[Gold Powder GL] True Elegance Comes with Knowledge - Chapter 5

Because the entire family attended the Wang family’s banquet that evening, Yanxi stayed home alone.

It was already quite late when he returned. After a restless night, he finally drifted off and didn’t wake until noon. After getting up and eating breakfast, he idled at home for a while. By the time he checked the clock again, it was already two in the afternoon. Deciding not to waste the day, Yanxi took a car to Luohua Hutong, intending to invite Qingqiu on a countryside outing to enjoy the mountain scenery.

He had hoped to have a proper conversation with her the night before, but with so many people around, the moment never came. So, he thought it best to find a quiet place where they could talk undisturbed.

But when he arrived and inquired, he found that Qingqiu wasn’t home.

“The school’s on holiday. Who did she go out with?” Yanxi asked Mother Han.

Having received many gifts from him recently and well aware of the situation between him and Qingqiu, Mother Han didn’t hide anything. “She left early this morning with a Miss Jin—apparently your relative, Young Master Jin. She came to invite our young lady over to her home to play and personally came to pick her up.”

Yanxi immediately understood who it was.

So, Miss Jin had once again spoiled his plans. Still, he’d always had a soft spot for women, and upon reflection, Miss Jin wasn’t without her charms—pleasant and attractive in her own right—so he didn’t let it bother him too much.

He figured he might as well wait around; no matter whom Qingqiu had gone out with, she was bound to return eventually. When she did, he could arrange to meet the next day and ensure she wouldn’t be snatched away by someone else.

With that thought, he decided to stay and passed the time reading in the study. Before long, dusk had fallen.

Upon asking again, he was told that Qingqiu had returned. Using a new excuse, he visited once more.

Qingqiu had enjoyed herself so much that day that she had almost forgotten about him. Only when she saw him again did she remember the matter from the previous night.

Though she had secretly paid attention to Yanxi before, she was well aware that their families were not of equal standing. Despite her pride in her talents, she knew talent alone didn’t put food on the table—and a man like him had surely met countless accomplished people. Deep down, she couldn’t help but feel a bit inadequate.

Yet somehow, seeing him now, her feelings had changed.

Strangely enough, when she was with Yan Hui, she often felt a sense of “falling short,” but never shame or inferiority. Instead, it made her aspire to become better. That was why she’d so readily accepted Yan Hui’s invitation to study together. Now that things were on track, she felt at ease.

In the past, whenever Yanxi brought up Western topics, Qingqiu would try to avoid them out of fear of saying something wrong and being laughed at. But now, even with Yanxi present, she found herself thinking about how she might surprise him once she’d learned enough.

The thought made her chuckle softly.

Seeing her smile, Yanxi felt delighted as well. When Mrs. Leng entered the room, he discreetly shared his idea of an outing.

“Oh!” Qingqiu exclaimed. “What a coincidence. Yan Hui mentioned earlier that she wanted to take a walk in the mountains to relax. I’ve already agreed to go with her. She even wants to borrow a German camera—we’re planning to take photos together. Doesn’t that sound fun?”

Girls always manage to show a bit of flair in front of someone they like. Qingqiu truly did feel more lighthearted around Yan Hui, so she declined Yanxi’s offer without much hesitation.

Yanxi had never thought about taking photos before, but upon hearing Qingqiu’s enthusiasm, he was intrigued. “Why not? Since you’re going up the mountain and I’m going too, why don’t we all go together? The more, the merrier.”

Qingqiu didn’t object but replied, “Then I’d better ask Miss Jin what she thinks.”

Encouraged, Yanxi urged her to make the call. Qingqiu did, and upon hearing that Jin Yanxi would be joining, Yan Hui thought for a moment and agreed.

She had considered breaking up the “CP” but decided that subtle guidance was better than outright opposition. If she tried to restrict Qingqiu’s contact with Yanxi, it might only provoke rebellion. Since she couldn’t watch over her every moment, it was better to let them meet—under her supervision.

After all, the key to resolving everything lay in changing Qingqiu’s heart.

Until then, all that mattered was preventing them from secretly marrying.

Early the next morning, Yan Hui’s car arrived.

Yanxi had stayed up late and was still half-asleep when the servant woke him. He was tempted to cancel, but the thought of Qingqiu got him out of bed. After splashing cold water on his face, he finally felt somewhat awake.

By the time he reached the Leng household, everyone was already having breakfast—brought by Yan Hui from outside.

“Seventh Master, want to join us?” Yan Hui greeted with a smile.

Yanxi sat down, and Mother Han served him breakfast. While eating, he heard Yan Hui suggests, “Since Master Qi is joining, we’ll have two cars. I think everyone should go—Auntie too, so she can relax a bit. What do you think?”

Mrs. Leng was pleased by the idea but hesitated. “You’re all young. It wouldn’t be proper for me to tag along.”

Yanxi, who enjoyed lively gatherings, said warmly, “It’s a beautiful day. It’d be a pity for you to stay home alone. If only Mr. Song were here, we’d invite him too.”

Mrs. Leng laughed and said, “Then I’ll accept your kindness today.”

After breakfast, they departed. Mrs. Leng and Qingqiu rode in Yan Hui’s car. Seeing how lively their carriage was, Yanxi couldn’t resist. He had his driver follow alongside and then switched over to join them, making for a cheerful journey.

Along the way, Qingqiu eagerly experimented with the camera, snapping pictures of the roadside scenery. Yanxi looked on with a smile, content. If he had one regret, it was that the camera wasn’t his.

He had considered borrowing one the night before but thought it would seem like copying Yan Hui, so he let it go. Now, seeing how much Qingqiu enjoyed it, he wished he had.

As they left the city, the road opened up. Though other travelers were around, the crowd gradually thinned. Yan Hui veered onto a quiet stretch of road, then turned to Qingqiu and said, “Didn’t you want to learn to drive? I’ll teach you.”

Mrs. Leng immediately objected, “Don’t let her wreck the car again!”

“Don’t worry, Auntie. I’ll be right beside her. It’s safe here—no traffic and wide roads.” Yan Hui smiled, “If you’re always afraid of accidents, how can she ever learn? It’s like teaching a child to walk—they have to fall a few times. Right, Seventh Master?”

“Absolutely,” Yanxi agreed. “I’ll ride along and help guide Miss Leng as well.”

Left with no choice, Mrs. Leng reluctantly agreed.

Qingqiu was nervous at first, but with both of them encouraging her, she switched seats with Yan Hui, listened carefully to instructions, and slowly drove around the open field.

Though she didn’t go far, Qingqiu enjoyed herself thoroughly and laughed more freely than usual.

Yan Hui, seated in the passenger seat, took photos of her concentrating behind the wheel. Later, she even got out to pose for a few shots.

After playing to their hearts’ content, they drove to the base of the mountain and began their hike.

It was midsummer. The mountain was lush with greenery, flowers blooming everywhere. Qingqiu, clutching the camera, wanted to photograph everything in sight, using up several rolls of film. Eventually, they reluctantly descended, had lunch at a small restaurant, and headed home as the sun dipped low in the sky.

Yanxi felt there would be plenty of opportunities ahead, so even though he didn’t get to speak privately with Qingqiu, he wasn’t in a rush.

But he hadn’t expected that after that day, she’d disappear from his reach.

As it turned out, Qingqiu and Yan Hui had agreed that after this outing, it was time to resume classes. Qingqiu had already arranged everything with her tutors, and once lessons began, she was too busy to meet him.

After thinking it over, Yanxi decided to use his old trick—writing her a letter to test the waters.

The letter, as usual, was delivered through Mother Han. After all, it’s crucial to have trustworthy people by your side. Without Hongniang, even someone as desperate as Yingying wouldn’t have had the chance to pass letters to her Zhang Sheng. Likewise, without Mother Han, Yanxi would find it hard to get close to Qingqiu now.

Human attention is limited. If you focus on one thing, you’ll inevitably neglect another. With school keeping her occupied, Qingqiu’s thoughts of Yanxi gradually faded.

She had no intention of marrying within the next year or two. If she ended up attending college, the timeline would stretch even further. Since it was a long road ahead, she felt it was wiser not to show too much warmth now. It’s better to keep things balanced—too much affection too soon could backfire.

Even so, when she received Yanxi’s letter, she felt genuinely happy. She read it several times before putting it away carefully.

She didn’t write back—and didn’t plan to—but couldn’t help thinking about it. When Yan came for lessons again, it showed a little in her behavior.

Yan Hui noticed. She judged the moment right: the fish had taken the bait.

One day, after class, Yan Hui tugged Qingqiu into her room and said mysteriously, “I’ve got something interesting to show you.”

“What’s with all the secrecy?” Qingqiu asked, curious.

“You’ll see. But don’t tell anyone—it’s not something we’re supposed to be reading.”

She pulled a thick book from a cabinet beside her bed.

When Qingqiu saw the title—Fragrant and Erotic Letters—her face flushed. “Oh my God! How could you have something like this?”

But now that she saw Yan Hui as her closest friend, reading a risqué book together wasn’t such a big deal. Despite her embarrassment, she couldn’t resist flipping through it.

She was sorely disappointed.

With a title like that, she’d expected something illicit. Instead, it was merely a collection of letters—though admittedly, the letters were quite intimate, written by wandering young men to the sheltered ladies they pursued.

As they lay side by side reading, Qingqiu’s expression suddenly changed.

Yan Hui set the book aside and said casually, “What’s this nonsense? I thought it would be entertaining, but it’s dull.”

“Very dull,” Qingqiu forced a laugh. “What kind of person would even print such a thing?”

“Probably for ignorant guys trying to flirt with respectable girls,” Yan Hui smirked. “After all, no proper young lady would read something like this—how would she know the words were copied?”

Qingqiu blushed scarlet and buried her head under the covers, too mortified to speak.

It turned out that a while ago, Yanxi had written her a birthday letter. She’d been surprised by his eloquence—so much so that she had believed he was far more cultured than she’d assumed. She even thought his poetic style was charming.

But just now, she had seen those same sentences in this collection.

It couldn’t be that someone had plagiarized him—more likely, he had copied them himself.

The more she had admired the letter before, the more ashamed and angrier she felt now.