Hearing that Yu Yuan still hadn’t woken from his hangover, Yu Tang insisted on going to see him no matter what.

Pei Yan felt he had been somewhat careless and shot Hu Xing a cold glance.

Hu Xing gave Pei Yan an almost imperceptible nod and immediately stepped forward to lead the way for Yu Tang: “I just went to check on him. Young Master Yu already had sobering soup yesterday. He’s probably too exhausted from these past days, so once he lay down, he couldn’t get up.”

The lacquerware shop—summer was the season for stockpiling goods, also the shop’s busiest time.

Moreover, ever since Yu Bo had his eldest grandson, he wasn’t as dedicated to the shop’s affairs as before, and much of the business had been handed over to Yu Yuan.

Yu Tang nodded and smiled at Hu Xing politely, saying “You’ve worked hard,” then hurried to the side room where Yu Yuan was resting.

San Mu was sitting on a small stool fanning the fire under a red clay stove simmering medicine. Seeing Yu Tang and the others, he immediately stood up and said, “Eldest Miss, Steward Hu had someone prepare medicine. He said to bring it to the young master once he wakes—it’s a prescription for nourishing the stomach.”

Yu Tang was somewhat surprised.

Before she could thank him, Hu Xing already smiled and said, “Eldest Miss needn’t be so polite with me. Young Master and I are also good friends—taking care of him is only proper. Eldest Miss can rest assured and go up the mountain with Third Master. I’ve sent people to watch over things here!”

Yu Tang smiled and nodded to him, but still went in to take a look.

The room was full of alcohol fumes. Yu Yuan was wrapped in a thin blanket, sleeping soundly with snoring sounds.

Yu Tang covered her nose with a handkerchief and walked out. Only then was she truly at ease. She smiled at Hu Xing and said, “Then I’ll trouble you. If he doesn’t feel well after waking up, let him rest for the day. I’ll come back in the evening and we can have dinner together.”

Hu Xing nodded repeatedly and instructed A’Cha, who was staying to care for Yu Yuan: “Remember to have the kitchen make some easily digestible food. If the young master has leisure time, take him around the area, go fishing or something, so the young master won’t wait anxiously.”

A’Cha respectfully agreed, causing Yu Tang to laugh: “This is the Yu family’s ancestral home. My elder brother often came back here with my grandfather for short stays since childhood. Would he really need A’Cha to lead the way?”

Seeing her smile cheerfully, Hu Xing’s anxious heart finally settled. He smiled and said, “I’m just worried the young master will be bored!”

Yu Tang smiled sweetly.

Pei Yan took the opportunity to say, “Did you also often return to your ancestral home as a child? What did you do when you came back? I see many children fishing in the small river in front of the estate. Did you fish by the river when you were young?”

Yu Tang walked shoulder to shoulder with Pei Yan, heading outside while smiling: “I was quite mischievous as a child. Grandfather often said I was a monkey reincarnated. Plus, he was already advanced in years then, lacking in energy, so he didn’t bring me back to the ancestral home much. My father was also the type to panic if he couldn’t see me. In my memory, the few limited times I returned to the ancestral home, I was carried by Father. Forget fishing by the river—I never even touched the ground. Instead, it’s been these past two years, with Father having me follow my brothers to learn managing household affairs, that I’ve come back more than before.”

The Yu family’s old residence was only three courtyards. As the two talked and laughed, they quickly reached the main gate.

The village was full of crowing chickens and barking dogs. Yu Tang found it quite refreshing to listen to.

She took a deep breath of the fresh morning air and, looking at the mule cart stopped at the gate, asked hesitantly, “Are we taking the cart there?”

From the Yu family’s old residence to the foot of their mountain forest was only a quarter-hour’s journey.

Pei Yan made an affirmative sound and said, “Taking the cart will be more convenient.”

The road from the Yu family to the mountain forest was an earth road. Although it was swept clean, Pei Yan still disliked it for being dusty.

Looking at Pei Yan’s snow-white fine cloth clothing, Yu Tang very much wanted to ask him to go back inside and change, but thinking of Pei Yan’s attire every time he appeared, she swallowed these words.

She was helped onto the mule cart by Qing Yuan.

Pei Yan thought for a moment and also climbed aboard.

This was the first time Yu Tang had sat in a cart with Pei Yan.

She felt somewhat uncomfortable and scooted inward a bit. Then, thinking of the atmosphere when the two parted last night, her face flushed burning hot and she scooted inward again.

Pei Yan also felt somewhat uncomfortable.

This was the first time he had squeezed into a cart with a young lady like this.

He wondered if Yu Tang would think he was too delicate.

Southern girls all felt that northern men were bold and spirited precisely because northern men liked to ride horses and didn’t like riding in sedan chairs.

Should he have brought a horse?

As Pei Yan was thinking, he suddenly caught a whiff of fragrance.

Faint—undetectable when not inhaling deliberately. It was somewhat like jasmine, yet also somewhat like rose. It seemed to be a blend of several scents. Because it was very light, he felt it was within his acceptable range.

Following the scent, he looked and saw Yu Tang’s jet-black crown.

Her dark hair gleamed with luster, looking both abundant and thick.

Miss Yu has beautiful hair.

As Pei Yan thought this, he suddenly realized that because no one was speaking in the carriage, they could even hear each other’s breathing. The atmosphere seemed somewhat awkward.

If this continued, everyone would only become more uncomfortable.

That wouldn’t do!

Pei Yan thought for a moment and brought up matters from his childhood: “My eldest brother can’t even tell leeks from narcissus apart. My father felt this wouldn’t do. When I was young, he often took me to play at the estate. I even felt around for loaches in the fields with them once and was nearly bitten by a leech, which gave my father quite a fright.”

Such an intimate topic… Yu Tang felt her face grow even redder, and couldn’t help recalling yesterday’s feeling.

She shouldn’t have guessed wrong, should she?

She couldn’t help lifting her head to look at Pei Yan.

Pei Yan happened to be looking at her too.

The way he looked at her was focused and earnest, carrying a faint smile… and obvious fondness.

This was not the way an ordinary man looked at a woman.

Yu Tang’s mind went “buzz,” her ears ringing. Her lips murmured, not even knowing what she was saying.

But Pei Yan heard clearly.

He heard Yu Tang say, “No wonder you’re so proficient at farm work.”

Pei Yan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He wanted to refute a few words but was attracted by Yu Tang’s bashful and timid expression. His heart pounded urgently and rapidly. He opened his mouth but had no idea what to say.

The atmosphere gradually became stagnant.

Pei Yan felt as if a kitten was scratching wildly in his heart.

She definitely knew—otherwise why would she blush, why would she be shy… But she wasn’t angry with embarrassment, nor did she speak harshly. Did that mean she also liked him a little?!

The more Pei Yan thought about it, the more he felt this was the case.

His throat felt as if feathers were tickling it. If he didn’t speak, he felt uncomfortable, but when he opened his mouth, all that came out were two light coughs.

Pei Yan froze.

He had heard people say before about being too nervous to speak and had inwardly scorned it for a while, thinking that wasn’t being unable to speak—that was being useless.

Now, it was his turn…

Pei Yan secretly took a breath. Just as he was considering whether to continue talking about farm work, the mule cart suddenly stopped. Hu Xing’s smiling voice came through the curtain into the carriage: “Third Master, Eldest Miss, we’ve reached the foot of the mountain.”

Truly arriving when he shouldn’t, not arriving when he should!

Pei Yan descended from the cart with a rigid face.

Hu Xing watched with a start of alarm.

In just the blink of an eye, could there have been some rift between the two?

He carefully observed Yu Tang, discovering that she lowered her eyelids and elegantly descended from the mule cart with Qing Yuan’s support, her composed manner no different from usual.

That shouldn’t be!

Hu Xing boldly gave Yu Tang a few direct looks and discovered that Yu Tang’s ears were bright red, as if blown by cold wind.

The key point was that in this season, one could only be overheated, not frozen!

Hu Xing felt he had discovered the truth and chuckled inwardly. He accompanied Pei Yan to meet Wang Si and the forest guardian, who had been waiting since dawn in the wooden shed at the mountain’s foot.

The forest guardian was a farmer from nearby. Only because he was honest and dutiful had he been selected by the villagers and recommended to the Yu family. How could he compare to Wang Si, who had traveled far and wide, was eloquent and solidly capable? In just a few words, Wang Si had left the forest guardian behind and began answering Pei Yan alone.

How much mountain forest there was, what last year’s rainfall was like, what this year’s climate was like, what methods he had thought of to increase the mountain forest’s income, what difficulties he had encountered—he laid it all out clearly and methodically, his tone respectful.

Pei Yan nodded inwardly. Taking advantage of walking on the mountain path, he turned back to Yu Tang, who was following behind him, and said quietly, “This Wang Si is said to have gotten engaged to your personal maid?”

Yu Tang appeared calm, but in reality, ever since descending from the mule cart, her spirit had been somewhat distracted.

She hadn’t seen wrong, nor had she misunderstood—Pei Yan truly felt differently about her.

But when did this difference begin?

How had she not discovered any signs?

Also, was it just that he felt this way in his heart? Or did he have other plans?

If it was just that he felt this way in his heart… she suddenly felt some sour and bitter discomfort.

She felt it would be better if they didn’t meet or interact anymore in the future.

If he had other plans… even someone like Miss Wu was deemed unworthy by the Pei family. What virtue and ability did she possess to enter the Pei family’s gates?

Moreover, her family had always wanted her to take in a son-in-law.

She couldn’t possibly abandon the family business to become someone’s concubine.

But if she just never saw this person before her eyes again… her mouth began to taste bitter.

Yu Tang’s heart was in complete turmoil. Supported by Qing Yuan, she not only didn’t know what Pei Yan had just said to Wang Si and the others, but also didn’t know how she ended up following behind Pei Yan or how she climbed the mountain.

She only saw Pei Yan lean over, his handsome face glowing white, his dark eyes bright as morning stars, so close that she could even smell the clean soap-bean scent on him as he said something to her.

“What?” Yu Tang came back to her senses, forcibly suppressing those emotions at the bottom of her heart. Her smile was somewhat strained.

Pei Yan looked at her in confusion and discovered that her skirt hem had somehow gotten stained with mud.

Clearly this stretch of road had been quite taxing for her.

No wonder she hadn’t heard what he asked her.

Pei Yan suddenly felt that climbing the mountain might not have been such a good idea after all.

He said hesitantly, “Do you want to rest for a bit? I can go up with Wang Si and the others to take a look.”

“No need, no need!” How could Yu Tang feel comfortable letting him busy himself with her family’s affairs without anyone accompanying him? She said repeatedly, “I’ve never been to the mountain peak before. I’d also like to go see it.”

Pei Yan studied her for a while and discovered that aside from her face being a bit red, she hadn’t even broken a sweat. Feeling slightly reassured, he said, “Mountains have shady and sunny sides. We just need to look at the soil and such—we don’t necessarily have to climb to the peak.”