Chapter 50

Chapter 50

After waking up this time, Xie Zhiyu had no other discomfort symptoms.

Qi Yuanjing had originally thought he wouldn't need to plant the herbs for Xie Zhiyu again, but now it seemed safer to plant them anyway.

Previously, the gu worm would flare up for five days, and during those five days, Xie Zhiyu shouldn't stay too far from Shen Song.

It was harvest season, and every household was busy. The Shen family's vegetable business had also grown, so Shen Song couldn't stick by Xie Zhiyu's side for long stretches like he used to.

But Xie Zhiyu's condition had changed, and Qi Yuanjing worried Xie Zhiyu's body couldn't take another flare-up of the gu worm.

Qi Yuanjing said, "I'll send someone to help your family with the harvest."

Shen Song directly refused, "My parents would freak out."

Qi Yuanjing sighed and said it was no big deal, "It's a one-word fix. Just tell your family not to worry."

"Can Xie Zhiyu come along with me?" Shen Song asked.

Both Qi Yuanjing and Xie Zhiyu were stunned.

Xie Zhiyu asked, "You want me to come to your place?"

Shen Song nodded, "That way I can work and still stay close to you."

Xie Zhiyu didn't speak.

Qi Yuanjing didn't want to go, but if Xie Zhiyu was going, he'd have to tag along given how bad he was doing. He was about to talk Shen Song out of it when Xie Zhiyu said, dead serious, "That's not proper."

Qi Yuanjing went "huh" and winked at Xie Zhiyu, "Since when do you care about being proper?"

If he really cared about being proper, he wouldn't have let Shen Song come to the Xie estate.

"Are you gonna keep nagging?" Xie Zhiyu frowned.

The Xie family's carriage still headed to Shen Family Gully.

In the carriage, Qi Yuanjing looked like he'd given up on life.

Xie Zhiyu wasn't feeling well and kept his eyes shut. Shen Song sat quietly to the side, clutching a big food box full of snacks.

He was hungry and uncomfortable, so he just kept eating.

During the busy harvest, no one noticed Xie Zhiyu's carriage rolling into the village except the kids running around at the entrance.

After getting home, Shen Song went to work in the fields, while the carriage stayed parked at the foot of the mountain. Xie Zhiyu's carriage was pretty big; he didn't get out, and neither did Qi Yuanjing.

This went on for five days. Liu Chunxia and the others were busy with the harvest and only heard that Shen Song's two city friends had been hanging around the fields, but they never actually saw them.

Shen Song went back to the county with Xie Zhiyu and the others at night, which left the Shen family worried.

They were afraid Shen Song's reputation would be ruined.

They could only ask Chi Jiu what was going on during the day.

Chi Jiu told them the truth, "I never saw them."

Neither one ever stepped out of the carriage.

The old Shen couple harvested rice during the day and mulled over Shen Song's situation before bed.

Once Xie Zhiyu's gu poison was temporarily under control, Shen Song moved back home.

The Shen family also finished their autumn harvest.

One day, after Shen Song finished delivering vegetables and came home with Chi Jiu, the old Shen couple wasn't out in the fields. They were at home threshing rice with a flail.

"Dad, Mom, let me help." Shen Song took the eight and a half taels to the cowshed and fed the cow some grass.

Chi Jiu was already helping with the flail. Shen Song had experience from threshing wheat, so he got into a smooth rhythm right away.

Shen Dashu cracked open some husks and saw the rice was plump and crystal-clear. He decided to keep two-thirds and sell the rest.

The two-thirds would be split in half again—one part for the family to eat, and the other to give to regular customers during festivals.

No other family could grow rice as good as theirs.

Shen Dashu and Liu Chunxia swung their flails, threshing rice and exchanging glances, nodding toward Shen Song with their eyes.

Finally, Liu Chunxia, being the mom, moved closer to Shen Song. But when she opened her mouth, a bit of chaff flew in. She spat a few times before she got it out.

"Xiao Ba, you're seventeen now. Our family's doing better, and we've got some savings. Look, how about I start looking into a match for you?"

Shen Song had just turned seventeen the month before. No one in the Shen family made a habit of celebrating birthdays, and Shen Song hadn't in his past life either, nor here.

The flail in Shen Song's hand smacked against the rice with a crack, and he didn't even flinch.

"Marriage?"

Liu Chunxia stopped threshing altogether. Since she'd already brought it up, she kept going, "Yes, marriage. If you don't want to marry out, Mom can also arrange for a son-in-law to marry in, though the terms wouldn't be as good as marrying out."

Shen Song's mouth fell open in surprise, his eyes wide.

He'd forgotten that his body looked like a man's but wasn't actually a man—he was a ge'er, meant to marry a man and have kids.

Plus, people here had short lifespans. At just seventeen, he was already considered an old unmarried ge'er.

Shen Song's head throbbed a little, and he mumbled, "Mom, can I just not get married?"

Liu Chunxia sighed, giving Shen Song a helpless look. Her wrinkled face added another layer of weariness after hearing his words.

"Ah, Xiao Ba, ge'ers and women have a hard time if they don't marry. Mother isn't forcing you into marriage, but truly, the world doesn't allow it."

Liu Chunxia didn't know how to explain the consequences to Shen Song. While the old couple was still around, it was fine, but once they passed away and the children all split into separate households, Xiao Ba, as a ge'er, wouldn't be able to own a house or land. He could only live with one of his brothers or sisters.

The brothers, sisters, sisters-in-law, and brothers-in-law might continue to treat Xiao Ba well. But their children would also grow up to marry and have families of their own—they had their own small households to care for.

A few days, a few months, a few years—all would be manageable.

But a lifetime was too long.

Liu Chunxia didn't expect Shen Song to give her an answer right away. Bringing it up was just to plant the idea in his mind, so he could start thinking about his own marriage.

That night, Shen Song lay in bed, unable to sleep.

There was one bed in the room, and three people slept in it.

The bedding was all gifts from Shopkeeper Xu. The three ge'ers slept together without feeling cramped, and they all slept soundly.

Today, Shen Song tossed and turned by the bedside.

Chi Jiu beside him whispered, "Can't sleep? Thinking about marriage?"

Hit the mark, Shen Song stopped tossing and turning and lay on his back, staring at the white muslin mosquito net above the bed.

Afraid of waking San Qiu inside the bed, he replied just as quietly, "I've never thought about such things."

How could a man give birth?!

That really bothered Shen Song.

Chi Jiu turned his head, only able to see the outline of Shen Song's face in the dark, "If you think about it now, Eighth Brother, is there someone you'd want to marry?"

Shen Song immediately shook his head.

"No."

But if he were to take a wife...

A flood of images flashed through Shen Song's mind—magnolias, wisterias, roses, bamboo leaves...

Shen Song pressed his lips together, his face growing warm. Why did Xie Zhiyu pop into his head at a time like this? It made him feel awkward.

But Xie Zhiyu was really good-looking; every time they met, he wore different outfits, all flashy and stunning, leaving an impression that was impossible to forget.

If only he were a man and Xie Zhiyu were a gē'er.

Just as Shen Song was thinking of Xie Zhiyu, Chi Jiu happened to bring up Lord Xie right next to him, and at that moment, Shen Song's heart gave a sudden tight squeeze.

"Eighth Brother, what kind of person do you think someone like Lord Xie would end up marrying?"

Shen Song thought it over and said he didn't know.

He couldn't picture it.

Chi Jiu chuckled, "Yeah, someone like Lord Xie—it's really hard to picture who he'd marry. But Lord Xie and Eighth Brother are tight; if he really ties the knot, he should invite Eighth Brother. Then you could see who Lord Xie ends up marrying."

As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could see a bit better. Chi Jiu stared hard at Shen Song's face, listening closely to his voice, trying to read his mood.

Shen Song fell into deep thought.

That afternoon, Liu Chunxia had been planting ideas in Shen Song's head, listing off all the perks of marriage in detail. One of them was that wedding banquets would have tons of delicious food, all kinds of treats you couldn't normally get.

Shen Song didn't remember much else, but he remembered that one thing.

"Ma said that getting married means lots of good food. Xie Zhiyu already gives me so many snacks I've never seen before; at his wedding feast, there's gotta be even more good stuff."

Shen Song said, practically drooling.

Chi Jiu was caught off guard for a second, then let out a soft laugh, "Eighth Brother hasn't caught on yet."

"What does 'catching on' mean?" Shen Song pressed.

Chi Jiu said it was nothing, "When the time's right, Eighth Brother will get it on his own."

He said in a hushed voice, "If only he could stay clueless forever, otherwise it'd be really painful."

Shen Song didn't get what Chi Jiu meant, but he finally felt sleepy.

The next day, Shen Song got up a little late, but luckily, he didn't hold up the vegetable delivery.

On the way back, when he dropped off the veggies at the Xie estate, You An called out to Shen Song, telling him to wait inside.

"Master Qi sent word yesterday, saying to keep the gē'er here today. He'll come by in the afternoon and bring someone for you to meet, to plant some medicinal herbs."

Shen Song remembered promising Qi Yuanjing a third of an acre to plant herbs. The land was set aside, but Qi Yuanjing hadn't made a move yet.

"Then why not just send someone to my place? Why wait for him here at the Xie estate?" Shen Song asked, puzzled.

You An said he didn't get it either, "That's just how the message came through."

Shen Song told Chi Jiu he'd wait for Qi Yuanjing at the Xie estate and asked Chi Jiu to head home first.

The day was bright and sunny, the sky a clear blue, with birds singing and flowers blooming.

You An led Shen Song to the pavilion in the middle of the lake, where someone was already waiting.

It was Xie Zhiyu.

He looked like he'd just bathed, wearing a loose, light lake-green robe, a bit disheveled. His long hair hung loose to his waist, with a dark jeweled headband across his forehead. When he lowered his head, the stray strands at his forehead drifted in the wind, looking incredibly charming.

Shen Song trotted into the pavilion, saying cheerfully, "Xie Zhiyu, what are you up to? This is the first time I've seen you with your hair all down."

Xie Zhiyu didn't look up or say anything.

With one hand holding a brush and the other holding back his wide sleeve, he moved the brush with bold strokes, writing a character on the paper.

It was the first time Shen Song had ever watched someone write.

His eyes went wide, and he couldn't help leaning in closer.

"Xie Zhiyu, your writing is really beautiful."

"Do you know what it says?" Xie Zhiyu asked him.

Shen Song shook his head, "I can't read, I just think this character looks really pretty."

The corner of Xie Zhiyu's mouth twitched up slightly, then he quickly suppressed it, "Writing is easy."

Shen Song didn't agree and blurted out, "That's because you're amazing, so it seems easy to you."

Ancient script was ranked as the hardest subject in the whole interstellar realm.

He'd gone to one ancient script class, and within five minutes of it starting, he was dead asleep—and he was the only student there.

In Shen Song's eyes, anyone who could master ancient script was super impressive. Once he saved up a little more money, he'd tell his ma he wanted to study. Learning ancient script here wouldn't put him to sleep. Because of the transmigration, he could already speak the local language, so learning the local characters would probably be easier.

Xie Zhiyu raised an eyebrow slightly, the corner of his mouth curling up, this time unable to suppress it, "Want to see more?"

"See what?"

"Me writing."

Shen Song: "Wow—I can watch more? Then I want to see!"

Xie Zhiyu moved his wrist, and the attendant waiting on the side immediately came over to change the paper.

Xie Zhiyu paused briefly as he set down the brush, then with bold, vigorous strokes, he wrote two characters in one fluid motion.

Shen Song watched, mesmerized, at how beautiful it was. He unconsciously followed Xie Zhiyu's brush strokes to learn, his fingertips moving. After practicing twice and memorizing the stroke order, he curiously asked Xie Zhiyu how the characters on the paper were pronounced.

Xie Zhiyu said flatly, "It's pronounced 'idiot.'"

"Xie Zhiyu, why are you writing insults out of nowhere?" Shen Song asked, puzzled.

Xie Zhiyu said there was no particular reason. "When I picked up the brush, only these two characters came to mind."

Shen Song thought Xie Zhiyu was quite strange too, with nothing but 'idiot' on the brain.

"Do you really think my handwriting is good?" Xie Zhiyu suddenly asked.

Shen Song nodded and said yes, and fearing he wouldn't believe it, emphasized, "Really good!"

"Oh." Xie Zhiyu put down his brush and asked offhandedly, "Do you want to learn?"

Shen Song nodded and said, "Yes, after I save up money, I want to learn to write."

Not being able to read did make life a bit harder.

Xie Zhiyu took the tea handed over by a servant, while another servant brought pastries to Shen Song.

Xie Zhiyu sat down with his tea, blew on it, and said nonchalantly, "Someone like you who can't do anything—how long would you have to save up before any teacher would even take you on?"

Shen Song was eating mint cakes, his cheeks stuffed, looking somewhat worried. "Would I be hard to teach?"

"Mhm, very hard." Xie Zhiyu thought for a moment. "It'd take a lot of money and effort. Pretty much no teacher would want a student like that."

Shen Song kept chewing.

This was a real problem.

After swallowing, he grabbed another piece and kept chewing. "Good thing I've got Xiao Jiu—he can write too. I didn't want to put him out at first, but if no teacher is willing to teach me, I'll just have to ask Xiao Jiu to help."

Xie Zhiyu clacked the tea lid shut, harder than necessary.

Shen Song shoved a mint cake into his mouth. "Close it gently—careful you don't break it and cut yourself."

Xie Zhiyu felt like he couldn't get a breath out, just staring at Shen Song.

He stared and stared, not knowing what to say.

Shen Song felt creeped out by the staring. He held a mint cake up to Xie Zhiyu's mouth. "Do you want one too? They're so good—soft and chewy, and after you eat one, your mouth feels all cool and sweet."

Xie Zhiyu shut his eyes, turned his head, gritted his teeth, and said, "No."

Shen Song grinned, happy to have an extra one for himself. "Then I'll eat it."

"Eat, eat, eat—that's all you ever think about!"

After Xie Zhiyu said that, Shen Song nodded along, still munching.

Seeing Shen Song's reaction, Xie Zhiyu knew Shen Song hadn't picked up on the real meaning behind his words, just taking it as Xie Zhiyu commenting on how much he liked to eat.

Xie Zhiyu rested his forehead on his hand, looking a bit helpless, and called over a servant to have the kitchen prepare more pastries.

Qi Yuanjing arrived at the pavilion with his people, and saw his buddy Xie Zhiyu frowning, staring at Shen Song with a helpless, put-upon look.

Shen Song, meanwhile, was happily eating and drinking, totally oblivious that the guy across from him was sulking.

Shen Song waved in greeting. "Qi Yuanjing, you're here!"

"I'm here."

Qi Yuanjing decided not to look at Xie Zhiyu for now—the guy was in a mood, and poking him would just make him the punching bag. So he just introduced the young man next to him to Shen Song. "This is Zhao Feiyi—he's a real expert at growing medicinal herbs. He'll head back to Shen Family Village with you today to check out the land. If it works out, we can start planting tomorrow."

Zhao Feiyi clasped his hands in greeting. "A pleasure to meet you, Young Master Shen."

Shen Song still had a mouthful of mint cake. He quickly stood up and mirrored the gesture, but couldn't talk with the cake in his mouth, so he just chewed fast. Even while chewing like crazy, he refused to spit it out.

Xie Zhiyu turned away from Shen Song. He tried and tried to hold it in, but a soft laugh slipped out anyway.

Forget it—Shen Song's head was full of nothing but food.

Why was he even getting mad at Shen Song?

Qi Yuanjing watched Xie Zhiyu inexplicably cheer up in the blink of an eye and was totally confused.

He'd noticed Xie Zhiyu getting more and more moody lately.

Could that gu worm actually be hiding in his head and messing with his brain?

Qi Yuanjing planned to give Xie Zhiyu a full check-up after seeing Shen Song and the others off.

Shen Song and the others all ate at Xie Manor.

Knowing Xie Zhiyu could only eat food with energy in it, Shen Song had brought some wheat from his family's farm when he'd delivered vegetables to Xie Zhiyu before.

The kitchen ground it into flour and made all kinds of noodle dishes for Xie Zhiyu.

On the table were fried eggplant rolls, tomato shrimp, green pepper and bamboo shoot strips, cold chives, vinegar cabbage, pumpkin soup, and cold noodles with chicken and cucumber.

Everything was made from the vegetables and flour the Shen family had sent, and Xie Zhiyu could eat all of it.

Qi Yuanjing sat at the table, watching Xie Zhiyu eat the food without vomiting it back up, eating at a normal pace. No matter how many times he saw it, he still couldn't quite believe Xie Zhiyu could actually eat like a normal person.

After the meal, Shen Song had to head back to the village to work, and Zhao Feiyi was going with him. Qi Yuanjing still had a few things to go over, so he walked them to the carriage.

Xie Zhiyu stayed put on his stool.

Watching Shen Song eat today, he'd accidentally eaten too much again.

His stomach hurt.

On the way, after Qi Yuanjing finished going over some instructions with Zhao Feiyi, Shen Song asked why Qi Yuanjing hadn't just come directly to the village to find him.

Qi Yuanjing gave him a look that said, "Don't even go there."

Originally, the one going to Shen Family Village to plant wasn't Zhao Feiyi, but his third brother, Zhao Feiyin. He came from a family of medicine, and after their family fell on hard times, he and his twin brother ended up on the streets before Xie Zhiyu took them in.

He was Xie Zhiyu's shadow guard, but he had a real gift for growing medicinal herbs.

When Xie Zhiyu found out, he flat-out refused to let Zhao Feiyin go, saying his shadow guard wasn't there to plant herbs.

Qi Yuanjing had no choice but to find his older brother, Zhao Feiyi, who was even better with herbs.

Since the guy wasn't in Yunxi County, it took a while for him to get there. Qi Yuanjing had wanted to go straight to Shen Family Village, but Xie Zhiyu got upset again, saying it wasn't proper to show up unannounced.

He also said it was even worse to plant stuff on someone's land without even meeting them first.

He insisted on meeting here first, so they could get to know each other before going over.

Qi Yuanjing couldn't be bothered to figure out Xie Zhiyu's game, and said to Shen Song, "It's all because our Lord Xie, after being morally bankrupt for over a decade, suddenly turned into a stuffy old stickler for propriety. Now he goes on and on about what's proper and what's not, saying it wouldn't be right to bring someone to your house without meeting first, so he insists you two meet before anything happens."

Qi Yuanjing said exasperatedly, "He was even afraid I'd go behind his back, so he made sure it was at his place. I've seen it all now."

Shen Song hadn't expected that to be why. Though he didn't know these rules, after hearing it all, it sounded like Xie Zhiyu was looking out for their family.

"Qi Yuanjing, don't talk about him like that." Shen Song said with a smile, "He's doing this for my family's good."

Qi Yuanjing had thought Shen Song would agree with him, but instead Shen Song took Xie Zhiyu's side. He waved his hand, "Fine, fine, as long as you don't mind the extra trip over there."

-

Zhao Feiyi was naturally quiet and didn't talk much. In the carriage, one silently read a medical book while the other was busy eating.

The Shen family had been busy threshing the rice these past few days. After threshing and drying, they had to use a winnowing fan to blow away the chaff, then take it to the village's rice mill to process it, and finally pour it back in to get rid of any leftover husks.

There were a lot of steps, and the whole family was busy.

The Shen family was used to seeing carriages arrive at their home, especially when they recognized the carriage.

After getting off the carriage, Shen Song first brought Zhao Feiyi to meet his family, introduced him, and explained why they were there. Then he took Zhao Feiyi to the herb plot near the vegetable field.

"From here to over there, this whole empty section is yours for herbs." Shen Song gestured at the area, then pointed to a thatched shed not far away, "That's a place to rest if you get tired. If my family's not busy and you need a hand, just say the word."

Zhao Feiyi smiled slightly, clasped his hands in greeting, and said in a warm, pleasant voice, "Thanks, Brother Shen."

Shen Song waved his hand, saying it was no big deal, then asked Zhao Feiyi if there was anything he needed right now.

Zhao Feiyi said no, "I'm just looking at the land today. I'll bring people tomorrow, two of them, both young men. One shed probably won't be enough, so I'll put up another one."

"Do you need someone to keep an eye on this place?" Shen Song offered up their dogs, "Our wolfdog puppies have grown quite a bit. I train them whenever I have free time, and now they can keep an eye on the vegetable field."

Shen Song told Zhao Feiyi about how this land had a problem with small animals that ate the sprouts. Zhao Feiyi heard the barking of dogs, squinted to look, and vaguely saw several small dogs running around.

Seeing Zhao Feiyi squint, Shen Song asked, "Is the sun in your eyes?"

He looked up at the sky—it wasn't even that sunny.

Zhao Feiyi explained with a smile, "I've got a problem with my eyes. I can't see far clearly, and at night my vision gets even blurrier."

Shen Song said apologetically, "I didn't mean to pry. Sorry, my bad."

Zhao Feiyi shook his head with a smile, "I know. Thanks for caring, Brother Shen."

Zhao Feiyi had stuff to do, so Shen Song didn't stay there. He headed to the vegetable field to find Chi Jiu.

The two finished watering the vegetables and pulled some weeds, and by then the sun was already setting.

Shen Song and Chi Jiu picked up the bamboo water jugs from the shed and headed home together. Tuanzi led its little pack to keep watching over the vegetable field, waiting for Shen Jue and Shen Lie to bring them food after dinner.

Zhao Feiyi hadn't left yet. Shen Song called him to come home for dinner, but Zhao Feiyi waved his hand and said no need, "This soil is too good; I want to take a closer look. Don't worry about me, Brother Shen. After I'm done, I'll take the carriage back and come early tomorrow with my crew and the herb seedlings to plant them."

Seeing that Zhao Feiyi had his own plans, Shen Song didn't push it.

After dinner at home, Shen Jue and Shen Lie brought food for the dogs, Tuanzi and the others. As they were about to leave, Shen Song stuffed two steamed buns and a bamboo tube of cool boiled water into Shen Jue's hands, "Sixth Brother, if you see someone squatting on the plot I set aside, give these to him. He hasn't had anything to eat, and I'm worried he'll get hungry."

Shen Jue took the food and assured him, "Don't worry, I've got you covered."

When they reached the herb plot, Shen Jue sure enough saw someone squatting there.

He had Shen Lie go feed the dogs at the vegetable field first, then took the buns and bamboo tube, and did what Shen Song asked.

Zhao Feiyi heard footsteps approaching and turned to look. It was a man who looked about sixty or seventy percent like Shen Song.

He frowned slightly, quickly stood up, and looked at Shen Jue with a hint of confusion, asking, "Can I help you?"

Shen Jue had been staring blankly without speaking. Only after Zhao Feiyi asked did he shove the things into Zhao Feiyi's arms, "This is from my little eighth brother. He asked me to bring it to you to tide you over. Go ahead and eat."

With that, he turned and bolted.

Zhao Feiyi could only take the food and call out thanks to Shen Jue's retreating back.

-

That night in bed, Shen Song asked Chi Jiu, "Ninth Brother, is it hard to teach someone like me who can't read?"

Chi Jiu slowly opened his eyes, "Not hard. Eighth Brother wants to learn to read?"

Shen Song thought of the characters Xie Zhiyu had written that afternoon that he couldn't read. Well, that wasn't quite right—he now recognized the word for "idiot."

But whenever he saw other characters Xie Zhiyu wrote that he didn't know, he really wanted to understand what they meant. He said in a low voice, "Yeah, I do, actually."

"Want me to teach you?" Chi Jiu asked.

Shen Song was delighted, "Great! You can start tomorrow!"

That way he could figure out sooner what Xie Zhiyu's writing meant, hehe.

Chi Jiu agreed readily, "Alright, I'll pick up some supplies tomorrow, and when I get back, I'll teach you."

The next day, Shen Song got up very early. He was excited about learning to read.

While picking vegetables at the field, Shen Song saw people already hard at work on the herb plot.

He didn't disturb them, just gathered the vegetables and rushed off to make his deliveries.

When he finally got to the Xie residence, Shen Song had Chi Jiu wait outside.

After handing the vegetables to You An, Shen Song asked in a mysterious tone, "Can you take me to see Xie Zhiyu? I have good news to tell him."

You An nodded eagerly, "Of course! The master is in the study right now. Master Qi happens to be in the medicine room today making medicine too."

Shen Song said, "What a coincidence. Then can you get Qi Yuanjing too—he's my good friend, and I want to tell him as well."

"Sure thing."

You An walked Shen Song to the study.

The study door wasn't closed. You An went in and announced him from behind the screen, then quickly came out and smiled, telling Shen Song to go in, "I'll go fetch Master Qi now."

Shen Song nodded and walked straight in.

Today Xie Zhiyu was wearing water-blue silk robes. The silk was smooth and light, and as he moved, it shimmered with a rippling sheen in the light.

His hair was fully tied up with a blue-tinted jade crown, and his striking, refined features gave off an air of nobility.

When Shen Song came in, he saw Xie Zhiyu, looking different from the day before but equally beautiful, brush in hand. Ink drops splattering without him noticing as he frowned deeply, lips pressed tight, staring at the paper on the desk.

"Xie Zhiyu, I have good news for you." Shen Song approached cheerfully, grinning, "You'd never guess! Yesterday you said it'd be hard to find a teacher to teach me characters, but today I can start learning. Ninth Brother agreed to teach me."

Xie Zhiyu's head shot up, his frown deepening, and he said, annoyed, "What could Chi Jiu possibly teach you?"

Shen Song felt that Xie Zhiyu seemed really unhappy, but still replied, "Xiao Jiu can teach me to read."

"With his little skill, only you'd be impressed by that," Xie Zhiyu said coldly.

Shen Song got upset too. He'd come over all happy to tell his good friend he could learn to read—why did Xie Zhiyu have to snap at him?

Shen Song didn't want Xie Zhiyu to get the wrong idea that Chi Jiu was useless, so he swallowed his hurt feelings and explained to Xie Zhiyu, "Xiao Jiu can read and do arithmetic—that's a great skill."

"Xiao Jiu, Xiao Jiu, Xiao Jiu—he's not even your real brother, and he's older than you. Why call him Xiao Jiu? What's so great about reading and arithmetic? I could do that when I was three; he did it at eighteen. What's there to brag about! Only you're dumb enough to think he's so great."

Xie Zhiyu's voice got louder and louder, he couldn't control his frustration, and hated even more the other feeling rising in him—one that could eat a person up inside.

When Shen Song heard Xie Zhiyu call him dumb, he was really hurt.

"I'm not dumb!" Shen Song wanted to snap back but couldn't think of anything. He glanced over and saw Xie Zhiyu had covered a whole sheet of paper with "idiot." He slapped the table, his hand landing on the paper full of writing, and yelled at Xie Zhiyu, "You're the idiot!"

Xie Zhiyu let out an angry laugh, "You're calling me an idiot for Chi Jiu?!"

Qi Yuanjing walked in and saw the scene—Shen Song with one hand on the table, the other on his hip, looking up with an angry face and calling Xie Zhiyu an idiot.

But his tone sounded so wronged.

Qi Yuanjing also saw Xie Zhiyu was so mad he'd snapped his brush in half. Ink stained his sleeve, his ears were red, his head was down, eyes locked on Shen Song, chest heaving.

If he didn't step in, the guy would lose his mind.

"What's going on, what's going on, what happened here?"

Qi Yuanjing hurried over, first calming the easier one to deal with, "Song Geer, you never cuss—how'd you learn to cuss today? What made you so angry?"

Shen Song didn't want to dump his bad mood on Qi Yuanjing; it had nothing to do with him.

He paused, then answered Qi Yuanjing honestly, "I saw Xie Zhiyu wrote a bunch of 'idiot,' and that reminded me to curse at him. He called me dumb first, so I called him idiot."

Qi Yuanjing glanced at the table casually, but Xie Zhiyu hadn't managed to move the paper full of writing away in time. By now Qi Yuanjing had already seen it, and moving it was pointless. Xie Zhiyu's back stiffened, and he glared at Qi Yuanjing.

Qi Yuanjing looked at the paper, and once he saw what was on it, his face went pale. He stammered, "Where—where's any 'idiot'?"

Shen Song pointed at the paper on the table, telling Qi Yuanjing to look closely, "It's all right here, isn't it? Qi Yuanjing, don't you know the word 'idiot'?"

"Uh... I, um..." Qi Yuanjing opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again.

Xie Zhiyu gritted his teeth and warned, "Qi Yuanjing, if you dare say a word, you're a dead man."

Qi Yuanjing saw Xie Zhiyu looking like he wanted to eat someone alive, so he covered his head and squatted down, "My head hurts so bad. You two stop arguing, please."

Shen Song immediately squatted down too, asking Qi Yuanjing worriedly if he was okay and why his head hurt.

Qi Yuanjing looked at Shen Song helplessly, thinking to himself, It's all because of you, you little troublemaker.

That paper wasn't covered in "idiot" at all—it was all Shen Song's name!

But Qi Yuanjing couldn't say that; if he did, Xie Zhiyu would actually beat him up.

"I'm fine." Qi Yuanjing asked Shen Song offhandedly, "So how did you two even start fighting?"

Since Qi Yuanjing asked, Shen Song honestly told him everything, and ended sadly with, "I wanted to share my happy news with him, but he called me dumb. Now I'm not happy anymore."

Qi Yuanjing clutched his head again, and Shen Song asked worriedly, "Is your head hurting again?"

He forgot about being mad at Xie Zhiyu and tugged at the hem of Xie Zhiyu's fancy robe, "Xie Zhiyu, hurry and call a doctor for Qi Yuanjing—he looks like he's in a lot of pain."

Xie Zhiyu looked down, felt the slight tug on his robe, and stood there stiffly, saying coldly, "He won't die."

Shen Song frowned and let go of Xie Zhiyu's robe.

Qi Yuanjing heard Shen Song mutter "bad guy" under his breath and flinched—was that aimed at Xie Zhiyu? Because he'd called Xie Zhiyu an idiot?

Now Qi Yuanjing didn't dare keep faking a headache, afraid of bringing trouble on himself, so he quickly said, "Song Geer, as long as you let Xie Zhiyu teach you to read, my head won't hurt anymore."

"Huh?" Shen Song was confused. "What's wrong with your head that it only stops hurting if I do that?"

Qi Yuanjing said quickly, "It's because I was worried about you and Xie Zhiyu fighting. Ahem, aren't we all good friends? I want us to be close like before. Xie Zhiyu being mean to you is his fault, so let him teach you to read as an apology. If you learn from him, you forgive him this time. Once you two make up, my head won't hurt anymore."

Shen Song looked at Qi Yuanjing and said quietly, "Sorry for arguing with Xie Zhiyu and making you worry."

"Heh heh heh heh—" Qi Yuanjing laughed bitterly. "It's fine."

Xie Zhiyu said coldly, "Who wants to teach him to read? Doesn't he have Chi Jiu for that?"

Qi Yuanjing stood up, pulling Shen Song up too. His head really hurt now—he'd been squatting for a while.

After a moment to recover, he said quietly to Xie Zhiyu, "That's enough. You can only be so jealous."

Xie Zhiyu's ears went bright red instantly, and he said with a straight face, "Don't talk nonsense."

Qi Yuanjing chuckled, "Fine, I'm talking nonsense. If you won't teach him, plenty of others will."

Shen Song stood off to the side and heard all of it.

His hearing was good; Qi Yuanjing thought he couldn't hear, but he heard every word.

What does "eating vinegar" mean? There's no vinegar at Xie Zhiyu's place.

Just as he was thinking, Shen Song heard Xie Zhiyu say coldly, "Stay here today. After lunch, I'll teach you to write."

Shen Song turned away grumpily, "I'm mad at you today and don't want to look at you. I'll come back tomorrow for you to teach me."

Xie Zhiyu snapped back just as irritably, "Fine, tomorrow!"

Shen Song huffed, "I'm leaving!"

Shen Song dropped that line and actually left. Xie Zhiyu kicked a chair in anger, then couldn't help telling Qi Yuanjing, "Walk him out and watch his step. When he storms off angry, he might trip."

Qi Yuanjing was dumbfounded—so angry, and he still had time to worry about that?

But he went out anyway.

Shen Song wasn't running; he was strolling slowly, chatting with You An.

Qi Yuanjing followed behind without interrupting. They were too far for him to hear what was said, but as long as he was sure the kid wouldn't trip, that was enough.

Up ahead, Shen Song asked You An, "If there's no vinegar somewhere, but someone says a person is 'eating vinegar,' You An, do you know what that means?"

You An smiled and said, "It means one person cares about another, but that other person is nice to someone else. When the first one finds out, they get jealous."

Shen Song thought it over until he got on the ox cart, and only then did he figure out what You An meant.

It meant Xie Zhiyu cared about him.

But why does caring about someone make you angry?

Shen Song was puzzled again.

Forget it, don't think about it. I'll ask You An tomorrow if he knows, when I have time.

Shen Song told Chi Jiu that he would learn writing from Xie Zhiyu tomorrow. "He got on my nerves today. Qi Yuanjing said he should teach me writing to make up for it. Xiao Jiu, you don't need to teach me anymore. You're already so busy these days; teaching me on top of that would wear you out."

Chi Jiu tightened his grip on the reins. "Okay," he said.

"But Eighth Brother, have you really thought it through?"

Shen Song asked, "About what?"

"About drawing closer to Xie Zhiyu."

Shen Song didn't get it. "What's the big deal?"

Chi Jiu asked, "If this choice ends up hurting you later, would you still make it?"

Shen Song was at a loss. "Xiao Jiu, I don't think I can understand what you're saying right now."

Chi Jiu gave a small smile and sighed. "I hope you never understand, Eighth Brother, so you won't get hurt."

Shen Song was even more lost. Why would he get hurt?

In Xie Manor's study.

Qi Yuanjing saw Xie Zhiyu lying on the recliner, zoning out at the window.

He picked up the paper from the desk—the one covered in Shen Song's name—and held it open in front of Xie Zhiyu.

"It clearly says Shen Song, but you fooled him into thinking it said 'idiot'?"

Xie Zhiyu said flatly, "Is that not allowed?"

"It's allowed, who says it's not." Qi Yuanjing sighed, folded the paper, and held it dangling at his side. "When did it happen, Xie Ba?"

"When did what happen?"

"When you started liking Shen Song."

After a long silence, Xie Zhiyu moved his hand and took the paper back from Qi Yuanjing.

It was full of Shen Song's name, all written unconsciously.

When he came back to his senses, it was already filled.

He said, "I don't know either."