Chapter 50: Wild to the Bone

Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Wild to the Bone

Zhi Wan turned to look and saw a slender man standing by the shelves.

Seeing her turn, the man immediately put down the calligraphy brush he was inspecting, took two steps toward her, and said joyfully, "Miss Zhi, it really is you!"

Zhi Wan blinked, a little surprised. She was wearing a veiled conical hat, yet he had still managed to recognize her.

But when she glanced at Shuang’er beside her, she understood.

Shuang’er wasn’t wearing a face veil today.

’He must have seen Shuang’er and guessed it was me.’

She said, distant and polite, "Heir Fu."

The man was none other than Fu Hongyi.

He hadn’t expected to run into her here. Hearing her respond to him, he felt a little dazed.

He had indeed recognized Shuang’er first, which led him to guess it was Zhi Wan.

Coming back to his senses, he quickly bowed to Zhi Wan and said guiltily, "Last time my mother visited your esteemed residence, her words were improper and offended you, Miss Zhi. Today, I am here to apologize to you on my mother’s behalf. I hope you won’t take what she said to heart."

Zhi Wan was a bit confused.

’What did Lady Lin say that was so offensive?’

Lady Lin had indeed visited the Duke Dingguo Mansion, but Zhi Wan hadn’t met her; her aunt had.

’Could it be that Lady Lin said something unpleasant that day?’

’Yes, now I remember. It was the very day Lady Lin visited that my aunt suddenly suggested I find a live-in husband in the future.’

It seemed Lady Lin had said something extremely disagreeable.

Although she didn’t know the exact words, for Fu Hongyi to be so ashamed that he would apologize to her like this, Lady Lin must have said something incredibly nasty.

Yet her aunt had hidden it from her and even suddenly brought up the matter of her taking a live-in husband.

A chill went through Zhi Wan’s heart.

’Don’t tell me... when Lady Lin came to the Duke Dingguo Mansion that day, she was asking my aunt to let me become Fu Hongyi’s concubine?’

Realizing this possibility, Zhi Wan clenched her fists tightly, shocked and furious.

She had never thought of clinging to the Fu family, let alone getting involved with Fu Hongyi in any way. And yet Lady Lin had brazenly come to their door, wanting to take her as a concubine?

This was an absolute insult.

With that in mind, her tone soured considerably. "What’s said is said. Words are like spilt water; you can’t take them back. Your apology now, Heir Fu, is useless and meaningless. I regret ever going to your Fu family’s flower-viewing banquet!"

After speaking, she walked straight out of the shop.

Seeing this, Chen Jiu and Shuang’er hurried to follow her.

Fu Hongyi was so ashamed he wished the ground would swallow him whole.

Yes, she was right. His mother had insulted her so grievously; what good was his apology now?

The damage had already been done.

He was filled with self-blame and regret.

It was his mistake to have trusted his mother and told her of his admiration for Miss Zhi.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

His mother had feigned support, only to turn around and run to Zhi Wan’s residence to demand she be made his concubine.

Watching the beautiful woman storm away in anger, Fu Hongyi was utterly crestfallen.

An exquisite image surfaced in his mind: at the flower-viewing banquet, under the peach blossom tree, a petal had fallen onto the girl’s delicate nose, and she had plucked it away with her fingertips.

A sense of loss settled deep in Fu Hongyi’s chest.

"Miss, aren’t we going to look at that shop?" Shuang’er asked after catching up to Zhi Wan.

Zhi Wan composed herself and said, "That shop’s location isn’t as good as the others we looked at. Besides, it’s still an active business. Clearing it out would probably take too long."

Hearing this, Shuang’er stopped fussing over the shop and switched to the topic of Fu Hongyi. "What did Heir Fu mean just now? Why was he apologizing to you on Madam Fu’s behalf? What on earth did Madam Fu say when she came to the Duke Dingguo Mansion last time?"

Zhi Wan paused, then shook her head. "I don’t know."

’Why say it and make Shuang’er upset and angry too?’

Chen Jiu, who was following alongside, glanced at her, having a faint idea of what had happened.

’The Miss must have guessed that when Lady Lin visited last time, it was to ask the Madam to give her up as a concubine.’

Remembering that his master had gone out of his way to warn Fu Hongyi about this very matter, Chen Jiu paused. He then took two steps forward and whispered to Zhi Wan, "Miss, would you like me to throw a sack over that Lady Lin’s head and give her a good beating to let off some steam for you?"

Zhi Wan looked at him in astonishment.

His sudden offer to help her get revenge confirmed her suspicions. Lady Lin had indeed proposed to her aunt that she become Fu Hongyi’s concubine.

’If Chen Jiu knows, then my cousin must know too.’

’But they hid it so well, keeping this vexing matter from me.’

If she hadn’t run into Fu Hongyi today, she probably would have never found out.

A bit of warmth spread through Zhi Wan’s heart.

Seeing her just staring at him without a word, Chen Jiu’s heart began to pound nervously.

’Did I mess up trying to curry favor?’

Just as he was starting to regret it, he suddenly heard the young lady ask, also in a hushed voice, "Can you really do that? Won’t you get caught?"

Chen Jiu froze for a second, then broke into a wide, toothy grin. "Of course not. With a sack over her head, she’ll have no idea who did it."

Zhi Wan was amused by his audacious idea. "But Chen Jiu, aren’t you afraid your master will blame you?"

’My cousin oversees the law and has always been strict with himself. Would he really indulge one of his men in breaking the law?’

"The master, he..." Chen Jiu started to say, but then cut himself off. The master hadn’t even let the Madam know he’d warned Fu Hongyi, so how could he tell the Miss?

Instead, he said, "We just have to make sure the master doesn’t find out."

Zhi Wan shook her head. "Let’s not." Although she really did want to give Lady Lin a beating to vent her anger, it was just a thought. She didn’t dare actually have someone go and beat her up.

Lady Fu was no ordinary woman. She was the wife of Marquis Xuanping and held an imperial title. She was always accompanied by a retinue of maids and servants whenever she went out. Putting a sack over her head would not be easy. On the contrary, if it alerted the Government, it would surely bring trouble for her cousin.

"But thank you, Chen Jiu!" she said sincerely.

Chen Jiu scratched his head. "You’re too kind, Miss. I haven’t actually helped with anything."

Looking at his honest, simple-minded appearance, Zhi Wan found it a little funny.

She never would have thought that Chen Jiu, who looked so earnest, was so wild on the inside. To think he’d come up with such a terrible idea as putting a sack over Lady Lin’s head just to help her vent her anger.

Although she ultimately didn’t agree to his proposal, she found that her heart wasn’t as heavy anymore.

"Which shop did you like best, Miss?" Chen Jiu asked, changing the subject.

Zhi Wan thought for a moment, then said, "Let’s go with the first one we saw."

The shop wasn’t very big, but it was in a good location.

In truth, she had enough Silver to rent an additional shop.

But considering this was her first time opening a shop and she had no experience, it was better to be cautious and just rent one for now.

If business was good, she could always open more later.

"As you wish, Miss. Let’s go and rent that shop right now," Chen Jiu said.

"Alright."

Because Lu Zhan had pulled some strings, they rented the shop easily and signed the contract that same day.

The moment she held the keys to the shop in her hand, Zhi Wan felt a new sense of security.

She finally had a business of her own.

They had been busy all day, and it was already evening. Zhi Wan had wanted to treat Chen Jiu to a meal, but it was too late and inconvenient. Instead, she bought some cooked food and wine and gave it to him.

On the way back, Zhi Wan stopped by the Pen and Ink Pavilion and bought a ream of paper for painting, as well as a few inksticks.

When they returned to the mansion, she handed a box containing an inkstick to Chen Jiu. "This is the Hui ink I bought for my cousin. Please give it to him for me."

Just as Chen Jiu was about to take it, he saw his master walk in through the door. He immediately smiled and said, "The master is back. You should give it to him yourself, Miss."