Realizing that he might have misunderstood the situation, the Earl, who had been visibly angry just moments ago, quickly changed his expression. He coughed awkwardly and apologized, "I'm sorry for interrupting your lesson."
Wei Wei smiled without saying a word, waiting for him to continue.
Felix had indeed come to Wei Wei for a reason—he wanted to invite her out for a walk.
It had been several days since his return, and he still hadn't had the chance to spend time alone with her.
Of course, Felix didn't phrase his invitation so directly. Instead, he offered a practical reason: "The wheat in the fields has sprouted. The steward reported that the wheat seedlings fertilized with fire manure are growing better than those without. Would you like to go and see, Wei Wei?"
Since the first time Felix had called her "Wei Wei," he had never addressed her as "Miss Wei" again.
Wei Wei hadn't been upset by this change. She accepted his new form of address with calm indifference.
The pronunciation of "Wei Wei" and "Vi Vi" was very similar, and foreigners might not even notice the difference. Moreover, people who had known Wei Wei in the past had always called her that, so she was used to it. To her, Felix's change in address didn't feel particularly special.
On the other hand, the term "Miss" wasn't entirely positive in modern times. Although they weren't speaking Chinese, to Wei Wei, who understood the language perfectly, the term "Miss" felt somewhat awkward.
However, it was precisely her lack of objection that made others think their relationship had already become quite intimate.
Felix certainly thought so.
"Yes, I'd like to see that," Wei Wei replied, genuinely interested in Felix's invitation. But she hadn't forgotten her responsibilities. "However, could we wait a moment? Our lesson isn't finished yet."
Dolores wanted to say that it was fine to skip the lesson and let Wei Wei go out with Felix, but after glancing at her brother, she decided against it.
"Of course," Felix said, stepping aside to let them continue. "Do you mind if I watch?"
"Not at all."
Wei Wei nodded and refocused on the lesson.
Today's lesson was still about embroidery. Dolores was practicing basic stitching techniques, but now she was combining multiple stitches rather than focusing on a single one.
Wei Wei had assigned her the task of embroidering a kingfisher perched on a branch, which would allow her to practice several basic techniques. Since birds were one of Dolores's favorite embroidery motifs, she was quite enthusiastic.
However, after seeing the nearly finished fan in Wei Wei's hands, Dolores became a bit distracted.
As soon as the fan was completed, Dolores eagerly took hers and examined it from every angle, unable to put it down.
She also remembered Wei Wei's mention of fan language.
This led to the scene Felix had witnessed earlier.
Originally, Wei Wei had only known a couple of fan gestures and their meanings. It was only because Dolores showed interest that Wei Wei, feeling the responsibility of a teacher, decided to study fan language more thoroughly.
The fan language she taught Dolores focused on subtly expressing interest or politely declining advances. The "I like you" gesture Felix had seen was the boldest of them. Wei Wei avoided teaching anything too explicit, like "kiss me," to avoid corrupting the young girl.
Even so, Felix, who had been watching from the side, was thoroughly captivated by the elegance and charm of Wei Wei wielding the fan.
Not just him—even Dolores and the maid were entranced by Wei Wei's every movement and smile. The girls couldn't help but imagine how elegant and beautiful they might look if they held such a fan.
After all, making a fan didn't seem too difficult. Even without embroidery, they could use patterned fabric for the fan cover. Though fabric was expensive, a small piece like that was still affordable.
Wei Wei didn't keep Felix waiting long. After finishing her explanation of fan language, she instructed Dolores to continue practicing her Su embroidery stitches and then approached Felix.
"My lord, we can go now."
Felix, who had been staring at Wei Wei in a daze, immediately stood up and praised her without hesitation. "You look stunning with the fan."
Wei Wei accepted his compliment with a smile.
She had assumed they would ride horses again, but Felix had prepared a carriage instead.
Felix explained with a straight face, "My horse is getting new horseshoes today, so we'll have to take the carriage."
Wei Wei could only pretend not to notice his ulterior motives.
The carriage was a small, enclosed space. Wei Wei sat on one side, Felix on the other, with less than a meter between them. The bumpy road occasionally caused their knees to brush against each other.
Facing Felix's occasionally gleaming eyes, Wei Wei could only inwardly roll her own.
Felix was an enthusiastic young man, which meant he was also quite talkative. When Wei Wei expressed curiosity about his experiences in the capital, the young Earl, eager to impress, launched into a detailed account of his time there.
As Wei Wei listened, gathering information about the capital, she also observed Felix.
Today, Felix was dressed rather... flamboyantly.
He was wearing a white robe adorned with large gold-threaded patterns, and his belt was decorated with gemstones, making him look somewhat dazzling.
Wei Wei also noticed that his hair had been freshly washed, and there was no unpleasant odor about him. Instead, the carriage carried a faint scent of spices, which seemed to emanate from Felix himself.
Thinking back, aside from their first meeting when Felix had been sweaty and a bit overwhelmed, he had never smelled bad since then. Even after long journeys or inspections, he had always been relatively clean.
Knowing of Felix's obvious affection for Wei Wei, her two maids had often sung his praises in front of her. One of the things they mentioned was that, after learning of Wei Wei's preference for cleanliness, Felix had started bathing daily—a habit he hadn't paid much attention to before.
The maids' praise had its effect. Knowing that Felix bathed every day, Wei Wei's tolerance for him had increased significantly. Otherwise, she would never have agreed to share a carriage with him, fearing she might be overwhelmed by his scent.
At Felix's instruction, the carriage moved at a snail's pace. As Wei Wei listened to Felix's stories, she occasionally glanced out through the carriage's blinds. The roads were much cleaner now, and she could see children from the serfs' families collecting animal dung in baskets. In the distance, thick smoke rose from the ongoing burning of fire manure.
Wei Wei had initially been the only one burning fire manure, but after estimating that she had enough for her fields, she stopped. However, following Felix's orders, the steward continued the process, ensuring that all the Earl's lands were treated with it.
The wheat seedlings in the fields that had been fertilized with fire manure were visibly healthier and taller than those without, a fact obvious to anyone with eyes.
The stewards had immediately reported this to the castle, and Felix, curious about the effects of fire manure and eager to spend time with Wei Wei, had used this as an excuse for today's outing.
No matter how slow the carriage moved, they eventually reached their destination.
When the carriage stopped, Felix stepped out first and turned to offer Wei Wei his hand.
Wei Wei hesitated for a moment before placing her hand in his and stepping down.
They had stopped at the land Wei Wei had recently purchased. This field was one of the first to be treated with fire manure. Adjacent to it was Felix's land, where the wheat had been planted earlier but had sprouted later and looked noticeably weaker. Compared to the lush, vibrant seedlings in Wei Wei's field, Felix's wheat looked like a patch of malnourished bean sprouts.
While Wei Wei had expected this outcome, Felix, who had only heard reports, was genuinely surprised to see the stark difference.
Felix wasn't an ignorant noble. On the contrary, having been sent by his father to train under the former chief knight, he had traveled extensively and learned about managing estates. He was well aware of agricultural yields.
Seeing the wheat in Wei Wei's field, he quickly concluded that, barring any disasters, her harvest would be exceptional.
"Your country truly is a remarkable place," Felix couldn't help but praise. "Not only does it produce elegant and beautiful ladies like you, but it also has methods to increase agricultural yields. I imagine that in your homeland, no one starves in winter."
This was a heavy topic.
Wei Wei paused before shaking her head. "That's not the case. China's land is vast, and its population is beyond imagination. Many areas are unsuitable for farming, and we must feed a large population with limited land. When natural or man-made disasters strike, casualties are unavoidable."
Moreover, in ancient times, the Chinese people suffered oppression no less severe than that of the common folk in Europe.
If possible, Wei Wei would have loved to use her seeds to help her ancestors, but she was too far removed from that time and place. All she could do was hope for a chance to reconnect with her homeland in the future.
Realizing that his praise had made Wei Wei nostalgic, Felix wisely abandoned his plan to ask her more about the mysterious and powerful Eastern country. Instead, he changed the subject, diverting her attention elsewhere.