Chapter 22: A Horse Kicking Up Red Dust, the Concubine Smiles

Chapter 22: A Horse Raising Red Dust, A Consort’s Smile

The late spring sun had grown rather fierce. To ensure the village could successfully cultivate strawberries, Zhao An taught the villagers to construct simple sunshades from rags salvaged from old clothes. These shades offered protection from the sun on clear days and shielded the plants from direct heavy rain—a lesson Zhao An had learned from his own initial strawberry-growing endeavors.

Noticing the abundance of bamboo near Zhaojia Village, he also instructed the villagers to build a rudimentary drip irrigation system using bamboo sections. Though he merely offered a few suggestions, Liu Huan took them to heart, diligently leading the villagers in meticulously tending to the strawberry seedlings across several acres.

While monetary returns were yet to be seen, and unlike Liu Huan, the other villagers weren't overly deferential to Zhao An, they nonetheless worked with great zeal, carefully nurturing the strawberry plants on the communal land.

Zhao An hadn't visited the fields in over ten days. This time, accompanied by Feng Shaoping, he was delighted by the vigorous growth of the strawberry plants, a smile akin to an old farmer at harvest time spreading across his face.

Hu Sheng, who had been by his side, was amused by Zhao An's expression and couldn't resist a playful jab, "These people haven't exactly treated you all that well. Why do you care so much about them?"

Zhao An shook his head, hands clasped behind his back, as he surveyed the fields. He ambled along, thoughtfully remarking, "It's about the sense of accomplishment, you know. Besides, once everyone around me is living comfortably, there won't be so many people secretly lurking behind our house, drooling when I stew meat."

In truth, it wasn't adults who came to drool, but mostly young children. Zhao An wasn't heartless; whenever he saw them, he felt a pang of awkwardness, as if his own enjoyment of meat were a transgression, stirring an inexplicable sense of shame and guilt.

Some might derive a feeling of superiority from the suffering of others, but Zhao An was not one of them. Even after enduring an era of spiritual resurgence akin to an apocalypse, he still found no pleasure in witnessing others' hardships.

Hu Sheng wasn't surprised by this response. The very reason he had grown fond of Zhao An was the warm, resilient spirit he perceived in him.

When threatened, Zhao An could become a sharp blade, yet when confronted with the vulnerable, even strangers, he would generously extend kindness. Hu Sheng recalled the first time he saw Zhao An from the window of Ruyi Restaurant—how approachable and gentle he was while speaking to an old woman selling yarn, making him utterly endearing.

And now, this "beaming with pride" demeanor was equally charming. Hu Sheng's gaze remained fixed on Zhao An until Feng Shaoping interjected, "Brother Hu, why are you still here? You should hurry back to the mountains. The Imperial Household Department officials might arrive in Zhaojia Village at any moment."

Although Feng Shaoping had come to warn Zhao An in advance, he couldn't openly let the eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department know, so he intended to stay put. Hu Sheng, however, had to depart. Before leaving, he cast a deep glance at Zhao An and said, "Our paths haven't fully aligned this time. I'll return another day to teach you martial arts."

Even before Hu Sheng had left, Zhao An felt a pang of reluctance. Turning his back to avoid looking at Hu Sheng, he said, "You should go. With Young Master Feng here, there's no need to worry about me."

Though he claimed not to worry, how could Hu Sheng not? After a moment's thought, Hu Sheng unfastened the jade pendant from his waist and handed it to Zhao An, saying, "If you need to contact me these next couple of days, take this jade pendant to the bookshop in Changxi County and ask for the manager."

This scene of heartfelt farewell utterly astonished Feng Shaoping. Since when had Hu Sheng become so sentimental?

But awed by the authority Hu Sheng had always commanded in his mind, Feng Shaoping dared not tease him, choosing instead to stand silently in the background.

Once Hu Sheng had ridden off on his horse, Feng Shaoping grinned and winked at Zhao An. "You've got excellent taste! You just arrived in Changxi County and already captivated the most handsome man here. My father only spoke with him a few times and wanted to betroth my sister to him. Unfortunately, Brother Hu politely declined, claiming old battle injuries from military campaigns. Who knew he was actually waiting for you?"

Zhao An had no intention of concealing his feelings for Hu Sheng. Unfazed by Feng Shaoping's teasing, he replied, "You don't need to tell me—I've always known my taste is impeccable."

"Tsk, tsk. No wonder Brother Hu fell for you—so candid!" Feng Shaoping walked over and clapped Zhao An on the shoulder. "From now on, you and I are friends too, Feng Shaoping's friends."

Zhao An smiled at him. "Let's head back, friend. The sun is quite scorching. For lunch, I'll keep it simple and make you some chilled noodles with shredded chicken."

"You can cook too?" Feng Shaoping was somewhat surprised. Even as the county magistrate's son, he didn't know how to cook. Zhao An, once the Prime Minister's son and later Consort Li's brother, actually cooked for himself.

Zhao An shot a disdainful look at the astonished Feng Shaoping, then walked to his well and pulled up a rope hanging into it. Attached was a basket containing a chicken leg cooked the previous night and a few fresh cucumbers.

Anyone who has lived in the countryside knows that wells can serve as natural refrigerators. Some deep wells maintain temperatures of only a few degrees, and fruits and vegetables pulled from them might even emit a slight mist.

Zhao An shredded the chicken leg and cucumbers, then seasoned them with salt, sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, and minced garlic to create a simple cold chicken salad. He then boiled a large pot of noodles, and lunch was ready.

After eating, Feng Shaoping praised the meal profusely, claiming Zhao An's cooking was even better than the chefs at Ruyi Restaurant. But Zhao An, knowing his own culinary limits—he could only manage simple home cooking—assumed Feng Shaoping was merely flattering him. Little did he know that Feng Shaoping was secretly pleased that he had tasted Zhao An's cooking before Hu Sheng, a quiet triumph he savored.

Before Zhao An could clear the dishes into the kitchen, Liu Huan's eldest grandson came knocking at their door, announcing, "Many officials have arrived at the village entrance, all saying they've come to buy strawberries from Young Master Zhao."

They had finally arrived.

Zhao An set aside the dishes. After a moment's thought, he beckoned Liu Huan's grandson inside, saying, "Could you help me wash the dishes? I'll give you two large coins for your trouble."

But the child shook his head, glancing warily at the wolf, clearly afraid to enter. Reluctantly, Zhao An hid the used bowls deep in the cupboard, lest someone unexpectedly drop by and deem him untidy.

However, Zhao An was clearly overthinking it. When he reached the village entrance, he saw that the officials had set up tents on a parched field outside Zhaojia Village. The eunuch in charge, dressed in the attire of the Imperial Household Department, sat in the center of the tent. On the tea table beside him were not only hot tea but also an assortment of fruits.

The display was almost fit for an emperor. Zhao An recalled the emperor he'd seen shortly after transmigrating into this world—and from his memories, whenever he'd seen the emperor, he'd been accompanying Zhao Qingcheng, and the pomp had never been this grand.

Of course, if the emperor were to travel officially, it would be hundreds of times more extravagant. As Zhao An approached the eunuch, his thoughts raced. Before he could decide on the proper etiquette, the eunuch stood and greeted him proactively: "Greetings, Imperial Uncle."

"Please, no need for such formality. This commoner pays his respects to you, sir." Not daring to overstep, Zhao An kept his tone warm and respectful despite not bowing.

The eunuch seemed pleased with Zhao An's demeanor. Smiling, he sat back down and instructed someone to prepare a seat for Zhao An. Once Zhao An was seated, the eunuch continued, "I must also congratulate you, Imperial Uncle. Noble Consort is with child and suffering terribly from severe nausea. His Majesty, deeply concerned, heard that there’s a fruit in Changxi County that’s both tangy and sweet—very appetizing—and specially sent me to find it for Noble Consort."

He gave Zhao An a mildly reproachful glance. "And I’ve learned from the magistrate that it was you, Imperial Uncle, who discovered this fruit. Since you found such a wonderful fruit, why didn’t you think to offer some as tribute to Noble Consort? You’ve caused His Majesty quite some worry."

Clearly, Zhao Qingcheng was back in the emperor’s favor and had been promoted to Noble Consort. The emperor had likely forgotten about punishing Zhao An, which was why the eunuch was being so courteous. By bringing up the matter of presenting the fruit, he was giving Zhao An a way to save face.

Zhao An, understanding the cue, responded with a diplomatic reply: when he first discovered the strawberries, he hadn’t thought they could be shipped without spoiling, which was why he hadn’t sent them to the capital. Later, he cultivated a new batch of seedlings in the village and had planned to send them in pots to the capital—he just hadn’t expected officials from the capital to arrive so soon, leaving him no time to send them.