Upon hearing Xue Fenglin's words, Shen Xuan suddenly let out a long sigh, the anger that had been simmering within him largely dissipating.
He thought back to when he had found Xue Fenglin, gravely injured, almost dying at the village entrance. It was clear that the struggles within the Marquis's mansion had long been fierce, reaching a life-or-death intensity.
No wonder Xue Fenglin had been so unwilling to mention his family at the time.
Xue Fenglin had stayed in Yunshui Village for so long after his severe injuries, yet no one from the Marquis's mansion came looking for him. Although he didn't say it, he must have been deeply disappointed.
"Come with me," Xue Fenglin said, raising his lantern to lead Shen Xuan down an unlit path to a courtyard entrance.
"Where is this?" Shen Xuan looked up. The courtyard gate had a plaque that read "Chrysanthemum Courtyard."
He followed Xue Fenglin into the Chrysanthemum Courtyard and watched him light the stone lanterns, only then noticing that it was filled with various chrysanthemums, including many rare varieties.
"My mother always loved chrysanthemums the most. This was her courtyard when she was alive," Xue Fenglin told Shen Xuan.
He walked a few more steps and led Shen Xuan to a stone table beneath an osmanthus tree, where they sat down. "Every Mid-Autumn Festival when I was little, after the family banquet, I would come here to my mother's courtyard to eat mooncakes."
The osmanthus tree in the courtyard was covered in golden blossoms, emitting a faint, sweet fragrance.
Shen Xuan saw Xue Fenglin look up, gazing at the full moon through the osmanthus branches, a nostalgic expression on his face.
This Xue Fenglin, so different from the suave and adaptable persona at the banquet, was like a return to their time in Yunshui Village.
Shen Xuan thought for a moment before saying, "I really envy you and your mother having so many memories. Actually, I've almost forgotten what my parents looked like."
After traveling to the modern world and back, everything from the Duke's mansion felt like a lifetime ago.
Shen Xuan sat quietly on the stone bench, gazing at the moon. He paused, then said, "If my parents were still alive, I suppose I would be like this now, sitting with them under the osmanthus tree in the courtyard, admiring the moon, wouldn't I?"
"In the Duke's mansion's back garden, there was a particularly large osmanthus tree," Shen Xuan said, a smile appearing on his face. "Every year when the osmanthus bloomed, the servants would pick the flowers to make candied osmanthus. That candy had a clear, sweet fragrance of osmanthus. I don't remember anything else, but I uniquely remember that, so I must have been too greedy."
Although Shen Xuan said this with a smile, Xue Fenglin felt a pang in his heart for some reason. Moonlight filtered through the leaves, dappling Shen Xuan's face as if sprinkled with gold leaf.
Xue Fenglin's heart suddenly stirred. Before reason could intercede, he reached out and took Shen Xuan's hand, saying, "Then, every Mid-Autumn Festival from now on, I'll celebrate it with you."
'Every Mid-Autumn Festival?' Shen Xuan's heart pounded like a drum. He didn't immediately believe Xue Fenglin's words.
Next year, he would likely no longer be in the capital, with no connection to him. How could there be "every Mid-Autumn Festival"?
But at this moment, the atmosphere was perfect, with a gentle breeze carrying the sweet scent of osmanthus.
Such a picturesque scene, accompanied by a beauty like Xue Fenglin, was intoxicating. Shen Xuan wished he would never wake up and couldn't bear to disrupt it.
Grrrroowl—
A loud rumble from his stomach finally shattered the dreamlike ambiance. Shen Xuan irritably pulled his hand back and saw Xue Fenglin smiling at him.
"You barely ate anything at dinner, did you? Are you hungry?" he asked with a chuckle.
"How could one eat comfortably in a setting like that?" Shen Xuan complained helplessly.
"Wait here for me; I'll be right back," Xue Fenglin said.
After about the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, Xue Fenglin returned, carrying a food box.
He placed it on the stone table and opened it, taking out a pot of osmanthus wine, a plate of hairy crabs, a dish of snails, and some mooncakes.
"It's a bit late, so this is all the late-night snack there is. Just eat whatever you like to fill your stomach," Xue Fenglin said.
Shen Xuan was amused by the snails. He picked one up and said, "Speaking of which, when I first found you, I earned money by catching snails. I couldn't bear to eat the snails I caught; I sold them all to the restaurants. One basket could earn a hundred wen."
"Only a hundred wen?" Xue Fenglin was a bit surprised. Then he said to Shen Xuan, "That must have been very difficult for you, having to support a useless person like me."
"That was only at the beginning. Later, life gradually got better, and my stall business did quite well," Shen Xuan said, a little proudly.
At this, Xue Fenglin paused before speaking, "Since Bai Shi brought you to the capital, did your business in Lezhou fall through?"
"Not really," Shen Xuan said indifferently, "After the engagement is dissolved, I'll just start a different business."
Xue Fenglin said nothing at this, merely pouring himself a cup of osmanthus wine and downing it. He had already drunk quite a bit at the banquet, but his alcohol tolerance was good; no matter how much he drank, he didn't get drunk.
In contrast, Shen Xuan, after only two cups with some snacks, was already feeling a bit tipsy.
"I can't believe you're actually Xue Fenglin?" Shen Xuan muttered, clutching a hairy crab. "I kept wondering what kind of extraordinary abilities the shizi had; it turns out it was you all along!"
"Since you already know it's me, won't you stay?" Xue Fenglin asked softly.
Shen Xuan slumped his head onto the table, not answering... Xue Fenglin looked again and found that he had already fallen asleep.
He sighed, gently took the hairy crab from his hand, and quietly carried him back to his courtyard.
The next day, Shen Xuan woke up to find the breakfast Xue Fenglin had sent on the table. This time, he had openly instructed the main kitchen to deliver it.
There were four breakfast dishes, prepared according to the portion size for masters in the mansion.
Last night, Shen Xuan had already been publicly introduced by Bai Shi. The more overtly Xue Fenglin took care of Shen Xuan, the more Bai Shi assumed Xue Fenglin was merely putting on a show for her benefit.
Knowing that Xue Fenglin had instructed the kitchen to send Shen Xuan three meals a day according to the master's portion, Bai Shi scoffed, "That rascal is deliberately feigning generosity to gain a good reputation."
"Yesterday, he intentionally gave that ger expensive clothes and accessories, making people outside praise him for upholding his promise."
"That country ger is certainly getting off easy!" Mama You, serving nearby, immediately chimed in, "The Eldest Young Master's opposition to you has only benefited him."
"That's only for a moment," Bai Shi said. "Does Xue Fenglin truly intend to marry him? Any praise from outsiders is merely for the sake of the Marquis's mansion. If Xue Fenglin truly marries such a 'ger,' he'll lose both face and internal dignity, and sooner or later, he'll become the laughingstock of the capital."
News of the Xue family's Mid-Autumn banquet quickly spread throughout the capital. The Ye family, upon hearing that the Xue family not only invited Shen Xuan to sit at the main table but also had him wear precious clothes and a hair ornament, looking every bit like a proper heir's husband, grew even angrier.
"No wonder Fenglin and the Second Prince specifically requested that Jiao Sha. I can't believe he gave it to that Shen Ger!" Ye Chen couldn't help but exclaim.
Madam Ye listened, feeling as if a mouthful of old blood was stuck in her throat. She slammed the table and angrily cursed, "Fenglin has lost his mind! He put in so much effort just to give that ger face!"
"But everyone who went to the Xue family yesterday praised him for upholding his promises, so it's still somewhat positive," Ye Chen said.
"That's only superficial!" Madam Ye retorted to Ye Chen. "Although he gained face last night, by doing so, Fenglin has tied himself even more closely to that ger. Now everyone is saying that Shen Ger will be the future heir's husband.
While we can use your grandmother's mourning period to delay things for a while, what will happen after the mourning period is over?"
"How would I know?" Ye Chen said, feeling a bit speechless. These past few days, Madam Ye had been in a bad mood because of Xue Fenglin and couldn't find him, so she kept venting her anger on her own son.
As expected, Madam Ye glared fiercely at Ye Chen upon hearing this and said, "Then why don't you go find him and ask? Fenglin at least knows to diligently study for the imperial examinations, while all you know is to idle about. You're so old now and can't even pass the provincial exam! What will you do in the future?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Chen knew his mother was about to start scolding him again, and his ears were already calloused from listening.
He quickly fled. For noble families like theirs, except for those like Xue Fenglin whose relationship with his father was poor, which young master didn't rely on family connections to secure an official position through patronage?
Furthermore, given his relationship with the Second Prince, getting a position in the Imperial Guard (under the prince's command) was a mere word away. Currently, he was just using his youth as an excuse to play for a couple more years.
He rode his horse directly to the Imperial Academy. After class dismissed, he found Xue Fenglin and took him to a nearby restaurant, where they ordered a private room and a few small dishes. "Xue Fenglin," he began, "my mother sent me to ask you, you're not really going to marry that Shen Ger, are you?"
Xue Fenglin merely smiled, not answering directly. Instead, he poured two cups of clear wine for them and said,
"Don't worry, I won't let Shen Xuan stay in the Xue mansion indefinitely. I've already bought a small courtyard in the east of the city, and I'll move him there in a few days."
Hearing that Xue Fenglin was preparing to send the person away, Ye Chen nodded, "No wonder you've been behaving so well externally these past few days; it was to silence them. Now, by sending this Shen Ger out of the Xue mansion, outsiders probably won't be able to say anything more."
Xue Fenglin listened but didn't respond. He simply urged Ye Chen to drink and eat, changing the topic to something else.
After finishing their meal, Xue Fenglin returned to the Imperial Academy, and Ye Chen hurried home to report.
Madam Ye felt much more relieved after hearing Ye Chen's words. She nodded, "It seems Fenglin has things under control after all; he's going to send that Shen Ger away. That's good. Once he's gone, we can plan for the long term."
Two days later, Shen Xuan suddenly received a letter from Guiyun Tower. Guiyun Tower had several branches in Great Jin, including one in the capital, which was even larger than the one in Lezhou.
This letter to Shen Xuan was a handwritten one from Guiyun Tower in the capital, and upon opening it, he saw that the sender was none other than Shopkeeper Mei.
It turned out that because of Shen Xuan's honey scholar tea recipe, Shopkeeper Mei had been promoted and transferred to a position in the capital.
He somehow found out that Shen Xuan was staying at the Xue mansion and sent this letter, which also included a silver note worth a full two thousand taels of silver.
[Shen Ger, you are sincere and trustworthy for sending the secret recipe for honey scholar tea. After I reported this matter, our master praised your integrity, saying they couldn't take your recipe for free. Therefore, they instructed me to send you two thousand taels of silver as compensation.]
Shen Xuan looked at the silver note in his hand in surprise. He never expected to receive such an unexpected windfall. Although if he were still selling honey scholar tea, he could earn over a thousand taels a year, so two thousand taels was only about two years' worth of earnings.
However, since the recipe had already been given away, Guiyun Tower had no obligation to give him another penny.
The owner of Guiyun Tower could still produce two thousand taels of silver, which showed he was a trustworthy and sincere person. No wonder their business had grown so large.
Comments Box