Help! The Frosty Noble's Son Is in Love With Me!-Chapter 266: Happy Times

Qu Fulan said, "Tea must be picked at dawn because it is cool and humid then, preserving the tea leaves’ flavor to the greatest extent. It has to be done by women who haven’t done dirty or tiring work; only then does the taste become most fragrant."

Pei Ji’an showed a look of confusion, "I understand the part about those who haven’t done dirty or tiring work, but why does it have to be women?"

Qu Fulan explained without hesitation, "Because a woman’s skin is delicate, allowing her to pick the tenderest tea leaves. Plus, the natural fragrance from women makes the picked tea leaves smell good and naturally much better than those picked by smelly men."

Pei Ji’an burst into laughter, full of joy: "You have a point. Jian has learned something new."

Qu Fulan rarely saw the Heir Pei laugh so heartily. In the past, he only slightly smiled, or offered a polite smile during social occasions. This sincere laughter was somewhat captivating.

It turns out a person’s smile can be infectious too, and she instinctively started laughing as well.

"Want to go tea picking?" Pei Ji’an asked.

"If I say I want to, will you take me there?" Qu Fulan retorted.

"Why not?" Pei Ji’an even showed an expression of longing, "You’re good-looking; the tea leaves you pick will surely be very fragrant and delicious."

Seeing his yearning expression, Qu Fulan paused before saying, "Then when the fresh tender tea leaves come out, the Princely Heir must remember today’s promise. Fulan will definitely pick a whole basket of tea leaves for you."

"It’s a deal."

As they walked on, Qu Fulan started to feel a bit tired. The two of them rested on a stone, and Qu Fulan looked at the stone and even spun a historical tale out of it.

"Seeing this stone, I was reminded of a wild history book I once read, which recorded a Dream-Inspiring Stone. It’s named so because of a story."

Qu Fulan began to narrate.

"Once there was a scholar who failed every exam. By the time the Great Yan era came, he still hadn’t passed. One day, after getting drunk, he stumbled beside a stone and mistook it for his ancestor, kowtowing and offering sacrifices, asking for mercy to grant him a government post. When he woke up, he took the imperial exam and surprisingly became a scholar. The stone became famous, and everyone who took the imperial exam would go to it to pay respects."

Pei Ji’an listened, engrossed: "Is there really such a person? Where is he serving now?"

Of course, it was a fabrication.

Qu Fulan had merely taken historical events and mixed them up, "True or false, I can’t really say. It was just in a wild history book I saw, and that book has disappeared now, so it can’t be verified. But that’s not the most important thing. Does the Princely Heir know what’s most important?"

Pei Ji’an looked at her, curious: "What is it?"

"After that person became a scholar, he was so happy he went mad and never became an official. Like Yang Bailao, he worked in vain."

"Hahaha," Pei Ji’an laughed heartily again.

Seeing him laugh, Qu Fulan also laughed along.

After laughing, Pei Ji’an asked, "Who is Yang Bailao?"

"Uh... Yang Bailao represents the common folk, renting land from a landlord, always in debt to them, never fully paying it off even in old age. Isn’t that just working in vain?"

Jian smiled and said, "Where did you learn all these strange and fascinating things?"

Qu Fulan spoke calmly, "I read them all in wild history books."

Pei Ji’an didn’t ask further.

Along the way, Qu Fulan was talkative, turning the smallest matters into something extraordinarily interesting, keeping the Heir Pei smiling throughout.

Happy times always fly by quickly, and soon it was dark. The two of them didn’t immediately return to Pudu Temple.

It was mainly because Qu Fulan, having stayed there for a long time, rarely got out and naturally didn’t want to go back quickly.

The Heir Pei was set to leave early the next morning, so he wasn’t in a hurry to go back either. He had initially worried about the cool night air and wanted to persuade her to return, but seeing her excited, he was happy to accompany her, lending her his cloak and starting a fire by the river.

He lit the fire very skillfully, and soon the wood was burning.

Qu Fulan watched with great interest.

She had watched many outdoor survival shows before, where people left behind the hustle and bustle of big cities to survive alone in the deep mountains with only a knife.

Starting a fire by friction was usually a basic survival skill, but while it looked easy, it was hard to do. Therefore, Qu Fulan held a lot of respect for those who practiced this skill.

Though the Heir Pei was nobly born, he had been in the army before and probably experienced quite a bit of outdoor survival. Starting a fire in the wild wasn’t hard for him.

But what was hard was that, as a young master of noble status, how did he forsake the bustling Capital City to live such an arduous life at the border?

That not only required resolve but also a certain degree of courage and determination.

Qu Fulan remembered someone mentioning that the Pei Family went through a tough time before, and he must have developed his resolve at that time.

She didn’t know exactly what hardships the Pei Mansion had gone through, nor did she ask. Everyone’s hard times are difficult, equivalent to scars she wouldn’t peel off to satisfy her curiosity.

But she was interested in how he rose in the army.

"When the Princely Heir first entered the army camp, what rank did you start from?"

Qu Fulan had her suspicions; Pei’s parents held significant positions at the border, and he should have received some advantage, not likely starting as an ordinary soldier like those without background.

"I started from the lowest level cook, sleeping on wooden planks and straw mats every day," Pei Ji’an laughed.

Qu Fulan: "..."

The firelight flickered on his face, making his smile genuine and sincere, showing no embarrassment in recounting that extremely difficult time.

"Why did the Marquis and Madam have you start from being a cook? Isn’t that overkill?" Qu Fulan asked.

"There were no status distinctions in the army, at least not under my parents’ management. If I wanted to go, there was only one condition: start as a low-level cook and not complain about hardships. Only if I persevered could I stay."

Though cooks only needed to prepare meals and weren’t as exhausted as soldiers on the battlefield, they were the most bullied because others saw them as mere cooks, relaxing and safe and therefore subject to venting, being bossed around, and made to do all sorts of dirty and menial tasks like laundry.

Qu Fulan couldn’t imagine, "Did you actually wash clothes for others?"

"How could I?" Pei Ji’an recalled the past, his mouth curving unconsciously, his expressions growing livelier, "Those who challenged me couldn’t beat me. I wouldn’t do laundry for losers."

But at a young age, with a frail body, even if he could beat one or two, he couldn’t take on a collective. People banded together and gave the Heir Pei a good thrashing.

His anecdotes were amusing, and Qu Fulan couldn’t help but chuckle, "And then?"

"Afterwards, I avenged myself while they slept, giving each a good beating once, twice, thrice. They had training by day and needed sleep at night, but I didn’t. Unable to outlast me, they stopped causing trouble."

"Hahaha," Qu Fulan couldn’t believe that the seemingly dignified Heir Pei would resort to sneaky tactics if he couldn’t win outright.