“Is this Sister-in-law’s plum preserves?” he asked Qi Yubai.
Qi Yubai, seeing that Tu Yici had already taken several more pieces of candied fruit, didn’t seem annoyed. He merely glanced at him before shifting his attention back to the document in his hands. But he still gave a short acknowledgment, “Mm.”
So it really was…
Tu Yici had been wondering why his senior, who never had a habit of snacking, was suddenly eating candied fruit.
He chuckled, “Not bad! How long did Tianqing have to wait in line for this? I heard from some colleagues in the Ministry of Justice that people were lining up before dawn. Some even queued for hours just to get a small package. But you…”
He looked at the large bundle of candied fruit on Qi Yubai’s desk and couldn’t help but wonder if his senior had secretly gone to line up in the middle of the night.
Qi Yubai finished reviewing the document in his hand, set it aside, picked up another one from the pile, and replied matter-of-factly, “I didn’t line up.”
“Hm?”
Tu Yici was puzzled at first, but as he was about to raise an eyebrow in question, a thought suddenly struck him. His expression froze for a moment before he lowered his voice and asked, “Sister-in-law sent it to you?”
Seeing the upright and reserved man beside him nod, Tu Yici suddenly found the candied fruit in his mouth a little too sour.
It was a while before he finally spoke, his voice tinged with sourness, “You always act all quiet and unassuming, but I didn’t expect you to move so fast. Sister-in-law is already sending you candied fruit?”
He had originally been looking forward to witnessing his senior’s struggles in pursuing his wife, but instead, he found himself feeling a bit envious.
Feeling slightly frustrated, he propped himself up on the table and asked curiously, “So how are things between you two now? When can I finally call her ‘Sister-in-law’ properly?”
As if he hadn’t been calling her that all along.
But Qi Yubai didn’t answer his question. Instead, he turned slightly to the side and asked, “How has your wife been lately?”
At this, Tu Yici immediately dropped his curiosity. He straightened up and sighed deeply, his handsome face filled with distress. “How else? She went back home a few days ago, and when I went to pick her up, her eyes were red. She hasn’t been sleeping well these days, and she won’t eat properly either…”
He trailed off, then hesitated for a moment before glancing at Qi Yubai and saying in a low voice, “Since you’re getting along with Sister-in-law now, do you know what’s on her mind these days? Siyu is worried that she’ll hold a grudge against her because of what my brother-in-law did, so she’s been too afraid to go see her.”
He had initially wanted to ask Qi Yubai to help persuade her, but he also felt that this matter was difficult to bring up—after all, even he thought Xiao Ye’s actions that day had been infuriating and detestable.
If Sister-in-law blamed them for it, she would be justified in doing so.
But Qi Yubai simply said—
“Tell her not to worry.”
Tu Yici’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at him. “What do you mean by that?”
Qi Yubai, however, didn’t look at him. He had already returned his gaze to the official documents, but he continued speaking. “She’s not the type to blame others for such things. However she interacted with your wife before, she will continue to do so in the future.”
Tu Yici was skeptical. His expression showed he didn’t completely believe it. But since Qi Yubai had said so, he decided that he would at least relay the message to his wife when he returned home that night.
“By the way,” Tu Yici suddenly recalled something. “I heard from our teacher the other day that you transferred a clerk named Song Yan from Caizhou. What’s so special about him that you personally requested him?”
“He writes well and works diligently.”
…That’s it?
Tu Yici obviously didn’t believe it. If this person didn’t have some special talent, why would Qi Yubai personally request him? Unless… this person was somehow related to his sister-in-law.
He didn’t bother hiding his suspicions. After speaking, he noticed that Qi Yubai didn’t deny it, and he immediately understood—this Song Yan was indeed someone his sister-in-law knew.
For a moment, he looked at Qi Yubai with an expression of complete disbelief.
He stared for so long that Qi Yubai finally turned his head, his deep, dark phoenix eyes settling on him. “What?”
Tu Yici shook his head, still looking incredulous. “I just didn’t expect you to be this kind of person.”
In ancient times, King You of Zhou lit beacon fires to amuse a beauty. And now, his ever-serious senior brother was personally handling even trivial matters just to please his beloved?
That being said, he wasn’t worried that Qi Yubai would be as foolish as King You of Zhou.
He had seen Song Yan’s test results and essays from his last examination—his abilities surpassed many of the officials who had tested in Bianjing that year. But because he was stationed in Caizhou and lacked family connections, no matter how outstanding he was, he was still lost among countless other examinees.
Without Qi Yubai’s help, this man would likely have remained in Caizhou for the rest of his life.
Since Tu Yici knew his senior brother always had a sense of propriety, he didn’t say much more. He merely waved his hand as he left, “I’m off.”
As he walked away, he smoothly snatched the package of candied fruit from the desk.
When Qi Yubai glanced at him, he simply grinned. “You live so close to Sister-in-law—there’s no shortage of food for you. I’ll take this back for my wife to try.”
With that, he walked out without looking back.
Qi Yubai watched his departing figure, shook his head slightly, and said nothing.
—
That evening, after finishing his work, Tu Yici carried the candied fruit home, thinking he would use it to cheer up his wife.
But before he even stepped inside, he heard an unfamiliar yet pleasant sound—laughter.
The maidservant at the door saw him return and greeted him with a smile, “Second Young Master.”
Her cheerful demeanor was a stark contrast to the gloomy atmosphere of the past few days.
Tu Yici nodded, but he didn’t ask what had happened. He simply pushed aside the curtain and entered, feeling utterly puzzled.
Inside, the woman who had been crying her heart out just days ago was now glowing with renewed vitality.
Xiao Siyu was dressed in a brand-new, light yellow, high-collared robe embroidered with magpies and peonies. Her dark hair was coiled into an elegant high bun, adorned with gold ornaments shaped like jade leaves.
She sat on a soft couch, playfully shaking a wooden rattle to amuse their son.
Seeing her bright smile, Tu Yici raised an eyebrow.
As the servants in the room greeted him, he laughed and teased, “Where did this magpie fly in from, bringing such joy to my wife?”
Hearing his voice, Xiao Siyu’s smile widened. She put down the rattle and eagerly walked over to him. But before she could speak, she noticed the oil-paper package in his hand. “What’s this?”
Curious, she reached out to take it.
Tu Yici let her open it.
Despite his usual playful nature, his voice was exceptionally gentle as he said, “Haven’t you had much of an appetite these days? I brought back some candied fruit to help.”
Then, he picked up a piece and held it to her lips. “Try it?”
With so many people around, Xiao Siyu couldn’t help but blush.
She felt a little embarrassed but still took a bite without thinking too much.
As soon as it entered her mouth, a familiar taste hit her.
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Is this Sister-in-law’s candied fruit?”
Now it was Tu Yici’s turn to be surprised.
“You’ve had it before?” he asked.
Xiao Siyu didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she motioned for the servants to take their child away. Then, she held Tu Yici’s hand and led him further inside.
At the table, she carefully picked up a small blue-and-white porcelain jar and presented it to him like a treasure. “Sister-in-law sent this to me.”
Afraid that wasn’t enough to prove her point, she quickly added, “She knows I love these, so she specially had a whole jar sent to me. I heard that some people outside have been lining up for days and still can’t get their hands on any!”
A few days ago, she had been afraid that Gu Lanyin would resent her.
But now, she was like an excited child, eager to show off to her husband.
Tu Yici couldn’t help but laugh. He reached out and patted her head affectionately.
Then, he heard her say, “I wrote Sister-in-law a letter and invited her to our home for dinner on the tenth.”
She had wanted to extend an invitation long ago.
But at first, she had worried that her sister-in-law would be too busy settling into her new home.
Then, her brother’s scandal had erupted.
That had left her feeling ashamed and guilty—so much so that she hadn’t even dared to face Gu Lanyin.
Now that she knew her sister-in-law’s attitude towards her remained unchanged, she naturally no longer worried.
Tu Yici nodded indifferently, and then, thinking of Qi Yubai, he added, “What a coincidence.”
“What?”
Xiao Siyu didn’t understand what he meant by “coincidence.”
Tu Yici looked troubled. “I met with my senior brother today, and we also talked about the tenth.”
“Ah?”
Xiao Siyu was stunned. She frowned, “What should we do?”
“Why don’t you ask your sister-in-law? If she doesn’t mind, we can invite them together on the tenth…” Seeing Xiao Siyu’s brows furrow, he added, “You know, my senior brother is always busy at the Dali Temple. If we miss this tenth, who knows when he’ll be free again.”
Since it was her own suggestion, Xiao Siyu remained silent for a while before finally nodding, “Then I’ll ask sister-in-law first.”
After speaking, she thought of her unchangeable habit of addressing her as “sister-in-law” and couldn’t help but frown. “Don’t call her sister-in-law anymore.” This time, her brother had gone too far, and she felt ashamed and embarrassed. “Remind me, if I call her that again, just tap my arm.”
Tu Yici found it amusing to see her so determined to change.
He reached out and patted her head, agreeing verbally, but in his heart, he was laughing… After all, it wouldn’t last long.
His senior brother couldn’t wait too long.
Lanyin received this news the next day, which was the day of the Dragon Boat Festival.
The messenger was Cuirong, Xiao Siyu’s personal maid. Hearing this news, Lanyin was surprised, but considering the relationship between Tu Yici and Qi Yubai as fellow disciples, she wasn’t too shocked. In the past, Lanyin might have avoided it, but now she and Qi Yubai had shared meals countless times, so she didn’t mind.
She smiled and said, “It’s fine, let Siyu arrange it.”
Cuirong visibly relaxed upon hearing this. She smiled and agreed, and when Lanyin asked about the dried fruits, she replied softly, “My mistress likes them very much. Originally, she wanted to visit you in person today, but the Duchess is going to the temple to worship Buddha, so my mistress had to accompany her.”
At the end, she sounded a bit apologetic.
Lanyin didn’t mind, saying, “We’ll see each other in a few days anyway, no rush.” After saying this, when Cuirong was about to leave, she had Shi Yu pack some pastries for her to take home.
Cuirong thanked her again before leaving.
After sending her off, Lanyin continued to examine the sachets on the table to see if there were any imperfections. There were two sachets in total, one with a yellow base and a crane pattern, and the other with a green bamboo pattern… It was a long-standing custom to wear sachets during the Dragon Boat Festival, as it was believed to ward off evil and diseases. She was going to the Qi residence as a guest today and, after much thought, decided to make these two sachets as gifts.
Just as she was about to call someone to find something to pack them in, she saw the usually composed Ting Yun run in with red eyes.
It was rare to see her so distraught. Lanyin frowned, holding the sachets, her smooth brows gradually knitting together. “What’s wrong? Who bullied you?” By the end, her voice had already deepened.
Shi Yu, who had just returned from seeing Cuirong off, also frowned at the scene.
Ting Yun shook her head.
She held a letter in her hand, crying and laughing alternately, trying to speak but unable to utter a word, as if she had gone mad.
Shi Yu, who was naturally impatient, became even more anxious seeing her like this. “What’s going on? Speak!”
Lanyin also frowned.
Ting Yun clearly had something important to say, yet she was trembling with emotion—her eyes red, clutching a letter tightly, alternating between crying and laughing. She opened her mouth several times but couldn’t form a single word, as if she had gone mad with joy.
It wasn’t until Ting Yun handed her the letter that Lanyin’s almond-shaped eyes widened as she read its contents.
“Is this true?”
Only when she spoke did Lanyin realize her voice was trembling slightly.
“…Yes!”
Ting Yun finally managed to speak normally, but her tone was still choked with sobs. “Song Yan specifically had someone deliver this by express horse. He said he’s already packing and will likely come to Bianjing to report in a while.”
Shi Yu’s eyes also widened upon hearing this.
When she processed the news, she suddenly let out a cry and hugged Ting Yun tightly.
The two of them cried and laughed together. Although Lanyin wasn’t as emotional, her eyes also grew moist. She sat in her chair, smiling as she watched them. However, as the excitement faded and calm returned, a hint of surprise arose in Lanyin’s heart. In her previous life, Song Yan had always stayed in Caizhou and never came to Bianjing.
The words “Dali Temple” flashed through her mind, and she couldn’t help but think of Qi Yubai. But as soon as his name surfaced, she shook her head.
How could that be?