Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress-Chapter 1558 - 1553: Stranded

At that moment, Bai Jinzhi couldn’t care less about answering. Hearing Sima Ping’s question, her mind buzzed, and she blurted out without thinking, "Could it be that Sima Ping really likes me!"

Sima Ping just laughed, and she stared at him for a long time as if she had seen a ghost before turning and running away.

She came to her senses, frowned, and deliberately put on a stern face to say, "Eldest Young Lady, Lu Yuanpeng and Sima Ping are both great people, but I consider them brothers! Besides... I have made up my mind not to marry until this realm is unified and Zhou has favorable weather!"

"That’s not something you would normally say, is it your third brother... or your fifth brother saying it to fool people?" Bai Qingyan asked while wiping her mouth with a handkerchief.

"Nothing escapes you, Eldest Young Lady!" Bai Jinzhi said with a flattering smile, sounding slightly gleeful, "It was my third brother who said this to my fifth aunt, leaving her unable to argue back. But I heard from Nanny Zhai beside my fifth aunt, that she was so angry she didn’t speak to my third brother for several days! So, I mimicked him and said the same to mother. Who knew, not only was my mother not angry, she almost twisted my ear off!"

Thinking about her third aunt getting angry and tugging at her little fourth brother’s ear, Bai Qingyan couldn’t help but laugh quietly.

"But you siblings are all grown now. After returning to Dadu City this time, it’s time to arrange your marriages! You should also consider it carefully!" Bai Qingyan saw Bai Jinzhi wanting to say something else and motioned with a smile for her not to rush, "But the Eldest Young Lady is not forcing you to marry in haste. You still have a child’s heart; you haven’t grown up, so no need to rush into a family! However, if there is someone you fancy, you must not hide it from the Eldest Young Lady. No matter the person’s status, as long as you like them... as long as they have a decent character and can respect you, I will help persuade your third aunt!"

Bai Qingyan’s words inclined towards Sima Ping...

Sima Ping’s father resigned his post to accompany his elderly mother into exile, and Sima Ping’s position in the army was not high. Comparing family backgrounds, he indeed couldn’t match Bai Jinzhi, but Sima Ping was loyal to friends, unconsciously caring for Lu Yuanpeng and Bai Jinzhi in subtle ways, which Bai Qingyan saw clearly.

If Bai Jinzhi and Sima Ping were to be together, Bai Qingyan thought they could complement each other. But as for the third aunt... she might not approve of Sima Ping, especially with the Sima family’s scandal involving the stolen marriage with Princess Xiangxie; it’s a family conduct issue, and the third aunt, being of a lofty disposition, naturally disdains such a family.

But as long as little fourth brother likes him, seeing Sima Ping alone, Bai Qingyan thinks it’s feasible.

"Oh, Eldest Young Lady... let’s talk about it then! Let’s first discuss when to set off for home. Kangle and Xile have been eagerly awaiting mother to return every day!" Bai Jinzhi thought to herself, hoping her Eldest Young Lady would stop holding on to her for now, "How long are we staying in Bianliang? When I left, Sister Chun Tao begged me to take her along. If I hadn’t run fast enough, she would have clung to her small bundle and climbed onto my horse back!"

Originally, when saying they were off to war, Chun Tao couldn’t come along, so it didn’t matter. But when Chun Tao heard that their Eldest Young Lady had come to this epidemic-stricken city in Yan Kingdom, she was scared to her soul, spending every day with Nanny Tong praying to the gods and Buddha for the Eldest Young Lady’s safe return.

So, when Bai Jinzhi went to deliver herbs and grain, Chun Tao begged her to take her along to find the Eldest Young Lady, saying if Bai Jinzhi agreed, she would immediately go beg Mrs. Dong.

Bai Jinzhi, being tangled up by Chun Tao, had to pretend to agree, tricking her into pleading with Mrs. Dong while she quickly packed her things and left...

Hearing Bai Jinzhi bring up Chun Tao, she recalled Chun Tao’s tearful eyes before departing, picked up her chopsticks again, a layer of warmth spreading across her brow, recalling Xiao Rongyan mentioning the likelihood of a meeting at Shequ before, she said, "We’ll set off tomorrow..."

Bai Qingyan already missed the two children. Although she wasn’t worried with their mother looking after the little ones, she nonetheless missed their plump and tender little faces, wanting to pinch and knead them, missing the milky scent upon them.

"Alright! Then I’ll have Minister Liu and Lu Yuanpeng make the arrangements!" Bai Jinzhi said with a smile.

"Let’s first have the meal! You’re at the age of growing, eat more..." Bai Qingyan put another helping onto Bai Jinzhi’s plate, "We’ll be home very soon!"

The Eldest Young Lady hadn’t returned to Dadu City, and her mother’s concern truly gave Bai Jinzhi a headache, but as long as her Eldest Young Lady was in Dadu City, even if they returned home, she could always hide in the Imperial Palace, making Bai Jinzhi eager to get back. In Yan Kingdom, without battles to fight, she felt nowhere better than home.

After dining with Bai Qingyan, Bai Jinzhi went to discuss the next day’s departure with Liu Pinggao and Lu Yuanpeng.

Liu Pinggao was quite concerned: "Just now, I heard from the local officials here that in previous years, if Bianliang City received sleet before snow, it would surely follow with heavy snowfall; it’s feared that if it snows heavily tonight, we might not be able to set off. But it doesn’t matter, we’ll prepare for departure tomorrow, yet it’s necessary to let King Gaoyi inform His Majesty about possible delays."

"If there’s heavy snow, the delay could be as short as three days or as long as half a month! That’s unacceptable..." Bai Jinzhi frowned, "My little nephew and niece in Dadu City are eagerly waiting for Eldest Young Lady to return!"

Yet, if heaven decrees snow, no one can stop it!

Bai Jinzhi mumbled irritably, picking up a box of dates and peanuts as she headed towards Bai Qingyan.

Bai Jinzhi’s eagerness to return wasn’t solely for her nephew and niece; truthfully, on this journey, she carried a vague uneasy feeling she couldn’t quite place, thinking once back in Dadu City, she could finally be at peace.

In the main room, the fire roared warmly; red dates and peanuts were placed on the openwork copper cover of a ’Three Friends of Winter’ sculpture, with glowing red charcoal occasionally dropping peanut fragments that sparked into tiny fireballs.

Bai Qingyan, leaning on a lotus-floral patterned pillow, held a book close under the lamp to read, while the shadows and flames seemed startled by the sudden gusts of wind against the window outside, gently swaying.

Bai Jinzhi sat down next to her Eldest Young Lady like a hamster, continuously peeling warm peanuts and stuffing them into her mouth, and when her mouth felt dry from eating... her Eldest Young Lady would quietly pass over the tea cup, allowing Bai Jinzhi to moisten her mouth, casting a glance outside through the window, noticing the snow indeed seemed heavier, she sighed and continued peeling peanuts.

This was Bai Qingyan’s most leisurely day since entering Yan Kingdom, mainly because the epidemics across provinces had been brought under control, Shen Tianzhi’s decisive methods, with aid from Xue Renyi, plus the stable supply of herbs and grains from Zhou, ensured the cities governed by Zhou within Yan Kingdom saw their populace fare better than those in Yan Kingdom itself.