Chapter 286: 294: Full of Trust

“Does Han Yu harbor any suspicions?” In the dim light, Sikong Ling’s expression seemed somewhat fuzzy and indistinct.

The man who should have been in Chang’an at this time had unexpectedly shown up in Yiyang Prefecture. Han Yu had not received the news yet; his connections were still too shallow, and the time he had spent laying out his plans was too short. His reach hadn’t extended to Chang’an yet. Even though he had sent people to gather information on Sikong Ling, they could only obtain superficial details and were unable to inquire into the internal affairs of Sikong Mansion.

“Master can rest assured, there is none. I am aware that Han Yu is a formidable figure, so the news about selling the house was passed through his good friend Deng Tong. What’s more, the previous owner of the house had a very secret relationship with the Sikong Family, inherited from generations before. Han Yu could never trace the connection between them. However, Han Yu is a cautious man. I had originally planned to use this opportunity to plant some of our people inside, but it wasn’t successful. The servants in the house were cleared out by Han Yu; not one remained.”

Han Yu’s actions were within Sikong Ling’s expectations: “It’s inevitable. Han Yu was able to buy the house because we had no intentions of using it for anything suspicious, so there were no grounds for doubt. Moreover, Han Yu might not be entirely without suspicion, but after weighing the risks, he found them insignificant. However, it was different for the servants in the house. Even if their backgrounds were checked and found clean, they carried other risks and could not gain Han Yu’s complete trust. It’s better to bring in a new batch of people who, at least, have no connection to the house itself.”

“Master is wise; I cannot compare. You even guessed Han Yu’s thoughts,” the subordinate said, although in his heart he did not understand what the master was doing this for; there was no benefit to it. Was it all for a married man? To the Master, the house was nothing much, but after all, it was a secret foothold of the Sikong Family, now given away for nothing, without gaining any advantages. Miss Su was completely unaware of what the master was doing for her.

Sikong Ling could see through his subordinate’s petty thoughts and didn’t care. Truthfully, not even he himself knew what he was thinking. He knew perfectly well that Su Wenyue was a married man with children, leading a happy and complete family life. There was no place for him to interfere, nor did he plan to, yet he couldn’t help paying attention. Deep down, he always felt a sense of reluctant affection and guilt towards Su Wenyue. Strangely enough, he didn’t know where these emotions came from, yet he couldn’t help himself. Since it wasn’t anything harmful, he indulged it.

Han Yu, holding the property deed and transfer documents, should have been happy, yet he always felt that things had gone too smoothly, which made him uneasy. Before leaving the city, he turned back to make inquiries and investigated the former owner of the house thoroughly. Finding no improprieties, he finally put his mind at ease.

However, this delay meant he could not make it back home that night. The house still needed tidying, so he had no choice but to stay overnight at an inn. The next day, after handling some matters, he hurried back home. Fortunately, he had made arrangements before departing, so his daughter-in-law would not worry. When he passed by a street stall on his way home, Han Yu caught the scent of something delicious and, thinking of how his daughter-in-law always liked to buy snacks from street vendors, he picked a fairly clean stall and bought a bag of fried chestnuts to carry with him in his arms.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

When Han Yu returned, Su Wenyue smelled the aroma of fried chestnuts, which made her crave them, but she was also puzzled. Han Yu didn’t seem like someone who would buy street food, not because he didn’t eat it, but out of habit.

Seeing his daughter-in-law’s nose twitch, Han Yu was amused. This little thing had a rather keen nose to have detected the smell so quickly.

“Husband, why do I smell the scent of fried chestnuts on you? Did you have some fried chestnuts?” Su Wenyue didn’t conceal her curiosity in front of Han Yu and couldn’t help but swallow, her mouth watering. No sooner had she spoken than she saw Han Yu take a packet out from his chest; it was indeed fried chestnuts. She could tell from the aroma inside.

“Ah! Fried chestnuts! Did you bring them for me? Husband, you’re so kind!” By this time, there was nothing left to misunderstand. Su Wenyue’s eyes lit up as she reached out to take them. Because they had been kept warm inside Han Yu’s chest in the cold weather, the chestnuts were still warm and perfect to eat. Enjoying fried chestnuts on such a chilly day had its own pleasure, especially when it came with the thoughtfulness of Han Yu—the taste was exceptionally sweet. She ate one herself and peeled another to place in Han Yu’s mouth.

“Husband, you have some. They’re delicious.” Su Wenyue’s mouth was full, making her look like a greedy little squirrel as she didn’t forget to share with Han Yu, clearly intending to enjoy it together.

Seeing his daughter-in-law’s joyous demeanor, Han Yu hadn’t expected such a simple gesture to make her so happy and touched. He thought to himself that if his daughter-in-law liked it, he would remember to bring her things from time to time in the future. Watching her happy appearance made him happy as well.

Su Wenyue didn’t probe further about the house purchase: “How was the house? Is it suitable? If it’s suitable, we should finalize the procedures soon so we can move in sooner. I haven’t even finished preparing the New Year’s gift; there are some things I’m planning to buy from the prefecture. I’m afraid we might not have enough time if it’s too rushed.”

Thinking about Han Yu returning at this time, Su Wenyue suspected it might not have gone smoothly: “If you didn’t find anything you liked, we could move into the house from my mother’s family for the time being and take our time to choose later. I’ll go with you.”

“No need, the house is quite suitable. I’ve already bought it, and even the procedures at the Yamen have been completed. Since it was previously inhabited, it doesn’t require much effort to refurbish. We just need to clean and tidy the house, replace what needs to be replaced, and we can move in.” Han Yu said with a smile.

“What?! Husband, are you saying you’ve already purchased it, and the registration procedures are all done?” Su Wenyue didn’t expect Han Yu to act so quickly, having bought the house directly on a single trip to the prefecture. For a moment, she was stunned and incredulous.

“I had intended to discuss it with you, but the distance was too far and going back and forth would take a lot of time. The location and price of the house were both very good, and it met most of the requirements you mentioned. I thought I shouldn’t miss out on it, so I made the decision on the spot.” Han Yu explained to Su Wenyue.

She nodded vigorously: “It’s good you made the decision. If you think it’s good, it must be. Isn’t there a saying that once you miss out on the chance, there won’t be another? Of course, we had to decide quickly.”

“You have that much faith in me?” Han Yu was quite pleased with his daughter-in-law’s full-hearted trust.

“Of course, I have faith in you. You’re my husband. If I don’t trust you, who else can I trust? Husband, does this mean we now have our own house, our own home?”