Familiar with the place, she took a bamboo basket from a corner. Yan Shian was holding a few storybooks, about to put them in, when her sleeve was suddenly tugged.

“What’s wrong?” Yan Shian looked down at her.

“I’m taking back some of the storybooks. You’ve been reading day and night, you’re about to exhaust yourself.”

“I’m still hungry.” Shi Buyu instinctively replied. She had eaten little that morning and was indeed hungry now.

She yawned and sat down, squinting her eyes to look up at the man who wasn’t shorter than Fifth Brother: “Why did you come back so early?”

It was an ordinary question, but it caught Yan Shian off guard. In this place they temporarily called home, he talked of conspiracies, schemes, calculations, and human nature—but never about everyday life. He was the master, and they were servants; no matter how long they lived together, no one dared to cross the line.

After adjusting, he replied, “It’s noon now, not early anymore.”

Noon already? Shi Buyu glanced at the sun outside. Time had passed happily without noticing. Still, she asked, “What do you mean by taking back some storybooks? I haven’t finished reading those yet.”

“Did you stay up all night reading storybooks again? If you keep this up, Auntie will be displeased when she comes back.”

Yan Shian looked at her as she stood up, wearing her usual round-collar robe, but the collar was a bit messy. Her braid must have been braided loosely and got quite untidy after a short sleep. Plus, her furrowed brow and the expression of ‘you better talk sense to me’ made her look exactly like a raccoon slave who was left behind at home by her master and irritated by an outsider.

Auntie really took good care of her, thought Yan Shian—‘outsider’—so much so that after just one day apart, she was a complete mess.

Mentioning Auntie, Shi Buyu grew a bit honest: “Tonight, I won’t bring any storybooks back to my room. Don’t take them away. I’ll only read here.”

Yan Shian thought for a moment then agreed, sparing herself the blame of not trusting her. They didn’t have to discuss the afternoon plans then.

Coming out of the study building, Shi Buyu was dazzled by the sunlight and had to squint before seeing clearly. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes, and she wiped them with her sleeve.

Yan Shian glanced at her again and couldn’t help but ask, “Don’t you like Qing Shan and Zhai Zhi? Want to pick someone you like to serve you?”

“Why wouldn’t I like them? They didn’t do anything wrong.” Shi Buyu thought briefly and understood why he said that: “It wouldn’t matter who it was. My room doesn’t allow outsiders, and I don’t like people close to me.”

That made sense. There really was no way around it. They’d have to wait for Auntie to come back.

Yan Shian nodded lightly, then said, “Do you like the dishes Qing Shan makes? If not, why not try the dishes my long-time housekeeper makes?”

“You mean the one who cooks bone broth for you?”

“Yeah.”

Shi Buyu was indifferent; since it wasn’t Auntie making the food, it was all the same who cooked.

Yan Shian didn’t bring her back to his own courtyard, but had someone set the food in the flower hall they usually used to chat and drink with friends. It was cool and spacious; they could eat and talk in the same place without moving.

After one bite, Shi Buyu decided she would eat three bowls today—no, five bowls. This cook’s dishes reminded her of Auntie’s. Since Auntie left yesterday, she hadn’t eaten enough. Today she wouldn’t starve.

“Before Auntie comes back, I want to come here to eat every meal.”

Yan Shian smiled and agreed: “If there’s anything you want to eat, just say it.”

“I’m not picky.”

If you’re not picky, you can starve like this, Yan Shian thought, but seeing her truly eat anything, he realized she wasn’t picky about food, but about the person serving it.

The cook, who limped a bit, carried in a bowl. Seeing the young lady eating happily, her smile overflowed: “I heard Miss had a foot cramp, I was worried the young master might too, so I just made some bone broth. Miss, have a bowl too. Drink it for a few days and the cramps will go away.”

Shi Buyu looked up at the cook, who wasn’t young. Very few dared to call Yan Shian ‘I’ in front of him. Judging from Yan Shian’s expression, there was some closeness, showing this person had a different place in his heart.

Yan Shian cleared a spot for the bowl: “It’s far over there, Housekeeper, you can have the servants deliver it.”

“It’s only a few steps, not far.”

After setting down the bowl, the housekeeper looked at the young master and then at Miss, feeling they made a perfect match. Pity it was a fake engagement, but at least the young master finally had someone to eat with.

Thinking so, the housekeeper’s gaze grew even kinder: “Miss, say what you want to eat. Housekeeper can cook anything.”

“I like fish—fried, boiled, deep-fried, stewed—all kinds.”

“Good, good, good. Housekeeper will cook all kinds for Miss. Tonight, stew fish.” The housekeeper nodded repeatedly and hurried away on tiptoe to check for live fish in the kitchen.

Yan Shian picked up a bowl of soup: “The housekeeper has been taking care of me for almost eighteen years. She’s not lame, it’s just an old injury acting up recently. I told her to rest, but she wouldn’t listen.”

Seeing him put the soup in front of her, Shi Buyu didn’t hesitate and put down her chopsticks to drink: “Delicious.”

“If you drink it too often you’ll get tired of it. The housekeeper tries all sorts of ways to make the soup easier to drink so I’ll drink more.” Yan Shian poured himself a bowl too and sipped. After some time without drinking it, the taste seemed even better.

Shi Buyu understood—this housekeeper was like Auntie to him. The difference was, they weren’t as close as she and Auntie were.

Compared to that, Shi Buyu felt victorious and picked up her chopsticks to start her third bowl.

After resting from the meal, with a new pot of tea, Yan Shian seemed to find a way to start a conversation: “My maternal grandfather is Zou Wei from the Military Armory, a fourth rank official.”

Shi Buyu was both surprised and not surprised. The emperor’s rise was illegitimate, yet he had given the former emperor’s consort’s family an important post. Because her maternal grandfather held that position, Yan Shian had powerful weapons in hand.

“When you raided the prisoners, you used so many weapons. Wouldn’t the emperor suspect your maternal grandfather?”

“When I left, I specially had a few weapons left behind—crude and poorly made, nothing like those produced by the Armory. Not a single weapon from the Armory was lost, so how could it involve my grandfather? From beginning to end, the Marquis of Loyalty and Courage was the one being guarded against. My mother and grandfather both helped my uncle rise. No matter how smart he is, he couldn’t connect that with us.”

Shi Buyu frowned but quickly linked these people’s relationships: “At that time your mother knew defeat was certain, so she sided with the emperor early on, bringing her family to help him ascend?”

“Yes.” Yan Shian, knowing her intelligence, was a bit surprised by her quick reaction. “Mother was pregnant. Only by leaving the palace could she protect me. My father died suddenly, and it wasn’t without suspicion. Others in the royal family also wanted that position. My mother cleared his name, secretly had my grandfather and others support him, allowing him to ascend before others could gather strength. During those nearly three months, mother ate and drank very little and showed no signs of pregnancy, so when she asked to move to the secondary palace, the emperor agreed, but kept her under surveillance for two years before lowering his guard.”