LC chapter 2

 

Lin Ruan slept deeply. He thought he would be awake all night, but he actually drifted off to sleep after a few random thoughts and didn’t dream.

Maybe Zhan Xi’s bed was more comfortable than his own. Lin Ruan sank into the soft, warm quilt and stretched out.

The room was empty; Zhan Xi had already gotten up. His movement didn’t wake Lin Ruan, and he wouldn’t wake him himself.

The living room clock chimed again. It was already 7:30. At that hour, he was probably going to be late for school. Lin Ruan rolled out of bed, made the bed, and went downstairs.

He changed his clothes, grabbed his backpack, and ran out. Zhan Xi was eating breakfast at the restaurant. He was alone, with Uncle Tong standing beside him. The restaurant was quiet; the only sounds were the clatter of bowls and spoons.

Lin Ruan hesitated for a moment, then walked over and called out, “Young Master.”

Zhan Xi glanced at him indifferently. “Please sit down and eat.”

Lin Ruan whispered, “I won’t eat. I have to go to school.”

Uncle Tong’s brow furrowed. “Why would you go to school when Master is back?”

Lin Ruan said nothing, his head lowered in silent rebuttal.

Zhan Xi finished his porridge, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said, “You still have to go to school.” He glanced at Lin Ruan and said, “Go ahead. You’re going to be late.”

Lin Ruan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, “Thank you, Young Master.”

With that, he hurried out. Seeing him, Tong Bo remarked again that he didn’t know the rules.

“We sent him to school to teach him some common sense and make him presentable,” Uncle Tong said. “Now that Master is back, he shouldn’t be running around outside. He should stay home and serve Master.”

Zhan Xi glanced at Lin Ruan’s back as he ran off and said, “Uncle Tong, times have changed. Those rules are outdated. Let’s not talk about them.”

Uncle Tong clearly disagreed, but since he wouldn’t disobey Zhan Xi, he agreed.

Zhan Xi stood up and left the table. He was wearing a three-piece suit with an inner and outer layer that accentuated his long legs.

Uncle Tong handed Zhan Xi the ironed newspaper. Zhan Xi sat down on the sofa, and the pages rustled.

After a moment, Uncle Tong asked, “Master, you just got back. Do you want to go back to the palace?”

Zhan Xi’s gaze remained fixed on the newspaper. “Is there anything going on at the palace?”

“There’s a matter,” said Uncle Tong. “Not long ago, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Concubine Fucha wanted to select a child to adopt, but Concubine Li refused to handle it and sent someone to ask you to make the decision.”

Zhan Xi sipped his coffee. He took a sip of coffee. “Didn’t she give birth to a princess?”

“You wouldn’t know, Sir. Two years ago, Fifth Princess had a falling out with her and declared she wanted to be Concubine Li’s daughter instead, refusing to recognize her as her mother.”

Zhan Xi’s expression was indifferent, clearly indicating that he didn’t want to bother with the matter. “Let her be.”

Tong Bo looked uneasy. “The one she wanted to adopt is already twenty-two—hardly a child.”

Zhan Xi scoffed. “She was the one who cried and begged to remain chaste back then, and now she’s the one causing trouble. Really, send someone from her family to take her back.”

“She probably won’t want to go back,” said Tong Bo. “Besides, if this gets out, it’ll be bad for the old prince’s reputation.”

“The person is dead, so why worry about reputation?”

After Zhan Xi said that, Tong Bo didn’t know what to say. “Come to think of it, the Fifth and Seventh Princesses are also old enough to marry.”

“Fifth is eighteen, seventh is only seventeen. There’s no need to rush,” Zhan Xi thought for a moment. “When there’s time, visit the Wang Residence and discuss it with Concubine Li.”

After the emperor’s death, Zhan Xi moved out of Prince Chun’s palace, and Concubine Li took charge of most affairs there. Concubine Li came from a Han Chinese family. Her father was a Grand Academician of the Imperial Palace. She was a typical woman of the older generation, raised under the “Rules for Women” and the “Precepts for Women.” She had no vested interests with Zhan Xi, and considering him the palace’s only heir, she treated him with great courtesy.

As they were talking, Shi Ning walked in. He was wearing a long black suit coat and had combed his hair up, revealing his youthful, handsome face.

“I’m ready,” he said, approaching Zhan Xi and bowing slightly.

Zhan Xi nodded, put down his coffee and newspaper, put on his coat, and left.

Zhan Xi’s palace and Prince Chun’s were practically two separate entities. When Zhan Xi left, he took his mother’s dowry with him. He left the rest of his belongings to the palace’s discretion. Zhan Xi also had his own businesses. He was a renowned international businessman who had started trading gold in his teens and subsequently expanded his business. Now, his family’s wealth was considered the largest in the city.

Today was a rare sunny day. When Lin Ruan left school, the sun was still high in the sky, half of which was crimson. Then, hidden beneath the magnificent sunset, it was a dazzling spectacle.

Lin Ruan had his hands in his pockets and his face half buried in his scarf; the wind was blinding. On the street corner, a vendor was selling roasted sweet potatoes. Even in the dead of winter, the sound of their hawking carried far. Lin Ruan pulled two copper coins from his pocket as the vendor handed him a hot, roasted sweet potato wrapped in paper.

Lin Ruan stood by, blowing on it as he peeled the skin off. Uncle Tong had forbidden them from eating it at home because it left black, dusty stains on their hands.

Lin Ruan hissed with laughter from the heat, but still bit into it. The sweet potato was thick, tender, soft, glutinous, and sweet. Its aroma and warmth wafted into the cold wind, lingering far away.

After finishing the sweet potato, Lin Ruan washed his hands at a nearby tea stall and walked back, feeling satisfied.

As he turned down another street, the place became much busier. Each vendor had a storefront with a sign hanging outside. They looked unremarkable, like businesses that had been open for decades.

Lin Ruan went to one shop. The shopkeeper recognized him and smiled. “Young Master, the usual?”

Lin Ruan nodded. “Four square white glutinous rice cakes,” he said, pulling out two silver coins. Two silver coins for four square white glutinous rice cakes—a relatively expensive delicacy.

The shopkeeper said, “We have new items: chestnut flour cakes, lotus root flour cakes, and grape cakes. The prices are still the same. We also have salty crab cakes. They’re a bit more expensive at one silver coin each. Would you like to try them?”

Lin Ruan hesitated for a long time, unsure which flavor to choose. Finally, he said, “Two of each.”

The waiter was delighted and said, “Please wait a moment. That’s all right.”

Lin Ruan rubbed his hands together and turned back to look at the people on the street.

He wasn’t short on money. When Zhan Xi went abroad, he called Lin Ruan to his room to spend the night. The next day, Uncle Tong sent Lin Ruan many things: clothes worth silver dollars and some gold jewelry. Uncle Tong Bo said this was part of the old custom[mfn](旧例, jiù lì) Tong Bo mentions refers to traditional practices for taking care of a child under someone’s guardianship or for a child in service/wardship situations. When a wealthy or noble household took a child into their care or appointed them a monthly allowance, there were customary “gifts” or provisions.[/mfn], which also included set portions of chicken, duck, and fish.

These customs were very troublesome, and Lin Ruan could never remember them. He only knew that he received twenty silver dollars and two new sets of clothes each month.

The shopkeeper packed up the exquisite pastries and handed them to Lin Ruan, saying, “Come often!”

Lin Ruan strolled home, carrying the pastries.

As soon as he walked in, Zhan Xi came downstairs. He was wearing a white wool sweater that softened his audacity, making him look even more elegant, noble, and unattainable.

“You’re back,” Zhan Xi said, glancing at Lin Ruan.

Lin Ruan stood obediently and responded.

“What are you holding?” Zhan Xi asked.

Lin Ruan replied, “Young Master, would you like some snacks from Li Mi Xuan[mfn]梨蜜軒 (Lí Mì Xuān) “Pear & Honey Pavilion” or “Pear Honey Shop”.[/mfn]?”

Zhan Xi nodded, so Lin Ruan took the snacks to the kitchen. He served them on a plate and brought out a pot of tea.

Zhan Xi glanced at them casually. “A new flavor?”

Lin Ruan nodded.

Zhan Xi asked, “Have you tried them yourself? Which one is the best?”

Lin Ruan shook his head. He wasn’t good at choosing flavors; he usually only ate white glutinous rice cakes. Zhan Xi had bought them for him before, and he had only eaten that flavor ever since.

Zhan Xi glanced at him, then took a bite of each. After a moment, he said, “The lotus root flour cake isn’t in season, so it’s not very good. The grape one is sweet and sour, and the chestnut powder and crab roe cakes are both pretty good.”

Lin Ruan listened and nodded.

Zhan Xi paused and looked at Lin Ruan. “Which flavor do you want?”

Lin Ruan hesitated again. Having ruled out the lotus root powder, three flavors remained.

Zhan Xi took a sip of tea, stood up, and said, “Let’s try the crab roe cake first. It tastes a bit like something from the palace.”

Zhan Xi stopped and glanced at Lin Ruan. Lin Ruan felt a little uneasy. “What’s wrong?”

“I heard you took a leave of absence yesterday and missed the school speech competition.” Zhan Xi’s voice was faint, but it sent waves of tingling down Lin Ruan’s back.

Lin Ruan looked up at Zhan Xi. “How did you know that, Master?”

As soon as he said that, he felt uneasy.

Zhan Xi seemed to smile, but his expression remained calm. “That’s quite clever of you. How did you come to your senses so quickly?”

“I…” Lin Ruan stammered. “I didn’t mean to question the young master.”

“Whether you meant that or not, I can tell.” Zhan Xi reached out and brushed Lin Ruan’s hair from his forehead. He had a delicate face and looked innocent and well-behaved. His eyes were always moist, and he appeared to be listening intently, but his mind had long since wandered.

Zhan Xi rubbed the side of Lin Ruan’s face with his knuckles; his eyes were unclear.

Lin Ruan watched him go upstairs, then stood there for a moment, stunned. He felt like a kite with its strings tightly tangled around Zhan Xi.

After a brief pause, Lin Ruan stopped thinking about it. He sat down on the sofa, picked up the crab cake that Zhan Xi had taken a bite of, and slowly ate it with his hot tea. He couldn’t tell if it had the palace’s signature flavor, but he thought it was simply delicious.

Lin Ruan always ranked snacks in his mind, putting the best and worst on a list. That way, he knew which one to choose.

But most of the time, he couldn’t tell the difference.

Many people and things, like snacks, couldn’t be ranked, which is why making choices was always difficult.