ABD - Chapter 60

After deducting what he had spent on opening the shop and hoarding grain, and adding the profits from the shop, he had a little over eighteen hundred taels.

Eight hundred taels a year was only enough to rent a small three-foot storefront on Zhijin Street.

However, opening a beauty shop naturally couldn't be as small as a snack shop. It would need to be at least ten feet wide. Even renting a shop in a more secluded location, eighteen hundred taels would not be enough.

In Great Jin, there were only a few ways to get startup capital for opening a shop.

Besides spending one's own money and bringing in investors, borrowing from moneylenders was another option. As long as one used their land or property as collateral, they could borrow a certain amount of silver.

But Shen Xuan currently had no real estate, so this path was also unfeasible.

After thinking it over, Shen Xuan decided he still needed to get Xue Fenglin to join him.

He didn't want to share profits with others, but Xue Fenglin wasn't "others." As a Young Master, he must have some silver on hand.

Even if he could only contribute a thousand taels, they could rent a storefront in a slightly more secluded spot on Zhijin Street. When they earned more later, they could move to a livelier area.

Shen Xuan immediately sent Jinzhi to the Imperial Academy with a letter, inviting Xue Fenglin to meet.

Upon Jinzhi's return, he brought Wuxin's verbal message: The Shizi would be free tomorrow evening and invited Shen Xuan to meet at Meihua Lane, near Scholar's Bridge.

Xue Fenglin had suggested evening, but Shen Xuan found it inconvenient to go out with Nanny You watching him.

He was just thinking about how to hide it from Nanny You when he suddenly heard Nanny You come over, weeping, to request leave.

She said her son had suddenly fallen and injured his leg, which made Nanny You heartbroken. She had come to ask for leave overnight to go back and take care of him.

Shen Xuan was worrying about how to get rid of her, and this matter was like a pillow delivered just when he was sleepy.

Shen Xuan immediately, and with great benevolence, granted her ten days of leave, saying there was no need to rush, and she could return when her son's leg was fully healed.

Nanny You had received orders from Lady Bai to keep an eye on Shen Xuan, so she naturally didn't dare to leave for that long. Thus, she said she would return in three days.

After seeing Nanny You off, Shen Xuan thought about the matter again and suddenly felt something was strange.

He sent Jinzhi to inquire and learned that Nanny You's son had been fine all day. In the afternoon, he was suddenly called out to run an errand, and in an alley, he encountered ruffians and injured his leg.

Shen Xuan calculated that Nanny You's son had injured his leg during the shenshi (3-5 PM), which was indeed after he had sent the letter to Xue Fenglin.

Only then did he confirm that this matter was orchestrated by Xue Fenglin. He couldn't help but feel a little emotional, surprised that Xue Fenglin had such a side to him.

However, he remembered that Xue Fenglin had almost died in Yunshui Village, and felt that this small tactic was nothing.

Without some means, how could one protect oneself in the fierce infighting of the capital? It was also thanks to Xue Fenglin's handiwork that he could smoothly go out and meet him.

***

The next afternoon, Shen Xuan changed into inconspicuous clothes and quietly slipped out through the side gate in a carriage.

He didn't even alert Suyun or Suyue only taking Jinzhi and Jin Gui with him. In Meihua Lane, the carriage stopped in front of a residence.

Shen Xuan got out of the carriage and saw Wuwang bowing to him at the entrance. "Shen Ger, please follow me inside."

He then had Wuxin invite Jinzhi and Jin Gui to rest in the covered room behind the house.

Shen Xuan looked at the residence. It had only three courtyards, none of them very large, but bamboo and plum blossoms were planted everywhere, making it elegant.

"This residence belongs to The Shizi, originally bought for him to rest. But now he mostly stays at the Imperial Academy, so this residence is usually deserted," Wuwang introduced to Shen Xuan.

Only then did Shen Xuan realize that Xue Fenglin also owned this property. Scholar's Bridge was near the Imperial Academy; the location was excellent, and houses here were considered prime "school district" properties, with quite high prices.

Shen Xuan followed Wuwang through the front courtyard to the entrance of the main courtyard. Wuwang stopped there and said to Shen Xuan, "The Shizi is already inside, Shen Ger, please go in yourself."

Shen Xuan knew that Wuwang must have received Xue Fenglin's order not to enter the courtyard, so he walked in by himself.

After passing through a delicate small garden, there was a main room. The sky was already getting dark, and candles were lit in both the courtyard and the room.

As Shen Xuan reached the door, the door opened from the inside.

Xue Fenglin stood at the doorway with a smile, grabbed Shen Xuan's hand, and led him inside.

It was early winter now, and the weather was getting cold. Although Shen Xuan wore a cloak, his hands were still a bit chilly.

Xue Fenglin led him to the table and said, "Did you wear too little? Why are your hands so cold?"

The table was laden with various dishes. Perhaps to prevent the food from getting cold, the plates were placed on shallow ceramic holders filled with hot water.

Xue Fenglin first scooped him a steaming bowl of chicken soup and said, "First, have a bowl of hot soup to warm yourself up."

Having not seen each other for nearly a month, Shen Xuan had been longing for Xue Fenglin.

The matters he had intended to discuss were long forgotten, his eyes filled only with Xue Fenglin's handsome smile. What was most important now was to properly enjoy this meal with him.

The table was filled with all of Shen Xuan's favorite dishes, specially bought by Xue Fenglin from Guiyun Tower.

Among them was a roasted lamb spine dish, which Shen Xuan had never tasted before, a new specialty of Guiyun Tower.

Xue Fenglin took a new bowl, scooped a portion for Shen Xuan, including the broth, and handed it to him. "Eating lamb in winter is more nourishing. Try this."

Shen Xuan quickly reached out to take it. As his fingertips touched Xue Fenglin's hand holding the bowl, he was unexpectedly caught and held.

"Eh..." Shen Xuan's face flushed, and his fingers instinctively recoiled. The entire bowl accidentally overturned, spilling onto the table, the soup dribbling everywhere and splashing onto both of them.

"I'm sorry!" Shen Xuan hadn't expected his unconscious movement to cause such a mess. He quickly got up, wanting to clean it.

But the soup was greasy, how could it be so easily cleaned?

The more Shen Xuan tried to clean, the more grease he got on himself. Then Xue Fenglin grabbed his wrist and said, "Don't bother with it. We'll let someone else clean it later."

After speaking, he called Wuwang, who was waiting outside, and told him to send someone to clean the table and bring some hot water for them to wash up.

The atmosphere of the meal had been so good, only to be accidentally ruined by himself. Shen Xuan couldn't help but feel a little dejected.

Soon, Jinzhi and Jin Gui entered the room, keeping their eyes downcast and their expressions neutral as they cleaned the table. Afterward, Wuxin and Wuwang brought in a steaming bucket of hot water and said to Xue Fenglin, "Young Master, the hot water for washing up is ready."

Shen Xuan: "..."

He looked at the hot water bucket in the room, somewhat confused. 'Isn't that for bathing?'

Then he heard Xue Fenglin say, "The grease on you is hard to clean. You should take a hot bath and tidy up."

"Is that appropriate?" Shen Xuan suddenly felt awkward and glanced at Xue Fenglin. But he saw Xue Fenglin say earnestly, "I'll go out in a moment. Didn't we do the same back in Yunshui Village?"

He wasn't wrong...

Shen Xuan watched Xue Fenglin leave the room, then thought to himself: 'I wonder if it's because my feelings have changed, but back then I could openly look at Xue Fenglin's naked body, yet now I feel a bit embarrassed.'

However, the smell of lamb fat on him was strong, and it would be unbearable if not removed promptly.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Xuan still took off his clothes and got into the bathtub to wash.

The water in the bathtub was neither too cold nor too hot, just right.

Shen Xuan bathed thoroughly for a while, feeling completely relaxed.

However, after he finished washing, he suddenly remembered that he had no change of clothes and no towel to dry himself with.

Back at the Shen residence, Jinzhi and Jin Gui would always serve him with these things. He had grown accustomed to it. Now, in Xue Fenglin's residence, and with his attendants not around, it was truly awkward.

Shen Xuan soaked for a bit longer until the water grew cold, but no one came to check on him.

Finally unable to wait, he called out, "Jinzhi, Jin Gui? Are you still outside?"

Just then, the wooden door of the room creaked open. It wasn't Jinzhi or Jin Gui who entered, but Xue Fenglin, who had also changed and washed up nearby.

Shen Xuan froze, sinking his entire body into the bathtub, only his head visible. He stammered, "Why did you come in?"

"The servants are all in the back courtyard; they wouldn't hear you if you called them," Xue Fenglin said calmly, holding a set of clothes and a bath towel in his hands.

He placed the clothes on the bed and draped the bath towel over the rack next to the bathtub. "The water's getting cold; come out quickly. There are no clothes prepared for you here, so just wear mine for now. You're quite tall, so even if my clothes are a bit big, you should be able to wear them."

Compared to Shen Xuan's awkwardness, Xue Fenglin appeared composed. Shen Xuan didn't know if he had seen anything, but with Xue Fenglin so nonchalant, Shen Xuan felt it would be unseemly to appear overly concerned.

After Xue Fenglin left the room again, Shen Xuan slowly climbed out of the bathtub, wrapped the bath towel around his body, and dried himself.

He walked to the bedside and looked at the clothes Xue Fenglin had placed on the bed. It was a scholar's robe, practically new, and even the underwear was Xue Fenglin's.

When Xue Fenglin was in a difficult situation in Yunshui Village, all his clothes were ruined, and he had worn Shen Xuan's old clothes.

But at that time, their relationship wasn't what it was now, and there was no sense of awkwardness.

Shen Xuan put on Xue Fenglin's old clothes. As the fabric lightly brushed his skin, his face turned red.

The clothes had a faint scent of snow plum, the same as Xue Fenglin's own scent. Wearing them felt like being enveloped by his aura.

Just now, when Xue Fenglin entered, although his face was calm, his eyes had already wandered to places they shouldn't have.

Luckily, Shen Xuan was shy and hadn't dared to look at him much, so he didn't notice anything unusual about Xue Fenglin's gaze.

Back in Yunshui Village, Shen Xuan had a honey-colored tan, which was quite appealing. But after two months in the capital, his complexion had grown fairer, making some areas of his skin appear even more tender and lovely.

Xue Fenglin couldn't help but swallow, trying his best to regulate his breathing.

When he stiffly left the room and closed the door, he could see Shen Xuan's silhouette emerging from the bathtub through the paper window.

The bright light inside the room outlined Shen Xuan's body in full view. Xue Fenglin's nose suddenly felt hot, and he realized he was bleeding.

He quickly turned and left to cool himself down.

Now, he finally understood what the phrase "blood boiling with vigor" meant. He called Wuwang and told him to go buy a bowl of mung bean soup.

"Young Master? It's already the beginning of winter. Do you really want mung bean soup?" Wuwang asked, puzzled.

"Just do what I tell you. Where are all these questions coming from?" Xue Fenglin glared at Wuwang and scolded him.

Wuwang quickly lowered his head and ran out, but he couldn't find anyone selling mung bean soup on the streets. In the end, he had to spend two taels of silver to specially ask Guiyun Tower to brew a pot for him.​