Outside the Fang residence.
Dressed in rich, elegant skirts, Wang Xiuhe stepped down from the carriage. She had just seen off Lord Song and the heads of the major tea guilds before returning from Yunhe Tower with Cui’er.
Chen Er had been dozing as he leaned against the doorway when Zhou Qi gave him a nudge, urging him to get up at once. Though a trace of impatience flickered across his face, the moment he spotted Wang Xiuhe standing on the steps, he quickly straightened himself and called out, “Madam.”
Wang Xiuhe gave a short acknowledgement without stepping forward, instead tilting her head to look up at the plaque hanging above the Fang family’s lintel, while Cui’er stood just behind her while holding an account book.
Wang Xiuhe smiled and said to the plaque, “To the inner courtyard first, to see Head Merchant Fang.”
The inner courtyard guards were still on duty. As Wang Xiuhe entered, she signaled to them, prompting the captain to hurry forward, already opening his mouth to offer his respects and give an account of the past few days inside. Wang Xiuhe didn’t listen, simply saying, “Go on back; there’s no need to stand guard anymore.”
The guards obeyed her commands without question, coming when summoned and withdrawing just as promptly when dismissed.
Cui’er, however, was puzzled. “Madam is no longer sending people to watch the Head Merchant?”
Wang Xiuhe glanced at her before adjusting the jade hairpin on her head. “When he was meant to be watched, no one managed to catch him. Now that there’s no need to watch him, what use is there in keeping him under surveillance?”
Cui’er was startled, catching the underlying implication in her words, and promptly lowered her gaze, keeping silent.
San Bao had spotted Wang Xiuhe entering the courtyard long ago and turned to run into the study to notify his young master.
The atmosphere in the study had been exceptionally strange since morning.
After finishing breakfast, Fang Zesheng had moved to the desk to write with his brush. While Second Master Fu sat leaning against the back of a sandalwood chair opposite him, flipping through the leisure books the Head Merchant had placed on the table. This stack of books had been hastily bought to mislead others; they were all crude, sensational tales; either of “a scholar on his exam journey being drained by a fox spirit” or “a respectable man having his virtue stolen by a fox spirit.”
Second Master Fu had skimmed a couple of pages with the Head Merchant before, but now that he finally had the chance to hold them himself, he read page after page with rapt attention. From time to time, he let out curious exclamations: “One can actually do it like this?” “Oh? Can it even be done like that?” “Tsk, tsk, with a waist twisting that flexibly, will it really not break?”
Fang Zesheng’s brush halted midstroke, his expression utterly unchanged as he meant to go on, only to find the characters on the page had already turned into a tangled, chaotic scrawl, like ghostly talismans.
How had he allowed him to kiss his mouth so easily back then?
Why hadn’t he been able to push him away immediately?
How did the kiss grow deeper and deeper until he was unwilling to let go and had even ended up tightly embracing his waist as well?
The Head Merchant intended to reflect yet he didn’t expect that the sensation of their lips and teeth entangling would linger so vividly; the more he thought, the more he fell back into it.
San Bao let out a shout as he entered the room, only to be met with this scene.
His young master lay sprawled over the table with a smiling expression, idly rolling up the storybook in his hand, watching without blinking as Head Merchant Fan held a brush in one hand while lightly pressing the other against his lips.
“Young Master?” San Bao watched for a moment, realizing the Head Merchant was lost in thought, and whispered, “Wang Xiuhe is here.”
“En.”
“Aren’t you going to see her?”
“I am.” Fu Jingxuan smiled before standing up and waving his fingers in front of Fang Zesheng’s eyes.
Fang Zesheng gave a start, and upon realizing his own gesture, quickly brushed his hand away from his lips. Forcing himself to appear composed, he asked, “What is it?”
Fu Jingxuan said, “Wang Xiuhe is here. She’s likely waiting for you in the flower hall.”
At the mention of that name, the Head Merchant froze for a moment. He then suppressed his complex emotions and went to the flower hall with Fu Jingxuan.
The tea in the flower hall had been refilled halfway through.
Wang Xiuhe sat in the seat of honor, saying to Fang Zesheng with a smile, “I’ve been occupied these past few days and couldn’t return in person to check on your health. Seeing you yesterday, skillfully serving tea to Lord Song, has finally put my mind at ease.”
Fang Zesheng said, “Thank you, Aunt, for your concern.”
Wang Xiuhe picked up her teacup and took a sip, then flicked her eyes up to glance at Fu Jingxuan, smiling as she said, “Sheng’er, what are you talking about? Your parents are gone, and you have no other family or friends nearby. Although Jingxuan has married into the family, he is, after all, a wealthy young master and cannot always take care of your personal needs. I’ve been busy these past few years and have often neglected you; you mustn’t blame Aunt.”
Fang Zesheng said calmly, “Aunt, what are you saying? Over all these years, you’ve managed everything in the Fang household, from the smallest matters to the grandest. That alone is the greatest care you could have shown Nephew.”
Wang Xiuhe set down her teacup and let out a soft laugh, covering her mouth. “That is hardly anything at all.”
The two went back and forth, exchanging pleasantries as if the previous Tea Tasting Convention had never happened and as if no one knew of the events at the tea-whisking competition.
Wang Xiuhe took out an account book, flipped through a few pages, and handed it to Fang Zesheng. “I had people take inventory overnight. The reserved stock of ‘Carved Lotus’ is limited, and the tea fragments fall far short of a hundred thousand piculs. Lord Song has set the delivery date for the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, which gives us exactly two months from today. The fresh buds in the warehouse are enough to press into cakes, but for the tea fragments, we’ll need to work day and night; harvesting, roasting, and drying.”
Fang Zesheng remained indifferent to the accounts; this time, he didn’t even take the book. “I have always been at ease with how Aunt handles things. If you feel it is appropriate, then I have no objections.”
Wang Xiuhe’s shrewd eyes lingered on his face for a moment before she took back the account book and handed it to Cui’er. “Since Sheng’er says so, then shall I take full authority over the arrangements from here on?”
Fang Zesheng nodded. “Everything is at your arrangement, Aunt.”
His composure was so steady that it made Wang Xiuhe appear slightly restless. Her originally charitable face darkened a few shades. After discussing a few more tea matters with Fang Zesheng, she said casually, “The warehouse in the rear residence is running out of space and likely won’t accommodate all the tea products. In a few days, I’ll send people to find a vacant spot to store the tea, preferably closer to the ferry crossing. That would be better than wasting manpower moving everything again when it’s time for shipping.”
Fang Zesheng gave a faint nod.
Wang Xiuhe wanted to catch some sign of a struggle on his face, but no matter how she looked, she couldn’t find a single superfluous expression.
Could she have misread his gesture? Just as she was about to frown, she noticed Fang Zesheng lift his gaze to Fu Jingxuan. Second Young Master Fu met his look, his normally smiling eyes now serious and solemn.
Wang Xiuhe immediately breathed a sigh of relief. She picked up her teacup and said to Fu Jingxuan, “Has the Second Young Master encountered some difficulty?”
Fu Jingxuan laughed instantly. “Madam must be joking. I spend my days eating, drinking, and idling about; what difficulties could I possibly have?”
Wang Xiuhe said, “Why must the Second Young Master belittle himself?” Noting that it was getting late, she stood up and walked over to Fu Jingxuan’s side, smiling. “That talent of yours for discerning tea shouldn’t go to waste. Why don’t I help the Second Young Master secure a position in the tea trade once this busy period is over?”
Fu Jingxuan said, “I am touched that Madam thinks so highly of me. If it is something I can do, I will naturally put my heart into it.”
Wang Xiuhe smiled. “Of course you can do it. However, if you’re busy, there’ll be no one left in the inner courtyard to keep Zesheng company. Why don’t we choose a concubine for him when the time comes? What do you think?”
Second Master Fu’s smile remained unchanged; hearing this, he actually seemed even more amused. “That would be excellent. As a man, I cannot sleep with him every night anyway. If Madam chooses a beautiful young lady for him, I’m sure he would be very happy.”
Wang Xiuhe hadn’t anticipated his agreement. She smiled in response and said, “Then let’s make a note of this for now and attend to the arrangements once this busy period is over.”
After seeing Madam Wang off, Second Master Fu walked over to Fang Zesheng’s side with a beaming smile and raised a palm toward him.
Fang Zesheng immediately raised his own palm and gave him a light high-five.
The clap was crisp; the two seemed to have reached a certain understanding in the middle of the flower hall.
Having finished with the serious matters, Second Master Fu tried to return to the study to continue reading his storybooks, but the Head Merchant caught him in a firm grip, their fingers entwined.”What… are you doing?”
The Head Merchant, his handsome face as cold as ice, stayed silent for a long moment. It wasn’t until the tips of his ears flushed red that he spoke, “I don’t think I would be happy.”
“I can also… sleep with you every night.”
