Chapter 2 World One

Porridge stalls were set up at the four city gates, east, west, south and north. All refugees who came to escape the disaster could get a bowl of porridge and two corn cakes from the steamer next to it.

Mu Nanxing, as a disaster relief envoy, was not supposed to come. But he couldn't stay lying on the couch, so he changed into casual clothes and stood not far from the porridge shed, watching quietly.

Inside Zhang's residence, Master Zhang's face was as gloomy as water because he had failed to please Mu Nanxing last night and was instead threatened by him with a long sword, which made him lose face in front of all his subordinates.

When Lord Zhang saw Zhang Shang sneaking back home after fooling around somewhere, he became furious and picked up the teacup and threw it at Zhang Shang's feet.

Zhang Shang was startled.

"It's amazing that you still remember that I'm your father! Look at you, you don't do anything serious all day long, you just tease cats and dogs!

Look at the new disaster relief envoy, he's a few years younger than you, but how can you compare with him in style and bearing?"

On his way back home, Zhang Shang learned from the servant that his father's flattery was unsuccessful.

On the contrary, he was not angry at being humiliated for a moment. With a smile on his face, he pushed Mr. Zhang onto the chair and rubbed his father's shoulders with his hands in a flattering manner.

“No matter how good he is, he is not your son, and he will not be filial to you or care about you.

Besides, he was just born with a good fate and noble character. If I were born in the capital, my demeanor and bearing would not be much different from his!"

Zhang Shang praised the new relief envoy, and Lord Zhang's expression eased a lot. Every word Zhang Shang said touched Lord Zhang's heart.

Although he expressed respect, he was actually dissatisfied and somewhat resentful in his heart.

In terms of seniority, Mu Nanxing is just a kid in front of him.

Lord Zhang thought of what happened last night again. The white light of the long sword made him feel uneasy.

"After all, he is young and does things without knowing the limits."

This statement did not mention anyone by name, and seemed to be referring to Zhang Shang, but also to Mu Nanxing.

Zhang Shang coaxed his father with a few words, then turned to his follower who was looking at him with admiration and asked.

"Is your son powerful?"

The attendant immediately flattered him, "Excellent! Not only did you not receive any reprimand from the master, you even received money from the mansion! You are truly so clever that I could never have imagined!"

Zhang Shang was delighted by his coaxing and took out two pieces of silver and threw them into his arms.

"You're looking for Master Zhang?"

Zhang Shang heard his father's name and looked towards the voice.

Then he saw a vendor pointing his finger in his direction.

"That's Master Zhang's son."

When the woman standing in front of the vendor heard this, she hesitated and refused to step forward. Zhang Shang strode over and stood still in front of him with a menacing look. The woman trembled.

"You're looking for my dad..."

Zhang Shang's voice was as loud as a bell, and there was a hint of blame in his question, but when he saw the woman's face, his voice suddenly softened.

"What do you want from him?"

If you say that the voice just now sounded like someone interrogating a prisoner, it was full of impatience.

Zhang Shang's questions now were soft and gentle, with a hint of caution in his voice, for fear of scaring the person in front of him.

The attendants who accompanied Zhang Shang out of the palace were all aware of Zhang Shang's lawless temper. They had never seen him speak to others in such a soft and gentle voice.

When the attendant saw the woman's face, he thought, "As expected." Her jade-like face was slightly pink, and her cat-like eyes only dared to look down at the ground.

The woman's figure was delicate, like a peach blossom just opening in March, small and fragile, easily snipped from the branches by a single gust of wind. Such a beauty naturally made one hesitate to speak loudly. But her clothing was too shabby. Such a beauty deserved coarse linen clothes; she deserved the finest silks and the most beautiful jewels.

Zhang Shang couldn't describe how he felt at the moment. He just felt as if a big hand appeared out of nowhere and tightly gripped his heart.

Seeing that the beauty didn't say anything, he hurriedly took a few steps forward.

This action frightened Baoshan. Facing Zhang Shang, the man who destroyed her in her dream, she felt only fear and terror.

She wanted to escape from here immediately, but the plan in her mind made her barely steady her steps, and she only took two steps in the opposite direction of Zhang Shang.

"I'm looking for Master Zhang. My father is a good friend of Master Zhang. I want to ask him..."

The next words seemed difficult to say. Although Baoshan was the daughter of a businessman, her parents doted on her. She had never been wronged since she was a child and had never even met a man other than her.

Who would have thought that the natural disaster would come so suddenly, without giving Bao Shan a chance to adapt, she lost her father and mother. Now she was reduced to asking others to give her a chance to live under someone else's roof.

Thinking of her father and mother, the grievance on Baoshan's face became more real. The sadness on her face made Zhang Shang empathize with her, and an idea arose in his heart to hold her in his arms and comfort her.

If he finds out who caused her to suffer such an injustice, he will definitely torture them to let them know the consequences of bullying a beautiful woman.

Zhang Shang told Baoshan his own name, and after learning Baoshan's name, he muttered to himself.

"Baoshan, Baoshan, what a nice name..."

As for what was so good about it, Zhang Shang couldn't put his finger on it. He was now regretting not studying hard enough. If he had read a few more books of poetry, he would have been able to offer a few more lines praising the wonderful name of the treasure fan.

Zhang Shang was even happier when he learned that the precious fan had nowhere to go.

It was not until his attendant winked at him that Zhang Shang noticed the sadness in Bao Shan's eyes.

"Since your uncle and my father are good friends, why don't you stay at my house and I'll... let my mother take care of you."

Without waiting for Baoshan's consent, Zhang Shang immediately led Baoshan towards Zhang Mansion.

On the way, Zhang Shang encountered refugees who were rushing to the porridge shed and hurriedly dodged them.

"A few pancakes are worth rushing to the porridge stall!"

Bao Shan stopped and looked at Zhang Shang intently: "Porridge shed?"

Zhang Shang answered her questions and resolved her doubts.

“The relief workers sent from the capital set up a porridge stall at the city gate and delivered food to these refugees.

In my opinion, it would be better to drive these refugees out and let them fend for themselves.

If we stay in the city, how long will we be able to eat even if we have food? We will also have to stay on the streets and block people’s way.”

Baoshan remained silent for a long time, then slowly spoke.

“I… am also a refugee.”

"How can you be the same as them! You will be my family from now on, unlike those refugees who have to rely on handouts from the imperial court to survive."

Baoshan only said that he wanted to go to the porridge stall to take a look. Although Zhang Shang was reluctant, he could only nod and agree after being stared at by Baoshan for a while.

Bao Shan spotted Mu Nanxing immediately. He was dressed casually, his hair tied up with a dark gold headband. His attire gave him the air of a dandy, uninformed young man. He was tall, his eyes darting over the crowd at the porridge stall. Bao Shan could see clearly that his gaze was calm, unwavering.

It was not until Mu Nanxing left that Baoshan turned to Zhang Shang.

"let's go."

The attendant asked Zhang Shang to send him back to Zhang's house to prepare things for Baoshan.

A daughter's IQ must be fully prepared, for all four seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter.

If the attendants did not know anything about jewelry, flowers, and plants, they would go and ask the hostess of the Zhang Mansion, Zhang Shang's mother.

The attendant nodded repeatedly. Zhang Shang valued the treasured fan so much that he would not be perfunctory. Before leaving, Zhang Shang avoided the treasured fan and whispered in his ear.

"The yard you live in should be closer to my residence."

"This—Madam's side—"

Seeing that Zhang Shang was about to get angry, his followers hurriedly said that they would definitely do it.

Baoshan didn't take Zhang Shang's thoughtfulness and consideration to heart at all.

No matter what he prepared today, it didn't matter, because she would definitely not go to Zhang's house.

After the followers left, only Bao Shan and Zhang Shang were left.

Zhang Shang did not call for a carriage. Even if he had used one, the journey would have only taken a short while. Once he arrived at Zhang's house, it would have been much more difficult for him to meet Bao Shan.

It would be better to spend some time with Baoshan on the way back home.

Zhang Shang quietly closed the distance between himself and Bao Shan. The coarse cloth clothes were indeed rough.

Not only did the clothes not fit her properly, but were also loose and baggy, and the material was not close to her body. Not long after she put on the precious fan, it had already left red marks on her body.

Zhang Shang tilted his head slightly and saw something unsightly on the precious fan's icy skin and jade bones.

"It's really worthless material, only fit for lowly people. How can someone like you wear such clothes? It hurts you."

Seeing Baoshan frowning slightly, Zhang Shang refused to believe it. He grabbed Baoshan's hand and asked her to go to the clothing store to buy him a piece of clothing, and he must choose the best one.

As soon as he held the precious fan's hand, Zhang Shang's heart felt like it was soaked in sugar water, soft and sweet.

"Mr. Zhang, respect yourself!"

Bao Shan scolded sternly, but her voice was soft and the words that came out of her mouth were few and far between.

No matter how unbearable the words are, once they touch people's hearts, they soften into a ball of honey, making people only hear the sweetness and not perceive the meaning behind them.

With a tug, the ill-fitting clothes instantly revealed a piece of white and tender skin.

Baoshan felt ashamed and closed her clothes with a red face, but Zhang Shang stood there in a daze, staring at Baoshan with his eyes.

Without waiting for Baoshan to turn around, Zhang Shang hugged her in his arms, and the strength of his hands made Baoshan feel like her bones were about to break.

Filled with the sweet fragrance, Zhang Shang was even more distracted. He sniffed the aroma of the treasure fan and talked nonsense.

"Sister Baoshan, why don't you marry me? You are so beautiful, and you will be bullied by others outside. It is better for you to marry me and live in the Zhang Mansion. Everything in the mansion will be yours in the future.

My father said that the Zhang Mansion will definitely be mine, and then it will belong to both of us.

After you and I get married, we'll be like a pair of mandarin ducks embracing each other, wouldn't that be a happy life?"

Zhang Shang thought he looked pretty good, but his father often scolded him. Apart from his decent face, he was completely worthless.

Zhang Shang thought otherwise. He still had the Zhang family. If Baoshan married him, she would only enjoy a happy life in the future.

But Baoshan refused. She asked Zhang Shang to let her go, but Zhang Shang was already intoxicated by the fragrance of the beauty.

He even wanted to go a step closer and reached out his fingers to the fluttering coarse cloth straps of the treasure fan.

A scream.

Zhang Shang's hand, which was trying to untie Bao Shan's clothes, was now bent in an unnatural arc and hung limply to one side.

Zhang Shang touched it with his intact hand, and the moment he touched it, he felt extreme pain.

He endured the pain and looked at the person who hurt him with gritted teeth.

Baoshan broke free from Zhang Shang's arms and ran into Mu Nanxing's arms.

Mu Nanxing looked impatient and was about to push the woman in his arms away.

He just can't stand others bullying the weak, but he doesn't have any extra hobbies of cherishing flowers.

But what caught the eye was a large expanse of snow-white skin, dotted with red marks.

The clothes around his skin were torn beyond recognition.

Mu Nanxing didn't know whether Zhang Shang had touched the treasured fan or not. Seeing her like this, she blamed everything on Zhang Shang.

The woman in his arms timidly raised her eyes, her watery eyes full of pleading.

She didn't say a word, but Mu Nanxing understood what she meant.

She said, save me.

Mu Nanxing did not come alone, he brought a group of soldiers with him.

If he pushed her away at this moment, everyone would see her clearly, and her reputation would be ruined.

Unfortunately, Mu Nanxing is not someone who cares about other people's thoughts.

In his opinion, as long as he saved a life, he would not care about the rest.

As for whether to live or die after being rescued, it is up to the other person.

He reached out to push the fan to a nearby soldier.

Bao Shan lowered his head and bit Mu Nanxing's chest. The pain was not a big deal for Mu Nanxing. But being bitten by a woman, especially a woman he had saved, was a first.

After a moment, Baoshan raised her head, and her red lips were stained with blood from Mu Nanxing's chest, which looked very much like the scenery on her back.

Mu Nanxing finally gave up the idea of leaving her to other people.