Chapter 28 The Incident

In April, with flowers in full bloom, Aman's vegetable stall was finally settled in the market.

Unlike other vendors, Aman only sells for half a day, but her business is surprisingly good. The reason is simple: besides Fu Yunxiu being a living advertisement, her vegetables save on long transportation, making them fresher than others. Moreover, she is friendly in her business dealings, offering small bonuses for every purchase. At the same price, everyone is willing to come to her stall.

These past few days, Fu Yunxiu has been going out early and returning late with Aman and the others, exposed to the wind and sun, which has even made him sleep more soundly.

In the past, the regret and self-loathing that tormented him like a demon in his midnight dreams had not appeared for a long time now because he slept soundly at night.

With better sleep, one's energy naturally improves. Aman was incredibly proud as she looked at her young master's increasingly rosy complexion.

See? She said that going out for walks often would make her feel better.

Mantou felt a mix of joy and worry as she watched her young master change.

Although it was a good thing that the young master was no longer so lifeless, his increasingly dark complexion was something he found hard to accept.

Selling vegetables is not a respectable job. His son should be a refined and elegant gentleman, not a street vendor who shows his face in public every day, covered in sweat.

However, all of this was just his wishful thinking, and the person involved, Young Master Fu, was completely unaware of it.

Seeing that Aman unceremoniously hung the basket full of vegetables on the young master's wheelchair, and also gave the young master a small basket to carry, so that she could travel light herself, Mantou simply couldn't bear to watch.

He once thought that Aman was actually using the young master as a donkey cart.

But since one party was willing to hit and the other was willing to be hit, there was nothing he could do!

"What are you standing there for? Come on!" Aman called out to Mantou when he saw him standing there in a daze.

Coming to their senses, Mantou pushed the wheelchair forward, Aman grabbed the scale, locked the door, and the three of them headed towards the market.

As the weather gets warmer, there are more people selling vegetables at the market, and vegetable prices have dropped again and again. Now, a pound of vegetables has fallen to two coins.

So even though Aman brought a lot of groceries to buy, the final profit was still less than in the previous few days.

Even so, Aman was not discouraged. As long as there was something to earn, little by little, it was better than sitting around and eating away one's savings.

The three arrived at their usual market location, where Aunt Hua and the others were already there. Zhao Hu saw Aman and the others carrying large and small baskets, and hurried over to help.

"Be careful, let me do it!" Mantou took the heaviest basket off the wheelchair, and Aman went to lift the basket that Fu Yunxiu was holding, but Zhao Hu took it from her.

"It's okay, I can carry it." That basket of vegetables is nothing to Aman.

"How can that be? You're a woman, how can I let you carry such heavy things?" After saying that, he glanced at Fu Yunxiu.

Perhaps it was just a casual remark, but Fu Yunxiu always felt that he meant something, but in the end he didn't say anything.

Mantou carried the basket to the stall, and he and Aman quickly packed up their things, and the stall opened for business.

Zhao Hu wanted to talk to Aman a little longer, but seeing that customers had come to his stall, he had no choice but to leave dejectedly.

Fu Yunxiu had seen all of this. In the few days he had been setting up a stall at the market, thanks to Aunt Hua's kindness, he had already gotten to know Zhao Hu very well.

He is an only child with living parents. He can make tofu, has a cheerful personality, and you can tell from seeing him always busy taking care of Aman that he genuinely cares for her.

Logically speaking, if Aman were to follow someone like that, she should have a very good life.

But for some reason, Fu Yunxiu just felt uneasy.

Moreover, the more Zhao Hu fawned over him, the more uncomfortable he felt.

Just like now, Zhao Hu was staring at Aman through Aunt Hua's stall, his eyes practically spitting fire.

Although Aman was busy entertaining guests and didn't notice anything, Fu Yunxiu was not dead.

He moved his wheelchair forward slightly, blocking Zhao Hu's view.

Seeing that he couldn't see Ah Man, Zhao Hu pretended to wipe the dust off the stall and walked to the left side of the stall, where his view was unobstructed.

Not to be outdone, Fu Yunxiu moved his wheelchair further.

Hey!

Zhao Hu also realized that this Young Master Fu seemed to be doing it on purpose.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that from the very first day, this young master Fu had a strange hostility towards him.

As the saying goes, it's not about fighting for a steamed bun, it's about saving face. Anyway, I had nothing to do, and there were no customers at the stall.

Zhao Hu simply stopped pretending, threw down the rag in his hand, and stood boldly in front of the stall.

Previously, he could only see Aman's profile, but now he could openly stare at Aman's face.

Shameless indeed.

Fu Yunxiu moved the wheelchair again, but Zhao Hu was standing close by and tall, so no matter how the wheelchair was moved, it didn't hinder Zhao Hu at all.

Zhao Hu was overjoyed.

A cripple, and he still wants to fight him.

Seeing Fu Yunxiu looking at him, Zhao Hu revealed a victorious smile, making no attempt to hide his smugness.

Fu Yunxiu had seen all sorts of mockery and ridicule in the Marquis's mansion, and Zhao Hu's sneer was not enough to anger him. However, recalling his own actions just now, which had been like those of a child, he couldn't help but feel ashamed.

Just as he was about to quietly push the wheelchair back to its original position, Aman suddenly looked up.

She had finished picking out the vegetables for the customers and was about to hand them over to Mantou to weigh so that Fu Yunxiu could collect the money when she looked up and saw that her young master had already gone outside the stall.

"...?" Aman looked at Fu Yunxiu with a puzzled expression. "Young Master, where are you going?"

"..." Several pairs of eyes looked over at the same time. Fu Yunxiu, who was already feeling a little embarrassed, became even more awkward and his scalp tingled. However, he couldn't say that he was arguing with Zhao Hu, so he could only make up an excuse, "It's a bit cold inside, so I came out to sunbathe."

Pshaw, what a lame excuse.

As soon as Fu Yunxiu finished speaking, he immediately wanted to seal his mouth shut.

It's almost midsummer; saying it's cold now is just plain crazy.

But having already spoken, Fu Yunxiu had no choice but to bite the bullet and, without changing his expression, return to his seat amidst the increasingly puzzled gazes of the crowd.

Fortunately, Aman didn't investigate further. After all, her young master was weak, and the place where they set up their stall was shady. There was no sun at the moment, so it was possible that it was cold.

After asking a couple of considerate questions, and with Fu Yunxiu saying that there was no need to put on more clothes or move around, Aman, under the repeated urging of the guests, could only continue with her work.

Everything returned to calm, as if the contest between the two had never happened, except for Aunt Hua.

She had just witnessed everything that happened between the two of them.

Initially, she thought that Aman, having served in a wealthy family, had high standards and looked down on Zhao Hu. But after spending the last few days together, she discovered that this young master Fu's feelings for Aman were also somewhat strange.

It didn't seem like a master and servant, but rather like a man to a woman.

She had seen this young master Fu staring blankly at Ah Man, who was promoting her products to customers, with a knowing smile on his face several times, and she had also noticed his displeasure and resistance towards Zhao Hu on several occasions.

Zhao Hu is a kind person, and there's no conflict between them. If there is, it's only with Aman.

As the saying goes, an outsider's perspective is often clearer. In recent days, she had intentionally or unintentionally reminded Zhao Hu several times not to waste his time on Aman, but he simply wouldn't listen. Not only did he ignore her, he even intensified his efforts.

Just now, he took something out of his cart and walked mysteriously toward Aman, who was arranging vegetables at the stall.

As he passed Fu Yunxiu, he deliberately raised an eyebrow, looking like a smug peacock who had won a battle.

laugh.

Fu Yunxiu had no intention of arguing with him and looked away.

Undeterred, Zhao Hu strode confidently towards Aman, carrying his basket with great pride.

The tall figure blocked the light in front of Aman.

Aman looked up; the man's face was backlit and somewhat blurry. "Brother Zhao, is something the matter?"

"Hehe..." When Zhao Hu met Aman's dark, jade-like eyes, he completely forgot the words he had rehearsed a thousand times in his mind and could only chuckle sheepishly and scratch his head.

"Here, take this." Zhao Hu stuffed the basket into Aman's arms.

"What?" Aman looked puzzled and lifted the gray cloth covering the basket. What came into view was a milky white snowball.

It was tiny, its three-lobed mouth moving timidly as it hid in the corner.

"It's a little rabbit!" Aman's eyes lit up, and he reached out to tease it.

Perhaps because the new environment was unfamiliar, the little rabbit shrank back and hid in the corner after seeing Aman's outstretched hand.

Seeing that Aman liked it, Zhao Hu immediately beamed with joy, "These are the babies of my rabbit, several of them. I picked one out to give to you."

"Give it to me?" Aman thought the rabbit was something he was selling. Hearing that it was a gift, he quickly returned the basket. "How can I accept this?"

“It’s okay, I have plenty at home.” Zhao Hu firmly refused to accept it. “These rabbits are easy to raise. You can just give it some grass, no need to put in much effort. Besides, rabbits reproduce easily. When it grows up, you can find it a companion, and when it has babies, it can help you make money.”

A while ago, Aman mentioned that selling vegetables didn't earn much money, and she wanted to find a more lucrative business. Zhao Hu kept this in mind, and when he went back and looked at his pregnant rabbits, he suddenly had an idea.

So, when this batch of rabbits was ready for market, he specially picked out the largest one and gave it to Aman.

Sure enough, Ah Man's eyes lit up again when he heard that he could make money.

Her neighbor used to have this rabbit. If it was well cared for, it could have five or six litters a year.

Moreover, if we're talking about a suitable place to raise rabbits, isn't that large orchard in the backyard of Wutong Garden just the right size?

The only problem is that these rabbits smell bad. If we keep too many, they'll make our house stink. I don't know if the neighbors will cause trouble.

Moreover, Aman needs to consult Fu Yunxiu about this matter.

"Young Master?" Aman looked at Fu Yunxiu hopefully. If the young master agreed, she could spend money to buy the rabbit.

Fu Yunxiu had no idea what Aman was thinking; he simply assumed that Aman liked the rabbit and wanted to keep it.

How can an unmarried woman accept gifts from men so casually? If word gets out, wouldn't it damage her reputation?

Fu Yunxiu coughed lightly, looked away from Aman's clear, watery eyes, and said coldly, "No."

"Why?" Aman didn't understand. This is money, a lot of money.

"I don't like things with fur." ​​Fu Yunxiu's voice was indifferent, which made Mantou raise an eyebrow.

How come he doesn't remember the young master having this problem?

I still remember the cat that the Third Young Master used to keep. The Young Master liked it very much and often played with it.

With so many people around, Mantou couldn't very well expose him, but seeing the slightly unnatural expression on the young master's face, he seemed to understand something.

When Aman heard that Fu Yunxiu disagreed, she thought of returning the rabbit to Zhao Hu, but Zhao Hu refused. This was the rabbit he had carefully selected to give to Aman, so how could he take it back?

“If he doesn’t like it, you can keep it in your room. The rabbit is so small, it won’t run up to Young Master Fu and annoy him.”

Zhao Hu said this to both Aman and Fu Yunxiu.

He felt that this young master Fu was saying this on purpose, just to make him feel embarrassed so that he could get revenge for what happened earlier.

But what he didn't know was that Fu Yunxiu's words were golden rules for Aman; Aman would never do anything that Fu Yunxiu disliked.

Sure enough, Aman forcefully shoved the basket into Zhao Hu's arms, saying, "Let's forget about it. Thank you for your kindness, Brother Zhao."

Zhao Hu was holding the basket, unsure whether to leave or stay. Aunt Hua, seeing his awkwardness, stepped in to help him out, saying, "Hu Zi, since you can't keep Aman, why don't you sell me that rabbit? My daughter likes it."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hu suddenly stood up, placed the basket on Aunt Hua's stall, and returned to his own stall without saying a word.

Seeing his expression, Aman felt a little guilty, after all, he meant well.

The atmosphere around them suddenly became heavy and oppressive. Aunt Hua was caught between the two and felt extremely uncomfortable, but fortunately, Aman finished buying the vegetables very quickly.

After packing his things, Aman said goodbye to Aunt Hua and even went to Zhao Hu's stall to thank him again for his kindness.

If it were any other day, Zhao Hu would probably be overjoyed if Aman took the initiative to talk to him, but now he was not interested at all.

"It's nothing, I didn't take it to heart." Zhao Hu shook his head, but his expression didn't seem like he didn't take it to heart at all.

After Aman and the others left, Aunt Hua couldn't help but speak up when she saw his half-dead appearance. "Alright, it's just that you were rejected by someone. Why are you making such a fuss?"

“I told you before, Aman isn’t interested in you, but you wouldn’t listen and kept chasing after her. Now look what’s happened, everyone’s feeling uncomfortable.”

Zhao Hu kept his head down and remained silent in the face of Aunt Hua's accusations.

Of course he knew that Aman didn't like him. From their interactions over the past few days, he knew that in Aman's heart, he was not even worth a hair on that young master Fu's head.

But what's the use? He just can't help wanting to be good to her, and no amount of persuasion can change that.

Faced with Aunt Hua's incessant chatter, Zhao Hu simply listened, letting it go in one ear and out the other, without saying a word.

It's just a small matter; it'll pass quickly and won't cause any real harm.

The next day, everyone was friendly and approachable neighbors again.

Time flies, and another half month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The Dragon Boat Festival is just around the corner, and the weather is getting hotter and hotter. Aman and his friends leave early every day, but when they return, the sun is already high in the sky, making them dizzy and lightheaded.

Aman was worried that Fu Yunxiu was weak and would suffer from heatstroke, so she wanted him to rest at home several times, while she and Mantou could go.

But Fu Yunxiu had gotten used to the noisy atmosphere of the market. With Aman and the others not at home, he felt too lonely and isolated by himself, so he didn't agree.

Aman tried to persuade him several times but he wouldn't listen, so she spent money to buy him a straw hat to shield him from the sun.

A person who is already good-looking becomes even more noticeable when wearing such an incongruous hat.

And sure enough, Hongxing happened to see it.

Yesterday was her day off, so she went home to send her monthly allowance back and visit her mother.

I chatted with my mother for a long time last night, and I got up late this morning. I thought I would take a shortcut back home, but I didn't expect to see this scene.

Hongxing rubbed her eyes, afraid that she had misread it.

No matter how much she rubbed it, the person in front of her still looked exactly the same.

It is aloof and noble, yet it also has a touch of gentleness.

When Hongxing returned home, she immediately told the Second Madam about it.

Upon hearing this, Second Madam Liu Yudai raised an eyebrow slightly, "Is it really true?"

"I saw it clearly, it's definitely the eldest young master, and he's with Mantou and his concubine with him, there's no mistake." To make sure it was true, she looked at it several times, she was sure it wouldn't be wrong.

"I see." Liu Yu nodded.

She wondered why the little girl hadn't come to collect her monthly pay this month; it turned out she had found a new way to make a living.

Moreover, it seems that the girl is indeed quite capable. Not only did she stay in Wutong Garden, but she even managed to get the eldest son of the Marquis's mansion, who always resisted going out, to go out with her to sell vegetables.

Such good news naturally had to be shared with the First Madam, so that he could be happy.

"Liuyun Liuzhu, go to the storeroom and ask the accountant to pay out the monthly allowance for Wutong Garden for the past two months. Let's go and congratulate the First Madam." Liu Yu's red lips curved slightly, but the smile did not reach her eyes.

The two maids obeyed the order and quickly drew the silver from the accounting office.

The master and servants, carrying silver, made their way to the East Garden where the First Madam resided.

When the gatekeeper saw that the Second Madam and her entourage were coming in a menacing manner, she hurriedly went to inform the First Madam.

"Liu Yu, what is she doing here?" Madam Fu put down the book in her hand and got up from the soft couch.

"I don't know, they said they have something to discuss with you, Madam." Yu Xiang helped her up.

"No one visits the temple without a reason, so it can't be anything good." Madam Fu sat in front of her dressing table, picked up the white jade comb from the box, and calmly combed the few messy strands of hair at her temples. She then picked up lip rouge and applied it to her lips before she felt satisfied.

"Let's go, since we're here, let's meet them."

Madam Fu's eyes flashed with coldness, but after stepping through the backyard and into the front hall, she vanished the moment she saw the elegantly dressed Liu Yu, and smiled warmly, "Oh, my dear sister, what brings you to my humble abode? It's truly an honor!"

Liu Yu's previously expressionless face immediately broke into a bright smile when she looked up and saw Madam Fu. "Sister, you're joking. Being a busy person is just a natural-born hard worker. Unlike you, sister, you can enjoy your old age in peace. That's true good fortune."

When the two met, there was an inevitable barrage of sarcastic compliments, their eyes practically spitting fire as if they wanted to burn each other alive.

As the mistress of the Marquis's mansion, she was stripped of her power to manage the household affairs, and now she had to sit on equal footing with this lowly concubine. This was a source of great pain for Madam Fu.

Seeing her intentional dig, even though she was trying to remain calm, she couldn't help but be affected, and the smile on her face faded a bit. "Alright, don't stand here anymore, sit down and talk. Yuxiang, bring some tea."

After the two sat down, Liu Yu gave Liu Zhu a wink, and Liu Zhu understood, placing the tray she was carrying on the table.

The second wife reached out and opened it; inside were four silver ingots.

"What is this?" The First Madam was somewhat puzzled as to what she was up to.

"This is the monthly allowance for Wutong Courtyard for two months. It's been two months and no one has come to collect it, so I thought I'd send someone over, but the gate was locked and no one was there. So I thought I'd give it to you first, and send someone over when I have time, so I don't forget," the Second Madam said.

"What do you mean by 'not here'?" The First Madam didn't care about monthly allowances; what she really wanted was for Liu Yu to say that Fu Yunxiu wasn't home.

With Yun Xiu's legs in such a state, where could he go if he's not at home?

"Perhaps he went to sell vegetables!" The second madam said casually, but her phoenix eyes remained fixed on the first madam. "I heard from the servants that Yunxiu is currently at the market on Changqing Street with two servants from his courtyard, buying vegetables. I heard the vegetables are quite fresh..."

Her tone softened, and she feigned surprise, saying, "What, sister, don't you know?"

The second wife was all smiles, but the first wife couldn't smile at all.

She finally realized why that bitch had come today—to see her make a fool of herself.

Madam Fu remained calm and composed, saying, "Yunxiu has already told me about this."

"Really?" The second madam knew perfectly well that she was just being stubborn, and her smile grew even wider. "That's good. I thought my sister didn't know."

"To be honest, it's a good thing that Yunxiu is willing to go out, after all, his illness... sigh..." The Second Madam sighed, "But he is the eldest son of the Marquis's Mansion, and every move he makes represents the face of the Marquis's Mansion. If this gets out, people who don't know the truth will think that our Marquis's Mansion is mistreating him and that he needs to rely on his master to sell vegetables to make a living."

Madam Fu thought to herself, "Don't you know whether you've mistreated me or not?" But in front of the Second Madam, saving face was the most important thing. She smiled and said nonchalantly, "Sister, you're joking. I am Yunxiu's biological mother, so of course I know everything about him. It's just that Yunxiu has been with his father since he was a child, so he has inevitably picked up some of the Marquis's habits. He's just reminiscing about the past and appreciating the present."

Madam Fu laughed even more heartily, "Sister, have you forgotten that back then, Master also reminisced about the bitter past and pretended to be a woodcutter, chopping firewood for a period of time?"

As a woman herself, the First Madam naturally knew how to hurt the Second Madam.

It's true that the Marquis reminisced about the bitter past and appreciated the sweet present, but he also used this as an excuse to seduce other women.

At that time, the second wife was pregnant. The Marquis met a peasant girl while he was away. In order to win her heart, the Marquis pretended to be a woodcutter for a month and finally won the beauty's heart.

If it were any other woman, it wouldn't have mattered, but that person was just a peasant girl. In terms of upbringing, talent, and appearance, she was far inferior to the Second Madam. This was the Second Madam's lifelong shame, so when the Marquis passed away, the Second Madam found a pretext to send her away from the mansion.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the second wife's face immediately turned cold, and she stood up abruptly.

"Oh dear, what's wrong, little sister?" Madam Fu feigned ignorance. "Why are you suddenly so angry?"

The second wife glared at her, her eyes burning with rage, wishing she could tear her to pieces.

She actually dared to mention that child again; she actually dared to.

If she hadn't deliberately framed her, she wouldn't have miscarried, and the child wouldn't have been lost like that.

The second wife was furious, but in the end, she had no choice but to give up. She sneered, "I was just trying to be helpful. Since you don't appreciate it, I have nothing more to say. I have other things to do, so I'll be leaving now."

The second wife arrived in a menacing manner, and she left in the same menacing manner.

A group of people rushed out of the East Garden, and the hall suddenly fell silent.

"Madam, should I go and investigate?" Yu Xiang reminded her when she saw her thoughtful expression. "We can't completely trust what the Second Madam says."

After all, given the young master's personality, he wouldn't even go out, so why would he go to a messy place like the market to sell vegetables?

“Since she came to me in person, she must be right,” the First Madam said.

"Then what does Madam mean..." Yu Xiang was a little confused about her meaning. Logically speaking, it was a good thing that the young master was willing to go out, but selling vegetables was really not a respectable thing to do.

Just as the second madam said, if this gets out, it will not do the Marquis's mansion any good.

"Should I go and try to persuade the young master?" Yu Xiang asked.

"Taking advantage of him is secondary, and the reputation of the Marquis's mansion is also secondary. What I'm afraid of is that if this matter gets out, it will be bad for Yun Ting."

If his classmates in the capital knew that the elder brother of the third young master of the Cheng'an Marquis's mansion was actually selling vegetables in a humble manner at the market, how could Yun Ting ever hold his head high in front of his classmates again?

"Go and bring Aman to me."