Chapter 215: No One Should Look Down on Anyone

 Chapter 215: No One Should Look Down on Anyone

In the northern part of Zhongzhou Province, bordering Fenxi Province, when Commander Shen was escorting the grain seeds, a team of soldiers immediately came to meet him.

Commander Shen recognized the leader as a trusted confidant of Prefect Magistrate Guo and instantly felt a wave of relief.

After the incident where the grain seeds had been robbed last time, he had been on edge throughout the journey, afraid of any carelessness.

“Brother Lu Shuo.” 

“Brother Shen.”

The two exchanged greetings. 

Lu Shuo cupped his hands and expressed his gratitude. “Brother Shen, you’ve worked hard all the way.”

Commander Shen smiled and waved his hand. “There’s no need for such formalities, Brother Lu. We’re all working for the Prefect Magistrate.” He had once served under the late Marquis, and now, as a soldier under Marquis Guo, he naturally had to give his best in dealing with matters concerning the former master’s family.

Lu Shuo looked at the carts full of grain seeds and showed a pleased expression. “You managed to gather so many grain seeds?”

Commander Shen smiled. “It’s thanks to the young prince who stepped in and helped us secure over twenty thousand stones of grain from the Yan family.”

Seeing that the grain brought could make up for the previous loss, Lu Shuo felt a weight lift from his heart. He grinned and said, “Good, good. Let’s go, the Prefect Magistrate has been waiting for a long time. Let me take you to see him.”

Soon, the group arrived in the nearest prefectural city and met with Prefect Magistrate Guo.

“Well, well, well!”

Seeing the more than twenty thousand stones of grain his nephew had managed to gather, Prefect Magistrate Guo praised repeatedly. He then turned to Commander Shen. “Lifu, you’ve done a great service this time.”

Commander Shen immediately shook his head. “Prefect Magistrate, you’re being too kind. If it weren’t for Marquis Guo’s support back then, how would Lifu have had such honor today?”

Prefect Magistrate Guo patted Commander Shen on the shoulder, not continuing with further pleasantries. “I’ll be busy distributing the grain, so I might not be able to entertain you. Next time, when we return to Zhongzhou, I’ll invite you to enjoy some theater and wine.”

Commander Shen smiled in acknowledgment, knowing that the Prefect Magistrate was busy. He left with his subordinates to rest.

Once he left, an official came up to Prefect Magistrate Guo. “Prefect Magistrate, the prefects from the nearby regions have all arrived.”

Prefect Magistrate Guo nodded. With November approaching, the newly gathered grain had to be distributed quickly so the people could plant it.

“Once the grain is distributed, we need to ensure that no bandits try to steal it. This time, send more people for protection, and if anyone tries to block the road, kill them.”

Prefect Magistrate Guo said this with a murderous intent as he walked outside.

Just as he stepped out of the door, his personal guard, Gu Qiang, came running in excitedly. “Prefect Magistrate, in addition to the grain, the young prince has also sent a large cart of vegetables and fruits to honor you.”

Prefect Magistrate Guo paused in surprise. “What did you say? Yang’er sent what?”

Gu Qiang excitedly replied, “Vegetables and fruits.” Then, with a regretful expression, he added, “It’s a pity that one basket of leafy greens spoiled, but it’s fine. There are still many fresh cucumbers and beans. Also, there are several large crates of persimmons, apples, dates, and pears.”

Upon hearing this, Prefect Magistrate Guo immediately broke into a broad smile, laughing loudly a few times. Then he said, “It was worth the effort to teach him. I even took on this tough task of clearing the bandits just to be closer to him.”

He paused, a look of sentimentality in his eyes. “Yang’er will be fifteen next year, an adult already. He’s becoming more sensible. He knows that here we can only eat pickled vegetables with some meat, and yet, he still took the trouble to send a whole cart of fresh greens to honor me. Good, very good!”

“Go, tell the kitchen to stir-fry some vegetables tonight. We’ll have a change of pace. I’ve been eating meat all this time, and my stomach isn’t feeling well.”

“Yes!” Gu Qiang replied enthusiastically.

During the winter, vegetables were already scarce, and in Fenxi, where there had been both disasters and bandit troubles, the people could barely fill their stomachs, let alone grow vegetables.

After arriving here, they had to make do with pickled vegetables, and the quantity was small.

Prefect Magistrate Guo had been craving fresh, crisp vegetables for a while.

The young prince was a good person.

---

Meanwhile, in Zhongzhou Province, at Wangyue Academy.

Xiao Yeyang, who had been "friend-zoned," looked displeased as he stared at the only plate of vegetables on the table. Furrowing his brows, he asked Defu, “What’s going on here?”

“In the past, every time Daohua sent vegetables and fruits, it was enough for me to last until the end of the month, with some leftovers.” 

“I even went to Daohua’s house again in the middle of this month. Given her personality, she must have prepared more food for me. But now, less than half a month later, how are the vegetables already gone? And what about the fruits?”

He eats an apple every day, as Daohua said it’s good for his health.

Defu lowered his head and said weakly, “Master, the vegetables and fruits sent in the middle of the month should have been sent to Fenxi with the grain seeds.”

Xiao Yeyang was stunned. “They were sent to my uncle’s place?” 

Defu glanced up at Xiao Yeyang’s expression and, seeing no signs of anger, cautiously said, “Master, how about I write to Miss Yan and have her send another cart of produce?”

Xiao Yeyang immediately glared at him. “No!” His face became a little awkward. “Daohua gave them to me out of kindness, so we can’t refuse, but to go and ask for more... what does that make me look like? Does she think I’m a glutton?”

Defu lowered his head and pouted.

Master, aren’t you just a glutton?

Back in the capital, Master was never protective of his food. Even when there were leftovers from the imperial meals, he would leave them behind for his personal eunuch.

Compared to other princes’ personal eunuchs, he had much more to eat.

But once they arrived in Zhongzhou, that luxury was gone.

The vegetables Miss Yan sent, Master nearly cleaned the plate every meal. Even if he wanted to eat the leftovers, there were none.

Defu fell silent for a moment. “If this goes on, by the end of November, Master will only be able to eat the vegetables bought from outside.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yeyang’s face fell.

Before, he never thought the vegetables bought outside were bad—so long as they tasted good, it didn’t matter. But since he got used to the ones Daohua sent, he couldn’t bear to eat the ones from elsewhere anymore.

It wasn’t that he was picky; the taste was just different.

Suddenly, Xiao Yeyang’s eyes brightened. “I’ve got it! Daohua opened a fruit and vegetable shop in Xingzhou City, right? You can go to the shop and buy some—quietly, don’t let anyone find out.”

Defu nodded in agreement but inwardly felt speechless.

Miss Yan was generous, and she and the master were on such good terms. Why couldn’t he just ask for a cart of vegetables and fruits? Even if Miss Yan knew Master was a glutton, what of it? Wasn’t she a glutton herself?

Who was in a position to criticize?

Time passed, and it was mid-November.

Xiao Yeyang received a letter from his uncle, confirming that the grain seeds had been distributed to the people and planted in the fields, which finally put his mind at ease.

With that worry gone, his appetite grew, and he ate more than ever.

Previously, he only went to Xingzhou every few days for shopping, but now he was going every three or four days.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to buy more, but Daohua’s fruit and vegetable shop was doing so well that in order to ensure more people could get fresh produce, they limited how much each person could buy.

If they didn’t do this, some wealthy families would buy everything in the shop.

As the year-end approached, preparations for the New Year’s gifts began.

To train Daohua, Madam Li handed over the task of preparing the New Year’s gifts for her sister-in-law in the capital entirely to Daohua.

So, Daohua would occasionally take Grandma Yan out for a stroll, under the pretense of checking the market prices for the year’s gifts.

The two of them didn’t take a carriage but walked.

The street was bustling with activity, various vendors shouting their wares, and people coming and going. Both of them enjoyed watching the lively, bustling scene full of human warmth.

“Hey, that person looks familiar. I think I’ve seen him somewhere.”

As they passed Daohua’s vegetable shop, Daohua, who was happily admiring the good business, suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the crowd.

Seeing her granddaughter standing still, Grandma Yan tugged at her arm. “What are you stopping for? Do you know that person?”

Daohua gasped. “I remember now! I’ve seen him at the palace. He’s one of Xiao Yeyang’s people.”

(End of this chapter)