Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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These past eight days had been exceptionally busy for Lu Huan. Since the incident at the military camp, General Zhenyuan had shown interest in promoting him, sending messengers to his residence several times, with the Minister of War also present. General Zhenyuan and the Minister of War discussed preparations for the upcoming expedition to the north, allowing Lu Huan to listen in on the discussions and occasionally asking for his opinions. In addition, the Ministry of War and its subordinate ministries were also busy, and with the spring semester drawing to a close, the Imperial Academy had left behind a series of assignments.
The old lady sent servants several times to invite Lu Huan back for a gathering. But Lu Huan remained indifferent, knowing that the old lady’s belated kindness was only because she wanted to control him and keep track of his movements in the court. Therefore, he always made excuses to decline.
In addition, he has gradually expanded his farms outside the city to five locations, each employing forty workers and having about ten greenhouses and sheds. Master Ding and Changgong Wu managed these people very well, while Guard Bing, taking advantage of the Ning Wang’s dismissal of some people after the New Year, resigned completely from the Ning Wang’s mansion and became a dedicated guard for the farms. All the farms were progressing smoothly, and as spring was about to end, the crops grown were gradually entering the market.
Lu Huan had previously inquired with the ghost about how they helped him expand his farm, seemingly with the aim of increasing the farm’s total output to a certain level.
Two thousand kilograms.
The ghost told him the number by counting on his two fingers.
Although he didn’t know why the ghost insisted that the farm’s crops reach this yield, it coincided with Lu Huan’s idea. If the farm could produce as many crops as possible, whether transported to the northern front or flowing to the market for the poor, it would be a meaningful thing that could feed the people.
Therefore, since the ghost had not appeared recently, Lu Huan felt lonely and went to the farm to inspect it more often.
He waited anxiously until the evening of the eighth day. He had originally planned to stay in the official residence and wait for her arrival, but today was the Orchid Bathing Festival[1], and the streets were brightly lit and bustling with activity. It was inevitable that fights and brawls would break out among the people. Something had happened at the temporary government office, and he was asked to go there. Lu Huan wanted to deal with it quickly and return as soon as possible, so he first left a note on the table in the official residence telling her where he was going and then went there with the government guards.
After finishing her exam, Su Xi excitedly rushed home, and the first thing she did, of course, was to quickly take out her phone and go online.
This time, as soon as she logged on, before she even had a chance to see what note her son had left her, a new main quest popped up on her screen.
[Please accept Main Quest Nine (Intermediate): Find a nun sweeping the backyard of Changchun Temple and learn about the protagonist’s background from her.]
[Task Difficulty: 8 stars, Gold Coin Reward: 300, Points Reward: 12.]
When Su Xi saw the words “background” on the screen, she immediately felt a jolt. Was it coming? Was it finally coming?! The truth about the baby’s background!
She opened the system in the upper right corner and saw that the Ninth Prince’s portrait and information were still blank. However, since the points had reached 54, which was more than halfway through, the main quest was gradually starting to involve the child’s background. Once the ninth main quest was completed, the information here should be filled in.
Su Xi was a little excited. Ever since she started playing this game, she had been very curious about how the cub ended up in the Ning Wang’s Mansion. There must be a very complicated story behind it.
This task seemed to be just finding someone, it shouldn’t be that difficult.
Su Xi wished she could grab the little one immediately and go to Changchun Temple first.
However, another question suddenly occurred to her: what if there was some ugly conspiracy behind her son’s background that he simply couldn’t accept?
Does the little one still want to know?
If Su Xi were just playing a game, she would naturally be eager to know the truth as soon as possible. But now she was no longer accompanying the cub with the same mindset as when playing a game. She suddenly felt a little worried that the cub would be unhappy after knowing the truth.
Su Xi suddenly felt a little uneasy, but she suppressed it for the time being and decided not to think about it.
After reading the note the cub left on the table, she switched the screen to the government office to look for the cub. However, after looking around, she only saw a few officials discussing matters in the hall and did not see the cub. Thinking that the cub might have already left the government office, she switched the screen to the market.
At this moment, the streets were bustling with activity. Some lion dancers were darting around, and many people were watching. Some even threw coins at the lion dancers.
Su Xi watched the lion dancers treading precariously on the tips of knives, and couldn’t help but hold her breath, watching with great interest for quite a while.
After a while, she noticed that the other end of the market seemed a bit crowded. Not knowing what had happened, she remembered that she needed to find her baby. So she moved the screen along the market and found her baby one by one among the sea of little heads.
She spotted him immediately as he emerged from the exceptionally crowded throng, his brow furrowed as if he were in a hurry to return.
The reason this area was so crowded was because someone was throwing embroidered balls from a high-rise building.[2]
The one who threw the embroidered ball was the daughter of a wealthy merchant in the capital, taking advantage of the crowds in the market during the Orchid Bathing Festival to find a suitable husband.
Su Xi had never seen the Yan Kingdom’s custom of throwing embroidered balls before, so she first went over and tugged at the cub’s sleeve, then excitedly focused her gaze on the veiled woman on the high building who was preparing to throw the embroidered ball.
Eight days felt like eight years to Lu Huan. Now, as the familiar feeling returned; his breath caught in his throat, a warmth washed over him, and a huge weight lifted from his shoulders. He was about to speak to the person beside him, asking if she had finished what she needed to do, when he realized that her attention seemed entirely focused on the woman tossing the embroidered ball—
She even unconsciously and excitedly pulled him into the crowd.
Then, a flirtatious breeze, seemingly unable to contain itself, excitedly lifted the white veil of the young lady upstairs.
The eyes of some men below, who were able to catch a glimpse of half of the woman’s face beneath her veil, lit up.
The wind beside Lu Huan became even more excited, as if it wanted to whistle.
Lu Huan: “…”
Su Xi didn’t notice that the little one in the crowd had a sullen face, looking so depressed it was almost dripping with water.
She couldn’t resist switching to the original artwork to see the veiled woman’s face, and thought she was incredibly beautiful, even more so than the daughter of the Minister of War. She was simply stunning! She wondered which scoundrel would end up with her!
Just then, the woman on the high-rise building threw the embroidered ball into the air.
The crowd below, whether teenagers or adult men, went crazy, scrambling to grab her. After all, regardless of her appearance, she was the daughter of the wealthy merchant Wan Sanqian! Marrying her would mean becoming the son-in-law of the richest man in Yan!
The embroidered ball, however, flew in an arc towards Lu Huan in the crowd—
Su Xi was also startled, unsure whether the embroidered ball was thrown intentionally or unintentionally. After all, the cub was indeed the most eye-catching among the group, and anyone standing upstairs would subconsciously want to throw it at him.
Could it be that a side story was about to unfold here?
As Su Xi was thinking this, she saw the cub with a gloomy face, quickly dodging the embroidered ball, which flew directly past him and landed on the cripple behind him.
Su Xi, still watching the excitement: …
On the screen, the side quest that had just appeared— “Please accept Side Quest Seven: Catch the Embroidered Ball and take this opportunity to get to know Wan Sanqian”— froze for a moment, then slowly disappeared, transforming directly into—
“Side Quest Seven Failed!!!”
Su Xi: …???!!!
In the upper right corner of the screen, Su Xi opened the current status and looked again. Sure enough, in the harem section, the daughter of the richest man, who hadn’t even appeared yet, had already been buried.
She: ……
The brat had no idea what he had missed. He glanced in the direction of Su Xi, who was tugging at his sleeve, and then strode out of the group with a cold face.
Su Xi didn’t understand why he was in a bad mood again as soon as she logged on and did nothing. She then pulled the screen towards the cub.
The streets were bustling with activity, and the little one seemed to be annoyed, walking very fast on his short legs.
Su Xi decided not to argue with him. She went over and tugged at his sleeve. The boy stopped in his tracks, his chest heaving violently. He stood there steadily, his face not looking too good. After a moment of hesitation, he asked her, “That embroidered ball was about to fall into my arms. Were you just going to stand by and watch the show?”
Su Xi thought to herself: Kid, your emotions are becoming more and more unpredictable. Your question is strange… If I don’t stand there to watch the show, can I sit there and watch the show?
“Eight days have passed, and you—” The little one gritted his teeth, as if wanting to ask something, but then swallowed the words back, “How have you been these past eight days?”
Su Xi tugged at his left hand, meaning I’m fine.
But she couldn’t help but turn back to look at the embroidered ball that had fallen on the cripple, to see what had happened to it, and so she pulled the screen a little further in that direction.
For some reason, the little one on the screen clearly didn’t know what she was doing off-screen, but it was as if she could sense that her mind was still on tossing the embroidered ball, so the gloom on his face became even more obvious.
Su Xi watched as several servants of the richest man, Wan Sanqian, rushed down from upstairs and snatched the embroidered ball from the cripple’s hands. The scene was chaotic, and she felt like laughing at the spectacle.
But suddenly a stiff message popped up on the screen: “I’m fine, go watch it, and come back to me when you’re done.”
These words sounded so familiar. Last time Su Xi wanted to go to a brothel, she heard the cub say something similar. Her eyelids twitched immediately.
The little one on the screen clenched his fist. Seeing that she didn’t react for a long time, he suddenly seemed a little sad and angry, and walked straight forward.
Su Xi’s smile gradually froze.
Seriously? Her little one had never dared to leave her behind like this before. Has he grown up now?!
….
However, just as the cub walked a few steps away with a cold back view, a string of white bubbles suddenly popped up above his head.
—She’s not really gone, is she?
—Did she catch up?
—Should I turn around? But even if I do, I can’t see if she’s following me.
—After not seeing her for eight whole days, she was in such a hurry to lift someone else’s veil!
The screen was filled with bubbles, making it impossible for Su Xi to see any of the embroidered ball tossing scenes. She thought this kid was doing it on purpose!
The little one’s mind was in complete turmoil, and all these thoughts ultimately culminated in a pitiful sentence:
Am I annoying?
Su Xi: …
She felt a sudden prick in her heart.
She watched as the little boy silently slowed his pace, inching forward little by little, a rain-soaked leaf drooping above his head.
She didn’t seem to realize that only three days had passed for her, but eight days had passed for the cub. As soon as she logged on, her attention was entirely on someone else. The cub seemed very sad… Oh well, throwing of embroidered balls wasn’t a very important thing.
The bubbles completely covered the screen, selfishly preventing Su Xi from seeing, but they made Su Xi understand that although the cub had been acting strangely since returning from the military camp, she was still number one in his heart.
Once she confirmed this, her initial disappointment vanished instantly, and she couldn’t help but smile.
She went over and took the baby’s hand, indicating that she hadn’t left.
With a twitch of its eyelashes, the once aggrieved leaves on its head clearly transformed into a little sun that had finally cleared up from the clouds.
But he kept his eyes straight ahead, pretending not to care at all, and gave a soft hum: “Hmph.”
The author has something to say:
Little Cub: After eight days apart, the moment you reappear, your eyes are glued to others.
Su Xi: …I can’t even look at women?!
The cub: You even lifted someone else’s veil.
Su Xi: …Or, kid, why don’t you try wearing a veil too?
The cub: But I didn’t say anything, and she immediately followed. (The cub, immersed in self-healing, is a little happy)
Su Xi: …Didn’t you say anything? You completely covered the screen!!!
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[1] The “orchid bathing festival” in China refers to ancient bathing customs during traditional festivals, primarily the Double Third Festival (Shangsi Festival) and the Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwujie), where people historically used orchid-infused water or other fragrant herbs for purification rituals.
Double Third Festival (Shangsi Festival)
Historically, the Shangsi Festival, celebrated on the third day of the third lunar month, was a day for cleansing rituals to prevent disease and get rid of bad luck. A core part of the ancient custom involved bathing in the river and plucking orchids.
[2] The tradition of throwing embroidered balls in China, known as 《绣球》 (Xiuqiu), is a significant cultural practice, especially among the Zhuang people in Guangxi, symbolizing love, good fortune, and courtship, where young women historically tossed these colorful silk balls to potential suitors as a way to express affection, with catching one signaling mutual interest, evolving into a folk sport and cultural heritage item today.