HI, I'll be off on a little adventure next week, so no updates—try not to miss me too much! 😉
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A beautiful girl in a goose-yellow cross-collared skirt approached gracefully, stopping a few steps from him before bowing gently.
Huo Jue
released the purse in his hand, and the fleeting trace of tenderness on his
face vanished as if it had never been there. His gaze turned cold as he quickly
recalled the identity of the girl before him: Xue Zhen, the only daughter of
Xue Mao.
"Miss
Xue."
"Congratulations
to Mr. Huo for topping the county exam," Xue Zhen said softly, her smile gentle. "My
father is very pleased today."
Huo Jue
lowered his eyes slightly and replied in an indifferent tone, "Thank
you, Miss Xue."
Xue Zhen
hesitated, wanting to prolong the conversation, but seeing Huo Jue’s obvious
disinterest, she tactfully said her goodbyes.
As she
watched Huo Jue walk away, his figure growing smaller in the distance, her
thoughts wavered.
Did I
imagine it? That hint of tenderness on his face earlier—was it just my eyes
playing tricks on me?
Just as she
was lost in thought, a voice called out from behind her.
"Zhen'er."
Startled,
Xue Zhen turned around and bent slightly, addressing softly, "Daddy."
"Were
you waiting for Huo Jue here again?" Xue Mao asked, his gaze sweeping over her
knowingly. "Huo Jue needs to prepare for the autumn examination. We’ll
discuss the marriage after that. Don’t be too anxious."
Lowering
her eyelashes in shyness, Xue Zhen murmured, "I will listen to
Daddy."
Yet,
despite her words, she always managed to "coincidentally" appear in
the bamboo house whenever Huo Jue came by.
Xue Mao
chuckled and shook his head with a sigh. "Ah, it’s true—once girls grow
up, they can’t be kept at home."
Qingtong
Mountain
Jiang Li
stood under a mulberry tree, her bamboo basket dangling from her arm, reaching
up on tiptoe to pick the ripe fruit. With spring in full bloom, the fruit trees
across the mountain were heavy with their first offerings.
Usually,
Jiang Li would wear simple, practical clothes for trips to the mountains,
ensuring she could climb trees without worry.
But today
was different. Today, she had dressed in her finest—a bean-green pleated skirt
that she had saved for special occasions. This was her most beautiful outfit,
and she couldn’t bear the thought of ruining it by climbing trees.
Her
reluctance, however, came at a cost: her basket was barely half-full even after
an hour.
Spotting a
cluster of plump, juicy mulberries just out of reach, she stretched on tiptoe,
her fingers sticky with juice, but the fruit still eluded her grasp.
As she
waved her hand in frustration, about to give up, a slender, bony hand reached
over her and plucked the bunch effortlessly.
Jiang Li
steadied herself and turned, her eyes lighting up when she saw who it was.
"Huo
Jue! Weren’t you supposed to be at the academy?"
"I
asked for leave from the dean to come to the back mountain and gather medicinal
herbs for Su Bo," Huo Jue explained, his voice low and magnetic. For some reason, it
carried a tenderness that sent Jiang Li’s heart racing again.
Gathering
her courage, she asked hesitantly, "Could you... help me pick
mulberries?"
Lowering
his gaze, Huo Jue smiled faintly. "Of course."
With his
tall stature and long limbs, Huo Jue made picking mulberries look effortless,
as though he were simply retrieving something from his sleeve.
When others
picked mulberries, it was a practical task.
But when
Huo Jue did it, it was artful. His graceful movements, the elegance imbued in
every action, made it seem as though he were brewing tea or crafting wine, not
gathering fruit. Jiang Li had long
known that Huo Jue was unlike anyone else.
Even
dressed in tattered clothes, he exuded a charm that commanded attention, making
it impossible to ignore him.
It was a
feeling she couldn't quite put into words. It was as if someone like Huo Jue
didn’t belong on Zhufu Street—like a wisp of cloud drifting where it shouldn’t,
far from the open skies.
She stood
quietly beside him, watching sunlight filter through the dense branches above,
casting dappled shadows on his face. The interplay of light outlined his sharp
features, creating a visage so captivating that her gaze lingered, unwilling to
leave.
Unbeknownst
to her, Huo Jue slowed his movements ever so slightly under her watchful eyes.
He was fully aware that Jiang Li liked to look at his face, and so he simply
stood there, letting her.
It wasn’t
until a loud clang broke the silence that he turned his head.
Blushing,
Jiang Li stammered, "Oh no, the bamboo basket... I accidentally dropped
it."
The nearly
full basket of mulberries had tumbled to the ground, scattering its contents. A
few berries had even landed on her pleated skirt, staining it with dark red
juice.
"It’s
fine," Huo Jue
said calmly. "We can pick more."
As he
spoke, he retrieved a piece of coarse cloth from his sleeve, crouched down, and
carefully dabbed at the juice staining her skirt.
Jiang Li
froze, watching his dark hair glint under the sunlight. Her heart raced
uncontrollably, and her face grew hotter with each passing moment.
Jiang Li
was still blushing when they returned to Zhufu Street.
As they
approached Yang's Tavern, Huo Jue suddenly stopped.
"Ah
Li," he called
softly.
Startled,
Jiang Li halted, her wide, bright eyes blinking up at him. Her hands
instinctively tightened around the bamboo basket. "Yes?"
Huo Jue’s
long lashes drooped slightly, and his hand at his side absently rubbed his
thumb against his forefinger.
"I
ranked first in the county exam."
First
place?
Jiang Li
stared at him in stunned silence until the realization sank in.
First place!
Her joy
bubbled over, and though she wanted to leap in celebration, the presence of her
beloved restrained her. She settled for pressing her heels into the ground and
beaming up at him instead.
"Huo
Jue, you’re amazing!" she exclaimed, her voice bright and sweet, like a magpie’s song.
She was
genuinely happy for him. After all, wasn’t this the culmination of years of
relentless effort?
Securing
first place in the county exam meant that the title of a scholar was now well
within his grasp.
At her
words, Huo Jue tilted his head slightly. His usually sharp features softened,
and a rare smile spread across his face, his cold gaze warmed by her
unrestrained delight.
Since her
happiness seemed tied to his achievements, he silently resolved to secure more
first-place rankings in the future.
Anything
for her smile.
Unaware of
the determination brewing within him, Jiang Li, filled with pride, asked
eagerly, "Huo Jue, what reward would you like?"
-
When Jiang
Li returned to the tavern, Yang Huiniang was busy tallying the wine cellar
inventory. Upon seeing the basket of mulberries in her daughter’s hands, she
frowned.
"Are
you making fruit wine again?" Yang Huiniang asked. "The bestsellers in the shop are the
sorghum wine and mixed grain liquor. Fruit wine isn’t strong enough to appeal
to customers. Last year, you brewed about twenty jars of it, and none of them
have sold yet."
Yang’s Wine
Shop, located at the end of Zhufu Street, didn’t have a prime location.
But as the
saying goes, good wine needs no bush.
Thanks to
her mother’s exceptional winemaking skills, their sorghum wine and mixed grain
liquor were highly regarded, consistently selling out.
For this
reason, Yang Huiniang rarely allowed Jiang Li to experiment with fruit wines.
Jiang Li,
undeterred, fetched a bucket of well water, rinsed the mulberries, and spoke
while washing them.
"Mother,
most of the customers who buy wine are men. Have you ever thought about
catering to women?"
Yang
Huiniang paused, momentarily forgetting which jar she was counting.
"Women?" she repeated, turning to look at
Jiang Li.
"Yes," Jiang Li replied with a smile. "I
used to brew green plum wine, peach wine, and other fruit wines. You’ve enjoyed
them plenty yourself, Mother! I think there are many women who would love fruit
wine just as much as you do."
Yang
Huiniang’s brows furrowed as she considered the idea. At first, her expression
softened in agreement, but it soon grew doubtful.
"But
most of the patrons who visit the shop are men. Where would you find enough
women who want to drink fruit wine?"
Jiang Li
had already anticipated Yang Huiniang’s concerns and had given them careful
thought.
"Mother," she began earnestly, "I
know it’s not easy for women to go out, so why don’t we flip the script? Let’s
deliver the wine directly to their doors. If the mistresses of wealthy families
and the daughters of noble households take a liking to Yangji’s fruit wine, we
won’t just make money—we’ll also make Yangji famous."
She had
been considering this idea since last year. If she could get the upper-class
families of Tong’an City to favor Yangji’s fruit wines, she was sure their
market would grow rapidly. After all, these households frequently hosted
banquets, and their patronage could turn the wine into a sought-after luxury.
Her
reasoning was sound. Yang Huiniang, with more than a decade of experience
managing the wine shop, could sense that her daughter’s idea might be a
promising way to expand their income.
Seeing her
mother’s hesitation, Jiang Li moved the washed mulberries aside, hugged Yang
Huiniang’s arm, and pleaded playfully, "Mom, please let me try! Mrs.
Chen’s 60th birthday is in two months. It’s a golden opportunity! If the fruit
wine sells well, how about we split the profits fifty-fifty?"
Mrs. Chen,
the mother of Mr. Zhang in the east of the city, was a well-known figure in
Tong’an. Her birthday celebrations always involved hosting grand banquets with
hundreds of guests, including the city’s most influential figures.
Could there
be a better occasion to showcase their wine?
Yang
Huiniang glanced at her daughter and quipped, "Child, do you think your
mother is greedy for money? Keep whatever you earn from the fruit wine and save
it as part of your dowry."
Jiang Li
grinned from ear to ear.
She wasn’t
thinking about saving for a dowry—she planned to use the money to support her
beloved Huo Jue. If she made enough, she would happily build him a white jade
house. Forget a golden house; she’d give him a whole palace if she could.
Su
Family Pharmacy
Su Shiqing
took the bowl of medicine Huo Jue handed him, sighing softly. "Don’t
take leave because of me tomorrow. Mrs. Cao can handle the medicine just as
well. You should focus on preparing for the exam."
Huo Jue
remained silent, simply instructing, "Drink it while it’s hot."
Su Shiqing
took a sip, smacked his lips, and asked curiously, "Did you change the
prescription today? I can taste more apricot leaves and radix adenophorae in
this batch."
Huo Jue
nodded. "I recently read an ancient medical text in the apricot grove
on the mountain. It included a prescription particularly suited to your
condition, so I thought it worth a try."
Su Shiqing
trusted Huo Jue and drank the rest of the medicine without hesitation. Though
he wasn’t overly optimistic about the ancient remedy, he appreciated the
effort.
Huo Jue
observed his reaction quietly. He didn’t explain further. The effectiveness of
the medicine would become evident soon enough.
He knew the
root cause of Su Shiqing’s lingering illness—a chronic poisoning from tiger
wolf grass.
In his past
life, Su Shiqing had lived long enough to wait for Doctor Fang’s arrival, but
by then, the poison had already reached his heart and lungs. The best Doctor
Fang could do was extend his life by half a month.
This time,
however, the situation was different. There was still time. No matter what, Huo
Jue was determined to save him.
After Su
Shiqing fell asleep, Huo Jue returned to his small room, retrieved two letters
he had written the previous night from under his pillow, and left the pharmacy.
-
At the city
gate of Tong’an, several well-known escort agencies operated. Among them, the
largest was the Longsheng Escort Agency.
Its owner,
Sun Ping, was a seasoned man in his forties who had just sent off an old client
when a young man in plain blue robes entered the agency.
The boy’s
attire was simple and worn, the cuffs visibly frayed, yet his presence was
striking. His noble bearing was unmistakable, radiating a calm confidence that
defied his humble appearance.
Years of
experience had made Sun Ping adept at judging people. He’d met countless nobles
during his travels, including two of Shengjing’s famed young masters: Ling
Ruofan, the prime minister’s eldest son, and Zhao Yun, the sixth son of the
state general.
Both were
extraordinary in their own right, yet in comparison to the youth before him,
they seemed slightly lacking.
Who was
this young man?
Sun Ping’s
mind churned with speculation, even wondering if this boy could rival Xue
Wuwen, the eldest son of the Duke of Dingguo.
Despite his
thoughts, Sun Ping maintained a neutral expression and greeted him warmly. "You
seem unfamiliar. My name is Sun Ping. May I know yours?"
The boy’s
gaze settled on him, calm and composed. His lips curved into an indifferent
smile as he replied, "My name is Huo Jue."
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