C15 The 15th Chapter

At that moment, the morning bell rang, and the city gates swung open to welcome a new day. Yan Xiuchuan held tightly to Su Luo's hand, refusing to let her leave.

Su Luo frowned, "What are you doing? I only promised you one thing, and now I've caught the cricket." As the sky began to lighten, the household staff gradually rose to start their work. Though they stood under the garden's flowering trees, they couldn't be sure they wouldn't be seen.

Yan Xiuchuan asked, "Will you come back?"

Su Luo thought to herself: It took so much effort to shake off this troublemaker; who would want to return? But she couldn't say that out loud, so she replied patiently, "I have important matters to attend to and can't always keep you company."

Yan Xiuchuan tightened his grip, "Then tell me your name."

With her wrist held by the young man, Su Luo's cheeks flushed with irritation, and she wished she could just smack him.

Yan Xiuchuan, fully embracing his stubbornness, raised his voice, "If you don't tell me, I won't let go. When the servants come, you won't be able to leave."

Su Luo's eyes darted around, and she smiled sweetly, "Alright, my name is Wu Zixu."

Yan Xiuchuan mulled over the name, feeling it didn't quite match the quirky, spirited girl before him.

Seizing the moment while he was distracted, Su Luo pulled free from his grasp and, with a light step, floated away.

Yan Xiuchuan stood there for a while, feeling a sense of loss. He reached into his pocket and touched the smooth, flexible bamboo tube, realizing that everything from last night hadn't been a dream.

"Sanlang, the master is looking for you!" The servants spotted him from afar and quickly bowed.

"Just say I'm not up yet."

The servants exchanged puzzled looks, unsure how to respond.

Yan Xiuchuan realized his words were inappropriate, waved his sleeve, and glared, "You blockheads, just say I went out early!"

"Yes, sir." With that, the servants retreated.

Yan Xiuchuan hurried into the pavilion, calling out, "Huang Bingquan, Huang Bingquan."

Huang Bingquan was pacing anxiously, nearly wearing a hole in the floor. Hearing the voice, he rushed out like a shot. "Oh, my dear Sanlang, where have you been? I came in early and only found an empty bed..."

Yan Xiuchuan stepped back, "Watch it, you almost knocked me over."

"Sanlang!" Huang Bingquan laughed in exasperation, "If I were that hasty, I'd have already reported to the master."

Imagining his father's thunderous anger, Yan Xiuchuan composed himself and smiled, "My bad, I apologize." He poured a cup of tea and offered it.

Huang Bingquan was so startled he nearly dropped the cup. "Please, Sanlang, don't scare me like that." He sighed, "Just let me know where you're going next time. We've grown up together since we were kids. I'm not the master's spy; I know what to say and what not to."

Yan Xiuchuan said, "I understand your feelings. This time, it was an emergency, but it won't happen again." He paused and took out a bamboo tube. "Bring the cricket cage. From now on, this task is yours. You're the only one I trust with it."

Huang Bingquan fetched the cage, watching as Yan Xiuchuan carefully used a bamboo stick to coax out a small black cricket. "Sanlang, did you go out last night to catch crickets? It was dark. Did you get hurt?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine. A friend caught it for me."

The cricket cage was woven from thin strips of bamboo, about the size of a ceramic bowl. The weaving was tight, providing a spacious interior with a food dish and some dry grass, making it comfortable and secure for the cricket.

The two of them stared intently at the little insect.

"Chirp, chirp."

After a while, Huang Bingquan slowly said, "This cricket... doesn't seem as big as the last one..."

In cricket fights, size matters. It's like an elephant versus a small dog; the elephant could crush the dog with one step, no contest needed.

Yan Xiuchuan didn't need Huang Bingquan to point it out. As soon as he released the cricket from the tube, he felt a wave of disappointment, as if plunged into icy water. How could he take such a small cricket out without being laughed at by Wu Chengzhao?

Taking a deep breath, "Just make sure it's well-fed and taken care of. Don't worry about anything else."

Huang Bingquan nodded in agreement, then suddenly thought of something. "Sanlang, there's something I want to say, but I'm not sure if I should."

Yan Xiuchuan, casually playing with a cricket using a piece of straw, replied, "Go ahead."

"Last time, when you beat Mr. Wu in the horse race, I thought maybe he was upset and set a trap for you. His family has a collection of crickets, all strong and healthy. This little cricket... if I were his friend, I wouldn't have caught it for you."

Yan Xiuchuan lowered his gaze in thought. That girl, although her actions were strange, had no reason to deceive him. Even catching the cricket was something he had persuaded her to do. Shaking his head, he said, "She wouldn't do that. Even if Wu Chengzhao is wealthy, he couldn't manipulate her."

Huang Bingquan noticed the unusual smile on Yan Xiuchuan's face, something he'd never seen before, and his curiosity grew. "Sanlang, you're confusing me. If I'd met someone like her, I wouldn't forget."

Yan Xiuchuan replied proudly, "Of course you haven't met her. Her name is Wu Zixu, and she's a... very clever and peculiar girl."

"Wu Zixu, Wu Zixu," Huang Bingquan repeated the name twice, then suddenly said, "Sanlang, the name Wu Zixu is strange. It sounds like something out of a fairy tale!"

Yan Xiuchuan felt a chill run through him. Of course, how did he not think of that before? No wonder she never revealed her name when asked, but this time she did so readily. The key was right there all along.

Being someone who highly values his pride, he refused to admit his mistake in front of the servants. Instead, he claimed he was hungry and sent Huang Bingquan off to find some food.

"U Zixu, huh. Well, I, Yan Xiuchuan, refuse to believe I can't track you down."