Chapter 66 It is for the future daughter-in-law

"Mother, ah, I know. It's my fault. Brother Yun, it's just that Mother is useless."

Jiang Yun did not speak again. His expression returned to its refined composure, and even as he ate noodles on the street, he did so in a leisurely, unhurried manner, as if savoring some rare delicacy.

Opposite him, Aunt Jiang looked desperately hungry as she slurped down her noodles, secretly picking out the shredded pork given by the owner and placing it into Jiang Yun's bowl.

Jiang Yun lowered his eyelashes and ate his noodles quietly. Yet, he did not touch a single piece of the shredded pork she had moved over until he finished his meal, and even the noodles that had come into contact with it were discarded along with it.

"I'm finished. I'm leaving. As for Xie Yanzhi, tell him not to forget about the matter."

Jiang Yun stood up, his voice devoid of a single trace of emotion.

"I won't be coming back for the New Year this year. Don't wait for me."

Before Aunt Jiang could recover from the shock of Jiang Yun saying he would not return for the New Year, she saw the cake on the table and hurriedly picked it up, wanting to chase after him.

"Take this cake with you. Eat it when you get tired from studying. Don't make things so hard on yourself—just look how thin you've gotten, Brother Yun."

Jiang Yun's expression remained unchanged. "Mother, if you keep pulling and tugging at me like this, when I go back, my fellow students will realize my mother is just a crude country woman."

At these words, Aunt Jiang immediately stopped pulling him. She stood there blankly, like a helpless child, while he turned his head away without a shred of lingering attachment.

"Don't come looking for me unless it's necessary. My studies are very busy. If anything comes up, I'll send someone with a letter."

Just as Jiang Yun had taken two steps away, out of the corner of his eye he suddenly caught sight of Xie Yanzhi leaning against the wall at the corner, arms crossed, watching him. He had no idea how long he had been standing there.

His body stiffened, and a bone-chilling cold swept through his heart and back.

"Why are you here?" Jiang Yun tightened his hands slightly inside his sleeves, walking over with a suppressed voice.

"I came here with your mother, so of course I'm here. I just had something to attend to earlier, so I was delayed a bit. Have you finished talking with your mother?"

Xie Yanzhi still wore his carefree expression. Jiang Yun let out a sigh of relief, a hint of ease returning to his tone.

"We're done. I've done what I promised you."

Which meant it was now his turn to act.

"Mhm, don't you worry about that. But my jade pendant is still here, right?" Xie Yanzhi's tone carried a strange undertone.

Jiang Yun took it out from his bosom and showed it to him. Only then did Xie Yanzhi nod.

"Don't lose it. My mother told me to give this to my future wife."

Xie Yanzhi scratched the back of his neck.

Jiang Yun paused as he was putting the jade pendant away, a faint blush suddenly blooming across his unflappable face.

He suddenly felt his mouth go dry. He had only subconsciously wanted to see him more often; he hadn't meant it in *that* way.

He had read plenty of books, and miscellaneous books even more so...

"Or perhaps..."

"Alright, I just came over to see if it was still here. I treat you like a brother, so make sure you don't pawn it if you ever run short of money."

Xie Yanzhi interrupted him and turned away to leave.

"I..."

Before Jiang Yun could even finish a complete sentence, the redness on the tips of his ears slowly faded.

—

"You want to invite Brother Wang?" Cheng Yuan raised an eyebrow.

Xie Yanzhi nodded, stuffing a piece of soft cake scrap into his mouth. These were leftover trimmings from Cheng Yuan's cake-making, sold at a discount.

However, before she even had a chance to hang them outside, Xie Yanzhi had already snatched them up.

"I'm not familiar with Huaijin Academy, and Brother Wang is a reliable person. Asking him is definitely the right choice."

"Fine, it's not a difficult task. Once class lets out later, I'll accompany you. But why didn't you ask Jiang Yun? Why come to me instead and take the long way around?"

Cheng Yuan asked.

Xie Yanzhi's cake-stuffing motion paused, his gaze drifting away.

"I forgot at the time. I was too busy thinking about lunch, and only just remembered now."

Cheng Yuan shot him a meaningful look, then turned and headed to the back kitchen, letting him off the hook.

As soon as she stepped into the back kitchen, a tall shadow fell over her.

"You were talking with him for so long. What were you talking about?"

The tone was flat, yet carried a hint of spoiled petulance.

Cheng Yuan smiled and recounted what had just happened, then added, "Finished eating? Then accompany me on an errand outside."

"Uncle Wang, please keep an eye on the shop. Changzhi and I are stepping out for a bit, but we'll be back shortly."

"Ah! Got it, understood!" Uncle Wang was busy cleaning the back kitchen, his movements practically flying, yet his face beamed with perpetual joy.

Earlier that morning, Yuan'er had said that as the cake shop's business grew larger and the chores more numerous, she could no longer pay him a fixed salary; instead, it needed to be flexible.

At first, he hadn't quite understood what she meant, but Cheng Yuan had given him an example: for every extra cake sold, he would earn a few more copper coins, because the cakes involved his participation in the making, and the customers were also greeted by him.

The mere thought of this made him feel more and more energized with every task he performed!

"Sister Yuan, I can work even faster. I'm not afraid of tiring myself out. Hiring extra shop assistants would just cost more money—I don't need the pay."

Upon learning that she was heading to the slave market, Xie Changzhi immediately spoke up with a look of distress.

Cheng Yuan felt a bit helpless. Though she never quite understood why Xie Changzhi always worried about her wasting money like an anxious mother hen, she still replied with great gentleness, "If you wear yourself out, my heart will ache."

As soon as the words fell, Xie Changzhi instantly seemed to flush with color. His jade-like ears turned crimson in an instant, and his eyes widened. This was no longer something he could brush off with a casual remark.

Cheng Yuan curved her lips slightly and strode ahead of him.

This trick worked wonders indeed.

Xie Changzhi was left standing frozen in place for a long time before he suddenly realized he had been teased by Cheng Yuan yet again.

He let out a breath, feeling somewhat exasperated yet amused.

Biting his lip, he hurried to catch up.

There were many slaves in the slave market. When the matchmaker first saw Cheng Yuan, assuming she was there to buy a young maid, she led her straight to the children's section.

Inside a room, the children wore ragged clothes, as thin as sheets of paper.

Cheng Yuan knitted her brows slightly and turned her head away.

"I'm here to buy someone who can work—fifteen or sixteen years old."

The matchmaker was startled, then quickly led them to another room.

There were fewer people in this room, mostly young girls. Compared to the smaller ones earlier, they were equally emaciated. They stood or sat, some looking hopeful, others utterly indifferent.

Seeing Cheng Yuan frown, the matchmaker quickly chimed in, "Boss Cheng, you know how things are in these lean years. How could anyone sent to a place like this expect full meals? Just surviving starvation is enough. But I assure you, absolutely all of them are in good health with no ailments. Buy them back, feed them for a couple of days, and they'll be ready to work."

As she spoke, the matchmaker hauled over a young girl, grabbed her hand, turned her face up, and forced her mouth open.

"Look, look—no problems at all, completely sound and healthy."

The girl was manhandled back and forth like a toy that had lost its luster.

Cheng Yuan observed closely. The girl was about the same size as Jiang He, but despite her tender age, her features already hinted at a striking beauty, though it was currently obscured by a layer of grime, making it hard to notice unless one looked closely.

"How old is she?"

"What?" The matchmaker blinked, then immediately recovered, her smile growing even brighter. "Fifteen! She can do anything!"

Fifteen already? Only a year younger than herself. Yet she looked barely twelve or thirteen.

"Are you certain there's nothing wrong with her?"

"No, no, no. If there's any problem, I offer a full refund guarantee."

"Very well, take her, and these two as well." Cheng Yuan pointed to two other young women she had chosen.