When Jun Huailang was released by Xue Yan, his face was somewhat flushed, and even his breathing had become disordered.
He took several breaths before belatedly becoming a little flustered and turning his head to look toward the entrance of the alley.
Fortunately, although people were coming and going outside, no one looked in their direction, much less came over here.
Jun Huailang breathed a sigh of relief, but then began to feel a lingering fear.
“From now on, when we’re outside, you aren’t allowed to act so recklessly again!” he scolded Xue Yan in a lowered voice while straightening his robes and brushing the dust from them.
But because the two of them had just kissed, his breathing was still uneven, and even his scolding did not sound very stern.
“Mm, I know,” Xue Yan answered obediently, standing in front of him and looking down at him, his eyes and brows filled with amusement.
“What if someone saw us?” Jun Huailang continued. “You’re far too reckless. How could you lose control right there on the main street…”
For every sentence he said, Xue Yan responded with a “yes,” being almost excessively obedient, which instead made it seem as though he was deliberately teasing him.
Jun Huailang noticed it and looked up at Xue Yan.
Only then did Xue Yan straighten up and put on a perfectly serious expression.
“I’ve been paying attention to what was happening outside,” he said seriously. “With you looking so tempting, how could I possibly let anyone else see?”
Jun Huailang was even more exasperated.
Although he was eloquent and quick-witted, he had never been able to outtalk Xue Yan when it came to matters like this. He shot Xue Yan a sideways glance, straightened his robes, and walked out first.
…Even if nobody had seen them, the fact that the two of them were coming out of a dark alley together was still hard to explain!
Jun Huailang’s ears were completely red as he stiffly walked out of the alley.
However, the street was extremely lively, with people coming and going everywhere, and no one paid any attention to them.
Jun Huailang walked ahead, while Xue Yan followed half a step behind him.
Jun Huailang had no intention of being angry with him, but they had just kissed so passionately, and this man had been so wicked about it. At this moment, he simply could not bring himself to turn around and walk beside him again.
Thus, the two walked through the street one in front and one behind.
The street was especially lively today. There were roadside stalls selling little trinkets, acrobats performing, lantern vendors, and food stalls giving off fragrant aromas and wisps of cooking smoke, all crowded together amid the noisy hubbub, with all sorts of things on display.
Jun Huailang looked around and found everything quite novel.
Just then, a string of bright-red candied hawthorns was held out in front of him.
The candied hawthorns were coated in a thin layer of sugar, crystalline and vivid, looking extremely tempting.
He looked up and saw Xue Yan following behind him, holding the string of candied hawthorns.
“Here,” Xue Yan said. “A compensation for you.”
Jun Huailang refused to take it, so Xue Yan simply kept holding the candied hawthorns there and followed him.
Jun Huailang had no choice but to raise his hand and take the string from him.
“No next time,” he said softly.
Xue Yan gave a low laugh, then immediately caught up the half-step between them and walked beside Jun Huailang.
Jun Huailang took a bite of the candied hawthorn.
Although this snack was common, Jun Huailang had hardly eaten it at all throughout his childhood. There had been many things for him to learn since he was young, and every day he had to meet with numerous tutors. Apart from going out of the residence for social engagements, he rarely left home, much less wandered casually along the streets.
Besides, there were all kinds of pastries and snacks within the residence, so there was no need for them to go outside to eat these little things sold by roadside vendors.
When he was young, he had rarely seen them and would only occasionally be curious. Once he grew older, he naturally would not deliberately go to roadside stalls to buy things meant for children.
Thus, although this was an ordinary thing, to Jun Huailang, it was extremely novel.
The moment he bit down, the translucent golden sugar coating shattered between his lips and teeth, carrying with it the sweet-and-sour juice of the hawthorn. At once, a tart sweetness spread throughout his mouth.
Jun Huailang’s brows involuntarily relaxed.
“Good?” Xue Yan asked beside him, watching his reaction.
Jun Huailang nodded, his eyes involuntarily narrowing into a smile. He did not notice the small piece of sugar clinging to the corner of his lips.
Xue Yan raised a hand and removed the sugar crumb for him, laughing softly.
“How can you look like you’ve never eaten one before?”
Jun Huailang smiled and nodded.
“I really haven’t eaten them much.”
Xue Yan laughed.
“What, did the Duke of State even restrict you from having this?”
Jun Huailang burst out laughing and joked with him.
“Yes. What should I do about that?”
Xue Yan followed along with his words and said seriously, “Then I’ll secretly buy them for you from now on. I have plenty of experience.”
Jun Huailang was amused to the point of laughing continuously.
“What experience do you have?”
He naturally did not know that when Xue Yan said he had experience, he truly was not lying.
He had grown up in a military camp in Yan territory. According to the rules of the military camp, they were not allowed to enter or leave freely in ordinary circumstances.
Occasionally, when he went out of camp and happened to encounter vendors selling candied hawthorns at a market, he would see bright-red fruits that seemed ready to drip with color, stuck all over an entire bundle of straw. The weather in Yan territory was bitterly cold, and the candied hawthorns sold in winter would freeze solid. When bitten, they would make his teeth ache from the cold.
But there were no snacks at all in the military camp in Yan territory. Xue Yan had tasted that sweet-and-sour, juicy flavor once as a child, and afterward he could never forget it.
Later, whenever he was beaten in the military camp and suffered injuries, he would secretly climb over the wall, buy himself a string of candied hawthorns, and then climb back in.
On the freezing, bitter nights of Yan and Yun, a string of candied hawthorns frozen rock-hard was Xue Yan’s only painkiller.
Thus, although this sweet-and-sour flavor was exceedingly ordinary, to Xue Yan, it was a sweetness imprinted upon his soul.
Hearing Jun Huailang ask, Xue Yan gave a low laugh and only said, “Don’t worry about that. In any case, you’ll have plenty of candied hawthorns to eat from now on.”
Jun Huailang smiled and nodded repeatedly. He even held the candied hawthorns out in front of Xue Yan.
“Then I’ll thank you in advance. A verbal thank-you doesn’t have much sincerity. How about I give you a bite?”
Only when he held them out did he notice that the top one was the half-eaten hawthorn he had just bitten.
He hurriedly tried to pull his hand back.
But his hand was held down.
Xue Yan raised his hand and firmly grasped the hand Jun Huailang was trying to withdraw, pulling the candied hawthorns back.
Then he put the top half-eaten hawthorn directly into his mouth.
“Hey—” Jun Huailang could not stop him and could only watch helplessly as Xue Yan ate the red fruit that he himself had already bitten in half.
Xue Yan smiled and released him.
“As expected,” he said. “It’s tastier than the ones in Yan-Yun.”
——
Jinbao knew that, as a servant, one should always have the awareness of coming when summoned and leaving when dismissed.
For example, earlier, when his master had dragged the Heir away to who knew what corner to whisper sweet nothings together, he had to stand in the endlessly flowing crowd, keeping watch in every direction and listening for everything around him, waiting for his master to return.
Then, just now, his master had squeezed through the crowd to the roadside to buy the Heir a string of candied hawthorns. The two of them had chatted and laughed, and the Heir had even fed the candied hawthorns to his master. So he had simply watched his nose and observed his heart, pretending that he was a blind man who could see absolutely nothing.
And now, it was time for him to be useful.
Speaking of it, today’s gathering being so lively had all been planned by him.
The people of Jinling had reported to the government office that they wanted to hold a celebration at night. But the common people had no money in their hands, and the Jinling government office was also stretched thin. Naturally, the celebration could not have been very lively.
Jinbao mentioned it to Xue Yan, and Xue Yan immediately told him to draw the money himself and arrange everything as he saw fit.
Jinbao knew that when his master said “arrange it as you see fit,” it meant that he wanted it made as lively as possible.
After all, his master still had to take the Heir out to stroll through the streets, didn’t he?
In any case, his master had plenty of money, so Jinbao did not feel bad about spending it. Thus, all the ribbons and lanterns on the street today had been arranged by Jinbao himself. Even the small vendors and acrobats on the street had been handled by Jinbao according to the list of registered stalls. In Xue Yan’s name, he had provided them with interest-free subsidies to purchase their goods.
It was precisely because of this that today’s celebration could be so lively.
But Jinbao did not know that, in the end, he was still the one who suffered.
Jiangnan was originally full of little trinkets, and the Heir was also the sort of young master who rarely left the house. Thus, everything looked fresh and interesting to him. Although he looked around at everything, he only picked out a few things to buy. As for the rest, Jinbao had to judge by his master’s expression.
If his master did not turn his head, that meant the Heir did not particularly like it.
If his master turned his head and gave him a glance, Jinbao understood. He would go forward himself and ask the stall owner which items the young master in front had looked at, then buy all of them.
After walking around for a while, Jinbao had more and more things in his hands, forcing him to use a signal to summon an Embroidered Uniform Guard and have him help carry the things.
Unexpectedly, that Embroidered Uniform Guard was a slick-tongued fellow with a mischievous streak. Seeing the large and small packages in Jinbao’s hands, he did nothing but laugh at him. When Jinbao handed the things over and asked him to help carry them, he repeatedly dodged away.
“Master only ordered this subordinate to protect everyone’s safety. He never ordered this subordinate to carry things, did he?” That Embroidered Uniform Guard was familiar with Jinbao and said with a grin. “This wonderful job of accompanying Master on a shopping trip is something the eunuch should enjoy himself, isn’t it?”
After saying that, he ran away within a few breaths.
Jinbao was so angry that he wanted to point at him, but his hands were too full to do so. Seeing that his master was about to get far away, he could only hurry after him.
As for Jun Huailang ahead, he naturally knew nothing about any of this.
The things sold at Jinling’s night market were novel and distinctive, but he also knew that he would only be buying them for amusement, and buying too many would simply be wasteful. Thus, whenever he took a fancy to some little object, he would compare them and select just one.
He bought few things for himself. Most of what he bought was for his younger brother and sister, his mother, his aunt, and Xue Yunhuan.
After he bought something, Xue Yan would take it from him, so Jun Huailang was even more reluctant to buy too much, afraid that Xue Yan would not be able to carry everything.
The two walked along and gradually made their way deeper into the market.
Just then, Xue Yan stopped.
Jun Huailang stopped with him and turned his head to look, only to see that Xue Yan had stopped in front of a small stall.
All this time, Xue Yan had been looking straight ahead, simply following him around. Jun Huailang was suddenly curious about what had caught Xue Yan’s eye enough to make him stop.
It turned out to be a small stall selling jade pendants.
Naturally, the jade sold at this stall was not particularly fine, but the stall owner was skillful with his hands, and the decorative cords on the jade pendants were exquisitely knotted.
“Which one has caught your eye, sir?” The stall owner took one look at Xue Yan’s clothes and accessories and immediately knew that he was either rich or noble, so he hurried over to ask.
Xue Yan pointed toward one part of the stall.
“This one.”
Jun Huailang followed his gaze and saw a pair of jade pendants hanging there. They were simple jade-jue in style, without any patterns, with pale blue cords beneath them knotted in the shape of a same-heart knot.
The stall owner hurriedly took them down for him.
“Are you giving them to someone, young master? These jade pendants come as a pair, so they can’t really be worn by just one person…”
Xue Yan turned his head and glanced at Jun Huailang.
A lamp had been lit at the small stall. It was not very bright, only bright enough to illuminate the objects on display. Beneath the lamplight, half of Xue Yan’s face was hidden in darkness, but the side that was revealed had a burning intensity in his gaze.
He casually tossed a silver ingot to the stall owner and took the pair of jade pendants.
“I am giving them to someone,” he said.
“To my wife.”