Zhou Donglin seemed to have grown up overnight. He no longer wandered through the streets. He was no longer the little devil that even hooligans feared at the mere mention of his name. He also stopped being Li Qiyu's little tail and stopped hanging around with her.
He began to study intently. Several times when Li Qiyu went to find him, she was turned away with the reply that he was reading.
Li Qiyu remembered what Zhou Donglin had said to her before: "Men and women should keep a proper distance."
Sure enough, it was time for her little apprentice to draw a clear line from her.
Actually, Li Qiyu had her own troubles. At first, the main reason she agreed to Song Jiaye's proposal was out of anger.
After she returned victorious with her father from the war, what awaited her was neither flowers nor praise, but the matchmaker's worried face as she said to her father, "It's really difficult to arrange a marriage for your precious daughter."
Yes, Li Qiyu's marriage had become a huge problem.
It was not only a headache for the Li Mansion but also for the entire Li family's army and even the emperor.
To ensure her successful marriage, the emperor even personally bestowed a plaque with the words "A Gentle and Virtuous Lady" on her. It was as if he wanted to engrave the four words "Marry Me Quickly" on her forehead.
However, just as the Li family's army was well - known and powerful, Li Qiyu's reputation was extremely bad. From childhood to adulthood, Li Qiyu had learned military strategies and martial arts, which were of no use in getting married. Men wanted a gentle and considerate woman who could embroider and cook at home, not a tough and warlike woman like her.
After returning to the capital, under the arrangements of her parents and the emperor, Li Qiyu had gone on several blind dates, but each time the result was disappointing. Either the other party was completely disheartened or Li Qiyu was.
Later, the men she met in blind dates were all widowers, with crooked eyes and slanting mouths.
Li Qiyu couldn't understand. She asked her father more than once, "Dad, do I really have to get married? Why do I have to degrade myself like this?"
General Li was also very helpless.
"If you don't get married, not only will your parents be worried, but the emperor will also be uneasy."
The first part was the parents' earnest expectation for their daughter.
The second part was the emperor's suspicion and precaution against his subject.
So, when Song Jiaye appeared, Li Qiyu agreed without much thought.
However, as the wedding was approaching, she couldn't help but start to doubt. Her feelings for Song Jiaye were partly out of defiance against the world and partly out of helplessness.
She had considered a lot of things, but she had never considered her own feelings. Her heart was in a mess. Her parents didn't fully support her relationship with Song Jiaye. If she told them, she was afraid they would worry, so she wanted to talk to Zhou Donglin about her feelings.
After being turned away several times, Li Qiyu stopped coming.
She knew that she would have to get used to a life without her little follower.
On the day of Li Qiyu and Song Jiaye's grand wedding, Zhou Donglin finally showed up.
It had been a month or two since Li Qiyu last saw him. He had lost a lot of weight. His originally chubby and somewhat childish round face had become a small oval face. He looked much more handsome, but also less approachable than before.
Zhou Donglin appeared when Li Qiyu was about to get into the bridal sedan chair. He handed Li Qiyu a brocade box.
According to the custom, after receiving the brocade box, Li Qiyu should have given it to the maid beside her. It was considered disrespectful to open the gift in front of the guests.
However, Zhou Donglin urged her, "Take a look and see if you like it."
Li Qiyu looked around. The maids accompanying her had grown up with her. They knew the pure and innocent affection between their young lady and Zhou Donglin, so they all advised, "Open it and take a look. Young Master Zhou must have put a lot of thought into this gift."
Li Qiyu nodded and opened the red brocade box in front of everyone.
Inside the brocade box, there lay a jade hairpin quietly. Different from the common jade hairpins carved in the shape of cloud patterns or magnolias, this hairpin was carved in the shape of a poppy.
Zhou Donglin hid his injured hand, still wrapped in a white cloth, behind his back and explained with a smile, "This hairpin is called the Poppy Hairpin."
"Sure enough, Young Master Zhou has a unique taste. This name is very suitable for our young lady," the maid joked.
When Zhou Donglin named it the Poppy Hairpin, there was no hint of disrespect. He had heard from his master that jade recognized its owner and would protect the owner. So before carving this hairpin, he would bathe and offer incense. While carving, he had no distracting thoughts, hoping that the spiritual energy of this jade hairpin could be maximally preserved and that it could protect Li Qiyu in places where he couldn't reach.
"I heard that according to the Li family's rules, the family should prepare a set of headdresses for the daughter when she gets married. I originally wanted to prepare a whole set for you, but there wasn't enough time. I'll make it up for you later if I have the chance. You can make do with this hairpin for now."
Zhou Donglin already regarded himself as a member of the Li family, but he still stubbornly refused to call Li Qiyu his elder sister as she had suggested.
He wanted to be her family, but he also wanted more than just that.
Moreover, Zhou Donglin had taken Li Qiyu's words to heart and seriously considered giving her a set of headdresses. After all, Li Qiyu rarely asked him for anything.
He would give her whatever she wanted.
However, because he had too many wounds on his hands, he had to take a break after carving this one hairpin before he could continue.
Li Qiyu's eyes quietly turned red. When her parents gave her the headdresses, she didn't feel the slightest bit of reluctance to leave home and get married.
However, this hairpin from Zhou Donglin made her truly realize that she was about to get married, that she was about to leave the Li family and enter a completely unfamiliar environment. In the future, she might have to face a back - courtyard that was no less challenging than the battlefield.
She was a little scared and also a bit guilty. Her hand holding the hairpin was shaking. She wanted to turn back and go home, but the maids stopped her and told her the wedding customs.
"Miss, a bride is not allowed to retrace her steps when she gets married. You have to move forward."
The maids who had lived with her and eaten with her didn't understand her, but Zhou Donglin instantly understood her worries and fears.
He stood beside her and gently comforted her, just like how Li Qiyu used to comfort the wronged and crying Zhou Donglin after he got beaten up.
"Don't be afraid. I'll be with you."
The maids stood on Li Qiyu's right side, and Zhou Donglin stood on her left side. They stood side by side. Zhou Donglin was wearing a slightly festive dark red jacket. It didn't look strange when seen alone, but when they stood side by side like this, an uninformed person might mistake them for the couple about to get married.
Beyond this moon - shaped gate was the main hall.
And Zhou Donglin had to stop here.
From then on, she had to walk the rest of the way alone.