Fields of Gold

"Older Sister Yangliu, Second Older Sister was the one who told us to come over and choose the desserts we like!" Huang Zixu gave a quick excuse and then scuttled over to the area where the pastries were held. Wow! Next to the wall was a giant stand with five shelves on it and it was completely filled with all sorts of cakes and pastries. It was truly a sight to dazzle a person's eyes. What was to be done? He wanted to eat everything that was there!!

Yangliu commanded her subordinates to give each of the guests a tray and asked, "Honored guests, what would you all like to drink? Tea? Fruit juice? Coffee? Or how about some fruit tea?"

Liu Hongzhang had strolled over to the beverage area while all of his classmates were selecting pastries. He had been attracted by the rich fragrance of coffee. The beverages could all be had at the Yu's Tea Shop, but coffee was the newest addition to the lot. Every day it sold out very quickly. Because the shop didn't take reservations for it, people who wanted it needed to line up for a very long time before they could buy some. Thus, he hadn't had the chance to try any until now!

"Could you give me a cup of coffee, please?" Liu Hongzhang naturally couldn't miss out on this opportunity.

"Alright. Do you want to add the cream and sugar yourself or would you prefer to have us mix it up instead?" Yangliu personally poured a cup of just brewed coffee in a cup and quietly asked.

"Older Sister Yangliu, mix it up to suit the average person's tastes! Older Brother Liu, although coffee has a very rich aroma, its bitter taste is not something to be underestimated and the average person cannot stand the taste of it alone. It's better to add more cream and sugar to it to make it taste better!" Little Shitou gave his opinion to help out. Compared to the bitter coffee, he vastly preferred the sweet taste of fruit juice.

In the blink of an eye, he noticed that his close pals were all crazily adding one plate after another on their trays. None of them seemed to be slowing down, so he didn't know whether he should laugh or cry. He hastily reminded them, "Are you all sure you want to take that many pastries back? The noon meal will be catered by the Medicinal Cuisine House. If you guys don't have any room in your stomachs to eat 'Buddha Jumps Over the Wall', then don't blame me for not warning you all first!"

"That's right ah! We're going to eat Buddha Jumps Over the Wall for lunch!!!" Zang Borui, who had taken the most pastries earlier, hurriedly put one small plate after another back on the shelves. He needed to save some room in his stomach such that he'd have enough space to enjoy the legendary delicacy——Buddha Jumps Over the Wall!

"Young Master, Young Master! A few of your schoolmates have arrived and your lord father sent me over to ask you, do you want to receive them in your study or have them all go to the reception pavilion?" Little Shitou's personal servant panted as he ran over.

Little Shitou thought for a bit and then ordered, "Take them to my study ah! The teachers are all in the reception pavilion. If we head over there, then it'd be hard for us to leave later on!"

"Right, right! Younger Brother Shitou is the thoughtful one here!" Zang Borui smiled foolishly as he held his tray full of beverages and desserts in his hands. He had bumped into something and now everything was clanking on top.

"Thank you, Older Brother Big and Strong, for your compliments!" Little Shitou's flippant reply caused the older youth to eat his own words. He closed his mouth dispiritedly. Liu Hongzhang was sipping coffee at the side and was appreciating his arch-enemy getting put in his place.

"Just what are you looking at?! It's all your fault, telling others my childhood nickname!! Is it that great to not have one ah? All that means is that no one cares about you at home, hmph hmph. Just wait. I'll find your weakness one day!!" Zang Borui angrily stuffed a piece of matcha cake into his mouth. Only the sweet taste of pastries was able to soothe his ruffled heart!

The lively Huang Zixu shot a glance at Imperial Prince Xu, who was helping receive the guests with a faint smile on his face. The youth's eyes roved around a bit and then he sidled over to Little Shitou to whisper, "Yu Fan, Imperial Prince Xu is as cold and hard as a giant ice cube. Our second sister is so delicate and weak, so how'd she end up liking him? Could it be that Imperial Prince Xu used his power and might and forced her to marry him ah? Don't worry, although our family's power and influence cannot compare to his, we can't allow him to take advantage of his position to bully other people! Even if we need to bring this fight to the emperor, we still need to save Second Older Sister from his evil clutches!"

"Older Brother Zixu, did you lose your mind ah?" Little Shitou rolled his eyes at the older youth and huffed, "Do you think that I, Yu Fan, am an unscrupulous person who would sell my own older sister for my personal glory and honor ah? Are you blind? If my second sister didn't like that guy, I would risk my own life to prevent their marriage!"

"That's right, that's right! Zixu, if you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all! Earlier, our second older sister smiled so sweetly and happily, so how could she possibly be the one being forced into a marriage? Our second older sister is so capable and talented, who could possibly force her to do anything?" Zang Borui had already become Xiaocao's faithful and crazy fanboy.

Huang Zixu thought about his own older sister, who was unable to do as she wished, and couldn't help but mumble, "No matter how capable she is, she is still a woman. Just how many women in this world are actually able to take their lives and happiness into their own hands?"

He said this with an undertone of deep emotion. His most beloved older sister, who was fully related to him, had actually been married off by his father to become the second wife of a widower. She was now the stepmother of a five year old. This only happened because that man, her now husband, was able to help his father in his career. At that time, he had also argued and fought for his older sister. Unfortunately, his father refused to listen to anyone. If Imperial Prince Xu had set his eyes on Yu Fan's second older sister, with his status and position, how could the Yu Family possibly refuse him?

The rumors all said that Imperial Prince Xu was a tyrannical and grim man who had cruel methods in his hands. He had also gone onto the battlefield and killed people as if they were nothing. Earlier he had just met the prince's eyes once and he was frightened until his heart froze and almost forgot to breathe. Yu Fan's second older sister was a delicate and delicate young maiden. Wouldn't she faint instantly as soon as Imperial Prince Xu glared at her? Huang Zixu was truly worried for Yu Xiaocao!

Yu Fan chuckled and put an arm around Huang Zixu's shoulders as he whispered, "You're truly thinking too much right now. Although Imperial Prince Xu normally looks quite fierce and vicious, in front of my older sister, he's as obedient as a house dog."

It wasn't just Huang Zixu who didn't believe him. None of his classmates did. They all stared at him with a look that said, 'Can you at least say a believable lie?'.

"You all don't believe me? Let me prove it right now for you all!" Little Shitou's eyes flickered as a mischievous smile appeared on his lips.

He walked up to his father who was talking to Zhu Junyang and revealed a sincere look. He stared at the prince with a half-smile on his face as he said, "Future Brother-in-law, earlier I saw my second sister in the back kitchen. She said that she was wearing a set of purple clothing but didn't have any hairpins that matched with it. I remember that Wisdom Jade Pavilion seemed to have just finished carving a set of purple jadeite hair decorations yesterday and it would match my sister's clothing splendidly."

Although Zhu Junyang felt a burst of happiness when he heard himself being addressed as 'Future Brother-in-law', he hadn't lost his head over it. Ordinarily, when this youngster saw him, he acted like an angry little toad, puffed up with anger. It was as if he owed Little Shitou a few hundred taels or something. Today, on the other hand, he had flipped his attitude, so there must be something fishy.

He let out a bit of his ability and read the youngster's thoughts: 'Faster, go help my older sister get it. Don't you always do everything you can for her ah? It's time for you to show off your stuff!! Let my best friends see how sincere you are to her ah!'

This stinky brat was using him as a joke ah! His schoolmates were all a bit too imaginative, right? They actually thought that he, as the grand and magnificent Imperial Prince Xu, would actually use his immense power to force the Yu Family to promise their daughter to him...they all had too much time on their hands!!

However, he had to give face to his younger brother-in-law. He stared at Little Shitou for a bit with a faint smile on his lips until the youth finally looked away sheepishly. Only then did he raise his voice, "That set of hairpins was especially made for your second sister. This prince will go get it for her now!"

When he finished that statement, he whispered quietly into Little Shitou's ear, "Since you called me brother-in-law, I will play along with you this time. Remember that you owe me, your brother-in-law, for this ah!"

Little Shitou replied in a somewhat unnatural manner as he wasn't willing to admit his motives in doing this, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Do you think that you can hide your little tricks from me? If your older sister wanted me to get that set of hairpins for her, she would directly tell me and not play word gymnastics, saying that something matched something else. You, ah, always brag about how close you are with your second older sister but you don't really understand her personality! Also, young children shouldn't get into the habit of telling lies!" After he finished this, he used his large and powerful hand to ruffle his future younger brother-in-law's hair.

Little Shitou did his best to dodge the claw that was messing up his hair and growled, "I'm not telling lies. I'm just testing to see how much you care about my second older sister! Also, a man's head and a woman's waist are not areas where other people should be touching. So stop it!"

"Psh...you're a little brat who hasn't even grown facial hair, so what right do you have to call yourself a man ah? And you also know that a woman's waist is not to be touched, which makes it sound like you've tried to do that before! Does this prince need a brat like you to test my love for my future princess consort? All I need is your second older sister's approval, as for everyone else...this prince doesn't care!" Zhu Junyang threw an aggressive look at the group of five who were peeking over in the distance. He glanced at all of them, scaring the five brats into complete silence.

Imperial Prince Xu's tyrannical aura had just been exposed. Just one glance from him was enough to cause a person's heart to start pounding. Furthermore, his oppressive manner and words had truly shown just how much importance he placed on Yu Fan's Second Older Sister.

"Who are you calling a bat who hasn't grown facial hair yet? I'm already sixteen years old! There are many guys at this age who are already fathers because they married early!" Little Shitou continued to hop around Imperial Prince Xu, who was taller than him by half a head. He resembled a tiny flea bouncing around. Although he claimed he was sixteen that was according to traditional method of reckoning , in actuality, he had just passed his fifteenth birthday.

Zhu Junyang ignored his complaints and reached out a hand to pinch Little Shitou's cheeks a couple of times and then turned around to speak to Yu Hai for a moment. Then, he took Hou Xiaoliang with him as he left the Yu Residence. His Treasure Pavilion had gotten a shipment of pink diamonds recently, and he had commanded the craftsmen to work overtime to make a set of jewelry. They should be done today, so it was just in time for him to give out his present during his future younger brother-in-law's birthday. The little lass would definitely look quite stunning wearing this new set of jewelry to receive the guests. The future Princess Consort Xu's good name was also his good name. Mhm! He needed to personally retrieve this set to look more serious and solemn!

When they saw Imperial Prince Xu leave, Yu Fan's five best friends immediately gathered over and they complimented Little Shitou to the heavens in an esteemed manner, "Xiaofan, you're too sick!! You even dare to quibble head on with that imposing face…"

"But, how come I feel like there was something fishy going on? Like you're not as strong as you seem ah?"

"Go scram! If Imperial Prince Xu stood in front of you, you wouldn't even dare to let out a fart. How do you have the face to claim that he's not as strong as he seems ah?"

"It would be the embarrassment of a lifetime to fart in front of Imperial Prince Xu. If I had a fart coming out I would definitely have to hold it back!"

"However, Xiaofan, Imperial Prince Xu seems to treat you quite well as the younger brother-in-law ah! He even strokes your hair and pinches your face. Even when he talks to you, he speaks in a gentle manner and has a slight smile on his face."

"Now I truly believe that our second sister hasn't been threatened or forced into this upcoming marriage. From the way Imperial Prince Xu treats Xiaofan and Uncle Yu, it's more than enough to prove just how much he esteems our second sister."

Little Shitou grumpily waved a hand, "Do I need you guys to say this? You were the ones who were doubtful, wondering if something bad was going on, and insisted on speculating on whether Imperial Prince Xu loves my second sister or not. You forced me to lose all face in front of that fellow!"

"Eh? Imperial Prince Xu found out what you were trying to do? Then why did he head out of the residence?" Zang Borui scratched his head as he asked in puzzlement.

"You're asking me, but who can I ask now? Let's go to my study and help me receive the other guests!" Little Shitou didn't want to continue on this topic. That fellow could go do whatever he wanted!

[1] traditional method of reckoning - Traditional method of accounting for age in Chinese Culture states that you're one year old when you're born. It's a bit more complicated than that but that's the simplified version.