Ch 40: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

The next morning, after breakfast, Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan headed straight to the county seat to visit Magistrate Xu. They spoke for a while in his office.

Jiang Ji asked anxiously, “Sir, Prefect Hu didn’t cause you any trouble, did he?”

Yesterday, when Magistrate Xu suddenly appeared with Lord Chen, Prefect Hu must have realized that Magistrate Xu had not only reported the seed matter to him but had also informed the Provincial Inspector. Otherwise, Lord Chen would never have come in person.

Jiang Ji had noticed yesterday how Prefect Hu’s expression toward Magistrate Xu had turned unfriendly—the kindly smile he’d worn back at the manor was nowhere to be seen. And since his scheme had been ruined, with Lord Chen overhearing some rather incriminating things, Jiang Ji doubted Prefect Hu would let it go so easily.

He truly thought Magistrate Xu was one of the rare good officials and didn’t want him to suffer retaliation from a superior because of this affair.

Seeing that Jiang Ji’s worry was genuine, Magistrate Xu smiled. “Don’t worry. I can handle him.”

Hearing that, Jiang Ji relaxed a little. That was true—after all, Magistrate Xu had been a magistrate for over ten years; he knew how to navigate such things.

“Then I’m relieved,” Jiang Ji said. “Oh, by the way, sir, what kind of person is Lord Chen?”

Magistrate Xu looked at him. “Why? You afraid he’s also after your seeds?”

Jiang Ji scratched his head. “Not really. I just thought it’d be good to understand what kind of person he is—so I’ll know how to deal with him properly.”

Magistrate Xu chuckled and nodded, then explained what he knew. “From what I’ve heard, Lord Chen is a fairly upright man. He’s from Lùzhou, our neighboring prefecture. He was born into a farming family, later became a disciple under the Provincial Inspector, Lord Fan, who took a liking to him and appointed him as adviser over agricultural affairs. Lord Fan trusts him deeply. The fact that he’s been sent here personally shows just how much importance the Inspector places on this project. So you must take it seriously.”

“I understand,” Jiang Ji said, nodding.

Jiang Yan asked, “Sir, do you know how long Lord Chen will be staying here?”

“Yes,” Jiang Ji added. “Is he only here for a few days, or will he come back periodically? If he leaves, won’t Prefect Hu try to trouble us again?”

“Don’t worry,” Magistrate Xu said. “I’ve already asked. He’ll be stationed here at least until the summer harvest. This matter is significant—Lord Fan has ordered him to monitor the growth of the rice and sweet potato crops throughout the season and report progress regularly.”

He furrowed his brows slightly, lowering his voice. “I believe Lord Fan wants to wait until there are tangible results before submitting anything to the court.”

“That makes sense,” Jiang Ji said with a nod. “The Provincial Inspector probably wants to be cautious. If he reports too early, boasting about how wonderful everything is, he’ll raise expectations at court. Then, if the crops fail halfway or the harvest doesn’t meet expectations, it’ll look terrible. Sweet potatoes are fine—they’re still food—but if the rice yields disappoint, the Inspector will lose face before everyone.”

Magistrate Xu saw that Jiang Ji understood and nodded. “Exactly. As long as you get that, it’s fine.”

Jiang Ji was curious. “Then how did you report it to Lord Fan in the first place?”

Magistrate Xu stroked his beard. “I told him that you’d brought back new crops and high-yield rice, that the rice might increase production by sixty to seventy percent, and that the sweet potatoes were edible and promising. Then I handed over the sample seeds I’d gotten from you, saying I wanted to test planting them in our county first to see how the harvest would turn out.”

“I see.” Jiang Ji grinned. “So you left yourself some leeway.”

Magistrate Xu glared at him. “What, you think I’d be like you—boasting about doubling yields right off the bat, only to get slapped in the face later?”

Jiang Ji blinked and smiled. “But you did tell Prefect Hu it could double.”

Magistrate Xu only smiled without replying.

Jiang Ji chuckled and didn’t push further. Just then, a yamen runner came in to report that both Prefect Hu and Lord Chen had arrived, so the group headed over together.

Today’s meeting was mainly to get everyone acquainted. Lord Chen, sent by the Provincial Inspector, was personally overseeing the seed distribution and wanted to understand the details of these new crops more thoroughly.

After exchanging greetings and taking their seats, Jiang Ji noticed several handwritten planting guides laid beside Lord Chen’s hand.

Lord Chen, noticing Jiang Ji’s gaze, picked one up with a smile. “Magistrate Xu told me these were compiled by you?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Yes, sir. They’re for teaching people how to plant properly.”

Lord Chen nodded approvingly. “Very thoughtful—and clearly written too. Simple, practical, and easy to understand. Well done.”

“You’ve read them, sir?” Jiang Ji asked, surprised.

“I have,” said Lord Chen. “I do have a few questions, though. I hope you can help me with them.”

“Please, go ahead,” Jiang Ji said.

Lord Chen flipped open the rice manual to the section on sowing. “Here it says that rice seeds should be started using the moist-bed method. That’s different from the flooded method most people use now. Can you explain this to me?”

So Lord Chen had read the manual carefully. Jiang Ji was delighted—it meant the man truly understood agriculture and genuinely wanted to learn.

He answered, “Sir, the common method we use now is water-seedling raising—keeping the seedbeds flooded. That does help maintain warmth and suppress weeds, but rice seedlings also need air—oxygen, that’s the gas we breathe in. Their roots have to breathe too. When the soil stays completely submerged, there’s not enough air in the mud for the roots, and that causes seed rot or weak seedlings, which lowers survival and makes them grow thinner.”

He continued, “With the moist-bed method, we use raised nursery beds. Between two beds are small ditches for water, so we can easily control the moisture level. This keeps the bed damp but allows plenty of air in the soil. That way the roots grow stronger, and the seedlings are thicker and healthier.”

“There’s also the dry-bed method,” Jiang Ji added. “That one’s for areas without good irrigation—it saves water, but you need higher temperatures for it to work, otherwise the sprouts won’t come out well. That method delays harvest time, which can affect the second rice crop, so it doesn’t suit our region.”

He went on comparing the pros and cons of each technique. Lord Chen and Magistrate Xu listened intently, while Prefect Hu looked like his mind had wandered somewhere far away.

Then Lord Chen asked a few more technical questions—about why potatoes produced smaller yields when reusing old seed tubers, and about crop rotation, intercropping, and mixed planting. Jiang Ji answered each one patiently.

Their discussion lasted quite a while. Lord Chen, being from a farming background himself, nodded repeatedly in approval.

Prefect Hu, who had already finished two cups of tea, saw an opening when they finally paused and quickly steered the talk toward what he considered the main issue.

“Lord Chen, we should also discuss which counties we’re expanding to next.”

“Yes, yes, my fault,” Lord Chen laughed. “I got caught up in our little agricultural talk.” He turned to Jiang Ji. “Brother Jiang, Magistrate Xu mentioned you still have some seeds available. Roughly how much do you have left? We’ll need to decide which counties to send them to.”

Jiang Ji had checked his system the night before. The generous Mr. Xiao had gifted him a large batch of rice seeds, plus more from other supporters—over 2.2 million catties in total. At ten catties per mu, that would cover about 220,000 mu of paddy fields.

Their own county’s supply had already been sold. Most farmers hadn’t dared to replace all their crops with the new rice, usually planting only half their fields with it. The big landlords were the exception. Altogether, the new rice covered roughly 30,000 mu so far.

He had earned more points these past days too, and since he needed to study textile production next—to unlock weaving-machine rewards—he planned to spend those points on cotton seeds to finish that task.

“There’s still plenty of rice seed left,” Jiang Ji said. “Enough for another 180,000 or 190,000 mu of paddies, though the exact number will depend on each county’s farmland. As for cotton, maybe enough for one or two counties. Sweet potatoes are running low, but the sweet—”

“You said yesterday you only had enough for half a county!“ Prefect Hu suddenly slammed the table, furious. “Now you’re saying you have that much?!”

Jiang Ji was cut off mid-sentence. He stared at Prefect Hu, speechless—was the man really outing himself in front of everyone out of pure temper?

Magistrate Xu and Lord Chen both turned toward Prefect Hu.

Realizing his slip, Prefect Hu quickly tried to recover. Years in office had taught him to find excuses fast.

“Ah, Jiang Ji,” he said, forcing a smile, “yesterday I told you that if you had more seeds, our prefecture office could help you distribute them across the region. But you didn’t tell me the truth then, did you? Don’t you trust me?”

Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan: …

Magistrate Xu: …

Lord Chen: …

Jiang Ji blinked innocently. “Oh, that? I’d had a bit too much to drink yesterday. I only remembered the corn. What I said about half a county, sir—it was the corn seeds.”

Magistrate Xu: …

Lord Chen: …

Jiang Yan calmly took a sip of tea.

Prefect Hu shot Jiang Ji a dark glare—but almost instantly, his face flipped into a broad smile, changing expressions faster than flipping a page. “Ah, I see. As long as there’s more rice seed, that’s good! That means even more people can plant it.”

“Prefect Hu is right,” Jiang Ji said, pretending not to notice the man’s sudden shift. He then turned to Lord Chen. “Lord Chen, judging from how things went in our county, most people planted half of the new variety and half of the old one. That ratio should probably be factored in. As for which counties to expand to, I’ll leave that to you gentlemen to decide. I just have two small requests.”

“What requests? Speak freely,” said Lord Chen.

“First,” Jiang Ji said, “could our next destination be Pingnan County?”

Jiang Yan glanced at him, lowering his eyes slightly.

Lord Chen agreed readily. “That’s no problem—Pingnan is just next door. Though, are you heading there for some personal matter?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Yes, we have a relative there, and I’d like to visit while we’re at it.”

“Very well,” said Lord Chen. “And the second request?”

“The second thing,” Jiang Ji continued, “is that I must return before the end of the month. In about half a month—no later than eighteen days—it’ll be time for sowing, and I have to be back in time to plant.”

Lord Chen considered this. “That’s a tight schedule. We’ll have to find ways to save time, then.”

“Actually, sir, I have a suggestion,” Jiang Ji said.

“I’m listening.”

Jiang Ji explained, “If possible, please decide on the target counties as soon as possible—preferably this morning. Then we can distribute the flyers and planting guides in advance, along with some sample seeds. Each county magistrate can then gather their village heads to read the materials aloud—just the first few pages of the flyers and guides will give everyone a clear idea of what these new crops are about.

“When I arrive, I can sell the seeds directly to the county offices, and they can handle distributing them to the villagers. That way, I’ll have enough time to cover multiple counties efficiently. The only thing is—pricing and oversight should be handled by the government side.”

Lord Chen thought for a moment, then asked, “Will your merchant partner be able to deliver the seeds on time?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Yes, but they’ll need advance notice to prepare storage—either a warehouse or a manor outside the city, so they won’t get stuck outside if the city gates close. They usually travel overnight with the goods.”

Magistrate Xu glanced at Jiang Ji but said nothing.

After some quiet discussion between the officials, Lord Chen nodded. “Alright, we’ll go with your plan.”

They talked for quite some time before deciding on six counties in total.

Curious, Jiang Ji asked Lord Chen, “Sir, there are seven counties altogether—aren’t you afraid that if the rice yield doesn’t turn out as expected, there’ll be trouble later?”

Lord Chen replied, “There’s always risk. But as long as your rice yields reach even sixty or seventy percent of the usual harvest, the farmers won’t lose money. And the rice from your seeds tastes far better than ordinary rice—we’ve all tried it. If it tastes good, it’ll sell well, even at a higher price. That alone makes up for any small loss in yield. Of course, if it produces more, that’s even better.”

Hearing that, Jiang Ji relaxed—clearly they’d already done the math.

He and Jiang Yan went back and rewrote a new version of the flyers and planting instructions, handing them to Magistrate Xu for printing.

“Oh, one more thing, Lord Chen,” Jiang Ji added. “We can’t depart until the day after tomorrow.”

Lord Chen, who had planned to leave that afternoon, looked up. “Why? Do you still have business here?”

Jiang Ji smiled. “Our potatoes are ready to plant. I’d like to finish that first. Don’t worry—it’ll only take one day. You can go ahead and make preparations; Pingnan’s not far, and Jiang Yan and I will catch up quickly.”

“Alright,” said Lord Chen. “I’ll have two fast horses prepared for you—you can ride them over.”

“Perfect.”

Once all arrangements were settled, the county office became busy preparing, and Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan returned home.

…

The next day, the entire Shanquan Village began transplanting potatoes, with people from several nearby villages coming to watch and learn.

Once they had learned, they even stayed to help Jiang Ji plant all two acres of his own potato field.

That evening, Jiang Ji invited the village chief and Uncle Tu Gen over, explaining the details of caring for the potato crops and letting them know he’d be gone for half a month, asking them to look after the household.

The village chief patted his shoulder. “Go without worry. We’ll take care of things here.”

After they left, Jiang Ji also went over a few things with Zhao Ru, Jiang Xia, and the twins, Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei.

Jiang Nan patted his chest confidently. “Brother, don’t worry—we’ll listen to Mother and behave.”

Jiang Bei nodded. “Yeah, we’ll help take care of her too.”

Jiang Ji ruffled their hair. “Good boys. You’re little men now—while I’m gone, I’ll be counting on you.”

“Mm!” the twins replied in unison, grinning at each other afterward.

After packing a few changes of clothes, Zhao Ru reminded them, “Be careful on the road. Watch out for each other. Don’t overwork yourselves, and rest when you can.”

“Got it, Mother. Don’t worry.”

Before bed, Jiang Ji asked Jiang Yan, “Do you want a small bag to keep your things in?”

He’d long felt ancient clothing wasn’t practical—everything fell out too easily.

Since Jiang Yan only carried a few things—some silver notes and a jade pendant—Jiang Ji exchanged for a small black leather waist pouch.

“Here, use this.” Jiang Ji unzipped it. “Put your silver notes and pendant in here, then zip it up. It’s secure and won’t fall out—much safer than our clothes’ pockets.”

Jiang Yan examined the little bag, tugged the zipper a few times, then put in his things and zipped it closed. “Do I wear it across my chest like you do? The strap doesn’t seem long enough.”

“No, no—it’s worn around the waist. Like this. Watch.”

“Press here to open.” Jiang Ji clicked open the buckle, then looped the pouch around Jiang Yan’s waist. “Now just clip it together—like that. Try it.”

Jiang Yan found the thing rather curious. He tried it twice himself and nodded. “This is good—very practical.”

“Right? I’m giving it to you,” said Jiang Ji cheerfully. “You can use it to carry little things from now on.”

“Alright. Thank you.”

“No need to be polite.”

…

The next morning, after breakfast, the whole family gathered by the gate to see them off.

Zhao Ru looked at Jiang Ji with worry, reminding him over and over, “You brought enough money, right? Make sure you have enough.”

“I did, Mother. Don’t worry. I’m going out to make money—when I come back, I’ll bring more with me.”

Zhao Ru smiled faintly and patted his arm, her eyes already moist. “You’ve never been that far from home before. Be careful, alright?”

“I will.”

Then she turned to Jiang Yan and patted his arm too. “Take care of yourself—and bring him back safely.”

“Yes, Auntie. Don’t worry, I’ll look after him,” Jiang Yan said calmly.

“Good,” she said. “I can rest easy with you around.”

Seeing Zhao Ru like this, Jiang Ji also felt a lump rise in his throat. He hugged her tightly. “Mother, we’ll be back soon. Don’t worry.”

“Alright, alright. Go on now. Don’t keep the officials waiting.”

Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan waved goodbye and set off. Zhao Ru and the rest stood at the gate, watching until the two figures disappeared down the road before going back inside.

The pair first went to the county yamen. Lord Chen had already left two days earlier, but as promised, he had left two horses for them. Prefect Hu wasn’t going; he had sent one of his agricultural officers to assist Lord Chen instead.

Prefect Hu himself happened to be at the yamen as well, preparing to return to the prefectural office.

When Jiang Ji saw the two horses, a thought suddenly struck him. “Wait—I don’t know how to ride.”

Magistrate Xu: “…Then I’ll prepare a carriage for you.”

Jiang Ji turned to Jiang Yan. “Do you know how to ride?”

Jiang Yan thought for a moment. “I… might.”

“…Might? Go try it then.”

Jiang Yan really did lead one of the horses out, mounted it in a single smooth motion, and once he took the reins and lightly pressed his legs to the horse’s flanks, the animal started trotting forward. His posture looked steady—surprisingly natural.

“Wow, you actually can ride!” Jiang Ji’s eyes widened.

Magistrate Xu: …

Jiang Yan circled the courtyard once, then dismounted neatly. “We’ll go on horseback.”

Jiang Ji hesitated. “Uh… I can’t, though, big brother.”

“I’ll take you with me,” said Jiang Yan. “We’ll lead the other horse along and take turns riding. We’ll get there quickly that way.”

“Oh. That works too.”

They switched to a double saddle. Jiang Ji climbed up first, then Jiang Yan mounted behind him. After bidding farewell to the officials, they rode out of the county gate together.

At the same time, Prefect Hu boarded his own carriage with his attendants and slowly left the yamen as well.

Inside the carriage, his adviser leaned closer and whispered, “My lord, don’t you think that Jiang Yan looks… familiar?”

Prefect Hu was already in a sour mood from coming away empty-handed. “What, you know that kid?”

“I don’t,” the adviser said, frowning in thought. “But I feel like I’ve seen his face somewhere before.”

“If you don’t know him, how could he look familiar? He’s just a village nobody. You’ve never even been to this county,” scoffed Prefect Hu, closing his eyes to rest. A maid beside him was gently massaging his legs.

The adviser’s brows furrowed deeper as he tried to recall. He really did think he’d seen that face somewhere… and after a while, his eyes suddenly lit up.

“My lord! I remember why he looked familiar!”

Prefect Hu, half-dozing, was startled awake. “What are you shouting for?!”

“Forgive me, my lord,” the adviser quickly apologized, then pointed upward slightly and whispered, “Don’t you think Jiang Yan looks like him?”

Prefect Hu yawned. “Who?”

“The Regent Prince,” the adviser said, enunciating each word. “Lu Huaizhou.”

Prefect Hu’s eyes snapped open. “Who did you say?!”

“The Regent Prince, Lu Huaizhou,” the adviser repeated. “You have a portrait of him, don’t you? I’ve seen it. He really looks like that Jiang Yan.”

Prefect Hu had never actually met the Regent in person, but being a cautious official, he’d paid someone in the capital to send him a portrait—just in case he ever did.

Now, thinking of that portrait… and trying to recall Jiang Yan’s face…

Wait—what did Jiang Yan look like again?

Prefect Hu realized he hadn’t really paid much attention before—just a vague impression: pale skin, tall build.

“Jiang Yan looks like the Regent, does he?” Prefect Hu snorted. “Then that boy’s got a fine face, I suppose.”

“I’m serious,” the adviser said. “They really do look alike. You don’t think they could be brothers, do you?”

Prefect Hu let out a sharp laugh. “Brothers? Are you out of your mind? How could the Regent’s brother be living out here in the sticks?”

The adviser thought about it—it did sound absurd. The Regent’s father was a Grand Scholar, and his maternal uncles were both generals. He’d heard the Regent had a younger brother around seventeen or eighteen… no way that could be Jiang Yan.

Still, the resemblance nagged at him. It was uncanny.

*

On the official road south of the city, the horses galloped in a cloud of dust, trees whipping past on either side in streaks of green.

“Wow! I didn’t know horseback riding could be this fast! This is amazing!”

It was Jiang Ji’s first time on horseback. Sitting in front, arms spread wide, he yelled excitedly into the rushing wind.

Jiang Yan held the reins with one hand and steadied himself with the other, gripping the saddle ring near Jiang Ji’s waist. Seeing Jiang Ji’s ecstatic antics, he could only sigh.

“Sit still. Stop moving around, or you’ll fall off.”

Jiang Ji just laughed. “But it feels so great!”

Jiang Yan gave up and slowed the horse a little.

“Hey, hey, don’t slow down! Faster, Jiang Yan! Faster! Yah!” Jiang Ji kicked the horse’s belly lightly, and it sped up again.

Jiang Yan: “…”

He smacked Jiang Ji’s thigh lightly. “Stop that! Falling off a horse isn’t funny. Hold on tight!”

“Ow—ow, fine, fine, I’ll hold on, alright?” Jiang Ji yelped, pulling his hand back—only to accidentally grab Jiang Yan’s instead.

He glanced down, then quickly shifted his grip to the side, muttering, “There’s barely any space on this handle anyway. You can hold it if you want. You’ve got your arms around me already—how could I fall off?”

Jiang Yan: “…”

Jiang Yan was tall and broad-shouldered, while Jiang Ji was smaller and slighter. Sharing a saddle, Jiang Yan held the reins with one hand and the handle with the other, effectively caging Jiang Ji against his chest, secure and steady.

“I may have lost my memory,” Jiang Yan said lowly near his ear, “so I don’t know how skilled I am at riding. Just behave and don’t move.”

The deep voice right beside his ear made Jiang Ji scratch at it awkwardly. “Oh… alright.”

He stayed quiet for a while, but soon turned his head again. “Hey, Jiang Yan—”

As he spoke, his nose brushed right past Jiang Yan’s lips, cutting his words short. Jiang Ji froze, staring at the man’s face so close to his own that he forgot what he was saying.

He hadn’t realized their faces were that near—just a small turn and they’d touched. He could feel Jiang Yan’s breath on his skin, ticklish and warm.

And—why the lips? Shouldn’t it have been the cheek at most?

Jiang Ji turned back around quickly and rubbed at his nose.

Jiang Yan paused for a heartbeat, glanced at him, then looked straight ahead again. “What did you say?” he asked beside his ear.

Jiang Ji tilted his head. “Oh, I was asking if you remembered anything.”

The wind was loud; Jiang Yan didn’t catch it and leaned closer, ear brushing near Jiang Ji’s lips. “What?”

Jiang Ji: “…”

He gave up, turned around, and cupped a hand around Jiang Yan’s ear. Leaning in, he shouted, “You can ride a horse—so I asked if it reminded you of anything! Did you hear that?”

Jiang Yan nodded, indeed feeling that the speed, the wind, and the rhythmic pounding hooves stirred a faint, familiar sense within him.

When he didn’t reply, Jiang Ji turned again. “So? Did it come back to you?”

Jiang Yan glanced down at him and shook his head. “No. Just… feels familiar.”

“Oh, got it.”

He turned his head, his posture crooked. Jiang Yan’s arm tightened around his waist. “Sit properly. Stop wriggling.”

“…Fine.”

Pingnan County was only seventy or eighty li from Changping. They changed horses once and arrived in about an hour.

It hadn’t felt too bad while riding, just bumpy, but once they dismounted at the county office, Jiang Ji’s legs gave out beneath him—he nearly stumbled.

Jiang Yan reached out immediately, steadying him with an arm around his waist. “You alright?”

Clinging to his back, Jiang Ji looked up pitifully. “Why do my legs feel weak?”

Jiang Yan chuckled softly. “You’re just sore from the long ride. It’s normal for a first time.”

“Oh.” Jiang Ji clung to his shoulder and tried to walk, only to suck in a sharp breath through his teeth.

“What is it?” Jiang Yan asked, looking down.

Jiang Ji rubbed at the inside of his thigh. “It hurts a little.”

“Probably chafed. We’ll check once we’re inside.”

At the gate, they were led to the main hall, where Lord Chen and the local county magistrate were already waiting.

Lord Chen stood with a smile. “You made good time.”

Jiang Ji grinned. “It’s thanks to the horses you left us, sir—they run fast.”

Lord Chen introduced them to the county magistrate and said, “Brother Jiang, it’s about lunchtime. Shall we talk while we eat?”

“Sounds good.”

Jiang Yan asked the magistrate, “Sir, would there be a spare room? We should wash up first.”

“Oh yes, yes—my oversight,” the magistrate said. “You’ve come a long way on horseback; of course you should rest and freshen up.”

He called for attendants to show them to a prepared guest room.

Once inside, they set down their packs. Jiang Yan lifted his chin slightly. “Take off your pants—let’s check your leg.”

Jiang Ji didn’t bother pretending to be shy. He pulled them down and looked.

Facing away, Jiang Yan asked, “How is it?”

“It’s red.” Jiang Ji touched the spot—it was hot and stung. “Hurts a bit when I press it.”

“Let me see.” Jiang Yan turned around and found Jiang Ji half-undressed, one trouser leg off. From the knee down his skin was tanned, but his thighs were pale enough to catch the light. The inside of his thigh was indeed bright red.

Jiang Yan crouched down for a closer look. “No broken skin. Wait here—I’ll get some ointment.”

He came back quickly. Jiang Ji had already washed his face and gotten dressed.

Handing him the medicine, Jiang Yan asked, “The other side’s not rubbed raw, is it?”

“No, it’s fine. Should be better by tomorrow after some ointment.” Jiang Ji took it and pulled his pants down again to apply it.

Watching the red patch on his leg, Jiang Yan couldn’t help but chuckle. “Didn’t expect your skin to be that delicate.”

Jiang Ji looked up, unconvinced. “This area never gets any use, of course it’s soft. What, your inner thigh isn’t?”

Jiang Yan shook his head. “I rode the same distance and I’m fine.”

Jiang Ji pouted. “I don’t believe you—prove it.”

Jiang Yan: “…”

He turned away and started washing his face instead.

“What are you walking off for? Seeing is believing, you know. I won’t believe you till I see it. Maybe you’re lying!”

Jiang Yan ignored him.

Once Jiang Ji finished applying the ointment and pulled his trousers back on, he lunged and wrapped his arms around Jiang Yan. “Come on—show me!”

Jiang Yan, steady as a rock, barely budged at the sudden attack. “I told you, I’m telling the truth.”

“You’re bluffing,” Jiang Ji accused. “You’re definitely hiding it!”

He reached for Jiang Yan’s waistband with a mischievous grin. “Heh, fine, I’ll check myself then!”

Jiang Yan grabbed his hand in an instant. “Stop messing around.”

“I just want to see what this ‘not-soft’ thigh looks like—”

One trying to look, the other trying to block him—in the scuffle, Jiang Ji accidentally bumped into a nearby shelf and lost his balance, falling backward.

“Careful.” Jiang Yan quickly caught him around the waist before he could fall.

Pulled straight into Jiang Yan’s arms, Jiang Ji looked up in surprise—right into his eyes.

For a moment, neither spoke. Their gazes locked, and even the air between them seemed to still.

After a few heartbeats, Jiang Ji blinked and came back to himself. Standing upright again, he said, “…Almost fell. Thanks.”

“Mm. Be careful,” Jiang Yan replied, letting go and turning to hang the towel back on the rack.

From outside came a call: “Brothers, are you done washing up? The officials are waiting for you to eat!”

“Coming!” Jiang Ji rubbed at his nose and said to Jiang Yan, “I bet you used to ride a lot before, that’s why it doesn’t hurt—you’re used to it.”

Jiang Yan glanced at him and nodded. “Mm. Probably.”

“Come on then, let’s eat.” Jiang Ji opened the door and walked out first.

“Alright.”

Jiang Yan watched his back for a second, then followed after him.

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾