Chapter 15: Xingzhi Temple (15)
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Yuanwu brought over the burning charcoal basin. “Hey? How did Young Master Lin get so seriously ill?”
“Hush.” Xiao Fu raised a finger to his lips, speaking softly. “He’s asleep, don’t disturb him. Just leave the charcoal basin here.”
Yuanwu bent down to place the basin, then said to Xiao Fu, “Master, my younger brother is back. He said the craftsmen have finished that… whatever it is, the small glass piece.”
“What small glass piece? That’s called Ai Dai. You’ve got no insight.”
“Yes, yes it’s the Ai Dai. A rare item. I haven’t seen one before.”
Xiao Fu nodded. “Bring it here. I need to keep an eye on the little patient.”
Soon, Yuanwu brought everything over. “Master, Young Master Lin’s zither, and that box, I brought them both.”
“Put them there.” Xiao Fu didn’t even lift his head.
“And…”
Xiao Fu glanced sideways. “Is there more?”
“Yes…” Seeing Xiao Fu’s puzzled expression, Yuanwu walked over, keeping his voice low as he said, “That Tang Mengyang, he’s indeed a cut sleeve, and he’s also from a prominent family in Jiangnan, renowned for his talent.”
“What nonsense is the renowned family, he’s a damn cut sleeve.”
Yuanwu: “………..”
Xiao Fu frowned: “All these items, did you wipe them clean after taking them from him?”
“They’ve been wiped clean. There’s also this.” Yuanwu pulled out a small box from his pocket. “It’s a replica of the Ai Dai made by the craftsmen. They say the effect is almost as good as the original.”
“Is this it?” Xiao Fu opened it, revealing two thin glass pieces sandwiched together with silver, along with two folded legs. He knew how to use it as soon as he opened it and tried it on his nose.
“Dizzy.” Xiao Fu felt his head spinning as Yuanwu’s face swelled up before his eyes. He was still studying it when Yuanwu hesitated slightly. “There’s one more thing.”
“Can’t you just say everything at once?”
“I can. I returned Prime Minister Xue’s Ai Dai to him. When I went back, it was at night and I happened to see his servants burying something in the yard.”
“Oh? What were they burying?”
“Witchcraft dolls.”
Xiao Fu took off the Ai Dai and wiped it with his thumb, finding it getting grayer the more he wiped. He used his sleeve to wipe it and slowly said, “Old Xu Ge’s move isn’t clever, but it’s enough to deal with Yuwen Duo. He’s trying to bring down anyone who’s in his way and elevate his own people.”
“So, I dug out the dolls. The next day, the Inspection Court indeed came to search the residence. After digging for half a day, they found nothing and had to leave empty-handed.” Yuanwu did a good deed without leaving a trace, then left after seeing Prime Minister Xue’s family safe and sound.
As the two were talking, Mo Liu running over with the freshly brewed medicine, panting heavily, “Second Young Miss, as you said, it’s boiled down to two bowls.”
Xiao Fu’s face returned to its smiling fox-like expression. “Mo Liu, your Young Master is asleep. I’ll go feed him later.”
“Okay, Second Young Miss.” Mo Liu didn’t argue with him, glanced at Yuanwu, then lay down on the bed, reaching into the covers to search.
Xiao Fu grabbed his shoulder with one hand. “What are you doing?”
“…Second Young Miss, ow, it hurts, the hot water bottle, the hot water bottle is cold! I’ll change it for Young Master. Why are you pinching me?”
“I have a strong grip.” Xiao Fu let go, “You’ve worked hard. Go to sleep. I’ll watch over your Young Master, and I’ll have someone change the broth.”
“But…” Mo Liu glanced at him, “But I slept with Young Master last night.”
Xiao Fu stared at him, took a deep breath, and said, “You sleep on the nearby bed. There’s still charcoal fire, enough for you. Your Young Master got sick, and he can get you infected.”
“Oh, then I’ll sleep over there. Thank you, Second Young Miss.”
Mo Liu went to sleep on the soft couch nearby, separated by a screen. When he lay down, through the thin screen, he could see Xiao Fu feeding medicine to his Young Master.
“Such a handsome and kind wife, Young Master still likes her like this. It seems he’s right to like her. Second Young Miss is really nice.”
Lin Zikui was helped up by Xiao Fu to drink the medicine, his cheeks bulging, muttering a bitter complaint.
Xiao Fu asked, “Is the medicine hard to swallow, or is it the ginger soup?”
“The ginger soup.”
“Then drink the medicine. If the ginger soup is so hard to swallow, how did you finish it?”
“That’s because you tricked me. You said it had no taste, so I finished it.”
“Are you blaming me for that?”
“Yes.”
Under the influence of the fever, Lin Zikui’s sense of etiquette seemed to evaporate.
But Xiao Fu felt that this way was better. A scholar should have a temper. Always being so gentle and burying all the sharpness would suffocate him.
A smile flickered in Xiao Fu’s eyes, imperceptible even to himself. “How about I make it up to you?”
Lin Zikui, who was drinking medicine, raised his eyelids. “Hmm?”
“I brought something for you,” Xiao Fu took out the sparkling cleaned binoculars, “Try wearing them.”
“Ai Dai?” Lin Zikui recognized them, and was taken aback. “Where did you get these?”
“I happen to know someone who can make them, so I had one made for you. It’s nothing special. This is how you wear it.” Xiao Fu held the legs of the Ai Dai and clipped them onto Lin Zikui’s ears. Lin Zikui subconsciously closed his eyes. His long eyelashes and flat eye sockets brushed against the glass of the Ai Dai, making a faint sound when he opened his eyes.
Through the lenses, he stared at Xiao Fu in a daze.
Xiao Fu asked, “How is it?”
Lin Zikui blinked and pointed to the corner of her eye. “Second Young Miss, do you have a mole here?”
There was a small mole under the eyelashes, very faint, but he was close enough to see it.
Xiao Fu thought the Ai Dai were effective, wondering if they really worked. He smiled, “Take another good look at me. Do I look like a man?”
Lin Zikui hesitated. “Not… not quite.”
Xiao Fu asked, “The Ai Dai aren’t working well, are they?”
“They’re very good,” Lin Zikui nodded, looking around. He could see trees outside the window instead of just blocks of color. He smiled, “I haven’t seen the world so clearly for a long time.”
In fact, it wasn’t completely clear, just a little better than before, but Lin Zikui still said it was very useful.
“Second Young Miss, this… it must be very precious.”
Xiao Fu looked at him and noticed that wearing this thing seemed to have subtly changed his appearance. In his clean demeanor, there was a hint of restraint. Xiao Fu said, staring at him, “Didn’t I say? It’s made by a craftsman, it’s free. Broken glass pieces aren’t worth money.”
“This item was only introduced to the Central Plains from the Western Regions in the first year of Wen Tai. It’s already rare, and glass is expensive. There are few of them in the whole Jinling. Before… I had a friend who wanted to help me find a pair, but couldn’t find one.”
“The friend you mentioned, is it Tang Mengyang?”
“Yes, Second Young Miss, you know him too?”
Xiao Fu chuckled, neither smiling nor laughing. “I heard you mention him a few days ago. He’s just a fourth-rank grand academician. Where would he find such a rare item?”
“… “
Lin Zikui hesitated for a moment. “… How did Second Young Miss…”
“Just told you, didn’t I? I know someone…”
The same words were repeated again. Fortunately, Lin Zikui was still a bit feverish and confused, so he didn’t dig deeper. Instead, he harbored a warm feeling in his heart. Second Young Miss was too kind to him; it must be the blessing he accumulated from his past life.
Lin Zikui slept for a few hours like this. The hot water bottle changed every two hours, one for his chest and one for his feet. Every time Xiao Fu changed it, he inevitably touched his skin. Scholars like him hadn’t suffered much hardship, even the skin on their feet was smooth and tender, like warm jade.
If it weren’t for the fear of startling Lin Zikui, Xiao Fu would probably couldn’t resist pinching him a few times.
Fortunately, he restrained himself, but involuntarily, images of Lin Zikui not wearing clothes last time popped into his mind.
After two days of care, Lin Zikui was almost fully recovered.
The courtyard was covered in snow, and several braziers burned in the room, warming it like spring. He was wrapped in a thick sable fur, immersed in reading and writing, with Ai Dai perched on his nose, exuding a scholarly air of warmth.
As Mo Liu fanned the brazier, smoke scattered in the air, he asked, “Young Master, how did Second Young Miss manage to get such a rare item as Ai Dai?”
“He said he knew a craftsman who could make it.” Lin Zikui believed him. Lord Xiao was a staff member of the Ministry of Revenue. Although his official position was not high, he was in charge of the country’s finance, land, and taxes. This was much more important than being a fifth-rank grand academician.
It was not surprising that Second Young Miss knew some skilled craftsmen.
“Oh… But Young Master, since you’ve used such an item, why are you still squinting at books?”
Lin Zikui buried his face in the book. “The characters are too small. Even with these, I can’t see clearly.”
Xiao Fu happened to walk to the door and stopped. “Are the Ai Dai aren’t working?”
“Huh?” Lin Zikui raised his head and pushed the glass pieces. “Second Young Miss, why are you here? No, everything’s fine. The Ai Dai are useful.”
“I heard everything you just said,” Xiao Fu thought to herself that this craftsman was not good at his job, making such useless things.
Lin Zikui didn’t know how to cover up, so he shook his head. “No, it’s very useful.”
Mo Liu interjected, “Second Young Miss, you don’t know. A few years ago, Young Masterr’s eyesight was slightly weak, but it wasn’t that serious. He had no problem reading and writing. However, just a few days before the imperial examination three years ago, his eyes suddenly became excruciatingly painful. Later, his vision became even blurrier. When people were in front of him, he couldn’t even distinguish between men and women.”
“A few days before the imperial examination, excruciating pain?” Xiao Fu frowned. He naturally thought of conspiracy. Such incidents were not uncommon in previous years. After all, success in the imperial examination meant obtaining fame and fortune. Lin Zikui was able to become the top scholar in Huainan three years ago, indicating his literary talent, and he was likely to be envied and plotted against.
“Could it be that someone holds a grudge against you and deliberately damaged your eyes?”
Lin Zikui fell silent for a moment, waved his hand, and said gently, “Mo Liu is talking nonsense. Second Young Miss, I also have something for you.”
“I haven’t even thanked Brother Chen for helping me retrieve these things.” Lin Zikui stood up, picked up the wooden box he brought back from the Tang Residence, and handed it directly to Xiao Fu.
“For me?” Xiao Fu opened the box, and his expression froze.
“Your… ancestral belongings? Are you giving them to me?”
Lin Zikui nodded earnestly, somewhat apprehensive. “These things are not much, they are all I have left. Second Young Miss, please don’t look down on them.” Lin Zikui counted. If these ancestral belongings were sold, they would fetch at most seven hundred taels. He had lived frugally in Fengtai County, and it would be enough for a lifetime there, but not in Jinling. To Second Young Miss, they might not be much, but in Lin Zikui’s eyes, they were everything.
Xiao Fu’s mood suddenly became complex.
The sable fur he gave Lin Zikui, even if it were worth a thousand taels of gold, couldn’t compare to what Lin Zikui had given him. To Xiao Fu, it was just a piece of clothing, so he could give it away casually.
But Lin Zikui’s ancestral belongings, Xiao Fu vaguely remembered him saying that they were the entire family fortune that Lin Zikui refused to sell even when he left the Yingtian Prefecture Academy and came to the remote and desolate place of Xingzhi Temple for his studies.
If he didn’t pass the exam, these ancestral belongings would be his only remaining retreat.
And now, he was eagerly presenting them to Xiao Fu.
“Lin Zikui, are you a fool?”
Lin Zikui didn’t expect him to say that, and was stunned for a moment, looking helpless. “Second Young Miss, why do you say that?”
Xiao Fu closed the box, looking at him with complex emotions. “Not a fool. You’re giving me your entire fortune?”
“But… but you are my wife, so giving you my ancestral belongings is only natural.” As he finished speaking, he suddenly realized his slip of the tongue and scratched his head, adding, “We’re not officially married yet…”
“Well, I’ll give them back to you then. When you’re officially married, you can give them to me again.” Xiao Fu returned the box to him.
Lin Zikui didn’t notice anything wrong with that. He looked at Xiao Fu for a while, lips pressed tightly together, and his tone became solemn. “When I achieve success in the imperial examinations, I will officially marry you.”
Xiao F was momentarily surprised, then a smile spread across his lips. “Lin Lang, I’ll be waiting for your name on the golden list, riding through the streets on horseback.”
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