Ye Jinghe's heart jolted. He had long felt that An Xin's hostility was unreasonable, but he had no leads to explain it.
Before he could press further, a voice called out from outside, urging them along. Ali could only repeat his warning for Ye Jinghe to be careful before hurrying away.
In the time that followed, Ye Jinghe went through the original owner's memories again and again like reheating leftover rice, yet he still found nothing.
With that delay, the afternoon lessons had already come to an end. Pei Qingyan had each person write three large-character calligraphy sheets before rising with his book box, preparing to leave.
"Third, Third Master, your umbrella! You didn't bring one this morning, and it's still snowing—please be careful not to catch a chill."
After telling Pei Du to wait for him in the classroom, Ye Jinghe grabbed an umbrella by the door and offered it to Pei Qingyan with both hands.
Pei Qingyan cast a faint, indifferent glance at Ye Jinghe. He remembered this child—for the past month, he had sat beside Du'er staring into space. Today, he had finally managed to listen attentively for a while, but in the afternoon, he had slipped back into his old habits.
Still, those dark eyes were truly pure, and the rebuke Pei Qingyan had on the tip of his tongue died away. He took the umbrella:
"You've been thoughtful. I hope you can devote more of your energy to more productive pursuits in the future."
With that, Pei Qingyan turned and left. Ye Jinghe watched his retreating figure with some puzzlement—why did the Third Master speak so strangely? Was he being sarcastic?
By the time Ye Jinghe returned to the classroom, Pei Du had already started tidying his desk himself. Ye Jinghe hurried over to help:
"Young Master, why are you doing this yourself?"
"I had nothing to do. Did you give the umbrella to Third Uncle?"
"Yes, I did. Third Master was dressed too lightly today—if he fell ill, it would delay your lessons."
"Oh? You gave Third Uncle the umbrella… because you were worried about delaying my lessons?"
Ye Jinghe shot Pei Du a strange look:
"Of course—what else would it be? You promised the Madam you'd study hard. If you fell behind, wouldn't that be breaking your word?"
Hiss—were they really uncle and nephew? Both of them were acting so oddly today!
A flicker of confusion passed through Pei Du's eyes. Pei Feng had just said that Changfeng's heart wasn't with him, which was why he was fawning over Third Uncle.
Noticing Pei Du's silence stretching on a little too long, Ye Jinghe gave a helpless smile. Could he no longer even soothe a five-year-old child?
"Alright, alright—I won't hide the truth from you, Young Master. I was afraid you wouldn't finish your assignments, and while the Master and Madam wouldn't have the heart to blame you, they'd still punish me for failing to guide you properly."
Before Ye Jinghe could finish, Pei Du grabbed his hand:
"Changfeng, don't worry. I won't let you kneel in the snow."
Ye Jinghe paused slightly, then a smile gradually spread across his lips:
"Mm!"
By the time Ye Jinghe had slung the book bag over his shoulder and walked out of the family school with Pei Du, An Xin was already waiting, braving the wind and snow.
The snow was falling fast, and An Xin was stomping his feet and rubbing his hands. Seeing Pei Du emerge, he quickly crouched down:
"Young Master, hurry, let me carry you back! You came out so late today—was Changfeng slacking off again?"
Ye Jinghe walked slowly with the book bag in his arms, saying nothing. Perhaps the original owner had offended An Xin without knowing it.
Let him vent—they still had to work together in the days ahead.
Pei Du, however, spoke up with some irritation:
"An Xin, Changfeng has been studying with me all day without even a moment to drink tea. Why do you always think he's slacking off? Are you deliberately picking on him?"
An Xin choked on his words. He never expected that the young master he had watched grow up would now scold him for the sake of a boy who had only been here a month.
"If the Young Master doesn't like it, I won't say such things anymore."
An Xin lowered his head, carrying Pei Du on his back with the umbrella slung across his shoulder. Gritting his teeth and mustering his strength, he charged toward Pei Du's Xingjian Courtyard in one breath.
Ye Jinghe was at a loss for words by now. At least he had a good memory for directions—having walked the route once with Pei Du today, he could find his way back.
The Pei residence was far larger than the tourist attractions Ye Jinghe had seen online, the ones modern people called "XX Mansions."
Fortunately, Pei Du lived in the front courtyard, so without needing to pass through the grand landscaped gardens, the route was still fairly simple.
Even so, given the wealth accumulated over generations by the Pei family, the journey from the family school to Xingjian Courtyard alone required passing through three gates and two gardens.
The one place Ye Jinghe paused was Pine Garden. Gazing through the moon gate, pine and stone complemented each other, gnarled branches slanting outward—like an ink painting of mountains and waters. Snow sealed the garden, and the wind carried hints of green, as if poetry and artistry had melted into the winter scene.
"…Quite pretty, actually."
Before Ye Jinghe's murmur had even faded, he heard a "pfft" of laughter beside him. Startled, he turned to look and quickly bowed:
"Greetings, Second Master!"
"You little servant—you stared for so long, I thought you might come up with a couple of verses. But no, nothing! What, after being steeped in my third brother's literary air for so long, you haven't improved at all?"
Pei Qinghai was the Pei family's money man, and his attire could hardly be described with a mere word like "luxurious."
Now teased by Pei Qinghai, Ye Jinghe responded with easy composure:
"Second Master, I can't read, you know. When others compose poetry, it's a subtle way of praising. Isn't my direct praise just as good? Maybe they'd even prefer it that way!"
As he spoke, a gust of wind blew through, rustling the pine branches. Ye Jinghe's eyes lit up:
"Second Master, look! Even it agrees!"
Pei Qinghai glanced at Ye Jinghe, then rubbed the jade thumb ring on his thumb:
"Tsk, you're quite an amusing one. You're from Du'er's courtyard, yet here you are alone while Du'er has finished his lessons. It seems Du'er doesn't care much for you. How about I ask Du'er to give you to me?"
Without waiting for Ye Jinghe to answer, Pei Qinghai slipped the jade thumb ring off his hand and tossed it into Ye Jinghe's arms:
"What do you say? Come with me, and this is yours. It's enough to buy ten or even a hundred of you! As long as you can keep me entertained, later… even returning your deed of indenture wouldn't be a problem. How about it?"
Pei Qinghai watched Ye Jinghe with great interest, waiting for his answer. Ye Jinghe thought for only a second before raising the thumb ring above his head and bowing:
"Second Master honors me too much, but the Young Master chose me first, so I've set my heart on him."
Pei Qinghai stared at Ye Jinghe for a long moment before finally letting out a laugh. He waved his hand:
"Du'er, come here."
Pei Du walked over holding an umbrella, his small figure sheltered beneath the large canopy like a plump, oversized mushroom.
"Young Master, why have you come out at this hour?"
"I returned to the courtyard and found you weren't there, so I came looking for you."
Pei Du's voice carried a hint of grievance. At the same moment, a thin flake of snow landed on Ye Jinghe's outstretched hand. Ye Jinghe's heart gave a sudden jolt, followed by a shiver.
"Second Master, here's your thumb ring back. The Young Master has come for me!"
Pei Qinghai didn't take it back. Instead, he reached out and patted Pei Du's head:
"Du'er has excellent judgment. This one has a fine character and can stay by your side. The thumb ring is yours as a reward. As long as you remain loyal to Du'er, there will be plenty of benefits for you."
"Thank you, Second Master!"
Ye Jinghe tucked the thumb ring into his robe with swift efficiency. Pei Qinghai's eyelid twitched—this little rascal!
"Young Master, let me hold the umbrella. Your hands are frozen red. And where's your hand warmer? Why didn't you bring it?"
Pei Du cast a dark, quiet glance at Pei Qinghai, murmured a soft "Your nephew takes his leave," and grabbed Ye Jinghe's hand, running off as if fleeing.
As if afraid Pei Qinghai might snatch his person away.
Pei Qinghai watched the two small figures retreat, laughed in spite of himself, and couldn't help calling out:
"Run! Whoever's slow today gets dragged back to my courtyard!"
"Changfeng, run fast!"
"Young Master, run fast!"
Four little legs pumped as fast as they could go.
By the time the two stumbled back into Xingjian Courtyard, breathless, An Xin gave Ye Jinghe a smile that was neither warm nor cold:
"Changfeng, you're finally back. You've gotten quite wild these days—you've even led the Young Master astray. Miss Wenxin, sorry to have kept you waiting."
Ye Jinghe truly had no idea how the original owner had offended An Xin to make him so persistently needle him.
"Auntie Wenxin!"
Pei Du's eyes lit up at the sight of Wenxin:
"Has Mother sent me something again?"
Wenxin looked somewhat surprised:
"Young Master, you knew the Madam sent you something?"
Previously, the Madam had sent her with many clothes, shoes, and socks that she had painstakingly made herself. Though the Young Master wore them, he never said a single word about them. The Madam had been torn between doubting her own craftsmanship and grieving that her child was growing distant from her.
Pei Du glanced at Ye Jinghe, then said with some embarrassment:
"It's… it's Changfeng who told me today. Every time Auntie Wenxin came to deliver things, I never knew. I thought… I thought they were just part of the regular allowance. To have received so much of Mother's hard work without a word of thanks—this son has been unfilial."
At these words, Wenxin's eyes stung, and she quickly blinked:
"Young Master, would you say these words again to the Madam tomorrow?"
Pei Du looked at Wenxin in confusion, but Wenxin only said softly:
"The Madam will be overjoyed to hear these words from you!"
Pei Du immediately nodded. Only then did Wenxin smile and hand the food box to Ye Jinghe:
"Inside are things the Madam prepared for both the Young Master and Changfeng."
Ye Jinghe's head shot up—he got something too?
"The plum blossoms in the garden bloomed last night, and this morning when the Young Master paid his respects to the Madam, he wore a red plum cloak. So the Madam personally went to the garden to gather white plum blossoms to make plum blossom soup cakes for the Young Master."
Wenxin said with a gentle smile, then turned to Ye Jinghe:
"The Young Master said Changfeng is too thin, so the Madam specially had this servant fetch a bowl of meat broth from the kitchen for you. Changfeng, do you like it?"
"I do! The Madam is most kind. Thank you, Young Master!"
Ye Jinghe immediately bowed as he spoke. He was already thoroughly steeped in the ways of household intrigue—the Madam's meaning was clear: she wanted him to remember the Young Master's kindness!
Sure enough, at these words, a hint of satisfaction appeared in Wenxin's eyes. Only then did she have the leisure to glance at An Xin, who was grinding his teeth in silent frustration off to the side.
"Last time, the physician said the young master's heart palpitations were caused by staying cooped up indoors too long. I can see that in all of Xingjian Court, only Changfeng actually cares about the young master's health. As for you, you old thing, you're just looking for an easy way out. If anything happens to the young master because of your negligence, I'll report it to the mistress and have her inform the old lady first thing tomorrow—she'll sell your entire family to the slave traders!"
Wenxin berated An Xin without the slightest courtesy. As Madam Pei's personal senior maidservant, her words carried the weight of Madam Pei herself. An Xin's legs went weak with fright, and he begged for mercy repeatedly:
"I was wrong, I was wrong! Miss Wenxin, please spare me!"
Wenxin merely gave a light snort before taking her leave along with Pei Du.
"Changfeng! Let's go eat something delicious! I've never even tasted plum blossom soup cakes before!"
After Wenxin left, An Xin scrambled to his feet and prepared dinner for Pei Du. Pei Du's appetite was ravenous—he ate a great deal, finishing the bowl of plum blossom soup cakes down to the very last drop.
Ye Jinghe watched this and couldn't help but shake his head. The young master had given all his meat to Pei Feng at noon—of course he was starving by now!
After Pei Du finished dinner, rinsed his mouth, and began his homework, Ye Jinghe finally withdrew from the room and heated the meat broth Wenxin had brought over the charcoal fire.
The charcoal fire burned warm and cozy, and the room filled with the fragrant aroma of meat. The broth had been made from minced meat, tofu dregs, and scallion leaves, and because it had gone cold, a layer of congealed fat had floated to the top.
Now, the solidified fat had melted into clear, glistening oil. Ye Jinghe scooped up a spoonful and brought it to his lips, a smile curving at the corners of his mouth.
Mm, delicious!
On his second day after transmigrating here, he'd finally gotten a proper meal of meat!
Life was truly looking up more and more!
After wolfing down the meat broth, Ye Jinghe returned to the study, where Pei Du was diligently practicing his calligraphy, stroke by careful stroke, bent over his desk.
By the time he'd finished three sheets of large characters, Pei Du was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open. However, Pei Du's washing up was handled by two maidservants, so Ye Jinghe's duties came to an end at this point.
And as Ye Jinghe was tidying up Pei Du's desk, he looked at the discarded paper in the wastebasket, pursed his lips, and picked up the brush—writing a black blob.
Seriously, calligraphy was this hard? Who the hell actually writes this stuff?!