The noble girl is beautiful.

The first day Shen Yourong came to fish, she was fully armed, dressed in a narrow-sleeved long skirt of lake-green silk, with a blue stone cape embroidered with round flower patterns. Her hair was braided into many small braids, tied up high, and adorned with a golden hairpin with emerald flowers, exuding a heroic and elegant female swordsman style.
Ji Zhuo sat on a bamboo rocking chair under the grass shed, his jade-white robe embroidered with intricate dark patterns, gently swaying with his movements. Shen Yourong walked up to him and said, Master, I’m here.”
He glanced at her, his gaze inadvertently revealing an air of nobility.
“You may proceed,” he said.
She walked to the water’s edge and instructed Du Juan to bring out everything. Du Juan took a small bamboo chair and placed it steadily in the crevice of the rocks, followed by a embroidered cushion. In a nearby food box were various fruits and snacks, and a pot of hot tea.
She sat down, and Du Juan, afraid she might be cold, handed her a copper hand warmer to hold. Once she was settled with her fishing rod, Du Juan quietly withdrew.
The water surface was as smooth as a mirror, with no dragonflies to be seen anymore. In the distance, by the lakeside, stood a gingko tree, its leaves half golden and half fallen on the shore and in the water, resembling a maiden washing her hair by the water’s edge.
Shen Yourong looked at the lake, the fishing rod silently placed on the water surface, showing no signs of a bite.
She nibbled on the osmanthus cake without any sign of impatience. She was a patient person, something Ji Zhuo had long known, as she seldom fought for anything. Perhaps it was because she was the eldest sister or simply because she lacked for nothing.
“Would you like some snacks?” She looked at him and said, “The osmanthus cakes from the mansion are particularly delicious, much better than those from the shops outside.”
Ji Zhuo looked at the yellow sticky cake and nodded slightly.
She raised an eyebrow, as if it were only natural, as if she was not inviting him to eat snacks, but offering them as a tribute.
She stood up, carrying the plate to his side. He reached out, took a piece, and put it in his mouth, finding it soft and sweet, with the osmanthus honey filling particularly delicious.
After he finished eating, Shen Yourong said, “Master, you used to fish here all the time. Now the fish in this lake have become smart and don’t easily take the bait.”
He glanced at her and said, “Even if the fish are smart, are there people who are smart?”
She was taken aback and turned away in anger.
“Wait,” he tapped the side of the wooden table, and she reluctantly put down the plate of snacks.
She waited boredly, and when she saw Zhou Lanzhang approaching from the south, she was very happy and waved at him.
He saw herand immediately smiled. He walked to the grass shed, bowed to Ji Zhuo first, and then sat down on the rocks next to Shen Yourong.
She warmly offered him tea and snacks, complaining, “The fish here are not biting today. Yesterday, I managed to catch two, but today I haven’t caught any.”
He chuckled, “Patience is a virtue.”
She frowned and said, “I’m tempted to go down and scoop them up myself.”
Zhou Lanzhang laughed, and after laughing, he advised her, “The lake is deep, so don’t go into the water easily. It’s not a trivial matter if something goes wrong.”
She nodded and chatted with him. Both of them laughed.
Ji Zhuo looked coldly at the two of them chatting and laughing, thinking to himself that the fish were probably annoyed by them.
He casually put down the book on the table, got up, and left.
Shen Yourong watched him leave and said to Zhou Lanzhang, “Let’s call it a day. Maybe luck will be better tomorrow.”
He looked at her and smiled, “You really know how to slack off.”
She fished for three days and only caught one dumb fish. She was afraid that someone would release her fish as she did before, so she did not dare to keep the fish in the bamboo basket but carefully brought it back to the courtyard and kept it in a crystal fish tank.
That day, she woke up early to go to school, feeling cold as soon as she got up. She looked out the window and saw a thick fog, with frost on the grass and trees. Several charcoal braziers were added to the schoolroom, and she went in with a hand warmer to warm up.
She reached out to grind the ink, preparing to write big characters.
Shen Qingyan and Shen Qinghan said something and then called Shen Yourong, saying, “Sister, have you heard? Father asked if our courtyard is good or if we should change it. If we don’t change it, he will have the plaque engraved.”
“Our courtyard is pretty good. We’ve lived here for so many years.” Shen Yourong said, “Do you want to change courtyards?”
Shen Qingyan shook her head. “I’m asking what name you want to give to the courtyard.”
She paused with her pen and said, “I haven’t thought about that.”
Shen Qinghan said, “We also need to engrave a plaque. You need to find someone with good calligraphy to help me write it.”
“I’ve already thought about it. I’ll call our courtyard Hundred Herbs Garden.”
Shen Qinghan didn’t understand and said, “There aren’t many plants and trees in our courtyard. Where did Hundred Herbs Garden come from?”
“I want to call it Hundred Herbs Garden, and the school will be called Samadhi Study in the future.”
Shen Qinghan and Shen Yourong didn’t understand, and Shen Qingyan didn’t explain, just happy.
Ji Chengyao heard this and knocked on the screen, saying, “I’ll help you name your courtyard. Okay?”
Shen Qingyan said with disdain, “I won’t let you write. My brother’s calligraphy is top-notch. I can ask my brother to write it for me.”
He pleaded, “Let me write it for you. My calligraphy is also very good.”
She ignored him and said to Shen Yourong, “I heard that Master’s calligraphy is also very good. Sister, do you want to ask him to name it for you?”
Shen Yourong paused and before she could speak, Shen Qinghan said, “I also want Master’s calligraphy, but I think it’s strange.”
“What’s wrong with that,” Shen Qingyan poked the screen, “there are still people who have to write it for me.”
Ji Chengyao smiled and whispered something to her.
Shen Qingyan spoke to Shen Yourong and said, “Sister, do you want to ask Master to write it for you?”
Shen Yourong said, “he may not care about such things.”
“I think he is very good to you. You even go fishing together. You should be quite friendly.” Shen Qingyan smiled.
Shen Yourong asked, “Then I’ll go ask, Second Sister, do you want to ask him to write it too?”
Shen Qinghan was about to speak when Shen Qingfeng begged her, “Sister, let me write it for you. My calligraphy is not bad either.”
She refused, and Shen Qingfeng begged her, saying, “Sister, let me write it for you, and I’ll give you a pair of good couplets. Let me write it for you.”
She and Shen Yourong looked at each other and smiled quietly.
After lunch, Shen Yourong checked the accounts for a while and was about to take a nap when Du Juan came in and said it was time to go fishing.
She sighed heavily, wrapped in a thick cloak, and headed to the grass shed.
The grass shed had been covered with curtains at some point, all made of grass. She looked at the grass shed, where Ji Zhuo’s face was obscured by the grass curtain, only the glimpse of him lying casually in the rocking chair, covered with a golden woven blanket.
She thought he was asleep, so she quietly walked in. Just as she approached him, he opened his eyes, his pair of eyes radiant and reflecting her shadow.
She was slightly stunned, and he raised his eyes and said, “Go fishing.”
She went away blankly, constantly thinking about his beautiful eyes.
The fishing hook went into the water, but there was no movement for a long time. She felt drowsy as she thought, and she took a nap every day, or else she wouldn’t be energetic in the afternoon.
Besides, today’s weather was gloomy and the cold wind was blowing, just right for lying in a high bed with soft pillows, in a warm tent with fragrant quilts, and sleeping through the afternoon.
The cold wind blew over the lake, blowing onto her body, becoming even colder. She held the hand warmer tightly in her arms, curled up in a small chair, and fell asleep.
Ji Zhuo watched as her head gradually tilted, eventually leaning on the chair, curled up into a small ball.
He stood up and walked to her side, bending down to examine her. She was quiet when she slept, her features relaxed, like a refined person nurtured among jewels and gold.
She seemed a bit cold, so she tucked her neck and the earring hanging from her cloak brushed against the fur. He reached out and carefully adjusted the earring, inadvertently touching her cheek.
Her cheek felt slightly cold, almost as cold as the jade earring.
He brought a blanket and covered her. The fishing hook bobbed up and down, but no one paid attention.
She startled awake, and he paused, but he didn’t leave, still bending over to look at her.
Shen Yourong was puzzled, unable to discern the situation. It was he who spoke first, saying, “It’s cold by the water, be careful not to catch a chill.”
She touched the blanket on her and said, “Thank you, Master.”
He didn’t say anything, his deep eyes gazing steadily at her. She felt uncomfortable, trying to change the topic by looking around.
“Our courtyard is getting a new plaque. I know your calligraphy is excellent. Could I ask you to name it for me?” She said.
He stood up and calmly returned to the table, saying, “You want me to write the plaque for your courtyard?”
She touched her ear and said, “If you find it inconvenient, it’s fine.”
Ji Zhuo said, “It’s not inconvenient. Just tell me the name of the courtyard, and I’ll write it for you.”
She said, “Thank you, Master.”
They fell silent again, as they had in the past, but this time it felt more agonizing. Shen Yourong finally saw the movement on the lake’s surface. She lifted the fishing rod, only to find that the bait had been eaten.