TSMDH 5
Chapter 5: Throwing the Umbrella – He Looks Down on Him?
Yan Yao glanced at the rough envelope and felt a dull ache in his chest.
There were over a dozen kinds of envelopes sold at the bookstore. A peach blossom envelope cost just ten copper coins.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford it. He was probably just like those husbands married for years, thinking it less practical than rice and salt.
Yan Yao thought to himself, he wasn’t particularly fond of poetic or romantic gestures, but with someone as crude as Geng Yao, if they were forced into marriage, conversations would likely be as futile as playing the lute to a cow.
He had once hoped for a like-minded husband. Though he knew such emotional compatibility was rare, a small part of his heart still dared to hope.
The thought of breaking off the engagement surfaced again, making him irritable.
Yesterday, under the excuse of delivering something, he tested the waters with his father in the main residence. To his dismay, Father Yan’s stance on the marriage was firm, making Yan Yao hesitant to act rashly.
He couldn’t help but wonder—could Geng Yao be the lost son of some powerful figure? Otherwise, why would his ambitious father agree to marry him off to a mere pig butcher?
Geng Yao thought he’d have to wait a few days, but to his surprise, news came the very next morning.
A maid came carrying a food box and said, “Last time I saw Young Master Hou liked these pastries, so I brought some more.”
Her hand rested on the box with subtle intent, and Geng Yao understood immediately.
Once she left, he opened the box to find a letter hidden beneath the pastries, sealed in an apricot-colored envelope adorned with a few strokes of winter plum. It was quite tasteful.
He left the pastries on the table for Hou to eat and brought the letter back to his room. Before opening it, he lifted it to his nose and sniffed.
At the borderlands, the young men—even the "ge’ers"—were as bold as men and didn’t veil themselves in public.
Only now did Geng Yao realize clearly that ge’ers were indeed different from men. Even a letter was scented.
He opened it, and even the paper inside was fragrant.
Unlike his own blunt wording, Yan Yao’s letter was subtle and reserved.
Geng Yao translated it roughly: “I hear the peach groves outside the city are quite scenic lately. Tomorrow I’ll go out to Jiànshàn Temple to offer incense. On the way, I may stop and admire the view for a while.”
Geng Yao fell silent. Thankfully, he wasn’t newly transmigrated—otherwise, he’d really have no idea what this meant.
Also… no time?
So what time was he supposed to wait?
But since he was the one seeking the favor, Geng Yao respectfully asked his parents for leave and planned to head out early the next morning.
Only...
The next morning, he rose at dawn and stood in the courtyard, staring at the light rain, uncertain whether he should still go.
Honestly, ancient times really needed a weather forecast.
Yan Yao had sent the letter through a food box and written vaguely. Thinking of Yan Yao’s reputation as a ge’er, Geng Yao decided it wouldn’t be proper to send someone to ask.
After hesitating, he took an umbrella and left home.
Yan Yao saw the wet ground upon waking and gave up on leaving the city. After breakfast, he sent someone to the Geng household.
The servant returned with the news that Geng Yao had already gone out early. Yan Yao paused in surprise. A short while later, his carriage rolled out through the rain curtain.
By this season, the peach blossoms were long gone. Only a few fruits remained on the trees.
Geng Yao had bought a few steamed buns on his way out of the city for breakfast. For lunch, he simply picked a few peaches to satisfy his hunger, thinking Yan Yao probably wouldn’t show.
Still, unwilling to go back on his word, and with nothing better to do, he lingered under the octagonal pavilion listening to the rain.
By the time Yan Yao arrived, Geng Yao was standing by the riverside with an umbrella, idly skipping pebbles.
The rain had grown heavier, pattering noisily on the umbrella. It was both chaotic and quiet. Yan Yao watched him, noting how, though tall and imposing, the pig butcher seemed to have a childish heart.
He had assumed the man might’ve already left and had prepared for the possibility with a hurried face. Yet here he was, waiting leisurely like someone enjoying flowers in a courtyard stroll.
Perhaps sensing something, Geng Yao turned toward the pavilion. Yan Yao stood at the edge in sky-blue attire, holding an umbrella. His hem was already soaked with rain and muddied.
The maid from last time stood beside him.
Surprised, Geng Yao walked over quickly. But remembering the purpose of today’s meeting, he grew a little uncertain, though he didn’t show it.
All three stood beneath the pavilion as Geng Yao offered a friendly greeting. “It’s raining. I didn’t expect you to actually come.”
Yan Yao hadn’t worn his face veil today. He smiled gently but said nothing, his demeanor elegant and reserved.
He hadn’t slept all night, tossing and turning, wondering what face he should show Geng Yao.
Too much pretense could make breaking off the engagement harder later.
Too cold, and it could ruin his reputation. Reputation could be managed—but if he failed to break off the marriage and ended up marrying him after all, offending him now would be unwise.
Geng Yao found himself suddenly tongue-tied.
“Want a peach?” He offered the fruit in his hand. “I washed it.”
Yan Yao almost lost his polite smile. Still, he accepted it and said, “Thank you.”
With anyone else, he wouldn’t have cared, but knowing there was a marriage between them, he couldn’t help but examine every little gesture.
The rain hummed on. Geng Yao stepped back and respectfully saluted him.
Yan Yao, biting into the peach, looked at him in surprise.
“I apologize in advance,” Geng Yao said. “If I offend you with what I say, I beg your understanding.”
Yan Yao waited silently.
Choosing his words, Geng Yao began, “The Yan family saved my life. No amount of gratitude can repay that. If you ever need anything, I’ll do everything I can to help.”
“As for the engagement, the fault is mine.” He scratched his brow awkwardly. “I have a strange flaw—I’ve always liked girls.”
“I only found out about the engagement after returning to Ning’an County. When my mother mentioned it, I assumed it was to a young lady, so I agreed. That’s why it’s dragged on till now.”
“That day on the street, when I saw... Young Master Yan is the dragon among men, while I’m just a butcher. I’m truly unworthy. If you want to vent your anger, hit me, scold me—I won’t resist.”
Finishing, he bowed in apology again.
Yan Yao’s eyes widened in shock, then narrowed with suppressed fury as he stared at the short hair on the man’s head. His teeth nearly cracked.
A pig butcher dared look down on him?
Dozens of wealthy suitors had asked for his hand—if not for his father’s refusal, he’d have long been married to one of them...
Suddenly it clicked—was his father actually waiting for this pig butcher?
Or maybe he hadn’t found the perfect noble family yet.
Yan Yao quickly lowered his hands before Geng Yao could look up. His wide sleeves hid the trembling anger as peach juice dripped from his crushed fruit.
Thinking back to how he once entertained the idea of this marriage, he now felt utterly humiliated.
He longed to hurl the peach at that cropped head but kept his expression warm and smiling. “I don’t blame you, Geng-lang. I also only found out about this engagement after you returned.”
If he said that, then all those years of saying “I’ll wait for you to return and marry me” would be nothing but a joke. Geng Yao’s guilt eased, and he felt relieved.
“That’s good.” He added, “My parents are grateful for the Yan family’s kindness and refuse to break off the engagement. That’s why I came to ask if you could speak to your father about it instead?”
Yan Yao paused for a moment, still smiling. “I’ll bring it up with Father when I return.”
Geng Yao hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly. He bowed twice more and thanked him repeatedly.
Yan Yao gritted his teeth behind a polite smile.
Geng Yao still hadn’t figured out what that line meant: “Granduncle loved peaches but will never eat them again…”
What was that supposed to mean?
The rain poured harder. As he watched them walk away, Geng Yao turned back to look at the umbrella he’d left.
He fell silent.
A creeping suspicion surfaced in his mind, but he quickly suppressed it.
No, no. Young Master Yan was warm and gentle—clearly not the type to play pranks. Besides, they had such a pleasant chat and reached an easy agreement to break off the engagement.
Still... where was his umbrella?
Damn this fickle sky—stripped him of his spiritual powers and now had time to mess with him too?
“Agui, hurry the cart, hurry!” In the carriage, master and maid had barely sat when the maid urged the driver anxiously.
As the driver cracked the whip, she finally smiled in satisfaction. “Young Master, you’re so bold!”
Yan Yao pushed the window open and looked back. The rain had grown so heavy that the octagonal pavilion was already obscured.
The maid added, “Young Master, it’s raining so hard. Won’t Geng-lang be unable to return home?”
With the rain blowing sideways across his face, Yan Yao shut the window and said coolly, “He couldn’t break off the engagement himself, so he came to make things difficult for me. Has he not considered—if I could decide my own marriage, would I ever agree to marry him?”
He looked down on him?
Well, he looked down on him even more!
