Chapter 3: Tomatoes under the Osmanthus Tree
A slender figure clad in plain white robes sat under the gentle coverings of a tree.
Lips that were pinkishly moist neared the bright red fruit before taking a nice, crisp bite of it. Juice leaked out from the action, dripping down and traversing along the fine jade-like neck before tainting the white collar of the individual.
Zhang Shuyu closed his eyes in ecstasy as he continued to chew. He loved tomatoes. Even back in his original world, he already had a mysterious fascination with the red fruit. The fresh, sweet taste of it eventually led him to build a vegetable garden in his backyard, full of the aforementioned fruit blooming brilliantly under the light glare of the sky.
The peaceful scenery of a boy under the verdant Osmanthus tree directly contrasted with the haphazard mess of the compound.
Continuously munching the heavenly fruit, Zhang Shuyu disinterestedly watched as brightly colored servants of different statures and genders went to and fro. He concluded that there had to be an event of some kind going on, what with all the organized commotion going around.
But he was safe here, being separated from sight with the tree and the surrounding bushes surrounding him.
"Ah," lowly exclaimed Zhang Shuyu, his sluggish phoenix eyes widened ever so slightly as he noticed his now empty hand.
Then he calmed down, lazily licking and sometimes sucking the excess sticky juice from his fingers. If one would gaze at him now, they would feel like they were watching a kitten licking its small paws right after drinking warm milk.
After his hand was clean again, Zhang Shuyu delicately reached out towards a nearby bush. He plucked another bright and plump tomato from its stem, brought it to his mouth, and took another chunky bite causing red juice to once again spurt and travel down his small chin.
Around half an hour ago, he went out of his desolate courtyard that was filled with dust, cobwebs, and broken objects. It didn't take a genius to see that the original owner was unfavored and neglected as it could be. There wasn't even anyone guarding the courtyard, never mind sweeping it. It was as if the people around, masters and servants alike, couldn't wait for the original owner to die.
Maybe, he did die.
Or, maybe not.
But that was the least of Zhang Shuyu's worries at that time. His stomach grumbled again, prompting him to leave his courtyard.
After a few twists and turns, generally staying out of sight from the passing servants, which wasn't really hard due to his unremarkable and diminutive state, he finally arrived to this location. He was initially thinking of how to snatch food from the trays of the passing servants, or how to sneak into the kitchen to go grab some food. However, he knew that those ideas were bad and full of loopholes.
With the air full of festivities, he instinctively knew that anyone who saw him wandering out in the open would immediately send him back to his courtyard and imprison him under lock and key. After all, they probably didn't want any outsiders taking note of this child's sorry state.
It was after hesitating for a moment that Zhang Shuyu caught a glimpse of red from the corner of his eyes. Entranced, he went towards it and delightfully discovered the rows of tomato bushes under the Osmanthus tree.
With a peaceful sight of a small pond on his left and the row of fresh tomato bushes on his right, one would think that they finally found an ideal, quiet spot to rest. Yet, it was not quite so with Zhang Shuyu, as he continued to stare back at this amused black eyes whilst he continued to munch the newly picked tomato on his hand.
Several paces away from Zhang Shuyu's sitting form, there stood a boy of around twelve to thirteen years of age. He was wearing an indigo-colored brocade with gold trimmings weaved in intricate patterns at the edges of the clothing. The boy made a handsome and intimidating picture, if he was born in modern times, there was no doubt in Zhang Shuyu's mind that this boy would find success as an idol or maybe even an actor.
Zhang Shuyu used the term 'boy' very loosely because the youth has an unprecedented presence that couldn't be ignored by the common people. It was to the point that if this kid was dropped amongst a sea of people, one could immediately pinpoint him out due to his countenance alone. It was obvious that he was a noble of some kind. Maybe the highest kind.
It wouldn't be a surprise if he's the protagonist of this world.
Zhang Shuyu played that idea around his thoughts. His mindset was that this world was a light novel. That's why he immediately converted his thinking on the common characters found in light novels.
After all, he was in a different world. Or, at least, a different dimension.
Zhang Shuyu was certain of this because of two extremely vital information.
First, the tomato.
Originally known as fān qié (foreign eggplant), tomatoes first came to China around a hundred or so years ago. The product was originally introduced through trades connected with the western world.
Second, the clothing style.
From what he deduced based on the clothing of the servants and even the teenage boy before him, they didn't fit the 18th-century descriptions found in history books. The Manchu style was predominant in the Qing Dynasty, which ran from the 16th century up to the early 1900s.
Even an elementary kid would know that, if not the tomatoes, then most definitely the Manchu style.
Zhang Shuyu was interrupted from his thoughts as the boy spoke.
"You have beautiful eyes," the unknown teen remarked, his tone tainted with undisguised fascination. "This King has never seen eyes in this color before."
Well, that solved the mystery. Seems like the guy's connected with the royal family. Question is... what's his position, exactly?
A leisurely crown prince? The current emperor's favored youngest brother? An orphaned duke that aimed to usurp the throne? A hostage prince from a hostile enemy nation?
All of these swiftly ran through Zhang Shuyu's mind, one more outrageous than the other, but his expression remained calm, not even a flicker of emotion was seen in his silver eyes. He continued to stare with a blank gaze, munching on his rapidly diminishing tomato.
He wasn't placing a blank mask on purpose. It was more like he didn't care if the person before him was royalty or not. After all, it wasn't connected to him in any way.
Instead, it would be best to steer clear from this boy since the royal family was a mess no matter how many generations and centuries passed. Who didn't know that from watching all those period dramas and reading countless light novels?
Zhang Shuyu certainly didn't need to add any more trouble to his already troublesome new life.
Unknowingly and unfortunately for Zhang Shuyu, his unaffected countenance just served to deepen the interest in the other youth's mind.
The noble had always been surrounded by servants who diligently did his every bidding, officials who sucked up to him to gain his favor, and acquaintances who fawned over him everywhere he went. That was why Zhang Shuyu's lack of reaction was like a breath of fresh air for this guy.
If Zhang Shuyu knew about this, especially with the events that would happen in the far off future, he would've beaten his chest and cursed in regret.
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