Would You Recognize Him Again

Shane Shen's eyes lit up as soon as he saw the problem, muttering to himself, "How do you split three jin of wine with just two jars... Let me think." With that, he sat back down at the table to mull it over.

Leonard Li leaned over to glance at the question, looking uninterested as he curled his lip. "Ali, it's getting late. I won't keep you any longer—don't want you getting home after dark."

Leonard Li personally escorted Lily out. "Here's the plan: I'll work on networking these days. When your mushroom house is built, let me know, and I'll talk to people about trade routes."

"That's even better. Young Master Li, you really do think things through." Lily had to admit, this young noble was quite thorough.

Lily rode the carriage home. Even after she'd gone far, Leonard Li was still standing at the gate, waving at the carriage. Only when it disappeared did he hum a little tune and swagger off to find Shane Shen.

Shane Shen was still buried in his calculations when Leonard Li sat beside him, propping his feet up on the table. "What kind of ridiculous customer insists on buying exactly three jin of wine? Why not five or six? They're just looking for trouble! And you—so patient, figuring out how to get three jin. If it were me, I'd just grab a stick and chase that customer out. No sale!"

Shane Shen shot him a look. "I told you, this is math. Go away, let me focus. Stop distracting me."

Leonard Li pursed his lips and grumbled, "You're almost as boring as your cousin, the Grand Tutor."

Leonard Li popped a pastry into his mouth and kept chatting, "When is Elder Gu coming to Green Seedling City? Looks like Phoenix Academy is about to open."

Shane Shen replied, "He’ll be here before winter. Tsk, that Lord Wei Hai—who knows why he insists on coming along."

"Wei Hai? What's he doing coming here instead of staying in the capital?" Leonard Li recalled that Wei Hai had recently joined him for a meal at Fragrant Pavilion.

Shane Shen replied casually, "Who knows what those old foxes in officialdom are up to. Back in the capital, I only heard my grandfather mention Wei Hai once. Lately, he's been visiting the Gu family a lot, always trying to get news about General Xiao. Tsk, my grandfather isn’t the type to be pried open by Wei Hai. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been an elder for decades."

"General Xiao? The God of War, Xiao Zetian?" Leonard Li paused, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Yeah, him. Why would Wei Hai, a low-ranking civil official, be so interested in a top-ranked general? Sure, everyone in court wants to curry favor with Marquis Weiyuan’s son, the God of War, Xiao Zetian, but Wei Hai’s approach is way too obvious." Shane Shen looked down on Wei Hai’s tactics.

Leonard Li sat up and stared at Shane Shen. "Shane, have you ever met Xiao Zetian in person?"

Shane Shen replied, "I saw him once when I was a kid—ten years ago."

"If you saw Xiao Zetian again, do you think you'd recognize him?" Leonard Li asked.

Shane Shen paused. "Hard to say. We were both kids back then—who knows how much he’s changed? By the way, Li, what’s gotten into you today? You never care about court affairs, so why are you suddenly so interested in the Marquis’s son?"

Leonard Li just rubbed his nose and said nothing.

Shane Shen scratched his head as he stared at the math problem. "Li, that Mrs. Su you do business with is really skilled at math. Next time you go to her place for business, can you bring me along? I’d love to discuss math with her."

Leonard Li’s eyes gleamed. "Sure, next time I visit her, I’ll bring you along... Tsk, her cooking is top-notch. And her silly husband—he’s a real character too..."