Due to Zong Zhao's poor emotional control, Xu Wan followed his lead, and neither of them attended the funeral at the Zhao Family. Seeing his low spirits, Xu Wan casually invited him to accompany her and their child to a lesson in the outskirts of the capital.
To her surprise, he agreed.
Inside the carriage heading to the outskirts, Xu Wan and Zong Zhao sat side by side.
The little troublemaker, Zong Jincheng, was displeased—that spot had always been his, and now he couldn’t snuggle up to his mother. Pouting, he grumbled, "Dad, why did you decide to come with us today?"
Xu Wan immediately shot him a look—the kid was clearly trying to stir up trouble, but he showed no signs of backing down.
Zong Zhao casually replied, "To protect you."
The words struck Zong Jincheng like an arrow to the chest.
Oh right—the imperial exams were in two days. Once they finished their last preparations, they’d enter the examination hall. His father must have put aside all his own affairs to personally ensure his safety during these critical days.
The little devil, who had been ready to compete with Zong Zhao for attention, was suddenly overwhelmed with guilt. He felt like slapping himself twice—how could he have been so petty?
Zong Jincheng fake-sobbed dramatically, "Wahhh… Dad, you’re so good to me! So thoughtful, I’m so touched!"
Zong Zhao: "…" Kid, you’re overacting.
Xu Wan silently covered her face to hide her laughter. Zong Zhao had played it perfectly—three words, and the little rascal was completely disarmed. Content originally comes from novel-fire.ɴet
The carriage jolted along the road.
Xu Wan turned to Zong Jincheng and said, "Mr. Su has been teaching you for over a month. Today’s lesson is the grand finale—enjoy the joy of digging up sweet potatoes. Once you become officials, you won’t have much free time for outings ."
"Yeah," Zong Jincheng nodded, then asked, "Mom, when will Mr. Su leave? Will he go right after we enter the examination hall?"
At first, he had found the eccentric old man annoying, but after enduring his methods for so long, he’d grown accustomed to Su Xi’s teaching style. As his mother had said, everything Su Xi did was to improve their poetry skills. Now, faced with their impending farewell, Zong Jincheng felt a pang of reluctance.
Xu Wan shook her head. "I’m not sure. I’ll try to persuade him to stay until you return from the exams, so you can properly say goodbye."
Zong Jincheng quickly nodded. "Yes! Mom, you have to convince him to wait for us!"
Xu Wan chuckled. "Mr. Su is in the other carriage right now. You’ll have the whole day together—why don’t you tell him yourself later?"
The little troublemaker shrank back. "Nah… I can’t say that. It’s too mushy."
"What’s so mushy about it?" Xu Wan teased. "You little tsundere."
Zong Jincheng turned away, refusing to listen.
When they arrived at the farm in the outskirts, Xu Wan arranged with the locals to rent a plot for sweet potato digging. The farmers had never seen anything like it—people paying to do manual labor—and they grinned from ear to ear, handing out hoes and shovels.
After a month of training, the young masters were already familiar with farm tools. They each took one and listened as Su Xi explained the steps for digging up sweet potatoes.
Xu Wan watched attentively from a short distance away, curiosity drawing her closer. Zong Zhao walked beside her, observing and learning as well.
Su Xi’s sharp-tongued teaching style resumed: "Clear the weeds and rocks first, or you’ll miss your mark when you swing the hoe. Loosen the soil—don’t just hack at it, or you’ll smash the sweet potatoes. Toss them into the bucket, not at your feet—you’ll crush them underfoot. And why are you switching holes after digging up just one? There are more underneath—keep digging, be thorough."
Shen Yibai groaned, "Got it, got it! Sir, take a break already—my ears are hurting from all your nagging."
Su Xi smirked. "Oh? You’ve got quite the attitude, kid. Fine, I’ll check back later. If you’re not in the top three, you’ll be writing extra poems tonight."
Shen Yibai stuck out his tongue playfully, then shouldered his little hoe and got to work, targeting the plants with the largest leaves—big leaves meant big sweet potatoes!
Su Xi wandered the field until he found the perfect spot. Sneakily, he swiped two sweet potatoes from Zong Jincheng’s bucket and whispered conspiratorially to Xu Wan, "Come on, let’s go roast these."
Xu Wan glanced at Zong Jincheng, who was too absorbed in digging to notice the missing potatoes. Meanwhile, Su Xi had already dropped to the ground, unconcerned about dirt, and started digging a pit with his bare hands.
Xu Wan quickly fetched a shovel. "Here, sir—use this."
Su Xi took it without hesitation, muttering, "The real fun of digging sweet potatoes is roasting a few right here in the field. Otherwise, what’s the point? Heh… General Zong—er, Zong Zhao?"
Zong Zhao replied, "Just call me by my name, sir."
Su Xi, never one for formalities, grinned. "Zong Zhao, you’re a good sport. I’ll need some firewood for roasting… Mind lending a hand?"
Zong Zhao nodded. "Of course. I’ll gather some."
With that, he strode off to collect twigs and dry leaves, filling a bamboo basket without a care for the dirt.
As Su Xi dug the pit, he remarked to Xu Wan, who was cleaning the sweet potatoes, "Your husband’s a decent man—good temper, humble despite his high rank, approachable. Much more reasonable than that brute Luo Jingfeng."
Xu Wan stifled a laugh. If only Mr. Su knew Zong Zhao better, he wouldn’t call him "good-tempered." Still, she’d once made the same mistake.
Amused, she replied, "True, but comparing him to the Duke of State Protection… Well, most people would seem reasonable by that standard."
Su Xi burst out laughing. "That arrogant whelp Luo Jingfeng—no sense of decency. Mark my words, he’ll get his comeuppance sooner or later. I just wonder how long it’ll take."
Hearing his lingering resentment, Xu Wan teased, "After all this time, you’re still holding a grudge? Should I have Jincheng ask the Duke to apologize once the exams are over?"
Su Xi snorted. "Bah! As if that hothead would listen to an adopted son."
Then he paused mid-shovel.
Then again, Luo Jingfeng had gone to such lengths to drag him here—all for Zong Jincheng’s sake.
Suddenly, Su Xi perked up.
He chuckled gleefully and said to Xu Wan, "Ah, so that rascal Luo’s reckoning is already on its way! When he finally gets his due, you must write to me—I want to savor every moment of his downfall!"