Chapter 20

After the New Year festivities, the academy resumed classes.

Some students did not return, but most stayed.

The first snow of the year began to fall.

Chen Yi instinctively reached out, as if to brush the snowflakes from my shoulder.

But then, as if recalling something, his hand paused slightly.

“Is the Hairpin not pretty? Why don’t you wear it?”

There was a hint of melancholy in his voice.

“Hmm…” I tilted my head and thought for a moment. “It’s quite pretty, just not very suitable for me.”

He smiled, as gentle as the bright moon in one’s arms. “Then next time, I’ll bring you one that suits you.”

I didn’t answer him.

In the distance, a few familiar students were calling out to us. They had secretly brought some wine, wanting to make merry together before the New Year celebrations ended.

After finally making it through the day’s lessons, we eagerly gathered in a circle.

Chen Yi, as always, did his best to keep me separated from the other men, a faint, brisk scent of pine resin drifting into my nose.

The wine was brought by the older brother who worked as a kitchen helper at a restaurant.

Thanks to learning arithmetic here, he had become the bookkeeper.

His wages had increased, making him one of the more well-off among the students.

He bought the cheapest baijiu from the street, and with two small plates of peanuts, the table was soon filled with lively chatter.

I glanced sideways at Chen Yi. He was smiling as he offered New Year’s greetings to a few of the older students.

As the wine went down, there was no sign of him disliking it in the slightest.

I admired him even more for that.

After spending so much time together, I had come to understand him a bit.

Although I still didn’t know which family he came from, it seemed his childhood had been quite difficult.

He once told me that his skill in recognizing wild vegetables was honed when he was young.

After growing up, he apparently spent several years on the frontier, and often shared stories of local customs with me.

Perhaps because of this, he developed his “unconventional” and “obsessed with science” personality.

As the wine took effect, someone spoke up mysteriously.

“I heard from my brother-in-law, who works at the Duke of Zhen’s residence, that the Miss of the Duke of Zhen’s Family has been like a different person since she fell into the water last year.”

“She used to be a bit slow, but suddenly became good at so many things.”

“I’ve heard that too! That young lady has become incredible-she’s managed to keep all the sons and daughters of the Duke of Zhen’s household in line. Now, the entire Duke of Zhen’s family listens to her!”