Chapter Fourteen: The Boy Reappears

Although a soft drizzle was falling outside, Yang Yaozong and Bruno were busy harvesting in the small courtyard of Bruno’s home. He had no inkling that, without realizing it, he had successfully stirred a young woman’s heart, making her think of him with both longing and vexation. Nor did he know that a certain woman had already set her sights on him, determined to investigate him thoroughly.

Overflowing with joy and excitement, Yang Yaozong picked peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, and sweet potatoes from the little garden. Only the sunflowers had yet to ripen, but the rich soil had allowed the sunflowers to grow large, golden discs. These strange plants, with their peculiar flowering and fruiting, attracted the curiosity of neighbors and passersby alike, who would stop to talk and wonder at the foreign plants grown by the foreigner Bruno. Yet their curiosity never turned to covetousness. After all, there were few brave enough to be the “first to eat a tomato.” Even so, Yang Yaozong had two house servants take turns watching over the small courtyard.

It was nearly noon when Yang Yaozong and Bruno returned to the Nangong residence. At the gate, he instructed the servants to move all the harvested vegetables into the warehouse in the rear courtyard. Though the servants were curious about the strange crops their young master had grown, it did not delay their work; they moved quickly and efficiently. The harvest was plentiful—one small basket each of tomatoes and peppers, and large baskets of potatoes and sweet potatoes. Yang Yaozong planned to keep only a small portion for tasting and to share some with Yin Ruxin, as he had intended as a gift for her. The rest would be used for seed propagation. He was not afraid of having too many seeds, but rather too few; even though he had cultivated many seed plants in the back courtyard, there were far too few for the large-scale promotion Nangong Qingyi had in mind.

Lately, Yang Yaozong had been considering digging a cellar somewhere in the vast back garden of the Nangong residence—not only to store potatoes and sweet potatoes, but also to continue cultivating seedlings through the winter. There was, in fact, a small cellar already used for food storage, which would suffice for now, so he was in no hurry to build a new one. After all, digging a cellar in the residence was not something that Housekeeper Hao or Xiaohua could decide on their own; it was something he would have to discuss with Nangong Qingyi and Nangong Zhan.

Xiaohua had not been feeling well for the past two days, and with the steady drizzle outside, Yang Yaozong did not take her to Bruno’s courtyard. He let her rest in the residence. That morning, in Yang Yaozong’s room, her cheeks flushed and lips pursed, she had whispered, “Young master, it’s nothing, I’m fine. No maid ever stops working just because... just because she’s uncomfortable these few days of the month. If others found out, they’d think I was delicate and shirking my duties.” Yang Yaozong said sternly, “If I don’t say and you don’t say, who would know the reason you’re resting is... cough, cough, because of that? Be good and rest at home. Bruno and I will return by midday. I’ll bring you something tasty. And... I don’t treat you as a servant. I think of you as my little sister!” Since meeting Xiaohua, Yang Yaozong had always seen her as the sensible and adorable sister from his previous life—one who knew how to work, always let him eat first, and saved the best for her brother. So he never felt awkward having Xiaohua by his side, doing this and that for him, and he liked her constant gentle chatter.

Hearing Yang Yaozong say he saw her as a sister, Xiaohua grew anxious and quickly replied, “I dare not, I dare not. I am only a maid.” Yang Yaozong said sternly, “Enough of that. Money can’t buy my willingness! If I say so, it is so. Rest properly. I’m off now.” With that, he turned and left.

Xiaohua stood there, dazed, watching Yang Yaozong’s retreating figure. “Money can’t buy my willingness? Money can’t buy young master’s willingness! Hmm... young master treats me as his sister. But... I am the young lady’s personal maid.” She twisted the hem of her clothes in confusion. “Sister, personal maid, sister, personal maid...” She repeated the words softly, as if deciding that sister sounded better. Personal maids, after all, served the young master as the lady did, and the thought made her blush.

Before Nangong Qingyi and Yang Yaozong’s wedding, two matronly women had come to the Nangong residence. They brought books and illustrated manuals to instruct Nangong Qingyi in the matters of the bridal chamber. The four maids—Qin, Qi, Shu, and Hua—were Nangong Qingyi’s closest attendants and could potentially become Yang Yaozong’s personal maids as well, so they too were required to listen. Though Nangong Qingyi was already twenty-two and widely read, she knew nothing of the affairs between men and women. The two matrons spoke calmly and at length, but Nangong Qingyi and her maids listened with burning faces and hearts racing like frightened rabbits. Fortunately, the instruction lasted only a morning; the matrons left the books and departed. Any longer, and they might have fainted from embarrassment.

Lost in her thoughts, Xiaohua’s cheeks glowed bright red, but she finally nodded to herself, deciding, “Being a sister is better.” Cheered, she began tidying Yang Yaozong’s room, humming a little tune to herself.

Approaching the hour of Si, two visitors arrived at the residence—a burly man accompanying a boy of twelve or thirteen, who presented a name card to Housekeeper Hao. Seeing that the card was from the Ministry of Revenue, Housekeeper Hao warmly ushered the pair to the main hall. Though the card was presented by the large man, it was clear the boy was in charge. As Housekeeper Hao led the way, the boy walked ahead with the man respectfully following behind. Having managed the Nangong household for decades, Housekeeper Hao immediately recognized the situation and addressed his words to the boy, answering his questions respectfully. The boy spoke with neither arrogance nor servility, and when they sat in the main hall, the burly man stood behind him with hands clasped. Housekeeper Hao arranged tea and refreshments on a low table at the boy’s side.

The boy did not touch the food, but asked, “Old housekeeper, is Yang Yaozong at home?”

Housekeeper Hao thought to himself that the boy was here for the young master, perhaps an acquaintance. Smiling, he replied, “The young master left earlier this morning on some business. The maid who attends him is still at home; I’ll call her for you. If you have any questions, she should know. Please, wait a moment.” The boy nodded.

Housekeeper Hao went to find Xiaohua and described the boy and the burly man to her, but she frowned, not recognizing them. When they reached the main hall, Housekeeper Hao left to attend to other matters, and Xiaohua entered on her own.

Upon seeing the boy, Xiaohua finally recalled him as the one she’d met during the Red Temple Festival. She stepped forward and greeted the boy and the man behind him. “Are you here to see our young master?”

The boy recognized her as the little maid who had accompanied Yang Yaozong at the festival and hurried over, smiling. “Yes, yes! Sister, do you remember me? I’ve come to see your young master. He lied to me, saying his name was Yang Guo. Hmph! His name is clearly Yang Yaozong. Did he think I’d be so easily fooled, like a child?” The memory of Yang Yaozong introducing himself as Yang Guo made the boy pout in indignation.

Xiaohua, two or three years older than the boy, found his lively, handsome manner endearing and smiled, “Our young master simply enjoys making jokes. Please don’t take it to heart, young sir. He’s not home at the moment—he had some business to attend to and should be back around noon.”

The boy, now relaxed, paced around Xiaohua, muttering, “Not back until noon...” Then he sat down again, smiling, “Well, I have nothing to do today anyway, so I’ll wait here for him. It’s rare that I’m allowed out, and today I came just to see your young master. By the way, sister, what’s your name?”

The two children—one boy and one girl—chatted idly.

The conversation mostly consisted of the boy talking, as Xiaohua could not freely discuss Yang Yaozong. When pressed, she only smiled and gave vague answers. The boy didn’t mind, and instead recounted amusing stories from the festival and tales of young talents and beauties, which made Xiaohua giggle despite herself.

As noon approached, Xiaohua guessed Yang Yaozong would soon return and asked the boy to wait in the front hall while she went out to meet him.

Outside, she saw Yang Yaozong already at the gate, holding several of the tomatoes he’d told her about, and directing the servants in carrying the morning’s harvest into the residence.

Xiaohua hurried over and, with a handkerchief, wiped the sweat from his forehead and face. “Young master, you should rest—Bruno is watching over things here. There’s a guest in the house who’s come especially to see you and has been waiting nearly two hours.”

Yang Yaozong, puzzled, handed her one of the large, red tomatoes and asked, “Someone came just for me?” He thought, during his stay in the capital, surely only Yin Ruxin would come to see him. He didn’t mind if it was her; in fact, he had business with her as well. Smiling, he said, “Is it Miss Yin?”

Xiaohua pouted, “Of course not! Don’t you remember the little boy and that fairy-like woman we met on the way back from the Red Temple Festival? You even teased them.” Her large, bright eyes fixed on Yang Yaozong.

“Oh! Of course I remember. Could it be they’ve come...? Even though I gave a false name, they still found me?” Yang Yaozong arched his brows in astonishment.

Xiaohua nodded. “Yes, it’s the little boy. The fairy lady didn’t come—he’s accompanied by a big man.” She even gestured to indicate the man’s size.

Yang Yaozong, seeing Xiaohua holding the big tomato, smiled. “Let’s see what he wants. This tomato is delicious—sweet and tangy.”

After a morning’s labor, Yang Yaozong was thirsty. He picked the smallest tomato from his arms, wiped it on his shirt, then took a bite, savoring the rich, smooth juice with a satisfied hum. His face radiated happiness and contentment. To be the first in the Great Zhou to eat a tomato he had grown himself—it made his heart so full he was almost moved to tears.

Watching Yang Yaozong’s look of bliss as he ate the tomato, Xiaohua glanced at the one in her hand and wondered, “Is this tomato really so delicious?”