After the Crybaby Married the Disabled Villain - Chapter 7

“Young Master, His Highness has arrived.”

This was the second time Lu Shiyan had come to An Yu’s room, but it was the first time he had carefully surveyed the space.

It had changed quite a bit since An Yu moved in. Stacks of books now sat upon the tea table alongside daily-use brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Much of the furniture had been rearranged; a small side table now sat by the bed, holding the owner’s teacup and favorite books. In the sunniest spot by the window, a soft daybed had been added, complete with a blanket.

“Why has Your Highness come?”

An Yu was still somewhat dazed as he sat on the daybed. He had fallen asleep by the window as soon as he returned earlier; the sun on his body felt warm, and he wasn’t quite fully awake yet. As he sat up, he aggravated the bruise on his shoulder blade, causing him to cry out in pain.

Lu Shiyan frowned. “What happened?”

An Yu’s eyes flickered, and they instantly turned red, though he shook his head. “I ran into General Yang in the manor today. He seemed very dissatisfied with my marriage to Your Highness and used his armor to knock me into a pillar.”

“Perhaps it is just my lack of experience… has General Yang always been this disrespectful to Your Highness?”

An Yu played the role of a long-suffering “white lotus” to perfection. Seeing this, Lu Shiyan felt stuck between laughter and tears as he silently wheeled himself to the side of the table near the daybed.

He commanded: “Mo Han, fetch some medicinal salve.”

Within moments, Mo Han brought the salve with a grin. An Yu didn’t understand why the man was winking at him as he handed the medicine to Lu Shiyan.

“Come, I’ll apply the medicine for you.”

An Yu gave a soft “Mm,” but then he realized his injury was on his back. Wouldn’t that require taking off his clothes, or perhaps doing that “fragrant half-exposed shoulder” look from television dramas? He immediately shook his head, his cheeks turning a light pink. “No, no, it’s not that serious. I’ll do it myself, I’ll do it myself.”

Lu Shiyan refused to yield, his expression turning even more solemn. “Little Yu, do not be careless. Men of the military like Yang Yuan possess internal energy. Even a simple collision cannot be taken lightly.”

An Yu did feel that it was quite serious, so he hesitated upon hearing this. “Then… alright.”

Mo Han had already silently retreated. An Yu unfastened half of his garment, exposing his shoulder. Lu Shiyan’s brows knit immediately; the originally snow-white skin was now covered in dark purple bruising. It must have been incredibly painful.

Lu Shiyan said nothing as he gently applied the salve. Every touch on the bruise was agonizing; An Yu no longer had the heart for shyness and only wished for Lu Shiyan to finish quickly.

“Your Highness, gent-gentler…”

Lu Shiyan could only lighten his touch further. By the time he finished, an entire incense stick’s worth of time had passed. Despite An Yu’s pampered nature being a factor, the pain was genuine. Though the weather was cool, An Yu was drenched in sweat by the time the medicine was applied.

Lu Shiyan harbored unknown emotions in his heart. He gave An Yu a gentle smile and said, “I have some matters to attend to; Little Yu should rest early. Once your injury has healed, I will take you out for a stroll.”

An Yu’s interest was instantly piqued. “Deal!”

Truth be told, ever since An Yu arrived here, he had been confined to the General’s Manor and had never stepped outside.

“I have some free time today, and Little Yu’s injury is mostly healed. Would you like to go for a stroll with me?”

An Yu, who was still a bit sleepy after waking, snapped into full alertness. His voice carried a hint of excitement: “Really? When are we going?”

“Once Little Yu has freshened up, we shall depart.”

Ancient carriages truly could not be compared to modern cars; the vibration when the wheels met the ground was obvious. Fortunately, the interior was spacious enough that it didn’t cause motion sickness.

“Is Your Highness alright?”

An Yu’s physical constitution in this body was quite high, and his injury was healed. Being jolted by a carriage was no problem for him, but the key concern was Lu Shiyan.

Lu Shiyan shook his head and turned to speak: “It is no matter.”

The carriage slowly drove into the bustling market. The passing citizens and the vendors on both sides were full of the “fire and smoke” of daily life. With people coming and going from all directions, no one paid much attention to this low-profile carriage.

An Yu was the first to jump down, looking left and right at the market. He didn’t forget to turn back and help steady Lu Shiyan as he descended. Considering it was inconvenient for Lu Shiyan to wander the streets in a wheelchair—as they would inevitably attract idle gossip—An Yu looked at a nearby restaurant and asked:

“Your Highness, are you hungry?”

“A little, actually.”

They headed toward the Wangfeng Pavilion. An Yu walked beside Lu Shiyan, looking around curiously, though this did not arouse Lu Shiyan’s suspicion. Although the An family were the wealthiest merchants, they didn’t live in the city center; it was said that when they first started out, they built a manor in the south of the city, nestled against mountains and rivers like a hidden paradise, and had never moved since.

The restaurant was very close. With Mo Ying pushing the wheelchair from behind, Lu Shiyan didn’t have to turn the wheels himself, and they arrived quickly. The waiter at the door was busy attending to guests, drenched in sweat even though it wasn’t yet noon.

“Welcome, three gentlemen! Would you like to sit in the main hall or head upstairs? We have three rooms available on the second floor; the one directly overlooking the street is still vacant!”

The waiter rattled off his pitch so fast An Yu felt thirsty just listening.

“That room then,” Lu Shiyan decided.

When Lu Shiyan chose the private room overlooking the street, An Yu didn’t think much of it, but then he wondered: how was Lu Shiyan supposed to get up there? The stairs were in the middle of the hall; it would be incredibly awkward to have Mo Ying carry him up in full view of everyone.

“This way, gentlemen. Our establishment has a specially designed lifting platform.”

The smiling waiter led the way to the side-rear of the stairs. A reasonably sized wooden platform was set into the floor, with railings on three sides and one open side for the wheelchair to enter. The wood was very thick and looked sturdy, with carvings and patterns along the edges.

Small-arm-thick ropes were tied to metal hooks at the four corners; they weren’t rough like hemp but were interspersed with gold silk, looking as exquisite as a swing for an imperial consort. Once the wheelchair was pushed on, Mo Ying and An Yu stood on either side. The waiter blocked the open side with a rope and gave a signal to the floor above.

The lift began to rise slowly. Lu Shiyan and Mo Ying had little reaction, but An Yu looked up with an expression of pure curiosity. Because the first floor was very high, the second floor was equivalent to the third or fourth floor of a modern residential building. However, the speed was not slow, and they soon arrived. Standing around the lift were three burly men, pulling the exquisite ropes like they were in a tug-of-war.

So, it relies mostly on manual labor.

“This way, guests.”

The second floor also had a waiter to lead the way. He wore the same smile as the one downstairs and enthusiastically showed them to their room. The view of the street was indeed excellent; they could see the citizens busy with their livelihoods below and the golden and red palaces stretching for miles in the distance.

“Does Your Highness come to this restaurant often?”

The food hadn’t arrived yet, so the two could only drink tea and chat in the breeze.

“Relatively. I came often as a child, but not much these past two years.” The reason, of course, went without saying. “The pastries here are good; if Little Yu likes them, we can pack some to take back to the manor.”

As expected of a long-established business, the service speed was top-tier. Before they had chatted long, the waiter brought out the dishes one after another, along with two complimentary servings of sweet osmanthus rice wine.

“This is so delicious!” An Yu didn’t forget to praise the taste while he ate. Having too many delicacies could be cloying, but the rice wine was served on ice, making the cold sensation incredibly refreshing—a perfect match to cut through the richness of the meal.

By the time they had finished, it was just reaching noon. Looking down from the window, there were fewer people passing by, but more were entering the restaurant.

“The business here is truly thriving.”

Just then, the waiter brought up two plates of pastries; like the rice wine, they were icy cold.

“It has been open for over twenty years, after all. The pastries are here; can Little Yu still eat?”

“Of course. There is a separate stomach for desserts.”

Lu Shiyan couldn’t count how many times he had been left speechless by An Yu; he could only laugh helplessly. The pastries were more like cold ice-cream cakes—fragrant but not greasy, melting in the mouth with a chill that felt like eating ice cream.

“Your Highness, can I pack two portions later?” The youth held his plate with both hands, leaning forward against the table and looking up with eyes that seemed to sparkle like stars.

Lu Shiyan looked at him and softly uttered a “Yes.”

As it turned out, people really only have one stomach. An Yu ate a whole serving of milk cake, and his clothes were slightly pushed out by his full belly—it was very obvious while sitting, and only looked better once he stood up.

After the meal, only An Yu and Lu Shiyan were left to wander the streets; Mo Ying was sent to take the two portions of pastries back to the manor to be kept on ice. An Yu planned to walk off the heavy meal, so he pushed Lu Shiyan slowly along the street, occasionally looking at the stalls.

He didn’t care for rouge or powders, nor for ready-made clothes or fabrics, and the snack vendors didn’t tempt him anymore. Finding nothing of interest, he began to lose heart. He was about to suggest to Lu Shiyan that they return home when he suddenly saw a stall ahead covered in scattered stones of various sizes. Five or six people were gathered there, making quite a noisy scene.

“Brother Wang, I think this one will do.”

“Don’t listen to his nonsense; last time, he bought three in a row and didn’t hit once.”

A group of wealthy young masters were discussing noisily. At the front of the stall stood a man in goose-yellow robes, tall and dressed expensively, staring with indecision at two stones of similar size.

“Young Master, are you buying or not? If not, don’t interfere with my business,” the shopkeeper urged.

The man waved a sleeve and shouted: “I’m buying, I’m buying! I want both of these. Shopkeeper, cut them now.”

This led to the moment everyone anticipated most. They immediately surrounded the shopkeeper, eyes fixed on him as he cut the two raw stones. An Yu pushed Lu Shiyan over at a leisurely pace. He squatted down, making himself a level lower than the seated Lu Shiyan. When he looked up to speak, his eyes were still on the stall.

“Your Highness, do you believe me? Those two stones will yield at most a tiny piece of jade marrow, and a poor quality one at that.”

Lu Shiyan leaned his head down slightly as he spoke; a strand of hair brushed against An Yu’s face, which the youth casually brushed away. “You understand ‘stone gambling’ too?”

“Just a little.”

By the time they finished speaking, the two stones had been cut open. Just as An Yu predicted, they only yielded a fist-sized piece of jade marrow, spotted and full of impurities. The man in yellow felt frustrated and angry; he tossed down a bag of silver and left without looking back, leaving his entourage to stare at each other.

“Ai, let’s go, let’s go.”

“Let’s go.”

The discarded jade marrow was left on the table, ignored. The last of the entourage had already turned to leave, but thought better of it and came back to take the piece. The young shopkeeper watched them leave and shook his head with a “Tsk.”

“I want this one.”

The shopkeeper turned back to see a young gentleman in cyan robes, his delicate features lit with a smile as he patted a raw stone. Beside him sat a gentleman in white robes in a wheelchair—though the chair did nothing to diminish his ethereal aura. Stunned by the pair for a moment, the shopkeeper quickly recovered and asked An Yu for payment.

This raw stone was no larger than a palm and had an uneven surface. It had sat in the furthest corner since the day the stall opened. Batches of stones had come and gone, yet this one remained unbought—until now, when a “sucker” had finally arrived.

“Young Master, shall we cut it now?” The shopkeeper had acquired this stone at a low price and was selling it as the cheapest on the stall. He casually placed it on the table and asked.

“Cut it, but be careful.”

Finished, An Yu didn’t forget to turn back and give Lu Shiyan a confident, triumphant smile.

The moment the boss’s blade cut into the uneven surface, a vibrant, emerald green—devoid of any impurities was revealed from the cross-section. The shopkeeper gasped immediately. As the second and third cuts fell, the shopkeeper’s hands began to shake. Every slice revealed that same pure green.

“This… this is a solid piece of Imperial Green!” The shopkeeper was so shocked his blade slipped from his hand, clattering onto the ground.

The noon sun shone directly onto the block of jade. The semi-translucent stone was pierced by the light, revealing not a single trace of impurity. The shopkeeper’s exclamation had long since attracted the attention of passersby; more and more people gathered until the area was completely blocked.

An Yu moved Lu Shiyan slightly to the side. “Your Highness, how was it?”

“Little Yu is impressive.”

Their words were lost in the noise of the crowd as people began to shout.

“This is too lucky!”

“Young Master, Young Master! Are you selling? I’ll offer this amount!”

“Young Master, I’ll give more! Double his price!”

“I’ll give triple!”

The voices grew louder and louder, attracting significant attention in the market. An Yu could only shout: “I’m not selling!”

With that, he took the solid block of Imperial Green jade and stuffed it directly into Lu Shiyan’s hands. He pushed the wheelchair out of the crowd, walking quickly toward the carriage and leaving the onlookers behind. The block of jade was eye-catching in the light, and passersby kept looking their way until Lu Shiyan used his sleeve to cover it, reducing the gazes.

By the time they reached the carriage, An Yu was panting with exhaustion, collapsing onto the cushions and gasping for air.

“Come, have some water.”

Having received Lu Shiyan’s instructions, Mo Ying drove the return carriage at a leisurely pace, reducing the jolting significantly. After drinking several cups of water, An Yu finally felt better and hurriedly asked: “Does Your Highness feel any discomfort?”

“I am fine. But Little Yu, with such a large piece of Imperial Green jade, have you thought of something you’d like to make?”

An Yu thought for a moment and said:

“Now, I have.”