The two of them spent more than an hour on their lunch. By the time they left Lezhou Cottage, Shen Xuan was quite tipsy.
He helped Xue Fenglin into the cart and then rambled on, "You're leaving, but you can't go back to the capital looking like this and be underestimated! Let's go! To Jinli Street! I'll get you a new set of clothes made, so you can return in style!"
Xue Fenglin: "..."
He saw Shen Xuan's face was flushed crimson and knew he had drunk too much. However, he couldn't stop him now, so he simply indulged his wishes and drove the cart.
Xue Fenglin was good at horsemanship, so driving a mule cart was no challenge. Shen Xuan sat beside him, directing, and soon they arrived at the entrance of a tailor shop on Jinli Street.
This tailor shop was different from readymade clothing stores, it specialized in bespoke tailoring, and the prices were much higher.
"I've seen all those readymade clothes; they're tacky and don't suit your face!" Shen Xuan told Xue Fenglin.
"Getting a custom-made one here will suit you better!" Saying this, he directly addressed the shopkeeper, "Quick! Bring out all your most expensive fabrics!"
The shopkeeper could clearly see that Shen Xuan was drunk. Looking at his plain cloth clothes, he didn't seem very rich, so he kindly advised,
"Guest, perhaps you'd prefer to look at the fabrics from Lingzhou over there. The price is also good, and if you add some embroidery, it would greatly enhance your temperament."
"No! This time, I want the most expensive. I have money!" Shen Xuan declared, pulling out thirty taels of silver from his sleeve and slapping it onto the table.
The shopkeeper was startled, thinking this was a hidden wealthy person. He immediately had someone bring out many fine fabrics from the back courtyard.
Shen Xuan instantly picked out a bolt of dark mystical black fabric with intricate silver patterns.
The shopkeeper enthusiastically praised it, "Guest, you truly have an excellent eye! This fabric is the most popular in the capital right now, ten taels of silver per bolt."
"This is it!" Shen Xuan said decisively. He wanted a set of clothes made for Xue Fenglin with narrow sleeves, and the collar and waist embroidered with daylilies in the same color.
"This design sounds wonderful," the shopkeeper praised endlessly again. After flattering the tipsy Shen Xuan, he took Xue Fenglin's measurements and then collected fifteen taels of silver from Shen Xuan.
Xue Fenglin let Shen Xuan have his way; he was leaving soon anyway and didn't want to restrict Shen Xuan at this point.
When the shopkeeper said the clothes would be ready for pickup in ten days, Xue Fenglin sighed, thinking.
In ten days, he'll already be back in the capital. He probably won't get to wear these clothes.
Xue Fenglin drove back to Yunshui Village, while Shen Xuan slept soundly in the back of the cart.
For the next few days, Shen Xuan no longer had to go to the city to set up his stall every day, allowing him to sleep until late morning and enjoy a few days of leisure.
***
On the fifth day, a troop of people suddenly arrived in Yunshui Village. These individuals were all riding tall, powerful horses and were quite imposing.
Although dressed in plain clothes, they looked like soldiers, and a carriage followed behind them. Their entry into Yunshui Village immediately drew the attention of the villagers.
The villagers were both frightened and curious, following the troop from a distance, wanting to see what they were there for.
"Elder, is there a Ger named Shen here? Where is his house?" the leading man suddenly asked.
"Ah... ah, Shen Ger? His house is right up ahead." The elder who was called out was Old Man Huang.
As the village chief's father-in-law, he had seen some of the world. Although he felt a bit intimidated, he managed to stay composed.
"Please lead the way," the man said, placing a silver ingot into Old Man Huang's hand. Old Man Huang's face flushed with excitement.
Amidst the envious gazes of others, he immediately put the silver ingot away. The ingot weighed at least five taels just by feel, equivalent to a gentry family's annual income!
He led the way, bringing the troop quickly to Shen Xuan's doorstep. The villagers also followed, watching from a distance, wondering what this troop wanted with Shen Xuan.
Such a large group created a great commotion, and Shen Xuan immediately came out of the house, with Xue Fenglin following behind him.
"Young Master Lin, we are here by order to escort you," the leading man said, dismounting immediately upon seeing Xue Fenglin and stepping forward.
Xue Fenglin nodded, telling him not to be so formal. The two were clearly very familiar with each other.
Shen Xuan stared blankly at the troop, immediately understanding that these people had come to take Xue Fenglin back.
His heart was filled with mixed emotions. He thought he should entertain them, but looking at their demeanor, he felt it wasn't his place, a country Ger, to host them.
Shen Xuan simply went back into the house and closed the door, preferring to not see them.
A little while later, Xue Fenglin knocked on the door. When Shen Xuan opened it, Xue Fenglin closed it behind him and said,
"I'm leaving with them now. I don't know when we'll meet again. Take care."
Shen Xuan looked at him, his nose feeling a little raw. Only then did he realize that despite knowing it was impossible, he had truly developed some sincere feelings.
He sighed and said, "You're the one who needs to take good care of yourself. Go back and recover from your injury properly. Don't end up as miserable as before, getting picked up by someone again."
They looked at each other for a moment, their eyes seemingly conveying a thousand unspoken words, but in the end, nothing more was said.
When Xue Fenglin pushed the door open and left, and the sound of horse hooves outside gradually faded, Shen Xuan stepped out of the house.
The villagers outside had long since followed the troop, so no one was lingering around his house. Shen Xuan stood for a moment, facing the direction Xue Fenglin had left, then turned and walked into the room Xue Fenglin had occupied. He saw a cloth bag on Xue Fenglin's table, with a note tucked underneath.
Shen Xuan frowned and opened the cloth bag. Inside were ten gold ingots, each weighing ten taels – a total of one hundred taels of gold! It was dazzling enough to almost blind him! He then pulled out the note and read.
"This is for the kindness you showed in taking me in for so long."
Shen Xuan: "..."
He suddenly became very angry. He had saved Lin Ye. Although he had spent money and effort, they were friends, and Lin Ye owed him a favor.
Yet, this person left a hundred taels of gold before leaving, intending to repay the favor just like that! Did their friendship and affection only amount to a hundred taels?
Shen Xuan grabbed the bag of gold and slammed it onto the ground. He stormed out for a moment, then turned around and came back in to pick up the gold.
He had no desire to use this gold. If he ever saw Lin Ye again in the future, he would throw it back in his handsome face!
With Shen Xuan's "husband" gone, the villagers started gossiping again. Some even came to Shen Xuan, asking about Xue Fenglin's identity and if he would ever return.
To these nosy questions, Shen Xuan simply replied, "I don't know," refusing to answer anything.
Of course, there were many who were secretly gleeful, but most villagers now held Shen Xuan in high regard. They all knew he had made money selling tea, and villagers generally looked up to those who could earn money.
Xue Fenglin was gone, but life had to continue. Shen Xuan busied himself with making the tea base syrup again. This day, as he was making tea base in the kitchen, he suddenly heard a faint sound from outside the window.
Xue Fenglin was gone, so there shouldn't be anyone else in the courtyard. Shen Xuan frowned, put down the tea leaves in his hand, and quickly ran out of the kitchen.
He saw Zhong Xiaomei rushing out the door in a panic, disappearing a moment later.
Zhong Xiaomei hadn't seen Shen Xuan for a long time since her family sent her to work as a temporary laborer. Shen Xuan certainly didn't think her appearance in his courtyard was a good thing. He went back to the kitchen and looked around. Several cups of concentrated tea base had already been brewed, and there were many cleaned fruits in a basin. However, he hadn't yet taken out the crucial lemons, so Zhong Xiaomei probably hadn't seen them.
Looks like I'll have to be more careful in the future, Shen Xuan thought to himself. Zhong Xiaomei was peeking at my secret recipe; isn't she probably thinking of learning from me and setting up her own tea stall?
Shen Xuan, with his suspicions, finished brewing the tea base syrup, wondering if similar counterfeit citrus teas would appear on the market afterward.
It wasn't until dark that he heard a knock on the courtyard gate. He went out to see Zhong Xiaomei hiding in the bushes outside the gate.
Shen Xuan immediately sternly said, "You still dare to come here? Didn't you see clearly during the day? I haven't even settled scores with you yet!"
Zhong Xiaomei, however, lowered her head in shame and cautiously said, "I'm sorry, Shen Ger. I ran away secretly. Please let me in first." Seeing that Zhong Xiaomei's expression didn't seem feigned, and there was nothing left to see in the house anyway, Shen Xuan stepped aside and let her in.
Zhong Xiaomei followed Shen Xuan into the house. After closing the door, she shed two lines of tears and said, "I'm sorry, my parents forced me to come. I... I only saw a general idea, and I didn't dare tell them everything."
Shen Xuan's expression changed slightly; he didn't quite believe her but asked, "Why would your parents force you to steal my secret recipe? Do they want to set up their own stall? You said you didn't tell them everything, so how much did you tell them?"
Zhong Xiaomei then said, "My parents don't know how to do business. They only know how to sell their children for money; they wouldn't dare set up a stall!"
At this, she was clearly angry, her voice changing. After composing herself, she continued, "But a few days ago, someone from the city came to them, saying they heard I used to work at your house and was quite familiar with it. They asked my parents to find a way for me to sneak a look at your recipe, and they even promised my parents ten taels of silver!"
Shen Xuan frowned, seeing that Zhong Xiaomei's explanation of the cause and effect was clear and coherent, something a naive country child couldn't possibly fabricate.
He believed her words. He then asked, "So, what did you see? And how much did you tell them?"
"I really didn't tell them everything!" Zhong Xiaomei quickly said.
"I saw you used tea, cane sugar, honey, oranges, and pomelos..." Zhong Xiaomei paused, then said,
"I saw you used oranges on your signboard before, so I told them about you chopping oranges and boiling them with sugar. I didn't dare mention the pomelos."
Shen Xuan's expression softened slightly, and he raised an eyebrow, asking, "Since you helped them peek, why didn't you tell them everything?"
"If I hadn't come, my parents would have beaten me to death! They were willing to sell me to that old widower Chen for five taels of silver, let alone ten taels!"
Zhong Xiaomei said indignantly, rolling up her sleeve to reveal fresh-looking scars, clearly from recent beatings.
"But isn't it true that outside, things that make money are secret recipes that cannot be passed on? If I told them the whole recipe, Shen Ger, wouldn't you lose your business later?"
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