Page 19

After trading a round of flowery words with him, Shen Lantang felt as though she had grown more cultured. Thoroughly satisfied, she led the two children out.

They had only just left the study when Nanny Feng arrived with a maid. Only members of the Xie Family were allowed near the study; everyone else, including the servants attending them, had to wait outside its courtyard until lessons ended.

Nanny Feng looked faintly surprised to see Shen Lantang. She quickly stepped forward and bowed.

"Madam, the matriarch said she would like to dine with the young master tonight. I'll take him to her now."

With the matriarch invoked, Shen Lantang could hardly object. She was just about to speak when Nanny Feng picked up Xie Hongwen and hurried away.

Shen Lantang: "..."

Shen Lantang lowered her hand, looking thoughtful.

Nanny Feng had been hostile to her from the moment she arrived. Shen Lantang could understand why. From the nanny's perspective, she had taken the place that belonged to her mistress. Nanny Feng was probably afraid she would take the child too, robbing her mistress of the only proof she had left behind in this world.

So Nanny Feng was always on guard around her. Shen Lantang couldn't be bothered to argue. She had never wanted to raise a child in the first place—she liked the occasional pleasure of teasing one, not the ordeal of raising a little troublemaker.

In short, she wanted the fun without the responsibility.

Nanny Feng could play the devoted mother figure, and Shen Lantang could manage things behind the scenes. They needn't interfere with each other. Except this behind-the-scenes manager seemed to be getting more and more out of line lately...

Two days later, Shen Lantang made several tasty treats. There was no social media in ancient times where she could show them off, so she had to invite friends over to try them instead.

Xie Ying was an obvious choice; the young girl still hadn't recovered from the failure of her first budding romance. Shen Lantang also prepared a portion for each of the three children, in the name of caring for them. As for her parents-in-law, she never sent them any of her homemade snacks.

There was one thing a person needed to understand: once you started going out of your way for someone, you had to keep it up. Shen Lantang knew she couldn't manage that, so she had cut off that possibility from the start.

After sending treats to her elder sister-in-law's two children, Shen Lantang leisurely sampled her snacks in her own courtyard and waited for someone to appear.

That afternoon, the door to the side room opened, and two maids came out with Xie Hongwen between them.

Xie Hongwen had just woken from his nap and was still groggy, his little face marked by the pillow. He looked rather adorable. Shen Lantang's eyes curved with delight, but when he came closer, she said with feigned reserve:

"I made some treats. Come try them, Hongwen."

Xie Hongwen instinctively took a step toward her. The next moment, though, he seemed to snap awake. His sleepy little face turned solemn, and he said stiffly:

"Thank you, Mother, but I ate too much at lunch. I shouldn't have any snacks. I'm going back to my room to rest."

With that, he turned around and went straight back inside.

Shen Lantang: "..."

Wait, didn't you just finish resting?

Lan Xin came over carrying a bowl of ice. She had just set it down and was about to straighten up when Shen Lantang grabbed her sleeve.

Lan Xin: ?

Shen Lantang's lips trembled. "I... I've been rejected!"

"..."

"No, that can't be it. The treats must not be tasty enough. Yes, that's definitely it."

Muttering to herself, Shen Lantang soon convinced herself. A relieved smile appeared on her face.

Lan Xin: "..."

Being disliked by a child could really sting. Fortunately, Shen Lantang was good at cheering herself up and soon recovered. Someone else might have been miserable for three days.

That evening, Xie Madam sent over some lychees.

Everyone knew lychees. Anyone familiar with Chinese history knew the tale behind "No one knew it was lychees arriving," and Su Shi's line "I'd eat three hundred lychees a day" was famous too.

Lychees were just as precious in the Jing Dynasty. Even the Xie Family had received only two baskets, and the portion sent to Shen Lantang amounted to no more than a fruit plate.

Shen Lantang thanked the messenger, then turned to Lan Xin. "Divide the lychees in two. Take one portion to the young master."

"Yes."

Lan Xin promptly took a small plate of lychees next door. It was such a minor thing that Shen Lantang thought nothing of it—until the following afternoon, when she went to wash herself some grapes and discovered that her beloved fruit plate was missing.

The plate had two tiers. The upper one was slotted and fanned out like petals, much like a modern draining basket. Shen Lantang treasured it. Sitting on her bed, she racked her brain over its disappearance until it finally hit her:

Yesterday, I had Lan Xin use it to carry the lychees.

Of course it wasn't the only fruit plate in the house. But Shen Lantang was a pampered lady accustomed to having everything done for her. She knew how the plate was made, yet had no idea where the others were kept. She would rather walk a few extra steps next door and fetch her own.

It was afternoon, and she had sent Lan Xin and Baozhu out on errands. The other servants weren't allowed into her bedroom without permission. Wearing a long, straight-collared outer robe over her pleated skirt, Shen Lantang drifted to the bedroom door. The hem of her skirt spread across the floor as she pushed it open and entered the sitting room.

Xie Hongwen's rooms lay to the right of the main hall. They had a front door facing the courtyard and a smaller door leading directly from the hall. Shen Lantang crossed the stuffy hall and went in. The outer room was a small sitting room where he ate and played; beyond several screens lay his bedroom.

It was still nap time, and the two maids who usually attended the young master were nowhere to be seen. Afraid of waking Xie Hongwen, Shen Lantang deliberately slowed her steps. A moment later, she realized she needn't have bothered. He wasn't asleep. She could hear voices from inside.

"Nanny, does Mother really not like me?"

"I've told you many times, young master. Madam Shen is not your birth mother. She'll have children of her own someday, and then she'll fight you for their sake. You are her enemy. How could she possibly like you?"

Ranking List

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Time-Travel and Rebirth Romance

One True Love

Jiang Ciyu

Mind Reading

Salty Fish