Love Under the Distant Stars

Chapter 26

"Then go play with your senior brother, let me rest for a while." She's really tired, don't torture her.

"But my senior brother hasn't been to Tianshan for a long time, at least a year, right?" Ju'er frowned. She missed her senior brother so much!

Ha, so this little girl likes her senior brother? "You like your senior brother?"

"Where? I don't like Senior Brother at all, I like..." Ju'er suddenly stopped halfway through her sentence, her face as red as a tomato.

"Why did you stop talking?" Shen Jie asked, looking at her curiously.

When Ju'er mentioned her sweetheart, half of her face fell, and she pouted. She seemed unconvinced and said, "I like him, but he doesn't like me. His attendants even said I'm not good enough for him. What makes me inferior to those rich young ladies?"

"How could that be? Ju'er is so lively and adorable, she won't be unwanted." Shen Jie walked into the cave, casually lay down on the stone bed, and comforted her. This little girl hasn't grown up yet, she's always clamoring to play, no wonder no man would like her!

"But... I just like him!" Ju'er stamped her foot and pouted, then suddenly a brilliant idea flashed in her mind. She grabbed Shen Jie's arm and exclaimed excitedly, "Sister Shen, why don't we go down the mountain to see our senior brother?"

"I think you want to see your lover." Shen Jie glanced at her sideways, then closed her eyes and continued sleeping.

"Oh dear! It's half and half! I really haven't seen my senior brother in a long time." Ju'er insisted on turning Shen Jie over so she wouldn't sleep. "Sister Shen, let me tell you, my senior brother comes from a good family, is handsome, and is good at martial arts. Many girls like him."

"Oh!" Shen Jie responded half-closed her eyes, what did that have to do with her?

"Sister Shen, why aren't you reacting?"

"Reaction? What do you think my reaction should be?" Shen Jie simply sat up in bed. Anyway, with this little sparrow around, she wouldn't be able to sleep anymore.

"You should at least act like you really like it."

"Ah, your senior brother is so nice! I like him so much, I want to marry him!" Shen Jie's face broke into a lovesick smile that even she herself found nauseating. "Is this alright?"

"Sister Shen wants to marry Senior Brother? That's wonderful! Let's go down the mountain to find him right now!" Ju'er didn't understand the real meaning behind Shen Jie's words and pulled her along, exclaiming, "That's great!"

Seriously? She was just casually making excuses, and she actually took it seriously? I'm speechless. "Hey! It's almost dark, how are we going to get down the mountain?"

"Then let's do it tomorrow. We'll go down the mountain first thing tomorrow morning. Sister Shen, you can't go back on your word, okay?" As if afraid that she might change her mind, Ju'er quickly said.

"I……"

"It's settled then, Sister Shen. You rest for a bit, I'm going to cook." After saying that, Ju'er skipped out, looking extremely happy.

He comes from a good family, is handsome, skilled in martial arts, and has many women who like him. So why push him onto her like unsold inventory? Wouldn't it be better for her to keep him?

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore, she's so sleepy!

"Master, you're back?" Ju'er ran over immediately when she saw the old man Yu Xuan return.

"Little girl, what makes you so happy?" Old Man Yuxuan stroked his beard and smiled.

Ju'er winked mysteriously and tugged at Old Man Yuxuan's sleeve, "I just found a bride for my senior brother."

"Nonsense!"

"It's true, Sister Shen promised herself," Ju'er said righteously.

"Is that so?" A barely perceptible smile appeared on the face of the old man Yu Xuan.

“Yes, yes,” Ju’er nodded vigorously, “Master, can we go down the mountain to find our senior brother tomorrow?”

"Go ahead. If I disagree, you'll probably carry me down the mountain anyway." Old Man Yuxuan took out a delicate little bottle from his robes and handed it to Ju'er, instructing, "This can cure all poisons. Take it with you just in case. Also, don't reveal Miss Shen's true background, or it will bring her unnecessary trouble. Do you understand?"

"Ju'er will remember." After saying that, she left happily.

After Ju'er left, the smile on Old Man Yuxuan's face deepened. Their marriage was preordained; they were destined to be together...

Shen Jie stood there dumbfounded, staring blankly at the bottle and silver note in her hand, truly unable to believe what had just happened...

She was dumped?!

Waaah...

The day after she "agreed" to marry, Ju'er dragged her down the mountain to find her great senior brother. Only then did she realize that the guy Ju'er had described as having "good family background, good looks, and good martial arts skills" was actually Ouyang Tianyu. A year had passed, and she still didn't know how he was doing. During her time back home, he was the person she thought about most often, and now she really hoped to see him again.

They had been traveling for almost forty days from Tianshan to here (I don't know how long it takes to travel from Xinjiang to Henan. I've never tried it, so I hope you readers won't hold it against me), and it seemed they were still quite a distance from Bianjing. She, she, she was actually abandoned here.

That young woman, I don't know where she got the news from, said that her sweetheart had already left Bianjing for the north, and had "forgotten his friend for love," abandoning her in this desolate wilderness to chase after his lover. Before leaving, she even had the audacity to give her a few silver notes and a small bottle, telling her to find Ouyang Tianyu herself. Good heavens! How could there be such an irresponsible person in the world?

As darkness fell, she found herself in the middle of nowhere, unfamiliar with the area. As if the heavens weren't satisfied with her predicament, it began to rain. What to do? Never mind, she needed to find shelter first. So, she ran south. As she ran, she saw a dilapidated temple in the distance. Overjoyed, she ran towards it; she was saved…

The flickering firelight inside the dilapidated temple told her that there were people inside.

Shen Jie entered the temple and found a scholar warming himself by a fire inside. He looked to be only about twenty years old. As soon as someone entered, he stammered, "Miss...may I ask what brings you here?"

"It's raining heavily outside, can I take shelter here for a while?" Shen Jie said, but she was already sitting there. What a joke! This temple wasn't built by their family; he could come in, so there was no reason why she couldn't.

“Young lady, men and women should not be in close contact. We cannot be in the same room together,” the scholar said, frowning.

"I don't mind." Shen Jie waved her hand and took off her rain-soaked coat. Fortunately, the rain wasn't heavy, and her inner clothes didn't get wet.

The scholar was so frightened when he saw her taking off her clothes that he immediately turned around. "Girl... why... why are you taking off your clothes?"

"Nonsense, his clothes are wet. Is he blind?" Shen Jie glanced at him but didn't answer.

After a while, her clothes dried, and she put on her coat. Seeing that the man was still sitting with his back to her, she found it amusing and casually asked:

"May I ask your honorable name, sir? And where are you headed?"

"Uh? Oh, my name is Li Jinsheng. I'm on my way to the capital to take the imperial examination." The scholar bowed to her.

"Really? I'm also going to the capital. Why don't we travel together?" Ha, someone to travel with her, that's great. But she never expected that spending a night together in a dilapidated temple would bring her trouble she couldn't shake off.