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Three days before the wedding, Jiang Ji and Zhao Ru temporarily moved back to Duke Chang Residence, while Lu Huaizhou temporarily moved back to the Lu Residence.

Duke Chang Residence had already been fully decorated over the past few days. The courtyards had been swept clean, red lanterns and red silk hung everywhere, and all kinds of seasonal fresh flowers had been arranged, waiting only for the wedding day.

Jiang Ji and the others were only staying here for these few days, so they had brought back only some simple clothing.

According to custom, he and Lu Huaizhou could not see each other during the three days before the wedding. Jiang Ji did not go out either and simply stayed inside Duke Chang Residence.

In the garden, flowers bloomed in brilliant clusters. Large patches of all kinds of flowers had been planted there, all from seeds Jiang Ji had given the gardeners and told them to scatter however they liked. The gardeners had clearly cared for them attentively, because everything was growing lushly.

There were also quite a few patches of freshly turned soil where flowers had been dug up and moved to the Regent’s Residence for decoration.

Aside from flowers, there were also many fruit trees. Jiang Ji had transplanted them from the family home in Changping, and after two months of settling in, most of them had survived.

These fruit saplings were not only planted in Duke Chang Residence. The Regent’s Residence and the Lu Residence had them too, and the Han Residence and Duke Qin Residence had also requested a few to plant.

Jiang Ji was loosening the soil for flowers in an open area of the garden with one of the gardeners when Lu Shun hurried over with a list in hand.

“Young Master, aside from the fresh meat and vegetables that will be delivered tomorrow morning, all the other ingredients needed for tomorrow’s banquet at the Regent’s Residence have already been prepared. Han Qingshan went over to check just now, and there are no problems.”

On the wedding day, the restaurant would close for the day. Jiang Ji had asked Han Qingshan and the others to come help manage the banquet.

“Good.” Jiang Ji raised a hand to wipe away his sweat and asked, “Has everything been decorated at the Regent’s Residence?”

Lu Shun said happily, “It’s all done. Uncle Zhong is watching over it. Both madams have gone to inspect it too. Everything is just waiting for tomorrow.”

“Mhm, good.” Jiang Ji asked, “What is my mother doing?”

Lu Shun replied, “Madam is checking the dowry, going over it one final time.”

Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou were two men getting married, the first such case under heaven. After discussing it with the matchmaker, they had adopted a new method.

One month earlier, during the grand betrothal gift exchange, Duke Chang Residence had sent betrothal gifts to the Lu Residence, and the Lu Residence had also sent betrothal gifts to Duke Chang Residence.

When the wedding came tomorrow, both families would depart from their respective homes, each bringing their own “dowry” together to the Regent’s Residence.

Both were marrying out, and both were marrying in.

Jiang Ji smiled helplessly. “She’s already checked it three times.”

Lu Shun laughed too. “There are a lot of things. Madam is afraid something might be missed.”

They truly were not that familiar with the wedding customs of the capital, and none of them wanted anything to go wrong.

“How are things on the Regent’s side?” Jiang Ji asked. He had not seen Lu Huaizhou for three days. “I heard he went to the palace today?”

“Mhm. Everything at the residence is ready, with Madam there. It seems there was some urgent matter, so the Regent went to the palace.”

Jiang Ji looked at the small hoe in his hand and laughed. “The two of us are like hands-off shopkeepers.”

The wedding preparations were all being handled by Madam Lu and Zhao Ru. Jiang Ji had only decided on the banquet dishes and finalized the guest list with Lu Huaizhou. After that, there was nothing left for them to do. Even the guest list had been drafted first and merely brought to them for review.

Lu Shun grinned. “Young Master, you and the Regent just need to wait to become bridegrooms.”

“When class ends later, bring Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei back early. Don’t let them keep playing over there.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Jiang Ji and the others had set up a private school inside the Regent’s Residence and invited several learned teachers to instruct the young children of the household. Jiang Xia, Jiang Nan, and Jiang Bei were still attending class at the Regent’s Residence today, along with Sister Guihua’s son Xiao Yi, Han Qingshan’s daughter Xiang’er, and several children born into service at the Lu Residence.

Lu Shun still had to make another inspection round, so he left to continue his work.

Jiang Ji looked at the festive decorations filling the courtyard, joy brimming in both his heart and his eyes.

Tomorrow, he would be married.

After a while, Lu Jiu came to report that the village chief and his wife, the two clan elders, Uncle Tugen and Auntie Xiufang, as well as Ding Xiaojun and Manager Lü, had arrived.

“Quick, go welcome them.” Jiang Ji dropped the small hoe and hurried toward the front.

Zhao Ru had also received the notice and arrived at the front hall. Seeing the villagers she had not seen in more than two months, she was very happy too.

The village chief looked at them and said, “Originally, everyone wanted to come, but it’s just too far. They were afraid that with the round trip, they wouldn’t make it back in time for the rice harvest. So the few of us came as representatives of the whole village to congratulate Duke Chang on his marriage. But we brought everyone’s congratulatory gifts with us.”

Jiang Ji smiled. “Thank you, everyone. You were all very thoughtful. The journey was so long, you must be tired. Uncle, why don’t you all wash up and rest first? Later, I’ll show you around.”

“We’re alright. The wedding is tomorrow, so there must be plenty to do. Are you all ready? Don’t worry about us. Go handle whatever you need to handle.”

“Everything is ready. The people below are busy with it. I was just digging in the soil.”

The village chief was stunned. “You’re getting married tomorrow, and you’re still digging?”

“I had nothing else to do. I was idle anyway,” Jiang Ji said with a laugh.

The village chief and the others rested for a while, ate some snacks, and then followed Jiang Ji on a tour of Duke Chang Residence.

Everyone was shocked.

“This residence is huge.”

“It really is. Beautiful too.”

Xiufang pulled Zhao Ru aside and asked in a low voice, “Duke Chang specially invited us here, but tomorrow will be full of high officials and nobles. I’m afraid we’ll embarrass you.”

“Nonsense.” Zhao Ru took her hand and said, “Don’t worry. We came from the village in the first place. Xiao Ji said not to bother with what anyone else says. You just need to eat well and enjoy yourselves. You’re tired today. The day after tomorrow, I’ll take you around the city. This place is enormous.”

Hearing her say this, Xiufang finally relaxed and smiled. “Alright, then.”

That evening, Jiang Ji personally cooked, preparing a lavish dinner together with Sister Guihua.

Han Qingshan and Yu Yang also brought Xiang’er back to Duke Chang Residence, and together with the village chief and the others, everyone celebrated lively.

Jiang Ji raised his cup and said, “Because we still have work to do tomorrow, tonight we’ll only drink a little. Thank you, everyone. You’ve all worked hard.”

“Congratulations, Young Master!” everyone said, raising their cups.

“Congratulations, Duke Chang!”

“Thank you.” Jiang Ji drank one cup, then poured another and raised it to Zhao Ru.

He looked at Zhao Ru. In the more than two months since they had come to the capital, Zhao Ru had been busy managing his wedding preparations. He had seen it all and felt grateful in his heart. “Mother, tomorrow I’m getting married. Thank you for giving birth to me, raising me, and loving me.”

“You child, why say these things on such a happy day?” Zhao Ru, conservative and traditional as she was, grew teary-eyed at such direct words of gratitude from her son, but her heart was filled with joy. She patted his shoulder. “As long as you and Huaizhou live well together, Mother will be happier than anything.”

“Mhm. Our whole family will live well.” Jiang Ji clinked cups with his mother and drank all the wine in his cup.

With tears in her eyes, Zhao Ru also smiled and tilted her head back to finish her drink.

There were proper matters to attend to tomorrow, so everyone controlled themselves and only drank a little wine. Afterward, they used tea in place of wine, and everyone came to congratulate Jiang Ji.

After the meal, Jiang Ji walked with Zhao Ru through the residence to help digest the food. Zhao Ru patted the back of his hand and said, “By rights, I should give you some advice, but you understand more than I do, and Huaizhou is a good child too. I’ll only say one thing. Xiao Ji, after you and Huaizhou are married, the two of you must be considerate of each other, cherish each other, and discuss things together whenever something comes up. Do you understand?”

“Mhm, I know. Don’t worry.” Jiang Ji nodded.

Zhao Ru smiled. “You’re both good children. I’m at ease.”

Their situation was different from other people’s. They had spent time together before marrying. They had lived together for so long, understood each other’s temperaments, and had already adjusted to each other, so married life would have far fewer conflicts.

Zhao Ru now somewhat understood what Xiao Ji had meant before about marriage needing free love and about people spending time together before marrying. It truly was more reassuring than two newlyweds who had never even met.

After their walk, Jiang Ji returned to his courtyard. Once he finished washing up, he was just about to put out the lamp and go to sleep when the window was suddenly opened, and a dark figure slipped inside.

Jiang Ji widened his eyes at Lu Huaizhou, who had climbed in through the window. “Didn’t they say we can’t see each other before the wedding? What are you doing here?”

Lu Huaizhou pulled him into his arms and kissed him. “I wanted to see you.”

Jiang Ji’s heart stirred slightly, and he laughed. “Why didn’t you use the front door? Climbing through the window like this makes us look like we’re having an affair.”

Lu Huaizhou: “…”

Unable to win against him in words, Lu Huaizhou simply held him and kissed him again.

The two had not seen each other for three days. The closer the wedding drew, the more they seemed to miss each other.

After kissing for quite a while, Lu Huaizhou pulled Jiang Ji to sit by the bed. “What did you do today? I heard you didn’t go out either.”

“Mhm. I turned over a patch of soil in the garden with the gardener. I’m planning to plant some blueberries.”

Jiang Ji climbed onto the bed and lay down, then patted the space beside him. Lu Huaizhou took off his shoes, lay down as well, and held Jiang Ji by the waist as they talked.

“What are blueberries?” Lu Huaizhou asked. “A kind of fruit?”

“Yeah, a kind of fruit. They’re delicious. You’ll know once they bear fruit in a couple of years.” Jiang Ji asked him, “Is everything ready on your side? You went to the palace today? Didn’t His Majesty say you could return after finishing the wedding matters?”

“Mhm. Something urgent came up, so I handled it.”

Jiang Ji’s brow twitched. “What urgent matter?”

Seeing him frown, Lu Huaizhou answered with a smile in his eyes. “Don’t worry. It’s good news. Iron ore was found in the place you mentioned.”

When Jiang Ji had previously given Lu Huaizhou the steelmaking method, he had also told Lu Huaizhou about several iron ore locations. Jiang Ji had only roughly described where they were, so he hadn’t expected them to dig any up so quickly.

Hearing that it was this matter, Jiang Ji relaxed and smiled. “That’s good news. For them to send word now, it’s almost like they’re congratulating us on our wedding.”

“Mhm.” Lu Huaizhou kissed Jiang Ji on the lips.

He had only meant to give him a light kiss, but Jiang Ji pressed down on the back of his head and refused to let him leave. Their kiss grew deeper and deeper, until both of them were somewhat stirred.

Jiang Ji kissed Lu Huaizhou hard on the lips, then said meaningfully, slightly out of breath, “We’re getting married tomorrow.”

Lu Huaizhou’s gaze darkened as he looked at him. “Mhm.”

Both of them were a little uncomfortable. After they calmed down, Lu Huaizhou stayed a while longer, then had to go back.

Jiang Ji kissed him on the lips. “See you tomorrow, bridegroom.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Lu Huaizhou was about to climb back out the window again, but Jiang Ji said helplessly, “Use the door.”

“It wouldn’t be good if Auntie found out later.” Lu Huaizhou still climbed out through the window.

Jiang Ji: “…”

*

The next day was the eighteenth day of the fifth month, an auspicious day suitable for marriage, with perfectly clear skies.

Duke Chang Residence, the Lu Residence, and the Regent’s Residence all became busy.

Jiang Ji got up early. After washing up, Zhao Ru brought over a blessed auntie to help comb his hair.

Sitting before the dressing table, Jiang Ji blinked as he listened to the blessed auntie recite auspicious phrases while combing his hair. Only then did he learn that in ancient times, it was not only brides who had their hair combed this way. Bridegrooms did too.

After his hair was done, Jiang Ji changed into his wedding robes. They had been made by the Palace Weaving Bureau: a bright red round-collared groom’s robe, with auspicious clouds and floral clusters embroidered in gold thread along the hem and cuffs. At the center was a rank badge embroidered with a qilin, making him look both spirited and handsome.

Jiang Ji looked at himself in the mirror and broke into a grin.

They would not set out until the afternoon, so there was nothing much for them to do in the morning except wait in the residence. Quite a few officials came to the residence to offer their congratulations, and later they would all follow along to the Regent’s Residence for the wedding banquet.

Around shenshi in the afternoon, at the agreed time, firecrackers began crackling at the gate. The musicians in front played joyful wedding music, beating gongs and drums to lead the way. Jiang Ji had a large red silk flower tied to his chest, mounted a tall horse, and led the procession out.

Lu Jiu and Lu Wen rode behind him, bringing Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei with them. The two little fellows were also riding along, so happy they could hardly contain their excitement.

Behind them, the procession carrying the “dowry” stretched so long that its end could not be seen at a glance.

Because Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou were both men, there was no traditional bridal escorting ceremony. Instead, the two of them set out separately from Duke Chang Residence and the Lu Residence, each circling from a different direction before meeting in front of the Regent’s Residence and entering the gates together.

The streets they passed through had already been placed under martial watch. The Emperor had specially assigned the imperial guards to assist the Regent, and the capital magistrate’s office had also sent officers and soldiers to help.

Crowds of commoners lined both sides of the streets, all watching the wedding of the Regent and Duke Chang.

“Two men getting married. This really is the first time I’ve ever seen such a thing.”

“Exactly. And it’s the Regent and Duke Chang, no less.”

“So who’s marrying whom?”

“Ah, I heard there’s no such thing as who marries in or who marries out. The two of them each set out from their own homes and enter the Regent’s Residence together.”

“Ah, they’re here, they’re here! Duke Chang’s procession is here!”

“So that’s Duke Chang? I think I’ve seen him on the street before.”

“I’ve seen him go to the cloth shop too. He’s actually Duke Chang!”

“Duke Chang is far too low-key. When I saw him before, he was dressed so plainly, just in ordinary cloth clothes. Who could have guessed it was him?”

“I heard he often goes to the estates outside the city to inspect the crops.”

“This year’s winter wheat harvest was abundant. Those who planted Duke Chang’s new seeds last year harvested over a hundred jin more per mu than before.”

“I heard the rice yield in the south doubled last year.”

“I know that. A classmate of mine is from the south. He said his relatives planted that new rice variety, as well as sweet potatoes and the like, and they sold for a good price.”

“This year, the south is planting that new rice variety everywhere. Up north, our spring wheat is also being planted with the new wheat seeds, and sweet potatoes and corn are being planted too.”

“Duke Chang truly is a great benefactor. In another couple of years, our Great Sheng dynasty surely won’t have to worry about grain anymore.”

“That’s right. I ate steamed buns made from the new wheat, and they were so fragrant!”

“Look at his betrothal gifts. No, wait, are those betrothal gifts or dowry?”

“Who cares what they are? There are so many gifts. How many carrying loads is that?”

“At least over a hundred, right?”

“The Regent’s side definitely has just as much.”

After traveling for more than half an hour, Jiang Ji brought his procession to a stop at a crossroads. On the opposite street, Lu Huaizhou, dressed in bright red wedding robes atop a fine horse, approached from the other direction as well.

The two looked at each other from afar, smiles rising at the corners of their lips.

The two processions merged together and arrived before the gates of the Regent’s Residence.

The front of the residence was covered in red silk carpeting. Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou dismounted together, and the wedding matron handed them a length of red silk cloth, each taking one end.

Holding the red silk together, the two walked forward side by side, stepping together over the brazier and then over the saddle before entering the Regent’s Residence. Behind them, the endless procession flowed inside like a river.

At the Regent’s Residence, guests had already begun arriving since the afternoon. Duke Qin and General Han, together with their respective sons, were representing the two bridegrooms in welcoming the guests.

By now, nearly all the guests had arrived and were gathered around the main hall watching the festivities.

Holding the red silk together, Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou walked all the way into the main hall, where Zhao Ru, Minister Lu, and Madam Lu were already seated in the places of honor.

Not long after, the auspicious hour arrived.

Uncle Zhong joyfully announced in a loud voice, “The auspicious hour has arrived! The two bridegrooms enter the hall to perform the rites!”

Smiling, Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou stepped into the main hall together, still holding the red silk.

“First bow to Heaven and Earth!”

“Second bow to the elders!”

“Husband and husband bow to each other!”

After the three bows were completed, Uncle Zhong happily declared, “Escort them into the bridal chamber!”

Amid loud applause and cheers, Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou entered their wedding chamber together.

The bridal chamber had been decorated festively. Large red “double happiness” characters were pasted on the windows, and more happiness decorations adorned the wardrobes, tables, and stands. Red candles burned brightly, their flames flickering. The curtains and bed canopy were all crimson red.

The large red wedding quilt was embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in water, and atop it were scattered red dates, longans, peanuts, and lotus seeds.

Looking at them, Jiang Ji casually picked up a peanut and tossed it into his mouth, raising a brow. “Lu Huaizhou, look. Early birth of a noble child.”

Lu Huaizhou: “…”

He sat down as well, picked up a lotus seed, and tossed it into his own mouth. “You’re giving birth?”

Jiang Ji widened his eyes dramatically. “My god. We’re really married now, huh? You’re already making dirty jokes?!”

Lu Huaizhou: “……”

Jiang Ji burst into laughter.

The wedding matron who had just entered: “……” She heard nothing at all.

Jiang Ji pulled Lu Huaizhou toward the table. “Come eat something quickly. We’ll have to drink later.”

Lu Huaizhou obediently followed him and began eating the pastries on the table together with him.

Wedding matron: “……”

Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou sat in the bridal chamber for a while, each eating a few pastries before heading back out together to entertain the guests.

There were many guests today. Nearly the entire court of civil and military officials had come.

The village chief and the others were seated very close to the front, alongside Duke Qin and General Han’s tables, and they all felt deeply nervous. Even though Jiang Ji had specially gifted them silk so they could make new clothes, they still felt uneasy and somewhat intimidated.

These were all nobles and high officials.

Many others were also secretly looking them over. Since nobody recognized them, everyone was guessing who they were.

Some people specifically went to ask around, and upon hearing that they were relatives and fellow villagers from Jiang Ji’s hometown, everyone suddenly understood.

No wonder they did not look like people from the capital. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. The curious gazes immediately lessened, though many of them were replaced with faint contempt.

Some fragmented whispers drifted into their ears. Xiufang tugged lightly on Zhao Ru’s sleeve and whispered, “Everyone here is a high official or noble. You should’ve seated us farther to the side.”

“How could that be?” Zhao Ru widened her eyes. “Don’t worry about that. We invited you here to attend Xiao Ji’s wedding. You’re our honored guests. Just sit peacefully. These seats were arranged personally by Xiao Ji and Huaizhou.”

Hearing that the seating had been personally arranged by the Regent and Duke Chang, Xiufang and the others felt both nervous and deeply honored.

Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou came out to toast the guests.

They first toasted the table of Duke Qin, the Prime Minister, General Han, and the others. The second table they toasted was the village chief’s table.

Seeing this, everyone else was shocked. The Regent and Duke Chang actually valued these villagers so highly, and the traces of contempt in their eyes immediately disappeared.

“Congratulations————”

Right in the middle of the drinking, Eunuch Wu entered with a smiling expression, followed by palace attendants carrying congratulatory gifts.

The moment everyone saw him, they hurriedly rose to their feet.

Eunuch Wu loudly proclaimed:

“His Majesty sends congratulations upon the wedding of the Regent and Duke Chang, wishing the Regent and Duke Chang a hundred years of harmony————”

“Her Majesty the Empress Dowager sends congratulations upon the wedding of the Regent and Duke Chang, wishing the Regent and Duke Chang eternal unity of heart————”

“Her Highness the Taifei sends congratulations upon the wedding of the Regent and Duke Chang, wishing the Regent and Duke Chang to grow old together————”

“Her Highness Consort Yue sends congratulations upon the wedding of the Regent and Duke Chang, wishing the Regent and Duke Chang mutual respect and lifelong companionship————”

“Princess Qinghe sends congratulations upon the wedding of the Regent and Duke Chang, wishing the Regent and Duke Chang perfect harmony and enduring love————”

Everyone was stunned.

There were only five masters within the palace altogether, and every single one of them had sent wedding gifts.

“Many thanks to His Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, Her Highness the Taifei, Her Highness Consort Yue, and Her Highness the Princess.”

After Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou offered thanks for the imperial favor, Uncle Zhong quickly led people forward to receive the many gifts.

Eunuch Wu also smiled warmly in congratulations. “This old servant congratulates the Regent and Duke Chang on your joyous wedding and wishes the two of you a hundred years of harmony!”

“Thank you, Eunuch Wu,” Jiang Ji said with a smile. “Please take a seat.”

Eunuch Wu cheerfully sat down as well and accepted a cup of wedding wine.

Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou continued making rounds to toast the guests. Jiang Ji’s alcohol tolerance was not particularly good, and after only a few cups, his face had already turned red. Lu Jiu and Lu Wen immediately stepped in to block further drinks, secretly replacing Jiang Ji’s wine with plain water.

After finishing one full round of toasts, Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou finally returned to the main table and ate a little food before quietly slipping away from the banquet under Chen Feng and the others’ cover.

Some people were noisily demanding to tease the newlyweds in the bridal chamber, but after Lu Huaizhou swept them with a single glance, the man immediately shrank his neck and did not dare make another sound.

Jiang Ji quickly grabbed Lu Huaizhou and ran back to the bridal chamber.

The wedding matron was already waiting for them. Under her direction, the two sat on the bed while she used scissors to cut a small lock of hair from each of them, tying the strands together and storing them away.

“Congratulations, Regent and Duke Chang, on your union in marriage. May the two of you enjoy a hundred years of harmony and grow old together!” the wedding matron congratulated joyfully.

“Thank you. Go collect your reward,” Lu Huaizhou said with a smile.

“Ah, many thanks, Your Highness.” The wedding matron led the others away, though she still reminded them, “Remember to drink the nuptial wine.”

Once everyone had been dismissed and the doors shut, Jiang Ji pulled Lu Huaizhou over to the table and sat down. He poured two cups of wine and handed one to Lu Huaizhou.

“Nuptial wine.”

The two linked arms and drank the wine together.

After setting down the cups, Jiang Ji held Lu Huaizhou’s hand, his eyes shining brightly as he looked at him.

“Lu Huaizhou, we’re married.”

Lu Huaizhou tightened his wrist slightly and pulled Jiang Ji into an embrace, his voice low and hoarse. “Mhm.”

Jiang Ji’s cheeks were flushed red with a slight drunkenness as he raised a brow. “Then we can consummate the marriage now, right?”

“Mhm.”

Lu Huaizhou leaned down to kiss him, and Jiang Ji immediately wrapped his arms around Lu Huaizhou’s head, passionately returning the kiss.

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

By the time Jiang Ji returned home to Changping with Lu Jiu and the others, it was already early February.

All living things were beginning to awaken. Fresh green shoots covered the earth.

The farmers were busy plowing the fields and sowing all kinds of vegetable and fruit seeds.

The Jiang family’s farmland had already been rented out to the villagers, but from afar, Jiang Ji spotted Zhao Ru in one of the aunties’ fields, seemingly helping with planting.

“Mother!”

Jiang Ji shouted loudly. Zhao Ru looked up when she heard him, and immediately raised her hand high and waved.

“Xiao Ji! You’re back!”

Zhao Ru turned around to say something to the others nearby, then called back to Jiang Ji, “You all go home first. I’ll be back soon.”

When the villagers of Shanqian Village saw Jiang Ji and the others return, they started shouting from the fields in the distance.

“Duke Chang, you’re back!”

“Duke Chang has returned!”

Laughing, Jiang Ji raised his voice in reply, “I’m back! Auntie, what seeds are you planting?”

“Chili peppers!”

“My family’s planting watermelons!”

Jiang Ji smiled. “Be extra careful with the watermelon planting. Ask Village Chief and Uncle Tugen for advice more often.”

“Alright, got it!”

It was still mid-afternoon. Jiang Ji simply dismounted, telling the guards to lead the horses back first while he headed down into the fields toward Zhao Ru.

When Lu Jiu and Lu Wen saw him get off his horse, they immediately followed. The two of them were responsible for staying close to protect Jiang Ji.

Chatting casually with the villagers along the way, Jiang Ji eventually reached Zhao Ru’s side.

Seeing him approach, Zhao Ru brushed the dirt from her hands and looked him over carefully before asking with concern, “You must be tired, right? Didn’t I tell you to go home and rest first? Why did you come over here?”

“I’m fine. Not too tired. I just wanted to come take a look.” Jiang Ji stepped into the field.

Zhao Ru was teaching Uncle Dagui’s family how to plant watermelon seeds. Since all the family land had been rented out, she couldn’t sit still watching everyone work, so she simply came out to help.

Uncle Dagui’s family had built a new house last year, and his son had gotten married as well. At the moment, the whole family was busy working in the fields together.

“Duke Chang, the honored lady has been teaching us how to grow tomatoes, watermelons, and chili peppers these days,” Uncle Dagui said with a grin. “She’s helped us tremendously.”

“My mother just can’t sit idle,” Jiang Ji said with a laugh as he crouched down and lifted the straw covering to take a look. “What seeds are planted over here?”

“Bitter melon and tomatoes. We just sowed them a couple days ago.”

Jiang Ji nodded. “A lot of people planted watermelons and tomatoes this year, didn’t they?”

“That’s right. A lot planted chili peppers too. Your sales last year were so good that when the county office started selling seeds, people rushed to buy them. By noon, all the watermelon, tomato, and chili pepper seeds were completely sold out.” Uncle Dagui chuckled. “But our family used the seeds you left at home instead. The watermelon and chili pepper seeds too. We didn’t buy ours from the county office.”

Before leaving for the capital, Jiang Ji had intentionally left different varieties of chili pepper and watermelon seeds at home, reserved exclusively for Shanqian Village.

Everyone knew Jiang Ji had specially saved them for the village alone. Only they had access to those varieties, and the villagers were all deeply touched by the special care he showed them.

After staying a while longer in the fields, Zhao Ru and Jiang Ji finally headed home together.

Along the way, Zhao Ru asked, “Everyone in the capital has been doing well, right?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Everyone’s been quite well. Madam Lu asked me to pass along her greetings to you.”

“Good. We actually received a letter from her just a couple days after you left.”

Smiling, Jiang Ji said, “We arrived there on the fourteenth, so we spent the Lantern Festival at the Lu Residence. Oh, right, the restaurant in the capital has opened already. Business has been very good.”

“I’m not worried about the restaurant business. How are Qingshan and the others? It must’ve been hard for them in the capital where everything’s unfamiliar. I heard winters there are terribly cold.”

“They’re all doing quite well too, so don’t worry.”

“That’s good.” After asking about affairs in the capital, Zhao Ru continued, “The money from the county office’s seed sales has already been delivered. I heard quite a few people are planting cotton this year.”

“Mhm. I was the one who suggested it to the magistrate,” Jiang Ji replied. Then he added, “Mother, we should start preparing for the move.”

Zhao Ru stopped walking. She gazed over the fields for a long while before quietly saying, “Alright. Then we’ll move.”

Jiang Ji looked at his mother, then at the surrounding farmland, feeling a touch of emotion in his heart as well.

The two chatted idly all the way home. That evening after dinner, the family gathered in the main hall to discuss everything that needed to be done for the relocation while Lu Shun recorded things in a notebook.

First, they needed to determine who would be going to the capital with them.

Most of the household servants were bound by lifetime contracts, though some still had family members remaining in Changping. Jiang Ji said nobody would be forced to leave, and instructed Lu Shun to confirm each person’s wishes one by one before making arrangements.

The textile workshop and cloth shop would continue under Meng Dahai’s management. The house here would also remain for them to live in, while they oversaw the property at the same time.

As for the restaurant in town, the kitchen staff were all servants bound by lifetime contracts. Jiang Ji planned to leave all of them there as well, along with the town residence, placing everything under Ding Xiaojun’s management.

For at least the next year, probably until September, the capital restaurant would still need people traveling back periodically to collect dried chili peppers. Once chili cultivation fully expanded locally, however, supply could eventually come directly from the region itself.

That was also one of the reasons Jiang Ji had begun promoting vegetable cultivation throughout Changping. Among the chili seeds he left with the county office were two varieties: one suitable for fresh green peppers, and another especially ideal for drying into dried chili peppers for sale.

Once everything had been discussed, Jiang Ji instructed Lu Shun to begin preparations. Only after confirming the number of people relocating could they purchase enough carriages, wooden trunks, and other supplies.

The following morning after breakfast, Lu Shun gathered all the household servants together and informed them of the upcoming move, telling everyone to think carefully about whether they wished to follow the family to the capital or remain behind.

Sister Guihua was the very first to declare that both she and her son would accompany Young Master and Madam to the capital.

In truth, many of the servants bound by lifetime contracts either no longer had any family left or had long since severed ties with them. Most had very few attachments remaining, otherwise they never would have sold themselves under lifetime contracts in the first place.

The overwhelming majority expressed their wish to leave together with the household.

Only one washing auntie chose to stay behind because her daughter was still working as a maid in another household, and she couldn’t stop worrying about her.

There were also several guards.

After Jiang Ji’s kidnapping, the family had hired six guards. Two had later been assigned to the restaurant, leaving four remaining at the estate. Of those four, three were hired workers rather than purchased servants.

One of the hired guards had no surviving relatives and had even accompanied Jiang Ji to the capital before, so he expressed his willingness to go again. The other two still had families here and chose not to leave.

After everything was tallied up, only the auntie and two guards ultimately decided to remain behind.

Once Jiang Ji learned of their decisions, he personally met with them and arranged for them to stay at the old residence. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. The guards would continue working security at the textile workshop, while the auntie would remain at the old estate helping care for Meng Dahai’s family.

After finalizing the list of people moving to the capital, Lu Shun began inventorying the belongings that needed transporting and headed into town to purchase carriages and storage chests.

During the days leading up to the move, Jiang Ji also visited the restaurant to meet with the staff there. After Han Qingshan and Yu Yang left, the person now managing the kitchen operations was Ding Xiaojun.

Jiang Ji taught Ding Xiaojun and the others another ten dishes, including both spicy and non-spicy options, so they could quickly rotate menu items whenever they ran short on dried chili peppers.

Jiang Ji Dining Hall had already become the undisputed number one restaurant in Changping, earning a profit of two to three thousand taels of silver every month.

Aside from merchants traveling north and south, many diners also came specifically because of its reputation, especially wealthy families from Pingnan County. Since they lived relatively close by, many prominent households would deliberately host banquets there as a sign of importance and respect toward their guests.

Jiang Ji had no intention of giving up the business here, so he specifically instructed Ding Xiaojun to take good care of the restaurant operations.

Jiang Ji also made a special trip to visit the magistrate and the others at the county office. He met with Master Zheng as well, handing over the correct cement formula ratios and discussing the blueprints for expanding the workshop buildings.

Once all matters had been properly arranged and the household belongings packed away, Jiang Ji’s family finally set out on the twenty-second day of the second month.

The magistrate and the others, along with the villagers of Shanqian Village, all came to see them off.

The Jiang family bid farewell to everyone one by one, while Zhao Ru and the others boarded the carriages with tears in their eyes.

Twelve horse carriages slowly rolled forward as the villagers followed them all the way to the village entrance.

Zhao Ru and the others leaned against the carriage windows, watching their hometown gradually disappear into the distance.

Jiang Ji rode on horseback, turning back to look at the little village and the stretch of land behind him. His eyes were faintly red as well.

Naturally, he was reluctant to leave.

Though he had only lived here for a little over a year, the place had already begun to feel like home.

It was here that he personally experienced the hardships of life, and also rediscovered the warmth of family. He had transformed from a spoiled rich second-generation young master who could not even tell the difference between chives and weeds into a major grower leading the villagers toward prosperity, experiencing a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment he had never known before.

And it was also here that he met Lu Huaizhou.

They had faced life and death together, endured hardships together, and shared a peaceful and happy stretch of beautiful days here.

All the major and minor events of the past year flashed through Jiang Ji’s mind one after another. The sorrowful moments and the joyful ones alike had all been engraved deeply into his memory.

The spring sunlight was warm and gentle. Tender buds swayed in the breeze while wildflowers bloomed brilliantly across the fields.

Jiang Ji led his family northward toward a new life.

*

Twelve days later, at the Ten-Li Pavilion outside the capital.

Jiang Ji was half asleep. Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei were leaning against him on either side, both sound asleep.

Suddenly, the carriage curtain was lifted, bringing in a gust of wind.

Still groggy, Jiang Ji opened his eyes vaguely and saw a dark figure bending to step inside.

He jumped in surprise before focusing properly.

“Lu Huaizhou!”

Dressed in simple black clothing, Lu Huaizhou curved his lips into a smile. In a single step, he arrived in front of Jiang Ji, leaned down, and kissed him lightly on the lips.

“You’ve finally arrived.”

Jiang Ji was still wearing a look of delighted surprise when he was suddenly kissed. Blinking, he watched as Lu Huaizhou sat beside him and reached over. Lu Huaizhou immediately took hold of his hand.

“Are you off duty today?”

“No. I asked for leave.”

The two held hands, looking at each other and smiling.

Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei slowly woke up. Seeing Lu Huaizhou suddenly appear, both were startled.

“Brother Huaizhou!”

“Did we arrive already?!”

Lu Huaizhou nodded with a smile. “You’ve arrived.”

Excited, Jiang Nan threw himself toward the window and shouted toward the carriages behind them, “Mother! Second Sister! We’re almost at the capital! Brother Huaizhou came to pick us up!”

From the carriage behind them, Jiang Xia lifted the curtain and poked her head out. “I know! It’s the same pavilion from last time!”

The servants in the rear carriages also lifted their curtains to look outside.

Xiao Yi shouted, “Third Young Master, this is still wilderness! I don’t even see any houses!”

Jiang Nan shouted back, “This is Ten-Li Pavilion. We’re only ten li away now!”

After another quarter hour of travel, the city walls finally came into view.

Jiang Nan shouted again, “We’re here! Brother Xiao Yi, look! We’ve reached the capital!”

Xiao Yi shouted back excitedly, “Third Young Master, I see it!”

The carriage procession slowly entered the city, and half an hour later they arrived at the gates of the Regent’s Residence.

Madam Lu was already waiting at the entrance with Uncle Zhong and the others.

Jiang Ji stepped down from the carriage. “Auntie.”

Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei also greeted her politely. “Greetings, Auntie Lu.”

“Ah, you’ve finally arrived!” Madam Lu said with a smile as she looked at them. “You must all be exhausted from the journey.”

“It was alright,” Jiang Ji replied with a smile.

Jiang Xia helped Zhao Ru down from the carriage. Madam Lu immediately stepped forward and took Zhao Ru’s hands warmly.

“In-law, Xia’er, you’ve finally arrived. I’ve been waiting day and night for you all. At last you’re here.”

Zhao Ru smiled. “We’ve arrived safely. And yet you personally came out to receive us. We’ve troubled you.”

“Auntie,” Jiang Xia called happily.

“Ah, Xia’er. It’s only been a few months, yet our Xia’er has become even prettier.”

Jiang Xia beamed from the praise.

Holding one woman by each hand, Madam Lu led them inside. “Come, quickly go inside and rest. After sitting in carriages for so long, you must be exhausted.”

“Exactly. These old arms and legs of mine can barely straighten anymore.”

“You won’t have to suffer through that again in the future.”

“That’s true.”

The women entered together warmly chatting away while Jiang Ji instructed Lu Shun to lead the servants alongside Uncle Zhong so they could settle in.

Lunch had already been prepared at the Regent’s Residence. After everyone settled down and freshened up, they enjoyed a proper meal before resting for the afternoon.

The very next day, Madam Lu came to the residence again to discuss Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou’s wedding preparations with Zhao Ru.

There were only two months left until the wedding. Preparations had to begin immediately or there would not be enough time.

Madam Lu explained, “Because Huaizhou is the Regent, though not an imperial prince, the wedding robes will be prepared by the palace, and the ceremony itself may follow the standards of a prince of the first rank. We won’t need to worry about that portion.”

Previously, Jiang Ji had only explained the betrothal and engagement customs to Zhao Ru. He had not yet discussed the actual wedding ceremony itself. Since Zhao Ru was unfamiliar with noble customs in the capital, she said, “Standards for a prince? I truly don’t understand these things. In-law, I’ll have to trouble you to explain everything carefully.”

“That’s exactly why I came today. Listen carefully while I explain.”

Madam Lu then thoroughly explained every detail of wedding customs in the capital, leaving nothing out. Zhao Ru listened attentively, asking questions from time to time, all of which Madam Lu answered patiently.

After hearing everything, Zhao Ru finally gained a general understanding. The customs were largely similar to those back home, though there were some subtle differences.

From then onward, the two women busied themselves with preparations for Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou’s wedding.

Jiang Ji was busy as well.

First, he had Uncle Zhong arrange accommodations for all the servants before bringing Lu Shun and the others to inspect Duke Chang Residence.

Since they would primarily live long-term at the Regent’s Residence in the future, Lu Shun would serve as deputy steward there. Matters specifically concerning Duke Chang Residence would be managed by him, while affairs of the Regent’s Residence would remain under Uncle Zhong’s authority. Household expenses would also be divided equally between the two estates.

After all those miscellaneous matters were arranged properly, everyone in the Regent’s Residence became busy preparing for Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou’s wedding.

Without anyone realizing it, time quietly entered the fifth month, and the day of their marriage soon arrived.

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

Previous

Two days later, when Jiang Ji went out to the streets to buy things, he heard many people discussing the court’s proposal to establish schools for women. The topic was especially lively in teahouses, restaurants, and bookstores.

“I heard about this yesterday. They said it caused a stir in court. Turns out it’s true!”

“Setting up schools for women… I wonder who came up with that? Women should just stay home supporting their husbands and raising children. What’s the point of going to school?”

“That’s not entirely true. Some women are even more capable than men.”

“What good does that do? Even if they study, they can’t become officials.”

“I heard it was the Regent who brought it up.”

“What? The Regent proposed it?”

“No, no, that’s wrong. It was Duke Chang who submitted a memorial, and the Regent brought it to court for discussion.”

“What? Duke Chang suggested it?”

“Why would he propose something like this? Doesn’t he not even need to attend court?”

“I heard he’s been focusing on agricultural innovations. Why suddenly bring up women’s schools?”

“Does his family have a girl who wants to study?”

“I think I heard he has a younger sister.”

“Well, no matter why he suggested it, I heard the officials have been arguing for two days without reaching a conclusion.”

“This is a big matter. Women have never been allowed into schools before. It won’t be settled easily. There’s more arguing to come.”

“The whole capital is watching this now.”

Jiang Ji and Lu Jiu sat in the teahouse cracking melon seeds, listening to the discussion for quite a while, then went on to a jewelry shop.

Jiang Ji still needed a few pieces of jewelry for his betrothal gifts. Wearing a mask, he browsed through several shops and again heard many young ladies and married women discussing the matter.

“Miss Luo, have you heard? The court might establish schools for women.”

“I’ve heard. If they really do, I’d love to go see.”

“It’s only under discussion now. I’m afraid it might not pass the court.”

“Why not? Men have so many schools. Why can’t women go too? We can only learn a few characters at home.”

“Exactly. I want to go to school too. I’m smarter than my useless little brother, yet he gets to go and I don’t.”

“Do you know who proposed this?”

“Who?”

“I heard it was Duke Chang.”

“Why him? Didn’t he come from the countryside? Why would he suggest this?”

“You don’t know? I heard from Lady Lu that Duke Chang has a younger sister, about thirteen or fourteen. He even sent her to school.”

“What? There’s a school that accepts girls?”

“There is. Probably the village is more open-minded.”

“That’s wonderful. When I was little, I wanted to go to school, but my father scolded me for it. Duke Chang treats his sister so well.”

Jiang Ji left the jewelry shop with his purchases.

Lu Jiu, who had been following him, asked, “Young Master, do you think the court will agree?”

Jiang Ji thought for a moment. “It won’t be easy, but I trust the Regent.”

“Yes, we trust the Regent,” Lu Jiu said with a grin. His faith in his master was absolute.

Jiang Ji shrugged. “He said to leave it to him, so I won’t worry.”

After strolling around, Jiang Ji picked up a few more jewelry items for the betrothal gifts. When they returned to the Regent’s residence, Steward Zhong informed him that Han Qingshan had arrived.

Jiang Ji went to the courtyard and saw Han Qingshan waiting.

“Young Master.” Han Qingshan greeted him with a bow.

“Uncle Han.” Jiang Ji had met him a few days earlier and even given them a large supply of dried chili peppers. “Are preparations finished?”

Since arriving in the capital, Han Qingshan and his group had been busy preparing the restaurant. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. With Lu Huaizhou arranging an experienced manager to assist, they had hired and trained staff, renovated the space, and refined the kitchen. After more than two months, everything was finally ready.

“Yes, we plan to open in three days. Would you like to come take a look beforehand?”

Han Qingshan looked visibly thinner from the workload, but his expression was bright with energy.

Jiang Ji thought for a moment. “Alright. Tomorrow afternoon, clear the shop. I’ll come take a look. Other than you, Yu Yang, and the manager, no one else should know my identity.”

Hearing that Jiang Ji would come, Han Qingshan nodded eagerly. “Yes, Young Master. I’ll arrange it.”

…

The next afternoon, Jiang Ji slipped out through the back gate of the residence, boarded the carriage Han Qingshan and Yu Yang had brought, and went to the restaurant. The manager was already waiting.

Entering through the back door, they led Jiang Ji through the entire place.

The location was excellent. It was a spacious two-story establishment, elegantly decorated. Jiang Ji inspected everything carefully, from the kitchen and storage rooms to the main hall and private rooms, then reviewed the layout, menu, and pricing. He nodded in satisfaction.

Han Qingshan had modeled much of it after their Changping restaurant, but the decor was more refined, suited to the capital.

“Not bad. Very good.”

The praise from the Duke made them all beam with pride.

“Will you come on opening day, Young Master?” Han Qingshan asked.

“Of course,” Jiang Ji nodded.

“That’s wonderful,” Han Qingshan said, pleased. “I’ll make arrangements.”

Jiang Ji shook his head. “No need for special arrangements. I’ll come openly as a customer.”

Han Qingshan hesitated. “At the housewarming banquet before, many officials tasted our dishes. They might recognize your style…”

“It’s fine,” Jiang Ji said. “In the capital, every shop has backing. Otherwise it wouldn’t survive. Even if they recognize it, they won’t cause trouble. Just be careful. There are many powerful people here. Make sure the waiters stay sharp. And if anyone deliberately causes trouble, don’t let yourselves be bullied. Have you arranged guards?”

The manager nodded. “Yes, Your Grace. The staff and guards have all been trained.”

“Good. With your experience, and Uncle Han and Yu Yang as well, I’m at ease.”

After finishing his inspection, Jiang Ji returned to the residence.

At dinner that evening, he told Lu Huaizhou about the restaurant opening.

“Do you need me to go?” Lu Huaizhou asked.

Jiang Ji shook his head and placed a piece of stir-fried lamb into his bowl. “No need. It’s not a rest day for you. Focus on your work. I’ll handle it. With so many people in the capital, business will be good. No need to worry.”

Lu Huaizhou smiled slightly. “I’m not worried about business.”

Jiang Ji chuckled, then asked, “Then can I invite Mother, Grandfather, Second Aunt, and Aunt to come try the food?”

“Yes,” Lu Huaizhou nodded.

…

Two days later, Dingsheng Food House opened for business.

Jiang Ji arrived early and sat in a private room on the second floor, watching the grand opening below.

He had also invited Madam Lu and Old Master Lu, Madam Han and her two nieces, as well as Madam Qin and her niece. Aside from those who had to attend court or school, members from the Han family and the Prince Qin household had all come.

A lion dance was taking place downstairs, and they leaned against the railing on the second floor to watch.

Madam Han cracked melon seeds and asked, “Xiao Ji, why did you suddenly invite us to this new restaurant?”

Jiang Ji poured her some tea. Since they were all family, he did not hide anything. “Second Aunt, this is our own place. I wanted you all to try the food and show some support.”

Since Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou were already betrothed, he addressed people the same way Lu Huaizhou did in private, and the elders had no objections.

Everyone was a little surprised. Madam Han glanced at Madam Lu, then at Jiang Ji. “You opened this?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Yes, under someone else’s name.”

They all understood immediately.

Eldest Young Lady Han clapped happily. “Then today we can finally have a proper feast!”

“I’ve been thinking about the dishes from the housewarming banquet ever since,” Young Lady Qin said with a smile. “Especially those little desserts. So pretty and delicious.”

Madam Qin tapped the two girls lightly. “You two only think about food all day.”

Young Lady Qin snorted. “Mother, didn’t you say the food was good too? Didn’t you even want our cook to learn it?”

Madam Qin shot her a look. “That was because you insisted on learning.”

Jiang Ji quickly added, “Aunt, Second Aunt, you can send your cooks to the regent’s residence to learn. They already know many dishes.”

Madam Han’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

They already knew the Lu household’s cooks had gone to learn before, and they had tasted the results during the New Year visits.

“Of course,” Jiang Ji nodded.

Madam Lu smiled. “See? I told you Xiao Ji would agree.”

Madam Han laughed. “Wonderful, wonderful.”

Recently, the younger girls had also been following the discussion about women’s schools. Taking the opportunity, Eldest Young Lady Han asked, “Your Grace—”

“Cousin,” Jiang Ji interrupted gently, “just call me Brother Jiang Ji, like Huaichuan does.”

The twelve-year-old girl nodded with a smile. “Brother Jiang Ji.”

“Mm.”

She continued, “Brother Jiang Ji, why did you suddenly submit a memorial about establishing schools for women?”

Everyone turned to look at him, curious. Even Old Master Lu raised his eyes.

Jiang Ji said, “Education should not be divided by gender.”

Old Master Lu set down his teacup. “Well said.”

The women present were deeply moved, and their impression of Jiang Ji improved even further.

They discussed the matter for a while, when Han Qingshan and the manager personally brought in the dishes.

Jiang Ji took the chance to introduce them to Madam Lu and the others, letting Han Qingshan and the manager recognize the important people.

After they left, the meal began.

“This is the taste!” Eldest Young Lady Han exclaimed while eating spicy fried chicken. “I’ve been craving this for so long!”

Madam Lu, who also liked spicy food, pointed at a dish in front of her. “Xiao Ji, what is this? I didn’t see it at the housewarming banquet.”

“That’s boiled pork slices,” Jiang Ji explained. “There are bean sprouts underneath. We didn’t have time to prepare bean sprouts before, so it wasn’t made then.”

Eldest Young Lady Han had already tried it. “Delicious.”

Old Master Lu picked up a piece of roast duck, dipped it in sauce, and took a bite. His eyes lit up. “This duck is excellent. Crispy outside, tender inside, not tough at all. Even an old man like me can chew it.”

Roast duck had not been served at the previous banquet. Jiang Ji immediately said, “Grandfather, you can eat it like this.”

He demonstrated how to wrap the duck, and the others followed.

“This flavor… incredible…”

Just then, the door opened, and Lu Huaichuan entered with Qin Yuheng and a Han cousin.

“Brother Jiang Ji, we’re here!” Lu Huaichuan called happily.

The three had just come from the Imperial Academy. After class ended at noon, Lu Huaichuan knew Jiang Ji’s restaurant was opening today. How could he settle for the bland academy lunch?

They had rushed over immediately.

They greeted the elders and entered.

“Perfect timing,” Jiang Ji said with a smile, getting up to bring them clean bowls and chopsticks.

Madam Lu glared. “Why are you here?”

“Brother Jiang Ji told me about the opening. How could we miss good food? We ran all the way here,” Lu Huaichuan said, washing his hands and pulling up a stool beside Jiang Ji. He scanned the table. “Wow, so many dishes I haven’t seen before!”

Qin Yuheng and the Han cousin also washed up and sat down.

Eldest Young Lady Han asked, “Don’t you only have a short break at noon?”

“So we have to eat quickly and go back,” Qin Yuheng said, already picking up his chopsticks.

The three of them barely spoke after that, focused entirely on eating.

The elders looked on helplessly.

Lu Huaichuan managed to say, “There are so many customers downstairs. It’s almost full.”

Earlier, Han Qingshan had let onlookers sample dishes just like in Changping, so the crowd was expected.

“Try wrapping the duck like this,” Jiang Ji said, placing one onto Lu Huaichuan’s plate.

Lu Huaichuan took a bite, his eyes shining. He gave a thumbs up. “Amazing!”

He then asked, “Brother Jiang Ji, isn’t my brother coming?”

“He’s busy. I told him not to come out,” Jiang Ji replied.

Lu Huaichuan sighed with envy. “Right, he can eat this anytime.”

“Mm.” Jiang Ji smiled.

Every dish on the table earned praise.

In the other private rooms and the main hall downstairs, customers were also eating with delight.

As expected, Dingsheng Food House opened with great success.

That evening, Lu Huaizhou returned from the palace with good news.

“The matter of women’s schools passed in court this morning,” he said after washing up and sitting down to eat.

“So fast?” Jiang Ji was surprised, serving him a bowl of soup. “I thought it would take longer.”

Lu Huaizhou looked at him. “They argued for four or five days. That was enough. Consider it a celebration for your restaurant’s opening.”

Jiang Ji blinked, leaned forward, and kissed him on the lips. “Thank you.”

With the restaurant settled, Jiang Ji went to the estate outside the city the next day. He redeemed the spring wheat seeds and stored them in the warehouse, along with sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn seeds. The rest could be handled by Lu Huaizhou’s people.

He also claimed the cement reward, obtained the correct formula, and wrote it down for Lu Huaizhou.

With everything in the capital arranged, Jiang Ji left the necessary seeds at the regent residence, then prepared to return to Changping with Lu Jiu and the others, just in time for spring planting.

“I’m heading back. I’ll return in March.”

Inside the room, Jiang Ji hugged Lu Huaizhou and kissed him goodbye.

Lu Huaizhou pulled him closer, deepening the kiss, clearly reluctant to let go.

They kissed for a long time, until Jiang Ji’s eyes were flushed and his breathing unsteady.

He cupped Lu Huaizhou’s face and said softly, “Wait for me. In two months, we won’t have to live apart anymore.”

Lu Huaizhou replied in a low voice, “Alright. I’ll wait for you.”

When they met again, they would begin preparing for their wedding.

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

Next

Beside the rear lake of the Imperial Garden, the young Emperor wore winter casual robes and a cloak, standing by the lake with bright eyes as he looked at the water.

The lake surface was covered in a thick layer of ice, white as far as the eye could see. Not far away, people were skating and playing on the ice.

Several eunuchs held ice chisels and iron shovels, digging holes. One hole had already been finished nearby.

Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou walked over and bowed to the Emperor.

The Emperor turned and saw them, his eyes lighting up. “Yafu, you’re here. It’ll be ready soon.”

According to the schedule, the Emperor studied court affairs with the Regent in the morning. In the afternoon, he usually studied with the Grand Tutor. Every few days, the Regent would personally teach him a lesson, and today’s afternoon lesson was with the Regent.

The Emperor loved the Regent’s lessons. That afternoon, after his nap, he had gone to the Imperial Study as usual, only for the Regent to say they would go ice fishing at the rear lake.

The Regent had always been strict in teaching him. This was the first time he had been given such entertainment.

The Emperor was extremely excited.

Although he held the highest and most honored position, he was still only eleven years old and still had a trace of a boy’s nature. Ice fishing in winter was far more interesting than studying in the Imperial Study all day.

Seeing the eunuchs busy at work, Jiang Ji immediately stepped onto the ice, took an ice chisel from the side, and waved to Lu Huaizhou and the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, Your Highness, let’s dig a hole too.”

The Emperor had long been eager to try. “Alright.”

Eunuch Wu hurriedly advised, “Aiya, Your Majesty, you mustn’t. The ice is slippery and unsafe. You cannot go down.”

The Emperor’s gaze dimmed.

Seeing this, Jiang Ji smiled. “It’s fine. The ice is thick. Since we’re ice fishing, chiseling the ice is part of the fun. Come, Your Majesty. His Highness is here. He’ll protect you.”

The Emperor’s eyes lit up as he looked toward the Regent.

Lu Huaizhou nodded. “Go.”

The Emperor immediately lifted his robe hem happily and stepped onto the lake. Seeing this, Eunuch Wu and the others quickly followed to guard him.

Jiang Ji handed the Emperor an ice chisel. The Emperor accepted it happily and asked, “Where should we dig?”

Jiang Ji tapped a spot about three or four chi away from where the eunuchs were digging. “Here should do. Your Majesty, the ice is slippery. Watch your footing.”

“Alright.”

The Emperor had just watched how the eunuchs dug. Wearing gloves, he held the chisel in both hands and began striking the ice. With one blow, only the sharp tip of the iron head went in.

“Oh, this ice is so hard!” The Emperor seemed surprised. When he had watched the eunuchs, it had looked simple, but only after trying did he realize chiseling ice took effort.

“Mm, it’s quite thick.” Jiang Ji also chiseled beside him.

Eunuch Wu watched anxiously. “Your Majesty, why not let this old servant do it?”

“No need.” The Emperor was still in high spirits.

Jiang Ji smiled at Eunuch Wu. “Eunuch Wu, don’t worry. It’s fine.”

Seeing the Regent nearby and several guards also present, Eunuch Wu retreated to the side.

Jiang Ji and the Emperor took turns striking. Each blow only chipped away a little, but both were very enthusiastic.

Lu Huaizhou watched from the side, showing no intention of helping.

Chk, chk, chk.

The ice chisel had some weight to it. The Emperor was still young and not strong enough. After chiseling for a while, his arms grew a little sore. “This is my first time doing this. I didn’t expect chiseling ice to take so much strength.”

“Keep going, Your Majesty. It’ll be ready soon,” Jiang Ji encouraged him.

The Emperor was puzzled. “What does ‘keep going’ mean?”

Jiang Ji paused, then explained, “It means encouraging you, giving you strength. Like adding tung oil to a tung oil lamp, so the flame burns brighter?”

The Emperor’s eyes lit up. “Good. Let’s keep going together!”

The Emperor immediately picked up the ice chisel again and struck harder. Jiang Ji took the iron shovel and cleared the broken ice aside.

The holes dug by the eunuchs nearby were already finished, and they stood to the side watching.

Jiang Ji and the Emperor kept chiseling and shoveling. After quite a while, water became faintly visible. Jiang Ji called out, “Your Majesty, wait. I think we’re about to break through.”

The Emperor looked carefully and stopped. Jiang Ji used the shovel to clear out the ice chips, then stabbed the remaining bottom layer with the shovel. Lake water immediately surged up.

The Emperor said in surprise, “It really broke through.”

“Your Majesty, step back two paces,” Jiang Ji said. The Emperor stepped back and craned his neck to look.

Jiang Ji carefully chipped away the remaining bottom ice and widened the opening to more than two chi.

“Done. It can be used.” Jiang Ji handed the shovel to a eunuch. “Bring the stools and fishing rods.”

The other two holes had already been arranged. The Emperor was very happy and immediately pointed to the hole he had dug. “I want to use this one.”

Lu Huaizhou had someone dig another hole on the other side. Then the Emperor sat in the middle, with Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou on either side. The eunuchs were sent back to the shore, leaving only several guards nearby. The three began fishing.

The chiseling had made a lot of noise and scared away many fish. They sat for a quarter hour without any movement.

Jiang Ji simply did not have the patience to wait for fish to bite. After a while, he threw a little bait into each hole to attract fish.

The Emperor watched his movements, blinked, said nothing, and continued waiting.

Lu Huaizhou curved his lips but also said nothing.

After another while, Jiang Ji really could not sit still. He craned his neck to look into the ice hole and muttered softly, “Why aren’t there any fish yet?”

He simply lifted the fishing rod to check. The bait was still there, so he threw the hook back in.

The Emperor was actually anxious too and stretched his neck to look. He also wanted to check whether his bait was gone, but he did not want Lu Huaizhou to think he lacked patience, so he suppressed his restlessness.

Who knew whether this was a lesson from Yafu to test his patience?

After a while longer, Jiang Ji whispered to the Emperor, “Your Majesty, there are fish in this lake, right?”

The Emperor: “…There should be. In summer, there are lots of fish.”

Lu Huaizhou: “…”

Jiang Ji looked at them and sighed. “You two really have good patience.”

The Emperor’s ears turned a little red, and he lowered his eyes, blinking.

Lu Huaizhou: “…”

Jiang Ji simply tossed more bait into his own ice hole.

After a while, Jiang Ji’s fishing line suddenly moved. He felt the rod being pulled downward.

Eh?

He quickly raised his hand and pulled the rod, even standing up. The Emperor and Lu Huaizhou both looked over.

Jiang Ji lifted the fishing rod out of the water, and on the hook at the end was a lively, flopping fish.

“Wow! There really are fish!” the Emperor exclaimed, picking up his own fishing rod and running over to look at Jiang Ji’s catch.

Jiang Ji flung the fish onto the ice. Out of the water and hooked through the upper jaw, it struggled fiercely.

He went over, caught the fish, and removed the hook.

“Quick, quick, put it here.”

The Emperor brought over the wooden bucket. Jiang Ji placed the fish inside, and Lu Huaizhou also came over to look.

“This fish is quite big.” The Emperor asked curiously, “What kind of fish is this? Carp?”

“This is crucian carp. It’s very tasty,” Jiang Ji said with a smile. “Your Majesty, why don’t we grill fish later?”

The Emperor’s eyes lit up. “Alright.”

He immediately ordered Eunuch Wu to prepare grilling tools.

Seeing that Jiang Ji’s method worked, the Emperor no longer worried that Lu Huaizhou would say he lacked patience. Now he wanted even more to catch a fish himself.

He also grabbed a handful of bait and threw it into his ice hole, then cast his rod back in.

Before long, he felt the line tug. “Duke Chang, I think I caught something?”

Jiang Ji looked at the line and asked, “Does it feel like it’s pulling?”

“Yes. It feels quite strong.”

Jiang Ji walked over. “Quick, pull the rod.”

The Emperor stood and pulled. Jiang Ji also came over to help. With one lift and flick, a fish flew through the air with droplets of water and landed on the ice.

“Hahaha, I caught one too!” The Emperor ran over happily to look.

Jiang Ji carried the bucket over and smiled. “Congratulations, Your Majesty. It’s a carp!”

The Emperor caught the fish, removed the hook, and happily placed it into the wooden bucket.

“As expected, Duke Chang’s method is better. You really do need to scatter some bait.”

“Mm.”

The two sat back down. Each grabbed a handful of bait and scattered it into the water, then continued fishing.

Only Lu Huaizhou sat there steadily, scattering no bait, quietly fishing on his own.

Jiang Ji asked him, “Your Highness, why don’t you scatter some bait too?”

“No need. We’re not far apart,” Lu Huaizhou said.

He meant the three holes were close together, so the bait would drift over. Sure enough, before long, he also caught a carp.

The three fished for about an hour and stopped after catching eleven or twelve fish.

By the lakeside, Eunuch Wu had people bring over the iron rack for grilling fish, charcoal braziers, tables and chairs, various seasonings, knives, and some meat and vegetables.

The charcoal was already burning. Jiang Ji had someone bring a basin of water and began cleaning the fish. Lu Huaizhou skillfully sliced meat beside him, startling the eunuchs and the Emperor.

Then they remembered that Lu Huaizhou had once stayed at Jiang Ji’s home for a long time, and it dawned on them that he must have learned it there.

The Emperor crouched curiously beside Jiang Ji and watched. “Duke Chang, did you learn cooking when you were young?”

Jiang Ji thought for a moment. Since he could not tell the Emperor about the system, he nodded. “Yes. My family lived in the village, so from childhood, we had to know how to do all sorts of things.”

The Emperor asked curiously, “What is life in the village like?”

As Jiang Ji scraped fish scales, he said, “Work begins at sunrise and ends at sunset. By five or six years old, children have to follow adults into the fields to learn farm work. Girls have to learn laundry and cooking. After a year’s harvest, once rent and grain tax are paid, there often isn’t enough left to fill the stomach.”

Jiang Ji glanced at the Emperor and said, “Your Majesty, farmers live very bitter lives.”

The Emperor pressed his lips together. “Can you tell me more?”

“Of course.” Jiang Ji nodded. “Take my family, for example. When my father was alive, things were a bit better. He knew how to hunt in the mountains. He could sell game in town and save a little money to send me to the school in the neighboring village for a few years. Later, after my father passed away, my younger siblings were still small, and my mother’s health was damaged. Our family’s days became very hard…”

Jiang Ji told him about his family’s former situation. When they heard that his family could only drink wild vegetable soup in the morning, and at noon could only eat a palm-sized bran cake made from rice husks, the Emperor and the eunuchs were shocked.

So Duke Chang’s family had once lived in such hardship…

Jiang Ji said, “In truth, many families were not much different from mine. Winter was especially difficult. There weren’t even wild vegetables. Starvation was not uncommon. Many people had no choice. To keep their children from starving to death, they sold them into wealthy households as servants. At least then they could have a bowl of rice and survive.”

Many eunuchs in the palace had been sold in this way. Eunuch Wu and the others felt deeply moved listening.

The Emperor was silent for a long while.

He had grown up in luxury. Although he had heard ministers in court say that the common people suffered, he had never clearly understood what that suffering meant. Now, hearing Jiang Ji’s words, he could imagine families being torn apart for the sake of a single bowl of rice.

He glanced at the Regent beside him. Perhaps this was the purpose behind Yafu bringing Duke Chang to fish with him today.

Many ministers in court came from noble families. Very few had truly risen from the bottom. Those from poor backgrounds were mostly sent out to serve as county officials, and the Emperor rarely saw them.

Only Jiang Ji had risen directly from farming households. He had the most genuine experience of life among the common people.

Jiang Ji looked at the Emperor’s expression and said, “Your Majesty, that is why food is the most important issue in Da Sheng, the first problem that must be solved.”

The Emperor nodded. “I understand. The court will also fully support you in spreading the seeds and new crops.”

“Mm. Your Majesty is wise.” Jiang Ji glanced at the Emperor and continued, “Later, because my family sold seeds, our situation improved a lot. Your Majesty, do you know what the first thing I did was after my family solved the problem of hunger?”

The Emperor asked curiously, “What was it?”

Jiang Ji answered, “I sent my two younger brothers and my younger sister Jiang Xia to school, so they could learn from a teacher.”

Finally, they had reached the main point. Lu Huaizhou glanced at Jiang Ji and the Emperor, then continued slicing meat.

The Emperor was surprised. “Your younger sister went to school too?”

“Yes.” Seeing that the Emperor had caught the key point, Jiang Ji was pleased. “At first, the teacher did not want to accept my sister.”

“How did you persuade him?” the Emperor asked curiously. “In the capital, I don’t think I’ve heard of any academy or school accepting female students. Families usually hire teachers at home to teach their daughters.”

Jiang Ji asked in return, “Your Majesty, don’t you think there is a major problem here?”

“What problem?”

“Why do our schools and academies not accept female students?”

The Emperor paused. “Since ancient times, women have stayed at home to support their husbands and educate their children.”

“Then why are men not the ones staying home to support their wives and educate their children?” Jiang Ji asked back.

The Emperor had only just turned eleven and had not yet absorbed too much traditional thinking. Jiang Ji thought he should be easier to persuade than those stubborn adults.

The Emperor was stumped. “Since ancient times, it has been this way. Men handle outside affairs, women handle domestic affairs. Besides, for a woman, lack of talent is virtue…”

Jiang Ji said, “Your Majesty, as I remember it, ‘For a woman, lack of talent is virtue’ does not mean women should have no talent. It means they should be modest and not overly flaunt their talents. Besides, even that saying is wrong. Why should someone with talent not show it? Just because she is a woman?”

The Emperor: “…”

Jiang Ji continued, “Women are actually very capable. I heard that the daughter of the General Who Guards the North is at the frontier. She has excellent martial arts, is extraordinarily brave, and even kills enemies on the battlefield, not inferior to men at all. Also, the second daughter of the Minister of Rites in the capital is exceptionally talented. Her literary skill and insight surpass many men.”

The Emperor nodded. “I’ve heard of them too.”

“In our town, there is a female shopkeeper who does business better than men.” Jiang Ji looked at the Emperor and said, “So you see, as long as women are cultivated and given the chance to learn, they can equal men.”

“It’s just that they don’t have the opportunity to study. If given that opportunity, they too can hold up half the sky,” Jiang Ji said solemnly.

The Emperor fell into thought. His mind was somewhat confused. He felt that what Duke Chang said differed from what he had accepted before, but he did not know how to refute it.

Jiang Ji pressed on. “Your Majesty, I have an idea.”

“What idea?”

Jiang Ji parted his lips and said, “Let’s establish schools for girls.”

The Emperor’s eyes widened. “Schools for girls?”

“Mm.” Jiang Ji began to lay it out. “Look, there are many benefits to letting women attend school. Let me explain. First, it can cultivate talent for the court…”

“There are no female officials in the court,” the Emperor said.

“As long as Your Majesty is willing, there can be,” Jiang Ji replied.

The Emperor froze. “Since ancient times, there have been no female officials.”

Jiang Ji looked at him and said, “Your Majesty, what has existed since ancient times is not necessarily correct. And you are the Emperor, the rules are set by you. If you establish the first school for women, future generations will remember you as the pioneer of women’s education. If you also allow women to become officials, becoming the first emperor in history to do so, your name will surely be recorded for eternity.”

The Emperor felt a tremor in his heart, as if a surge of bold ambition was about to break free within him.

Lu Huaizhou glanced at Jiang Ji, the corner of his lips lifting slightly.

Jiang Ji continued, “And there are many other benefits to educating women. Just now I mentioned supplying talent to the court. The second is raising the overall quality of our people in Da Sheng.”

“Hm?” The Emperor did not quite catch it. “What do you mean?”

Jiang Ji explained, “Think about it. Even if women do not enter officialdom, they can still apply their abilities in many fields, like the general’s daughter in the north, or the female shopkeeper in our county.”

“There is a saying: ‘At three one sees the future, at seven one sees the whole life.’ You’ve heard of it, right?”

The Emperor nodded. “I have.”

Jiang Ji said, “There is truth in that. A child’s character is largely set by the age of seven. You can already see their future disposition and achievements. But before the age of seven, children mostly spend their time with their mothers, not their fathers. So mothers play a very important role in a child’s upbringing.”

“So think about it. Even if a woman only stays at home to support her husband and raise children, a woman who has studied in a school will have broader vision and knowledge than one who has not. Wouldn’t the children she raises also be more outstanding?”

The Emperor considered it and nodded. “That makes sense.”

Jiang Ji went on, “Then if more women can read, write, and discern right from wrong, more children will grow up to be capable. Would the court still have to worry about a lack of talent?”

The Emperor said, “It does seem so.”

Jiang Ji concluded, “So, Your Majesty, for the future of Da Sheng, we must establish schools for women and give them equal opportunities to receive education.”

The Emperor thought it over carefully. After all, he was only eleven. He felt something was slightly off, yet could not pinpoint it.

“Duke Chang, your proposal is quite interesting. But since this has never been done before, it must be discussed in court.”

He glanced at the Regent beside him. “Yafu, what do you think?”

Lu Huaizhou looked at Jiang Ji, then said to the Emperor, “I think it is very good. Duke Chang can write it into a memorial for the ministers to discuss.”

The Emperor nodded. “Yes, Duke Chang, submit a memorial.”

Jiang Ji smiled. “Alright, I’ll write it when I return.”

Today’s task was done. What came next would depend on Lu Huaizhou.

He focused on grilling fish and meat. The delicious food left all three of them very satisfied.

And he had already heard 2977 announce that he had completed the task of grilling fish with the Emperor.

He took a moment to check the reward. This task, combined with the earlier one of dining with the Emperor, had earned him a reward: beginner-level steelmaking skills.

After returning from the palace, Jiang Ji first wrote out the basic steelmaking method from memory, then scratched his head while drafting the memorial.

“Is the memorial finished?” Lu Huaizhou asked.

Jiang Ji handed him the document. “Don’t laugh.”

“Alright.”

Lu Huaizhou opened it and glanced through. Jiang Ji’s brush calligraphy was truly hard to look at. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. A trace of amusement flickered in his eyes, but after reading it, he said, “Very good. Everything that should be written is there.”

Jiang Ji scratched his cheek. “How about… you copy it for me?”

Lu Huaizhou shook his head. “No need. This is better. This way, it’s clear you wrote it yourself.”

“…I feel like you’re mocking me.” Jiang Ji waved it off. “Forget it. Everyone knows I came from a farming background. Writing like this isn’t strange.”

Lu Huaizhou comforted him, “It’s better than before.”

Jiang Ji shot him a look. “You’re just comforting me.”

“I’m telling the truth.” Lu Huaizhou looked at the memorial, puzzled. “Your brushwork wasn’t like this before. It feels like it changed.”

Jiang Ji blinked, then picked up a pen from the table. “Heh, because I have this!”

“Mm? What is that?”

Jiang Ji uncapped it and explained, “This is a fountain-style soft brush. It’s similar to a calligraphy brush. Try it.”

Lu Huaizhou examined it. “It’s somewhat like your gel pen.”

He tried writing with it the way one holds a pen, then the way one holds a brush. “It doesn’t look as nice as brush writing, but… no need to dip ink?”

“Right. It’s designed for people like me. Today’s memorial was written with this.” Jiang Ji added, “Want one? It’s convenient to carry when you’re out.”

“Alright.” It was indeed practical, so Lu Huaizhou accepted the pen Jiang Ji had redeemed for him.

“Oh, right.” Jiang Ji handed him a notebook. “I wrote out the steelmaking method. Here.”

Lu Huaizhou’s eyes lit up. He took it and quickly flipped through it. After reading, he immediately pulled Jiang Ji into an embrace and kissed him in excitement.

“I’ll have this copied immediately and sent to the Ministry of War for development.”

With this method, their weapons would become sharper and tougher, and their military strength would rise to another level.

Lu Huaizhou cupped Jiang Ji’s face and said, “Jiang Ji, you are the one who deserves to be remembered for generations.”

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

Previous

Before the New Year, Lu Huaizhou and his group had hurried along and made it from the capital to Changping County in just four days.

On the return trip, however, Lu Huaizhou slowed the pace, worried that Jiang Ji wouldn’t be able to handle it physically. They took six days on the road and arrived in the capital the day before the Lantern Festival.

The capital was much colder than Changping, still blanketed in snow, and even colder during the thaw.

Jiang Ji wore thick cotton padding under a heavy cloak, a hat on his head, a thick mask over his face, and a scarf wrapped outside that. Only his eyes were visible as he leaned weakly against Lu Huaizhou.

He had been sneezing since morning and felt slightly dizzy. It was probably the start of a cold.

Lu Huaizhou had originally wanted to stop at a post station and wait until Jiang Ji recovered before continuing, but Jiang Ji saw that the capital was only half a day away and insisted on pressing on and resting once they arrived.

Given his condition, Lu Huaizhou didn’t trust him to ride alone, so he brought Jiang Ji onto his own horse.

Lu Jiu had ridden ahead to arrange for a carriage to meet them at the city gates.

Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou switched to the carriage. Leaning against Lu Huaizhou, Jiang Ji lifted the curtain with a gloved hand and looked out at the streets.

“The capital is really lively,” Jiang Ji murmured.

Since the Lantern Festival was the next day, many shops were already setting up lantern displays for the evening festivities.

Lu Huaizhou tucked a hand warmer into Jiang Ji’s arms. “Tomorrow night there will be a lantern festival.”

“Oh?” Jiang Ji turned back, brightening. “Then let’s go see it tomorrow night.”

Lu Huaizhou rubbed his hands. “That depends on whether you’ve recovered by then.”

Jiang Ji blinked. “Of course I will. It’s just a small cold, no problem.”

Lu Huaizhou smiled. “Alright. If you’re better, we’ll go.”

“Deal.” Jiang Ji grinned.

The Lantern Festival was basically the ancient version of Valentine’s Day. There was no way he’d miss it.

They passed through the bustling streets and returned to the Prince’s residence.

When the gatekeeper saw them, he turned back in surprise and shouted, “Quick, inform Steward Zhong! The Prince and the Duke have returned!”

Someone ran inside at once, announcing the good news.

Lu Huaizhou got down from the carriage and helped Jiang Ji down.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, it’s nothing serious.” Jiang Ji pulled down his scarf, his voice slightly muffled. “Just the early stage of a cold.”

Lu Huaizhou led him inside. By then, Steward Zhong and Xiao Liu had already come out to greet them.

“Your Highness!”

“Your Grace!”

Lu Huaizhou nodded and instructed, “Uncle Zhong, send someone to fetch the imperial physician. The Duke has caught a cold. Also have the kitchen prepare ginger sugar water and hot water.”

“Yes.” Seeing Jiang Ji’s poor complexion, Uncle Zhong hurried off to arrange everything.

Lu Huaizhou led Jiang Ji back to their courtyard.

As Jiang Ji lifted the wind curtain and stepped inside, a wave of warmth hit his face. He sighed in relief. “So warm!”

Xiao Liu immediately brought hot tea. “Your Highness, Your Grace, warm, right? I knew you’d be back today, so I started the charcoal brazier early.”

“Very warm. Good work, Xiao Liu.” Jiang Ji removed his cloak, and Xiao Liu quickly took it. Lu Huaizhou went inside, brought out one of his own cotton jackets, and wrapped Jiang Ji in it.

Looking at himself bundled in two layers, Jiang Ji said, “I feel like a bear.”

“You’ve caught a chill. Wear more for now. You can take it off later once you’re warm,” Lu Huaizhou said, reaching to remove his mask.

Jiang Ji turned his face away. “Don’t. What if I infect you?”

“I’m fine. I’m strong. That mask makes it hard to breathe,” Lu Huaizhou said, removing it anyway. Seeing Jiang Ji’s reddened nose, he felt a pang of concern. He placed a cushion on the chair and pressed him down to sit. “Sit first. Drink some hot tea and warm up.”

“Mm.” Jiang Ji sat down and slipped his feet under the heated table.

Lu Huaizhou immediately covered his legs with the quilted cover and took his hands, rubbing them to warm them up.

“Your hands are cold too,” Jiang Ji said, his voice thick with nasal congestion.

“Then we’ll warm each other,” Lu Huaizhou replied, rubbing until Jiang Ji’s hands were warm before handing him the tea.

“I’ll do it myself.” Jiang Ji took the cup and sipped slowly. The hot tea traveled down his throat into his stomach, bringing a sense of warmth.

Lu Huaizhou wrung out a hot towel and wiped Jiang Ji’s face and hands, then gently pressed the warm cloth against him.

“You should sit and rest too,” Jiang Ji said, pulling him down.

“Mm.” Lu Huaizhou washed up and sat beside him. They warmed themselves together, waiting for the physician and the ginger sugar water.

Jiang Ji noticed the window was only slightly open and reminded Xiao Liu, “When you use charcoal braziers, open both front and back windows. It’s fine to open them wider. Let the air circulate so no one gets poisoned.”

“Got it.” Xiao Liu opened the windows further.

“And remind everyone else too. Always open a window when heating.”

“Alright, I’ll go tell Uncle Zhong.” Xiao Liu ran off.

This heated table had also been made based on Jiang Ji’s design. According to Lu Huaizhou, it had gradually become popular in the capital over the winter.

After a while, the kitchen brought ginger sugar water. Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou each drank a large bowl, gradually feeling warmer.

The imperial physician arrived, checked Jiang Ji’s pulse, and confirmed it was a cold. He prescribed some medicine and advised him to keep warm and rest.

Jiang Ji said, “Physician, please check His Highness as well.”

“I’m fine,” Lu Huaizhou said.

The physician smiled. “It doesn’t hurt to check for peace of mind.”

“Exactly, just to be sure.”

Lu Huaizhou let him check. He was fine.

He then had the others who had returned with them examined as well. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. One of them had also caught a slight chill, so the physician prescribed medicine.

By the time they got home, it was already late afternoon. Jiang Ji took a hot bath, broke into a sweat, and felt his head clear up a bit.

After bathing, it was time for dinner.

Lord Lu and his family, having heard of Lu Huaizhou’s return, came to visit and ended up staying for the meal.

Everyone sat around the heated table, with the dishes placed on top.

Jiang Ji offered New Year greetings to Lord Lu and Madam Lu. Madam Lu handed him a red envelope. “Why does your voice sound like that? You don’t look very energetic. Are you sick?”

“Mm, just caught a cold,” Jiang Ji replied.

“Have you seen a doctor?” she asked with concern.

“The imperial physician already came and prescribed medicine.”

“Then eat quickly. Afterward, take your medicine and rest.”

Jiang Ji nodded.

They began eating. With their legs warmed by the table, the warmth spread through their bodies.

Madam Lu smiled. “Xiao Ji, this heated table you designed is wonderful, especially with this quilt cover. Once it’s on, your whole body stays warm. I’d say at least eighty percent of households in the capital are using it now. I haven’t been able to do without it all winter.”

Jiang Ji smiled. “It just prevents heat from escaping.”

“I wish I could live on it,” Lu Huaichuan joked.

Everyone laughed, the atmosphere relaxed and cheerful.

Madam Lu and the others had only come by to take a look. They shared dinner with them, sat for a while, and then left.

After eating, Jiang Ji took his medicine, soaked his feet, and was promptly tucked into bed by Lu Huaizhou. Lu Huaizhou even stuffed several hand warmers under the blankets, two by his feet and one in his arms.

“Still cold?” Lu Huaizhou pressed down the edges of the quilt and asked.

Jiang Ji shook his head. “Not anymore.”

Lu Huaizhou touched his forehead, worried he might develop a fever. “I’ll come back after I bathe.”

“Mm, you should soak properly too.”

After bathing, Lu Huaizhou also went to bed early, holding Jiang Ji to keep him warm.

Jiang Ji was young after all. After a bath, medicine, and a good night’s sleep, he felt much better the next morning.

At noon on the Lantern Festival, he followed Lu Huaizhou to the Lu residence for a reunion meal, and that evening he dragged him out to see the lantern festival.

The capital’s Lantern Festival was extremely lively. Along several main streets, large red lanterns hung from the eaves on both sides, and nearly every shop displayed decorative lanterns, lighting the streets brightly.

From a distance, the lights flowed like a river, dazzling and brilliant.

The crowd bustled, with all kinds of stalls lining the streets. Jiang Ji wandered through them with great interest, buying many small items for his mother and the others, and also preparing some for giveaways to his audience.

He even picked out a pair of hair crowns and bought them on the spot.

“One for each of us. Couple hair crowns,” Jiang Ji said with a grin.

Lu Huaizhou nodded, smiling softly. “Alright.”

Jiang Ji then pulled him along to wear masks and solve lantern riddles. The two of them solved one riddle after another, drawing bursts of amazement and applause from the surrounding crowd. In the end, they even won a beautifully crafted lantern.

Jiang Ji was delighted, carrying it home and hanging it in their room.

The next day was the first grand court assembly after the New Year break, and Jiang Ji had to attend with Lu Huaizhou.

When Lu Huaizhou got up, he was still worried about Jiang Ji. “Are you feeling better? You don’t have to go.”

Jiang Ji sat up. “I’m fine. It’s the first court session, I should show up.”

“Then wear more layers.”

At four in the morning in deep winter, the temperature was several degrees below zero, bitterly cold.

Jiang Ji nodded. “Mm. You should wear thermal layers too.”

With the tail end of his cold lingering, Jiang Ji no longer cared about appearances. He put on thick fleece-lined thermal underwear from the system, added cotton trousers, and bundled himself tightly. When he finally put on his official robes, the loose garment looked puffed and round from all the layers underneath.

The first court assembly after the New Year was a grand occasion. Officials rarely missed it.

After the ministers offered New Year greetings to the emperor, the palace hosted a banquet for the court. Then a brief “opening of the seals” ceremony was held, signifying that officials were formally resuming work.

Once everything was done, Jiang Ji went to see the emperor and the Regent.

He had gone home early before the New Year and hadn’t reported or paid respects, so he used this opportunity to make up for it.

He presented seeds of new crops and their planting methods as a gift to the emperor, both a tribute and a record of his achievements.

The young emperor looked at the seeds and documents and said with a smile, “You’ve worked hard. The lettuce, cabbage, peas, broccoli, and cauliflower grown at the Regent’s residence have been sent into the palace. They taste excellent. Because of you, even in winter the people of the capital can enjoy fresh vegetables they never had before. I hear from the Regent that the people will soon be able to grow them themselves. This greatly pleases me.”

Jiang Ji replied with a smile, “I will do my utmost to promote these seeds and not fail Your Majesty’s grace.”

“Then I will rely on you,” the emperor said, before changing his tone slightly. “I hear from the Regent that you’ve also brought many spring wheat seeds this time?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty. Spring wheat will be promoted further north, where winters are too harsh for winter wheat. I have identified the general regions. As for which counties will begin trial planting, that will require Your Majesty and the Regent’s decision.”

“Very good.” After discussing official matters, the emperor added, “I hear from my mentor that your family won’t move to the capital until March?”

“That’s correct. There are still some matters to arrange at home. Once I return this time, I will begin preparations for the move.”

After chatting with the emperor for a while, Jiang Ji didn’t bring up the matter of establishing women’s academies. It wasn’t appropriate to raise it on the first day back to work after the New Year. He and Lu Huaizhou had agreed to wait a few days.

After leaving the palace, Jiang Ji returned to the Regent’s residence.

After resting for two days and fully recovering, he took Lu Jiu and the others to inspect the fields outside the city.

The wheat fields were covered in snow, lying dormant for the winter, with only a hint of green visible at the tips.

Jiang Ji brushed aside the snow to check. The growth looked good, and after inspecting, he covered it back up.

Snow helped insulate against cold, killed pests and eggs, and even contained nitrogen that enriched the soil.

These winter wheat varieties were relatively cold-resistant. As long as there weren’t prolonged periods of extreme cold, they should survive the winter safely.

Jiang Ji spent three to four days inspecting all the farmland outside the city, including those belonging to the Duke’s residence, the Regent residence, and the Lu household.

He also spoke with the farmers, addressing their questions about cultivation. He gave each overseer a spring farming plan, detailing when to sow, what to plant, how many mu to plant, what preparations were needed, and the planting methods, so they could study it in advance.

After finishing this, Lu Huaizhou returned with news that the court had selected the counties for trial planting of spring wheat and had already issued instructions for when they would come to collect the seeds.

Since the local officials wouldn’t arrive until after the first lunar month, Jiang Ji didn’t rush to redeem the seeds, to avoid moisture damage.

Soon after, Lu Huaizhou arranged a time for Jiang Ji to meet the emperor again.

“Are you sure I shouldn’t bring this up in court?” Jiang Ji asked.

Lu Huaizhou led him out, holding his hand. “No need. Leave the rest to me.”

Jiang Ji looked at him and said, “This proposal will cause a stir. At least ninety percent of the ministers will oppose you.”

“It’s fine.” Lu Huaizhou glanced at him. “I also want to do what I can to help.”

Jiang Ji’s eyes curved with a smile. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

The two entered the palace. Lu Huaizhou brought Jiang Ji to the lake in the imperial garden.

Jiang Ji looked over and saw the emperor standing by the lake, watching attendants break the ice.

His eyes lit up instantly as he understood Lu Huaizhou’s intention. He gave him a thumbs up. “Handling two things at once. Nicely done, Your Highness.”

Lu Huaizhou smiled faintly and led him forward.

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

Previous

As soon as those words left his mouth, everyone froze.

Fu Chen glanced over strangely—there was Jiang Shengyu, standing on Qin Song’s shoulders, awkwardly climbing up the tree.

What had looked normal at first, even a little inspiring, suddenly just seemed… stupid.

He almost laughed.

But he knew that wouldn’t be right.

So he forced himself to hold it in.

The two girls were the same. They stared at Mu Xing in surprise, finding his remark odd—but they couldn’t deny it… it made sense.

For a moment, the three guests fell into awkward silence.

The livestream chat wasn’t quiet, though:

【I have a head full of question marks ????】
【LOL, I didn’t think it was weird either, but once Mu Xing said it—yeah, why not just ask for a ladder?】
【Where are the CP fans from earlier? Do you still think these two are cute? Because right now they just look silly】
【LMAO, Mu Xing is such a sly one. He always manages to leave people speechless without even trying. So entertaining】
【I bet Fu Chen and the others are dying holding back their laughter】
【I’ll just say it straight—I think they look a bit dumb】

Qin Song and Jiang Shengyu, meanwhile, had no idea they’d become the punchline.

They worked together to pick fruit, and Jiang Shengyu thought: surely this afternoon, no one can steal the spotlight from us again.

Another half-hour passed before they finally finished.

But when they rejoined the group, Jiang Shengyu couldn’t shake the feeling that the others were giving him odd looks.

They didn’t say anything, and with cameras rolling he couldn’t ask either.

The group rode the van back to the villa.

It was already late. Without much time to rest, they had to start preparing dinner.

This was when Mu Xing’s new “family” advantage—a little brother, a big sister, and a daughter—really showed.

While the others were busy cooking, washing vegetables, chopping, and reading recipes, he was lounging comfortably in a hammock, a glass of freshly squeezed juice on the table beside him.

No one in the livestream chat complained about him slacking this time:

【Is it just me, or has Mu Xing’s whole vibe split off from everyone else’s today?】
【Exactly. The other guests look like they’re here to suffer through a trial, but Mu Xing looks like he’s on vacation】
【Haha, “trial” vs “vacation”—whoever said that is a genius】
【Not wrong though. What the others find so hard, Mu Xing makes look like child’s play】
【I’m really curious what kind of background he grew up in. His personality is fascinating】

…

Jiang Shengyu, chopping vegetables clumsily, found his gaze drifting toward the relaxed Mu Xing.

He couldn’t understand.

Didn’t this man feel embarrassed? Didn’t he care at all about how he looked in front of the audience?

Normally, artists would never let fans see anything less than perfect on a livestream.

But from last night until now, everything Mu Xing had done overturned Jiang Shengyu’s assumptions.

After thinking for a while, he concluded: maybe Mu Xing had simply given up.

With such a bad reputation before, maybe he knew it was impossible to rise in the industry—so he’d stopped caring, or was trying to carve out a new path.

That thought left Jiang Shengyu with a faint, condescending pity: what was there in this man worth minding?

“Ah!” A sharp pain shot through his left index finger.

Lost in thought, he hadn’t paid attention and cut himself.

His cry drew everyone’s attention.

Qin Song rushed over first, anxious.

Before Jiang Shengyu could answer, he saw the pale fingertip already beading with blood.

Heat rushed to his head—without thinking, Qin Song grabbed his hand and put the finger in his mouth.

【What the—!!】
【That’s a little too intimate…】
【OMG, my CP is real!】

The others froze at the sight.

Fortunately, Qin Song came to his senses quickly. He let go, frowning. “How could you be so careless?”

Staff hurried over with iodine, cotton swabs, and bandages, quickly dressing the wound.

With his finger injured, no one asked Jiang Shengyu to keep cooking.

He glanced around and sat down beside Mu Xing.

Mu Xing wasn’t scrolling Weibo or messaging—he was playing a match-three puzzle game.

Timeless classic for killing time.

Jiang Shengyu peeked and laughed. “You’re playing that?”

Mu Xing looked up, nodded. “Mm. Bored.”

His tone was plainly indifferent.

Instantly, Jiang Shengyu’s fans in the chat bristled:

【?? Why so cold? Do you think you’re some kind of prince?】
【My Shengyu is still your senior, isn’t he? How can you be so rude? No wonder you’ve been in the industry this long and are still irrelevant】
【No emotional intelligence, no manners, doesn’t know how to deal with people. If someone like this can get popular, I’ll eat my keyboard live!】
【Ugh, Jiang stans are really something. So now Mu Xing needs your permission to ignore someone? Weren’t you just calling him a “cheap fake” earlier? Now you’re mad he’s not fawning over your idol? What’s wrong with your brains?】

Jiang Shengyu didn’t seem to take Mu Xing’s cold attitude to heart. He even smiled tolerantly and said, “Candy Crush really does kill time. I used to play it for a while, but later I got too busy and deleted it.”

Mu Xing gave an “oh,” with no intention of continuing.

Jiang Shengyu asked again, “Besides Candy Crush, what do you usually do when you’re bored? Playing games too long isn’t good for your eyes or your neck.”

Mu Xing felt annoyed at the nagging in his ear.

He said, “Oh, plenty of things.”

Jiang Shengyu smiled and asked, “Like what?”

Mu Xing snapped his phone shut, leaned back with his eyes closed, and said lightly, “Like sleep.”

He didn’t even open his eyes, looking exactly like someone saying, “I’m about to nap now.”

The message that he didn’t want to talk was very clear.

Jiang Shengyu: “…”

【Wow, I can feel Jiang Shengyu’s awkwardness even through the screen】
【Honestly, Mu Xing is being a bit much here】
【Not just a bit much—this is straight up bad manners】
【Such a weird personality… is he just really antisocial?】
【But if he’s antisocial, how come he gets along fine with Fu Chen and Gu Jiani, even recognized three “relatives”? This attitude only shows up with Film Emperor Qin and Jiang Shengyu. So what’s really going on?】
【Exactly, earlier today he was perfectly warm with the villagers, stall owners, and kids in Dada Village. How can anyone say he’s rude or unsociable? I’m starting to think—what did Qin and Jiang Shengyu actually do to him, that made someone this easygoing not even bother with polite pretenses?】
【Let’s be real: Qin the Movie King and Jiang Shengyu’s rumors aren’t new. And everyone knows Mu Xing and Qin divorced less than a month ago. I thought it was just gossip, but Qin putting Jiang’s finger in his mouth to stop the bleeding? That’s way too intimate for “just friends.”】
【So maybe those CP shippers weren’t wrong? If it’s true… everyone remembers Mu Xing used to like Qin a lot, right? He even got accused of clout-chasing by Qin’s fans. Unless there was some massive betrayal, he wouldn’t have turned this cold, this fast.】
【Exactly! His spouse got doxxed and cyber-bullied for half a year by his own fans, and Qin never once defended him. Was he dead or what?】

At first, it was Jiang Shengyu’s fans steering the narrative, but soon the live comments spun out of their control.

Of course, Jiang Shengyu’s fans thought Qin was great.

But CP shipping was usually just a niche pastime—most fans never took it seriously.

What if it was real?

If it was real, then reality wasn’t nearly as pretty as the fanfics made it out to be.

Divorced for half a month, and immediately this close with a “new flame”? What a coincidence.

If this really stuck, Qin would forever carry the stain of cheating during marriage.

And Jiang Shengyu would be even worse off—labeled the homewrecker. If that hammer dropped, he’d be universally condemned.

That was unacceptable.

So Qin’s and Jiang Shengyu’s fans instantly switched tactics, flooding the chat with clarifications:

【What nonsense is this? Qin and Jiang barely ever appeared in the same frame before, and the rumors were always baseless. There’s not a shred of evidence—this is just slander!】
【Everyone knows Qin looks after juniors, he’s famous for it in the industry. That moment was just an emergency reaction. How can that mean anything?】
【Taking Jiang away. Our Shengyu already said he’s focusing on his career—solo, don’t drag him into CP nonsense.】
【Who would get involved with a divorced thirty-something man? Some people are just shameless.】
【Exactly. Our Qin deserves better than some expressionless idol-drama pretty boy.】

Soon Qin’s fans and Jiang Shengyu’s fans were tearing into each other in the comments.

On one side: a powerhouse movie king with legions of loyal fans.

On the other: a rising traffic star with a young fanbase—less individually strong, but overwhelming in numbers.

The two sides fought like wildfire, leaving no one with energy to attack Mu Xing.

That evening, back in their rooms—

Mu Lin, rarely, called Mu Xing.

“I had someone check into your ex-husband. He and that Jiang Shengyu used to date. They broke up, but never really cut ties.”

She practically stopped short of saying he’d been cheated on.

She added, “I’ve got some evidence. If you want, we could easily nail him for cheating during marriage.”

She asked because she worried her younger brother still had lingering feelings.

Mu Xing said, “Thanks, sis. Hold on to it for now—I don’t need it yet.”

Mu Lin answered, “Alright.” Then asked, “Dad said you’re planning to leave the industry? Interested in coming to work at the company? I—”

Mu Xing quickly cut in: “Huh? What? Sis? The signal’s bad, I can’t hear clearly, must be too remote here.”

Before she could continue, he hurriedly added, “Anyway, let’s leave it at that for today. I’ll hang up now. Bye, sis.”

*

Elsewhere, in the other guest rooms.

Qin Song and Jiang Shengyu confidently unlocked their phones.

They knew today would get them on the trending list.

Whether it was the loquat-picking moment, or Qin Song sucking Jiang Shengyu’s finger to stop the bleeding—both would grab attention.

Sure enough, when they opened Weibo, they saw the trending tag:

#QinSongJiangShengyuBrotherlyBond#

But right above it, almost like on purpose, sat another trending tag:

#MuXing: Why Don’t They Just Get a Ladder#

❣╰(⸝⸝⸝꒳⸝⸝⸝)╯❣

In August, even at four in the afternoon the sun was still blazing.

Mu Xing found a patch of shade and sat down. Beside him, Ji Youyou had already handed him a small fan.

So he sat there, enjoying the breeze, occasionally peeling a big loquat to eat, while watching the other guests sweat buckets as they picked fruit.

Utterly relaxed.

The camera crew kept zooming in on his face, making the contrast even more striking.

Soon enough, some viewers started complaining:

【The others are still working, and he’s just sitting there?】
【Honestly, Mu Xing really doesn’t know how to behave. They’re all one team—he finishes his share and just stops, not helping anyone else? In the workplace, someone like this would never survive.】
【I agree, his emotional intelligence is so low. Film emperor Qin, Jiang Shengyu, Fu Chen—aren’t they all his seniors? Why not seize the chance to perform well and build good connections? And Gu Jiani and Zhou Qiongyu, two girls sweating under the sun—aren’t you embarrassed to rest while they struggle?】
【Those criticizing him are probably the other guests’ fans. Mu Xing finished his part—why can’t he rest?】
【And you’re criticizing him with your idol’s profile picture? First, Jiang Shengyu expected him to cook for everyone, now fans expect him to do extra work just because he’s fast. What does he owe you? Like idol, like fans—so annoying.】
【As a working adult, I don’t mind fast, capable teammates. I only hate the ones who drag behind.】
【Isn’t this fair? Work fast and rest early. Work slow and keep pushing.】
【They’re grown adults in their twenties. Picking loquats and still wanting others to help? Maybe their fans should hand them baby bottles.】
【Am I the only one craving loquats? Watching Mu Xing eat them is making me hungry.】
【Already ordered five pounds online.】

Meanwhile, Fu Chen wiped sweat from his forehead, glanced over, and saw Mu Xing sitting under the fan.

He looked around—thankfully the others hadn’t noticed yet.

“Mu Xing!” he shouted. “Why are you resting already?”

Before Mu Xing could answer, Ji Youyou called out loudly: “He already finished picking, he’s waiting for you guys.”

Well then.

Fu Chen turned and looked at his own basket.

“Ah! I’m jealous!” he wailed.

The others finally realized—Mu Xing was already done and relaxing.

Zhou Qiongyu instantly lost her motivation. With a pitiful face she called, “Mu Xing, big boss, can you please help us poor weaklings? I really can’t finish this.”

Mu Xing turned to Ji Youyou. “Are we allowed to help each other?”

Ji Youyou laughed. “We just need one basket per person. How you fill it doesn’t matter.”

Since he wasn’t too tired, Mu Xing asked Zhou Qiongyu, “I can help. But what will you give me in return?”

Zhou Qiongyu froze. Wait, she had to pay a fee for this?

She was stuck, but not far away Gu Jiani’s eyes lit up. So it could be done this way?

She immediately called out, “little brother Xing, whatever you want, I’ll give it to you! Please help me finish my basket!”

Fu Chen jumped in without missing a beat: “Bro! Brother Mu Xing! You’re my brother from another mother! Whatever I have, it’s yours, just help me out!”

【????】
【Who would have thought it would develop like this】
【Haha, Zhou Qiongyu was dumbstruck. Honestly, I was too when I heard Mu Xing say ‘what will you give me?’】
【Isn’t that petty? She’s a girl, what’s wrong with lending a hand?】
【Stop being generous with other people’s time. Helping is kindness, refusing is his right. Honestly, I admire Mu Xing—staying true to himself even on livestream. Imagine how free his life must feel off-camera.】
【Respect +1, and a little jealous. I often want to refuse things too but don’t dare say it out loud.】

Mu Xing tilted his head, thought for a moment, and said, “Then tonight’s cooking, you two will split my share.”

Gu Jiani: “Okay, little brother!”

Fu Chen: “Okay, big bro!”

【The family hierarchy, hahaha】
【Not messed up really—they’re all the same generation anyway】

Zhou Qiongyu was dumbfounded. In the blink of an eye, those two shameless ones had clung to him.

What about her?

What about her!

In desperation, she blurted out, “Daddy!”

Mu Xing: “…”

Everyone else: “…”

Audience: “…”

“Well damn.” Gu Jiani gave Zhou Qiongyu a complicated look. “Looks like I suddenly gained a niece.”

【Hahahahahahaha!】
【Mu Xing’s face said it all—he never expected someone to call him daddy for half a basket of loquats.】
【Zhou Qiongyu, wake up! Your persona just collapsed! You’re supposed to be the sweet new diva, not the clown queen!】
【Clown queen, I’m dying】

Mu Xing was clearly shaken by that “daddy.”

In the end, he still stood up to help, but remarked as he went, “That really wasn’t necessary.”

The comment section erupted in laughter.

He picked a nearby tree, told the three of them to bring their baskets over, then climbed up and began cutting fruit, tossing them down in bunches.

His movements were quick and practiced, aiming perfectly for the ripe clusters. Their baskets visibly filled up in no time.

Naturally, Qin Song and Jiang Shengyu heard all of this.

Jiang Shengyu frowned, rubbed his sore arm, and stayed silent.

Qin Song, of course, couldn’t bring himself to ask for help—especially with that strained, unfriendly layer of history between him and Mu Xing.

The result was that in less than half an hour, the three baskets were filled.

They thanked Mu Xing profusely, then stopped asking for his help, happily carrying their baskets to the crew to check off the task.

Now, the number of people sitting comfortably in the shade with fans had gone from one to four.

With them all lounging there, Qin Song and Jiang Shengyu—still seriously picking loquats—looked rather out of place.

The live chat noticed too:

【By comparison, Film emperor Qin and Shengyu look so pitiful】
【Aren’t you guys going to help them? Just sitting there watching?】
【Though to be fair, they never asked Mu Xing for help just now】

Gu Jiani glanced over with a bit of guilt.

She whispered, “Should we go help them? Brother Song and Jiang Shengyu are still working.”

She and Fu Chen exchanged a look.

Fu Chen stretched comfortably and refused right away: “No way! I already sold my dignity just to avoid picking more of these. Finally, I get to sit—why would I go suffer again?”

Zhou Qiongyu, carefully wiping sweat with a tissue she’d gotten from Ji Youyou, quickly nodded: “Exactly! I even called him daddy and agreed to cover dinner. If I go help them now, wouldn’t all that effort be wasted?”

Hard to argue with that logic.

Gu Jiani instinctively looked at Mu Xing.

He lazily said, “What are you looking at me for? I’m not helping, too tiring.”

So Gu Jiani obediently sat down, accepted a water bottle from a staffer, and stayed quiet.

【??? They’re really just going to watch?】
【What else would they do? The three of them literally begged Mu Xing for help, even called him daddy. Now that they’re done, they finally get to rest. Why would they go volunteer for more?】
【Is Mu Xing really tired? I haven’t seen him sweat at all】
【The host asked him earlier—he said he doesn’t sweat much. Everyone else looks exhausted and messy, but he still looks clean and fresh. Envy】
【He’s not tired at all. He just openly refuses to help those two—pure double standard, but bold about it】
【And why should he help? They’re divorced. Yesterday Mu Xing flat-out said on camera they won’t even be friends. With that, why pretend to be friendly just for the livestream?】

Qin Song and Jiang Shengyu couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable seeing the four of them just sit there watching.

But under the gaze of the cameras, they couldn’t say anything.

After a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Shengyu called out, “Brother Song, let’s do this together.”

He bit his lip, then said, “It’s too tiring and slow to tiptoe and clip. I can’t climb—can you hold me up so I can get on the tree?”

Qin Song froze.

Normally, Jiang Shengyu was cautious about avoiding any rumors on camera.

But hearing this, Qin Song was secretly pleased.

He was more than happy to show off their closeness in front of everyone.

Instead of holding him, he crouched down and said, “Step on my shoulders and climb up.”

【Ahhhhhhh my ship is sailing!】
【Willing to bow down, to let himself be stepped on—what a divine love!】
【QinSheng Forever is real, I’m tired of saying it already!】
【I’m so excited I ran out my door and sprinted around my neighborhood!】
【Honestly, what’s the big deal? It’s just teamwork】

Meanwhile, Fu Chen, Gu Jiani, and Zhou Qiongyu all turned to look at Mu Xing in unison.

Mu Xing noticed and stared back blankly. “Why are you all looking at me?”

【I get it—they’re watching to see his reaction】
【But Mu Xing looks totally clueless, like he has no idea what they’re expecting】
【Honestly, I’m starting to doubt those old rumors about him chasing after Qin Song. I see zero sign he cares】

And it wasn’t just the viewers who were puzzled—Gu Jiani and the others on-site were too.

Following their gaze, Mu Xing finally noticed the pair.

He asked, “What are they doing?”

Fu Chen answered, “Jiang Shengyu’s trying to climb the tree to pick loquats. He couldn’t, so he’s stepping on Qin Song’s shoulders.”

Mu Xing: “…”

His expression turned odd. “That’s… certainly a unique approach. Couldn’t they just ask the crew for a ladder?”

❣╰(⸝⸝⸝꒳⸝⸝⸝)╯❣

Mu Xing returned to his room, took a call from home, showered, and then happily went down for a nap.

He didn’t spare a glance at the uproar his livestream performance had caused online.

While he could remain calm, the other guests couldn’t.

Aside from Mu Xing, the very first thing everyone else did after returning to their rooms was open Weibo and other apps, chat with their managers, and ask how the livestream had gone.

Soon, they were told that the standout of the day was Mu Xing—he had even been praised by state media.

They clicked into the trending topics and saw all the funny clips Mu Xing’s fans had edited together.

Fu Chen’s manager told him, “I never would have guessed the biggest winner this time would be him. Still, you had the right eye.”

Of the six guests, Qin Song and Jiang Shengyu didn’t need mentioning—anyone who knew even a little gossip knew Mu Xing couldn’t possibly get along with them.

Gu Jiani and Zhou Qiongyu had formed a girl’s alliance.

Only Fu Chen had willingly teamed up with Mu Xing, and the two looked like they got along well.

The key was, during the morning livestream, viewers loved watching how the two interacted.

Hearing his manager’s words, Fu Chen rolled his eyes. “I didn’t go with him just to cling to someone powerful.”

Manager: “Then why?”

Fu Chen asked back, “Don’t you think Mu Xing is really impressive? I admire him.”

And he meant it. Not just anyone would dare take on a variety show clearly set up with malice toward him—having to face a far more popular ex-husband, plus the ex’s rumored new lover.

Fu Chen put himself in that position and admitted he could never have done it.

But Mu Xing had.

Not only that, he had shone on the program, openly and confidently presenting himself to the audience.

Fu Chen couldn’t help but repeat, “He’s amazing. And interesting.”

Thinking it over, maybe his bad reputation in the past had been the result of smear campaigns.

After all, simply running away wasn’t a solution. Better to stand tall and show the truest version of yourself in front of the camera.

People would judge right and wrong for themselves.

Only someone with absolute confidence would make that choice.

Fu Chen muttered, “I’ve heard some things about him and Qin Song before. Now, looking at it, Qin Song’s taste really wasn’t that great.”

People in the industry always knew more than the fans.

The entanglement between Qin Song and Jiang Shengyu had begun long ago.

And in any case, Fu Chen found Mu Xing far more interesting than Jiang Shengyu.

His manager immediately grew wary. “Wait, you’re not developing… feelings, are you?”

Fu Chen: ?

Manager: “Listen, your career is just starting. You absolutely cannot afford to get caught up in any rumors!”

Fu Chen: ??

Annoyed, he shot back, “What are you even thinking? I just admire him as a person! I don’t like men!”

The manager breathed a sigh of relief, grinning. “In that case, no problem. Feel free to make friends with him.”

Fu Chen rolled his eyes again and hung up.

*

In the girls’ suite, Gu Jiani and Zhou Qiongyu sat together on the sofa, scrolling through the trending list.

At last, they understood what the other two groups had been doing while they were scrubbing crawfish.

Qin Song and Jiang Shengyu hadn’t fared much better, sweating under the sun herding cattle. Neither task seemed any less miserable than the other.

But Mu Xing’s maneuver—that was unexpected.

Gu Jiani covered her face. “Compared to him, we look so silly.”

Zhou Qiongyu nodded. “Feels like all the highlights this episode belong to him.”

They exchanged a look, but neither felt uncomfortable.

After all, they weren’t the most popular guests anyway. Their companies had just sent them here for exposure.

If they got lucky and became popular, great. If not, well, that was fine too.

The key was…

Mu Xing really was entertaining.

Gu Jiani had nearly finished scrolling through all the memes and clips of him on the trending page.

Her thought: little brother is adorable!

*

Compared to the other three, the situation between Qin Song and Jiang Shengyu was clearly not as lighthearted.

Qin Song watched the replay of Mu Xing’s livestream and felt conflicted.

So this was what Mu Xing was like in front of others?

Confident, sharp, sometimes childish, and not nearly as ill-tempered as he’d assumed.

Altogether, far more interesting than the version he’d thought he knew.

He even considered calling Mu Xing to ask if the one he’d seen before had just been an act, and which one was his true self.

So he tried.

And found he’d been blocked.

Qin Song’s face darkened.

Jiang Shengyu’s feelings were even more complicated.

He had never taken Mu Xing seriously, especially after Qin Song told him there had been nothing real between them. Visit HololoNovels dot com for the complete chapter. That the marriage had only happened in a moment of confusion, because Mu Xing faintly resembled him.

To him, Mu Xing was just a stand-in, an intruder in his and Qin Song’s relationship.

He hadn’t even met Mu Xing until yesterday.

But from the very first glance, he realized something was off with his assumptions.

This open, poised young man with refined features—was this really the same Mu Xing Qin Song had described as timid, dull, and quick to blush?

He even started to suspect that the Mu Xing Qin Song once described—the one who adored him, agreed to everything he said, and blushed after just a few words—was nothing more than a figment of Qin Song’s imagination.

The difference was just too great.

Jiang Shengyu’s head ached a little.

Especially since his manager had just called, reminding him to put on a good performance and not let someone else steal all the spotlight.

If worst came to worst, he should do some light “couple marketing” with Qin.

Jiang Shengyu said nothing.

*

At 3 p.m., the guests were called up and the livestream resumed.

When Fu Chen came downstairs, everyone was surprised.

He came down barefaced.

Seeing the stares, Fu Chen knew why. He touched his face and explained, “We’re recording for a whole week. I can’t be putting on and taking off makeup several times a day. Too tiring.”

If he had a makeup artist following him, that would be different. But he didn’t.

Making himself presentable on his own was just too troublesome.

If everyone else was made up, he might have endured it. But with Mu Xing having set the precedent…

Watching others get an extra hour of sleep while you’re fussing with makeup—who could tolerate that?

【Fu Chen 2333, I think I’m becoming his fan】
【To be fair, celebrities do look quite different with makeup on. Even though Fu Chen looks paler without it, his features are solid.】
【Compared to him though, Mu Xing’s skin is unreal. Is he some kind of jelly spirit?】
【That’s it after removing makeup? Looks like an ordinary guy. I could do that too.】
【Oh really? If you think you could, post a pic. Let’s see where that confidence comes from.】

Ji Youyou announced, “Everyone worked hard this morning. So this afternoon, as a reward, we’ll go to our Dream Orchard to pick fruit!”

The guests changed into long sleeves and straw hats.

The crew drove them to the orchard.

It was loquat season—tall trees, heavy with clusters of golden fruit.

Mu Xing stood still for a moment, gazing up, a little moved.

He thought of Xiaoxi Village.

Each guest was given a basket to carry on their backs, with the task of filling it with loquats.

Once done, they could return.

Gu Jiani looked at the basket, which was nearly half her height, and sighed. “This is the reward? Can I refuse the reward?”

【This show really knows how to torment its guests】
【And that’s exactly why I love watching it】
【Why feel sorry for them? They make in a week what we won’t make in years—do we really need to pity them?】

The trees were tall, but plenty of fruit hung low enough to reach.

The heat bore down, and within minutes everyone was sweating, eager to finish quickly. They each picked a tree and began.

Mu Xing watched for a bit, then asked a staff member for scissors. With a few swift moves, he climbed up a tree.

“Whoa!” Fu Chen happened to see. “Amazing, how did you get up there?”

He glanced at the tree skeptically. The lowest branch was still as high as his neck.

Mu Xing wedged the basket into place, clipped fruit swiftly, and said casually, “Climbing trees isn’t hard.”

Fu Chen looked down at his own thin frame and dropped his head in shame.

【Mu Xing looked so cool just then!】
【Fu Chen’s expression cracked me up, screenshot taken—new meme coming soon!】
【Climbing trees is easy, any fit person could do it. What’s there to hype up?】
【Why does Mu Xing seem to know how to do everything? Even picking fruit he’s so practiced.】
【Probably did chores at home often, so he’s quick with his hands. The others clearly haven’t done much manual work.】
【By the way, does anyone know what Mu Xing’s family background is? Can’t find anything online.】
【He can climb trees, weave with grass, works fast… maybe he’s a countryside kid?】
【Countryside? But isn’t he supposed to be a top graduate from a foreign university? Studying abroad costs a fortune.】
【Tsk, these days anything can be faked. Who knows if that degree is real.】
【??? I typed a question mark, not because I’m confused, but because…】
【To the one doubting his degree—you must be sick in the head. You think something so easily verified could be faked?】

…

【Stop arguing and watch the livestream. Everything looks good when a handsome guy does it—even picking loquats looks like a painting. I’ve screenshotted him so many times already.】
【Damn, the cameraman’s got skills! I caught a glimpse of Xingxing’s waist!】

*

The other guests also borrowed scissors like Mu Xing, but their speed was nowhere close to his.

By the time Mu Xing was nearly done, they were barely halfway.

He asked staff to collect the fruit, then jumped down from the tree.

Ji Youyou exclaimed, “You’re so fast! Qin and Shengyu have only got half!”

Mu Xing took the towel handed to him, thanked the staff, and washed his face.

Thinking of the original body’s childhood, he said, “I picked fruit a lot as a kid, so I’m used to it.”

【See, I knew it—he’s done this before, that’s why he’s so skilled】
【I remember Qin Song came from a well-off family, and Jiang Shengyu’s family was middle class】
【Mu Xing seems genuine. Even in this kind of show he doesn’t hide that his family wasn’t well-off】

…

Later, Mu Xing would realize: the rumor about him being from a poor family started here.

When netizens later cursed him for being “pretentious” after the truth came out, he felt wronged.

Because as a child, he really did pick fruit at home.

His maternal grandfather owned a huge estate, and the fruit he ate growing up all came from the family’s orchards.

❣╰(⸝⸝⸝꒳⸝⸝⸝)╯❣

A variety show, a celebrity, plus the words “promoting education”—there was no denying this combination was eye-catching.

The official account clipped the conversation between Mu Xing and Zhao Song, added some editing, and uploaded it.

Plenty of bored passersby clicked in, expecting a typical celebrity interview where this Mu Xing fellow would spout some generic “study hard” lines.

But when they opened it, it was nothing like that.

In the video, a handsome young boy sat on a little stool, seriously discussing the importance of studying with a child who looked no more than ten.

He didn’t use lofty slogans. Instead, he spoke softly, like an older friend, explaining to Zhao Song how important studying was for him, for his parents, and for his family’s future.

Many netizens had never heard of Mu Xing, and had no idea what Dream Pastoral even was.

The usually laid-back fans of Mu Xing suddenly perked up.

Proudly, they replied under the post, introducing him: this star’s name was Mu Xing, he was a super top student, his teaching style was fun, and he could even weave delicate little grass animals.

They made their own fan edits, compiling Mu Xing’s highlights from the show:

• Proposing to Zhang Tiantian’s grandma that he’d tutor in exchange for vegetables.
• Bargaining back and forth with Zhao Song like he was really in the fourth grade.
• Explaining homework in a humorous, engaging way.
• His nimble fingers weaving a green spider, then making it vanish from his palm on camera…

Even Mu Xing’s fans were surprised while editing: wow, in just one day, he’d already given them so many “highlight moments.”

Truly a hidden gem.

Many passersby became fans after seeing those clips. Then, learning Dream Pastoral was a full-time livestream show, they grew even more curious.

Downloads of the Fruit app skyrocketed.

The biggest surprise for the production team was that state media also weighed in.

They reposted the official clip, adding commentary:

Essentially, that celebrities, as public figures and role models for young people, should promote positive, uplifting values.

Though they didn’t name anyone, everyone knew it was praising Mu Xing.

“Good kid!” Mu Jiangtao had been sitting in the living room for nearly three hours now.

Mu Xing’s performance in the program had far exceeded his expectations.

Not in a bad way—in fact, it was even better than he imagined.

Watching his son on the livestream, he couldn’t connect this poised boy with the prickly “hedgehog” who had just come home months ago.

But now he finally understood what his ex-wife had once said:

“Xingxing is a gentle, well-behaved child, nothing like you.”

Of course, Mu Jiangtao refused to believe he was at fault. He dumped all the blame on Qin Song.

It had to be that man who corrupted his son!

If not for his son’s foolish crush on that man, how else would he have acted so strangely these past six months?

Still, now that the two had split, things were better.

Look at how decisively Mu Xing said on the show: they were divorced, they would go their separate ways, no need to even remain friends.

Mu Jiangtao nearly wanted to make a new account just to support his son and give him a thumbs-up.

Breaking completely with that scum, without a trace of hesitation—that was indeed his son!

*

Meanwhile, the other two guest teams had no idea what was happening on Mu Xing’s side.

Qin Song and Jiang Shengyu had been trudging under the blazing sun, herding an ox all morning.

Gu Jiani and Zhou Qiongyu were scrubbing crayfish until they nearly cried.

By the time they finally arrived at the village entrance around 10:30 with their hard-earned meat and seafood, they saw Mu Xing and Fu Chen carrying a large bag brimming with fresh vegetables.

The vegetable-stall auntie even stuffed a white plastic bag into Mu Xing’s hands—inside were golden-smoked cured fish and bacon.

“Huh? Isn’t meat handled by Grandpa over there?” Jiang Shengyu blurted instinctively.

Fu Chen glanced at him, and for some reason replied in a tone of mysterious pride: “Yeah, but this was from Auntie’s own house. She insisted Mu Xing take it.”

【??? Fu Chen, what exactly are you proud of? Tell me, what did you contribute to this team?】
【He did! He picked vegetables in the field and ran errands for Mu Xing】
【Looking at Mu Xing and Fu Chen, then at the other teams, I can’t help laughing】
【Clearly this morning’s biggest winner was Fu Chen. He hitched himself to Mu Xing and just coasted to victory】

Hearing Fu Chen’s words, the others stared at them in confusion, not understanding what had happened.

Fu Chen continued proudly: “This is Zhang Tiantian, and this is Zhao Song. Mu Xing made a deal with them—he’ll tutor their homework for a week, and in return, we can take whatever snacks and vegetables we want all week.”

“You can do that?” Gu Jiani gasped.

Her eyes widened. “I thought we had to work in exchange for supplies.”

Ji Youyou popped up from the side. “Not necessarily. The program team said earlier—guests just need to convince stall owners to willingly give things. Doesn’t have to be physical labor.”

Gu Jiani suddenly turned to the old man in charge of meat. “Grandpa, do you have kids at home who need homework tutoring?”

The old man had been smiling as he watched them, but when he heard this he asked, “Sure, I do. But are you like that young man… a graduate from one of those top ten universities in the world?”

Gu Jiani: “…”

Sorry to bother you.

She covered her face. “I’m not worthy.”

【Gu Jiani: Turns out the clown was me all along】
【This is the power of a true academic elite】
【Honestly, you don’t need a world top 10 degree to tutor primary school, but since there’s already Mu Xing, do any of the other guests dare try this method unless they’ve got higher credentials?】
【Forget the guests—how many people in the entire entertainment circle even have a top 10 world university background?】
【I admit I worship academic credentials. After learning this, I no longer think Mu Xing is unworthy of Qin Song. Qin fans who disagree can come argue with me directly.】

Gu Jiani didn’t actually care that much—she had only spoken casually.

But when her words reached certain ears, they didn’t sit well.

Jiang Shengyu cast a subtle glance at Mu Xing and pursed his lips.

His own education wasn’t considered strong, though in the entertainment industry that hardly mattered; popularity was what counted.

But suddenly, with this being highlighted, he couldn’t help wondering: was Mu Xing doing it on purpose?

In the end, Mu Xing couldn’t resist the auntie’s persistence and walked away carrying a bag of cured meat.

They cooked for themselves, several stoves lit at once, fumbling along with recipes on a cooking app, and finally managed to get a few dishes on the table.

Feeling sorry for their morning’s hard work, the production team generously gave them plenty of rest time.

Everyone returned to their rooms and switched off their cameras.

The livestream froze, lingering on a panoramic shot of the guests’ beautiful villa.

【Huh? Not streaming anymore? I thought it was 24 hours.】
【The guests need private space too, you can’t expect them to stream while they sleep.】
【Get some good rest. I’ve been up since 6am watching this nonstop. My brain feels dizzy and swollen now.】

Many viewers took the chance to rest as well, but even more fans and casual viewers found themselves too excited to calm down after watching the show.

Clips and highlights from Dream Pastoral’s livestream began spreading wildly across the internet.

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The little boy nodded, his eyes sparkling.

The camera was right there, but with a flick of Mu Xing’s hand, no one could see what he had done. The bright green little spider simply vanished.

It was already summer vacation, and everyone was in short sleeves.

How did that spider just disappear?

The boy’s eyes widened. He craned his neck, trying hard to peek at Mu Xing’s hand.

Mu Xing spread out both palms—clean and empty, nothing there.

With a smug look, he said to the boy: “If you want the little spider, you’ll have to trade with me. You know what I mean, right?”

The boy’s eyes rolled as he thought, then he turned to his little stall and said, “I’ve got loads of snacks, a whole cabinet full. One little spider isn’t enough.”

Mu Xing burst out laughing.

This kid was sharp.

They started bargaining, and in the end decided: Mu Xing would weave a full set of the twelve zodiac animals in exchange for free snacks for three days.

Mu Xing had originally wanted to solve a whole week’s worth of snacks at once, but the kid was not so easy to fool.

【Hahahahaha I didn’t expect this to be so funny when I first clicked in】
【Half an hour ago I thought Mu Xing was a clueless brat, now I think he’s an airheaded elementary school sweetheart. How can a person have so many sides?】
【Do these two even add up to ten years old? lol】
【He’s so cute! And the little boy too!】
【Is it just me, or does Mu Xing seem way more patient with kids than with the guests?】
【Fu Chen’s dumbfounded face cracked me up, yet another route nobody predicted】

By the time the auntie’s granddaughter came over with her little schoolbag, Mu Xing had already woven four or five little grass animals with his nimble fingers.

The boy carefully took a candy tin from his snack cabinet, dumped out the candies, and treasured those grass animals by putting them inside.

Having won the right to pick snacks freely, Mu Xing grabbed a few bottles of drinks and handed them to Fu Chen.

Fu Chen felt oddly flattered. “So polite? I can’t drink this much by myself…”

Mu Xing replied, “Who said it’s for you? It’s a hot day, everyone’s working hard to earn money at their stalls. Take them to those uncles and aunties.”

Fu Chen: “…Oh.”

【Fu Chen: Turns out I was just overthinking it.】
【Haha these two are kind of interesting, I’m starting to ship it】
【Meanwhile, Gu Jiani and her group are already washing crawfish, and Qin the movie king’s team is even wilder—they got dragged off to herd cattle.】
【And Mu Xing? He’s already sitting under an umbrella, sipping a cold drink, fan blowing, and started teaching.】

Viewers could switch between three different scenes of the guests.

At first, Qin Song’s side had overwhelming ratings.

But once Mu Xing revealed his education background and started weaving crafts, their livestream numbers began steadily rising.

After all, while watching celebrities herd cows was novel, it got boring after ten minutes.

But Mu Xing’s stream was different.

Fourth-grade content was easy for him, but he quickly noticed that the little girl, Tian Tian, really had a weak foundation.

It wasn’t her fault. This poor mountain village was simply too underdeveloped; kids here couldn’t access the same quality of education as children in big cities.

Fortunately, in his previous world he had already tutored kids at the orphanage. He’d seen all kinds of students, so this kind of after-school tutoring was effortless.

Netizens were originally just curious how Mu Xing would tutor kids.

But the more they listened, the more fun they found it.

Some parents even pulled their own kids over to watch the program.

And surprisingly, it worked.

【Same questions, same content—why can he explain it in such an interesting way?】
【Yesterday I lost my temper tutoring my sister and smacked her, then my mom beat me. Now we’re both sitting quietly in front of the screen watching Mu Xing teach (:з」∠)】
【LOL I dragged my little brother over to watch the show too】
【So jealous of little Tian Tian. If I’d had such a smart, handsome tutor back then, would I have ended up hauling bricks at a construction site?】

“Director, our show is trending again!”

The director wasn’t surprised. “Let me guess, Mu Xing?”

The assistant nodded. “Not just Mu Xing. Qin Song’s cattle-herding and Gu Jiani’s crawfish-washing too. There’s even a trending tag with ‘Dream Pastoral’.”

The director beamed. “Good, good. Looks like this season’s prize money is basically in the bag.”

The livestream heat was especially high. When the director checked the backend, Qin Song’s team was still number one.

But their numbers had been high from the start and then leveled out.

Meanwhile, Mu Xing’s side kept climbing steadily.

At that moment—

Qin Song’s fan forum, Jiang Shengyu’s fan forum, and even their CP supertopic “QinSheng Like the Sea” were all buzzing.

【Our livestream is still the hottest, keep pushing!】
【Do we even need to prove our idol’s popularity? No way some knockoff can catch up】
【Girls, Mu Xing’s side is trending again, their viewer count is climbing too fast. They must have bought bots】
【I’ve got the livestream open on my computer, phone, and tablet, everyone keep it up!】
【I even downloaded the Fruit app on my mom’s phone, QinSheng Forever!】

Not only Qin Song and Jiang Shengyu—the supertopics of the other three guests were also bustling with activity, fans working hard to boost their idols’ data. They couldn’t afford to look bad.

Only Mu Xing’s side was different. He had a few followers on Weibo, but no major fan accounts and no one managing things. His fans wandered aimlessly around the supertopic, then gave up.

They simply squatted quietly in the livestream room, watching.

Whatever happens, happens.

Mu Xing knew nothing about these invisible battlefields of fandom. He was seriously tutoring little Zhang Tiantian with her homework, giving her a pack of candy or a piece of chocolate whenever she did well.

The vegetable-seller auntie nearby chuckled happily.

The little boy beside them looked displeased. “That’s my stuff, how can you just give it to Zhang Tiantian?”

Even he wasn’t allowed to eat it freely—he was only the stallkeeper for hire!

Jealousy!

Mu Xing said, “Didn’t you agree? For these three days I can take whatever snacks I want. Once I take them, they’re mine. I can give them to whoever I want.”

The boy opened his mouth, and after a long moment muttered, “Then why don’t you give them to me to eat?”

【Pfft!】
【Hahahaha Zhao Song and Mu Xing’s daily banter—I could watch it for a year!】
【Finally said what you really wanted, Zhao Song—you’re just greedy, you want snacks!】

Hearing this, Zhang Tiantian looked up from her homework and retorted seriously, “Because I’m studying hard. If I do it right, I get rewarded. You don’t study, why should you get snacks?”

Zhao Song blurted out, “I can study too!”

Even he was shocked by his own words, staring blankly for a while. Then his eyes shifted to the little bag of snacks Zhang Tiantian’s grandma had packed for her—it had already filled up after just over an hour!

He made up his mind, turned to Mu Xing, and said, “I want to study too. Can I study with you?”

Mu Xing pointed out an error in Zhang Tiantian’s work, asked her to rethink it, then stood up and asked Zhao Song, “Do you want to study, or do you want to eat?”

Zhang Tiantian shouted, “Of course Zhao Song just wants snacks! He doesn’t like studying at all!”

Zhao Song glared at her, then tried to argue with Mu Xing: “Why can’t I want both?”

Mu Xing replied, “You can. But let me tell you—if you study well and achieve something, you’ll get a great job and earn lots of money. Then you’ll be able to eat as many snacks as you like.”

He pointed at the huge cabinet. “Snacks like those—you could eat until you never wanted them again.”

Zhao Song said, “But when I grow up a little more, I can just go out to work. I can still earn money to buy snacks.”

The boy’s world was simple. To him, the best life was growing up without school or parental control, just working and buying food for himself—that would be real freedom.

Mu Xing thought for a moment and asked, “Your parents are working outside, aren’t they?”

Zhao Song nodded.

“Do you see them buying snacks every day?”

Zhao Song froze.

“No…” he answered in confusion.

Mu Xing spread his hands. “See? Your parents work hard, but instead of buying snacks, they pay your tuition and living costs. Don’t you think that means they want you to study well? What does that tell you?”

Zhao Song, nearly tangled up by the reasoning, asked blankly, “What does it tell me?”

“It tells you that studying is better than snacks. Adults are smart, they know what’s best, don’t they?”

Zhao Song looked doubtful. “Is that really true?”

Mu Xing, confident: “Think about it yourself—isn’t it?”

Zhang Tiantian stopped writing and added, “My grandma always tells me to study hard. If I get into college, I can leave the mountains and live a better life. That’s why I have to study—to take my grandma out to see the world one day.”

Her grandmother smiled so hard her eyes turned into slits.

Zhao Song lowered his head and thought seriously for a while.

Then he asked, “Can I come and do homework with Zhang Tiantian tomorrow?”

Mu Xing nodded. “Of course.”

Zhao Song remembered that Zhang Tiantian’s tutoring had cost her grandma a week’s worth of vegetables in trade.

He felt like he was making a huge bargain. “Then I don’t need you to weave me animals anymore. You can have all the snacks this week.”

【I don’t even know what to say… quietly went and followed Mu Xing on Weibo】
【As a mountain village teacher, this conversation really moved me. Many families here don’t value education, but they’re the ones who need it most to escape poverty.】
【Watching with my mom—she just asked me who this young man is, said he’s really good.】
【After seeing this, no matter what Mu Xing has done before, I won’t curse him again.】

The director, sitting in his office, fell silent watching this scene.

He didn’t deny he was touched.

But for a soulless wage-earner, that kind of sentiment was cheap and only lasted ten seconds.

He immediately realized this was a golden chance to push the show to another level.

He called staff right away: “Buy a trending spot! Not the previous one, change it!”

Soon, a brand-new hashtag shot onto the top of the trending list.

#Dream Pastoral Mu Xing Advocates Learning#

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