"Yaelle, what do you think of Servant Carter and Servant Xing?"
"What do you mean? He's fine." Yaelle was confused. He was a pageboy, what did that have to do with her? If there was a problem, he'd deal with it himself.
"I'll be away for more than a month. Do you want to choose a young attendant to serve you?" Maxim bit his lip and finally said it.
"A young attendant? Don't I already have Attendant Sean and the others? If you brought someone, take him with you." When going out, even at the academy, someone needed to take care of things.
"Wait? What do you mean by that?" Yaelle finally reacted and stared at him in disbelief.
"Exactly what you think I mean. I won't be around, so I can't expect you to wait for me. Look at those four, is there anyone you like?"
"Or maybe pick two?" Maxim's voice was full of bitterness. "Maxim, you bastard! I won't die just because I don't have a man for a day."
"You want to pick for me? Even if I wanted one, I can choose myself, can't I?" Do you not care about me at all, pushing me to someone else?
Yaelle got angrier the more she thought about it. They had only just gotten together, and he already wanted to find her some side guys. "I do care about you."
"I care more than anyone. I don't want you to be with anyone else." Maxim felt both hurt and wronged inside.
Yaelle thought it over. It seemed to be a common thing here. Like when men were in power, the main wife would bring in concubines to keep favor.
Even in Empresses in the Palace, didn't Consort Hua love the Emperor deeply but still send Song Zhi to please him? With that in mind, she relaxed a little. She took Maxim's hand and comforted him.
"Don't overthink it. I don't want any of those messy men. If I ever want a secondary husband or consort, I'll talk to you about it."
"Just focus on your studies. Don't worry about things at home. I'll wait for you to come back."
"If you're going to study, then do it seriously and make something of yourself. Don't waste your hard work." "My lady, you're so kind!" Maxim said emotionally.
His eyes were brimming with tears. He felt warm inside, like all his worries and pain had melted away. At that moment, he was filled with strength and ready to face the future.
They hugged tightly, enjoying the warmth of each other. They shared their thoughts and emotions, laughing and crying together. That afternoon, they forgot everything else, completely lost in their own world.
The sun slowly sank, painting the sky with colors of the setting sun. Then the two of them finally stepped out of the room. They held the bundles they had packed earlier, filled with essentials and books.
They then rode horses to the academy together with Servant Carter and Servant Xing. A breeze brushed their hair gently along the way. Maxim looked at the distant scenery, and a sense of hope for the future rose in his heart.
When Maxim was still around, Yaelle found him annoying. He disturbed her rest and made a fuss every day. But now that he was gone, she realized she had gotten used to his presence.
Suddenly, the whole courtyard felt empty, like something important was missing. The feeling made her uneasy and confused, because even though she always said he was annoying, she had long been used to having him around.
Now that he was gone, she finally felt that emptiness. And all of that came from the absence of just one person. That night, even her sleep felt restless.
But ever since he arrived, he had only stayed here five nights. Still, with his pushy presence, he had already become part of her life. It made her realize how scary habits could be.
Yaelle tossed and turned in bed, breathing in his scent from beside her. She felt especially low and didn't fall asleep until the middle of the night, hugging the blanket tightly.
The next morning, she still felt like she didn't have the energy to do anything. Yaelle realized that this couldn't go on. She was depending on him too much.
It was all Maxim's fault. These past few days, he had been handling everything for her, and now he left without warning. She wasn't used to it.
He must have done it on purpose. She needed to find something to do. She remembered the palm fruits and camellia seeds they had asked the villagers to collect earlier.
So many days had passed, they should be dried by now. She could go to the estate and start working on oil pressing. She acted right away.
After breakfast, Yaelle took Attendant Sam and the guards and headed out. She would've been safe even if she went alone. If something went wrong, she could still hide in the space.
But her brother wouldn't allow it. When she arrived at the estate and went to the warehouse, she was shocked by how full it was with camellia and palm fruits. "Why is there so much?" Yaelle asked Uncle Huang.
"Last time, that young man went to the village and asked if anyone wanted to work. A lot of people came. When they heard they could earn thirty coins a day, everyone rushed to do it.
I saw they were serious about working, so I kept them all. They know the nearby mountains well and bring back a lot each day. After finishing one area, they went even farther and found another mountain full of fruits.
They picked everything and brought it back. After they finished, they even came to ask if there was more work. They're really poor and scared of having nothing.
So I thought, since Miss still needs camellia seeds and prickly ash, I told them to go pick more. Still thirty coins a day. They all rushed out again.
Over the past half month, they've nearly stripped the nearby mountains bare. They brought back anything useful." Uncle Huang told the truth, though he was a bit afraid that she would blame him for acting on his own.
Yaelle was pleased. All of this was useful. Just what she needed.
The things in the warehouse must weigh tens of thousands of jin. Now she had a reliable source for soap oil. "You did great. I need all of this.
See if you can buy an oil-pressing machine. These things can all be used to make oil." Uncle Huang was thrilled to hear that all this wild fruit had such great use.
It meant they had made a big profit. The people on the estate were well-trained and quick to act. After the order was given, someone delivered the machine before dinner.
Because the machine was large and heavy, it was brought in separate parts to make transportation easier. After carrying the pieces over, the workers didn't leave right away. Once Uncle Huang and Yaelle confirmed where the machine should go, the workers began assembling it.
They worked for nearly an hour before it was fully put together.