In the back kitchen of Jin Shi Xuan, Lady Jiang was studying the dishes.
Seeing Rong Xi suddenly arrive, she looked surprised.
“Why did Young Master Rong come here?” She quickly cleaned her hands and asked with curved lips.
Rong Xi seemed to be in a state of shyness, his eyes were wandering and he didn’t know where to land. He hesitated and couldn’t explain clearly for a moment.
Hu Yulin and Duan Changjin, who were following him secretly, hid outside the door and were worried about him.
Such hesitation must mean that, as they suspect, brother Rong has feelings for Lady Jiang!
However, Lady Jiang is two years older than brother Rong, and their identities are very different, so Hu Yulin was not optimistic about this.
Upon seeing Rong Xi’s face flush, Lady Jiang couldn’t suppress a hearty smile. “If the young master finds it hard to speak,” she suggested, “you can write it down. I’ve been studying for years and can read.”
She saw Rong Xi’s shyness, but there was no romantic implication in his eyes; she knew he was embarrassed about something else.
Rong Xi took a deep breath, scratched his head and said with a smile, “No problem.”
After saying this, he approached Lady Jiang and lowered his voice and said, “Can you teach me the skills of sewing?”
He once saw Lady Jiang embroidering handkerchiefs and knew that she was quite good, so he asked this question.
People in Wei Dynasty were not used to wearing underwear, so he had no choice but to make it himself. He couldn’t do it before because he was penniless. He now had a lot of money and plenty of time. He knew Lady Jiang had the skills, so he wanted to give it a try.
His whispered words were only heard by Lady Jiang, as the two outside the door couldn’t make out what was being said. It was precisely because of this that they became more suspicious.
Lady Jiang was extremely surprised and whispered: “If you need it, I can sew clothes for you.”
The two of them kept whispering, causing those outside the door to feel anxious and restless.
“Lady Jiang, how about you just think that I have nothing to do and spend my days with it?” Rong Xi didn’t want to let a girl sew underwear for him.
As soon as he said this, Lady Jiang stopped persuading him and smiled, saying, “If the young master is free, would you like to accompany me home?”
“Thank you, Lady Jiang!”
The two of them went out side by side, and bumped into Hu Yulin and Duan Changjin outside the door. They looked at each other, feeling awkward and speechless for a moment.
Rong Xi and Lady Jiang had no ulterior motives, which made their interaction appear natural and straightforward. However, the two from the Hu and Duan families glanced around, seemingly unsure whether out of embarrassment or for some other reason.
“Brother Hu, brother Duan, are you okay?” Rong Xi asked.
They both shook their heads. When Hu Yulin saw Rong Xi and Lady Jiang smiling, his doubts became more apparent, and he frowned and watched them leave.
Should he inform brother Jiang? After pondering for a while, he decided against it. What if he is mistaken? It won’t be appropriate.
Rong Xi followed Lady Jiang to Jiang’s iron shop. Jiang Weiping was forging iron. When he heard about it, he immediately dropped his work and came to see Rong Xi.
“Brother Jiang, I’m here to ask Lady Jiang for advice. Don’t delay your work because of me.” Rong Xi said apologetically.
Although he didn’t say anything explicitly, Jiang Weiping didn’t ask, he just nodded and said, “You go on your own.”
Rong Xi was waiting in the main courtyard. After a while, Lady Jiang arrived carrying needlework, coarse cloth and other utensils.
She was not a professional embroiderer, but her skills were good, and she taught Rong Xi from basic to advanced.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Rong Xi had never been exposed to this skill before. When he first heard it, he felt like it was shrouded in clouds. After Lady Jiang patiently explained the confusion, he finally understood a thing or two.
Lf kjr cba raeqlv ab yfulc klat; tf tjv jc fzmfiifca wfwbgs jcv kjr cba kfjx lc qgjmalmji rxliir. Fcvfg Ojvs Aljcu’r uelvjcmf, tf tjv jigfjvs ifjgcfv kfii.
Lf fralwjafv atja joafg ajxlcu j ofk wbgf mijrrfr, tf mbeiv yf jyif ab vb la.
Ca atf fcv bo atf vjs, Ebcu Wl ifoa jcv gfaegcfv ab Ebcu’r tberf klat Ole Ilrtl.
After dinner, as the sun dipped below the western horizon, Rong Xi retired to his bedroom and practiced sewing clothes by lamplight.
If he made up his mind, no matter how difficult it was, he would persevere.
However, when it came to sewing, he really had no talent. Fortunately, the underwear was not visible to others, so even if it was ugly, he didn’t care.
As night fell, the autumn wind chilled to the bone.
The window panes rattled in the wind, the window paper danced wildly, and a sudden gust of cold air swept into the room. Rong Xi shivered involuntarily.
The window panes rattled in the wind, the window paper danced wildly, and a sudden gust of cold air swept into the room. Rong Xi shivered involuntarily.
When winter came and snow fell, the fierce winds blew through the window paper, rendering it completely useless. It became a pile of rags.
It will be nice if there is glass.
Rong Xi mused to himself. He actually knew how to make glass, but the necessary conditions were not present at the time. However, with winter approaching, replacing the window paper with glass would undoubtedly provide much better insulation against the cold.
This matter needs to be put on the agenda.
Half a month later, under Lasy Jiang’s patient guidance, Rong Xi finally succeeded in sewing a pair of snug underpants. With one success, he was encouraged to continue. While his skills were still fresh, he sewed ten pairs in total,which could be worn in rotation for a long time.
The underpants were boxer-style, and since elastic bands or rubber cords were not available in the Wei Dynasty, Rong Xi could only use thin thread to pass through holes to secure them. Although they were not quite perfect, they still provided a sense of security that was far greater than before.
During this half month, Zheng family introduced a new type of sugar. As soon as the white sugar was released, it became popular among the people of the time.
Crystal-clear objects, regardless of the era, always attract attention.
Zheng’s white sugar became popular in Mengshan County, and later spread throughout the Wei Dynasty, even becoming popular among neighboring tribes.
Rong Xi no longer the impoverished youth of a few months before. The profits from the coal stove, the Jin Shi Xuan restaurant, and the white sugar business were all continuously flowing into his pockets.
Even he himself didn’t know what his worth was.
However, except for Jiang Weiping and Hu Yulin, no one knew that the person responsible for the recent emergence of novel things in Mengshan County was none other than the infamous Rong family’s oldest son.
Shengjing’s Rong’s Mansion.
Qian Zhong told Rong Shangshu what he saw and heard in Linxi. Rong Shangshu slapped the table and became angry, “Bad son!”
Little did he know that what Qian Zhong said was nonsense. He had seen it with his own eyes, but Rong Xi had deliberately misled him and he could not distinct between true and false.
When he was furious, a young man appeared outside the house. He bowed first, and after getting permission from Rong Shangshu, he entered and asked, “Father, why are you so angry?”
The young man had a handsome face, carried a scholar’s charm, and had an extraordinary bearing. He was Rong Lian, the second son of Rong Shangshu.
Although he was a concubine’s son, he was very talented. At the age of fourteen, he achieved the title of scholar.
He was now sixteen, only two months younger than Rong Xi.
Rong Shangshu valued him very much. When he saw him asking, his face softened a little. He waved his sleeves and asked Qian Zhong to step back and sighed.
“Your brother…oh!”
Rong Xi’s name had long been ridiculed by people in Shengjing. Every time Rong Shangshu went to court, he felt that his colleagues were ridiculing him in their hearts.
He has been disciplined and scolded numerous times, but he never improves. Rong Shangshu thought Rong Xi was undisciplinable, so he simply sent him back to his ancestral home in Linxi.
Unexpectedly, Rong Xi’s reputation for being fond of men would spread to Shengjing again.
Although it was not explicitly forbidden to engage in intimate activities during the national mourning period, it was still considered detrimental to one’s reputation if anyone saw it. The path of entering officialdom through the imperial examinations had already become a dead end.
Rong Lian also heard the rumors, and his classmates all secretly mocked his older brother. He had always been proud and rarely interacted deeply with others, but he couldn’t reconcile himself to the situation, and resentment grew in his heart.
Furthermore, he already had displeasure in his heart when his brother attempted to force Liang Siwen to do evil deeds.
“Father, although my brother is naughty, he should respect a teacher in the school and not dare to act rashly. Why not ask a master to teach him and keep an eye on him.”
Although he was resentful and ridiculed, he sincerely hoped that his brother would get better.
Rong Shangshu thought about it for a moment and realized that it was feasible. He nodded and said, “I’ll think about it.”
After Rong Lian retreated to the room, a book boy came to tell him.
“Report to the second young master, Master Liang is waiting for you outside.”
Rong Lian’s expression was slightly happy, but he instantly returned to his original state. With an aloof attitude, he left the house to meet Liang Siwen.
Liang Siwen was the same age as him, but was born three months later.
The young man was dressed in sturdy attire, with black hair tied high behind his head. His handsome face was extraordinary, with skin like honey, and he had a tall and slender figure, giving off a vibrant and energetic appearance.
“Rong Lian, here.”
Seeing Liang Siwen wave to him, Rong Lian remained composed, his posture poised, and followed him to the nearby alley entrance.
“What do you need from me?”
The man in front of him was a man of great talent and was praised by everyone in Shengjing as a talented man. Liang Siwen was delighted when he saw him, pinched his sleeves and said, “I’m going to Qingzhou in a few days. I know your ancestral home is Linxi, Qingzhou. I came here to let you know.”
Rong Lian’s expression remained unchanged and he said reservedly: “It’s a long journey, take care.” But he didn’t take off his sleeves.
Hearing his concerned words, Liang Siwen was extremely happy. He leaned close to his ear and whispered: “Father is coming with me, you don’t have to worry.”
The “Father” mentioned by Liang Siwen was his adoptive father, King Qin.
After the new Emperor ascended the throne, there seemed to be rumors that the Emperor wanted to promote him to a noble title. He felt that a mere county king was not enough to show his merit, but he was rejected by King Qin.
Rong Lian’s eyebrows twitched slightly. It seemed that he had not heard about King Qin’s visit to Qingzhou. Could it be that he is visiting privately and secretly?
“Don’t tell others, not even your father.” Liang Siwen continued to whisper in his ear.
Rong Lian nodded, “Don’t worry.”
“Rong Xi was sent to Linxi, Qingzhou. If I see him in Linxi this time, I will definitely beat him up to vent my anger!” Liang Siwen thought about what had happened before and shook his fist angrily.
Rong Lian sighed: “He had been punished, please be merciful and don’t hurt him.”
Though he might not have liked his older brother’s actions, being from the same roots, he should have stood up for him.
“Forget it,” Liang Siwen frowned and hummed, “For your sake, I won’t hurt him, but I will also scold him enough to vent my anger.”
Rong Lian felt soft in his heart and couldn’t help but reveal a smile on his lips, “It’s up to you.”
He knew that Liang Siwen was kind-hearted and would not hurt his brother, so what he just said was nothing more than angry words.
Seeing his beautiful smile, Liang Siwen was overjoyed.
“Actually, I don’t want to go, but my father said he would take me out to see the world. I dare not disobey his order.”
The young man complained softly with a puffy face, but in fact he was happy in his heart.
Rong Lian knew his temper, but still said: “The Prince is doing it for your own good.”
“You are right.” Liang Siwen smiled again, “If anything interesting happens to me, I will tell you when I come back.”
The two people looked at each other. Liang Siwen seemed to be burned. Liang Siwen suddenly took a step back and said with a slightly red face: “I’m going back first!”
The young man turned and walked away, his countless strands of black hair cascading down his back, swaying with his steps, as if stirring up the waves of his heart.
Rong Lian clenched his fist, his eyes full of loneliness.
He wanted to enter the court as an official; he could not have a romantic relationship with a man. With his haughty disposition, he was unwilling to make a vow he knew he couldn’t fulfill.
There were some words that he really couldn’t say.
Linxi, Qingzhou.
Rong Xi was at ease and exercising in the courtyard.
Chen Chuan’s herbal medicine had already shown its effectiveness, and he had not missed a day of exercise. The combination of the two made him feel that his body was getting better day by day. The extra fat on his body had diminished somewhat, and his face had shrunk a circle. Looking at him now, he was far from being as fat and sturdy as before.
“Report to the young master, people from the Zhang family are here.” Liu He came to report.
Rong Xi had no choice but to stop and wipe his sweat with a towel.
“Invite them in.”
After a while, the Zhang family was sent to the hall. When they saw Rong Xi, they gave him a big salute. Master Zhang said gratefully: “Thanks to you, my father is no longer seriously ill. I take my son with me to express my gratitude today.”
“Master Zhang doesn’t need to be polite.” Rong Xi smiled and asked him to take a seat, while several children were playing with Liu Zishi in the courtyard.
“I have something else to ask Young Master Rong when I visit today.” Master Zhang said solemnly, “I wonder if the issue of tenants that you mentioned earlier will still matter now?”
Rong Xi understood his thoughts. Previously, only the matter of the tenants was mentioned, but because his father suddenly fell ill, they didn’t delve into it further, and so it was left unresolved.
“If you are willing, we can make a deal today.” Rong Xi said it simply.
Master Zhang was overjoyed, stood up and bowed, “Thank you, Young Master Rong!”
Rong Xi also smiled happily.
He was in need of manpower, and the Zhang family arrived just in time.
The author has something to say:
Liang Siwen is the protagonist of the original book, Shouha~
I totally forgot it was based in a book till the author’s comment 😂 😂
Same 😂
Oh, is this mean what mc brother is second main character?
Thank you for your translation 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙