The Legend of Zhen Huan: Year after year, we share the spring breeze

Three months later, Suzhou's affairs were back on track, and there was some extra money in the accounts. After discussing with Shen Pingchuan, An Lingrong and Wang Yu traveled to Hangzhou Prefecture, intending to open a second workshop there.

This workshop is larger than the one in Suzhou, but because Shen Pingchuan has become more calm and steady with experience, and Wang Yu is a capable person, An Lingrong is much more relaxed than before. She only needs to make decisions on important matters and does not have to do it herself.

It happened to be a clear and sunny day. Seeing that everything was arranged properly, An Lingrong took Liu Zhu and Shen Yunfei to visit West Lake.

It is early winter, the leaves of the sycamore trees by the lake have turned golden, the maple trees are dotted with crimson, and the cool breeze blows across the mirror-like lake, rippling the waves and adding a sense of desolation to this beautiful scenery in the south of the Yangtze River.

Occasionally, a few tourists pass by the shore, but it is not as bustling as in spring and summer. Instead, it shows a bit of the quiet charm preferred by literati and scholars.

The three of them rented a small black-sailed boat. Shen Yunfei didn't want a boatman, so he rowed the boat himself. Although his technique was not very skilled, he was calm and composed. The wooden oars cut through the clear lake water, creating ripples.

An Lingrong leaned against the side of the boat, gazing at the misty mountains and shimmering lake in the distance, when suddenly a familiar melody emerged in her mind.

The corners of her lips curled up slightly, and she hummed unconsciously: "Ahaha, ahhaha, the beautiful scenery of West Lake, March day, the spring rain is like old willows like smoke..."

The singing was clear and melodious, drifting across the lake with the wind.

Liu Zhu was surprised by what she heard and couldn't help laughing, "Sister Rong, your tune is really fresh and sounds quite cheerful."

Shen Yunfei also looked over with a smile: "Cousin, what song is this? It's different from the usual Jiangnan tune, but it's very nice."

An Lingrong smiled faintly: "I've heard people sing it before, and now seeing this beautiful scenery of lakes and mountains, I don't know why I started singing it."

"Cousin, I didn't expect you could sing, and sing so beautifully!"

"Among my many strengths, being able to sing is the least worth mentioning one."

Liu Zhu nodded heavily: "Yes!"

Shen Yunfei burst into laughter.

The boat slowly sailed towards the center of the lake, and the outline of Leifeng Pagoda was faintly visible in the distance.

Shen Yunfei rowed the boat for a while and felt a little tired, so he simply dropped the oars and let the boat drift on the lake.

Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes and pointed to a place not far away: "Cousin, that little boat has been following us for a long time, but was it sent by your sister to protect you?"

A small boat with a green sail was parked in the middle of the lake. A man in gray clothes and a straw hat stood on the bow. Although he was dressed as a fisherman, his figure was exceptionally tall and straight.

An Lingrong followed his gaze and nodded gently: "Yeah."

Puzzlement flashed in Shen Yunfei's eyes. "That's strange. I remember you were the only granddaughter in my grandmother's family. Where did your sister come from?"

"Oh, not my biological sister, but..." An Lingrong thought for a moment and said, "We are both my husband's concubines."

"what!"

Shen Yunfei stood up suddenly, and the black-sailed boat shook violently.

Liu Zhu screamed and hurriedly hugged An Lingrong's arm.

When the boat stabilized slightly, An Lingrong frowned and said angrily, "Why are you making such a fuss? What if the boat capsizes?"

Shen Yunfei sat back down awkwardly: "It's okay, I'm a very good swimmer, it's okay if you fall in..."

Seeing An Lingrong glaring at him, he quickly changed his words: "No, I mean...how could you become someone's concubine?"

"Why can't I be a concubine?" An Lingrong asked back.

Shen Yunfei said sternly, "My grandmother's family has been a family of scholars for generations, and they value a woman's honor the most. How could they allow a girl from their family to become a concubine?"

He suddenly lowered his voice as he spoke: "Could it be... that you became a concubine of some powerful noble in the capital?"

An Lingrong raised her eyebrows, neither admitting nor denying.

Shen Yunfei thought he had guessed the key, and slammed his folding fan against his palm: "That makes sense! No wonder you spend money so lavishly, these guards are no ordinary people."

An Lingrong rolled her eyes helplessly.

Shen Yunfei continued gossiping: "Do you have children?"

"Yes, I have a son and a daughter."

"Having both a son and a daughter is pretty good!"

Now that they were talking about this, An Lingrong was in the mood for gossip: "Cousin, why haven't you married yet at your age?"

Shen Yunfei spread his arms and leaned against the side of the boat, pretending to be cynical. "I'm just an idle dandy. Which lady would look down on me?"

"You can't fool me with that." An Lingrong glanced at him. "I see that you are both civil and martial, and you act steadily and reliably. Without you, the Suzhou workshop wouldn't have run so smoothly. If someone like you is considered a playboy, then there won't be many decent people left in the world."

Shen Yunfei was stunned when he heard this, and suddenly felt like he had found a soulmate: "Cousin really is... not even my father understands me this well."

An Lingrong raised her chin, motioning him to continue.

"You know the situation in my family, right? When the late emperor was alive, he was extremely suspicious of my Shen family. To avoid repeating the same mistakes as the Nian family, my father asked the three of us brothers to keep a low profile. My eldest and second brothers have already entered the officialdom, so I can no longer set foot in the court.

Later, when my sister gave birth to a prince, our family became even more vulnerable. The noble ladies of high rank wanted to marry into the Shen family, but my father, fearing the late emperor's jealousy, dared not agree. Those from lower social classes, he feared they might have ulterior motives and compromise my sister's position in the harem. I had no choice but to pretend to be a playboy, spending my days cockfighting and walking birds. Over time, no one in the capital dared to propose marriage anymore, which suited my heart perfectly.

An Lingrong nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, the Shen family not only did not hold them back, but also helped them a lot.

"Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne and your sister is the empress dowager, the Shen family is no longer what it once was. Why are you still alone?"

"Cousin, you don't understand the joy of being a playboy!" Shen Yunfei raised his eyebrows: "You can do whatever you want, sleep as long as you want, and go wherever you want to play. How free."

……

"What about the future? Are you prepared to live alone for the rest of your life?"

"Not necessarily. If I meet a woman I like, I will consider starting a family."

"Oh?" An Lingrong's eyes lit up, her gossip spirit burning. "Then what kind do you like?"

Shen Yunfei blurted out without thinking: "You!"

As soon as the words came out, both of them were stunned.

The tips of Shen Yunfei's ears turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye. He grabbed the oar in panic: "It's...it's getting late...let's...let's go back!"

An Lingrong, however, was much calmer than him. She smiled and said, "I'm afraid it's going to be hard for you to find someone like me!"

Shen Yunfei was rowing the boat, but found that the boat was not obedient and was spinning in place. After a while, he was sweating profusely.

An Lingrong and Liu Zhu looked at him curiously as he fumbled around.

After a while, Shen Yunfei suddenly took a deep breath and threw the oar into the lake with a "splash".

"What are you doing?!" An Lingrong stared at him with wide eyes. "You threw away the oar. How are we going to get back?"

Shen Yunfei looked straight into her eyes, his Adam's apple rolling up and down a few times.