Chapter 66
66 Arrogance (1)
Young Master Xiang’s condition was stable, so Su Xiaoxiao didn’t stay any longer.
Before leaving, she took two boxes of snacks from the small basket and gave them to him.
“This is... ” Young Master Xiang looked at Su Xiaoxiao in confusion.
Su Xiaoxiao smiled. “It’s going to be New Year’s Eve. I made some snacks myself. I hope you don’t mind.”
Changping glanced at Su Xiaoxiao. This time, he didn’t dare to roll his eyes.
Young Master Xiang accepted it readily. “Miss Su, thank you.”
Actually, how could Su Xiaoxiao have remembered New Year’s Eve? It was just that he had given her too much in consultation fees and for the medicine previously, so she returned a small token of appreciation.
She really had to thank Madam Huang for reminding her about New Year’s Eve.
Although it was not a valuable item, with his status, he did not care about those valuable items at all. Perhaps the treasures he bought with all his a.s.sets were not worth mentioning in his eyes.
On the other hand, the snacks she made herself seemed more sincere.
“Why are there two boxes?” Young Master Xiang asked casually.
“One box is yours, and the other is Jing Yi’s,” Su Xiaoxiao said.
“Jing Yi.” Young Master Xiang smiled. “It’s easy for you to call him by his name.”
Su Xiaoxiao spread her hands. “He’s young. What else can he be called?”
Young Master Xiang asked, “Am I very old?”
Huh?
Su Xiaoxiao wondered why he was fussing about this.
“You only said that your surname was Xiang, but you didn’t say the rest of your name!”
“Chonghua,” he said.
“Huh?” Su Xiaoxiao was stunned.
“My name.” He smiled warmly.
The ancient people had surnames, names, and calligraphic words, such as Shen Chuan and Qinghe.
In this dynasty, there did not seem to be a too strict boundary between words and names. It was customary for people of the same generation to call each other names. There was no disrespect.
Scholars were polite and often addressed one another by their surname or name. It was like how a cla.s.smate might call Shen Chuan Young Master Shen or Brother Qinghe. Of course, there was nothing wrong with calling him Shen Chuan.
Did he mean that she could call him Xiang Chonghua in the future?
Or... Chong Hua?
Su Xiaoxiao blinked and said seriously, “Oh.”
....
Not long after Su Xiaoxiao left, Jing Yi came in covered in snow.
Young Master Xiang was writing.
Jing Yi came to his side and asked, “Cousin, are you testing her today?”
“No.” Young Master Xiang continued writing.
Jing Yi continued, “Then why did you tell her your words?”
Young Master Xiang glanced at Changping, who was sweeping the snow outside the door. Changping shivered and hid to the side.
“You’ve learned to complain to Jing Yi.” Young Master Xiang smiled faintly. “She’s not a poisonous snake or a ferocious beast. There’s no need to be so wary of her.”
Jing Yi frowned and said, “But you don’t have to trust her so much.”
Young Master Xiang pushed a box of snacks on the table to his hand. “Here.”
“What?” Jing Yi asked.
“Gift for New Year’s Eve,” Young Master Xiang said.
Jing Yi asked, “Didn’t the New Year end yesterday?”
“It’s the 23rd of December in the capital. It’s different in Qingzhou. Today is the day.” After Young Master Xiang finished speaking, he added, “Miss Su made it herself.”
Jing Yi didn’t have any prejudice against Su Xiaoxiao. He just didn’t want his cousin to trust an outsider too much.
He tasted it.
“How does it taste?” Young Master Xiang asked.
Jing Yi said truthfully, “It’s delicious. It’s not inferior to what the imperial chef makes.”
Young Master Xiang smiled and said, “It’s rare. I remember that you don’t like sweets.”
Jing Yi thought for a moment and said, “It’s because their food isn’t delicious.”
Young Master Xiang laughed and finished writing. He placed the brush on the rest and said to Jing Yi, “Send this pair of couplets to Miss Su.”
“Why? ”
“It’s my return gift. ”
Jing Yi gasped. “You want your calligraphy to fall into the hands of the commoners?”
If that person in the palace found out, he would definitely fly into a rage!
—
After Su Xiaoxiao came out of Young Master Xiang’s room, she went to the study in the front courtyard to see if Shen Chuan was there.
Along the way, she did not see a bookstore that was open. She thought that Shen Chuan might have red paper and could buy some from him.
However, she came at the wrong time. Dean Shen brought Shen Chuan back to his father-in-law’s house for New Year’s.
Su Xiaoxiao left the academy regretfully.
The old man stopped her.
“There are no pancakes today!” Su Xiaoxiao said seriously.
The old man waved his finger. “A pancake for a piece of red paper.”
Su Xiaoxiao was speechless.
Fifteen minutes later, Su Xiaoxiao valiantly left the back door with ten pieces of red paper.
The servant asked in a low voice, “Didn’t Young Master ask you to... just give the paper to Miss Su?”
The old man took a bite of the egg yolk pastry. “Hmm.”
So what?