Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Male Lead
Tang Lu Wu and Tang Yi Xiao stood at the entrance of the private school, clutching the bamboo tubes.

Inside, loud, rhythmic recitation rolled through the air—those endless lines of zhi hu zhe ye they couldn’t understand. They only knew that the muddy hems of their clothes didn’t belong here.

They lingered too long. An old man sweeping the yard paused and looked up at them. “Who are you looking for?”

“Sir,” Tang Yi Xiao said, keeping his voice respectful, “we’re looking for Tang Yi Chen. We’re his younger brother and sister.”

“So you’re Young Master Tang’s family.” The old man’s face softened immediately. “Wait a moment. I’ll go ask Young Master Tang to come out.”

He disappeared inside.

As they waited, Tang Yi Xiao lowered his voice. “I heard our brother is taking the exam this time. With his learning, he’ll definitely earn the licentiate. We must not distract him.”

“I know,” Tang Lu Wu whispered back, craning her neck as if she could see through the walls. “But Auntie Li and Sister Yin have changed a lot. Should we tell older brother about it?”

“Forget it,” Tang Yi Xiao said flatly. “Don’t say anything yet. Older brother doesn’t need to deal with household matters—he just needs to focus on the exam.”

Tang Lu Wu frowned. “You make it sound like they’re being nice for no reason.”

Tang Yi Xiao’s eyes were dark with something older than his age. “Do you think they’re being nice out of kindness? Dad can’t get out of bed. Someone has to do the work at home. If they get along with us, we’ll be willing to be their hired hands. Isn’t that a good deal for them?”

Tang Lu Wu bit her lip. “Maybe Sister Yin really wants to be a family with us. Otherwise she wouldn’t have had us bring food to older brother. Only family members think of each other like that.”

Tang Yi Xiao let out a quiet breath. “Sister, didn’t you hear them just now? On the surface it’s delivering food to older brother. Really, it’s showing their faces here so more people know about something called Chilled Jelly Noodles.”

Before Tang Lu Wu could answer, footsteps approached.

A youth in a blue robe walked over slowly.

Blue robes were the private school’s standard uniform. White trim framed the collar, clean and refined against the fabric. A dark sash cinched his waist, making his posture look straight and proper. He wasn’t very old, still a bit green around the brows, but his features were gentle and cultured, carrying a calm purity like ink-dark bamboo.

“Lu Wu, Xiao Di,” Tang Yi Chen said, surprise flashing across his face. “Why are you here?”

“Older brother!” Tang Lu Wu’s eyes brightened. The two of them hurried forward, excitement spilling out despite themselves.

Seeing how agitated they were, Tang Yi Chen’s brows drew together. “Did something happen at home? That… Madam Li gave you trouble?”

When he said that woman, disgust and contempt sharpened his gaze.

“No,” Tang Yi Xiao said quickly. “We brought you something.”

He pulled the bamboo tubes from the basket and offered them up.

Tang Yi Chen looked down. “What is it?”

“Food,” Tang Lu Wu said, watching him eagerly. “Really tasty food. Older brother, try it.”

Tang Yi Chen hesitated a beat.

He hadn’t been home in 10 days. His sister seemed… different. Less timid. Brighter.

He opened a bamboo tube.

White strips lay coated in sauce, with a few pieces of meat spread across the top. He hadn’t even tasted it yet, but the smell alone told him it couldn’t be bad.

Under his younger siblings’ hopeful stares, he picked up a strip and ate it.

Coolness rushed over his tongue and drove the heat out of his body like a wave pulling back.

This season was unbearable. Even though the sun had only just risen, the air already felt suffocating. A few rich classmates had pages fanning them. Some students wore thin clothes, even going bare-chested inside the school.

As the tutors’ most valued student, Tang Yi Chen was expected to be a model. He couldn’t do something that improper.

So he dressed more heavily than anyone. Even when he was hot enough that reading blurred, he kept the same proper, rule-abiding face in front of others.

The first bite shattered that control. He ate again, faster—only when he’d finished nearly half did he catch himself and slow down, realizing he’d lost his composure in front of his younger siblings.

“What is this?” he asked, voice steadier than he felt.

“This is Chilled Jelly Noodles,” Tang Yi Xiao said. “It was made by Madam Li and Qin Hui Yin. They’re selling it in the market.”

He gestured at the other tubes. “These portions are for the tutors and the teacher’s wife.”

“They made it?” Tang Yi Chen’s frown deepened. “Then why send it to me?”

Not long after Madam Li married in, his father had his accident. Madam Li hadn’t taken care of him—she cried and made a scene at home every day. For his father’s sake, Tang Yi Chen had tried to persuade her gently, but it was useless.

He’d urged his father to divorce her. Otherwise, with her screaming day after day, there would never be peace.

His father had pretended not to hear. He couldn’t bear to let that woman go. Even when she cried and made a scene, he still insisted on keeping her.

Tang Yi Chen stayed away as much as he could. School spared him the noise, but it left his younger siblings trapped at home with a mother and daughter who both had sharp tongues.

That woman’s daughter wasn’t easy to deal with either. She hid it well, but he could still see restless trouble in her eyes at a glance.

“They haven’t bullied you, have they?” he pressed, looking from one sibling to the other. “Tell me the truth.”

“No,” Tang Lu Wu said quickly. “Auntie Li hasn’t made a scene anymore. She and Sister Yin have been pretty good. Sister Yin had us bring this over so you and the tutors could taste it.”

Tang Yi Xiao hesitated, then said honestly, “They really haven’t made a scene lately. Qin Hui Yin made this Chilled Jelly Noodles and said she wants to do business. Madam Li listens to her about everything, running around doing all the work.”

Tang Yi Chen still didn’t quite believe it. His younger siblings were sensible—they often reported good news and hid the bad, afraid of distracting him.

Tang Yi Xiao met his eyes and spoke more firmly. “We help with the work, and we eat whatever they eat. They haven’t shorted us on food. Brother, you said it yourself. We’re still young and can’t live on our own. When we grow up and can stand on our own, we can break free from home.”

His voice dipped, fierce with quiet resolve. “You focus on your studies. As long as you earn an official title, no one will dare bully me and Sister anymore.”

Tang Lu Wu dug into her sleeve and held out six copper coins. “Yin Yin even gave me money. She’s changed a lot lately. It really seems like she wants to live properly with us.”

Tang Yi Chen stared at the coins, then at the bamboo tube in his hand. After a moment, his gaze sharpened with understanding.

“I think I see what they’re doing,” he said slowly. “They want the scholars at the private school to know Chilled Jelly Noodles exist, so they can draw in more customers. Right?”

“Probably,” Tang Yi Xiao admitted.

Tang Yi Chen nodded once. “Help me take these inside. I have two tutors and the teacher’s wife. There’s one left, and I plan to save it for a close classmate.”

They followed him in, careful and quiet.

By the time Tang Lu Wu and Tang Yi Xiao came back out, half an hour had passed. Worried Madam Li and Qin Hui Yin would be angry, they broke into a run.

They didn’t stop until they were panting—and when they reached the spot in the market, their hearts sank.

The stall was gone. Madam Li and Qin Hui Yin were gone too.

An old woman squatting across the way, selling mushrooms, called out when she saw their faces. “Hey! Your mom asked me to tell you—everything’s sold out. They went to buy a few things. Go find them at the butcher’s shop.”