Chapter 181: Extra (11)
The Bai family’s purchase of land and a house in Sichuan City caused quite a stir.
Since the house had just been bought, it would take some time to renovate. Xie Yuanyuan absolutely refused to let Bai Jiu live elsewhere. Treating him as her own nephew, she insisted he stay at her home for a while longer, promising that he could move to the new residence once it was ready.
Sichuan City remained much as it had always been. After brief bustling periods, it returned to its usual leisurely pace. Salt merchants and street vendors carrying firewood wandered through the alleys, calling out their wares amid the smoke from cooking fires. In Shu, rain was frequent, so travelers wore straw raincoats. After a heavy rain, the stone-paved streets of the mountain city glistened wet. Children gathered in front of vendors making glutinous rice cakes. Whenever someone bought something, the vendor made sure to give plenty of soybean flour.
Xie Jing bought a pack, noticed a group of children nearby, and casually gave the vendor a few extra coins to share with them. He held a paper bag of warm glutinous rice cakes, walking and eating as he strolled.
For his birthday this year, his uncle had gifted him the most prosperous restaurant in Sichuan City—but today, Xie Jing had little interest in visiting it.
Recently, there had been all kinds of rumors circulating in the city. Some said there were unresolved grudges between the Bai and Xie families, even calling them “long-standing enemies.” Others remarked that “two tigers cannot share one mountain,” noting how the Xie family had expanded rapidly in the past two years, seeking to dominate Sichuan City. The words “Xie Siquan” almost seemed to read as “Xie of Sichuan.”
Moreover, the head of the Xie family was known for his brash nature. He had been seen clashing with members of the Northern Bai family at various restaurants. Although these encounters didn’t escalate to physical fights, the tension was palpable—one party making sarcastic remarks, the other keeping a cold expression.
Hearing such things made Xie Jing feel uneasy. He had been present in the restaurant when his uncle and Bai Jiu interacted.
On the bright side, business at his restaurant had increased recently, partly thanks to their visits.
Xie Siquan often whispered in Xie Jing’s ear, warning him to be cautious around Bai Jiu. But Bai Jiu himself was amiable, occasionally even praising Xie Siquan’s management of the salt works, saying he had potential.
After hearing so much, Xie Jing inevitably felt a little biased. When his uncle quarreled with Bai Jiu, he always felt that Bai Jiu was being wronged.
During the Bai family’s house renovations, Xie Jing had frequently gone to help.
Today, the residence was finally complete. Firecracker remnants littered the courtyard, and the plaque above the gate was draped with red silk, giving the entire place a festive look.
Xie Jing intentionally arrived a little late. After finishing his glutinous rice cakes outside, he strolled leisurely toward the house. Sure enough, his mother and uncle had already left, and the Bai residence was exceptionally quiet.
Xie Jing was familiar with the place. He had been coming since the courtyard renovations began, and its design was modeled after the East Courtyard of the Northern residence. Just seeing the persimmon tree in the yard made him feel at home—it was the same as the one he had climbed as a child.
Peeking into the inner courtyard, he heard a voice from the study window: “Come in.”
He lifted the bamboo curtain and entered. “How did you know I was coming?” he asked with a smile.
Bai Jiu, sitting and reading letters, looked down. “I have no other guests here.” He raised a hand to his lips and coughed lightly, quickly suppressing it.
“Caught a chill? Have you seen a doctor?” Xie Jing asked.
Bai Jiu replied, “Just a bit uncomfortable from the journey. I’ll be fine after a while.”
“I have a large loquat tree at home,” Xie Jing said thoughtfully. “I’ll go fetch some for you.”
Bai Jiu stopped him. “No rush. Look at this.” He pushed a stack of letters toward Xie Jing, along with some newspapers. “A friend of mine returned from studying abroad and started a newspaper. Oh, you know him too—remember Cao Yunzhao?”
Xie Jing nodded. “Second Brother Cao?”
“Yes. He wanted to do something useful after returning and asked me to place a few ads in his new paper.”
It was the first time Xie Jing had heard of this, and he found it interesting. He was clever and grasped the idea immediately. He even contributed some money to get a tofu-sized ad space for the Xie family salt works and his own restaurant.
As they chatted about the salt works, the conversation inevitably turned to Xie Siquan.
Bai Jiu remained neutral toward Xie Siquan but didn’t give specific reasons for his attitude. When Xie Jing defended his uncle, Bai Jiu looked up at him.
Xie Jing cleared his throat. “Uncle isn’t a bad person. You’ll see once you know him better.”
Bai Jiu said coolly, “I admit he is talented in business—the Xie family salt works are quite profitable. But the head of the Xie family should be fair in his dealings. If he makes a mistake, he ought to apologize.”
Xie Jing felt troubled. Even though his uncle had hidden a letter from him, Bai Jiu seemed more like the one who had been wronged.
He had been curious about the contents of the letter, but Bai Jiu refused to say. He hadn’t yet asked his uncle either, and with these two always at odds, he dared not bring it up. On one side was his uncle, on the other Bai Jiu—both good people, yet they couldn’t just sit down for tea and become friends. Xie Jing felt helpless, trying to appease both sides.
Bai Jiu sat reading nearby. Not far from him was a small incense burner, one he regularly used. On the little table beside him was a plate of watermelon, soaked in well water before being cut—the red flesh gleamed, clearly sweet and refreshing.
Xie Jing sat down, eating watermelon and keeping him company while he read.
Bai Jiu slowly turned the pages and said, “Yesterday you went out and avoided me all day.”
Feeling guilty, Xie Jing almost choked. “I went riding. I’ll take you next time.”
“When?”
“…The day after tomorrow? No, tomorrow?”
“Alright.”
Satisfied with the promise, Bai Jiu returned to his book.
Xie Jing deliberately tried to talk to cheer him up. Sniffing the air, he said, “No wonder I felt familiar the first time I met you on the mountain. It’s this scent—just like yours, though floating in the air it seems slightly different.”
Bai Jiu replied calmly, “That’s how incense works. Once it touches someone else, mingling with their body heat and scent, it no longer smells the same.”
Curious, Xie Jing sniffed himself. “Then what do I smell like?”
Bai Jiu glanced at him, set down his book, and drew Xie Jing’s wrist close, pressing his nose to it. “Like a hint of sugar-preserved plums—very sweet-smelling.”
“I… I was eating glutinous rice cakes on the way and forgot to save some for you…”
Bai Jiu chuckled lightly.
It was the first time Xie Jing had seen him smile that day. A simple, faint smile—but because he rarely saw it, it made his heart skip a beat.
Blushing, Xie Jing withdrew his hand to grab a teacup, awkwardly trying to hide, but Bai Jiu stopped him. “This is tea. You just ate fruit—you shouldn’t drink hot tea. I’ll get you some warm water.”
His care was natural, as if they had never been apart.
Xie Jing felt a stir in his heart. He looked up at Bai Jiu but quickly looked away when he met his gaze, pretending to admire the patterns on the small bronze incense burner.
Something felt different today. Bai Jiu seemed exceptionally handsome.
He couldn’t help staring. Bai Jiu read, and Xie Jing rested his chin on his hand, just watching him.
It wasn’t until dinner that night, after they ate, that Xie Jing reluctantly left.
He resolved to come early tomorrow to see Bai Jiu.
Xie Jing felt he was playful and easily intrigued, while Bai Jiu’s world was always full of new things. Spending a day and night with him never felt boring. He didn’t understand why—Bai Jiu seemed to have some kind of pull that drew him closer, making him want to observe, to be near him.
The closer he got, the more he realized Bai Jiu was genuinely good—a reflection of the strong, reliable image he had in his mind.
