Faced with Xie Shuhuai’s sudden, harsh outburst, Lin Yuhe was left completely bewildered. A sense of deep grievance surged within her, and tears welled up in her eyes against her will.
Yet once she pieced together what had likely happened, her anger dissolved into cold irony. It must have been the servant from Li Yunluo’s household who lodged a complaint before Shuhuai. Since Shuhuai never trusted her to begin with, there was no point in wasting her temper on him.
Looking at the plump, white dumplings resting on the cutting board—the fruits of her own hard labor—she refused to let Shuhuai ruin her mood for dinner.
Continuing her work, her expression settled into a calm indifference. “Fine. I understand.” She added softly, “From now on, let Mother deliver your lunch to the academy instead.”
Mrs. Cui was even more baffled. Unaware of the reason behind her son’s sudden fits, she chided him in a low voice. “What on earth has gotten into you, boy? Throwing a tantrum out of nowhere! Who could she possibly go out to meet? She spent the day cooking lunch for you, and came back in the evening buying flour to wrap dumplings. She hasn’t dressed up or put on cosmetics—she’s still wearing yesterday’s plain dress!”
The underlying point was clear: what woman going out to meet a lover would look as disheveled and plain as Yuhe did?
Seeing Shuhuai fly into such a rage, Little Yun shrank behind Mrs. Cui, poking her small head out to steal timid glances at her uncle.
That evening, Shuhuai refused to eat dinner. Completely ignored by the other three, they enjoyed their meal with great relish.
“Auntie, the dumplings are so delicious! I want to eat two whole bowls, or there won’t be any left tomorrow,” Little Yun chirped happily.
“You silly little thing, won’t you burst your stomach?” Yuhe smiled. “We have plenty of flour at home. If you love them, Auntie will wrap more for you anytime.”
Mrs. Cui chuckled. “How can we afford dumplings every day? In the past, we only got to eat them once a year during the New Year. Fine white flour is expensive stuff.”
Yuhe was the first to finish her bowl. Her appetite had grown sharply over the past few days, and the dumplings had left her thoroughly full.
As Little Yun watched her place a covered bowl over the stove, she pouted. “Auntie, Uncle yelled at you today, and you’re still saving food for him?”
Unfastening her apron, Yuhe replied, “I’m not saving it for him.”
“Then who is it for?”
Yuhe’s face stiffened slightly, a dark murmur slipping past her lips. “It’s for the dog.”
Little Yun giggled softly. “Auntie’s fibbing! Grandmother would never let Momo eat dumplings.”
Mrs. Cui cut in gently, “Alright, now that Yun’er is full, go out and feed Momo.”
Sat behind his writing desk in the adjoining room, Shuhuai heard every single word from the kitchen crystal clear.
The next day, it was Mrs. Cui and Little Yun who delivered his lunch to the academy.
While Mrs. Cui waited outside the side gate, Little Yun navigated the grounds with practiced ease, finding Shuhuai in the lecture hall.
Only Shuhuai and Chen Jinzhan remained inside. Chen Jinzhan had business to attend to later that afternoon, so he assigned Shuhuai to oversee the coursework for the Jiazi and Yichou classes. His students included candidates who had failed both the provincial and imperial examinations, and managing their assignments or answering their queries posed no difficulty for Shuhuai.
Little Yun was clever; seeing the two men engaged in conversation, she didn’t barge in to interrupt, standing quietly off to the side to wait.
Catching sight of Little Yun from the corner of his eye, Chen Jinzhan’s gaze fixed on the girl. After a moment’s hesitation, he asked, “Shuhuai, is that child your daughter?”
Shuhuai’s posture softened respectfully. “In answer to Master: she is my niece.”
“If that is the case, your teacher must offer you a word of caution,” Chen Jinzhan said gravely. “Protect your niece well. Yesterday, this little girl and a woman encountered villains on the road. The woman was heavily pregnant and unable to break free, being forcibly dragged toward a carriage by two men. Had she not cried out for help repeatedly, drawing my attention as I passed by, those thugs would have had their way.”
In an instant, Shuhuai froze in place. His face drained of color, and a subtle wave of turmoil churned beneath his deep, dark eyes.
After Chen Jinzhan departed, Little Yun saw Shuhuai standing dazed and called out softly, “Uncle.”
Only after she called out several times did Shuhuai slowly walk over to her side. Taking the earthenware jar from her hands, he slowly squatted down, gently taking Little Yun’s small hands into his own.
“Yun’er,” he asked in a soft, unsteady voice, “can you tell Uncle what happened between you and your aunt on the road yesterday?”
Remembering Yuhe’s strict instruction, Little Yun shook her head.
Shuhuai coaxed her with gentle patience. “If you don’t want to speak, Uncle won’t force you. But if Uncle guesses right, just nod your head, alright?” He paused, his voice softening further. “Did you and your aunt run into bad men on the road yesterday?”
Little Yun blinked her large, watery eyes, then gave a quiet nod.
At the Yuerong Courtyard, Li Yunluo had just returned from Guangling County when the servant who delivered the copybooks hurried forward to report yesterday’s incident.
He had expected a generous reward, but the moment Yunluo heard his tale, her expression darkened into a storm. Roundly scolding the servant, she ordered him to kneel in the courtyard for two whole hours.
She had traveled to Guangling County yesterday to check on the business of the Li family’s newly opened shop, even taking special care to select a precious Duan inkstone for Shuhuai, intending to present it to him in a few days. Just recently, Yuhe had told her that Shuhuai had personally admitted his feelings belonged to Yunluo—a revelation that had left Yunluo floating on air for days. She had never imagined this foolish servant would go behind her back and pull such a brainless stunt.
The midday sun beat down mercilessly, and before long, the servant’s face burned a scorching red as sweat rolled down his forehead in heavy drops.
After finishing her lunch, Yunluo passed by the servant and couldn’t help scolding him once more. “Taking it upon yourself to tell Master Xie about this—how do you think he’ll view me now? He is a man of deep, subtle thoughts; he will surely assume I am no different from those gossiping village shrews!”
Taking pity on the boy, Dongyue gathered her courage to intercede for him. “Miss, Xiao Wu knows his mistake now. Please spare him—his heart was entirely devoted to serving you.”
This young servant, Xiao Wu, was barely thirteen or fourteen years old. In Yunluo’s former world, he would have been nothing more than a middle school student. Having served in Yuerong Courtyard for years, he was quick-witted enough, but simply lacked discretion.
Yunluo replied in a cool voice, “Get up. I know you meant to protect me, but you shouldn’t have told Master Xie directly to his face. For matters like this, wouldn’t it be far better to act through someone else’s hands?”
His body swaying with exhaustion, Xiao Wu bowed his head in remorse. “This servant realizes his mistake.”
Seeing his sincere attitude, Yunluo dismissed him with a wave of her hand.
Once they returned to her inner chamber, Dongyue brought up another matter. “Miss, the Prefect’s wife is holding a birthday banquet in ten days—will you be attending? This servant feels that the Prefect’s second son looks at you with… rather improper eyes.”
In Dongyue’s mind, since her young mistress favored Xie Shuhuai, she ought to keep her distance from the advances of other men.
Shedding her outer narrow-sleeved coat, Yunluo reclined lazily onto a chaise lounge. “Of course I’m going. Opportunities like this are exceptionally rare—how could I possibly pass it up?”
Yunluo was not the original owner of this body, who devoted her whole heart to a single man and shut out every other admirer. She certainly wouldn’t do that. In modern times, even after she had secretly solidified her relationship with her brother-in-law, she still kept several boyfriends around her.
Naturally, ordinary men were far beneath her notice.
The Prefect’s son had long heard of her reputation back in Xuyang and was thoroughly captivated by her novel business sense. When the Li family expanded their shops into Guangling County, Yunluo launched a modern-style lip pomade that took the market by storm. The shelves were cleaned out the moment goods were displayed every day, leaving many noble ladies completely unable to purchase a single pot.
Yunluo had also sent the Prefect’s wife a generous assortment of unique delicacies available only through her private Dimension, earning endless praise from the lady. Because of this, the Prefect’s wife had specifically sent her a formal invitation for her birthday celebration—the very first time a powerful official family had extended such an honor to a mere merchant family like the Lis.
After a few days of restful recuperation, Yuhe began busying herself once more.
She had no desire to sell glutinous rice cakes anymore; there were far too many vendors peddling the same dish at the academy gates, and the upfront cost was simply too steep for her.
This time, she planned to sell a different delicacy—one that required far less capital.