Chapter 71 Chapter 71 Bai then said to Xue Fengli...
Bai then said to Xue Fengli, "The whole capital is suffering from a food shortage. The food in the mansion can only last until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. When the grain shops outside open, I don't know if we can buy grain smoothly by then."
"It's better to store some things now than to be unable to buy food and have nothing to eat or drink."
"Isn't this really too much?" Xue Fengli said upon seeing this, "We are a marquis' mansion. Even if we are short of food, how can we not sell the food to those poor people out there?"
"What do you know!" Seeing that her son still looked indifferent, Mrs. Bai said angrily, "The price of grain is so high now. Before the New Year, a stone of grain cost more than thirty taels. It will be even more expensive after the New Year! Even if we can afford it, do we have to spend so much money to buy food in vain?"
Xue Fengli said as soon as he heard it: "It's only thirty taels. What's the big deal? The Marquis's Mansion earns tens of thousands of taels of silver every year. Don't worry about it, mother."
Bai's heart choked when she heard this. Xue Fengli had been pampered since childhood. Not to mention thirty taels of silver, a casual meal out can cost one or two hundred taels.
Only those who don’t manage the household know how expensive firewood and rice are. The Xue family consumes six or seven stone of grain a month. If the grain price rises again after the New Year, it would cost several hundred taels a month just for rice, and if other food is added, it would probably cost thousands of taels.
Ten thousand taels of silver is just enough for food. Even a wealthy family cannot afford such a toss!
Besides, when Xue Fenglin left Xue Mansion, he did not go to Ye's house, but went directly to Shen Xuan's place.
When he arrived at Shen Xuan's house, Shen Xuan was finishing his meal.
Today he specially made a lotus root and cured pork rib soup, a stir-fried vegetable with mushrooms, and a fried gluten stuffed with meat. Although it is a homely dish, it looks appetizing.
Seeing Xue Fenglin was rushing to the restaurant, he asked him if he wanted to have a bite too.
But Xue Fenglin, who always loved the food cooked by Shen Xuan, immediately shook his head and said, "I really can't eat today. I just ate three bowls at home and almost vomited. Then my father kicked me out."
Shen Xuan found it funny when he heard this, and shook his head and said, “After all, he is your biological father, why do you always go against him?”
"If I didn't do this, how could he kick me out, and how could I come to you?" Xue Fenglin said nonchalantly, "I know my father best. He is the most selfish and hypocritical, but he always wants everyone to revolve around him. Normally, those people flatter him, but now he just wants to borrow 50 stone of grain, but he is frustrated. He will be upset for a long time."
"The Xue family hasn't paid all the food yet. Will this affect you?" Shen Xuan said, "Actually, I have stored some extra food before. If it really doesn't work, I will take some out?"
Xue Fenglin smiled and said, "This is the Xue family's business. What does it have to do with you? You are proactive. My father is watching if the sky falls. What are you afraid of?"
"I'm worried about you." Shen Xuan said helplessly. Seeing that Xue Fenglin had no intention of letting him intervene, he gave up.
After the meal, Xue Fenglin asked Shen Xuan to sit down and he stood up to help him collect the bowls.
Whenever he arrived at the Shen residence, he always sent the servants out of the courtyard. So when he carried a pile of dirty dishes to the kitchen, the noise scared Jingui. He hurried over to help Xue Fenglin take the bowls and plates from his hands.
You have to know that Xue Fenglin is the prince! When have you ever done such rough work in the Marquis's Mansion?
When Xue Fenglin returned to the house, he closed the door, sat next to Shen Xuan and asked, “After I left this afternoon, did you go to see your uncle?”
"How did you know so quickly?" Shen Xuan was surprised to hear that.
Xue Fenglin walked in front of him and then went to the Xue Mansion. After dinner, I came here again, but I knew my whereabouts very well.
Xue Fenglin smiled and said to him, "My uncle likes you very much, and he sent someone to send me a letter to praise you. You are so smart, he praised you so much that there is not even enough space to write a page. Originally, he had some objections to our marriage, but now he has changed his mind."
"I'm not doing this to please your uncle." After hearing this, Shen Xuan said to Xue Fenglin, "I'm doing this for the disaster victims."
Xue Fenglin smiled when he heard that, and patted his head, saying, "I know, you are different from other guys. Places like the outskirts of Beijing are very chaotic, and other people have been avoiding them these days, but you are the only one who wants to go and take a look."
"My ability is limited, and I can't help the victims." Shen Xuan said, "I just don't want to see so many people die, so I went over to see if there is anything I can do to help?"
Xue Fenglin was slightly startled when he heard this, and after a pause he said, "You have done very well, much better than me, the son of a marquis."
After he finished speaking, he was silent for a moment before he held Shen Xuan's hand and said, "Actually, I don't want to get involved in this matter. I'll tell you the truth."
"The sage once said that one should study for the country and the people. But I have never had such a high ambition. I just want to get ahead."
"Since my mother passed away, I have been studying very hard, just to crush the Bai family who bullied my mother and take control of everything in the mansion. Prove myself to my father!"
"But today I learned that you went to the outskirts of Beijing, visited the disaster victims, and gave advice to my uncle. I actually felt guilty and thought that my mind was too narrow."
When Shen Xuan heard this, he said to Xue Fenglin: "Then when you enter the government, try to be a good official."
He had long seen that Xue Fenglin was different from himself. He was born a prince, high and mighty, and even when he was down and out, he still had the arrogance of a superior man. It's not like he has accepted the thinking of the modern world and treats servants and the lower class people equally.
If I hadn't traveled to the modern era, I would probably have the same idea as Xue Fenglin, right? Shen Xuan thought in his heart.
He didn't blame Xue Fenglin for having such thoughts before. Given his background, it was too difficult for him to think from the perspective of the lower-class people like himself.
"Okay, I'll listen to you." Xue Fenglin's eyes flashed with a bright fire, and he pressed the back of Shen Xuan's head and kissed him...
This was the first time Xue Fenglin confessed his feelings to Shen Xuan. Shen Xuan was held in his arms and felt that something seemed to be different between them, and they were much closer than before.
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