A Kiss on the Cheek

The young gentleman had scrambled out of the carriage and came up to them, wiping his hands on his robe. "Pardon me. My driver is clumsy and stupid. Lady," he bowed gracefully to Suzhen. "allow me to introduce myself."

He placed a hand on his chest. "Song Weiming, son of Song Kaixuan; you might have heard of me as Song Gongzi, scholar and gentleman. I had the privilege of seeing your face at the tavern when your, er, sister came to pick you up; and your beauty made an impression on me. I have been trying to find out who you were since." He glanced at her. "May I have the honour of knowing your name?"

Suzhen returned the bow, slightly confused, but without betraying any of her confusion. She was about to reply courteously when Xuxian spoke for the first time. "Song Gongzi. This is my wife, Susu. "

He folded her hand in his.

Song Gongzi looked at Xuxian for the first time. "Well. Who may this man be?" he said, raising his eyebrows. "You don't expect me to recognize you, do you?"

Xuxian bowed. "I would not dare. I am Physician Xu from the village. I humbly greet Song Gongzi."

There was a tense moment as the two men's eyes locked.

Suzhen coughed softly. "Xuxian, the baos are ready. " She turned to Song Gongzi. "We must be going. Good day."

She raised her eyes thoughtfully to the fine carriage waiting for him. "Please make sure you do not drive so recklessly in the future; it is irresponsible. If you hurt someone by your careless actions, there will be consequences."

Her gaze was steady. In her heart, a small spark of anger was burning. This man, despite his smooth talking ways and graceful behaviour, clearly did not put it to heart. His careless apology reeked of insincerity, and clearly he had already forgotten about the incident, he was so intent on trying to make an impression on her. Xuxian, who had been engrossed in talking to her, eyes fixed on her face, could have been badly hurt if she had not caught him out of the way in time.

"Of course, of course." he agreed quickly. "May we have the pleasure of meeting again, Madame Xu." he called after them.

"I do not like that boy," Suzhen said frankly as they returned to the bao stall. "He seems courteous, but he is selfish and inconsiderate of others."

Xuxian heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank heavens." he exclaimed immediately. "Susu, my love, I should have known you were wise enough to be wary of him. Song Gongzi is a rich man's son. He is not vicious, but he is known for his weakness for women and his pleasure-loving ways. He often visits the brothels and sometimes even comes to the village to follow a girl who catches his fancy. I am worried for you, because, you know, you are certainly very beautiful." He squeezed her hand. "Do be careful if you happen to meet him in the future. He is a powerful man who should not be offended, but I will not let him pester you if I can help it."

Suzhen smiled. "How do you think I survived eight hundred years if I can't handle men like him?" she was tempted to say, but instead she leaned her head against him. "Such a protective husband," she teased. "I almost want to get into danger just to have the pleasure of seeing you rush over to save me."

"Don't joke like that, Susu." Xuxian said earnestly. "I would give my life to protect you, if needed--you know that--but I am only a poor physician. If a man in his position were to put his mind to it, he could easily get me out of the way. I would be no use to you then, my darling."

There was a thoughtful look in Suzhen's eyes as she glanced up at him. "Don't worry so much, Xuxian." she said quietly. "I can take care of myself. Don't forget, I've had to deal with men like that before I knew you."

"A good point. Let me not underestimate my wife, who is clearly as wise as she is beautiful, not to mention cunning as a snake." Xuxian laughed, but Suzhen started violently. She hurriedly composed herself. 'Who are you calling a snake, now. Be careful lest I bite you." she said lightly, but her heart pounded nervously.

Xuxian put a hot bao into her hands. "There. Let's eat while it's hot, and forget Song Gongzi."

He stroked her hair. "I thought you might want to buy some necessities for yourself. Some cloth to make clothes, perhaps, or some trinkets, or a new pair of shoes."

"What I have on now are still perfectly good, can I not wear it?" protested Suzhen through a mouthful of bao.

He smiled. "You look beautiful in white, my love, but it's not appropriate to be wearing all white all the time; people might find it inauspicious, especially since you're a new bride. Let's do this. I shall personally pick the prettiest bolt of cloth for you, as a present for my wife, and you shall make yourself a new outfit with it."

She shook her head, amused. "Ah, there's no need for that, surely!" To herself, Suzhen made a mental note to ask Granny Hong to teach her how to sew. She had never bothered to make her own clothes; since she did not need her human clothes all the time in the past, she had always had a set tailored from good quality white silk, which would last her for years.

"Do you not trust my taste?" he retorted with an injured expression.

Suzhen laughed. "I don't trust my sewing skills, you mean. I would ruin that bolt of expensive cloth. Let's not do that today, Xuxian. I appreciate your gift, but I would rather walk around with you eating baos like this, and hold your hand. Let us leave shopping for another day. Just for today, let it be a holiday."

She leaned over and dropped a kiss on his cheek.

Startled by this public display of affection, Xuxian blushed, trying not to notice the glances thrown at them by the people passing by on the street. "Susu," he whispered awkwardly. "Not here on the street in front of everyone."

Suzhen pinched his cheek, unabashed. "Why, do I have to pretend that I'm not in love with you now that I'm your wife?" She smiled, and he had to smile as well, despite his warm cheeks.

As they strolled away, hand in hand, a pair of eyes watching them from across the street moved as well, following them down the road, well hidden by a series of wagons passing by.