Hearing the sound of the carriage and horses, Tang Zhou’s hand inside his sleeve tightened slightly, clenching into a fist before quietly relaxing.
When Shen Zhixi and the other returned, they had already changed into coarse linen clothes.
Pushing open the courtyard gate, Shen Zhixi caught sight of Tang Zhou standing by the window at a glance. She paused for a moment, narrowing her eyes as she observed him. Under the moonlight, Tang Zhou appeared exceptionally cool and ethereal, as if an immortal who had descended from the heavens.
Carrying the food box, she slowly approached.
“Young Master Tang, why are you standing by the window? It’s chilly at night.”
She quickened her pace, running up the steps and pushing the door open. After placing the food box on the table and lighting the candle, she turned to see Tang Zhou slowly making his way toward her. She hurriedly turned back to support his arm.
Once seated, Tang Zhou slightly raised his head, looking in her direction as he asked, “Miss Lily, isn’t it a bit early for you to return at this hour?”
Shen Zhixi, who was opening the food box, paused her hands.
A faint smile curled at the corner of her lips. She understood what Tang Zhou was implying but pretended not to.
“How could it be early? It’s already dark outside. I brought dinner back for you, though I’m not sure if it’s still warm. If it’s cold, it’s fine—I can go to the kitchen and heat it up for you…”
“Miss Lily.”
Tang Zhou interrupted her, his expression serious.
“You set out close to noon. Based on the distance you mentioned earlier, by the time you reached Yanzhou City, it would already be late in the afternoon, probably only an hour or so before dusk. Although it’s dark outside now, it’s not yet deep into the night. Given that, how much time could you have spent at the stall? Is it…”
He paused, slowing his speech.
“…because of me that you returned early?”
His slightly anxious expression amused Shen Zhixi. She knew that if she simply nodded and said “yes,” he would be consumed with guilt over feeling like a burden.
“As expected, I couldn’t hide it from Young Master Tang.”
Just as she anticipated, Tang Zhou immediately furrowed his brows upon hearing her words.
“However, we didn’t close the stall early because of you. It was…”
“What was it?” he pressed anxiously, wanting a clear answer.
Yet Shen Zhixi hesitated and stammered, not giving a direct reply. After a long pause, she vaguely responded, “Young Master Tang, don’t dwell on this matter. It’s really nothing—please don’t take it to heart. Let’s not talk about it anymore. Let’s eat first.”
Opening the food box, she touched the bowls and found only a faint trace of warmth remaining.
She made a move to go heat the dishes for him but was stopped.
Her evasive words only deepened his suspicion. Already feeling guilty for being a burden, Tang Zhou couldn’t bear to trouble her further. Having ridden in the carriage for so long, she must be tired as well.
“It’s fine. I can eat it even if it’s cold.”
“Young Master Tang…”
“It’s alright. Thank you, Miss Lily.”
Shen Zhixi couldn’t persuade him. He had already taken the food box and pulled it toward himself.
“Then… I’ll go get the bowls and chopsticks and prepare the medicine.”
Leaving the room and entering the kitchen, she saw Yuanyang looking at her with surprise and delight. “Miss, Young Master Tang Zhou left his room today! After finishing the porridge we brought to his room this morning, he actually brought the bowl back to the kitchen himself.”
She pointed to the porridge bowl on the stove.
Shen Zhixi looked over and stared at it for a long time.
“I wonder how Young Master Tang Zhou managed to find his way here, whether he stumbled along the road. With his eyes unable to see, the journey must have been quite difficult, especially since he has to make his way back to the room along the same path…”
Yuanyang chattered on incessantly, while Shen Zhixi concealed a smile, her eyes glinting with calculation.
After delivering the bowl and chopsticks to Tang Zhou, Shen Zhixi pulled Yuanyang close and whispered in her ear for a long time. Yuanyang listened, her eyes brightening one moment and widening in shock the next.
Once the whispering was done, Shen Zhixi calmly began brewing the medicine.
Yuanyang glanced around, still unable to shake off her astonishment, silently marveling at her young lady’s cunning methods.
Before long, the medicine pot on the stove began to bubble and gurgle over the fire.
Shen Zhixi and Yuanyang huddled around the stove, each holding a palm-leaf fan. Upon closer inspection, Yuanyang seemed somewhat distracted, her gaze drifting toward Tang Zhou’s direction from time to time, a hint of nervousness in her expression.
Suddenly.
Her eyes flew open, pupils widening in shock, nearly dropping the fan in her hand.
“Young… young lady, Young Master Tang Zhou has indeed come out.”
Shen Zhixi looked over. The kitchen window on the left faced Tang Zhou’s door, allowing a clear view of him slowly feeling his way out, carrying a food box. Since he had already found his way to the kitchen during the day, he must be somewhat more familiar with the route now.
“Young lady, this Young Master Tang Zhou is truly something. So polite, so afraid of troubling us. Despite his weak health and blindness, he insists on cleaning up the dishes and bringing them over himself.”
Shen Zhixi did not reply, merely staring at the figure outside the window.
But it was true—Tang Zhou couldn’t see. Once outside, he had no sense of direction, and finding the kitchen must have taken him a long time. The thought of him wandering alone in the courtyard, groping his way around, made her lips curl into a faint, secretive smile.
“He is indeed too polite.”
As she finished speaking and withdrew her gaze, the smile on her lips deepened.
“Perhaps we should make him even more polite.”
The two exchanged a look, deciding to put on an act.
Yuanyang took one last glance at Tang Zhou before turning back, her expression shifting from calm to one of distress as she said to Shen Zhixi, “Sister, if things go on like this, we’ll soon have nothing left to eat at home.”
“Keep your voice down. Don’t let Young Master Tang hear.”
Shen Zhixi’s eyes sparkled with amusement as she seamlessly picked up the act.
“Sister, you’re worried he might hear, but it’s the truth. We’ve already spent all our money on supplies, and who knows when this batch of rouge will sell out. Even if it does, we won’t make much profit at all. Are we supposed to go back to farming vegetables again?”
“Herb, I understand what you mean, but saving a life comes first, we…”
“Saving a life shouldn’t be done like this.”
The courtyard was not large, and the distance from Tang Zhou’s room to the kitchen was not far. Moreover, Yuanyang’s tone carried a hint of complaint, deliberately raised in volume, ensuring that Tang Zhou outside could hear at least some of it.
“It’s only been a few days, sister, and we’ve already spent all the savings we’ve accumulated over such a long time.”
Tang Zhou paused for a moment but instinctively quickened his pace.
“Herb…”
“Sister!” Yuanyang glanced at Tang Zhou outside the window. Seeing him draw closer, her words grew even more impassioned. “Just buying the medicine alone has nearly emptied our pockets—tonics, jade ginseng, and all.”
“Herb, I understand your concerns, but money can always be earned again. However, if Young Master Tang’s illness isn’t properly treated and leaves a lasting condition, it will affect him for a lifetime. If we hadn’t encountered him, that would be one thing, but since we’ve already brought him home, we must take responsibility. Otherwise, it would have been better not to save him in the first place.”
“Of course I understand what you mean, sister. But treating his illness is one thing—why spend extra money to buy such fine clothes? I’ve never worn fabric like that in my entire life.”
“…Herb, Young Master Tang is different from us.”