I scratched my head, leaned closer, and said with a smile, "So your name is Abi. He was just asking you your name."
Abi was overjoyed upon hearing this, and her almond-shaped eyes became even more brimming with tears.
I asked, "Abi, how old are you?"
She looked at Lou Xiyue and smiled, "Fifteen, Mother says I can get married now."
I said, "He's twenty-one, and his master says he's a good time to get married."
Girls from the East truly live up to expectations when they get unrestrained.
Abi said to Lou Xiyue, "Today I pick lotus flowers for you, and in the future I will give you a son."
Lou Xiyue tapped the fan handle against her palm and said politely, "Miss Abi, actually I..."
Before he could finish speaking, Abi interrupted him, "Young master, are you married?"
I said, "Not yet."
Abi laughed, "Then I'll go tell my mother that I want to go with you."
From Abi and Zixia's behavior, I've summarized a two-step process for men and women in the Eastern Lands to become lovers: First, they ask each other if they're married. If not, the man will ask the woman to go with him, or the woman will take the initiative to suggest going with him. In short, this is called "walking marriage." Judging from this, the marriage rate in this country must be incredibly high.
Lou Xiyue glanced at me, then turned to look at Abi with a smile on her lips, and said softly, "Miss Abi has a beautiful singing voice."
He leaned closer to her, his eyes slightly narrowed, "Just now, I heard you singing a little tune in this lotus pavilion, and it was quite a pleasant experience."
Abi was very happy and sat down next to Lou Xiyue. "If you like listening, I can sing a lot more for you."
Lou Xiyue remained noncommittal, but smiled as she fanned herself, "Alright."
I watched as Abi was about to fall head over heels in love, while Lou Xiyue continued to half-heartedly seduce the innocent girl. I felt a little sorry for her; Lou Xiyue's reputation as a womanizer was already quite prominent in our Great Li, but she still hadn't made it onto the international stage.
As I pondered this, I felt like I was aiding and abetting a wicked person, abducting an innocent girl.
I moved closer to them, "Lou Xiyue, it's getting late, you see..."
Lou Xiyue smiled and glanced at me, then turned to Abi and said, "Miss Abi, I'm leaving now."
Abi readily agreed, "Then I'll go tell Mother right now that I'll go with you. Wait for me."
Lou Xiyue flippantly extended her fan and lifted her chin, whispering, "Abi..."
I interrupted him and said to Ji Jiu seriously, "Ji Jiu, look, a lewd person has appeared."
Lou Xiyue lowered his head and chuckled softly upon hearing this. He put away his peach blossom fan and said to Abi, "You're still a bit young."
He glanced at me seemingly casually, then looked at Abi and smiled slightly, "I only take eighteen-year-old girls with me."
Abi was a little disappointed. "When I come to find you in three years, where will you live?"
Lou Xiyue's smile deepened. She plucked a lotus petal, held it to her nose, and smelled it. She looked at Abi with great interest. "I live in Yangzhou."
Abi looked blankly, "Where is Yangzhou?"
Lou Xiyue found the girl in front of him very interesting. He stroked his chin and patiently said to her, "Yangzhou is very far from here. It will probably take a long time to get there. The girls there..." He paused, then said meaningfully, "None of the girls there are as understanding as you."
Abi said shyly, "Young master, what's your name? I'll come find you when I turn eighteen."
Lou Xiyue crossed her arms and looked at Abi with a leisurely air, teasingly saying, "Three years later, I've already picked up a girl in Yangzhou to be my wife."
He turned around, pulled me up, and instructed Ji Jiu, "Let's go."
As I rode my horse, I looked back at the small boat nestled deep among the lotus blossoms.
I asked Lou Xiyue, "Aren't you afraid that Miss Abi will really wait for you for three years?"
Lou Xiyue chuckled lightly, "I don't care. Xiao Xiang, are you scared?"
I said, "Why should I be afraid?"
He stared at me for a while, then said with a half-smile, "So, I am a little worried."
I said, "See? See? Who told you to be so reckless? How could you do this to such a young girl? It's heartbreaking to watch, I can't bear to look at it anymore."
Lou Xiyue shrugged and said casually, "I'm worried that three years from now, some girl from Yangzhou still won't be married to me."
I paused, turned my face away, and looked back.
Amidst the lotus blossoms, a small boat with light oars.
Abi was truly at the prime of her youth, and in the blink of an eye, she forgot Lou Xiyue and began to frolic and play with the girls in the pond.
Lotus blossoms rise in the breeze by the splendid pond.
The young couple in the lotus pavilion, leaning on each other in the summer.
I couldn't help but feel envious, "Why don't I have a childhood sweetheart?"
Lou Xiyue was silent for a moment, then looked into the distance and said, "I do have a green plum tree."
Main text [32] Daughter's Red
Along the way, we witnessed the rolling waves of the East China Sea, heard the resounding palace bells, and faced numerous hardships on our return to the Central Plains. During this journey, we also learned three earth-shattering secrets. (89 Literature Network)
Firstly, on a certain full moon night, the incredibly brave Zixia swore an oath to the Emperor under the moon to marry me. According to the oral tradition of the people of the East, Zixia's future wife had a heavenly appearance and had a beautiful encounter with him in Yazhou, Li Kingdom. Afterwards, she relentlessly pursued him all the way to the East, and she possessed the same boundless supernatural powers as Zixia.
As a result, many people appeared from all directions within the territory of Xue, carrying my portrait and inquiring about my capture.