[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-am-the-xu-family-s-son":3,"chapter-i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-39":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Am the Xu Family's Son",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2307817,4510,"Chapter 39: Distinguishing","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-39",39,"\u003Cp>Ningyuan Marquis Prefecture\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi was inside the room with her two daughters, Pingmei and Anmei, along with Bai Shi, and a two-year-old girl whose features closely resembled Bai Shi’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But her eyebrows were an exact replica of those of Marquis Gu, Gu Yan Kai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister, these are items brought back by last year’s sea vessel. Father said many of them are rare in our Great Zhou, so I asked you to come take a look.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We are all women of the inner quarters; as for vision and insight, I can't compare with you. My family in Bianjing was a humble household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Tingyu and Gu Tingye were both boys, old enough now, so they weren’t with the womenfolk,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but were playing hu tou in the courtyard with Xu Zai and his two brothers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as they were enjoying themselves, Gu Tingye’s servant Zhi Que entered the courtyard and said: “Ye Ge, Lord Bai has sent over several more pots of flowers rare in Great Zhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah? Bring them in quickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, servants carried six potted plants into the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three boys moved the pots into Bai Shi’s room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three remained in the courtyard,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>all containing flowers none of Xu Zaijing and the others had ever seen before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing’s face lit up as he gazed at one of the plants called a “flower.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Tingyu noticed Xu Zaijing’s expression and asked: “Jing Ge, do you like this flower?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing looked at Gu Tingyu and said: “Yes, this is the first time I’ve seen such a flower.” — (this life).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“According to texts, this is called ‘Bai Die,’ also known as ‘Zhi Bei,’ commonly grown along the northwestern frontier of the previous dynasty; today it grows in the north of Bai Gao. According to my Fifth Uncle’s guest scholars, there’s a large island off the southern frontier of Great Zhou where this flower is also abundant.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing: “Yu Ge, you’re truly learned.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought to himself: “I thought I was the first to discover this cotton.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Tingyu smiled shyly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yu Ge, has anyone ever used this flower for spinning and weaving?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve never heard of it, but the flowers seem tightly woven—perhaps suitable for textile use.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside them, Gu Tingye said: “Jing Ge, you like this flower? I’ll ask my maternal grandfather to send you more pots.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Ye Ge. I appreciate it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on, let’s keep looking—Grandfather sent us many other things too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing and his brothers followed Gu Tingye into the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The table held many items: massive ivory, exquisite tortoiseshell, smooth rhinoceros horn, and strings of southern pearls strung into necklaces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zai Duan and the others, though living in a declining marquis household, were not so covetous of these treasures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At most, they were merely curious, broadening their horizons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After some murmured admiration, Xu Zaijing and the others left the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the courtyard, a servant was sweeping the ground with a broom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the young masters, the servant stopped sweeping and stood aside, afraid the dust would disturb the guests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they walked on, their eyes casually caught sight of several yellow-and-white specks on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they drew closer, Xu Zaijing realized these objects increasingly resembled seeds of a plant from his past life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stopped, crouched down, and his eyes widened suddenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noticing Xu Zaijing’s movement, Gu Tingyu turned to look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jing Ge?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing picked up the dusty seeds and stared at the servant with an unsettling gaze: “Where did these come from?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The servant, startled by Xu Zaijing’s expression, bowed hastily:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master, these fell from a crate that tipped over when we moved the exotic flowers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong, Jing Ge?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing quickly thought: “Nothing. I just find these little specks yellow-and-white and quite pretty—do you have more?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s easy—Zhi Que, go ask.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing carefully picked up the few seeds and placed them in his palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Corn! Corn—the plant from my past life that yields grain even on barren soil! Corn leaves and husks feed cattle and sheep; stalks and cobs serve as firewood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing opened his palm, revealing the seeds to Gu Tingyu beside him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yu Ge, I wonder what would grow if we planted these seeds in the soil.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve never seen such seeds in any text.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they spoke, they returned to the outer door of Bai Shi’s room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhi Que ran back, panting, clutching four more seeds:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master, I searched through the wooden crates holding the exotic flowers—only these few remained.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If Jing Ge likes them, take them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group stayed at the Gu household until the Shen hour before taking their leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After seeing off the Xu family, Bai Shi and Chang Mama returned to the inner courtyard accompanied by their maids.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss, why does our Lord insist we grow closer to the Xu family?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know, but Father always has a plan. Since that day we attended the Xu family’s banquet, things have indeed become smoother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How is that the Xu family’s doing? You’re the Marquis’s First Lady—your life should naturally be smooth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But in these past years, how many noble families invited me to banquets? How many replied to my invitations? How many times has Lady Yang come to visit?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss, don’t worry—our Lord is still in Bianjing; he’ll surely arrange things for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father is already old, and he still has business to manage in Yangzhou—how can I let him bear such burdens?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gu household’s affairs were set aside for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Bai family’s residence in the capital,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Bai sat in the seat of honor,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>listening to his servant’s report from the Marquis Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside Lord Bai Bai Wanshu sat the Yuan Daoist; below him stood a sturdy, dark-skinned man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the servant finished speaking, Bai Wanshu waved him out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiu Lang, do you recall those yellow seeds just mentioned?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man below sat in silence for a long while, as if recalling something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two above did not press him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After half a watch, the man spoke clearly: “It was somewhere on the southern seas—our ship once encountered a terrifying storm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Wanshu said nothing, continuing to listen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That was truly a dire situation—waves towering, winds howling. If not for our crew risking their lives to save the mast, our ship would’ve been lost.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man’s face showed lingering fear; he drank tea and continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“During the rain, it wasn’t just water falling—it was other things too. Fish two feet long rained down onto the deck.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yuan Daoist also looked astonished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When the storm passed, our ship was nearly broken apart. Fortunately, our Lord had prepared extra supplies before we sailed—otherwise, disaster was certain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Bai, seated above, trembled slightly in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since ancient times, fortune and misfortune are intertwined; even the most auspicious omen demands surviving the trial before its arrival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His own ship that brought him wealth had faced even greater peril.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man continued: “On deck, many of these yellow seeds were mixed among the fish. Some were washed into the cabin by rain; others were swept overboard by the crew. Perhaps a few fell into the crates.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And those exotic flowers?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yuan Daoist stroked his beard: “They’re not rare plants—just ancient Zhi Bei. But the soft, tightly woven texture sent to the Gu household is uncommon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Bai tapped his fingers lightly and glanced at the Daoist: “What’s so special about them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell your niece to pay close attention—and send them more gold and silver. Such noble households have plenty of seasoned farmers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Bai Bai Wanshu said: “The Assistant Prefect of Yangzhou has already been appointed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He has some connection to the Xu family. Tomorrow, Minister Sheng will come to pay his respects.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did your niece tell you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. She says the Xu and Sheng families have rekindled ties, no longer severed as before.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good, good. I’ve been friends with the Prefect of Yangzhou for years. With this new ally from the Sheng family, things will only improve.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1342,"2026-06-20T10:32:38.675Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","27cef1f08e3957eafa14714ca693455dedd267043d4b1deaf2f848e6433ded85","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-40","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-38",790,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-the-xu-family-s-son-cover.jpg"]