Liang Zhu's Love Affection

Chapter 98 Liang Zhu's Love Affection

The snow outside the window had not yet stopped, falling sparsely and silently, creating a chilly atmosphere in the world.

Inside the room, Zhu Yingtai and Liang Shanbo stood a step apart, their eyes meeting.

Her eyes were as clear as autumn water, and suddenly she smiled sweetly, asking softly, "Brother Liang, what do you think of my appearance?"

Liang Shanbo looked her up and down, smiled slightly, and softly replied, "Very beautiful!"

These two words alone served as the footnote to his first encounter with her as a woman.

There is no embellishment, no elaborate descriptions, but it is all very real.

Zhu Yingtai lowered her head, but a smile that she couldn't hide spread across her face and eyes.

She knew that when Brother Liang said "very beautiful," he genuinely thought she was beautiful. These two words, spoken by him, were more precious and brought her more joy than any other person's praise.

She raised her head and looked into his eyes: "Brother Liang, let's sit down and talk things over. I have a lot to say to you."

Liang Shanbo sat opposite her as instructed, with a low table between them.

Zhu Yingtai remained silent for a moment before saying to him, "Brother Liang, I will tell you the truth now. I am not a man, but a woman. I am the daughter of the Zhu family of Shangyu, and my real name is Zhu Yingtai. I disguised myself as a man, using the alias Zhu Jiuling, to study at the Wansong Academy in Qiantang. For more than two years, I have kept this a secret from everyone at the academy, and from you as well."

She looked into Liang Shanbo's eyes, trying to read something from them—surprise, dissatisfaction, or disappointment at being deceived. But she read nothing; his eyes were calm as still water, devoid of any emotion.

Liang Shanbo spoke, his voice calm: "Actually, I already knew."

Zhu Yingtai was taken aback, her eyes widening slightly: "When did you find out?"

Liang Shanbo said, "I have already learned this after studying with you at the school for only a short time."

"9

He didn't tell the whole truth here; it wasn't intentional deception, but rather something he couldn't say openly.

He couldn't very well say, "I knew it the moment I first met you at the Grass Bridge Pavilion, because I came from another world. I knew the story of 'The Butterfly Lovers,' I knew that Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai would meet at the Grass Bridge Pavilion, and I knew that you were the Zhu Yingtai disguised as a man."

These words are too bizarre to be spoken, nor need they be spoken.

Zhu Yingtai lowered her head and remained silent.

Actually, she wasn't very surprised, because she had long suspected that Brother Liang knew, but she had never been sure and never dared to confirm it.

At that moment, she understood, and sighed inwardly, "All along, I've been deceiving myself. Yes, how could someone as intelligent as Brother Liang not have realized I was a woman after more than two years? How could he really be the fool I secretly thought he was?"

She looked up at him, gazed at him, and asked, "Then why do you never expose me?"

Liang Shanbo's voice was calm and gentle: "Because you need something I don't know." You came to Fangsong Academy disguised as a man, you have your own reasons and your own aspirations. If I were to rashly expose you, you would inevitably be embarrassed and at a loss, and it would be inconvenient for you to stay with me day and night as a "brother." You might even leave the academy early because of this. This is something I absolutely do not want to see.

A surge of emotion welled up in Zhu Yingtai's heart.

It turned out he wasn't naive or ignorant; he was understanding. He understood her difficulties, her concerns, and the immense challenge it was for a woman like her to carefully guard her secret in the academy. He used his "ignorance" to allow her "freedom."

Liang Shanbo then said, "Besides, it's better for you to tell me this yourself than for me to expose it. If I expose you, it's like revealing something; if you tell me, it's like trusting me."

Since the beginning of this year, I have repeatedly hinted at my feelings to you, hoping you would take the initiative to speak up. I have been waiting for this day, waiting for the day you would be willing to tell me, waiting for the day you would no longer pretend to be "Zhu Jiuling" in front of me, waiting for the day you would appear before me openly as a daughter.

Zhu Yingtai could no longer hold back, and her eyes involuntarily welled up with tears.

She didn't reach out to wipe away her tears, but stared blankly at Liang Shanbo, her face filled with emotion and guilt, her heart churning like a surging tide: "So that's how it is! All those strange things Brother Liang did this year that kept me tossing and turning, those words I thought I was overthinking, were actually his deliberate hints, he deliberately hid deeper meanings. He was waiting for me to understand, waiting for me to muster my courage, and I, I've stubbornly dragged it out until today, only now daring to speak."

Thinking of this, her voice trembled slightly: "Brother Liang, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. How could I, a young woman, easily bring up such a matter?"

Liang Shanbo shook his head, a gentle smile on his lips: "I don't blame you, and I know it's really hard for you to say."

Today you have finally come to see me as a daughter, and told me all this in person. I am overjoyed. I have finally waited for this day; it was not in vain.

An indescribable warmth welled up in Zhu Yingtai's heart.

She reached out and pressed her hand against the corner of her eye, forcibly suppressing the tears that were trying to escape her.

Liang Shanbo continued, "It's truly fate that we met, and quite a coincidence indeed. Actually, I didn't want to wait any longer and intended to speak frankly today. On the way here, I was pondering how to begin and how to phrase my words so as not to be abrupt."

I never expected that you would take the initiative to speak frankly with me today.

He smiled with relief: "It turns out I wasted all my effort; all those carefully crafted arguments are now useless."

Zhu Yingtai's eyes widened: "Really?"

Liang Shanbo nodded: "Absolutely true, without a doubt."

Zhu Yingtai was overjoyed and thought to herself, "It seems that Brother Liang and I are truly destined for each other!"

She hesitated for a moment, then mustered her courage and said seriously, "Brother Liang, there is a reason why I have decided to speak frankly to you today. The New Year holiday is almost here again. After returning to Shangyu to celebrate the New Year this year, I don't know if I will be able to come back to Wansong Academy. I'm afraid that if I don't tell you the truth now, I will never have the chance again."

Liang Shanbo nodded slightly.

Zhu Yingtai took a deep breath and then said, "Brother Liang, there is one more thing I would like to tell you as well."

She immediately recounted in detail the marriage arrangements her family had made during the previous year's New Year celebrations, as well as the ins and outs of the Ma family in Shangyu forcing her into marriage.

She talked about how her parents discussed her marriage, how the Ma family hosted a banquet for her family, how determined they were to form a marriage alliance with the Zhu family, and how her father politely declined, only to be shut down by Ma Yue's words, "Waiting a year won't hurt."

She spoke calmly, without resentment or grievance in her tone, simply presenting the facts as they were.

She was too shy to confess her feelings directly, so she wanted to use this opportunity to test Liang Shanbo's reaction and see how he would respond after hearing what she had said.

Liang Shanbo listened quietly, sighing inwardly, "As expected, Ma Wencai has come. This fated adversary from the 'Butterfly Lovers' story has finally appeared. However, I'm not the simpleton in the story. To break this fate, I've already made preparations."

He sighed to himself, "Influenced by me, Zhu Yingtai took the initiative to speak frankly to me, not only revealing her true gender, but also telling me about the Ma family's forced marriage."

In the story of "The Butterfly Lovers," Zhu Yingtai studied with that silly goose for three years. Even after three years, when her father urged her to return home, she had no choice but to go back. She never told that silly goose the truth.

Although Zhu Yingtai was intelligent and decisive, in this world, it was indeed very difficult for a young lady from a prominent family to speak out about such matters. "But I am not that foolish goose," she said, giving her enough courage to take that step.

Seeing that Liang Shanbo remained silent after listening, Zhu Yingtai felt uneasy. She feared that her brother Liang had no romantic feelings for her and that her love was unrequited, and she also feared that he was unwilling to face this difficult situation with her and fight alongside her.

After a moment of silence, Liang Shanbo gazed at Zhu Yingtai, smiled slightly, and suddenly asked, "Miss Zhu, I, Liang Shanbo, am willing to be your Cowherd. May I ask if you would be willing to be my Weaver Girl?"

This was his confession.

Now that she has taken the initiative to tell him about her true gender and the pressure of being forced into marriage, it's time for him to take the initiative. Does he expect a young lady from a prominent family to confess her feelings to him first?

Zhu Yingtai blushed with embarrassment, lowered her eyes, and dared not meet his gaze.

She naturally understood the meaning behind his words. Although she was embarrassed on the surface, a strong sense of joy welled up inside her.

She lowered her head and remained silent for a moment, then mustered all her courage, looked up and met his eyes, nodded, and said clearly, "I do."

Liang Shanbo nodded, then asked, "In that case, how should I address you from now on? It's certainly inconvenient to call you 'Brother,' but calling you 'Miss Zhu' would seem too distant and would be a disservice to our friendship of over two years."

Zhu Yingtai hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "If you're willing, you can call me Yingtai. However, from now on I will still call you Brother Liang. I like this form of address and can't bear to change it."

She had been calling him "Brother Liang" for more than two years, and those two words held extraordinary weight in her heart.

It's not just an ordinary honorific between classmates, but a vow they made when they swore brotherhood at Caoqiao Pavilion. It's all contained in those days and nights they spent together, the deep bond they shared through thick and thin, and the countless unspoken thoughts they had.

Liang Shanbo nodded and softly called out, "Yingtai."

When Zhu Yingtai heard those two words softly uttered by him, she felt an indescribable surge of emotion. Before, when he called her "my virtuous brother," he was treating her as a brother who needed his care; now that he called her "Yingtai," it meant that from this day forward, the way he looked at her would be completely different.

She gave a soft "hmm" and said gently, "Brother Liang, call me again."

Liang Shanbo called out again, his voice slightly louder than before: "Yingtai."

Zhu Yingtai responded with emotion, "Brother Liang."

Actually, what she really wanted to hear was Brother Liang call her "Ninth Sister," using her childhood nickname. However, that kind of address was far too intimate, and it would be more convenient for him to call her that after they were married.

But can the two really get married?

Thinking of this, the expression on her face suddenly dimmed, and worry and fear weighed on her heart again.

Liang Shanbo immediately noticed the change in her expression.

He leaned forward slightly, his expression solemn, his eyes gleaming: "Yingtai, one summer night this year, we stood side by side outside the schoolhouse, gazing at the stars. You recited the poem 'The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl,' and I said something to you then. I wonder if you still remember?"

Zhu Yingtai thought for a moment and then replied, "At that time, I asked Brother Liang what he thought of this poem. You said it was a good poem, but every time I read it, I couldn't help but think, since the Weaver Girl stood by the river every day and wept, and the Cowherd looked at her from the other side every day, and the two were so close, why didn't the Weaver Girl call out to the Cowherd?"

I said, perhaps the Weaver Girl wouldn't dare, fearing the strict heavenly rules, fearing divine retribution, fearing that her cries would be in vain. You said, the Cowherd wasn't afraid of these things. He stood on the other side of the river waiting for so many years, perhaps not waiting for the Weaver Girl on the Magpie Bridge on Qixi Festival, but waiting for her to call his name. Once the Weaver Girl called, the Cowherd would take care of the rest.

She memorized those words that very night, and has thought about them countless times since.

Liang Shanbo nodded: "Those words were my hint to you, implying that you should take the initiative to tell me the truth. Now that you have told me the truth and are willing to be my Weaver Girl, then I, the Cowherd, should naturally take on the rest for you."

Before Zhu Yingtai could respond, he continued, "One late autumn evening this year, you and I were returning from practicing archery in the pine forest behind the mountain when we passed by that field. You were feeling melancholic about autumn, saying that the coming together and parting of people in life is like the seasons of grass and trees, and when the time comes, they must part, which is beyond human control. By next year, perhaps you will no longer be at the academy, and I will no longer see you."

At this point, he asked, "Do you remember how I responded to you back then?"

Without hesitation, Zhu Yingtai blurted out, "Brother Liang, how can I know that we will definitely be separated next year at this time? Perhaps we can stay together for a long time, who knows?"

Liang Shanbo nodded: "That's right. Actually, those words weren't just empty words I said to comfort you; they came from the bottom of my heart."

I had long anticipated that one day you would take the initiative to tell me the truth about your gender, or I would tell you the truth, and if you were willing to marry me, it would be extremely difficult for a poor man like me to marry a woman from a prominent family, given the difference in our social standing and family backgrounds.

To overcome this barrier, to marry you, I have already made preparations. Now I have a way to free you from the Ma family's pressure to marry me. But, I wonder if you are willing to marry me? Are you willing to work with me to use this method?

Zhu Yingtai was both embarrassed and surprised. She stared at him blankly, her heart filled with shock: "So Brother Liang not only knew I was a woman all along, but also wanted to marry me long ago, and even made preparations for it. He planned it all by himself, without ever telling me."

She mustered her courage, suppressing her blush, and met his eyes again, her tone resolute: "Brother Liang, as I just said, I am willing to be your Weaver Girl. Since that's the case, I am naturally willing to marry you."

She paused, her eyes clear, and asked, "Brother Liang, what method do you have? Please speak freely."