These past few days, Jiang Zhiyu had been so busy that she barely had time to think about the mysterious man she had encountered that night.
The first thing she needed to deal with was renovating the shop and reopening it.
That miserly Zhang Yazi had agreed readily enough at first, but the moment she went to him to ask for the money needed to repair the exterior walls and the inside of the shop, he began making one excuse after another.
Getting even a little silver out of his pocket was practically like taking his life.
Dragging things out was not a solution either. She could afford to wait, but the shop could not.
Jiang Zhiyu stood beside the steaming pot with a large iron ladle in her hand, worrying about how she would go to Yahang the next day and make that miser cough up some silver.
As dusk approached, there were hardly any customers in the shop. While thinking about how to deal with Yahang, she tidied up the shop and prepared to close for the night and go home.
The moment the shop door was closed, someone pushed it open.
Jiang Zhiyu stumbled when the door struck her. “Who is that? Don’t you have any manners? We’re clo…”
She rubbed her reddened forehead and finally saw the man standing at the entrance.
It was Mr. Question Mark, whom she had not seen for several days.
He slowly walked inside. His moon white robe embroidered with cloud patterns was already somewhat disheveled, while his slender waist, outlined by his jade belt, was being clutched by a pair of long, well defined hands.
He was slightly bent forward as if enduring severe pain. Several strands of his raven black hair had fallen beside his temples. The faint candlelight inside the room illuminated his side profile, revealing the fine beads of cold sweat gathered on his tall, straight nose.
Jiang Zhiyu was almost mesmerized.
What an astonishingly beautiful sickly beauty. He really was the kind of person anyone would feel sorry for.
She had always been unable to resist delicate and beautiful people like this. This man had completely awakened the instinctive urge to care for and protect him in her heart.
The words she had been about to curse at him were swallowed back down.
That day, she had only thought of him as a sickly man. Besides, the steam from the boiling guduo had filled the room, so she had completely failed to notice just how astonishingly handsome he was.
She had never expected that after several days apart, they would meet again in the exact same setting.
Before Xia Linchuan could speak, his attendant A Si hurriedly spoke up.
“Miss, please make a bowl of guduo for my master. His stomach illness has flared up.”
Jiang Zhiyu was filled with confusion.
If his stomach illness had flared up, why had he not gone to a medical clinic? Why had he instead come for a second visit to this guduo shop that had not seen a single customer lately? Could he have some ulterior motive? Or was he coveting her shabby little shop?
The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous her ideas became. She quickly shook her head and threw those frightening thoughts away before getting to work in the guduo.
Before long, a steaming bowl of guduo was placed in front of Xia Linchuan.
After eating for a while and drinking some of the guduo broth, his complexion finally began to improve.
When he finished, he set down the bowl. His fingertips rested lightly against its rim as he raised his face and looked up. The steam from the guduo gradually faded into the air, revealing before him a clean and lively face untouched by cosmetics.
Xia Linchuan stared for a moment.
Her features were not the kind that could be described as dazzlingly beautiful. Instead, they possessed just the right balance of freshness, purity, and brightness. Her eyes were particularly luminous, like black obsidian resting in a clear pool, making it difficult for anyone to look away.
Whenever she worked, she became completely absorbed in what she was doing. Her bright eyes were always focused and serious.
He had never seen such resilient eyes in another woman.
Seeing him lost in thought, Jiang Zhiyu assumed that he was feeling unwell again. She waved her hand in front of his eyes.
“Hey, are you feeling better?”
Xia Linchuan returned to his senses and once again revealed his gentle and courteous nature.
“Much better. Thank you again for saving me, Miss.”
“Saving you is too much to say. But with your stomach problem, you really should find a doctor and have it properly treated.” Jiang Zhiyu rarely went to such lengths to persuade someone. After she had fallen into the water and caught a cold, she had also needed several doses of medicine before she recovered.
Xia Linchuan smiled faintly.
“You are right. The doctor warned me long ago to eat on time and have more hot food.”
He paused as if considering something important, or perhaps observing the changes in Jiang Zhiyu’s expression. Then he spoke.
“Would you be willing to deliver food to my residence?”
Food delivery?
Jiang Zhiyu immediately thought that this could be a new way to expand the business. However, there were only her parents working at the shop, and both of them were getting older. They had no employees, so although there was nothing particularly wrong with a young woman delivering food herself, the customer was an unmarried man. In ancient times, such a thing could still cause some concerns.
Seeing the hesitation on Jiang Zhiyu’s face and thinking she was about to refuse, Xia Linchuan stood up and gave a polite bow.
“My name is Xia Linchuan. I live at the Zhen Nan Prince’s Manor. I am not a bad person.”
Jiang Zhiyu’s eyes widened in surprise.
The Zhen Nan Prince…
Wasn’t that a very important official?
A Si looked especially proud.
“That’s right. My master is the heir of the Zhen Nan Prince. Our family is quite prominent in the capital.”
【System Message: User has unlocked character: Xia Linchuan, heir of the Zhen Nan Prince, a refined and courteous gentleman. A Si, attendant of the heir of the Zhen Nan Prince.】
Jiang Zhiyu made a classic expression of sudden realization.
Hehe, so she had actually picked up a treasure.
If she could successfully establish a connection with the heir of the Zhen Nan Prince, wouldn’t she have someone powerful to rely on in this world from now on?
Jiang Zhiyu was already making plans in her mind. Secretly delighted, she quickly introduced herself and explained her family situation, giving the whole exchange the amusing air of someone eagerly declaring her allegiance.
After listening to everything, Xia Linchuan smiled slightly. He took a gold ingot from his sleeve and placed it on the table.
“Then it is settled. Miss Jiang will deliver guduo to the Zhen Nan Prince’s Manor every day.”
“Sure, sure.”
Jiang Zhiyu’s eyes were completely fixed on the gold ingot. Her gaze seemed glued to it, and there was only one thought in her mind.
She had money now. She could finally renovate the shop.
Jiang Zhiyu carefully accepted the gold. She had never expected this sickly beauty to be so generous. It seemed that as long as she kept this ancestor happy, becoming wealthy sooner rather than later would no longer be a dream.
Xia Linchuan stood up and prepared to return to the manor with A Si. He was still thinking about the excited expression on Jiang Zhiyu’s face just now, finding it novel and amusing. There seemed to be a strange magic about this woman, one that made him constantly feel drawn toward her.
Because he had been occupied with official affairs for years, being able to eat on time had long since become a luxury. His stomach problems had followed him for many years.
The doctor had repeatedly instructed him to eat on time, take his medicine regularly, and return for follow-up examinations, all of which could reduce the frequency of his attacks. However, he knew very well that as the heir of the Zhen Nan Prince, he had responsibilities to shoulder. Whenever he became busy, he would often cast all those reminders to the back of his mind.
When his illness flared up today, he had been handling military affairs at the military camp. If he had ridden back to the manor at full speed, he would actually have had enough time to take his medicine. He could also have summoned a doctor to the military camp to treat him.
He had always thought that he could simply endure the pain until it passed. Yet an absurd thought had appeared in his mind.
He wanted to taste that bowl of soup guduo from the shop at the end of the alley once again.
He remembered that when he had first come to this guduo shop, A Si had not been by his side. His stomach had been hurting so badly that he had lost all sense of direction, relying only on instinct to find a shop selling hot food or perhaps a medical clinic where he could temporarily deal with his condition.
Unexpectedly, when he reached the end of the alley, a delicious fragrance suddenly drifted over.
Almost as if guided by fate, he had endured his stomach pain and followed the aroma.
The hot soup guduo had warmed his stomach the moment it entered his throat. That healing sensation of warmth spreading throughout his entire body was something he would never forget.
And there was also genuine concern in the shopkeeper’s daughter’s actions and eyes. That had been deeply etched into his heart.
So when he felt unwell again today, his first thought had been to go to the guduo shop at the end of the alley. If he ate another bowl of soup guduo, perhaps the pain would disappear.
Xia Linchuan stood up. Before leaving, he placed another gold ingot on the table.
“Miss Jiang, I would like to reserve a serving of soup guduo here every evening. Whenever I have the opportunity, I will come to patronize your shop. This is the deposit. If the cost exceeds this amount, Miss Jiang may tell me at any time.”
Jiang Zhiyu was still savoring the thought of the gold ingot from earlier and planning how to spend the money when Xia Linchuan unexpectedly took out another one.
This was simply…
He was practically the reincarnation of the God of Wealth.
“Sure, no problem!”
She held the two gold ingots in her hands, her heart blooming with joy. The happiness on her face and the upward curve of her lips could not be concealed at all.
Xia Linchuan silently took in her smile.
Two gold ingots meant little to him. They could hardly be considered a large sum of money. Still, he had not expected them to make her this happy.
It was natural that an ordinary family would react strongly upon suddenly coming into contact with so much money. Yet what Xia Linchuan saw in Jiang Zhiyu’s eyes was not greed for wealth.
What he saw was a longing for and anticipation of a better life in the future.
Even A Si found Jiang Zhiyu’s radiant smile almost dazzling. He muttered quietly, “Young Master… Miss Jiang is really happy, isn’t she?”
Xia Linchuan gave a slight nod as he looked at her. The corners of his lips unconsciously lifted into the faintest hint of a smile.
“Mm. It’s fine.”
【System Message: Congratulations, the user has triggered the hidden game benefit, “God of Wealth’s Wish.” Fulfilling a character’s wishes may randomly drop rewards.】
A fortune had practically fallen from the sky!
Amid her excitement, an unrealistic idea suddenly sprouted in Jiang Zhiyu’s mind.
If she could become Xia Linchuan’s capable assistant, wouldn’t she have opportunities to help him fulfill his wishes at any time? Wouldn’t that allow her to maximize the number of rewards she could obtain?
“Young Master, I have a small favor to ask.”
Xia Linchuan instinctively paused.
He was curious about what kind of “small favor” Miss Jiang was about to ask of him.
Jiang Zhiyu took a deep breath and voiced the proposal she had rehearsed several times in her mind.
“I want to become someone who can stay by your side and assist you. I want to contribute in whatever way I can. If there is anything you need me to do, please feel free to tell me.”
“What did you say?”
His fingers holding the teacup slowly rubbed along its rim as he stared calmly at the tea inside.
Jiang Zhiyu gathered her courage once again.
“I want to become your most capable person, Young Master.”
A rare trace of curiosity and surprise flashed through Xia Linchuan’s gentle, jade-like eyes. He took a sip of tea and suddenly felt a faint sweetness mixed with a slight bitterness at the root of his tongue, as though he were holding a mouthful of honey.
“Very well. I also have a small favor to ask.”
When Xia Linchuan spoke, his voice remained as clear and melodious as jade ornaments gently striking one another. His fingertips once again brushed the rim of the cup, carrying a faint, cool warmth.
“Marry me.”
The moment those words were spoken, Jiang Zhiyu was not the only one left dumbfounded. Even A Si froze so completely that his limbs seemed to have forgotten how to move properly.
Jiang Zhiyu’s shoulders and neck had been tense from nervousness, and even her breathing sounded unusually clear. She stammered.
“M marry… marry you?”
Xia Linchuan stood up. His jade belt gave a soft click as his tall figure cast a shadow over her. The clear medicinal fragrance unique to him mingled with an invisible sense of pressure.
“You want to become my capable assistant, so I will give you the opportunity. Whether you can become someone who works for me will depend on your performance.”
After teasing her, he became worried that Jiang Zhiyu might retreat, so he added, “It will be a contract marriage for three years. We will not interfere with each other’s affairs. Miss Xiaoyu, are you willing to accept this arrangement?”
So it was only a contract marriage.
Jiang Zhiyu let out a long sigh of relief. He should have said it was a fake marriage from the beginning.
“Deal!”
Hearing her answer, a smile rippled through Xia Linchuan’s eyes, like waves spreading across a lake after a stone had been tossed into it.