Actually, for Xiao Bei, living in the town or in the village didn’t make much difference.
He was very fond of both his big brother and sister. Having stayed at his sister’s house for half a year, he could quite willingly spend an equivalent amount of time at his brother’s house too. On the contrary, Yang Luo Bay, where he hadn’t been in half a year, held a sense of novelty for a child like him.
But Xiao Chaihuo insisted that it was better to live in the town, and he told Xin He that he would stay there.
Xiao Chaihuo curled the corner of his mouth: "The teacher asked me to help copy classwork last time, and I saw the examination questions for the start of next month on his desk."
Xiao Bei’s eyes lit up instantly, and he excitedly patted Xiao Chaihuo’s shoulder: "That’s great!"
Xiao Chaihuo had always been smart and was well-liked by the teacher at the academy. Highly proficient for his age in delivering good handwriting, the teacher often asked him to help with copying classwork, or transcribing essays. Coming and going from the teacher’s study was utterly pressure-free for him.
His performance was excellent and he often topped the exams, hence, the teacher had no suspicions about him.
But Xiao Chaihuo’s eyes were even brighter, and he also laughed.
——
The next morning, Marquis Mu Houchu watched Xiao Bei, who was cheerfully seated in the carriage, and Xiao Chaihuo who was sitting obediently on the ride, his Sword-like eyebrows twitched slightly.
"I’m telling you, there’s a new tea house in the town. I heard that the storyteller there is popular and the stories he tells are fantastic. Next time I’ll take you there to listen. I went once, stayed for a whole morning, even heard a story about my brother-in-law!" Xiao Bei was excitedly talking to Xiao Chaihuo.
Speaking of Mu Houchu, his eyes filled with pride and admiration. In his perspective, Mu Houchu was like an idol.
"Oh? What was mentioned about me?" Although Mu Houchu was asking Xiao Bei, he looked at Xiao Chaihuo with an indifferent glance.
Xiao Chaihuo spoke very little, but Xiao Bei liked to play with him. Their usual interaction involved Xiao Bei chattering nonstop while Xiao Chaihuo silently listened, occasionally responding. To everyone else, Xiao Chaihuo seemed like a well-behaved, obedient, and studious child.
Xiao Bei didn’t think so. He felt Xiao Chaihuo, though silent, was flexible in his dealings. Occasionally, his sporadic comments were always spot on, regardless of the topic of conversation. As for being obedient, could a person who managed to get the exam questions from the teacher’s study so casually really be called obedient?
Although Xiao Bei knew this, he never told anyone else. He felt Xiao Chaihuo only showed this side of himself in his presence, which was a sign of Xiao Chaihuo’s trust in him, considering him a real friend.
At this moment, Xiao Chaihuo sat with his head down, not moving or speaking, but because of the seemingly intentional intimidating gaze from Mu Houchu, he felt a cold sweat run down his spine.
Xiao Bei didn’t notice this. Instead, he excitedly said: "He told the story of how you, my brother-in-law, rose from commoner to Prime Minister! Do you want to hear it too? I’ll take you there next time!"
Whenever he thought the legendary man everyone talked about was his brother-in-law, Xiao Bei felt both proud and honored.
Mu Houchu laughed and patted him on the head: "I have been busy these days. When I have spare time, I will accompany you. But if I find out that you are skipping school to listen to the stories, even if they are about me, I won’t let you off."
Xiao Bei’s eyes widened and seemed a little guilty. He quickly shook his head: "I didn’t!"
Mu Houchu curled up the corner of his mouth: "That’s good."
He then lowered his voice: "Only this time, no more in the future."
Having said that, he let down the carriage curtain, turned around, and went back to help Xin He get out.
Xiao Bei pouted, he had skipped class once, and even the teacher didn’t find out, so how did his brother-in-law know it?
Xiao Chaihuo furrowed his eyebrows slightly as if lost in thought. He had to admit it; the man in front of him was overwhelmingly powerful, so powerful that it was beyond his imagination. Even Xiao Bei’s deviously planned truancy couldn’t escape his eyes; what else could possibly deceive him?
Xiao Chaihuo was a very self-aware person. When he wasn’t powerful enough, the best thing to do was to keep a low profile.
"What are you thinking about? You are so engrossed." Xiao Bei asked, surprised.
Xiao Chaihuo’s eyes regained their calm, he shook his head: "It’s okay." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
Xiao Bei cheerfully said: "Don’t worry, although my brother-in-law discovered that I skipped school, he surely doesn’t blame me. He will also help to cover it up, so my sister will not know!"
In Xiao Bei’s world, as long as his sister didn’t know, everything was perfect!
Otherwise, who knew how many times he would be punished to copy the Analects of Confucius.
"Okay."
"School starts the day after tomorrow, let’s go to the tea house to listen to the stories tomorrow, otherwise, we can only wait until next time’s holidays..."
The carriage started, and Xiao Bei’s chattering followed all the way.
Xin He and Mu Houchu were in another carriage, leading the way.
"What are your plans for that Xiao Chaihuo?" Mu Houchu suddenly asked.
Xin He found it strange that he suddenly asked about him: "He will be Xiao Bei’s study buddy."
"I don’t think he’s as foolish as Xiao Bei. He probably won’t settle for the status of a mere study buddy in the future." Mu Houchu’s judging eyes were rather sharp.
Xin He laughed: "I think so too. He is a smart boy, and there’s no telling if he might get a good rank in the examination in the future. But let’s leave it for later, he’s still a kid."
Still a kid?
Mu Houchu raised his eyebrows. Yes, he was only eleven years old. But why did he find this little kid particularly disagreeable?
"By the way, it seems Duan Lan’s wedding will be on the 17th, the day after tomorrow. Have you prepared a gift?" Xin He suddenly asked.
"Yes, I prepared a generous gift. After all, Duan Lan is now the emperor’s favorite minister. Which officials of the Imperial Court are not sending gifts? I sent mine to the capital city early, don’t worry." Mu Houchu sneered.
His mind was consumed by discontentment. Why were all these people displease him? Did he really have a small heart?
But a man’s intuition is often unreasonable.
——
The capital city.
The Duan Family was checking the gift list at this time. The wedding this time was grand, and there were an extraordinary number of people giving gifts. So, many gifts from outside were sent to the Duan Mansion in advance.
The Duan family was now in a very festive mood. Qingyun also felt relieved, waiting for the young master’s marriage, and hoping that a woman who was considerate and warm would slowly help him heal!
"Where is the gift list for the gifts sent from outside?" Duan Lan asked.
Qingyun quickly handed it over, smiling: "Why is the young master suddenly interested in that?"
Duan Lan opened the gift list, quickly scanning over it. But when he saw the entry for the gift from Prince Pingyang, his expression darkened considerably.
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