Separation

Unfortunately, Sun Fen Fang was so nervous and awkward without her good friend Song Lu Li to bolster her confidence that she was unable to utter a word to Yan Qiu Heng. The latter and Hua Yan Ting walked at the head of the group, chatting pleasantly about this and that. Sun Fen Fang felt that it was rare to see Yan Qiu Heng so animated other than when he was with his sister. When she thought about how he spoke to her, she felt a little discouraged. He was always kind, of course, but there was something lacking. "Well, of course, he and I don't have many opportunities to meet or speak to each other," she thought. "Perhaps he would be that friendly with me, too, if we were more familiar."

Still, she couldn't think of anything appropriate to say and in any case, she didn't wish to interrupt the two young men's conversation. Before long, they reached the restaurant, were shown to their private room, and time quickly marched on. It really didn't take long for Song Lu Li and her older brother to rejoin them.

"You are well, Lu Li?" Sun Fen Fang asked worriedly.

Song Lu Li nodded. "I believe I am well, thank you. I wasn't in the water long." She had also tried to be careful, keeping her outer robe dry to cover herself with afterward. Once they'd reached the family's carriage, her maids had immediately wrapped her up in blankets. That quick and decisive series of actions kept her from catching a chill.

"Still, to think that you saved the fifth prince! Isn't this 'hero rescuing a beauty' situation a bit reversed?"

"Haha, what are you saying, Ah Fang? The fifth prince is only a child and I am no hero. I only did what anyone else should have done."

"The fifth prince... If I'm not mistaken, he is 14 years old this year," Hua Yan Ting said with a smile. "He's already at the age to establish a household outside the palace, so he can hardly be considered a child anymore."

Lu Li frowned ever-so-slightly. She didn't really like where this conversation was headed, but she couldn't very well ignore the Golden Barley Scholar, so she returned his words with a little smile before turning back to talk with Sun Fen Fang.

The restaurant had been chosen by Hua Yan Ting and he often praised it to others. As such, a significant portion of their current success was thanks to him. The restaurant owners gave their benefactor special treatment, which meant he always got to eat and sit where he wanted and there would be lots of freebies and particularly good service. Even without that special treatment, the ingredients were always very fresh here and the service was extremely efficient. In the blink of an eye, an appetizing array of dishes filled the round table.

Sun Fen Fang looked dubiously at the table. "Can we really eat all this...?"

Lu Li giggled. "Don't underestimate the stomach of a young man below the age of 20." She thought about how much her brother ate at home and if multiplied by three... She had no doubt that the dishes would be cleared soon. Thus, she acted quickly and placed some meat in her and Sun Fen Fang's bowls in order to claim a bit of food before it was all eaten up by the boys.

After dinner was over, the group decided to go walk around the festival. "I'm so full... I don't know how I'll be able to walk, but I know it will only feel worse if I sit!" Fen Fang lamented. She realized that it wasn't very lady-like to have eaten so much, but she had been intoxicated by the festive atmosphere and was nervous every time she so much as looked at Yan Qiu Heng. So instead of talking, she'd continued shoveling more food into her bowl and mouth.

Luckily, Hua Yan Ting had suggested a stroll. This would certainly aid in digestion.

"Oh!" Sun Fen Fang spotted a lovely-looking fish kite and drew closer to that stall. By this point, it was too dark to fly kites anymore, but it wasn't as if today was the only day kites could be flown. The stalls still sold kites to people who might want to take them home for enjoyment another day. Spring had arrived and the weather would continue to get sunnier and warmer.

"Young miss--!"

Broken out of her reverie over the beautiful kite, Sun Fen Fang turned to see her maid looking around nervously. She quickly did the same and realized the problem: she had been separated from the group. "The guards are...?"

"Young miss, do not worry. We are here," One of the guardsmen spoke up. It turned out they had followed her and were standing behind the kite stall.

Though she had been separated from her group, Sun Fen Fang still had her maid and guards. She was safe. Fen Fang let out a sigh of relief. There were numerous horror stories about young women being abducted from the streets of such festivals and sold off. It was easy to smuggle someone away when the streets were packed and no one could clearly see what was going on.

"What should we do?" her voice took on an uncharacteristically serious tone.

"Hmm... I'm sure that the Song young miss has already realized that you're not with them. It would be best to stay in one location to wait for them to find you instead of wandering around." Sun Fen Fang's maid suggested. This sounded very reasonable. Sun Fen Fang took a position near a statue close to the main road so that she would be visible and her guards formed a protective semi-circle around her and her maid, keeping her from being bumped into or pushed by the crowd.

As she watched the throngs of people walk by, Sun Fen Fang's mind wandered. She felt a little dejected at this moment; why had she been so childish as to wander off just because she saw a pretty kite? Now, look at this result! It was a good thing her maid and guards were level-headed and had not lost her, but it was mortifying thinking that Yan Qiu Heng might believe her to be an immature and naive lost child now.

"Sun young miss!"

Sun Fen Fang's eyes widened. She could hardly believe her ears as she slowly turned her head towards that loud and clear voice...

There he was, just as she'd been thinking of him: Yan Qiu Heng.

"Yan fifth young master..."

In fact, Sun Fen Fang often called him "Yan Qiu Heng" as the two could be said to have known each other since childhood. However, upon hearing "Sun young miss" from his lips, she couldn't bear to address him in a more familiar manner. She felt embarrassment, relief, longing, hope, and doubt all at once.

Yan Qiu Heng approached her and after making sure that she was uninjured, he nodded. "Is everything alright? Everyone was startled when you suddenly disappeared."

"I'm so sorry to have troubled and worried you... I saw an interesting kite and pulled away without thinking."

Yan Qiu Heng didn't appear angry or annoyed in the least. In such a crowded place, it was common for such things to happen. It seemed to him that young girls were very susceptible to being distracted by shiny new things--his sister included--and he just found it a little funny, that's all. "Well, it is good that you are safe. We had split up to find you but agreed to meet up after searching our assigned area, so everyone else should be gathering at the Flying Lotus Bookstore by now. Shall we return?"

"Y-yes!"

Yan Qiu Heng nodded at her response and turned to walk away. Sun Fen Fang followed behind him, not daring to walk at his side. Her eyes were glued to the ground for a little while but after she gathered up some of her courage, she raised her head to look at the straight, strong back of the young man in front of her.