Lan Yan answered first, "I am his fiancée." She thought Jun Yelan would be embarrassed to say he was a child groom, so she spoke up.
Jun Yelan's lips pressed together, and he remained silent.
"Oh, so you're Lan Chuo's sister." The steward was quite familiar with Lan Chuo and had often heard him mention his sister. No wonder Lan Chuo had been traveling with Jun Yelan; he had betrothed his sister to him.
Lan Yan smiled and nodded, "Steward, your restaurant seems quite large and does good business. You must need many new recipes, right? I have a recipe for wild boar. Would you like it?"
She enjoyed experimenting with dishes in her spare time and naturally knew a thing or two.
The steward was somewhat skeptical, but his restaurant did indeed need new recipes; otherwise, customers would eventually grow tired of the same fare. He wondered aloud, "Can you, a young lady, really cook?"
"Of course, I cook at home regularly," Lan Yan replied. "How about this, I'll leave the recipe with you. If you're not satisfied, you don't have to pay. If you are, you'll have a new dish."
The steward felt he had nothing to lose and agreed. "Alright, I'll give you money for the wild boar and give the recipe to the head chef. If it works out, we'll settle the payment next time you visit."
Lan Yan nodded. If it succeeded, she would have a channel for earning money. If it failed, she would only lose a recipe and gain a lesson.
The steward went inside and soon returned with a bag of copper coins.
"Thank you, Steward," Lan Yan said, taking the bag and carefully tucking it into her embrace. This was hard-earned money. She looked at Jun Yelan behind her and smiled, "Let's go."
Jun Yelan stared at Lan Yan with growing confusion, only looking away as they departed.
On the road, Lan Yan's stomach rumbled, and she said with an embarrassed smile, "I didn't have lunch."
Jun Yelan hadn't eaten either, but he was accustomed to hunger and could go without a meal. "You just earned money; you can buy something for yourself."
"Then let's go grab a bite to eat," Lan Yan said, looking around. Her gaze fell upon a steamed bun stall not far away, and she ran over. "Boss, give me four steamed buns."
Jun Yelan was taken aback. By Lan Yan's usual habits, she would have eaten a hearty meal. Today, she only wanted steamed buns.
Lan Yan had calculated that she needed to buy too many things and thus had to be frugal. She took the buns, handing three of the remaining ones to Jun Yelan. "Here, for you."
Jun Yelan's eyes flickered. He looked at Lan Yan's clear eyes, momentarily unable to discern the person before him. He took only one and prepared to eat nearby.
Seeing this, Lan Yan stuffed the other two into Jun Yelan's arms. "The wild boar earlier was mostly carried by you, so I bought these for you. If you don't eat them, you're mistreating yourself."
With that, she began eating her own bun, feeling her stomach settle.
Jun Yelan stared at the buns in his arms, but ultimately did not eat them, instead tucking them away.
After eating, Lan Yan went to the apothecary. She bought some of the medicine her elder brother had used and then said to a shop assistant, "My fiancé's arm is injured. What medicine would be good for him?"
She also held onto Jun Yelan's sleeve, pulling it up to reveal the wound so the assistant could see it clearly.
Jun Yelan said, "No need, this is just a minor injury." He looked at Lan Yan's hand gripping his sleeve, always holding on so tightly, making it impossible for him to leave.
As he looked up and saw Lan Yan's serious expression, he wondered if this person truly cared about him.
The assistant said, "I'll get you an ointment. Apply it once in the morning and once in the evening for seven days. Avoid getting it wet during this period." He retrieved a bottle of medicine from behind the counter.
Lan Yan paid for it readily and looked at Jun Yelan, who was still standing there. Was there anything else he needed?
Stared at by Lan Yan, Jun Yelan felt a rare sense of discomfort. He took the medicine bag from Lan Yan's hand. "Let's go." He walked ahead, avoiding Lan Yan's gaze.
Her gaze always seemed to carry something, perhaps concern. But how could that be? No one in this world cared for him; the only one who did was no longer here.
Lan Yan found Jun Yelan's sudden somber mood quite peculiar. She followed him, occasionally glancing at him, her eyes filled with confusion.
Jun Yelan couldn't help but notice and stopped to look at Lan Yan. He saw a troop of people passing by ahead. The woman beside the procession was the same one Lan Yan had seen at her doorstep a few days ago.
He clenched his fist, suppressing the fierceness in his eyes, and continued walking.
Lan Yan looked over with a puzzled expression and saw the troop escorting a luxurious sedan chair in the middle. She asked a nearby civilian, "Who is in this sedan chair?"
"That's the courtesan from Manxiang Tower. She's just returned from performing at the Ming Manor, and Master Ming sent people to escort her back."
"Master Ming is the wealthiest man in our town. He often invites the courtesan to his manor. Many years ago, there was a renowned courtesan named Zhi Lan, who was said to be his paramour."
Seeing the crowd getting more gossipy, Lan Yan lost interest and turned to call out, "Jun..." But Jun Yelan had already walked ahead, so she hurried to catch up.
She panted as she followed, noticing Jun Yelan's expression was even worse than before, tinged with anger. "Jun Yelan, what's wrong?"
"What? Do you want to humiliate me further?" Jun Yelan's voice grew colder, and a vein throbbed on his forehead.
Lan Yan was momentarily stunned, then remembered. Lan Chuo had bought Jun Yelan from a brothel and brought him home to be a child groom for the original owner.
Jun Yelan's mother was a woman from the brothel, and he had grown up there. After his mother died, he was sold by the madam.
She recalled that the madam had intended to sell Jun Yelan to a wealthy man, but Jun Yelan suddenly fell ill, which led to him being sold to Lan Chuo at a low price. Furthermore, the original owner had always shamed Jun Yelan because of this, belittling him.
No wonder Jun Yelan had been acting strangely since earlier; he had been triggered. Looking into Jun Yelan's eyes, she said, "I never intended that. Today's events were just coincidental."
"I didn't know the way, so I wanted you to take me to the apothecary. And your injury today was for the wild boar; I was worried about your wound and wanted you to get it checked."
It was all the fault of the original owner for doing so many unscrupulous things in the past, causing Jun Yelan to completely misunderstand her actions.
Jun Yelan looked at Lan Yan's downcast and wronged expression and suddenly felt he should trust the person before him. It had been deliberate before, but this time it didn't seem so.
He said nothing in the end and simply walked ahead.
Lan Yan sighed again. Together with Jun Yelan, they bought rice, flour, oil, salt, and several pieces of cloth, returning home in silence.
Halfway home, her stomach rumbled again. This time, she said nothing, as they would be home soon anyway. But a steamed bun was offered to her. She turned and looked at Jun Yelan, confused.
Jun Yelan avoided her gaze. "You bought these. They're for you." Lan Yan had been chattering earlier, and her sudden silence made him a little unaccustomed.
Lan Yan shook her head. "Give them to my elder brother." She continued walking towards home, deciding to speak less since she had angered Jun Yelan today.
Jun Yelan clenched the bun in his hand, quickened his pace to follow, feeling a strange sense of irritation.
As the two reached the doorstep, they saw someone standing there.