CH 129

Chapter 129 – Gossip

The chair was maroon brown and the seat was made of an unusual material, which was soft but cool to the touch.

Yu Tang was curious to find out, but felt embarrassed to ask.

Pei Yan waved his hand nonchalantly and two pretty servant girls bent their knees in a curtsey before retreating.

Ah Ming served Yu Tang some tea.

Pei Yan asked, “Why did you come to see me?”

Yu Tang quickly presented the tea leaves she was carrying to Ah Ming and said, “I went to Suzhou a few days ago and purchased a few boxes of tea leaves, which tasted pretty good, so I brought two boxes for you to try.”

The Pei family owned numerous tea plantations.

Apart from the ones in Lin’an, there were also others in Meiwu.

The corners of Pei Yan’s mouth twitched.

Yu Tang knew that this was a poorly thought-out attempt on her part to curry favor with him, so she didn’t prevaricate but spoke honestly, “I know you don’t care about these things, but I can’t possibly come here empty-handed. Just think of this as allowing me to show my respect for you and giving me some peace of mind.”

Ridiculous.

Pei Yan cast a sidelong glance at Yu Tang, but did not pursue the matter further. Instead, he had Ah Ming accept it and keep it in the study for future guests.

Yu Tang secretly felt relieved, thinking that although Pei Yan looked like grumpy, solemn-looking man with a bad temper, but in actuality, he was a magnanimous and kind person.

Her mood instantly got better.

Pei Yan even gestured towards the crystal fruit plate on the table and said, “Do you want to have some watermelon or pears? Both were delivered from my family’s fields early this morning.”

The conversation was light and casual.

Yu Tang became more relaxed as she smiled and thanked Pei Yan. She took a piece of pear and said, “Pears at such an early time? Is it from your fields in Lin’an?”

“Mmm.” Pei Yan nodded and remarked, “I had my people plant some pears early, and unexpectedly they turned out rather well. We should be able to sell them to the vendors next year.”

Yu Tang felt rather frustrated.

Why was Pei Yan so good at agriculture?

She asked, “What else do you grow in your fields?”

Pei Yan said absent-mindedly, “There are too many to remember. When the workers come to me for advice, I’ll just listen and instruct them accordingly. If they succeed, I’ll reward them. If they don’t, it doesn’t matter. I’ll just think of it as a lesson.”

This is exactly what it meant to diversify and try anything and everything.

Yu Tang continued, “So how many fields do you have?”

“I can’t say for sure.” Pei Yan answered, “We have to check our records.”

He probably couldn’t reveal this to an outsider like her either.

Yu Tang didn’t press further. She smilingly pointed at the pears on the crystal plate, saying “These pears are really sweet, and not only are they sweet, they also have a lingering sweet aftertaste.”

Pei Yan nodded in reply, saying, “It’s a pity that the inner flesh of the fruit is a little fibrous, so I doubt it will fetch the best price. We still have to continue thinking of ways to improve them.”

Yu Tang couldn’t help herself from saying, “How do you know all of this?”

Pei Yan looked at her perplexedly and said, “Reading books. It’s all there!”

Yu Tang got frustrated. If it was all written in the books, why was Pei Yan the only one who knew so much more about agriculture?

She asked, “Were the books you read different from what others had?”

Pei Yan raised his eyebrows contemptuously and scoffed, “It’s only because those scholars have a superiority complex and are unwilling to learn these supposedly uncouth things about agriculture and farming.”

Her father was willing to learn, but he was unable to do it well. A simple flower or shrub would die in his hands and he was not half as good as her mother.

Yu Tang didn’t believe him and asked, “Are the books on agricultural farming precious? Could you lend me a few?”

Pei Yan chuckled, “You want to read?”

Yu Tang nodded repeatedly, somewhat embarrassedly, “My family has a piece of land in the mountains, doesn’t it?”

Pei Yan was unimpressed and remarked, “You’re still working on that land? Still, you have a mind of your own, and usually people like that would achieve some success. Take your time, I’ll see if I can get someone to pack up a few books for you. Look at them and ask your father or the workers if you don’t understand.”

“Ask my father?” Yu Tang doubted her father could understand it.

Pei Yan knew what her thoughts were at once and he smiled, “Of course your father doesn’t know much about planting, but he is well-read and literate. If you can’t understand the words, just ask your father what it means, and then ask the farmers who work the land for your family, who are usually quite good at agriculture.”

Was this how Pei Yan managed his fields?

Learning how to farm from a book? How strange! Didn’t everyone learn to cultivate the land from the senior farmers of their family’s estate? Was it because of this difference that he was able to grow his land extraordinarily well?

Yu Tang was mulling over this in her mind when she heard Pei Yan call Ah Ming over and got him to collect some kind of Book of Cultivation, The Complete Book of Farming, The Work of Agriculture, and The Writings of the Cao Tang …… and he mentioned seven or eight titles. “Find and give them to Lady Yu.”

Ah Ming gave Yu Tang a strange look, he probably couldn’t figure out how Yu Tang managed to borrow books from Pei Yan.

Yu Tang’s cheeks heated up a little, but she really wanted to figure out why in her previous life, Pei Yan planted sea buckthorn trees in their family’s mountain forest and even managed to make preserves to earn a profit, so she pretended not to notice his expression. Seeing that PeiYan was being quite kind to her at the moment and the atmosphere seems right, she bravely made her intention clear. “Have you heard? The Li family in the south part of the city, that is, the family of Master Li, who is the governor of Rizhao. Rumour has it that Master Li stayed in the capital and became the Left Minister of the General Secretariat?”

Pei Yan looked at her and said, “You came just for this?”

Yu Tang coughed twice and awkwardly defended herself, “Whatever do you mean? I’m just being curious. Besides, who else in Lin’an City has a better information network than you? Although the Li and Gu families have withdrawn the marriage, they have also been promoted, how could I not think that there’s something more to it?”

Pei Yan gave her a searching gaze.

He originally intended to let her know how much he frowned upon her gloating attitude, but after examining her, and seeing her wide eyes that flashed with joy, cheeks that were as bright as peach plums due to excitement, and her crafty expression that showed through, he suddenly felt as though his heart had skipped a beat, and there was a momentary feeling of breathlessness.

Why was this happening?

Pei Yan involuntarily wanted to rub his chest, but as soon as he moved his hand, the strict discipline and training engraved in his bones since childhood made him intuitively feel that such an action was inappropriate. However, the confusion in his heart only intensified.

Why did seeing this side of Lady Yu suddenly make his heart palpitate?

Was it because he seldom interacted with young ladies? Or was it because there was never a lady who was this open and carefree in front of him? Perhaps, it was because he had nothing else to do today and had the mood, energy and time to chat with Lady Yu? Could it be that Lady Yu looked exceptionally beautiful like this?

Pei Yan surveyed Yu Tang again.

Yu Tang scoffed internally.

This Pei Xia Guang, was just like all other scholars, adhering to the principle of “It’s impolite to look and talk about things as general public decorum must be upheld”. Even if he was dying of curiosity, he would never comment on other people’s matters freely and even forbidding others from doing so.

Perhaps to the general public, this was the way of a nobleman. However, to her, it was stereotypical, boring and pretentious.

One wonders how those people’s wives can put up with such a way of life.

Fortunately, her father was not like this. He would help her mother to plant and prune the flowers and plants and chat with her mother about all the various daily and trivial matters at home.

After Pei Yan had taken a good look at her, he had to admit that this sort of Lady Yu certainly was very beautiful.

However, Lady Yu was pretty all the time, so why did he feel so differently today?

As Pei Yan pondered, he saw Lady Yu secretly purse her lips and smile as though he wouldn’t notice.

Remarkably cute, adorable and lively.

It was completely different from the dignified and demure persona she used to have in front of him.

It was as if, her previous adherence to the strict rules of a well-bred lady was now suddenly removed, allowing her to reveal her true emotions and be herself for a short while.

It was as if a paper doll that came to life. All of a sudden, she had her own feelings, thinking and personality, becoming strikingly unique.

How could such a person not leave a deep impression on people?

Pei Yan reflected.

Unbeknownst to him, Lady Yu was no longer just a young lady of a scholar’s family who had a little more courage than others, but she had since become a vibrant character in his mind.

His patience towards her had increased as well.

“Don’t you just want to know if that complaint you made had any effect?” Pei Yan unceremoniously stripped off Yu Tang’s attempt to hide her desire for gossip and said coolly, “You succeeded.”

“Really?!” Yu Tang’s heart almost overflowed with joy that she nearly jumped out of her seat. Before she realized it, her two eyes sparkled as she gazed at Pei Yan, “Did it really have something to do with me ratting them out? I didn’t expect the Gu family to value Lady Gu so highly. Even after knowing that Li Duan was not a good person, they would still be resolved to help Lady Gu withdraw from the marriage, and even went to such lengths to help Old Master Li find a good position just to protect Lady Gu’s reputation. In that case, I could be considered to have done a good deed ……”

She understood the Li family.

The Gu family’s withdrawal from the marriage was a humiliation for the Li family.

Even if the Li family wanted to continue to stick to the Gu family, they harboured a thorn in their hearts, and there was definitely no way they could be as sincere as they were in their previous life. As for the Gu family, since they have withdrawn from the marriage, they definitely disliked the Li family deep down in their hearts. In exchange for helping the Li family this time, there won’t be a next time.

If she wanted to deal with the Li family in the future, won’t it be much easier?

Pei Yan looked at her being all cheerful and happy, thinking that she had done the right thing by complaining.

The corners of his mouth twitched. He asked, “Why are you so happy? The Gu family simply despises Li Duan’s incompetence. What has it got to do with Li Duan’s character or lack thereof?”

Yu Tang’s apricot shaped eyes grew wide.

Wasn’t it because Li Duan had done something bad?

In her clear and distinct eyes, there was shock, disbelief, confusion and doubt.

All the emotions were so obviously written on her face; where is her sense of caution and prudence?

No wonder she can’t hide her tricks in front of him.

Pei Yan muttered in his mind.

He was particularly bothered about that sliver of doubt.

He felt that he had to get her to eliminate that little bit of suspicion and also had to apologise to him.

Therefore, Pei Yan said bluntly, “The primary purpose for the marriage alliance was to reap mutual benefits. The Gu family needed someone to support Gu Chaoyang in the official circles, and the Li family needed the Gu family’s court connections. However, the prerequisite was for Li Duan to be someone reliable and able to provide the necessary support. But if you look at the things Li Duan has done. He can’t even compete with you. Such a son-in-law with poor family resources and insufficient power to even tie a chicken down is utterly useless. Naturally, the marriage would be called off. This decision had nothing to do with whether the Gu family felt heartache for their daughter or not. The real reason is that Li Duan himself is incompetent and incapable.”

Was that really the case?

But in her previous life, Gu Chang treated Gu Xi really well.

She didn’t quite believe that mutual benefits took precedence over the brother-sister bond Gu Chang and Gu Xi shared.

Yu Tang asked gingerly, “Then, it should have been Young Master Gu who intervened in the matter of withdrawing the marriage, right?”