Chapter 19: Heartless person
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The next day, it started raining.
He Yan had He Yunsheng bring some money to hire craftsmen to repair the dilapidated roof. Spring was coming to an end, and summer was approaching, and the rain would only become more frequent. Only He Yan’s room had an intact roof. He Sui and He Yunsheng’s rooms were filled with copper basins to catch the dripping water. When you entered the rooms, it looked like they were selling basins.
The roof was quickly repaired with sturdy green tiles. He Yan also considered changing the bedding and pillows in the room, as they were so worn out that the cotton was almost falling out.
He Yunsheng stepped into her room and said, “He Yan, come and see!”
He Yan was puzzled as she saw He Yunsheng take out a piece of paper from his pocket and said to her, “Yesterday, I wrote down the schools in the capital that might be suitable. How about we go and check them out together?”
“Now?” He Yan asked, “Do you want me to go with you?”
He Yunsheng’s face showed a hint of annoyance as if he had been seen through. He turned away and said, “I’m just letting you know!”
“Oh, okay, I’ll accompany you then,” He Yan agreed.
This young man was a bit stubborn, but he was still cute and didn’t seem to have any malicious intentions. When He Yan walked to the courtyard, she saw the horse that Xiao Jue had given He Yunsheng the day before, now standing in a corner with a makeshift stable.
He Yan’s family was poor and couldn’t afford to raise a horse. They only kept chickens and ducks in the courtyard, and now there was suddenly this huge animal there, making it quite unusual. The horse was bowing its head, eating grass that had been wiped clean and neatly stacked, clearly the work of He Yunsheng.
Seeing He Yan looking at the horse, He Yunsheng proudly said, “Xiang Xiang is so beautiful!”
He Yan almost suspected that she had misheard him and asked, “What did you call it?”
“Xiang Xiang!” He Yunsheng answered confidently, “I looked at it yesterday, and it’s a female horse. Since she’s following me, I need to give her a new name, and Xiang Xiang is a name that girls would like.”
He Yan replied, “…As long as you’re happy.”
She had told He Yunsheng to study more early on, but he never listened. If Xiao Jue, who was so picky, knew that the horse he casually gave away had been given such a name by He Yunsheng, it would surely be a shame in his horse-gifting career.
He Yunsheng didn’t notice, and despite his efforts to hide it, he couldn’t help feeling happy. He Yan didn’t bother with him either.
The He family had no horse before, so they didn’t have a carriage either. He Yan and He Yunsheng walked on the street with an umbrella each. He Sui had already gone to the drill ground early in the morning. He Yan had checked her face in the mirror this morning and found that the bruise at the corner of her mouth had already faded away. It was almost invisible, so she didn’t wear a veil, directly going out.
There were some advantages to going out directly. Now that her identity was different, she didn’t need to be too cautious, and she could observe the customs of the capital in detail. He Yunsheng had written down four schools on the paper, which were carefully selected, and He Yan took a look. She found that they all focused on martial arts.
The decision was good. Looking at He Yunsheng’s appearance, it seemed that he had no intention of pursuing a civil career—of course, he was definitely not cut out for it if he could come up with the name “Xiang Xiang” for a horse.
The two of them strolled around, buying snacks as they walked. In just one day, they had visited all the schools in the area. After discussing, they decided to choose the school that was closest to their home. This school had more martial arts instructors and a suitable curriculum. After school, He Yunsheng could still go to the drill ground to practice martial arts. The tuition fee was also not expensive, only one or two taels of silver per year, and the money that He Yan had won was enough to cover several years of tuition for him.
Although He Yunsheng didn’t say anything, he was obviously very happy. On their way back, he seemed quite elated. When they passed a tailor shop, He Yan remembered the day when she tore He Yunsheng’s clothes at Le Tong Manor. She said, “Before, I promised to give clothes to you. Since we happened to pass by, there’s no better time than now. Let’s do it here.”
Most of He Yunsheng’s clothes were salvaged from what He Sui had left behind. They had been patched up for three years, and new clothes were rare for him. He had never been to a tailor shop like this before and hesitated, saying, “It’s alright, I can just wear whatever.”
“If you go to school wearing shabby clothes, you’ll be laughed at,” He Yan pulled him inside. The tailor was an elderly man with a friendly smile. He asked, “Is this young lady getting clothes made, or is it this young gentleman?”
“Make them for him,” He Yan pointed at He Yunsheng and said, “Spring and winter clothes, two sets each, preferably long clothes with the style of a leader. Make them good-looking and suitable for a young man like him. The color shouldn’t be too dark or too light, and the patterns can be simple.”
The old tailor smiled and said, “Sure.”
“What about you?” He Yunsheng was surprised, standing up and said, “I can’t wear that many, it’s too much.”
He Yan pushed him back into his seat, “Your sister’s clothes are too much to wear, how can you compare with me? You’re so good-looking, it’s a waste of this face if you don’t wear something nice.”
He Yunsheng blushed, “You’re talking nonsense.”
Hearing this, the old tailor smiled even more kindly, “Young master, your older sister really loves you.”
Loves him? He Yunsheng was a little dazed. He never thought that one day he would be joking with He Yan like any other ordinary brother and sister. But… she did help him a lot. She was reluctant to spend money on her own clothes but made so many for him. It should be known that He Yan was the one who loved dressing up the most.
He Yan didn’t know the mixed feelings in He Yunsheng’s heart at the moment. She just genuinely couldn’t get used to wearing Miss He’s clothes. Miss He’s clothes were delicate and glamorous, with complicated and lengthy designs. She would trip over the skirt and fall if she took a few steps, and she might accidentally snag the gauzy edges of the clothes. He Yan felt hopeless wearing them.
Even when she was at the Xu family as the Madam, she always preferred simple and elegant clothes. Therefore, Miss He’s clothes were totally unsuitable for her. Not to mention wearing such clothes while practicing martial arts. She thought it would be better to have a tailor make two sets of sturdy male outfits but she mustn’t do it in front of him; otherwise, she would have to explain it endlessly. She decided to secretly do it one day when He Yunsheng wasn’t around.
The tailor was measuring He Yunsheng’s body, and He Yan casually walked around, looking at the fabrics, trying to find a few that she could use to make outfits for He Yunsheng. At this moment, someone suddenly called her name.
“He Yan?”
He Yan turned her head to look.
The one calling her was a young nobleman, dressed in extremely luxurious clothing, with a relatively handsome appearance. However, there was a slight hint of darkness in his eyes, and his gaze seemed unfocused, making him appear somewhat unwell. Behind him were a few servants. When he saw He Yan turn her head, his eyes lit up, and he suddenly approached, reaching out to grab He Yan’s hand.
He Yan sidestepped, avoiding his grasp.
It seemed that Miss He had quite a reputation in the capital city. He Yan couldn’t help but feel annoyed; why did she encounter familiar people wherever she went? First, Wang Jiugui, and now this person.
The young nobleman, disappointed that He Yan had evaded his hand, froze for a moment before his face immediately displayed a look of sadness. He clutched his heart and said, “Are you… still angry with me?”
What does he mean?
While He Yan was still puzzled, a young man as swift as a calf rushed forward and stood in front of He Yan.
“Fan Cheng, how dare you come here!”
Fan Cheng?
He Yan suddenly understood. This must be the legendary “Young Master Fan,” the heartless person who broke Miss He’s heart.
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