The dead general was kidnapped by his husband and taken to farm.

Lard would be delivered directly to their homes, so they wouldn't have to buy it in town.

The two went straight to the iron shop. There was also a kitchen in the wing where Ji Yinghuai lived, but it was not fully equipped. The stove was usable, but the chimney might need to be recleaned.

I am too busy refining the oil, and I need to use the stove over there, so I have to get another iron pot.

The price is still the same as before, and it takes four or five days to make five taels of silver.

Jiang Shi'an paid the full amount in one go, then bought two iron spoons and a small iron stove from the shop, loaded the things onto the carriage, and spent the twelve taels of silver.

The rain had stopped and the ground was muddy. The carriage was almost full of things and there was no room for the two of them, so they had to sit outside.

They hadn't spoken since then. Jiang Shian felt a little awkward, suddenly changing from a "brother" to a man pursuing him, and he didn't know how to get along with him for a while.

Ji Yinghuai didn't say anything either.

Apart from the hawking sounds from the shops on both sides of the street and the occasional voices of passers-by, it was eerily quiet between the two of them.

There was no sound, but the sight could not be ignored. The eyes of the man next to him seemed to be real and fell on him from time to time.

He didn't feel offended when he was stared at. It might be because Ji Yinghuai admired and liked him. It was not like the last time when Shopkeeper Wang looked at him for a few times and he felt a little disgusted.

Being stared at by Ji Yinghuai, he felt a little embarrassed. He pursed his lips and slightly turned his body to the side.

Ji Yinghuai stared at the person next to him without blinking. After a while, he felt that his gaze was too direct. Worried about scaring Jiang Shian, he retracted his gaze.

But he couldn't last even a stick of incense, as he turned his gaze to the young man next to him, feeling that he could never look enough.

There was no explicit rejection, nor was there any disgust. The possibility that they could be together was the happiest thing for him in the past two months.

The matter has been investigated almost thoroughly, and he will go back and deal with it thoroughly after collecting all the evidence. If he can bring his mother to live with him, their family can live together.

There are still many valuable things in his house. Next time he goes back, he will ask the secret guards to bring more. Oh, yes, Shi An has always been worried about his elder brother. He can also bring him here so that the two brothers can meet.

If he and Shi An are together in the future, he is still his elder brother, and this is what he should do.

Parents' orders and matchmaker's words. His mother, the concubine, and elder brother Shi An will discuss and finalize their marriage when the time comes.

Ji Yinghuai was thinking wildly. He completely forgot that he had just expressed his feelings and the other party had not yet agreed. He had already thought about getting married.

"cough--"

A cough from the side interrupted his thoughts.

Ji Yinghuai came back to his senses, with a smile on his face. His starry eyes looked at Jiang Shian tenderly.

Jiang Shian was dazzled by the joyful smile on his face, and swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue. After a long while, he said hesitantly, "We're at the bookstore. Let's go buy some books for Aunt Huang first."

Ji Yinghuai: "Okay."

Jiang Shi'an looked away uncomfortably. Ji Yinghuai, who was looking at him tenderly with a smile on his face, was too confusing. He couldn't remember the indifference and ferocity he had shown when they first met.

For a moment, he felt that he was about to fall into the other person's gentle eyes, but he quickly came to his senses.

He is still in the probation period, how can he be moved by beauty? He needs to observe for a few more days.

As soon as the bookstore owner saw Jiang Shian, a smile immediately appeared on his face and he invited the two of them to come into the shop and sit down.

Jiang Shian just delivered his new storybook half a month ago. He is only halfway through writing this one now. He has been too busy these days and has no time to continue writing.

However, just his first few stories were enough for the shopkeeper to make a lot of money. Nowadays, when walking in the streets of the town, you can still hear a few scholars discussing the plot with relish.

After hearing the purpose of his visit, the shopkeeper did not urge him to hand over the next book. When he heard that he wanted to buy a book, he hurried to look for it behind the bookshelf.

"Young man, why did you think of buying this kind of book? Are you buying it for someone else?" Shopkeeper Bai came out from behind the bookshelf holding four or five booklets in his hands.

When he got closer, he handed the booklet in his hand to Jiang Shian.

Jiang Shian took it with a smile, opened it and read the large characters inside while speaking, "I brought this for my little brother at home. He is learning to read these days!"

The printing and writing of this word is clear, but it is a pity that the pinyin is not indicated on it like modern ones.

After making sure the handwriting was clear and the book was not torn, Jiang Shian took out his purse from his pocket and gave the money.

Shopkeeper Bai waved his hands repeatedly and said, "We have cooperated so many times. Just take this little money back, and consider it a gift from me."

"Let's be clear, this money is used to buy books, and the money before that was earned by myself. How can I take advantage of you every time? Boss, can you please calculate how much these three books are in total?" Even brothers have to settle accounts clearly. The money he earned from writing storybooks is what he deserves.

Now that he is not short of money, he cannot be greedy for small gains, lest he be unable to explain himself later.

Jiang Shian took out a few copper coins and silver pieces. He felt that the paper of the book was of good quality, so he thought it would not be too cheap.

Shopkeeper Bai's smile deepened. He really had not made a mistake. "Okay, okay, okay. I can't argue with you. Just give me 600 coins for these three books."

"Okay." Jiang Shian directly took a piece of silver and handed it over. The waiter weighed it and it was just right.

Afterwards, the two chatted casually for a few more words. He promised the other party that he would hand in the remaining story in half a month, and then he said goodbye to Ji Yinghuai and walked towards the carriage at the door.

The sky began to clear up and the sun finally came out from behind the dark clouds.

After the rain, there was a smell of grass and soil on the road.

The carriage swayed slowly towards the village, with Ji Yinghuai driving the carriage.

Jiang Shian was swaying back and forth with his legs draped over the side of the carriage, holding two bamboo baskets of freshly bought fruits in his hands.

Now is the season for cherries and mulberries to ripen. These fruits can be found in the countryside and mountains. Although they are wild, they taste almost the same as the domestic ones he eats in modern times, and are even sweeter.

Just now when passing by the entrance of the town, there were a few men carrying flat belts and hawking their wares. Seeing that he was staring at them, Ji Yinghuai went down to buy two small baskets. Since they bought a lot, the other party also thoughtfully gave them a bamboo basket, one basket of mulberries and one basket of cherries.

There was no pesticide in ancient times, let alone picking cherries from the mountains. The cherries are bright red and in bunches, and they look particularly delicious and fresh.

Jiang Shian didn't hesitate to take it and picked up a string to taste it.

"So sweet." He looked at Ji Yinghuai with a smile on his face. The embarrassment and confusion he had just felt had completely disappeared.

Ji Yinghuai was in a good mood. He knew that the other party was shy, so he didn't talk to him, but he was a little annoyed that no one spoke all the time. It was better like this now.

He picked up a bunch of shiny black mulberries from another basket and handed it to Jiang Shian's mouth.

Jiang Shi paused for a moment, lowered his eyes and looked at his fingertips in front of him, and did not move for a while.

When Ji Yinghuai saw him stop, he thought that his actions were indeed too intimate and prepared to reach back.

At this moment, Jiang Shian suddenly bent down and moved closer, then put the mulberries in his hand into his mouth.

Only a tiny green mulberry branch was left on his fingertips, and for a moment just now, he seemed to feel the soft touch of the other person's lips.

Ji Yinghuai stood there in a daze. When he looked up, he saw Jiang Shian's red earlobe.