Chapter 78
Chapter 78: Almond Pudding Promise
At first light, Lin Qing Xuan rose.
Before the household fully stirred, he had already instructed his personal attendant, Chen Shi, to go buy the ingredients for almond pudding.
Chen Shi stood outside the study door, scratching his head, looking utterly blank.
“Young Master, almond pudding… what am I even supposed to buy?”
Lin Qing Xuan glanced at him. His voice stayed calm, giving nothing away.
“Almonds, milk, honey, and japonica rice.”
Chen Shi let out an “oh,” but his memory was hopeless. He kept muttering the list under his breath as he turned to leave.
He made it two steps, then stopped again. His face tightened with hesitation, and he looked back carefully.
“Young Master, maybe… maybe have Miss Xiao Man write me a list? She’s good with her hands. She’ll know what to choose. I’m afraid I’ll buy the wrong thing.”
Lin Qing Xuan was practicing calligraphy. His brush paused. Ink, heavy and wet, bled across the paper in a dark bloom, ruining the clean order of the characters.
His brow furrowed.
He lowered his eyes to the stain, stared for a beat, and then—just like that—changed his mind.
“Go ask her.”
Chen Shi took the order and bolted.
He found Xiao Man crouched on a low stool by the kitchen door, fully absorbed in peeling almonds. When he called out to her in a rush, she lifted her head; a dusting of pale almond flakes clung to her cheek.
“Almond pudding? You’re buying ingredients?”
Chen Shi nodded so hard his neck almost snapped and repeated Lin Qing Xuan’s words.
“Yes, yes—Young Master said almonds, milk, honey, and japonica rice. But I don’t know how to pick. Does it even matter?”
“Of course it matters!”
Xiao Man brushed her hands clean and stood in one smooth motion.
“At the market, almonds come bitter and sweet. Almond pudding needs the sweet kind. And some blackhearted sellers water down the milk. You bring it back and it’s thin as broth—your pudding won’t taste right. You have to know how to choose.”
Chen Shi listened until his head felt twice its size, his expression screaming for mercy.
Xiao Man took one look and made a clean decision.
“Then take me with you. I’ll pick everything myself. Nothing will go wrong.”
Chen Shi’s face pinched into misery.
“I… I can’t decide that, Miss Xiao Man. It’s not safe for you to leave the manor on your own. I have to ask Eldest Young Master.”
He sprinted back to the study and reported every word.
“Young Master, Miss Xiao Man says there are tricks to it at the market. She wants to go herself.”
Lin Qing Xuan’s hand paused midair, brush hovering. A flicker of amusement slid through his eyes—so quick it could have been imagined.
Once the thought surfaced, it refused to be pressed down again.
He set the brush aside and looked up at Chen Shi, who was still standing there.
“Stone. Have the outer courtyard prepare the carriage.”
Chen Shi froze.
“Huh? Young Master, you’re going out? Then… then Miss Xiao Man—”
“I’m going with her.”
Lin Qing Xuan stood, straightened his sleeves, and added, “Go tell her. The carriage is waiting outside.”
He paused, his mouth betraying him with the faintest lift.
“And don’t tell her I’m in it.”
Xiao Man heard the carriage was ready and went at once, lifting the small bamboo basket she’d prepared and heading for the outer courtyard. She walked quickly, still muttering to herself as if counting steps and tasks.
When she reached the carriage, she didn’t think twice. She lifted the heavy curtain—and went rigid.
Inside, Lin Qing Xuan sat with a book in his hand, dressed in a plain white robe.
Morning light filtered through the thin gauze, softening his clean profile, tracing him in gentle gold—down to the tips of his lashes.
Seeing her frozen outside, he lifted his eyes. Those usually cool, distant eyes held a shallow, unmistakable smile.
“Are you getting on or not?”
Heat rushed straight to Xiao Man’s ears. Her words stumbled out in a tangle.
“Eldest Young Master… why are you—”
“On the way,” he said, lying without blinking, his tone so even it almost sounded true. “I’m going to Fa Hua Temple to give a sutra lecture.”
The little person in her mind rolled around laughing until it hurt.
She bit it back, climbed into the carriage, and sat properly across from him.
No sooner had she settled than Lin Qing Xuan spoke again.
“It’s my day off. You don’t need to stand on ceremony.”
Xiao Man blinked. Somehow, that made her brave. She tested the edge of it.
“Then… can I call you by your name?”
Lin Qing Xuan’s fingers tightened around the book until his knuckles paled. Eyes lowered, he pushed out a single quiet sound.
“Mm.”
Xiao Man’s grin broke wide and bright. She called him clearly, almost cheerfully.
“Lin Qing Xuan!”
His breath caught hard.
That name, that tone—it matched the dream too perfectly, the one he never dared to touch when awake.
Something inside him surged, loud and reckless.
He reached across the low table between them, lifted a stray strand of hair at her temple, and tucked it behind her ear. His fingertips were warm—and they brushed the rim of her burning ear, light as an accident, deliberate as a promise.
“…Mm,” he answered again, voice lower.
Under the carriage, a black cat lay with its tail curled, watching with lazy satisfaction.
“Tsk, tsk. The Buddhist scion’s heart has fallen to the mortal world, and now he lies without even blinking…”
When it had enjoyed enough, it arched its back, kicked off with its hind legs, and turned into a bolt of black lightning. It leapt onto the carriage and dove straight into the cabin.
“Meow!”
The impact hit Xiao Man square in the lower back.
She gasped, pitched forward—and in the same instant, Lin Qing Xuan tossed his book aside and swept an arm around her, pulling her into his chest.
Cool sandalwood wrapped around her like a net.
“Careful,” he ordered, voice deep by her ear.
Her cheek pressed against his steady warmth. Through thin cloth, she heard his heart—fast, heavy, drumming like a warbeat, loud enough to numb her senses.
In the corner, the culprit, the black cat Tuan Tuan, sat prim as a little judge. Its tail tip wagged with excitement, eyes shining as it stared at the two of them held together.
“Tuan Tuan!”
“One more stunt and I’ll lock you in a cage!”
They spoke at the same time.
Xiao Man flushed with shame and anger. Lin Qing Xuan’s own ears reddened; his voice had gone rough around the edges.
When the words fell, both of them froze. Then they looked at each other—and saw the same surprise reflected back.
They were far too in sync.
Xiao Man broke first, letting out a helpless laugh.
Tuan Tuan, meanwhile, understood its situation immediately. The carriage was too cramped; even as a cat, it wouldn’t get far if they decided to catch it.
A wise creature knew when to bend.
So Tuan Tuan sat up straight, lifted its paws, and began bowing to Xiao Man with frantic sincerity.
The sight was so shameless it drained the last of her anger.
Xiao Man gathered Tuan Tuan into her arms and rubbed its sleek black fur. “Hmph. Now you know fear?”
Tuan Tuan purred, eyes narrowing in pleasure. It melted into her like warm ink—and then, pushing its luck, rubbed its head against her chest with greedy affection.
That indecent inner voice rang clear as bells, landing in both Xiao Man’s and Lin Qing Xuan’s ears.
“You little pervert cat!” Xiao Man hissed, mortified, hands closing around its head as she tried to lift it away.
Before she could, Lin Qing Xuan’s hand shot in. His face was dark.
He seized Tuan Tuan by the scruff and tossed it cleanly to the far end of the carriage.
His gaze was ice, his warning unspoken and absolute.
Tuan Tuan tumbled, seeing stars. The warm softness vanished. It bristled on the spot, back arched, baring teeth as it hissed at Lin Qing Xuan.
“Meow—!”
[You dare steal my spot!]