The bunch of purple grapes that Ying Xiaoman brought home was the first the Ying family had eaten this year.
Washed and placed in a white porcelain bowl, her adoptive mother sampled two grapes. As expected, little Zhi, that greedy kitten, soon snuck over to grab one. When only half the bunch remained in the bowl, Ying Xiaoman covered it with a gauze cloth.
"No more for you, little glutton. Your Seventh Brother is coming over tonight, so we're saving the rest for him."
She then said to her adoptive mother, who was busy in the main room, "Mother, Seventh Young Master was a big help in successfully negotiating the butcher shop storefront. On a nice day that's not too hot or cold, shall I take you to see the shop?"
Her adoptive mother stopped her work, washed her hands, and went to light incense before the Guanyin painting in the room, murmuring a prayer:
"I don't ask for my Xiaoman to be rich or noble, I only pray that the foolish girl has good fortune and meets a husband who truly cares for her, not one who will cheat or sell her... I know my girl's temper. If she encounters someone truly wicked who breaks her heart, she's bound to commit murder."
"Mother," Ying Xiaoman asked while wiping down the wooden table and chairs under the osmanthus tree, "What are you muttering about to the Guanyin painting? Don't keep going on about Anu from the Shen family next door. I don't like his type."
Her adoptive mother snorted, "If you don't like the Shen family's fair and refined young man, what type do you like? Someone like Seventh Young Master?"
"Seventh Young Master is also fair and refined. He's coming tonight, Mother. You can look at him carefully through the window."
Her adoptive mother sighed, "I saw him clearly enough back in Tongluo Alley. Smooth-talking, with a belly full of schemes. At the time he sweet-talked me so well... Ah, but the Yan family are our mortal enemies. How could this Seventh Young Master from the Yan family really help us kill his own brother?"
As she spoke, she grew worried again and hurried to light another stick of incense before the Guanyin painting, praying with conflicted feelings:
"If Seventh Young Master truly helps our family get revenge, it would show his sincerity towards Xiaoman... No, someone who would kill his own brother couldn't be any good... Ah, the Shen boy next door is still better."
That evening, just as dusk fell, Yan Seventh Young Master arrived punctually for his visit.
The weather had turned warm, and cherries were ripe and sweet. He brought a large bunch of bright red, ripe cherries as a gift.
The Ying family had just finished dinner and tidied up the table, chairs and stove when little Zhi ran into Seventh Young Master's arms with a cry of delight. "Seventh Brother!"
"You got it right this time," Yan Seventh Young Master said approvingly as he lifted the little girl and spun her around twice. Zhi laughed and squealed happily.
When she'd had enough of laughing and shouting, Yan Seventh Young Master popped a washed sweet cherry into Zhi's mouth. "Go get a big plate for the cherries."
Zhi bounced off to fetch a large porcelain plate from inside.
Yan Seventh Young Master then asked after Ying Xiaoman's adoptive mother.
"How is your mother? I heard she's been coughing with the change of seasons, so I asked a doctor my family knows to write out some gentle medicinal recipes to soothe coughs and wheezing. The herbs are mild and nourishing. Add them when cooking porridge or soup, once a day. Let's start with these and see how they work."
Ying Xiaoman accepted the recipe papers and several large packages of herbs, then jerked her head towards the main room and said softly, "She's listening."
Seventh Young Master smiled. "Still doesn't trust me?"
"Shh..."
Zhi came bounding out of the small courtyard, carrying the family's largest porcelain plate. She set it on the wooden table under the osmanthus tree, and the washed red cherries formed a small peak on it.
Ying Xiaoman brought out the half bunch of purple grapes saved from noon and placed them on the table as well.
The freshly washed seasonal fruits glistened enticingly in the lantern light.
The two adults and one child sat around the table, eating fruit and chatting. They were still discussing Yan Yilang from that morning.
"His talk of 'being scolded by the family and having his salary docked for a few months' was just empty words to save face in front of you." "It's not just Eighth Young Master Yan who will submit a memorial criticizing him. Today he publicly bullied a civilian girl, angering many people. The Imperial Academy students have already submitted formal complaints to the ministry, and the censorate officials won't let him escape criticism either. With so many witnesses, he can't deny it. After facing this censure, he's bound to lose some of his official positions."
"The Yan family has a military background. They won't just 'scold' him - they'll surely drag him to the ancestral hall for a beating that will break bones. That's why I told you this morning, Yan Yilang won't have time to bother you for at least a month."
As she ate grapes and listened, Ying Xiaoman grew more and more interested. "Tell me more, I love hearing this."
Seventh Young Master leisurely peeled a grape. "I can see you really dislike Yan Yilang."
"That's right," Ying Xiaoman said, nibbling on a large, sweet purple grape. "His lack of propriety is annoying. And his grabby hands are even more irritating."
"You don't like Eleventh Young Master Yan either."
"Mm, he's too arrogant. Always looking down on people, too high and mighty to speak to anyone."
Seventh Young Master finished peeling a grape but didn't eat it. He glanced towards the main room - the windows were tightly shut, so they probably couldn't see from inside...
He pushed the cherry plate towards Zhi, and while the little girl was bent over eating enthusiastically, he held up the peeled grape and brought it to Ying Xiaoman's lips.
Ying Xiaoman was slightly startled. The glistening purple grape at her lips urged her forward, the sweet flesh brushing her soft lips. Without thinking too much, she lowered her head and took it into her mouth.
Yan Seventh Young Master casually withdrew his hand and continued peeling the next grape.
"Let me think, Xiaoman doesn't like frivolous personalities, nor those who are too arrogant. You should like... a gentleman who is friendly and courteous?"
Ying Xiaoman said nothing, chewing the sweet grape flesh in her mouth, feeling a bit conflicted.
It was fine for little Zhi to eat cherries popped into her mouth by Seventh Young Master, but should she herself have accepted the grape...?
She chewed the grape slowly, sneaking a glance at Yan Seventh Young Master. He was still peeling grapes, his almond-shaped eyes curved in pleasure as he patiently asked again.
"Do you like friendly and courteous gentlemen?"
Besides liking those who were friendly and courteous, she also liked men who were knowledgeable and well-informed. She liked those who were kind, gentle, and fond of children. She liked those with good looks like Seventh Young Master.
Ying Xiaoman glanced at him again, thinking to herself that she couldn't possibly say that. It all fit Seventh Young Master perfectly - if she said it to his face, his ego would soar!
She couldn't help the corners of her mouth turning up as she deliberately said, "Don't guess wildly."
His slender fingertips brought another peeled grape to her lips. Ying Xiaoman lowered her head and took it, her mouth full as she chewed. She asked in return, "What about you? What kind of young lady do you like?"
"Me?" Yan Seventh Young Master pushed the small plate of peeled grapes towards her. "I like young ladies who enjoy eating grapes."
Ying Xiaoman: ...?
She chewed a few more times, her tongue filled with the fresh fragrance of grapes. The tips of her snow-white ears turned faintly red. She seemingly calmly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, hiding the reddening, warming earlobe.
Facing the plate of peeled grapes, she deliberately took a sweet cherry and chewed it.
"Grapes are just coming into season. There must be thousands of young ladies in the capital who like eating grapes," she said, pretending nonchalance. "Besides what you just said, what else?"
Yan Seventh Young Master popped a cherry into his own mouth, saying languidly, "I like young ladies who enjoy eating grapes and cherries together."
Ying Xiaoman: "..."
She imitated his actions, picking up a peeled grape from the porcelain plate and holding it to Seventh Young Master's lips. "Open your mouth."
Yan Seventh Young Master laughed. "Are you trying to stuff my mouth with grapes so I can't speak? You were the one who asked me to say in the first place. I answered honestly..."
The grape was already pushed into his mouth.
The two sat facing each other, eating grapes. The sweet juice soaked their fingertips and lips.
Yan Seventh Young Master picked up another grape, coaxing the young lady before him in a soft voice, "This one is especially sweet. Try it."
"How do you know?"
"I can tell by looking."
"You're tricking me again." With the lesson of the sour cherry still fresh, Ying Xiaoman cast him a suspicious glance. "All the grapes this time are sweet. Is this the only sour one, and you're deliberately tricking me into eating it?"
"I promise this one is truly the sweetest. Try it and see."
"Really?" Half-believing, she lowered her head to bite.
This time, the fingers holding the grape didn't deftly withdraw as before, but remained in place. Ying Xiaoman took a small bite, and as she bit into the grape, her rosy tongue brushed against his calloused fingers.
The breeze blowing past, the lingering heat of the evening, their casual conversation, the passing of time in the small courtyard - everything seemed to pause in that moment.
The sensation of his fingertips grazing her soft lips was vivid. Xiaoman's gaze darted away, a faint blush rising on her small earlobes.
Though she wasn't looking at him directly, her peripheral vision seemed filled with his presence. She had never been so acutely aware of the gentleman across from her gradually leaning in closer, his breath carrying the fresh scent of grapes washing over her. She remained seated, not pulling away.
"Cough, cough cough!"
A loud coughing sound came from the half-open window of the main house. The Adoptive Mother spoke softly, "Child, what time is it? Is Zhi not asleep yet? Has Seventh Young Master not left?"
A series of clattering sounds came from beside the wooden table in the small courtyard. Ying Xiaoman jumped up as if struck by lightning, "Zhi will go to sleep right away."
Yan Seventh Young Master remained seated, his fingertips still tingling with the soft sensation of lips, intoxicating. He didn't want to leave, but the elder of the Ying family had spoken.
He looked up regretfully at the moonlight, which hadn't yet reached the first watch, and stood to say goodbye.
Zhi had eaten to her heart's content tonight and was reluctant to let go, clutching the corner of her clothes and looking up to ask, "Will Seventh Brother come again tomorrow?"
"Not sure about tomorrow, but within three days," Yan Seventh Young Master gently coaxed the little girl to go back inside.
When Ying Xiaoman saw him out, neither spoke, but their gazes kept darting towards each other, inadvertently meeting. Seventh Young Master's eyes followed, while Xiaoman's gaze quickly darted away as she swiftly pulled open the door.
— Outside, two unfamiliar faces standing guard bowed in unison.
It was like having a bucket of cold well water poured over one's head on a hot day, sobering. Seventh Young Master silently sighed, waving his hand to indicate the two should stand further away.
Ying Xiaoman thanked him, "The previous Brothers Wang and Hu have changed shifts. Finally, no one is constantly muttering, trying to persuade me to see Eleventh Young Master Yan."
"Don't worry, Eleventh Young Master Yan may be arrogant, but he's not despicable. Since you've rejected him, he won't do anything further."
As they spoke, Yan Seventh Young Master stood at the doorway, while Ying Xiaoman stood inside.
The moonlight cast their shadows; one step outside would mean leaving, but neither was first to say goodbye.
"The east wing room has always been empty. You've paid rent for four months but haven't stayed a full night. Do you still plan to move in?"
"I've moved many things from Tongluo Alley. Even if I'm not staying in the wing room, it's still occupied by my belongings. The rent isn't wasted."
Ying Xiaoman counted on her fingers as she calculated for him, "It's all just river pebbles picked up by the riverbank, fallen leaves, and clay teacups. Renting a wing room for one tael of silver a month to store these trinkets, you're losing money."
Seventh Young Master said leisurely, "The money from my pocket goes into your hands, how is that a loss? I think this is very good."
The tips of Ying Xiaoman's ears grew a bit hot.
In the past, her father had said similar things to her mother.
"The money from my pocket goes into your hands, isn't it still our family's? What's there to fuss about..."
While she was lost in thought, Seventh Young Master unhurriedly explained to her why he couldn't stay in Seven Scholars Lane.
"This time, we've made a big show of rooting out those who tried to harm me in the family, and the people in the shadows have become restless. These past few days, I've often felt someone following me, and I might encounter assassins soon. The hidden forces want to silence me for good."
— Silencing through murder?
The stories from novels were actually happening right before her eyes. Ying Xiaoman was shocked and angry:
"Is it that dog official Yan Rongshi? He tried to harm you secretly before, and now that he sees you're still alive, he wants to silence you?!"
Yan Seventh Young Master was silent for a moment, then spoke, "Xiaoman, not all the bad things in the capital can be done by one person. Isn't your misunderstanding of him a bit too much..."
"He's still a dog official anyway." Ying Xiaoman had been cursing like this every day lately, and it came very naturally to her, "My father said that the civil officials of the Yan family are insidiously evil, not a single good one among them."
Yan Seventh Young Master: "..."
She suddenly realized belatedly, "Seventh Young Master, when you were with the Yan family, you weren't... also an official, were you?"
Seventh Young Master gave her a speechless glance, "What do you think? Eighth Young Master and I are the same age, and he's been an official in the court for many years, holding the fifth rank in the Ministry of Justice. Do you think I'm a commoner?"
"..."
Ying Xiaoman silently saw him out.
The clear crescent moon of early summer in the capital illuminated the earth. Under the moonlight, her mood rose and fell dramatically, and her eyes couldn't help but gradually turn red.
How could the kind, respectful, and gentle Seventh Young Master also be a dog official of the Yan family?
Yan Seventh Young Master stood beside her, raising his hand to wipe the corner of her eye, coaxing her gently:
"Don't be sad, I don't mean that your father was wrong. Your adoptive father was actually quite right, the civil officials of the Yan family are indeed hereditarily insidiously evil, and I'm no exception."
Ying Xiaoman broke into a smile through her tears, raising her hand to pat him, "Don't talk about yourself like that."
Yan Seventh Young Master's words weren't without foundation. Since his grandfather's generation, during the time when the Yan family held power as prime ministers, they inevitably schemed against political enemies.
Scheming against one family might implicate ten or a hundred families, among which might be Xiaoman's adoptive father and the family he served in the capital.
"By the way, I hadn't asked in detail before. Which household did your father serve in the capital?"
Ying Xiaoman wiped away her tears, "My father didn't say. He planned to tell me slowly over many days, but unexpectedly, he passed away on the third morning..."
Seventh Young Master silently pressed his brow.
Good heavens. An old, tangled account with no leads.
"When I have time, I'll go through the old documents. Xiaoman, if you trust me, tell me your adoptive father's name, when he left the capital, when he settled in your hometown, when he married your adoptive mother... The more details, the better."
Her adoptive father had married her adoptive mother in their hometown by the Han River five years before Xiaoman was born. At that time, he had already been settled in the village for four or five years. The couple had been childless for five years, which led to the adoption of Xiaoman.
Her adoptive mother occasionally called her adoptive father "Dashuo" at home.
"The 'shuo' in 'robust'. I don't know if it was my father's real name or a nickname."
Yan Seventh Young Master pondered and nodded, "So, about ten years before you were born, your adoptive father had already left the capital. Sixteen or seventeen years ago, that was during the time my grandfather was in power..."
"Your grandfather?" Ying Xiaoman had another extremely unpleasant thought, "You and Yan Rongshi... couldn't have the same grandfather, could you?!"
Seventh Young Master showed a somewhat helpless expression. "Going back two generations in the Yan family, how many grandfathers who served as prime ministers could there be?"
He raised his hand to wipe the eyes of the young woman in front of him, which had grown round with shock. "Alright, alright, I know. My grandfather must be the one who made an enemy of your adoptive father's master in the capital. Give me some time, I'll investigate the details."
Ying Xiaoman silently walked him out a few steps, "Will you come in three days?"
Yan Seventh Young Master sighed, "I'll come. Even if it's raining knives from the sky, I'll come."
"Pah, don't talk nonsense." The two carefully confirmed the date to ensure the previous mix-up wouldn't happen again.
From the darkness of the alley emerged a person very similar in build to Yan Seventh Young Master, wearing a cloak that obscured his features. He stood next to the similarly cloaked Seventh Young Master, looking extremely alike.
Ying Xiaoman was startled. The person bowed to Seventh Young Master, then immediately mounted Seventh Young Master's horse. Sui Miao followed, leading the horse, and they rode out of Seven Scholars Lane under the cover of night, heading straight for Changle Alley.
The real Yan Seventh Young Master, hidden in the shadows of the alley, raised his hand to his lips: "Shh... don't speak. Watch the show."
In the silent, deep alley, only the cicadas in the trees could be heard.
A moment later, two ordinary-looking men dressed as night watchmen appeared on the street, following the horse at a distance.
"Sure enough, someone's tailing me. Don't move, don't speak, keep watching."
Soon after, several agile men appeared, silently following the two cloth-clad men disguised as night watchmen from a distance.
The three groups were like a praying mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Ying Xiaoman watched with wide eyes.
After all three groups had disappeared from view, she finally let out a long breath.
Seventh Young Master explained softly beside her, "The last group is my people. They're following behind to investigate the background of those tailing me. After all, in this recent attempt on my life, my brothers in the family were just accomplices who passed on information. The real perpetrators are from outside."
"Once we've figured out their background, it will be time for the other side to make desperate moves. If all goes well, I'll be able to free up my hands and leisurely investigate the old matters related to your father, to give you an explanation."
After his quiet explanation, Yan Seventh Young Master looked up at the sky, "It's late, you should go home."
Ying Xiaoman felt a bit anxious and gripped the hand of the young master beside her, "Be careful."
The slender fingers, damp with nervous sweat, were firmly grasped in return, held in a warm palm. "What would you like to eat next time? I'll bring some over."
Ying Xiaoman thought seriously for a moment, "Loquats."
"Loquats? Then I'll really become someone who's fickle in love."
She was stunned for a moment, but Yan Seventh Young Master had already unhurriedly continued, "By the time I come next, the person I love will have become a young lady who loves to eat loquats."
Ying Xiaoman couldn't hold back her laughter and raised her hand to give him another pat. "You talk too much. Go on now!"
Standing by the door, she watched as Yan Seventh Young Master put on his cloak properly and gradually walked towards the other end of Seven Scholars Lane, his figure disappearing into the night at the entrance of the alley.
The door of the Ying family home closed.
When he heard the distant sound of the door closing, Yan Seventh Young Master's footsteps also paused for a moment. With a smile he couldn't suppress, he raised his hand to rub his shoulder, which had been patted twice and was faintly aching.
Ouch~ The young lady has quite some strength.
No wonder she's the one he's set his eyes on!