After that, the little one would occasionally bring flowers over.
Whenever he came, Cao Wen and Xu Duoyan would take him inside to play for a while.
At first, the little one was quite afraid of Cao Wen, timid whenever he saw him, but he still politely called him “older brother.”
It wasn’t surprising that a child would be scared; Cao Wen was large-built, and the child, having never encountered someone like him, instinctively thought that a big person was more dangerous.
If someone of that size hit you, you’d definitely get hurt.
But every time he came, Cao Wen would squat down to talk to him and give him candied hawthorn sticks.
As the little one grew familiar, his fear faded.
Sometimes when Xu Duoyan wasn’t around, Cao Wen would carry the little one into the study and let him sit on his lap to play with the abacus.
The scorching summer gradually passed, giving way to the crisp, refreshing days of autumn.
The Cao Family’s estate covered over a hundred acres—not too many, but not too few either.
Although there were people on the estate managing the autumn harvest, Cao Wen and Xu Duoyan still made time every year to personally inspect the fields.
They checked and reprimanded their subordinates to prevent laziness from setting in over time or the caretaker mistreating the tenant farmers.
Since Cao Wen himself came from a tenant farming background, he had always treated the tenant farmers kindly over the years.
His reputation among the tenant farmers in the whole town was excellent.
The two of them busied themselves back and forth for quite a while.
Only by October, when the busy season was over, did they finally relax.
“This year was dry. Although the irrigation channels helped, the grain yield still dropped quite a bit.”
Xu Duoyan tallied the autumn harvest accounts.
Last year’s grain yield had been over six thousand jin, amounting to about fifty shi.
This year, it was just over five thousand jin—almost ten shi less.
“Luckily, the chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, and other livestock on the estate were well raised, which made up for the lack in the harvest.”
Leaning back in his chair, Xu Duoyan said, “But this year, there’s really no surplus grain to sell. Feeding the livestock will almost consume it all.”
Cao Wen replied, “If we don’t sell, then we don’t. Although rice prices have risen this year, it’s still important to keep a stockpile of our own grain. It’s necessary to always be prepared for emergencies.”
Xu Duoyan closed the ledger.
“Alright, let’s leave it at that.”
A gentle evening breeze drifted through the window, brushing against Xu Duoyan’s cheek.
He looked up at the night sky outside; the moonlight was like flowing water.
Since the arrival of autumn, the air had noticeably cooled, and even the moonlight seemed clearer and colder than in summer.
Seeing this, Cao Wen went over and closed the window.
“We need to stock up on charcoal early. We piled up a lot of firewood when we first cleared the mountain; we can burn that to make charcoal.”
Xu Duoyan responded with a nod and reached out to grasp Cao Wen’s sleeve.
The colder and harsher the weather became, the more he found himself relying on Cao Wen.
For this reason, he disliked going on business trips in autumn and winter, preferring instead to stay in town.
During the day, he’d stroll through the shops to check the accounts; in the afternoon, he’d while away the time at the tea house or theater.
The weather was comfortable and pleasant.
Although the season felt a bit lonely, compared to the busyness of spring and summer, he actually preferred these quieter days.
Lu Lingbi sometimes teased him, saying that at this time of year, he looked like a wealthy idler.
“Ah Wen, let’s go to Baoyin Hall tomorrow and watch some cockfighting. It’s been a while.”
Cao Wen ruffled Xu Duoyan’s hair.
“Alright, I’ll bring some good luck with me.”
Xu Duoyan smiled.
The two lingered by the closed window, wrapped in their affection.
Still feeling restless, Cao Wen picked Xu Duoyan up and carried him to the desk.
Xu Duoyan suddenly came to his senses.
“No, there are too many account books here.”
Cao Wen’s eyes burned like hot flames, as if ready to devour him, but hearing this, he calmed down and lifted Xu Duoyan up instead.
“Then let’s go back to the room.”
Just a few steps away.
But as they neared the room, the distance to the bed suddenly felt too far.
The door was kicked shut, and Cao Wen immediately pressed him against the desk.
The next day, Cao Wen woke the person wrapped in blankets.
“Weren’t we going to watch cockfighting? There will be many people this season. If we go too late, we won’t get to pick the good fighters.”
As he helped Xu Duoyan put on his clothes, he said this.
“I said the afternoon, not this early. Even the wealthy young masters don’t show up this early at the cockfighting hall.”
Xu Duoyan replied with his eyes closed.
“If you dawdle and don’t get up, you’ll be late.”
Xu Duoyan was helpless but allowed Cao Wen to dress him before finally getting up.
They washed their faces and rinsed their mouths together.
Upon leaving the room, they noticed the tablecloth that had been crumpled the day before had been replaced with a new one.
Xu Duoyan felt a little embarrassed.
“It seems we haven’t seen Little Lotus for some time.”
Cao Wen wiped his face quickly and served Xu Duoyan a bowl of lean meat porridge.
Mentioning this, Xu Duoyan frowned.
“Yes, I’ve been too busy these days to spend much time at the estate. The other day I asked the chamberlain, and even when we weren’t around, they seldom saw Little Lotus come by.”
“Could something have happened?”
Hearing this, Xu Duoyan paused with chopsticks in hand.
“They said he lives in Narrow Alley, which leads out to the big lotus pond. The only place like that in town is Water Alley.”
Little Lotus had come a few times before, but they never asked where he lived exactly.
They guessed it was Water Alley.
The Water Alley area was full of old, low houses.
People from all walks of life lived there—of all kinds.
After the meal, the weather was cool.
Instead of taking a covered carriage, the two walked out and headed toward Water Alley.
“Ma’am, is there a child named Little Lotus living in this alley?”
At the alley entrance, Xu Duoyan stopped a woman who was carrying a vegetable basket, seemingly on her way to buy groceries.
She appeared to be a local resident.
He gestured to his own leg, “About this tall. He used to beg here sometimes.”
The woman glanced at the two of them.
“Who are you?”
“We are distant relatives of Little Lotus. We heard his mother is ill, but the messenger who brought us the news didn’t give a clear location—just said they live in Water Alley.”
The woman said, “Little Lotus is a filial and good child. His mother is ill, and such a young one has to go out to make a living. It’s really pitiful.”
“His mother must have sent the message asking you to take the child away, right? To be honest, the child should have been sent away long ago. Living day to day like that, how could the child bear it? Little Lotus’s mother is just unwilling to let go and has endured for so long. Look at how skinny the child is, like a little kitten.”
The woman rambled for a while, then pointed in a direction.
“Thank you.”
The two felt some relief knowing the child really lived nearby, but the woman’s description made them worried.
They said goodbye and hurried along the path.
“Next time, no need to ask me to come. This one-time visit is enough. The consultation fee doesn’t have to be paid, and the medicine before was only paid once.”
“Doctor Chen, when will my mother get better?”
“Your mother’s illness is chronic. No matter how many doctors see her, it will be the same. Everyone has such a fate. The medicine only extends life a few days more.”
The alley was narrow, barely wide enough for two to pass side by side.
Cao Wen and Xu Duoyan walked one after the other.
Before reaching Little Lotus’s home, they heard voices.
Following the sound, they saw a small child—eyes red from crying, probably often so, swollen from tears.
The child tightly hugged a medicine box. Hearing the man’s words in front, his eyes turned even redder.
“He’s just a child. The doctor’s words are a bit harsh!”
Xu Duoyan stepped forward and interrupted the doctor.
“My words are blunt, but this is an orphan and widow. Who else can I say this to besides the child? I told him early on to prepare, because if his mother suddenly passes, it will be even more heartbreaking.”
The doctor snapped, “That child still owes me a lot. Can’t I say a few words?”
“How much? I’ll pay it all.”
Cao Wen didn’t argue and took out his money pouch.
Seeing someone ready to settle the bill, the doctor’s face softened.
“It’s not that I want to be hard on the child. This is a small business; I have to support my family.
“You must be relatives of the child. You should have come earlier to look after him.”
“Ah Yan, Ah Wen, older brothers!”
Little Lotus, already shaky from crying, ran over when he saw familiar faces and threw himself into Xu Duoyan’s arms.
Xu Duoyan bent down and picked up Little Lotus, taking the medicine box from his hands and handing it to the doctor.
“Thank you for coming all this way.”
After the doctor left, Cao Wen poked Little Lotus’s red nose.
“Little crybaby.”
Little Lotus sniffled.
“I didn’t cry.”
“How come your eyes are so red if you didn’t cry?”
Little Lotus shook his head.
“I didn’t cry today.”
Aww Little Lotus 😭