Chapter 94: He laughs at himself for arguing over the price; there's no way home.

Le Jin lowered her head and remained silent, pretending to be mute, but being stared at by Meng Shutai was like being licked by a snake's tongue, a burning passion smoldering within the wet entanglement.

She rubbed her arms discreetly, wanting only to get rid of the goosebumps all over her body.

Yuanfang's expression froze, his face turning deathly pale with anger rising within him.

This Meng Shutai... He was already furious enough when he said he wanted to marry Qing Si a few days ago, but now he's openly lusting after Qing Si. Does he think he's dead?

"Then why keep the chef? What's the point of having a winery?"

Yuanfang rolled his eyes and spoke sarcastically.

Despite the obvious targeting, Meng Shutai was not angry at all. Instead, she smiled and explained softly, "The pastry chefs are already in the Meng family. They bought this winery simply to preserve her preferences."

As he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Le Jin. Although Le Jin pretended to be a lady, remaining silent and not responding, she understood that his words were meant to be explained to her.

She glanced up at Meng Shutai, and in that single glance, he caught her eye. Meng Shutai smiled, his gentle eyes like flowing spring water, and he rushed towards her.

Le Jin immediately turned her eyes away, pretending nothing had happened.

But Jiang Yingyun noticed their eye contact. She had been married for many years and was well aware of the feelings between men and women.

Everyone knows about Meng Shutai's self-harm, self-loathing, and self-abandonment over the years. If he were to experience a revival, it would be a wonderful thing. But…

Jiang Yingyun pondered the relationship between the three people in front of her and was suddenly shocked.

Meng Shutai doesn't know what her fate or destiny is, why she always gets caught up in such complicated relationships?

Jiang Yingyun felt a pang of anxiety, and Yuan Fang's expression grew increasingly grim.

The thought that the man in front of him was a madman who could preserve his wife's corpse made him understand why the man was so determined to fight for the winery.

In an instant, Yuanfang felt as if he had swallowed a fly, and turned around to take Lejin's hand, no longer wanting to pay attention to Meng Shutai.

Seeing that he had fallen silent, Meng Shutai stopped paying attention to him and asked Madam Zhang, "I'm offering three hundred taels of gold to buy this winery. What do you think, Madam Zhang?"

Three hundred gold? !

Everyone present was astonished. Madam Zhang opened her mouth wide, and tremblingly held up three fingers: "Three hundred... gold?"

She was both surprised and delighted, and somewhat incredulous. Her facial features twitched slightly as she didn't know what to do.

"Young Master Meng, the price of my winery is only fifteen gold pieces..."

With one gold coin, one could acquire a decent shop of moderate size and in a good location on the most bustling commercial street in Luoyang, enough to feed a farming family for three years.

Le Jin gasped inwardly, the cold air seeping into her teeth and making her tongue tingle.

What a grand gesture! So extravagant...

Meng Shutai chuckled softly; it sounded wonderful.

"Madam Zhang and my wife are old acquaintances. When she first arrived in Luoyang alone, it was Madam Zhang and Madam Wu who kept her company and entertained her. I am very grateful for that. Now that you are in trouble, how can I not lend a helping hand?"

After speaking, he turned his gaze to Jiang Yingyun, met her eyes, and smiled broadly.

"Besides, in this way, Princess Pingning won't have to worry about others undercutting Madam Zhang and will be able to hand over the winery to me with peace of mind, right?"

He hit the nail on the head regarding Jiang Yingyun's heart. Her eyebrows instantly curved into crescent moons, and she let go of all her worries. At this moment, a hint of her younger self returned.

"Young Master Meng's thoughtfulness, kindness, and righteousness have remained unchanged over the years."

Of all the people Jiang Yingyun knew in her life, Meng Shutai was always the most trustworthy and reliable person.

When Le Jin heard her praise him, her lips twitched, and she felt a thousand regrets. It all started because she had naively believed the descriptions in the book, thinking that Meng Shutai was some kind of virtuous person descended from heaven. Whenever she encountered a difficult situation, she would think of going to him, which is how she and a group of her enemies got entangled together.

Feeling frustrated, she unconsciously increased the pressure on her hands, causing Yuanfang to twitch his eyebrows.

What is this, Qing Si?

His mind raced, and he suddenly shouted, "Wait a minute!"

Yuanfang tapped his fingers on the table, his expression both imposing and confident.

"I'll offer four hundred gold coins."

As soon as she finished speaking, Le Jin felt as if a huge gold brick had fallen from the sky and hit her, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.

Before she could recover, Yuanfang turned around and gave her a playful wink, as if to say: Watch me, I'll definitely make you proud!

Le Jin almost choked on her breath. She had no idea how Yuan Fang got the signal and wanted to buy the winery. But more than her confusion, she was heartbroken by the guy's outrageous price!

Yuanfang glanced at Meng Shutai, his contempt undisguised. "Young Master Meng, I'm sorry, but I suddenly realized..." He drawled, looked around, and flashed a bright smile: "This winery is quite to my liking!"

Meng Shutai's gaze fell on Yuan Fangsui's handsome and flamboyant face. His eyes narrowed, his gaze instantly turned cold, and a very slight smile appeared on his lips.

"It's alright."

Yuanfang assumed he had backed down, so he gave a light "tsk," turned around, took Le Jin's hand, and gently pushed her forward. "Madam Zhang, let's discuss the winery handover with this lady..."

"Four hundred gold coins."

It was a very cold and light sentence, but the undeniable power within it was immense, as if an inconspicuous snowflake carried the weight of an entire winter.

Yuanfang stiffly turned his head to look at Meng Shutai, who was sitting on the seat gently blowing on the foam on his teacup, and suddenly sensed something interesting.

Five hundred gold coins.

Unlike Meng Shutai, his voice carried a hint of laughter, both composed and playful.

Meng Shutai glanced at him through the teacup, took a sip of tea, and said, "Six hundred gold coins."

The numbers climbed rapidly as the two continued their contest. Madam Zhang and Jiang Yingyun were both dumbfounded, frozen in their seats as if under a spell.

From initial surprise to complete bewilderment, they had no idea why the two gods had suddenly started fighting. Helpless, they looked at each other, only to see confusion in each other's eyes.

Le Jin's composure wasn't as strong as theirs; when Yuan Fang shouted out the terrifying price of two thousand gold coins, all her rationality crumbled into dust.

She gritted her teeth and pinched Yuan Fangsui's side waist with all her might, making him wince in pain.

Ignoring the presence of outsiders, Le Jin grabbed Yuan Fang Sui by the ear and berated him, "Are you trying to ruin our family?! Are we even going to live like this anymore?!"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch..." Yuanfang covered his ears, his previous arrogance vanished in an instant, and he became a henpecked young man.

Tears welled up in his eyes from the pain, but through the dim light, he could see her flushed cheeks and wide-open eyes, and for a moment he was mesmerized.

Qing Si really got angry, and even said "live life".

The daily necessities of life, the basics of clothing, food, shelter, and transportation—the life I lived with him…

Yuan Fang chuckled and grabbed Le Jindu's wrists with both hands, pleading, "Please, please! Of course I'll let go! Please, I promise I won't be a spendthrift again!"

Le Jin flicked her wrist and turned away angrily, refusing to look at him.

Two thousand taels of gold! Enough to support a family for three or four generations! These nobles just shouted it out like that, without batting an eye, more carelessly than someone splashing water on someone!

Le Jin was heartbroken and decided to ignore Yuan Fang Sui for the rest of the day.

Yuanfang was initially delighted to see her unusual side when he noticed her temper flaring up, but soon he started sweating profusely.

That's it! She won't even look at him anymore.

"I was wrong..." Yuanfang tugged at Le Jin's sleeve, whimpering like a puppy.

Seeing that things were going wrong, Jiang Yingyun quickly stood up and tried to smooth things over with a smile.

"Fang Sui is young and doesn't know any better. He just wanted to have some fun, right? Young Master Meng and Miss Qing Si, please don't take it to heart. Let's all make a fuss and add some liveliness to Madam Zhang's place, and bring some joy."

These words gave everyone a way out, and they would have just agreed and moved on. But when Jiang Yingyun looked at Meng Shutai, she found that he was staring straight at Le Jin and Yuan Fangsui without making a sound, as if he had lost his soul.

Indeed, he had lost his soul.

Seeing Le Jin and the other person's actions, Meng Shutai felt as if his soul had returned to the days seven years ago when they were still together.

That marriage was truly disgraceful. He tried everything to keep her, resorting to all sorts of dirty and bloody methods. But besides ending up in a sorry state himself, he couldn't even get a single look of pity from her.

They were husband and wife, but they never acted like a couple for even a single day.

Even though she and Yuanfang are not even officially dating yet, she is already willing to fuss over his spending and discipline his behavior.

For a man and a woman to become husband and wife is the simplest thing in the world; it's nothing more than mutual interdependence. But Meng Shutai was enveloped in a dense, gnawing pain, like insects gnawing at his heart, a net-like sieve telling him:

She doesn't want you; she wants someone else.

You never had her love, never.

The mocking voices from all directions echoed within Meng Shutai's heart. He dared not look at Le Jin standing with another man anymore. He lowered his eyes, looking away at the cup of tea beside him, and remained silent.

Madam Zhang then displayed her business acumen, readily replying, "Exactly what the Princess Consort said! My little winery is hardly worth two thousand taels of gold!"

"Since I am still the owner of this winery, distinguished guests, please listen to me: I will accept the deposit of three hundred gold coins given by Master Meng, and I will not ask for a single penny more."

Yuanfang rubbed his burning ears. Upon hearing that the winery had been given to Meng Shutai, he was about to offer three hundred gold coins when Le Jin suddenly glared at him, her expression fierce as if she would kill him if he dared to squander money again. Her Adam's apple bobbed, and she obediently smiled and said, "I'll listen to you, I'll listen to you."

Meng Shutai half-closed his eyes, his long eyelashes obscuring Yuan Fang's figure. "No need. Since the price has risen to two thousand gold, then two thousand gold it is. The Meng family will send the deposit to Madam Zhang's residence in a little while."

Even with her worldly experience and composure, Madam Zhang couldn't resist the joy of unexpected wealth. Indeed, she hadn't made a mistake in marrying into the Meng family! The Meng family was truly incredibly wealthy and powerful; even emptying her house wouldn't be enough to contain two thousand taels of gold.

"Thank you very much, Young Master Meng! I will go and fetch the winery deed for you right away!"

"Wait a minute."

Madam Zhang had just turned around when Meng Shutai called her back. When she turned around, she saw him pointing his slender, jade-like fingers at Yuanfang Sui.

"The land deed is for the Green Rhinoceros Girl."

Le Jin's pupils dilated, and she turned to look at Meng Shutai, suddenly falling silent.

Is he crazy? Why would he give it to her? This place cost two thousand gold!

Meng Shutai slowly walked to Yuanfang's side, his drooping eyelids finally lifting to reveal a pair of gentle, watery eyes.

"Your Highness has cultivated Taoism for the country since childhood. Even if you are fond of Miss Qing Si, you cannot hold a proper wedding. Aren't you disappointed?"

“Jude Winery is a good place. Your Highness and Miss Qingsi may wish to use it as the venue for your wedding.”

Meng Shutai strolled past Yuan Fangsui, his bright phoenix eyes looking directly at Le Jin with gentle tenderness:

"It's a matter of lifelong importance, and Miss Qingsi shouldn't compromise herself. Whether the wedding is grand enough to cause a sensation throughout the capital or small and cozy with only the two of them, it should be arranged properly."

Perhaps because she had no relatives in this world, Le Jin suddenly realized that the person who cared for her so tenderly was actually Meng Shutai.

She blinked unnaturally, a feeling of indescribable sadness welling up inside her. "...Thank you for your kindness, Young Master Meng, but this is too precious for me to accept."

Suddenly, someone pinched my wrist.

Yuanfang looked at her and said, "Take it. You deserve it."

This was the first time Le Jin had seen genuine tenderness, as well as surging heartache and self-blame, in his eyes.

He did not reject Meng Shutai's proposal, because those words struck a chord with Yuan Fangsui.

Meng Shutai smiled faintly, then silently turned and left Juede Winery.

The bustling crowds continued their noisy commotion, everything in the world flowing towards the heart's desire. Meng Shutai wandered alone among them, and suddenly let out a sneer.

He laughed at himself, for he had no way home.

He walked aimlessly for an unknown amount of time, not knowing where he was, when suddenly a pair of sleek, dark-colored boots appeared in his line of sight, standing not far away and blocking his way.

One foot is standing, and the other foot taps the ground rhythmically.

Those calves were long and strong, but the feet were of medium size, like a woman's feet.

Meng Shutai frowned, looked up, and saw that it was an old friend.

"Princess Zhaode has returned to the capital?" He was slightly surprised, then suddenly realized he should change his address. "Now I should call you General Pingyi."

Xie Lianhui, dressed in dashing riding attire, exuded a ruthless air that was more pronounced than seven years ago. After years of fighting on the border, she was no longer the princess who had been restrained by her brother.

“Yes, this time I’m returning to the capital to report on my duties, which is different from before.” She crossed her arms and walked slowly to Meng Shutai, her large, bright eyes glaring at him like a leopard’s.

"Young Master Meng, don't you think we should talk about the past?"

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Author's Note: Updates will be at midnight or irregular times lately, please forgive me. [Please][Please][Please]