Chapter 4 The Gift
"Second Master, what do you think Miss Wen means by this?"
Looking at the food box sent by Second Young Master's fiancée to Second Master, the servants were utterly confused.
Pei Du opened the box. A stack of peach blossom slices lay there, their color tempting, next to a steaming bowl of snow pear and white fungus soup. The sweet fragrance wafted up.
One attendant blurted out, "She even knows the master likes sweets!"
She must have inquired carefully.
The servants in the residence weren't loose-lipped. Miss Wen's skill at winning people over was truly impressive.
"Could it be that Miss Wen sees the marriage with Second Young Master won't happen, so she's trying to attach herself to you instead?"
Pei Du's gaze paused. He lifted his eyes and gave the attendant a light glance.
"Since when did you learn to make malicious assumptions about others?"
The attendant hurriedly corrected himself. "Then it must be that she feels grateful for Second Master's hospitality and sent these as a small token of thanks."
Thanks?
That explanation sounded even more uncomfortable than the last one.
He picked up a piece of pastry and took a small bite.
Sweet but not cloying.
He tasted the snow pear and white fungus soup. It was refreshingly sweet and pleasant.
"Did she make all of this herself?"
"Yes, the kitchen staff watched her do it."
After finishing slowly and methodically, Pei Du thought for a moment.
"Select some fabrics from the storeroom and have some new clothes made for her."
The attendant asked cautiously, "Master, how many seasons' worth? If Second Young Master truly refuses to return…"
Everyone in the Pei family had long known about the betrothal between Second Young Master and Miss Wen.
When Second Young Master was young, he suffered from a strange illness. The Eldest Master took him to see the retired Imperial Physician Wen. They stayed in that remote countryside for a while.
The Eldest Master liked mystical arts. On a whim, he had their birth charts read together.
The result was a match made in heaven, so without consulting anyone, he betrothed Second Young Master's marriage away.
Some time ago, Old Master Wen sent a letter saying he was dying and his granddaughter would soon come to the capital to seek her betrothed. The main branch of the Pei family had been in an uproar.
The Eldest Master insisted on keeping the promise. The Eldest Madam and Second Young Master flatly refused. The two sides were deadlocked.
Then Miss Wen's letter arrived, and things became even livelier.
In the letter she insisted someone must come to meet her and even drew a big circle around the word "must." Instantly the Eldest Madam and Second Young Master decided she was a crude, domineering girl and refused even more firmly.
Second Young Master used the excuse of studying to run off to Jiangnan, going together with Miss Jiang from the Jiang family who had returned to her ancestral home in Jiangnan for a visit.
Second Young Master leaving was one thing, but he begged Second Master to help send her away—afraid the Eldest Master would force the marriage once Miss Wen arrived.
Second Master and Second Young Master had been close since childhood. Being only five years apart, when Second Young Master was small he couldn't tell them apart and simply clung to Second Master, calling him big brother this and big brother that.
Seeing him so anxious, Second Master agreed to help.
But what was Second Master thinking?
According to his usual style, he would have acted swiftly—given compensation and sent her away. Why had he let her stay?
And now he was even having clothes made for her…
He couldn't have been bewitched by her looks, could he?
To be fair, Miss Wen's appearance was outstanding, rare in the world. She truly didn't seem like someone raised in the countryside.
If Second Young Master had delayed his departure by even one day and seen what his fiancée actually looked like, he probably wouldn't have resisted anymore.
"Have clothes made for every season. Also send someone to buy her some jewelry."
Pei Du thought for a moment.
"The weather is getting cold. Arrange charcoal for her rooms—the same allowance as mine."
The attendant left with his head full of questions.