Chapter 1 Explosion "Men all have to get married, you can't just leave it to them..."

BOOM!

A deafening crash came from the backyard, popping Li Gonggong's snot bubble. He woke up instantly, nearly falling off his rocking chair, and scrambled to his feet, running towards the backyard.

Flames soared into the sky, and beneath the billowing smoke stood a figure covered in soot, frantically trying to pump water from a vat to extinguish the fire. Eunuch Li was immediately at his wits' end, wailing, "Oh dear, what time is it? Come quick! If your face gets burned, how will you ever get married!"

The second young master's only redeeming quality is his appearance. If he were to get hurt or injured and be unable to marry, his father would be too ashamed to face his deceased lover, Feng Langjun, when he passes away.

Su Xiaotang had no choice but to throw away the pump and happily scurried back to Eunuch Li's side.

Just as Eunuch Li was calling for help to put out the fire, he turned around and saw Su Xiaotang. He noticed that Su Xiaotang's fair face was covered in soot, and the scarf around his neck was dirty. His nose, however, was smooth and white. When he rubbed it, some powder came off, revealing the warm, jade-like skin underneath.

"Oh my young master, what have you been doing again?" Eunuch Li scolded.

"Father-in-law, I've just invented something that can automatically roll out dough!"

Although Su Xiaotang's face was dirty, his big, round, black eyes sparkled with excitement. He gestured enthusiastically, "Look, as long as you fix the rolling pin to the little donkey, and then hang a carrot in front of it with a bamboo pole, and make it run, it can roll out the dough by itself!"

"Oh dear ancestors, this isn't your invention! Ordinary people grind flour like this, don't they?" Eunuch Li said, both amused and exasperated. "Then how did it cause a fire?"

Upon hearing that someone had already figured out what he had been racking his brains over for so long, Su Xiaotang immediately deflated and muttered, "That donkey's tail must have caught a spark somewhere and exploded—hey! Be careful! Don't touch my salt water!"

Seeing the servant open the earthenware vat to pump water, Su Xiaotang was so choked by the black ink inside that she took two steps back. In a panic, she lifted her skirt and hurried down the steps.

He usually acted recklessly, and Eunuch Li always indulged him, even helping him keep it a secret from the head of the household and the master. But this time, he's caused such a huge mess that even if Eunuch Li wanted to protect him, he couldn't anymore.

Su Xiaotang stood timidly at the lower end of the table. The man was embroidering with a needle and thread. He was displeased to see her and said, "Didn't you already pay your respects today?"

A servant then explained the whole story to him in detail.

Seeing her father's brows furrowing deeper and his gaze growing increasingly hostile, Su Xiaotang felt a chill of fear and timidly said, "Father..."

"Hmph, you almost blew up the Su residence. With such power, I dare not call you 'father'—why is Yiyi here?"

Xin Yaning was mocking him when she suddenly caught a glimpse of a slender figure approaching out of the corner of her eye. Her mood instantly brightened, and she softly asked the person what was going on.

The person who came was none other than his only son, the eldest son of the Su family, Su Yiyi.

"Why is Father angry? Feng Langjun passed away early, and Xiaotang has no one to discipline her. Although she is a bit wild, she is also simple and lovely. No matter what mistake Xiaotang has made, I hope Father will be lenient for the sake of Feng Langjun."

Su Yiyi had a beautiful voice, melodious and gentle, and everyone present secretly admired her kindness to her half-brother. However, Xin Yaning's face grew increasingly gloomy as she listened.

When Su Yiyi was only two or three years old, she fell seriously ill with a high fever for days on end, which was extremely dangerous. He was busy finding doctors and medicine for his young son and neglected his wife. He knew that she frequented brothels every day, but he could only turn a blind eye to it.

Unexpectedly, late that night, she returned from the brothel and ordered people to carry a small sedan chair in through the side door.

She never even asked him, the legal husband.

Feng Qin was a foreigner, robust with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a wheat-colored complexion, completely different from the delicate and graceful men of Tianyuan. Xin Yaning, feeling wronged and resentful, couldn't believe that her mistress would be fond of such an androgynous foreigner.

That slut who's ridden by a thousand men and slept with by ten thousand, I wonder if he's contracted any venereal diseases in that filthy place, and what if he infects his wife...

Therefore, Su Yiyi kept calling him "Feng Langjun," ostensibly asking her father to forgive her half-brother out of respect for their deceased stepfather, but in reality, she was constantly poking at her father's sore spots.

As a result, even if Xin Yaning originally had no intention of punishing her severely, she was now so provoked that she had to make Su Xiaotang suffer some physical pain.

"Hmph, if that's how it is..." Xin Yaning snorted coldly, looking Su Xiaotang up and down. Seeing that he was as tall as an iron tower with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, just like Feng Qin, she felt even more disgusted. "Then don't let him eat for three days. What kind of person is he, so burly! If he goes hungry, he won't have the energy to do anything reckless."

Su Xiaotang returned to her courtyard dejectedly.

The punishment starts tonight... Su Xiaotang counted on her fingers.

He won't be able to eat until the evening of the day after tomorrow!

Thinking about this, he felt completely drained and slumped onto the stone table in the courtyard, sighing.

He was starting to feel hungry... He wanted to eat, to eat big mouthfuls of meat, to eat crispy on the outside and tender on the inside stinky tofu, to eat spicy and fragrant snail rice noodles, sob sob.

Su Xiaotang ate a lot from a young age. While other men could barely eat a bowl of rice in one meal, he could eat three large bowls. By the time he was fifteen or sixteen, he was already as tall as girls his age, which made his mother sigh. She said she couldn't let him grow any taller, so she reduced his rations in the courtyard.

As a result, Su Xiaotang could only eat one and a half bowls of rice per meal, and looked at the green food on the table with tears in her eyes.

He hadn't had a full meal in a long time; otherwise, he wouldn't have started researching food on his own, nor would he have dreamed of opening a food stall after being kicked out of the Su family mansion.

As dusk fell, Su Xiaotang's stomach began to rumble. He listlessly got up and was about to head to the bedroom when his nose twitched involuntarily, keenly catching a sweet fragrance.

Turning around, I saw that it was Eunuch Li sneaking in, carrying a food box.

After looking around to make sure no one had seen him along the way, Eunuch Li carefully closed the courtyard gate. Turning his head, he saw Su Xiaotang looking at him expectantly, and a smile immediately bloomed on his old face. He called out softly, "Second Young Master, what are you standing there for? Come and eat."

Su Xiaotang gave a small cheer, rushed over, opened the food box, and saw a basket of steaming hot steamed buns. Just as she was about to reach for them, Eunuch Li slapped her hand away, saying, "Wash your hands first! So clumsy, how can you act like a boy?"

He pouted, feeling wronged, but still obediently washed his hands. He came back with a steamed bun in each hand and wolfed it down.

"Eat slowly, no rush, no one will take it from you." Eunuch Li looked at him affectionately, as if he saw Feng Qin from back then.

After Su Aoshuang brought Feng Qin back to the manor, she assigned him her wet nurse, Eunuch Li. At first, Eunuch Li was puzzled as to why he could win the favor of the head of the household, making her risk her reputation to bring him back—compared to the fierce and beast-like Feng Qin, the quiet and gentle Xin Yaning was more worthy of Su Aoshuang.

But over time he discovered that although Feng Qin had a fierce appearance, she was surprisingly kind at heart.

Feeling hungry in the middle of the night, he didn't want to bother the cook who was already asleep, so he endured it until breakfast the next day.

Seeing that the servant was secretly embroidering a sachet for his beloved, he did not blame him. Instead, he asked him for advice and finally embroidered a pair of mandarin duck sachets that looked like wild ducks and presented them to the master of the house, which made the master of the house both laugh and cry.

She endured the difficulties caused by the Lord Father silently, without knowing how to whisper sweet nothings in the Lord’s ear. Her frankness was truly endearing.

Unfortunately, Feng Qin was short-lived and fell seriously ill, passing away unexpectedly. As Su Xiaotang grew up, her features became too similar to Feng Qin's. Fearing that seeing her child would only cause her more grief, Su Aoshuang gradually stopped visiting him.

Thinking of Feng Qin, Eunuch Li sighed and murmured, "Little Tang, with your constant fooling around, what kind of wife can put up with you? If you don't find a good home, alas..."

"Father-in-law, I don't want to get married," Su Xiaotang said, her cheeks bulging.

He devoured the three steamed buns in the blink of an eye, but was only barely half full. Eunuch Li knew his appetite well, so he deliberately only gave him three buns, not letting him eat his fill.

"How dare you talk like that, child?" Eunuch Li gently pinched his ear. "Men are all meant to get married; it's not up to you whether you want to or not."

Moreover, with his wife's family protecting him, he might never have to suffer from the master's father and the eldest son again. He had more experience than these young people, and he had heard Su Yiyi's words today. How could he not understand what kind of vicious heart was hidden beneath that handsome appearance?

It's all because the father was corrupt at the top, and he corrupted his children.

"Will you be able to eat your fill after you get married?" Su Xiaotang blinked her big, watery eyes.

He really wanted to have a good meal.

"Eat, eat, all you ever think about is eating." Eunuch Li raised his hand and gave him a sharp tap on the head, bringing tears to Su Xiaotang's eyes. "Have you memorized all of the 'Admonitions for Men' that I had you read the other day?"

"No..." Su Xiaotang said weakly.

He gets sleepy as soon as he sees dense text, and he can't concentrate on reading it at all.

“That won’t do…” Eunuch Li said worriedly. “What if your future wife enjoys composing poems and reciting verses with you under the flowers and moon, but you can’t answer them and upset her? How will you then keep her heart?”

Although he complained that his father had corrupted the master's children, he knew in his heart that he was also a man with a tragic fate, unable to hold onto his wife's heart.

Su Aoshuang preferred someone like Feng Qin, while Xin Yaning was only married into the family according to her parents' wishes. It wasn't a matter of liking or disliking her; it was already good enough that they could treat each other with respect.

Su Xiaotang took Li Gonggong's words to heart, lowered her head, went back to her room, lit a lamp, and read until 9 PM. Only then did Li Gonggong come to persuade her to go to bed early, lest she become a haggard old man before even getting married.

...

The next day, Su Xiaotang got up very early. After eating the congee and side dishes prepared by Eunuch Li, she continued to learn embroidery from Xiulang as usual.

After only two stitches, Su Xiaotang found it boring. Unfortunately, the embroidery teacher who came to teach her this time was extremely strict and insisted that she sit for a full hour before he would let her rest.

Although Su Xiaotangren was sitting on the couch, her mind had already flown to the window—

There was no one there. Two servants were standing under the eaves, whispering to each other, "Have you heard about the latest happenings in the capital?"

"No, Han Langjun allowed me to go home to visit my family a while ago, and I only returned yesterday. What did you hear? Tell me quickly."

"His Highness Prince Rui has returned to the capital in triumph, and His Majesty will soon arrange a marriage for him. She is now twenty-two years old, and in an ordinary family, she should have been married and had children long ago, but she has been delayed by the war in recent years."

"That's wonderful! I've heard that His Highness Prince Rui is handsome and exceptionally brave. Which young master would Your Majesty like to betroth to her?"

"Oh, don't even mention it. At the palace banquet yesterday, a dancer offered her a toast, but she kicked him away, saying that when he smiled, the thick powder on his face would fall off and stain her sleeves. She was so disgusted that she changed her clothes three times that night. With such a fussy attitude, which young master would want to marry her?"

"Oh my, that's scary? To kick someone over such a trivial matter, that's a really scary temper."

"Of course. I heard that on the day she returned to the capital, she was riding a tall horse, covered in blood, but she didn't rush to bathe or change. How come a tiny bit of perfume made her act like she'd seen a ghost?"

The movement of her hands threading the needle slowed down unconsciously, and Su Xiaotang shrank her shoulders involuntarily as she listened.

Being kicked must have hurt a lot, and the dancer was even kicked away; who knows if he survived.

This Prince Rui is so fierce, I wonder which unlucky man will be forced to marry her in the future.

Su Xiaotang had imagined his future wife: broad shoulders, strong and powerful, with tanned skin, who would extend her warm and generous hand to him and show a bright and gentle smile.

The most important thing is to ensure he has enough to eat every day. He doesn't dare to dream of braised pork or stewed pork knuckle; he's content with just a little bit of meat.

Moreover, I've heard that men with perky buttocks are good at fertility... Su Xiaotang blushed with embarrassment.

His third sister often said that he had a slim waist and a perky bottom. Although her gaze always made him uncomfortable, he would just assume that she was praising him.

If his wife can feed him well, then he should naturally reciprocate by bearing her several healthy daughters...

Just as Su Xiaotang was lost in her fantasies, Xiu Lang noticed her flushed face and immediately understood what was going on. He got up, opened the window, and scolded the two servants, "How dare you criticize matters of the imperial family? I will report to the master and have you kicked out of the mansion. Then you will have plenty to talk about!"

The two men were so frightened that they scattered like birds and beasts.

Xiu Lang snorted coldly, closed the window, and turned around to see Su Xiaotang also sitting up straight and seriously embroidering a pheasant. This softened his expression, and he said, "The second young master is not young anymore. Who knows when he will get married? At that time, he will need to embroider his own wedding dress. Don't be playful anymore."

Su Xiaotang was completely confused and said aggrievedly, "I wasn't playing around."

After saying that, she waved the embroidery board in her hand at the embroiderer.

Xiu Lang frowned: "Then why did the Second Young Master embroider a pheasant?"

The word "pheasant" deeply wounded Su Xiaotang. His mouth hung open as he glanced down at the embroidery frame, then looked up at the embroiderer, tears welling in his eyes, and said, "I embroidered a phoenix..."

Xiulang: "..."

He had only ever seen two people so clumsy at embroidery in his life: one was Feng Langjun from back then, and the other was Su Xiaotang in front of him.

The two are truly worthy of being father and son.

The morning's study session finally ended. Because he was still being punished, the kitchen wouldn't prepare any food for Su Xiaotang. He was so hungry that he felt dizzy. Fortunately, Eunuch Li brought him three steamed buns, which solved his immediate problem.

Although she was still very hungry... Su Xiaotang lay on the bed, rubbing her flat stomach and sighing.

My waist looks noticeably slimmer. No wonder my brother only eats half a bowl of rice per meal; it really does help with weight loss.

Fortunately, he only needed to sit and read in the afternoon, and since Eunuch Li couldn't always watch over him, he could take a nap whenever he had a spare moment...

"Ah! Who?!"

Just as he was drifting off to sleep, a pair of hands suddenly reached around his waist, grabbed him, and shoved him backward, causing Su Xiaotang's body to fall into a burning hot embrace.

Su Xiaotang panicked and struggled desperately, but the person behind her restrained both her hands with one hand, raising them above her head, while the other hand reached for her swan-like, slender neck—

He ripped off the light gauze around his neck.

A note from the author:

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Starting a new story to lift my spirits~ This one is expected to be relatively short.

The light silk was a kind of Adam's apple cover. Men in this era would wear some necklaces or wrap some silk gauze to cover their Adam's apple.

Please, everyone, check out my completed novel, *Insomnia*, in my author page! It's the one with the cool green cover! Please, please! [Please][Please] It's been finished for so long and I still can't get it for VIP access! [Crying][Crying]

Two more updates today! [heart]