fills my heart-I'm a lovelorn man."
Lu Weiwei could not stop laughing. "That poem is about a lovelorn woman."
Lu Weiwei shook with laughter. With his arm around