Chapter 40: Xie Miaorong

Su Mu thought to herself that she had only glanced at the loquat for a moment just now, was it so obvious? Nevertheless, she took it and ate it.

The flesh was cool, sweet with a hint of sourness, and quite delicious. Su Mu quickly finished one.

Seeing that she liked it, Xie Yi immediately wanted to peel another one for her, but Su Mu held his hand and said, “You don’t need to constantly observe my expressions and guess my mood like a servant.”

Xie Yi smiled gently at the corner of his eyes and said, “Alright.”

He agreed quickly with his words, but even he couldn’t do it. Observing Su Mu and understanding her needs and desires had become a habit in his life. Every time he could immediately offer what Su Mu wanted, that sense of satisfaction made him overjoyed. It seemed he could only find meaning in his existence through Su Mu.

“Are today’s loquats sweet?” Xie Yi asked.

Su Mu picked up a loquat herself, peeled it for him, and held it to his mouth, smiling, “Why don’t you taste it and find out?”

Xie Yi’s green eyes were clear with a smile. He lowered his head and gently bit into the loquat in her hand, the sweet flesh filling his mouth.

“Is it sweet?” Su Mu’s eyes curved in a smile.

Xie Yi nodded, his features as beautiful as flowers: “Sweet. I bought these at the market yesterday. I’ll go to the street later to see if the loquat seller is still there. If you like them, I’ll buy more for you.”

“No need, let’s go together,” Su Mu took his hand. “We can also go to Yuxue’s shop for a bowl of ice jelly. The weather is too hot, and fruit cooled in well water just isn’t as refreshing as an iced drink.”

She picked up a fan and fanned herself as they walked. But the weather was hot, and even the fanned air was warm. The bluestone slabs on the street were scorching hot. After walking for just a short while, they were both sweating as if in a steam room, with sticky sweat clinging to their clothes, making them feel uncomfortable all over.

Xie Yi fanned her: “We’re almost there, Mu jiejie.”

Su Mu made a sound of acknowledgment, noticing that there seemed to be more beggars in the corners of the street than usual.

Xie Yi’s eyes seemed to be connected to her heart; he always knew first what she was thinking: “Mu jiejie, you don’t know, but while you were in Yun City for the exam, many beggars came to the city. They’re not exactly beggars, more like refugees. They’ve wandered here without any support, so they’ve become beggars.”

“I see,” Su Mu nodded, suddenly noticing a beggar with particularly deep features, a high nose bridge and deep-set eyes. “How come there are foreigners here too?”

Xie Yi said, “When I was buying vegetables, I heard the vegetable sellers saying that the war at the border is still going on, the flames of war are spreading more fiercely, even to the point of destroying cities. Many places have been devastated, and won’t be habitable for decades. I think they must have traveled over mountains and waters to seek refuge here.”

“Since they’re all from the Western Regions, why don’t you go see if any of your relatives are among them?” Su Mu said.

A trace of sadness appeared in Xie Yi’s brows: “My mother was from the Central Plains. Because she fell in love with my father, she willingly stayed in the border town, rarely communicating with her relatives in the Central Plains. When the enemy troops rushed into the city, I saw with my own eyes my parents being killed by the enemy. Only my younger brother was left in the family, but he had already married by then. His wife’s family was wealthy, so they should have sought refuge early on. They wouldn’t have fallen into such dire straits, but we probably won’t be able to see each other again in this life.”

Su Mu gripped his hand tightly: “I’m also alone in this world. From now on, we’ll be lovers and family.”

Xie Yi tightly held her hand in return, a warm current welling up in his eyes, an overwhelming sense of happiness almost filling his heart.

“Such a hot sun, and you two are standing in the sun. Why don’t you come in and sit?” Shen Yuxue smiled, leaning against the shop door. Her shop was large, with a big patch of shade under the sun, providing shelter for people.

Because of this, some homeless beggars had gathered. Most shop owners would drive them away, fearing they would interfere with business, but only Shen Yuxue told her assistants not to chase them away.

“It’s because it’s so hot that we wanted to come to your shop for a bowl of ice jelly,” Su Mu said, holding Xie Yi’s hand as they entered the shop.

“No problem, assistant, add more ice,” Shen Yuxue sat opposite Su Mu.

Soon, two bowls of ice jelly were served, with much more ice than in other customers’ bowls. Taking a spoonful into the mouth, it was refreshingly cool, instantly dispelling the summer heat.

Su Mu sighed with satisfaction, quickly finishing a bowl of ice jelly.

“Assistant, another bowl, add more ice,” Shen Yuxue said.

“Right away!” the assistant responded.

Su Mu quickly stopped her: “That’s enough, I’ve already spent a hundred wen today, I dare not spend more.”

Shen Yuxue laughed heartily: “My dear Su Xuanyuan, with your current status, how could you lack money? Don’t worry, it’s my treat.”

“Su Xuanyuan, your ice jelly,” the assistant served it quickly and efficiently.

“See? You’re now the top celebrity in our Juancheng,” Shen Yuxue said.

“I don’t know about being a celebrity or not, but you seem to be even more wealthy and generous than before. Have you made another fortune?” Su Mu had already eaten a bowl of ice jelly and was almost full, so she scooped most of the ice into Xie Yi’s bowl, saying gently, “Eat more ice, cool down. Look at how you’re sweating.”

“I’m not hot,” Xie Yi smiled obediently, his green eyes as refreshing as a clear breeze and bright moon.

Seeing Su Mu’s extreme gentleness towards Xie Yi, Shen Yuxue’s eyes deepened for a moment. After a while, she smiled and said, “I’ve made a small fortune recently, but it’s nothing compared to you. With a warm beauty in your arms, you hardly even leave the house.”

Xie Yi’s face immediately turned red.

Su Mu smiled and scooped ice jelly into his bowl, saying lightly, “Men are shy, don’t tease him. By the way, what fortune did you make?”

“You’ve really fallen into a tender trap, protecting him like this,” Shen Yuxue laughed softly, moving her gaze away from Xie Yi. “Actually, I have to thank you for this fortune.”

“Thank me?”

Shen Yuxue said, “If you hadn’t passed the provincial exam, and if that father-daughter pair of Yan Ruyu hadn’t been kicked out of the Yan family for offending you, they wouldn’t have hurriedly sold off their private property.”

Su Mu asked, “How much private property did they sell?”

Shen Yuxue said, “Quite a lot. Three shops next to mine, a small house in the north of the city, and twenty mu of good farmland outside the city. Because they were suddenly driven out by the Yan family, they had to sell in a hurry, at quite a discount. Didn’t I just take advantage of that? I made a net profit of several hundred taels when I resold.”

Su Mu’s gaze became pensive.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Yuxue asked, seeing her expression change.

“…Nothing,” Su Mu smiled.

In her previous life, she had put in some effort to get back the property that Yan Ruyu and her father had privately swallowed. In this life, the land and shops they sold to Shen Yuxue were almost identical to the property she had recovered in her previous life. It was clear that when Yan Zhujun kicked them out, he hadn’t investigated their assets.

If the Yan family was still as powerful as before, it wouldn’t be a problem. But now, with the Yan family’s decline still unabated, the things that Yan Ruyu and her father took with them this time would be enough to make Yan Zhujun’s heart bleed.

But anyway, it had nothing to do with her anymore, and she didn’t need to worry about them.

“You scared me for a moment. I thought I had been tricked,” Shen Yuxue laughed. “But come to think of it, I’ve made money twice because of you. Su Mu, you’re like my little god of wealth. I really want to take you home and worship you.”

“You’re not being serious,” Su Mu laughed.

“Brother?!” A hoarse male voice came from outside the door.

Su Mu looked towards the sound and saw a thin man dressed as a beggar. His hair was messy, his clothes were tattered, and his face was covered with thick mud. The mud on his face had dried in the summer heat, cracking in patches like drought-stricken land. It was impossible to see his features clearly, and his long hair covered his eyes.

It wasn’t clear who he was calling brother, but his current state was clearly very agitated. He was leaning on a bamboo pole, wearing tattered shoes, and limping towards the shop. It seemed his leg was also injured.

“You little beggar, our boss is kind-hearted to let you rest at the shop door, how dare you push your luck? Get out quickly! If you don’t leave, I’ll hit you!” The assistant was driving him away with a stick.

“Brother! Brother! My brother is inside.” The beggar kept walking into the shop, explaining to the assistant as he went, his speech strangely accented.

“What brother? You beggars always try to claim false relations. Our shop is for distinguished guests only. Get out, get out!”

But the little beggar wouldn’t stop, trying to push inside even as the assistant blocked him.

Seeing that persuasion wasn’t working, the assistant raised the stick in his hand, about to strike.

At that moment, Xie Yi suddenly spoke in disbelief: “Miaorong?”

Shen Yuxue stared at Xie Yi with wide eyes.

Su Mu also asked in surprise: “Is this your younger brother, Xie Miaorong?”

The little beggar became even more excited when he heard Xie Yi calling his name. Ignoring the injury on his leg, he stumbled forward and threw himself into Xie Yi’s arms: “Brother, it’s me, I’m Miaorong!”

Xie Yi pushed aside his messy, dirty hair, wiped the mud off his face with a handkerchief, and saw those green eyes identical to his own, as well as features that were seven parts similar to his. He was certain this was his younger brother, Xie Miaorong.

“Didn’t you leave with Tang Ta? How did you end up like this?” Xie Yi asked.

Xie Miaorong hugged Xie Yi and cried loudly: “She’s not human. When I was escaping with her, she thought a man like me was too much of a burden. Halfway through, she threw me off and ran away by herself. I was alone, hiding from pursuers, not knowing where to go. I could only follow the crowds. To protect myself, I couldn’t reveal my appearance, so I had to make myself look like this. I’ve been begging all the way to get here.”

“What are they saying?” Shen Yuxue rested her chin on her hand, completely puzzled.

“It should be their hometown language,” Su Mu said, watching the two brothers embracing and speaking in a language she couldn’t understand.

Finally, when Xie Miaorong had finished crying and his emotions had stabilized, Su Mu said, “Xiao Yi, since he’s your brother, take him home first to wash up properly and make him something to eat. I see he’s limping, his leg must be injured. I’ll go call a doctor for him.”

Xie Yi looked at Su Mu gratefully and quickly helped Xie Miaorong leave.

“Brother, who is she?” Xie Miaorong asked, looking at Su Mu’s retreating figure.

When he first saw Xie Yi, he could hardly believe it. While he had fallen to become a beggar bullied by others, his brother was well-fed and well-dressed, with an extremely beautiful woman by his side. And judging from the way she spoke to his brother just now, her personality seemed very gentle and kind.

It seemed that while he had been suffering, his brother must have been living extremely well.