Fu Sili followed Bing Chun over, and sure enough, he found that Fu Jing was already up. On this deep winter night, he was actually sitting in the courtyard reading by candlelight.
“Isn’t it cold? Why are you sitting in the courtyard reading?” The courtyard gate was open, so Fu Sili walked right in, while Bing Chun stood guard outside with his head bowed.
Just as he finished speaking, a breeze swept through the courtyard. Fu Jing cupped the candlelight with his palm, his expression calm. “I felt a bit restless after taking the medicine, so being outside is just right.”
“That medicine is meant to make you sweat. If you catch a breeze, won’t that stop the sweating?”
Fu Sili stepped forward and grabbed Fu Jing’s hand. “Look at this, your hand is icy cold. Oh.”
It was warm, even a little scorching, much warmer than his own hand.
Fu Sili realized, “Look at how hot your hand is; you could not be running a fever, could you?” He reached out to check Fu Jing’s forehead, but his touch met with ice-cold skin.
“?”
Fu Sili said in shock, “Has your body recovered this quickly?”
Fu Jing took Fu Sili’s hand down and led him into the house to avoid the wind. He smiled faintly. “It was never a serious matter to begin with. I heard someone say that you went out with Gao Yi today.”
Fu Sili did not hide it. “I did.”
Fu Jing silently placed the teapot on the tea stove for a moment. As the water began to hum with a boil, he poured two cups and pushed one over.
“I forgot to ask you when you left this morning. If you have any difficulties, I can handle them for you.”
Fu Sili was stunned. He instinctively looked at Fu Jing’s expression; there was only sincerity on that gentle face. This was no polite pleasantry.
Fu Sili replied with a grin, “It is fine, I think Gao Yi is actually alright.”
Had he said this in the morning, he might have agreed, but now he and Gao Yi had other business to attend to.
Fu Jing smiled slightly, as if he had only spoken in passing, and lowered his head to continue reading his book.
Fu Sili held his teacup, suddenly filled with emotion. After arriving in Shengjing, despite initial setbacks, he had gradually begun to adapt.
It seemed he was also starting to get used to having an older brother who took charge.
Fu Sili sighed, “If I had a father, I would hope he was like you, Big Brother. But my mother told me that my father was a heartless man; he lied to my mother, saying he would return in a year to marry her, but then he left and never returned, leaving no news ever since.”
Fu Jing put down his book. “Am I that old?”
Fu Sili replied, “…Is that the point?”
Fu Jing frowned slightly, looking puzzled. “You compared me to your mother earlier. Am I very old?”
“…When did I ever compare you to my mother?” Fu Sili asked, bewildered.
Fu Jing’s amber eyes stared steadily at him. Fu Sili refused to back down and stared back. It felt as if the passage of time had lost its standard; Fu Sili did not know how long he had been looking, tracing the man’s long, narrow phoenix eyes, high nose bridge, and thin lips little by little.
Fu Sili suddenly shook his head and laughed. “Big Brother, if you become an official in the future, I would not even dare to look you in the eye with that aura of yours.”
He rose slowly and brushed off his sleeves. “You are not old; you are in your prime. Rest early, Big Brother, I will head back now.”
As he stood up, his slim, narrow waist cinched by his belt looked like a tender green onion. He walked out with his hands behind his back, swaying slightly.
This was the first time Fu Sili had acknowledged their relationship in full.
Fu Jing’s gaze followed him out. Once the person disappeared from his sight, his sense of smell became acute, and he caught a faint, cloying scent of rouge—the scent brought along by Fu Sili.
From then on, whenever Fu Sili went out, he took Bing Chun with him. On the way, he was caught off guard when Bing Chun said he would no longer be responsible for reporting news to the Eldest Young Master, but would only stay by his side.
Even if Bing Chun did not report the news, someone else would. He did not want to dampen Bing Chun’s mood, so he just smiled.
Bing Chun added, “The people the Eldest Young Master left behind are only there to watch over the courtyard for you. Unless something happens, they will not report back.”
Fu Sili was thoughtful. “Was it reported very frequently before?”
“Not really, it was just that when the Eldest Young Master could not see you in the residence, there was someone who could tell him what you were doing.”
Fu Sili: “…”
The carriage stopped below the Nanfeng Pavilion, and the sound of a zither from above could be faintly heard.
Fu Sili had accompanied Gao Yi to the Nanfeng Pavilion last night. Before going, Gao Yi said he had friends who needed to buy medicinal herbs but no physician would sell to them, and he wanted to entrust Fu Sili to buy them and resell them to them.
Fu Sili thought to himself, why would anyone turn down business brought to their doorstep? So, Gao Yi took him to the Nanfeng Pavilion; it turned out those male prostitutes needed to buy some medicinal plasters.
He did not have any prejudice against these people. Regardless of how much he earned, this was just a job of taking money from one pocket and putting it into the other.
He had just noted down which plasters they needed at the Nanfeng Pavilion yesterday, delivered the order to the medicine shop, and today he was delivering the plasters back.
“Why do you not go back first? I will take the things up and be right back.”
The carriage arrived at the Nanfeng Pavilion. Through the curtains, one could hear the decadent music from the building. Just as Fu Sili was about to step down, he looked back at the innocent-looking Bing Chun and coughed several times.
Bing Chun puffed out his chest, insisting on following. Fu Sili sat still. There were two knocks on the carriage window, and a hand pulled the curtain aside. “Are you laying an egg in there? Why are you not coming down?”
Gao Yi urged him from below. Fu Sili was speechless and turned to give Bing Chun a few instructions.
Fu Sili got out of the carriage carrying the medicine box. Gao Yi reached out to take it, glancing at the person following behind Fu Sili, his eyebrows raised.
Fu Sili pulled him aside and said, “The items are here. Open a private room for me. I will stay for half a day; tell them to find time to come to me to get the plasters and pay the remaining balance.”
Gao Yi said brazenly, “You were sitting downstairs with them yesterday playing, and today you are acting distant, wanting a private room upstairs…”
Fu Sili reached out to take back the medicine box. “I think it is better if I come another day…”
Gao Yi switched the box to his other hand. “I will open it, I will open it for you!”
Fu Sili did not change his expression and walked inside, leading Bing Chun.
The Nanfeng Pavilion had over thirty male prostitutes. These people were trained from childhood, and their appearances were carefully selected pale skin and flower-like features. Their most precious time was in their early teens. Once they passed eighteen, their bodies grew tall and developed masculine characteristics, and they would fade like a fleeting epiphyllum in the Nanfeng Pavilion.
Most of those looking for Fu Sili were young men in their twenties. They politely brought money to Fu Sili for medicine. At their age, they were not as popular as the teenagers. Fu Sili did not overcharge them, earning only fifty or sixty coins per bottle. Even if he sold them all, he would only earn two or three taels.
Those people were all familiar with Gao Yi. As Fu Sili observed them, he remembered what Fu Jing said about Gao Yi’s reputation for dissipation; seeing it now, it certainly was not baseless.
Gao Yi’s collar was open as he drank, as if he were not afraid of the cold, reciting lewd poetry and songs, looking immensely pleased with himself.
Fu Sili calculated the money, glanced sideways at Gao Yi, and sighed, “Is this what you called big business?”
Gao Yi lay lazily on the chair, sponging off food and drink. “Working as a servant or a runner only pays two or three taels a month. You can earn that in two days; is that not big business?”
Fu Sili: “…”
“Though you did set the price too low. You only added fifty or sixty coins. The physician gave you the medicine at the regular price, but when you sold it to them, you could have raised it by a whole tael of silver…”
“A whole tael? That is so heartless!” Fu Sili’s eyes widened. “Why did you not tell me sooner? I could have raised the price.”
Gao Yi sneered, “You? Raising the price? I think you would rather give the medicine to them directly.”
He glanced at Bing Chun, who was standing honestly in the corner, leaned in close to Fu Sili’s shoulder, and whispered, “What is your real name?”
Fu Sili: “…” Why was he still dwelling on this?
“The people from the Fu family look at them like they are dogs, but your attitude toward them is quite ordinary.”
Fu Sili’s hand, which was counting money, paused. He turned to look at Gao Yi. “Did you not say you were not curious about my business?”
“Just asking.”
“That is a long story…” Fu Sili dragged out his tone. Seeing Gao Yi cock his head to listen, he changed the subject. “But since you are just asking, then forget it.”
Gao Yi sneered, “Do you think this young master cannot find out? You just wait.”
If he found out, he found out; in any case, Fu Sili did not want to tell him. Fu Sili tucked away the money and asked Gao Yi, “Besides knowing the small servants in this Nanfeng Pavilion, do you know others elsewhere?”
Gao Yi was surprised, “What kind of person do you take me, Gao Yi, for? Do you think I know everyone in all thirteen pavilions of Shengjing?”
Just as Fu Sili was thinking the same, Gao Yi said, “There are two other pavilions—one buys medicinal plasters, the other buys rouge. Shall we do it?”
Fu Sili slowly looked at him. “…Do it!”
After that, the two spent a few days together and, without realizing it, became friends. Fu Sili let Gao Yi stay at his courtyard while he went back to Yao Zhi Chun Xin to sleep at night.
He kept following Gao Yi to various pavilions, bumping into many acquaintances. Those people enthusiastically invited Fu Sili to have drinks and listen to music.
After finishing these transactions, Fu Sili still had to deal with them, so he thought about going over.
Gao Yi grabbed his arm from behind and cursed at those people with a dark face. “Get lost!”
The expressions of those people stiffened, their gazes lingering hesitantly on Fu Sili.
Fu Sili glared at Gao Yi, then spoke kindly and politely to send the people away, saying bluntly, “Gao Yi is missing a few screws, please do not take it to heart, brothers. I will make it up to you another day.”
Those people dared not point fingers at Gao Yi, nor did they dare let Fu Sili make amends—after all, he was a member of the Fu family—so they just muttered and let him send them away.
As soon as they left, the rumor spread that the third young master of the Fu family, Fu Sili, and the second young master of the Duke of Cao’s residence, Gao Yi, were birds of a feather and prone to mischief.
After sending the people away, Fu Sili turned back to glare at him. “What are you doing?”
Gao Yi shouted even louder than him, “What are you doing! If you are doing business, focus on it. You are doing my business, but you have the heart to think about other things?”
Fu Sili was speechless. “Are all the items not sold out now?”
“It costs five taels of silver just to open a room in this pavilion. If you go upstairs with him, who knows if he will want to order someone. Do you want to throw away all the money you have earned these past few days?”
“…”
Fu Sili stopped talking and lowered his head to tidy up his things.
Gao Yi guessed that he was too stingy to spend the money and sneered, “Let us go, let us go outside and have a proper meal. The food in this pavilion is truly terrible.”
He draped his arm over Fu Sili’s shoulder, hooking him as they walked out. When they reached the carriage, Fu Sili hesitated and did not get in.
Gao Yi pulled up the curtain and called out to him, “What are you dazed for? Are you not hungry?”
Fu Sili hesitated, “You go back first. I am going back to eat today.”
He had been going back every day for the past few days, but he had not seen Fu Jing once. He must have been at the Imperial Academy. He heard the students were on break today, and he did not know if Fu Jing would return, so he wanted to go back early.
Gao Yi slumped his face and looked at him gloomily, intentionally not replying. However, he saw that Fu Sili was lost in his own thoughts and did not care about him at all.
Fu Sili gave Gao Yi a few pieces of silver, told him to spend it sparingly, and turned to head back with Bing Chun.