CHAPTER 036
Lu Residence.
After a long journey, Mu Yang slept soundly until the sun was high in the sky. For someone who strictly followed family rules, this was a rare luxury. Back home, if he ever dared to sleep in even a little, his father would nag him endlessly. But here, at his sister Yun'er’s place, he could be free and unrestrained, without worrying about rules and rituals.
When Mu Yang first entered the residence, he noticed a dog. The steward Qiu explained that it was Yun'er’s dog, named Juzi. However, the dog was currently injured.
At this moment, Mu Yang was in the courtyard, playing with Juzi to cheer it up. He had learned from Qiu that Juzi had a collection of its own toys stored in the storeroom. So, Mu Yang fetched some of Juzi’s favorite toys from the storeroom to play with it.
Mu Yang was crouching beside a cloth bag, rummaging through it, when he suddenly touched something cool. He picked it up and found a wooden box, covered in brown soil, shaped somewhat like a cylindrical bamboo tube. As he brought it closer, he noticed a strange, musty odor. His expression, a mix of disdain and curiosity, reflected his thoughts as he wondered aloud, “Ah! What is this?”
At that moment, Juzi suddenly barked excitedly, “Woof! Woof! Woof!”
“Juzi, do you want to play with this? But how do you play with it?” Mu Yang noticed that Juzi was particularly excited upon seeing the box. He continued to examine the box, gently shaking it in his hand and realizing that something seemed to be inside. He was just about to open it when Juzi suddenly pounced on him. Caught off guard, Mu Yang fell backward with a yelp, “Ouch!”
As he regained his composure, Mu Yang, despite the pain, managed to get back on his feet, and angrily said, “Juzi, how could you…” But seeing Juzi using its paw to hold the box close, lying on top of it as if to protect it, with innocent, wet eyes staring back at him, he softened.
“Juzi, what’s wrong with you?” Mu Yang didn’t approach any further. He knew that Juzi wouldn’t have pushed him on purpose after they had been playing so well together. Puzzled, he shifted his gaze back to the box.
Mu Yang sighed lightly, deciding to wait for his sister Yun'er to return. He was just about to put the cloth bag back in the storeroom when he noticed something else.
“Steward Qiu, what’s that you’re holding?” Mu Yang asked, noticing Qiu hastily entering the residence with a square box that appeared to be quite valuable.
Another box.
Caught off guard, Qiu stopped, trying to hide the box behind him. He forced a smile and said, “Nothing, just a gift someone sent to the lady. I was going to store it away.”
After this brief explanation, he turned to leave.
“I see!” Mu Yang’s dark eyes flashed with a mischievous glint. Seizing the moment when Qiu was distracted, he snatched the box from him and quickly opened it. His expression froze as he stammered, “Steward… Qiu, this is… a rare… Tianshan snow lotus. Who sent this?”
Having grown up around his mother’s business, Mu Yang had seen many rare treasures, but he knew very little about the Tianshan snow lotus. In fact, this was only the second time he had ever seen one, the first being an illustration in a book.
He had read about it: “In the land of great cold, the snow accumulates and does not melt in spring or summer. Among the snow grows a grass, resembling a lotus on a single stalk, standing gracefully amidst the snow, a charming sight.” And, “There is a mountain called Tianshan, where snow covers the peaks year-round. Among the snow blooms a lotus, with those from the peak being the finest.”
Thus, the Tianshan snow lotus, highly valued for its medicinal properties but extremely rare, was known as the “immortal herb.” It grows in harsh, cold environments and treacherous terrain, and many have lost their lives trying to obtain it.
Who would have thought he would be fortunate enough to see one in person today?
“This…” Identified immediately by the young master Mu, Steward Qiu was suddenly at a loss for words.
Seeing Qiu hesitate, Mu Yang’s expression turned serious as he looked at the Tianshan snow lotus in his hand. His face quickly showed a mix of worry and anger. “My sister Yun'er is known for her fairness and integrity, always living a frugal life. Steward Qiu, don’t let greed cloud your judgment and do something foolish that might harm her.”
Such a valuable item—who would give it to Yun'er without ulterior motives?
“How could I ever do anything to harm the lady!” Qiu, seeing that the young master had misunderstood, hurriedly explained.
Mu Yang frowned and pressed, “Then who sent this?”
Steward Qiu had served Yun'er faithfully for many years and would never betray her. But who would be so generous as to gift such a rare item?
Qiu looked troubled and lowered his head, “I cannot say.”
“Very well, you cannot say,” Mu Yang responded lightly, returning the box to Qiu. “Since this is for Yun'er, she has the right to know who sent it. I’ll make sure to tell her as soon as she returns.”
“No… I’ll tell you, but you must promise to keep it a secret as well,” Qiu replied with a serious expression.
Seeing that Qiu was about to divulge the information, Mu Yang smiled and quickly promised, “Alright, I won’t tell a soul.”
“A few days ago, the lady was feeling unwell. This Tianshan snow lotus was sent by Young Lord Su.”
“What! Young Lord Su sent this?” Mu Yang was stunned, and then a thought began to form in his mind. “Why would he send this to my sister? And why doesn’t he want her to know?”
Suddenly, Mu Yang recalled the night before when he first met the Young Lord Su. He remembered hearing him call out, "Sister Yun'er," and initially thought he had misheard. After learning that he was indeed the Young Lord Su, there wasn’t anything at the time that would have led him to overthink it, so he was sure he must have misheard in the noise of the moment.
But now, it turned out to be true.
As a fellow man, Mu Yang immediately sensed something was amiss. He stared at Steward Qiu and bluntly asked, "Could it be… that the Young Lord Su has feelings for Sister Yun'er?"
Though Mu Yang left his thoughts unfinished, they were enough for Qiu to understand.
"This…" Qiu hesitated, momentarily at a loss for words. Given Mu Yang's intelligence, it was inevitable that he would figure out some things, but this wasn’t something Qiu could easily confirm. "I really don't know, but I must ask Young Master Mu to keep this matter confidential."
Mu Yang nodded thoughtfully, "Don't worry, Steward Qiu. I won’t say a word."
Near dusk, the competition finally concluded, with Yun'er's team emerging victorious. Zhu Miaomiao and the others wanted to hold a celebration banquet, but Yun'er declined, citing an important matter she needed to attend to that evening.
After returning to the Lu Residence, Yun'er took a bath and changed into a clean set of clothes.
"What's wrong? Didn't you go out to have fun today?" Yun'er asked as she entered the dining hall, noticing Mu Yang sitting with his head propped on one hand, staring blankly at the food on the table—very unlike his usual lively self.
"No, I didn’t," Mu Yang suddenly shifted his gaze to Yun'er, scrutinizing her closely, and Yun'er could naturally feel his eyes on her.
"Let's eat; otherwise, the food will get cold," she said calmly, starting to eat. "Later, I’ll need to go out."
Mu Yang understood the underlying meaning, "I was just…" He was about to voice his concerns when he caught sight of Steward Qiu secretly signaling him from the side. Reluctantly, he swallowed his words and changed the subject, "I was just playing with Juzi today and noticed that it seemed particularly attached to a wooden box I took out from the storeroom."
Hearing this, Yun'er paused, her brows furrowing. She put down her chopsticks, "You go ahead and eat. I’ll go take a look."
Yun'er quickly went to where Juzi was and saw it lying on the wooden box with tears in its eyes, guarding it protectively.
Yun'er carefully examined the box. From what Mu Yang had said, it had been taken from the pile of toys, but she distinctly remembered that she had personally sorted through Juzi’s things, and this wooden box was something she hadn’t seen before.
Could she have forgotten?
Judging from Juzi’s reaction, could this box have belonged to Juzi’s previous owner?
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