Chapter 54 My Brother's Peach Blossoms
After seeing her elderly father, Jiang Zhan, off, Jiang Mianmian's mood wasn't completely relaxed. Her father's parting words, "Go find your brother," gave her a vague sense of foreboding.
Sure enough, trouble came knocking on their door less than two days later.
This day coincided with the announcement of the results of the triennial autumn imperial examinations.
The entrance to the Imperial Examination Hall in the capital was packed with people, and the air was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums. The so-called "catching a son-in-law under the list" meant that wealthy merchants, gentry, and officials in the capital would take advantage of the day the results were announced to wait with their servants under the list. Once they saw a handsome young scholar who had topped the list, they would swarm around him, either by sweet talk or by force, just to snatch him away, all in the hope of securing a good husband for their daughter.
As the "number one gossipmonger," Jiang Mianmian naturally couldn't miss out on this lively scene.
She pleaded and begged, even promising to make Shen Jin three different late-night snacks for three days in a row, until Shen Jin finally relented and took her to a nearby teahouse to "watch a show".
The private room on the second floor of the teahouse has an excellent view.
Jiang Mianmian leaned against the window, cracking sunflower seeds and pointing at the crowd below:
[Wow, that's insane! Look at that scholar in the blue shirt, he even lost his shoes running, but he still couldn't escape the clutches of those two middle-aged women!]
[That one! The one who came in third place! She's not even a tenth as good-looking as Chen Jin, how did she get snatched up like that? Her clothes were torn! What a disgrace!]
Shen Jin sat opposite her, slowly sipping his tea, but his gaze remained fixed on her lively little face.
One-tenth?
Was she praising him?
Shen Jin was in a good mood and was about to peel an orange for her when a bigger commotion suddenly broke out downstairs.
"Look! Who's that?"
"What a handsome young man! Dressed in red, with such an air of authority, could he be the newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examination?"
Jiang Mianmian looked in the direction of the sound and saw the crowd automatically part to make way.
A man dressed in a crimson official robe with a strangely shaped short knife at his waist was walking briskly from the direction of the examination hall with a gloomy face.
He was tall and slender with a pale and handsome face, but he exuded a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay, as if he were a demon who had just crawled out of hell.
It was Jiang Li, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
He came to the Imperial Examination Hall today to investigate a case of cheating in the imperial examinations, but as soon as he came out, he bumped into this group of middle-aged women who were frantically vying for a son-in-law.
"Oh my! Young man! Your forehead is glowing; you are destined for great wealth and honor!"
A plump woman adorned with gold and silver rushed forward recklessly, grabbing Jiang Li's sleeve. "My daughter is sixteen years old, skilled in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. How about she be your principal wife? If you don't like that, she can be your concubine!"
"Young master, look at me! Look at me!" Another matchmaker squeezed in, "My young lady is the niece of the Minister's family, and her dowry is very generous..."
Jiang Li was surrounded, her brows furrowed into a deep frown, her hand already on the boning knife at her waist.
A murderous aura was spreading.
Jiang Mianmian, who was upstairs, was so shocked by what she saw that she dropped her melon seeds.
Holy crap! That's... my brother?!
Are these middle-aged women blind? Daring to steal the life of the living devil as their son-in-law? Are they tired of living, or do they want to reduce the size of their families?
[Oh no, oh no! That pervert Jiang Li hates women getting close! What if he kills someone in the street? That's jail time! Even though he's in charge of the jail, it wouldn't sound good for him to be in jail himself!]
Jiang Mianmian was worried, but then she saw that Jiang Li downstairs did not draw his sword.
He merely glanced around coldly, his lifeless eyes devoid of any warmth.
"roll."
A single word, carrying a chilling intent.
However, the group of middle-aged women, who were eager to grab the item, were not deterred. Instead, they found his "cool" appearance even more manly.
"Oh dear, my lord, don't be so fierce! Getting married and establishing a career are important matters..."
Just then, the plump aunt's hand was about to touch Jiang Li's face.
Jiang Mianmian watched from upstairs, her heart pounding. Suddenly, an extremely absurd yet seemingly reasonable conjecture popped into her mind:
Wait a minute... my brother's already 26, right? In this day and age, that's definitely considered an old bachelor!
[He's so handsome and powerful, why doesn't he even have a concubine? And why is he so averse to women, even... disgusted with them?]
Could it be that...?
Jiang Mianmian's eyes instantly became meaningful. [Could it be... he doesn't like women?]
[Is he... a homosexual?!]
Shen Jin, who was drinking tea, almost choked on the tea with a "pfft".
Homosexuality?
Jiang Li?
That pervert whose mind is filled only with dissection and his sister?
Shen Jin put down his teacup, suppressing a laugh, and continued listening to Jiang Mianmian's inner monologue:
【Yes! Very likely! Think about it, he deals with corpses all day long, and he hangs out with a bunch of rough men. And the way he looks at Shen Jin is strange; last time at the manor, he stared at Shen Jin for a long time!】
[Oh my god! The case is solved! It turns out my brother had a crush on Shen Jin? Or was it that he had a crush on the coroner from the Dali Temple?]
Shen Jin: [...]
This woman has such a vivid imagination; it's a real shame she doesn't write storybooks.
Downstairs, Jiang Li, who was being besieged, was about to explode.
Just as he was about to draw his sword, he suddenly felt a familiar gaze coming from above.
He looked up abruptly and met Jiang Mianmian's eyes, which were filled with "sympathy," "understanding," and "gossip."
【Mianmian!】
Jiang Li was overjoyed. [Mianmian is watching me! She must be worried I'll be eaten by these ugly women! My sister cares about me! Ah, she looks so cute peeking out the window, like a little squirrel.]
He instantly suppressed his murderous intent, shoved the plump woman in front of him aside, and used his lightness skill to leap onto the second floor, landing steadily on the windowsill in front of Jiang Mianmian.
"Wow!"
Jiang Mianmian was startled and shrank back, bumping right into Shen Jin's arms.
"Brother...brother? What are you doing up here?"
Jiang Li jumped in through the window, straightened her slightly disheveled robes, and regained her aloof and gloomy demeanor:
"It's too noisy downstairs. I saw someone I know, so I came up to say hello."
His gaze was fixed on Jiang Mianmian, and he looked her up and down to make sure she wasn't thin or sick before he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Then, he took out an oil paper package from his pocket and handed it to Jiang Mianmian:
"I just passed by the West Market and bought it on the spur of the moment. It's still warm."
Jiang Mianmian took it and saw that it was a freshly roasted duck.
[Waaaaah, even though you might be gay, you're absolutely amazing to me, your little sister! Is this what they call... sisterly love?]
Jiang Mianmian looked at Jiang Li with emotion, her eyes filled with the light of "I don't discriminate against you" and "I will support you".
"Thank you, brother! You're so kind!"
Jiang Li was a little confused by that look, but when she heard the words "Brother is so good," the diary in her heart automatically turned another page:
"Today, Mianmian looked at me with admiration. She praised me. I queued for half an hour for this roast duck, and it was worth it. As long as my sister is happy, I'm willing to queue every day."
Shen Jin, sitting to the side, watched the brother and sister chatting across completely different channels, and his lips curled up into a wild smile.
One is "My brother is gay," and the other is "My sister is the cutest."
It seems this misunderstanding won't be resolved anytime soon.
"Jiang Shaoqing," Shen Jin couldn't help but speak, breaking the eerie warmth, "those... peach blossoms downstairs just now, aren't you going to deal with them, Jiang Shaoqing?"
Jiang Li snorted coldly, her eyes filled with disdain: "A common woman like you, dares to be worthy?"
Jiang Mianmian nodded frantically in her heart: [Yes, yes, yes! How could an ordinary girl be worthy of my brother? My brother's true love must be an absolute beauty!]
“However,” Jiang Li changed the subject, looking at Shen Jin with a cold gaze, “Since Your Highness is here, why didn’t you lend a hand just now? Did you want to see me make a fool of myself?”
No.
Shen Jin put his arm around Jiang Mianmian's waist and said calmly, "I was just thinking that Jiang Shaoqing is not young anymore. If she really has any 'unspeakable difficulties' or unique preferences, I can help her find someone."
He deliberately emphasized the phrase "unique preferences".
Jiang Li frowned. What unique preferences?
Jiang Mianmian understood, and her eyes lit up: [Chen Jin, you noticed too? You also want to introduce a boyfriend to your brother? Wow, you're so open-minded!]
Seeing Jiang Mianmian's excited expression, Shen Jin finally couldn't resist and whispered in her ear:
"Don't worry. Your brother... is very straight."
"Straight?" Jiang Mianmian was taken aback.
"Straighter than a steel bar," Shen Jin affirmed. "He just... can't see anyone else but you."
Jiang Mianmian blinked and looked at Jiang Li, who had a gloomy face and was slicing the skin of the roast duck.
[You only have eyes for me?]
[That's even scarier! Wouldn't that make me the ultimate siscon? Who would dare marry me then? Oh wait, I'm already married.]
[Who would dare marry him after that? If his sister-in-law knew he had this habit of raising his younger sister like a daughter, wouldn't she be furious?]
"well."
Jiang Mianmian sighed, grabbed a duck leg and took a big bite. "Brother, you should hurry up and find a sister-in-law. Otherwise, I'll always feel like I owe you something."
Jiang Li paused, looked up at her, his eyes serious and obsessive:
"unnecessary."
"I have Mianmian, that's enough. Everything else... is superfluous."
Jiang Mianmian: [...]
[Oh no, the condition has worsened. Shen Jin, help!]
Shen Jin smiled and poured her a cup of tea: "It's alright, I'm here. If your brother dares to be a pervert... I'll make him work overtime at the Dali Temple."
Jiang Li: "..."
Why did he feel that the couple were ganging up on him?
However, seeing Jiang Mianmian eating with her mouth full of oil and looking so happy, Jiang Li's dark heart finally softened.
never mind.
As long as she's okay, it doesn't matter if she's a pervert.
Outside the window, the sun is setting. Inside the teahouse, three people sit around a table, the aroma of roast duck filling the air. Although their thoughts differ and misunderstandings abound, this strange harmony becomes the most unique scene in this late autumn.
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