Chapter 49: Zhuangzi

Breakfast was already served, steaming hot, with delicate bowls placed upside down to keep it from cooling too quickly.

By the time Bao Ning had finished washing up and changing her clothes, Pei Yuan had finally completed the task of feeding the lamb. The little lamb, having been held down by him for far too long, finally broke free and ran off gleefully. A-Huang chased after it, and the lamb and the dog romped under the pomegranate tree, nibbling on grass.

Pei Yuan looked outside. “That lamb doesn’t look sick at all.”

“If you look carefully, its leg is lame. Its bones didn’t grow right,” Bao Ning said as she rolled up her sleeves and began removing the bowls covering the dishes one by one. “It might also be because it moved to a new place. It used to live in a hay shed, couldn’t eat or sleep well. Now that it’s in a new environment, its mood must be better too.”

Pei Yuan walked up behind her, resting his arm lazily on her shoulder, and asked, “So are you in a good mood now?”

“Hmm… it’s okay.”

Bao Ning smiled, lips pressed together, and poked at a crystal shrimp dumpling on the plate with her chopsticks. She actually was quite happy—Pei Yuan remembered what she liked to eat, even if it was just a tiny detail.

Ever since she was young, she’d received very little affection from anyone other than her mother and Ji Yun. That had shaped her personality: a little kindness made her happy for a long time.

She glanced at Pei Yuan and thought to herself, He’s my husband. We’re this close, so it’s okay for me to ask for more, right? It’s not too much to expect him to do better.

“Don’t like it?” Pei Yuan frowned slightly as he studied her expression. “I arranged it according to what you like—shrimp dumplings, veggie buns, river prawns, fried yellow croaker, and lump soup. Did I get it wrong?”

“You didn’t.” Bao Ning sat down, looked up at him with a smile, her legs swinging, eyes full of amusement. “But do you know what else I like?”

Pei Yuan was stunned. He thought for a moment, then shook his head.

“I remember what you like though,” Bao Ning began counting on her fingers.

“I know you like meat and don’t like vegetables. If you have to eat veggies, you prefer bean sprouts. When it comes to meat, you like pork ribs more than stir-fried meat, and you like big pork bones even more—especially braised. You also like soup over rice, even though it’s not very elegant. Your favorites are potato-mushroom soup and winter melon-meatball-glass noodle soup. You hate red date and lotus seed soup. Am I right?”

Pei Yuan watched her seriously, squatted down so they were eye level.

“So you need to remember my preferences too.” Bao Ning straightened up seriously.

“I like river delicacies, I like glutinous rice balls—rose, sesame, and peanut fillings are all great. I hate five-nut fillings. Hate five-nut mooncakes too. So if you ever make me mad, don’t try to win me over with anything five-nut-related. I also love noodles—Shanxi-style noodles. The head chef in the Duke’s residence was from Lüliang, Shanxi. He brewed amazing vinegar and made the best knife-cut noodles. But the best was the wantuaner (a bowl-shaped steamed noodle dish).”

She asked, “Have you ever eaten wantuaner?”

Pei Yuan squinted his eyes with a smile, “Nope.”

“I knew it.” Bao Ning picked up a small dish, bit into a dumpling, slightly smug. “My third brother-in-law is from Shanxi too. He can make it, but not as well as I can—I have a secret recipe. One day, I’ll make it for you to try.”

Pei Yuan agreed softly.

He reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, chuckling, “Didn’t know you could be so long-winded.”

“All proper talk with you,” Bao Ning said, finishing the rest of her dumpling and drinking the lump soup. She suddenly remembered something and looked up. “What did you say to me last night? I was half-asleep and only vaguely heard you talking—I didn’t catch a single word.”

“Nothing important,” Pei Yuan brushed it off and sat down across from her, picking up a bowl of porridge.

He changed the subject. “Want to take a walk by the Xiao Ling River later? I heard there’s a troupe performing there today. I’ll take you to watch.”

It worked—Bao Ning’s attention shifted. She rarely got the chance to go out, and her spirits lifted at the idea. But after sipping half a bowl of soup, a thought suddenly struck her. She paused and looked at Pei Yuan.

He tossed a peeled shrimp into her bowl and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Can I see my brother?” she asked tentatively, fingers gripping her chopsticks. “I miss him.”

Pei Yuan wasn’t pleased. “I’m taking you out to have fun—what’s the point of seeing outsiders?”

“He’s not an outsider,” Bao Ning widened her eyes. “He’s my brother, your wife’s brother—you should call him little brother-in-law. Listen to yourself.”

Pei Yuan gave a short laugh. He still held a grudge against Ji Yun. He remembered how the young man had been against him from the start, even trying to take Bao Ning away when she first married. Pei Yuan didn’t want them in contact for fear Ji Yun would sway Bao Ning with a few sweet words and convince her to leave him.

But one word in her phrasing pleased him.

“Didn’t you just say yesterday—‘Heaven is first, and I’m second. I do what I want, no need to ask you’?” Pei Yuan popped a peanut in his mouth. “Fine, let him come. We’ve never properly met anyway. Last time at the Duke’s residence was too rushed. Let’s have a drink together.”

“You haven’t recovered yet. It’s best to drink less,” Bao Ning propped her cheek on her hand, a little worried as she tried to look at the wrist under his sleeve. He blocked it from view.

“Then later you go to the Duke’s residence and send the invitation,” she said. “Given the time, Ji Yun should be home today. Let’s all take the carriage to Xiao Ling River.”

Pei Yuan stirred his porridge absentmindedly, then shoveled it into his mouth. “Let him ride his own horse. Why should he come crowd us?”

“You—” Bao Ning swallowed her food. “Today’s a good day, I won’t argue with you. But let me remind you, you still owe me a 500-character apology letter. And one small wish.”

Pei Yuan looked up, stunned. “That was real?”

“You think I was joking?” Bao Ning stood up, patted her skirt, and smiled sweetly at him. “If not, then my small wish is to make you sleep on the floor for six months.”

Pei Yuan lost his appetite even for the peanuts.

A-Huang circled around his feet. Pei Yuan kicked at its butt to shoo it away, but it shamelessly came back.

He scolded, “Didn’t I just feed you? Useless. All you know is eating, you glutton.” He tossed a garlic-flavored pork rib—already stripped of meat—on the ground.

A-Huang gleefully grabbed the bone and ran to the corner, chewing it with its butt in the air.

Bao Ning glanced at the dog, shook her head helplessly, and tiptoed to retrieve the ceramic jar that held the leeches.

Pei Yuan had just fed them in the morning. They were now full and resting, half-buried in mud, their light blue heads poking out slightly.

The three egg cocoons had produced thirty-six baby leeches. Two had died—one from starvation after a bigger leech monopolized all the food, and the other was half-eaten by that same large leech. When Bao Ning found it, half the body was gone, and the jar was stained with its blood and thick fluids.

It was then that Bao Ning realized: the law of the jungle—the strong prey on the weak—applies everywhere.

She turned her gaze to the fattest, most aggressive leech. It clearly had a natural advantage, was extremely fierce, and had already grown to the thickness of a pinkie finger—its growth was faster than she’d anticipated.

At this rate, in about three days, it would be ready to suck its first dose of poisoned blood.

Bao Ning tilted her head to glance at Pei Yuan. A-Huang had run back to his side, and the little lamb followed too. Both circled around him. Pei Yuan drove one away only for the other to stick around, and in frustration, he slammed down his chopsticks.

He still looked lively now, thanks only to his strong constitution. But as the poison spread, it would worsen faster and faster. Bao Ning didn’t dare imagine what he’d be like in half a month—or a month. Would he still have the strength to bicker and fool around with her?

No later than the day after tomorrow, she had to test whether the leeches were effective.

Around noon, Bao Ning and Pei Yuan arrived at the side of the Xiao Ling River. There was a simple tea stall there, just a shed really—a rest stop for porters. The tea came in large bowls, steeped so many times it was practically flavorless, more like plain water, with only a faint bitterness in the aftertaste.

Ji Yun was already there waiting for them.

Pei Yuan frowned upon arrival. The table was greasy, and the wooden bench had a chunk missing. He didn’t want Bao Ning to sit, but looking around, there was no better spot—only a newly constructed small building nearby.

Ji Yun took the lead: “You picked the place.”

Bao Ning didn’t care about how crude it was. She hadn’t seen her brother in a long time and missed him dearly. Seeing how much he had grown—taller, like a willow branch, and more composed—made her happy. She couldn’t stop looking at him.

The shopkeeper’s wife brought a cloth to wipe the table, but Pei Yuan frowned and tossed it aside, using his own sleeve to clean Bao Ning’s seat before letting her sit.

Ji Yun observed the action and eased up a little inside.

“I remember this place used to be a big tavern,” Pei Yuan said casually, trying to open with small talk.

“It got torn down by the Left Minister’s son,” Ji Yun replied, pouring tea for both Pei Yuan and Bao Ning with a polite smile. “Now they’re building another restaurant here.”

Bao Ning felt Ji Yun truly seemed more mature now. Maybe it was because Lady Tao was pregnant and his status in the household was no longer secure—maybe that looming threat had forced him to grow. Or maybe it was because of her marriage.

After all, she hadn’t married respectably. Even though she was content now, in the eyes of others, her life didn’t appear dignified. Ji Yun had been upset about that for a long time.

In the past, Ji Yun was young and arrogant, unable to hide his sharpness. But now, he’d even learned to make small talk.

Pei Yuan simply grunted in response. The two sat across from each other sipping tea, silently loathing one another. No one said another word.

Bao Ning discreetly nudged Pei Yuan under the table, trying to prompt him to speak. Pei Yuan

understood her intent but didn’t move. In his eyes, women had overly tangled thoughts. Ji Yun clearly didn’t like him, and he didn’t like Ji Yun either. Forcing them to chat—what was the point?

It just made things awkward.

Pei Yuan stood up and gave Ji Yun a smile. “Excuse me, I need to relieve myself.”

He didn’t need the restroom—just an excuse to step away. He’d return once Bao Ning and Ji Yun were done talking.

In his mind, he was already being quite courteous—and only for Bao Ning’s sake. Not many people received such treatment from him.

Ji Yun stood and clasped his hands in a respectful gesture. Both men exchanged polite farewells with smiles.

Once Pei Yuan’s figure had disappeared into the distance, Ji Yun dropped the polite act, plopped down in front of Bao Ning, and anxiously scanned her face. “Sis, is he treating you well? I’ve been meaning to visit, but I kept getting held up. When I finally got to where you lived, I found out you’d already moved.”

Bao Ning smiled. “He’s pretty good to me. We moved to a new place.”

She asked with concern, “What happened that kept you so busy?”

Ji Yun didn’t answer immediately.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Pei Yuan’s actions earlier—he still didn’t approve of his brother-in-law. Bao Ning might be forgiving enough to overlook how poorly Pei Yuan treated her at first, but Ji Yun couldn’t. He still held a grudge.

To him, Bao Ning had been forced into the marriage. That was a grievance—both because of their father’s inaction and because Ji Yun himself had been too young and powerless.

To put it simply, Pei Yuan wasn’t worthy of his sister, no matter if he was some prince or not.

And someone like Pei Yuan—with that kind of temper and background—how could he ever make a good husband?

What Ji Yun feared most was that Bao Ning would be mistreated, or worse, dragged into danger because of Pei Yuan’s choices.

He couldn’t outright tell Bao Ning to divorce—that would offend the Xu family and be unfair to her. Instead, he hoped she would come to that conclusion on her own. As her brother, he wanted to leave her a way out.

“Sis,” Ji Yun said at last, “I bought you a zhuangzi, not too far from the capital, at Li Lake.”

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