Chapter 37: This Humble Abode

Xie Changzhi’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he extended his hand to take them. “Thank you.”

The weather was frigid, and having been peeled shortly after being scooped from the pot, the residual warmth of the chestnuts was not even as intense as that of his own palms.

Xie Changzhi took a light bite, the dense, delicate texture catching him off guard.

It was sweet. So, chestnuts were sweet.

Behind him stood the back door, through which gusts of cold wind blew in from time to time, yet his chest felt burning hot. He savored the remaining piece with meticulous care.

At the stove opposite, Xie Yanzhi was peeling chestnuts while boasting to Cheng Hu that a single bag of chestnuts from the Fuyuan Pavilion in the capital cost five taels of silver. It was a pity that he had barely eaten two from the bag he had bought back before they went missing—stolen by rats, he assumed.

Cheng Yuan looked at Xie Changzhi instinctively. He was holding a small bowl of chestnuts, peeling them slowly, his fringe obscuring the emotions in his eyes.

“Mother hasn't tasted them yet! I’m going to take some to her!” Having peeled for a long time without eating more than a couple himself, Cheng Hu grabbed his bowl and rushed out in a hurry.

Xie Yanzhi was startled by his sudden departure. He watched his retreating figure for a moment, muttered something under his breath, and then took his own remaining bowl and stepped outside as well—to whom he was taking them went without saying.

Cheng Yuan had only stir-fried a small pot, just enough to go around. As she withdrew her gaze and prepared to continue peeling, her vision was suddenly blocked by a shadow. Xie Changzhi had taken her bowl.

Cheng Yuan paused. “You’re finished?”

Xie Changzhi nodded silently. He peeled one and held it to her lips.

He was so close that she could have licked his fingertips with a mere flick of her tongue. Cheng Yuan felt a jolt in her heart, but upon meeting his open, guileless gaze, she realized it was her own thoughts that were wicked.

“Thank you.” She took a gentle bite, savoring it.

Xie Changzhi’s gaze remained fixed on her lips, her cheeks puffing out as she chewed, her brows slightly arched in delight.

“This is no longer the capital! Nor is it the Xie residence! I don’t want to, so I simply won’t!”

A door slammed in the corridor, and both of them turned in unison.

Xie Yanzhi was stamping his feet in anger at the doorway. Sensing their gaze, he glared right back. “What are you looking at?”

Cheng Yuan raised an eyebrow.

Seemingly feeling that he had lost too much face, Xie Yanzhi struggled with himself for a moment before waving his sleeves and storming out.

Cheng Yuan looked at Xie Changzhi. Seeing he held no expression—and even seemed to be enjoying the show—she could not help but ask, “Was Xie Yanzhi always like this back at the Xie residence?”

She truly could not fathom how such an insufferable brat had managed to win the hearts of so many elders.

Xie Changzhi blinked, then shook his head. “I did not have much contact with them, but whenever I saw him, he always appeared as elegant as a jade tree in the wind...”

In other words, he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Cheng Yuan wanted to laugh at Xie Changzhi’s double entendre, but fearing he might be hurt, she suppressed the urge and opened her mouth, waiting for a chestnut.

The stool was too small; she sat with her legs drawn together, chin resting on her hands, apparently lost in thought. Only when Xie Changzhi held out a chestnut would she open her cherry-like lips.

Xie Changzhi’s hand “trembled,” accidentally brushing her lips.

They were soft and supple.

He lowered his head immediately.

—

When Xie Yanzhi rushed out, he regretted it the moment he reached the courtyard gate.

Outside, the wind was biting, and he wasn't wearing a padded jacket; the chill seeped straight into his bones. Yet, every time he turned back to step inside, he remembered his father’s harsh ultimatum: “If you don’t go back to your studies, don't you dare call me your father!”

Xie Yanzhi curled his lip.

They were already living in a dilapidated wooden shack, yet his father still acted as if he were the head of the Xie family in the capital, whose word was law. In this tiny, godforsaken village, he had to deliberate for half a day just to decide what to eat—where would he find the time to bob his head over the rigid doctrines of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith?

In the capital, he could attend poetry gatherings to show off or compose verses with beauties. Here in the village, was he supposed to recite poetry to the chickens?

He was never the material for the imperial examinations to begin with. Now that he no longer needed those hollow titles, there was even less point.

Xie Yanzhi usually listened to Xie Tingyun and flattered him, but that had all been a facade! Xie Tingyun needed a talented heir, and he needed his father’s support. But here? That meant nothing! It wasn’t even worth as much as a bowl of chestnuts.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he grew. He should have taken that bowl of chestnuts with him!

“Brother Xie?”

A pleasantly surprised, youthful voice sounded behind him.

Xie Yanzhi turned to see Little Fatty Fan. The displeasure on his face dissipated somewhat, though even so, his aura was enough to make the boy shiver.

“My mother asked me to bring these over. Thank you, Brother Xie and Sister Yuan, for taking me up the mountain.”

Only then did Xie Yanzhi notice the basket in Little Fatty’s hand, filled with round fruits he didn’t recognize.

“It’s nothing. A trivial matter.” Xie Yanzhi pointed toward the courtyard gate. “Go ahead and knock.”

Little Fatty looked stunned. “Brother Xie, are you going out?”

As if touching a sore spot, Xie Yanzhi’s face turned cold instantly. “What business is it of yours? Once you’ve delivered it, hurry back!”

“And don't call me ‘Brother Xie’—it’s pretentious!”

With that, Xie Yanzhi turned away from Little Fatty and flicked his sleeves as he walked off.

The basket in Little Fatty’s hand dropped to the ground, and large tears left marks in the snow. He rubbed his face frantically and knocked on the courtyard gate. “Sister Yuan, Sister Yuan...”

Hearing no footsteps from Little Fatty following him, and catching the sound of his stifled sobs, Xie Yanzhi quickened his pace through the snow, feeling a perverse sense of satisfaction.

However, the further he walked, the more he regretted it.

It turned out that running away from home only worked in the capital, where there was no shortage of places to drink or listen to music. But in this wretched village, even the ox cart to the county seat took over an hour.

As he plunged another step into the snow, Xie Yanzhi’s vision went dark.

“Brother... Big Brother Xie! Big Brother Xie! Are you alright?”

Xie Yanzhi was startled, landing hard on his backside in the snow. Little Fatty was standing there, clutching his small basket, his face full of concern, looking as if he wanted to help but was too afraid to approach.

Xie Yanzhi put on a ferocious expression. “Why are you here? Don’t follow me...”

Little Fatty tilted his head, looking conflicted. “But this is the way to my house. Look, that’s my home.”

Xie Yanzhi instinctively followed his finger to see a small thatched hut huddled against the foot of the mountain.

Even Cheng Yuan’s home had a large courtyard and several wooden structures, while Little Fatty’s home was nothing more than a single room—the very room he had despised so much earlier—which was all he and his mother had.

A sense of absurdity suddenly rose in Xie Yanzhi’s heart.

He wanted to laugh. He really wanted to laugh.

“May I take shelter from the wind and snow at your home, Brother Fan?”

Xie Yanzhi turned his head and bent down. The snow had already crusted over his face, making him look particularly ridiculous.

The dimness in Little Fatty’s eyes suddenly ignited like a spark. He nodded repeatedly, though his small face showed a hint of embarrassment.

“My home isn't big, so please don’t mind. But my mother is very diligent; she keeps the house very clean.”

As Little Fatty spoke, he opened the door, and Xie Yanzhi saw a woman lying on the bed.