Chapter 54: I want to be your brother-in-law

Fu Tian remained silent.

Chu Xiangtian’s words made him realize that he had been acting too impatient, as if… as if he were deliberately doing something for a certain purpose.

They couldn’t guess the reason now, but when the great drought came next year, they might not be so clueless.

Everything he was doing now was preparation for the impending drought, but how could he explain that he had foreknowledge of it?

Fu Tian bit his lip, feeling a bit guilty and unwilling to speak, his mind racing to come up with a suitable excuse.

Seeing him like this, Chu Xiangtian sighed deeply again, rubbing his head with a look of helpless indulgence.

“So many little secrets, why?”

Fu Tian opened his mouth to argue, but couldn’t think of a better reason and had to sulkily close it, silently accepting Chu’s words.

He sent a messenger.

He opened the door to call in the courier waiting outside, handed over the reply, then ordered several servants to fetch the canal maps from the other estates they had chosen.

Each estate was to submit a canal diagram first, and after Fu Tian confirmed there were no issues, he would gather manpower to start digging.

The maps from each estate arrived no later than five days later.

Fu Tian carefully compared each one, and after Chu Xiangtian secretly showed them to the Ministry of Works Assistant Minister, he gave the order for construction to begin.

This delay took several more days.

By then, it was mid-June, and the heat grew more oppressive by the day.

Even wearing thin silk, the sweat soaked him through.

Things on the estates had started in an orderly fashion, while at the rice shop, Wen Boli was still haggling for lower prices.

The steward, following his orders, continued to buy at ever lower rates.

Fu Tian, on the other hand, had become idle.

His daily routine was just reading.

With the Imperial Exam approaching in August, he had to work even harder, but the stifling heat made it impossible to concentrate.

“Why not go to the estates to cool off?”

Chu Xiangtian replaced the small Ice Chest in front of Fu Tian and fanned him.

Having grown up in the north, Fu Tian had never experienced this kind of humid heat in the south and was relying on the endurance he had built in the military to bear it.

The young master lacked such stamina and was about as wilted as the little cabbage left to bake in the fields.

Fu Tian tugged at his collar in frustration and threw the book in his hand onto the table.

There was nothing more for him to worry about anyway.

The Imperial Exam was near; he needed to focus on studying.

***

After arranging the rice shop’s affairs, Fu Tian and Chu Xiangtian picked an early morning not too hot and leisurely took the carriage to the estates.

The estate nestled by the mountains and water, the terrain open.

Though the sun above was still scorching, there was at least a gentle breeze.

The lush green shade was also less maddening to the eyes.

This time, no one was sent ahead to announce their arrival.

Fu Tian, familiar with the place, walked straight to the backyard and saw his mother, sister, and Zhou Chuanqing sitting together chatting on the octagonal pavilion in the middle of the lake.

Lotus flowers were blooming perfectly, and the breeze carried their scent.

The three inside the pavilion were talking happily.

Before he approached, he faintly heard the sound of poetry being composed.

Chu Xiangtian’s brows twitched at the sight, while Fu Tian was surprised by the cool air inside the pavilion as he stepped closer.

Fu Shuyue, who was facing him, was the first to notice his arrival.

She smiled and said, “Why have you suddenly come? Are you done with the shop’s business?”

Fu Tian complained, “It’s too hot at home, so I came here to escape the heat.

If you have such good things, why didn’t you tell me?”

Standing before the half-person-high Ice Chest, Fu Tian felt the coolness and curiously examined the greatly transformed device.

The Ice Chest before him was not quite a traditional one.

In front were five water-drop-shaped, extremely thin fan blades.

Behind them was a wooden box three feet long and two feet wide, thick and heavy, filled with a solid block of ice.

Only the side facing the fan blades was open, releasing visible cold air.

The five fan blades were connected by a somewhat thick wooden axle.

A maid held the handle of the axle and slowly turned it, so the air blown by the fans carried the chill of the ice.

Even inside the pavilion, no trace of heat could be felt.

“This is the improved Ice Chest, made under the guidance of Chuanqingzi by the old carpenter on the estate,” Fu Youqin said with a smile.

Although the estates were not as hot as the town, the sweltering weather still made people reluctant to go outside.

That was why Zhou Chuanqing had guided the old carpenter to create this new Ice Chest.

Fortunately, there was still ice stored in the estate’s cellar.

They had tried placing it inside and found the effect quite good, so they occasionally came out here to sit for a while.

Chu Xiangtian stared at the Ice Chest with twitching lips.

This thing was invented by the Ministry of Works people to flatter Her Majesty because the Empress feared heat.

The Ministry had many skilled craftsmen and created this “Ice Fan.”

The one gifted to Her Majesty was about one person tall and not hand-cranked but powered by a foot pedal like a waterwheel.

The Empress was very pleased with it and ordered the Ministry to make more as rewards to the wives of several key ministers.

If he remembered correctly, Madam Zhou had received one as a gift.

Zhou Chuanqing was adept at borrowing flowers to offer Buddha.

Chu Xiangtian raised an eyebrow and gave the smiling Zhou Chuanqing a faint glance.

Sensing the blade-like gaze on him, Zhou Chuanqing’s smile faded and he changed the subject to business.

“The Imperial Exam is approaching; how has your preparation been these days?”

Fu Tian wanted to stick to the Ice Chest as if glued.

He grumbled, “It’s unbearably hot; I can’t focus on studying.

That’s why I came here to escape the heat and calm down.”

Zhou Chuanqing pondered for a moment and said, “I’ll check your progress after lunch.

There’s less than two months left; you must put your heart into your studies.”

Fu Tian nodded, fully aware of the urgency.

The four of them rested a while longer in the pavilion before lunch.

Afterward, Fu Tian went with Zhou Chuanqing to the Great Study.

There was already an identical Ice Chest in the study.

Fu Tian’s eyes widened in surprise.

Zhou Chuanqing laughed, “The craftsman made it.

Auntie had planned to have it sent to you, but you came here first.”

The breeze from the Ice Chest dispersed the stifling heat.

Fu Tian calmed down and reported his recent study progress to Zhou Chuanqing in detail.

He hadn’t fallen behind much.

Zhou Chuanqing nodded in satisfaction, pulled out several books from the shelf, and circled key points for him to focus on.

“The exam questions over the years haven’t changed much.

Memorize these well, and you shouldn’t have too much trouble.”

Fu Tian nodded obediently.

He held an almost blind faith in Zhou Chuanqing’s identity as a former third-place scholar.

So whatever Zhou Chuanqing said, he believed wholeheartedly and studied earnestly.

Chu Xiangtian didn’t disturb them.

Instead, he found the old carpenter and learned the essentials of making an Ice Chest.

He then picked suitable wood and started crafting it himself.

He always felt overshadowed by Zhou Chuanqing.

Back then, he wanted to bring an Ice Fan back from the palace for the young master, never thinking to make one himself.

After all, the Ministry of Works Assistant Minister was right there.

Feeling outdone, Chu Xiangtian resolved to personally make an Ice Chest to please the young master.

***

After assigning Fu Tian his lessons, Zhou Chuanqing strolled out fanning himself, going to look for Chu Xiangtian.

He had seen Chu’s expression earlier.

Growing up together, he’d rarely seen such a defeated look on his friend’s face and couldn’t help but want to savor it again.

Chu Xiangtian was sawing wood.

Though he had never done carpentry before, his steady hands, accustomed to swordsmanship, weren’t clumsy.

He worked skillfully, finishing the needed parts quickly and had already begun assembly.

Zhou Chuanqing squatted before him, leisurely fanning.

“Why not let the craftsmen do it?”

Chu Xiangtian shot him a glare and replied with dissatisfaction, “What do you want to do?”

Zhou Chuanqing continued fanning slowly, “I want to be your brother-in-law.”

After a pause, Chu Xiangtian frowned.

“Are you serious?”

“Of course I’m serious.

When have you ever seen me joke about this?”

That was true.

Zhou Chuanqing was very particular.

His family had arranged many girls for him to meet, but he hadn’t taken a liking to any.

No matter how Madam Zhou pleaded or pressured him, he never compromised.

He was definitely not someone to joke about marriage.

Chu Xiangtian snorted coldly and fell silent.

Though unhappy with Zhou Chuanqing’s decision, they had been through life and death together since childhood.

If Zhou really liked a Fu family girl, he wouldn’t stand in the way.

But the thought of someday having to call the other “brother-in-law” made his expression sour.

“Just wait.”

If others knew, they’d probably tease him with this joke for a whole year.

Zhou Chuanqing smiled brightly and kept talking.

None of the childhood friends who had grown up together hadn’t been tricked by Chu Xiangtian at some point.

They all had grudges to vent.

Chu Xiangtian sneered.

If he could coax the young master back to the County Capital, how could the unmarried childhood friends mock him?

He glanced at the smug Zhou Chuanqing and taunted, “Show off all you want—when you get me to call you brother-in-law, then we’ll talk.”