Chapter 38: Joy Brightens the Spirit

Chapter 38: A Happy Event Lifts the Spirits

The candle in the room slowly burned to its end. Wen Xi had no idea what time he had fallen asleep last night; it felt like he'd barely closed his eyes before the sky outside was already light.

His whole body ached and his limbs were weak, and he desperately needed to catch up on sleep, yet his mind was unusually sharp.

His eyes were a bit dry, but thankfully not swollen or stinging. Yan Fengan had been mindful of his feelings and hadn't let him suffer needlessly—after the initial tears, he hadn't cried again.

Wen Xi's head was resting on Yan Fengan's chest, and with a slight tilt of his head, he could see his chin.

Wen Xi's gaze drifted upward, landing on Yan Fengan's slightly reddened lips. In the daytime, the corners of his mouth were always slightly upturned, carrying a gentle warmth even when he wasn't smiling.

Last night, Yan Fengan had kissed him with those same gentle lips—from the corner of his mouth to his collarbone, and then lower...

Wen Xi gently pulled open his collar. The places he'd never paid attention to before now looked like red plum blossoms in a snowy field, standing out delicately against the pale expanse of his skin.

His face flushed with shame, and he didn't dare look closely. He quickly pulled his clothes back together, but the movement of his upper body inadvertently pulled at other places. Instinctively, he reached down to touch, but his hand brushed against something that didn't belong to him, and he yanked it back in fright.

Before other young men married, their mothers would secretly teach them about such things to keep them from embarrassing themselves on their wedding night.

But Wen Xi hadn't gotten that kind of treatment in the Wen household. If he hadn't come across that little booklet, he would've been completely clueless and terrified last night.

He'd originally thought that a married couple just needed to lie in bed together to have a baby. After going through this experience, he finally understood how babies were really made.

No wonder those married women and men at the river would always wink and smirk when talking about their husbands while washing clothes, teasing each other about their spouses—saying so-and-so was all show and no substance despite being tall, or that another looked skinny as a monkey but was actually quite the stallion.

These people spoke bluntly and boldly, yet vaguely, and Wen Xi was left confused. He could only tell from their smiles and tones that it wasn't anything good, so he always kept his distance while washing clothes.

Now, looking back, he understood it all.

Yan Fengan was tall too, and though his build wasn't as sturdy as those who did manual labor, he wasn't thin or frail either. Every night, he could wrap Wen Xi up snugly in his arms.

Lying against his broad chest, Wen Xi felt so comfortable and at ease.

Last night, by the dim candlelight, he'd stolen a glance. If he hadn't trusted that the man who cherished him wouldn't deliberately hurt him, he would've fled in terror.

He was so big, and Wen Xi was so small—how could it possibly work?

As it turned out, it could indeed.

Fragments from last night flashed through Wen Xi's mind, one after another. He remembered how he'd taken Yan Fengan in bit by bit, how Yan Fengan had kissed away the tears at the corners of his eyes, sometimes calling his name, sometimes calling him "my darling"...

Wen Xi covered his face, forcing himself to stop remembering.

Sounds began to stir outside, one after another—the household was waking up. Wen Xi felt too embarrassed to keep resting. He braced his hands on Yan Fengan's chest and slowly sat up. The man, who had apparently been awake for a while, rubbed his waist and coaxed, "Sleep a little longer."

"I'm not sleeping." Wen Xi had never slept in since marrying into the family. He leaned over, kissed Yan Fengan's lips, and got up.

After he'd fallen asleep last night, Yan Fengan had wiped him clean with a cloth and applied ointment, so Wen Xi felt no obvious pain.

It was just that when he dressed and stood up, something felt a little off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, only that it felt like Yan Fengan was still inside him.

Afraid someone might notice something, Wen Xi tucked those thoughts away the moment he left the room.

Knowing Wen Xi was feeling off, Yan Fengan found an excuse to call him back to their room after breakfast.

Using the pretense of grinding ink and teaching, he pulled Wen Xi onto his lap, letting him nestle completely in his arms.

Having just gone through such an experience, both of them felt subtle changes inside. They could keep their composure outside, but once back in their own room, they quickly clung to each other.

Even doing nothing at all—just kissing and cuddling—brought them joy. Yan Fengan rubbed Wen Xi's stomach and asked if he was feeling sore.

Wen Xi wrapped his arms around Yan Fengan's neck and shook his head. It had been a bit numb at first, but now it had eased up a lot.

They chatted idly about this and that, and everything was fine until their eyes accidentally met.

One pair of eyes was tender, the other adoring. They looked at each other, and neither could resist. Before either knew who made the first move, their tongues were already tangled together.

After kissing for a while, both their lips had turned rosy, and they couldn't help but smile at each other.

Wen Xi swung his legs, letting out a happy, contented sigh: "Back then, I always wondered who you'd end up marrying. I never dreamed that in the end, you'd marry me."

Yan Fengan rested his chin gently on top of Wen Xi's head: "Back then, I never thought about getting married at all."

He'd only been sixteen when he passed the county-level imperial examination, and his mind was set solely on continuing his studies. He hadn't considered anything else.

In all his life, Yan Fengan had known very few young men or women, and the only name he could remember was Wen Xi's. Whenever he grew tired of reading, Wen Xi's pitiful, delicate face would flash through his mind.

Thinking of Wen Xi's situation in that household, Yan Fengan felt a knot in his stomach. He genuinely wanted to help Wen Xi but couldn't think of a good way to do it.

As an outsider, how could he meddle in another family's affairs?

He could only study hard, hoping to pass the exams and earn a position as soon as possible, then find a way to rescue Wen Xi.

"Actually, I saw you that day." Wen Xi looked up at him. Yan Fengan said, "It was the day I passed the county exam. That day, the academy gave me a reward, and on my way home, I bought two boxes of pastries for the family. For some reason, I thought of you and bought a box for you too."

After returning home, he felt his actions had been a bit abrupt and wasn't sure whether he should give them to him.

Many people had come to congratulate him, and he was politely dealing with them when he suddenly spotted a familiar small figure in the crowd—still so timid and shrinking back.

Seeing him, Yan Fengan finally broke into a real smile.

"I just turned around to grab the pastries from inside, and by the time I came out, you were already gone."

Wen Xi suddenly jerked his head up, smacking it straight into Yan Fengan's chin, making him let out a soft "hiss." Wen Xi fumbled to rub Yan Fengan's chin, apologizing profusely while tears welled up in his eyes: "I didn't know... I was afraid people would gossip and cause you trouble, so I didn't dare stay long."

Yan Fengan tapped his cheek with a finger: "You ran off faster than a rabbit, so of course you didn't know."

A wave of regret washed over Wen Xi. Really, why hadn't he stayed a little longer? If he had, he could've eaten the pastries Yan Fengan had bought for him.

Yan Fengan tugged the corners of Wen Xi's downturned mouth up: "It doesn't matter. From now on, you can eat pastries I buy for you every day."

Wen Xi said in a small, wronged voice: "It's different."

Yan Fengan smiled and said, "Of course it's different. Back then, those pastries were from Scholar Yan, but now, they're from your husband."

The sadness in Wen Xi's heart was smoothed away, and he laughed along with him.

Yes, what happened before didn't matter anymore. Thinking of spending the rest of his life with Yan Fengan, Wen Xi happily snuggled closer into his arms.

The two were being lovey-dovey in the room when suddenly someone knocked on the courtyard gate. After a moment, Yan Fuqiu called out from the yard, "Third brother, come quick, someone's here to see you."

After straightening their wrinkled clothes, Yan Fengan went out first, expecting a neighbor. To his surprise, it was Manager Yang from the bookshop.

Manager Yang greeted Yan Fengan and the Yan family first. Knowing the family wasn't aware of Yan Fengan's story-writing, he covered it up by saying, "A while back, I had Scholar Yan write an essay for me. Today, I'd like to discuss the content of that essay with him further."

Seeing that they needed to talk privately, Yan Shichang had Yan Fengan take Manager Yang to the main reception hall and had Chen Lanfang and the others bring in a brazier of charcoal.

Wen Xi brewed hot tea for Manager Yang, and knowing he'd come to discuss the story with Yan Fengan, he stayed to listen in.

Manager Yang's visit brought two pieces of good news for them. First, Yan Fengan's storybook, "The Jade-Faced Fox Gentleman," had sold five hundred copies in less than two months. While this number still fell far short of the store's bestsellers, it was quite impressive for a newcomer. The book was currently being reprinted and was expected to sell more in the future.

As Manager Yang had anticipated, the storybook wasn't particularly popular among male readers. Few scholars came to the bookshop to purchase it, and some would scoff and toss it aside after flipping through just a couple of pages.

In contrast, the young ladies and gentlemen of the wealthy households were utterly captivated by the book, praising it highly.

During winter, the wealthy families' young ladies and gentlemen often hosted banquets. With little else to do for fun, they'd chat about the latest storybooks.

Tired of the same old stories where women sacrifice themselves for men, Yan Fengan's devoted male fox felt fresh and original.

Thus, while the storybook didn't become a massive bestseller, it pulled in a big crowd of loyal readers.

Two of these readers stood out: the young gentleman of Master Zhou's silk shop on East Street, and the eldest son of the Li family, who ran a rice mill down at the South Gate.

The two had gone to the same academy and, for whatever reason, never got along. Anywhere the two of them showed up, you could cut the tension with a knife.

As luck would have it, they both loved Yan Fengan's storybook, and their usual feud found a new battleground.

When he found out the Li kid liked the book too, the Zhou kid made the first move and had his maid buy twenty copies on the spot. He even threw a book club party, inviting all the young ladies and gentlemen from the city's wealthy families to come read and chat about it.

Word got around fast, and folks started calling the Zhou kid the biggest, most die-hard fan of the book.

When the Li kid heard about it, he got annoyed and had his maid buy thirty copies, handing them out to folks on the street who wanted to read the book but didn't want to shell out for it.

Their little rivalry made for some good laughs, but it also ended up boosting the book's reputation. People all over started wondering what kind of book could make these two go so crazy. Out of curiosity, a bunch of people went to the bookshop and bought copies to see what the fuss was about.

Over time, the book got mixed reviews, but sales kept climbing steadily.

Manager Yang watched this with a smile, figuring the book would end up selling seven or eight hundred copies.

Once the book sold out, Yan Fengan didn't give it much more thought. He'd figured selling two or three hundred copies would've been a big deal. Who knew the book would do so well and quietly top five hundred?

He asked Manager Yang, "You said there were two pieces of good news. What's the second one?"

"The other..." Manager Yang paused for dramatic effect, then pulled four five-tael silver ingots out of his sleeve and slid them across to Yan Fengan. "Scholar Yan, do you know why I'm giving you this silver?"

Yan Fengan wasn't a mind reader, so how was he supposed to know? According to the contract, out of the five hundred copies sold, he got a cut of the profits from three hundred, which came to maybe three to five taels at most. Manager Yang laying out that much silver was a real head-scratcher.

Seeing Yan Fengan look confused, Manager Yang smiled and said, "To be honest, Scholar Yan, this money was given to me by the Zhou and Li kids to pass along to you. First, it's to show how much they admire the story you wrote. Second, they thought the ending was too sad. They'd like you to write a sequel where Yu Niang and the fox spirit reunite, giving them a happy ending."

Manager Yang's words piqued Wen Xi's curiosity. He hadn't seriously read Yan Fengan's storybook and didn't know what he had written that could make so many people obsessed and regretful over the story, even willing to spend a fortune to have the ending rewritten.

When Manager Yang arrived, he had brought a printed copy of the storybook for Yan Fengan as a keepsake. Wen Xi resolved that once Manager Yang left, he would sit down and read it carefully.

Last time, Manager Yang had offered a few extra taels of silver for Yan Fengan to revise the ending, but Yan Fengan had remained unmoved, insisting on his own vision. Now, with twenty taels of silver laid before him, could he still remain as calm and indifferent, treating money like dirt?

Wen Xi certainly couldn't. This was twenty taels of silver! If he agreed, wouldn't their little savings grow a bit richer?

With an outsider present, he couldn't directly urge him, so he desperately signaled to Yan Fengan with his eyes, hoping he'd glance his way and understand his meaning.

Manager Yang noticed Wen Xi's subtle gestures and realized there was room for negotiation. Seizing the moment, he said to Yan Fengan, "The content you wrote before will remain untouched. When reprinted, we'll simply add two postscripts at the end. This way, we address the readers' regrets without affecting your original ending. Both sides benefit—why not?"

Scholarly integrity couldn't be eaten, after all. Yan Fengan could clearly distinguish between two taels and twenty taels. If someone was willing to pay handsomely for two postscripts, he figured it wasn't a bad deal.

As the saying goes, good news lifts one's spirits. In his current state, he felt he could write not just two postscripts but even ten without any trouble.

Pretending to ponder the matter with reluctance, he nodded and said, "Fine. I'll have the draft ready in three days. Remember to send someone to collect it then."