Chapter 39
Teng Zi Jing never imagined that the mission that was a.s.signed to him by the Count this time would be completed so smoothly – he originally thought that, since Young Master Fan Xian did not have much status, he would be very vocal against going to the Capital where he would meet the Second Mistress. As such, he expected him to find all sorts of reasons to remain longer in Danzhou. It was rather unexpected that this Young Master agreed to the Count’s request nonchalantly and without any hesitation.
He already knew the Old Madam’s decision to stay in Danzhou long ago, but he did not think much about it. As long as this nameless Young Master would follow him and his subordinates to the Capital he would be fine. As for the Old lady, since she loves the sea view that much she should remain here to retire in peace; moreover, the Count did not explicitly request for the entire manor to move back to the Capital.
The black three-horse carriage stopped outside the main gate of the Manor. The throne was covered with a navy blue cus.h.i.+on; the contrast of the blue and black was rather pretty. The door was already surrounded by the citizens of Danzhou; everyone had already seen the formation for moving house and had long since gathered around here. After some questioning, it was found that Young Master Fan would be returning to the Capital today.
Although everyone from Danzhou were all flawed, such as some who were easily jealous, others who were sharp-tongued, throughout the ten years, whenever they saw the Young Master Fan who did not behave like a young master at all shopping or shouting at the rooftop, they would be glad of it. Now that they heard he is about to leave for the bustling Capital, they figured that he may not return, and were thus all rather melancholic about it.
There was quite a crowd gathered outside the main door of the Count’s Manor to await the last time Fan Xian would walk out from this house.
However, after half a day, they still do not see that beautiful and ever-smiling face.
The backyard was rather busy and messy; Fan Xian was grinning while leaning against a pillar, looking at the many servant girls rus.h.i.+ng around. One of them called out, "The toothbrus.h.!.+ Don’t forget the toothbrush." This call caused another frantic search for about half a day.
After arriving in this world, he did not have any great invention; the only thing he did was to make the toothbrush more comfortable by a little by replacing the horsehair people used with pig bristles. At the same time, he replaced the hard pillow with one made of cotton that was much softer; also, he managed to fas.h.i.+on something like a shower head at the back of his bed chambers.
There were a lot of other things, but at this moment, the only things he could take back to the capital const.i.tuted a small portion of this.
It was not until a long while before all the belongings were stuffed concisely and properly at the back of the carriage before Fan Xian finally helped the Old Madam, who was beaming the entire time, out from the Manor.
After shaking hands and saying his goodbyes to all his fellow citizens, Fan Xian was not surprised to see a red-eyed Si Si in the middle of the crowd; she must have cried the night before.
Fan Xian was unusually garbed in a long sleeve today; with his chest held high, he knelt down and kowtowed once to the Old
After standing up, he used an absolutely informal and unorthodox method known in this world – he hugged the Old Lady furiously and kissed her wrinkle-filled forehead and softly said, "Granny, please find a good family for Si Si to marry into, at least like Dong-er."
All the servants in the Manor pretended as if they did not see the Young Master fooling around.
The Old Madam was also startled; she did not think that this child who has always been matured and understanding would actually have such a mischievous side. She hit his forehead and scolded him, "What are you playing at, I would naturally settle such things."
Sweeping his gaze over all these familiar faces, Fan Xian softly smiled and took a bow in all four directions, "All these years, I have troubled everyone."
None of the servant girls dared to accept this bow and hurriedly avoided it.
The Old Madam suddenly smiled gently and said, "Go then, don’t let your Father in the Capital worry. As for Si Si…… in the future if you are comfortable in the Capital, I will send her over to take care of you."
Fan Xian was taken aback and did not know what to say before he was pushed up the carriage, confused. Following the carriage’s unsteady rolling sound, the carriage slowly moved out to leave Danzhou City.
The sunlight shone brightly. The clouds were like bundles of silk upon the blue skies; it was beautiful.
The carriage pa.s.sed the door of the warehouse, slowly rolling past the tofu stall and Fan Xian lifted the carriage clothe and looked at the young mother at the tofu stall with the young brattish girl who could already run all around by her side. His lips reflected a tiny trace of a smile and he returned to his seat.
Just below his seat is an ancient black leather chest.
Danzhou City worst doing business, the warehouse, was finally closed. The people in the city merely said a few words about it and guessed that the blind boss would probably see worser days to come and, with a few words of sympathy, returned their topic to the Young Master Fan who has just recently left the city. Everyone guessed that the Count must have arranged for him to take over a position and thus called his illegitimate son back to the Capital for this reason.
At this moment, Fan Xian was lying down on the s.p.a.cious carriage. This carriage was in the middle of the formation; in it, he had already filled it with his blanket he had prepared beforehand. It was extremely soft and comfortable and he did not felt too much motion from the carriage. He naturally attempted to guess his Father’s true reason for asking him to return to the Capital. This was why he asked the one in charge of this, Ten Zi Jing in for a talk.
Teng Zi Jing sat sullenly on the other side of the carriage room, not knowing where to put his legs for fear of dirtying the snow white blanket beside his feet. His heart was restless and thought to himself that this master must also be another wastrel and might not be worse than the Young master back in the Capital.
Fan Xian very lazily stretched comfortable and smiled until his eyes narrowed and stared at this middle-aged man who obviously did not wield much power and asked, "Mister Teng, now that we have already left Danzhou that far, could you now tell me for what reason did my Father invite me to the Capital?"
Teng Zi Jing was slightly hesitant and looked as if he should not say some things.
Fan Xian smiled and, his eyes clear and sharp, stared into his eyes and softly said, "You probably already know about my birth status, you probably feel a little nervous."
Teng Zi Jing let out a trace of smile and said politely, "You over think, Young Master. The Master requests the Young Master’s presence this time for the reason of preparation."
Fan Xian waved his hands and shook his head, "There are only the two of us in this carriage, why bother hiding anything?" He suddenly smiled. "If you do not talk, perhaps I might even escape and run away later."
Teng Zi Jing smiled, "You really like your jokes, Young Master."
Before he could finish, Fan Xian already coldly retorted, "Sometimes, I do not enjoy jokes."
Teng Zi Jing’s heart did a backflip and silently wondered if he was telling the truth. Anyone could have guessed that he did not want to leave the Capital. But if that is true, why did he not raise his protestations in front of the Old Madam back in Danzhou City? He looked at this beautiful and pretty young man and began to feel that the other party might not be as simple as he thought.
Fan Xian naturally would not run away, although he kind of guessed that entering the Capital was not that good an idea. However, after all these years living the life of a rich and free person, he had long since lost his adventurousness. To leave in the wilderness and suffer is something that does not suit his style.
He came to this world to enjoy after all.
However, he was really willing to go to the Capital to take a look; which was why when the Count sent people to escort him, he did not thought of putting much fight against it. However, this did not mean that he was not curious about the true intention of this entire furor.
After a long silence, Teng Zi Jing finally could not endure the icy silence in the carriage room and broke it, "Young Master, the reason for rus.h.i.+ng you back to the Capital is because the master had already prepared you for marriage."
Fan Xian stared at him, dazed. It was a long while before he finally opened his mouth to ask, "Marriage?"