Since then, a group of spoiled young masters often troubled her as a child, either hiding her pens, pulling pranks on her during class, or slipping things into her food. At first, Fengyu was harassed to the point of embarrassment. Later, she devised strategies to retaliate in kind, causing Lin Xiao to suffer equally. The two consistently failed to get along.
Last year, Lin Xiao somehow learned she was engaged, and his attitude grew even worse. He spoke ill of Jiang Yang on many occasions, calling him duplicitous, flirtatious, and untrustworthy. Fengyu held no particular regard for Jiang Yang, but considered him her fiancé nonetheless, and fiercely defended him in arguments with Lin Xiao, which only made Lin Xiao increasingly mean toward her.
A relationship steeped in animosity—Fengyu had no idea why Lin Xiao enjoyed picking on her.
"Miss, today's situation was truly alarming! You were so aggressive; if they'd really started fighting, with their overwhelming numbers, we wouldn't have stood a chance. Just thinking back on it gives me chills." Qiuxiang said, patting her chest.
Chunlu added, "Miss has great tactics. Being forthright and imposing from the start forces them to be cautious."
"Why?"
"They're tenant farmers who want peaceful lives and don't truly wish to antagonize you. But their ambitions have grown over the years, exploiting and deceiving while assuming you're too young to challenge them. They're only bluffing. If you show any fear or take a single step back, they'll become increasingly emboldened. The poor and unruly breed troublemakers—wealth has bred their arrogance."
Qiuxiang suddenly understood, "I see now! They really are detestable."
"It's nothing, merely a farce. My target was the Land Office. I won't genuinely make things difficult for them as long as the purpose is achieved," Fengyu replied calmly.
"Miss, you're amazing!" To Qiuxiang, Fengyu was the cleverest woman she had ever known.
Chunlu also chuckled, her laughter mingling with the night air as Lin Xiao knocked on the window frame with his sword hilt. Fengyu furrowed her brows, "What do you want?"
"Why did you create such a commotion at Yiling Village today?"
"Debt collection."
"You're not short on money, are you?" Lin Xiao found it baffling. "Is it just for that?"
"Whether I'm short on money is my concern, but if others owe me, they must repay," Fengyu said as she lifted the curtain. "Men and women should maintain propriety. I don't wish to shelter you. Find your own way back to town."
"You're no longer engaged. What's there to fear?" Lin Xiao sneered. "With your tarnished reputation, the one who should be worried is me."
Infuriated, Fengyu dropped the curtain and chose not to respond. Lin Xiao shamelessly knocked on the window again. Fengyu closed her eyes, feigning sleep, and ignored him further. Chunlu lifted the carriage curtain, saying, "Mr. Lin, my lady has been out all day and is tired. Please stop bothering her."
Peering through the raised curtain, Lin Xiao caught sight of Fengyu pretending to sleep. He scoffed, visibly irritated, but finally refrained from knocking again.
Before arriving at Yiling Village, Zhang Da had sent someone ahead to notify the local manor's steward that the lady planned to stay overnight. When Fengyu arrived, Nanny Liu welcomed her with a warm smile, "Oh, my lady! The people of Yiling Village truly lack manners, keeping you out this late. Are you hungry?"
Fengyu smiled lightly. "A little hungry, yes."
Lin Xiao, behaving as though he were the host, walked in without hesitation. Fengyu frowned slightly, noticing Nanny Liu's hesitance. She softly instructed, "Prepare a room for him in the east wing, away from mine."
"Understood, my lady," Nanny Liu replied respectfully.
Nanny Liu had been the Second Mrs. Feng's maid and was both Feng Shu and Fengyu's nursemaid. Her husband passed away a decade ago due to illness, leaving her with one son who managed the Feng Family's business, frequently traveling far and wide. Due to her health issues, Feng Shu had arranged for Nanny Liu to spend her later years at the manor until spring returned, whereupon she would go back to the Feng Mansion.
The manor was spacious, built in the style of Southern estates. After traversing a long corridor, they reached the main hall. Since Nanny Liu couldn't predict Fengyu's arrival time, she had prepared a Su-style hotpot. On the stove simmered a clear broth pot with a thin layer of oil floating atop, infused with wolfberries, red dates, slices of ginger, and bones—a rich stock made from old duck and beef bones simmered for hours, exceptionally savory.
The ingredients included thinly sliced beef, fresh fish and shrimp, bamboo shoots, and an array of fresh vegetables, several vibrant greens among them. Obtaining fresh vegetables after autumn and winter was no simple feat, especially during a famine year when common folk suffered from shortages. These vegetables had been grown at the manor, with Nanny Liu experimenting with plantation methods. The harvested greens were then sent to the Feng Mansion, ensuring the household always had access to fresh produce. Fengyu shed her cloak, cleansed her face and hands, and came out to see Lin Xiao already seated by the hotpot waiting for her.
"Nanny Liu, please arrange accommodations for Zhang Da and the others," Fengyu said after sitting down. "Qiuxiang and Chunlu should go eat elsewhere; no need to attend to me here."
"Yes, my lady!"
Nanny Liu led Qiuxiang and Chunlu out, lowering the thick curtains behind them. Once the space was quiet, Lin Xiao threw the entire plate of beef into the pot and said, "I'm starving."
He swiftly scooped up a large chunk of beef to eat. Having been frozen and thinly sliced by Nanny Liu, the beef cooked in seconds. Fengyu watched his ravenous eating silently, sipping her tea. She wasn't keen on engaging with Lin Xiao, but she also didn't want to antagonize him; he was bothersome enough to follow her without invitation even if she refused him outright.
"Fengyu, are you planning to ignore me the whole time?"
"Lin Xiao, I've let you stay out of our past schoolmate connection. After dinner, you can rest for one night, and we'll each return to town separately, as if we never crossed paths. It's better for both of us."
"Why?" Lin Xiao's face grew cold.
Fengyu chuckled lightly. "I've just been rejected in marriage; my reputation is already ruined. Now here we are, a man and woman alone in one space. If rumors spread, they won't benefit your reputation, either."
"That's my concern! I'm not afraid—why should you be?"
"I am afraid!" Fengyu said plainly. "The weight of public opinion can exalt someone to divine heights or grind them into dust. You don't understand the scars rumors leave because you've never been at your lowest. As a man from a noble family, you naturally have no fear. But I can't afford that luxury. Society subjects women to far greater scrutiny; I don't wish to stir up further trouble."
"Such needless worry! Unlike Jiang Yang, that coward, I'll protect you if trouble arises!"
Fengyu frowned. This was uncharacteristically kind for someone like Lin Xiao, whose usual demeanor was caustic.
Meeting her gaze, Lin Xiao seemed uneasy and defensively added, "Fengyu, you've always been audacious—kicking even me into a lake! When did you become so sensible?"
Fengyu pressed her lips together. It wasn't her who had kicked him into the lake; it had been Xie Xun, the top scorer, the day after his celebratory parade. At the Imperial College, the girls had all been gossiping about Jiang Yang.
Mentioning Jiang Yang inevitably touched on his engagement to her. The girls lamented how the top scorer was set to marry such a dull woman. For some unfathomable reason, Lin Xiao overturned his desk upon hearing this, dragged her out, and rambled some nonsense. While pulling on her bracelet inadvertently, it broke. Fengyu barely had a chance to react before hearing about Lin Xiao being kicked into the lake—Xie Xun certainly didn't tolerate his nonsense.
"Miss, I'm giving you a chance to apologize." Lin Xiao, sensing Fengyu's unease, tried to exploit the opportunity.