Chapter 5: A Genius
Su Tang pulled over a stool and sat beside the young master.
The young master’s expression revealed nothing, but his body quietly shrank back.
Oh my, is he shy?
Suppressing the curve at the corners of her lips as if unaware, Su Tang leaned forward to look at the book in the young master’s hands. “Husband, what are you reading?”
The candlelight flickered, Su Tang tilted her head, revealing her most delicate profile.
The young master’s gaze was bright, and he pushed the book toward Su Tang.
Su Tang’s lips curled, but the smile barely rose before it faded.
The pages before her were filled with words, with no punctuation or paragraphs. After a few glances, her head spun.
The original owner of this body felt dizzy reading as well; she wondered how she managed to get through it.
“Husband, you’re amazing!” Su Tang praised him with a calm face. “Can you remember it all?”
The young master seemed quite confident. He casually opened to a page and turned it so she could see.
Su Tang started reading: “In this month…”
“…the weather descends, the earth’s energy rises, heaven and earth harmonize, grass and trees sprout…” The young master recited the passage fluently, without a single stumble.
Su Tang flipped to another page at random and read the opening lines.
The young master again recited the rest smoothly.
Su Tang, unwilling to believe it, turned yet another section.
Once again, the young master recited it perfectly.
Su Tang stared in awe.
Remarkable!
Not only introverted, but a genius!
“How long have you been reading this book?” Su Tang asked.
The young master furrowed his brow, recalling, “Two days.”
Su Tang quietly drew in a breath.
If she had two days, she’d barely manage to finish reading it.
“Do you like to read?” Su Tang asked.
The young master thought for a moment and nodded.
“Have you attended school?” Su Tang asked again.
The young master shook his head.
Su Tang noticed the sudden shadow in his eyes and was moved. “Do you want to go to school?”
The young master looked at her.
Su Tang’s gaze was deep. “You should go to school. I’ll pay the tuition.”
The young master: “…”
*
The lamplight cast two silhouettes against the window.
They faced each other, a hint of lingering intimacy between them.
Li Qingtian watched the two shadows in the window, his gaze fixed fiercely on the one clearly belonging to the young master.
He absolutely could not let that foolish boy take advantage of his little lady.
At that moment, the nearby door opened and Lu Dashan stepped out, saw Li Qingtian outside, and was taken aback, “What are you…”
“Greetings, honored father-in-law.”
Li Qingtian pressed his hands together in front of his chest, slowly squatted, and bowed his head in a respectful salute.
Lu Dashan hurriedly returned the gesture, but before he could speak again, Li Qingtian had already turned to leave.
Lu Dashan: “?”
Li Qingtian: Even inside the house, he could keep watch.
Lu Dashan scratched his head, looked at the closed door, and then at the two shadows in the window, and went back inside.
He had to slaughter a pig early tomorrow.
In the towns of Da Qian, there were slaughterhouses everywhere. Lu Dashan slaughtered pigs at dawn, sometimes one, sometimes two or three, enough to feed all the townsfolk.
After slaughtering, Lu Dashan returned home, the echoes of pig cries still ringing in his ears, but the words of this “new wife” before him were already thunderous.
“What did you say?” Lu Dashan couldn’t help but ask again.
Su Tang’s eyes gleamed as she repeated, “Husband is smart and loves reading, he should attend school. I am willing to pay the tuition.”
Lu Dashan’s gaping mouth finally closed after a long moment. He turned and asked the young master, who was petting the big black dog, “A Lang, do you want to go to school?”
The young master didn’t speak, only looked at Su Tang.
Su Tang received his gaze and nodded, “Husband wants to go.”
Lu Dashan: “…”
***
After breakfast, Su Tang and Li Qingtian bought vegetables and went to the creek outside town to wash them.
The creek was lively, with farmwives and children washing clothes, playing, washing hair and vegetables. Further away, young men tried their luck fishing with nets, though few fish were caught. On this side, the vegetables seemed hardly clean, but in these times, aside from dust and manure, there was little technology.
Their own courtyard had a well, so a final rinse in fresh water made things just as clean.
Li Qingtian, like other townsfolk, washed on the stones at the creek’s edge, barefoot. Su Tang cleaned beside him, dressed in simple clothing, her hair wrapped in a cloth like other women. Yet her elegant, serene face made it clear she wasn’t a local, and after her recent public appearance in town, there was inevitable whispering and intentional or accidental approaches from men and women alike.
Regardless of gender, Li Qingtian would shoot them a cold glare, as if his eyes could kill.
Today, Li Qingtian said nothing and ignored the surrounding people.
Suddenly, Li Qingtian whispered, “I understand now. I know why you want that Lu young master to attend school.”
“Why?” asked Su Tang.
Li Qingtian replied, “So that young master has something to occupy himself and won’t think about nonsense.”
Su Tang looked at Li Qingtian’s sparkling eyes and nodded slowly.
If admitting it would make Sister Li happy—
“Ha, little lady is as clever as ever,” Li Qingtian whispered.
Su Tang’s mouth twitched.
Was she clever before?
She felt she was no different from a fool~
…
“Little master is truly remarkable!”
In the courtyard, Lu Dashan’s honest face was full of admiration. “Little master was going to study anyway, and now it’s settled without us needing to say a word.”
The little wife was pretty and sometimes seemed smart, but before their little master, she acted like a simpleton.
The young master, stroking the black fur of the big dog, was calm. Lu Dashan quickly put on a solemn face. “Is little master going to school tomorrow?”
The young master looked up, but instead of answering, he asked, “Any news?”
Lu Dashan replied in a serious tone, “Little master, two hours ago the news said the two mistress and servant came from the capital direction. You know there are fewer informants there, but we followed your orders and sent people south to check along the route to Wucheng. I expect news will return within three days.”
The young master nodded and rubbed the big black dog’s head. “Then I’ll go to school in three days.”
“Yes.” Lu Dashan agreed.
The black dog wagged its tail vigorously.
Clearly, it was enjoying itself.
********
High walls of blue bricks and black tiles, a courtyard with two entrances, both front and back, all neat and complete.
In the bright main hall, the graying headman of Ping’an Town glowered at the burly Zhao official sitting carelessly before him, his tone annoyed.
“You certainly live comfortably.”
In the bright main hall, the graying headman of Ping’an Town glowered at the burly Zhao official sitting carelessly before him, his tone annoyed.
Zhao’s short, thick fingers drummed on his round belly, his mouth flashing a golden tooth. “What can I do? My sister likes my wife, and my brother-in-law happens to listen to my sister!”
“You act as if you’ve only just found out. All these years, you’ve relied on my wife and caused me no end of trouble,” the headman’s mustache quivered with anger.
“Heh heh.” Zhao official laughed and said nothing.
Soft laughter drifted from the inner quarters, the headman sighed, rubbing his forehead. “There are things one can do, and things one cannot. Those two sisters arrived in misfortune; if not for the wedding with the Lu family’s young master, it might have cost two lives. Now, their secret recipe is their means of survival. Why would you do such a thing to ruin their family?”
Zhao official protested, “Brother-in-law, what are you saying? It’s not like I’m not paying. Lu Dashan is still around; those sisters will have a way to live. Besides, who knows, maybe those two have some hidden legal troubles.”
The headman’s face grew serious.