Shen Baozhu lowered her head and quietly slipped her hand into Shen Haiyan's arms, trying to hide it. "What absurd rules these are! They must have been set by someone crazy. Baozhu, don't be afraid. With Third Brother here, no one dares to beat you," Shen Haiyan said. Seeing Shen Baozhu frightened, he lovingly hugged her in his arms, a hint of sternness flashing in his eyes.
Although Shen Haiyan was the youngest among the three brothers, he was the one who doted on and protected Shen Baozhu the most.
In the past, Old Lady Shen, dissatisfied with the Princess of Jingning, had been squeezing and bullying the three - year - old Shen Baozhu both openly and secretly. She had made Shen Baozhu recite poems in public and used Shen Heqing's genius experience to belittle Shen Baozhu, calling her a good - for - nothing.
When Shen Haiyan learned of this, he first openly told Shen Heqing, causing Old Lady Shen to be contradicted by her beloved grandson. Then he spread the word, making the other branches of the Shen family think that the old lady was scolding their children as good - for - nothings. This made the Shen family in turmoil. Only after Old Lady Shen apologized to Shen Baozhu and admitted her mistake did peace return.
Thanks to Shen Haiyan, Old Lady Shen never treated Shen Baozhu harshly again. At most, she would mutter a few words under her breath, always being careful not to let Shen Baozhu hear and get hurt.
Now, Shen Haiyan, whose injury had healed, had already marked the Xu family in his mind.
He casually asked, "Is your grandfather back in the capital for a three - year service report?"
Xu Yutang wasn't quite sure. She only knew that Magistrate Xu had completed his three - year term. This time when he returned to the capital, he only brought his eldest son, eldest grandson Xu Yusong (Xu Yutang's elder brother), the grandson of an old acquaintance, Chen Liang, and Xu Yutang herself.
Bringing Xu Yutang was to let her marry Chen Liang in the capital so that Chen Liang could stay in the capital and take care of the family in the future.
Shen Haiyan caught on to a few key points. "Houses in the capital are expensive. That Chen Liang has been asking for your jewelry and inquiring about your dowry. He probably can't afford a house. Will he rent one? Or use your dowry?"
"No need to rent. Chen Liang's family is poor. His mother was sick before, and they sold the last of their land. He surely can't afford to rent either. But coincidentally, my mother left me a house in the capital as part of my dowry. We can move in after the wedding," Xu Yutang said, with a hint of anticipation. It was a large two - courtyard mansion, much bigger than the attic!
Lin Yu: [That's really a coincidence. I still suggest Xu Yutang consider Yuan Qingxi.]
The Dragon King shared Lin Yu's opinion: [That Yuan Qingxi would rather work hard himself to make sure Xu Yutang eats well. He's much better than this freeloader.]
Shen Baozhu was also very shocked. She subconsciously compared Yan Mingli with Chen Liang and couldn't help asking, "Will he fight with you for food?"
Xu Yutang shook her head. "No, because he looks down on the food I eat."
The Dragon King: [What do you mean?]
"A woman should maintain her figure. I usually eat vegetarian dishes or light - flavored meat dishes. Chen Liang peeked once and said such food was disgusting."
"Making good food into such bland dishes is not only disgusting but also a waste," Xu Yutang added.
At this, Xu Yutang sighed. "What does he know? If the food is too delicious, what if I overeat and gain weight?"
Shen Baozhu's expression had changed from fear to shock and admiration. She admired Xu Yutang's self - restraint.
Hearing this self - consistent logic, Shen Haiyan's eyebrows twitched. He put his arm around Shen Baozhu and asked, "What do you think?"
Xu Yutang blinked. She thought this was a great idea. It could prevent overeating and also keep her complexion from looking bad.
As the conversation went on, Shen Haiyan gradually understood the Xu family.
The Xu family adhered to the traditional concept of male superiority. Men inherited the family business, and women were born for family alliances. Xu Yutang was a typical product of such an alliance.
She was beautiful, gentle - natured, and had dabbled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but only superficially.
According to Xu Yutang, it was to take care of her future husband's self - esteem.
If she was too outstanding, how would her future husband feel?
This strange view shocked Shen Baozhu greatly. Shen Haiyan even sent someone to call Chen Miaochun and Chen Ruxia back.
He wanted to arrange for Xu Yutang to leave as soon as possible. He absolutely couldn't let Baozhu be in contact with Xu Yutang. Xu Yutang would have a bad influence on the kids!
...
In the evening, the sky was painted with the glow of the setting sun.
The first person to return home in the glow of the sunset was Yan Mingli.
As soon as Yan Mingli came back, he looked for Shen Baozhu.
He saw Shen Baozhu and Xu Yutang playing in the garden. There was another person standing between them. Looking closely, it was Shen Haiyan, the third young master of the Princess Mansion.
Seeing Yan Mingli, Shen Haiyan heaved a sigh of relief and immediately pulled Shen Baozhu away. "Baozhu, look, Yan Mingli is back."
Xu Yutang stood there, slightly frowning. She didn't know what she had done wrong to make Shen Haiyan so disgusted with her.
"Baozhu! I met a real foodie today. He gave me a lot of recipes. I'll ask the chef to cook them for you some other day," Yan Mingli said. He really liked Shen Baozhu, not only because of Chen Miaochun but also because they had similar tastes and many things in common.
The Dragon King: [This king still thinks Yan Mingli is the most idle one.]
Shen Baozhu was very enthusiastic. "Great! Can I bring Sister Yutang? She's so pitiful. She's always eating disgusting food."
Thinking that Xu Yutang had been eating such disgusting food for more than a decade, the five - year - old Shen Baozhu felt sorry for her.
She counted on her fingers. She was five years old now, and Sister Yutang should be fifteen. That meant she had eaten disgusting food for three times as long as she had lived!
So pitiful!
Xu Yutang was the niece of Mrs. Chen, so she could be considered Chen Miaochun's younger sister. Yan Mingli was always generous to people related to Chen Miaochun, so he readily agreed.
Shen Baozhu went to tell Xu Yutang the good news, while Shen Haiyan patted Yan Mingli on the shoulder. "Xu Yutang is Chen Ruxia's sister. How about letting her follow Chen Ruxia?"
"Ah? Whatever," Yan Mingli said indifferently.
He asked, "Is Miaochun back?"
Learning that only he had returned, Yan Mingli was a bit disappointed. But soon he plucked up his courage and cheered up. "Brother Haiyan, guess where I went today?"
Shen Haiyan stared at Yan Mingli expressionlessly.
This didn't dampen Yan Mingli's enthusiasm. "I went to watch those brothel girls learn embroidery. Guess where those brothel girls came from?"
Shen Haiyan still didn't say a word.
"I rescued them! It all started when I accompanied Miaochun to the Nanfeng Pavilion..."
Shen Haiyan finally understood why Yan Mingli was dragging him into the conversation. It turned out that this gossip couldn't be shared with Shen Baozhu.
Since Yan Mingli was sensible enough not to share it with Shen Baozhu but came to him instead, Shen Haiyan kindly asked, "And then?"
Getting a response, Yan Mingli became even more excited. "I went to the Nanfeng Pavilion today and saw a man pleading with the boss. I was curious and asked.没想到..."
"Get to the point," Shen Haiyan had little patience.
Yan Mingli was taken aback. Afraid that Shen Haiyan wouldn't listen to him, he quickly summarized. "That man had taken a fancy to the top courtesan of the Nanfeng Pavilion, but she was very expensive. It cost five taels of silver to meet her once. He only had two taels, so he kept pestering the boss.
"I was just watching the fun at first.没想到 that man's ancestors had run a restaurant, and he had a lot of recipes. He wanted to exchange the recipes for a meeting with the top courtesan.
"The Nanfeng Pavilion is not a restaurant, so the boss didn't want them. But I'm in the restaurant business! I stepped forward and asked, and found that this man really had something. So I bought all the recipes.
"He asked for five hundred taels for fifty recipes. I didn't bargain and directly deposited six hundred taels in the Nanfeng Pavilion for him. That man, oh, his name is Chen Liang. Chen Liang was very grateful to me."
Yan Mingli was a bit proud. He wasn't stupid. Although he had deposited an extra hundred taels, the boss of the Nanfeng Pavilion was very polite to him and secretly returned three hundred and fifty taels to him.
Shen Haiyan summarized after listening. "You bought fifty recipes for two hundred and fifty taels?"
"No! The rented shop of the Nanfeng Pavilion is mine. I used one - year's rent to offset the two hundred and fifty taels. It's as if I didn't spend a single copper coin and got fifty recipes for free."
The Nanfeng Pavilion occupied two and a half shops, and the monthly rent was twenty - five taels. Yan Mingli was also very generous and waived the fraction.
At this moment, Shen Haiyan was just listening to the gossip and didn't realize at all that the Chen Liang in Yan Mingli's story was the same Chen Liang that Xu Yutang had mentioned.