Chapter 289: Things Are Not What They Were
Shen Ningning hesitated for a moment.
She was even more reluctant to visit the Xie Mansion while her hearing was still impaired. She was worried it would be hard to explain if Xie Suzhi and Second Master Xie noticed.
But she had already been avoiding Xie Suzhi for several days. If she didn’t go soon, he might think something was troubling her.
The little girl thought for a moment, then said considerately in a soft, sweet voice, "Alright, Godfather. Just let me finish tallying the accounts, and then we can go."
Xie Suzhi nodded with a smile. The quick-witted Wuer rushed over and invited him inside to have a seat.
Aunt Yun served some fine tea and wiped his seat down meticulously.
Xie Suzhi held up a hand, his handsome, fair face gentle. "It’s no bother. Please, don’t mind me. Go on and help Ningning."
No one had expected the Prime Minister to be so approachable.
For a while, Xie Suzhi sat quietly to one side, sipping his tea. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Shen Ningning surrounded by her capable clerks.
The little girl handled the shop’s business with impressive ease.
For a moment, Xie Suzhi’s gaze became distant and nostalgic.
He remembered that his wife, Shen Siyi, had also been an expert at keeping accounts.
She always had an endless stream of ingenious ideas. When it came to business, she was far more capable than most merchants.
In fact, half of the Xie family’s current fortune had been earned by her while she was alive.
’That’s right... what did Shen Siyi call her method for making money?’
Xie Suzhi pondered for a moment.
’I believe she called it "investing."’
Shen Siyi’s method was to take some capital and invest in shops she believed had potential.
One year, Xie Suzhi had a political falling-out with the Emperor and was nearly dismissed from his post on several occasions.
His political ambitions were thwarted, and without the Emperor’s understanding, he grew despondent.
Shen Siyi had wrapped her arms around his neck as they sat together on the veranda, watching the sun set and fill the sky with a brilliant crimson glow.
Her laughter seemed to echo in his ears. "What are you so worried about, my dear husband? The worst that can happen is you resign."
"We can return to our hometown in Changzhou, and I’ll support you. I have money, you know!"
He had wrapped his arm around her waist, all his gloom scattered by her smile.
He had laughed and said, "Didn’t you say the Prime Minister is one of the most powerful ministers, and you’re the wife of one of the most powerful ministers? Why are you suddenly trying to convince me to go home and retire?"
Shen Siyi’s dark, limpid eyes sparkled with amusement.
She said earnestly, "Being the wife of one of the most powerful ministers is wonderful, of course, but it’s not more important than your happiness."
"My dreams are actually quite simple. As long as I have you, Xu’er, and An’er with me... and..."
She looked down gently, her hand coming to rest on her rounded belly.
Shen Siyi’s smile was filled with a mother’s sweet love. "And our daughter to keep us company. No matter where we live, every day will feel like a flower in bloom."
At that time, she was already pregnant with their third child, nearly seven months along.
The doctor had taken her pulse and said it was a daughter.
Xie Suzhi and Shen Siyi had been filled with joyful anticipation.
But they never imagined that less than half a year after she was born, their daughter would be stolen away.
Now, everything had changed.
Thinking of his beloved wife’s passing, and the small figure of his daughter before him.
The rims of Xie Suzhi’s eyes reddened, and his vision blurred.
Lu Shaoyuan’s voice sounded from the doorway. "Shen Ningning, I came to see you... Huh? The Prime Minister is here too."
Xie Suzhi quickly lifted his teacup, hiding his eyes, which had nearly welled up with tears.
He gave a dry laugh. "Second Young Master Lu, are you here to see our Ningning?"
Lu Shaoyuan pulled a packet of roast chicken from inside his robes. "I brought her something to eat."
He then ran over to Shen Ningning. Without even taking a seat, he focused all his attention on trying to please the little girl.
"Hurry and eat. I kept it tucked in my robes the whole way here, so it’s still warm."
Shen Ningning pouted. "I’m not hungry. Take it away, you’re blocking my view of the account book!"
Lu Shaoyuan’s sharp brows lifted. "I saw you reading that when I passed by earlier. Nearly half an hour has gone by, and you’re still at it."
"My mother always says that studying makes you hungry fast. What you’re doing is pretty much the same, so eat something before you continue."
In Xie Suzhi’s eyes, this was just two young friends chatting amiably.
At first, he watched them with a faint smile.
However, as he watched...
His smile gradually faded.
’Why does the way Lu Shaoyuan is trying to win over Shen Ningning remind me so much of a young rascal with ulterior motives?’
’And carrying the roast chicken inside his robes to keep it warm?’
’He remembered how, in his own youth, he had queued up before dawn and gone to pick the first lotus blossom from Dingshan Lake, all to get closer to Shen Siyi.’
Xie Suzhi coughed lightly.
He stood up. His expression remained mild, but there was an air about him like a sheathed treasure sword, poised and dangerous.
"Ningning, why don’t we wait to eat? The cooks at the mansion have prepared your favorite dishes for when we get home."
Lu Shaoyuan said, "In that case, Prime Minister, you can take the roast chicken back with you to eat."
Xie Suzhi maintained his smile. "Second Young Master Lu, the last time I saw your elder brother, he asked me to find a renowned tutor for you, to properly guide you in your studies."
"As it happens, I have a few candidates in mind. But first, I must test you on your schoolwork to see what level you’ve reached."
The moment Lu Shaoyuan heard the word "studies," his expression changed completely.
"My brother is so busy, patrolling the Imperial Palace every day. Why is he still worrying about my business?"
"Ugh, how annoying!" He waved his hand in frustration. "Shen Ningning, I’m heading home now. Remember to eat the roast chicken. I waited in line for a long time to get it."
With that, Lu Shaoyuan hastily took his leave.
He was terrified of being held back by Xie Suzhi for questioning about his studies.
Shen Ningning tilted her head, blinking her large eyes as she looked at Xie Suzhi.
’Did Godfather just try to chase Lu Shaoyuan away?’
But seeing Xie Suzhi’s gentle smile, the little girl decided she must have been imagining things.
After returning to the Xie Mansion, Shen Ningning became visibly more reserved.
Her large eyes kept darting around.
Xie Suzhi knew she didn’t want to run into Xie Ming’an.
He didn’t mention it.
Instead, he said with feigned casualness, "Ningning, shall we have dinner in a little while?"
"Your second brother won’t be back tonight. It will just be your second uncle joining us for dinner."
Shen Ningning secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At last, she lifted her bright little face and chirped, "Okay!"
With Xie Ming’an absent, the little girl felt much more at ease.
Otherwise, she was always afraid of doing something that would make him dislike her even more.
「That evening」
After dinner, while she was taking a walk to aid her digestion, Shen Ningning was walking down a long corridor when she saw the housekeeper, Uncle Pang, struggling with a stack of boxes.
The boxes were stacked so high they completely blocked his view.
"Uncle Pang~" Shen Ningning chirped, skipping over like an adorable little sparrow. Her voice was clear and sweet. "Do you need any help?"
"Oh, my! My good Commandery Princess, this old servant can manage this small load."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the top two brocade boxes tumbled off the stack.
Uncle Pang looked embarrassed, unable to bend down and pick them up.
Shen Ningning smiled sweetly. "I’ll help you!"
The kind-hearted girl picked up the boxes and hugged them to her chest, trotting alongside Uncle Pang to help him with his delivery.
"Thank you, Commandery Princess. I would have been in a real bind today if it weren’t for you."
"You’re welcome, Uncle Pang! Where are you taking all this?"
Uncle Pang smiled. "Our Second Young Master has returned to the capital, hasn’t he? Many of his old friends, as well as old friends of our family, have sent people over with gifts."
"We’ve just finished logging most of them in the storehouse. I’m personally taking these last few to the Second Young Master."
’To Xie Ming’an’s courtyard?!’
Shen Ningning stopped dead in her tracks.