Chapter 38: The Dragon Son-in-Law
The fog lifted, and at the Jinling dock, a massive riverboat loomed, its flags fluttering in the wind. The thickly inked character "Xue" curved vertically, its hook swung arrogantly, as if it wanted to jump off the flag, grab everyone by the collar, and shout, "See? My master is from the capital, isn't that impressive?"
After ten days and a half of tossing and turning on the water, Xue Jia was feeling suffocated. Long'er, his personal attendant, brought him a hot towel and scrubbed him clean, clearing the oil and sweat from his face. He felt much better. Stepping out of the boat, he stretched his body and joints, revealing his supposedly toned muscles, and breathed deeply to expel the foul air. Two teenage girls from fishing families passed by, curious and glancing at him. This inflated Xue Jia's aura, and he generously flirted with them.
The girls from the fishing village took two steps at a time and were about to walk away when one of them said to the other, "You scared me! That was actually a person just now. I thought it was a toad that had turned into a spirit."
Long'er packed up the boat's belongings and said, "Dalang, the You family's servants are already waiting at the dock to lead us. The carriage is also ready. Let's anchor the boat there for now. Let's take some personal belongings and valuables, go to the inn to change clothes, and ask the inn's staff to help find some porters to move the boat's belongings to the inn before we visit the You family."
Xue Jia wrinkled his nose, rather disapproving of Long'er's master-like tone in arranging the itinerary. But scratching his head, he couldn't think of anything better, so he resorted to nitpicking: "Long'er, I've told you a thousand times to call me Young Master. Calling me Young Master makes us look like Confucian merchants, educated by the people, righteous by the people, understand? If you keep calling me that, I'll be in trouble."
"Yes, sir." Long'er agreed with lowered eyebrows, turned his back for a moment, and rolled his eyes secretly.
It seemed three dynasties ago that Pei Lan had last sat at the table with her husband. This nominal couple hadn't seen each other for a long time, and when they reunited, their estrangement far outweighed their resentment. The furniture at Huixian Restaurant was large and spacious. You Kang huddled in the chair next to her, leaving the seat next to Pei Lan mostly empty. He didn't say a word to her, huddled up in a ball, squeezing himself into the other half of the seat, drinking tea with his brother-in-law, Qian Qidui, and teaching him how to care for the camellias that Aunt Yanru had never been able to grow. Pei Lan hated You Kang's simple, honest, humble and easygoing demeanor in front of outsiders. Everyone outside the house would blame her for all his emotional problems when they saw him. "Your husband is quite good. A woman should follow her husband after marriage. Why do you expect a man to push for the upper position? He ignores people at home? No way, I think he is quite sociable. In fact, you are too strong-willed. Women should be gentler... Oh, men are the breadwinners and women are the homemakers. Men definitely don't care about the chores in the inner house. Which man would take care of the housework?"
Pei Lan was tired of him. It didn't matter if she wasn't around anymore. He could go to Tianshui Lane or Tangshui Street and keep a mistress all he wanted. After all, she was living in the courtyard the prince had gifted her, and she held the You family's greatest honor tightly in her hands. Besides, he still had some conscience. Today, his future son-in-law came to Jinling to ask for an appointment. As Yanru's biological father, he had at least dressed up to accompany her and avoid being laughed at by others.
The meeting place with Xue Jia wasn't at the You residence. To prevent Xue Jia from discovering she was after money, Yanru had fabricated her identity as the daughter of a powerful official and a wealthy family. If Xue Jia had come to their courtyard, he would have been completely exposed. So, Old Lady Qian paid out of her own pocket to silence the matchmaker from the capital, then booked the most luxurious private room at the Huixian Restaurant to entertain Xue Jia, sparing him unnecessary trouble.
"Madam Qian! He's here, Madam Qian!" The servant from my aunt's tofu shop pretended to be a servant of the You family. He went to the dock to pick up Xue Jia and then sent him to Huixian Restaurant. Although they were meeting a junior, the four people present were extremely nervous. They had to stand up and didn't know what expressions to put on. Before leaving, Yanru reminded Pei Lan that Xue Jia was very ugly and didn't like others to think he was ugly. Therefore, she must never show an expression of being ugly in front of him. Pei Lan held her breath, fearing that her performance would not be good and would anger this son-in-law who was a descendant of a wealthy businessman and military officer in the imperial city.
The door of the private room was pushed open, and the waiter led someone in. Pei Lan was prepared to be on the defensive. She took a closer look. The man was not handsome, and his eyes were a little small, but he was a thin, fair-skinned young man with clear features. Pei Lan smiled secretly, thinking that Yanru was exaggerated. She had been with the boy surnamed Liu for a long time, and her standards were high and harsh. However, she thought ordinary people were ugly.
The four people from the Qian and You families were just thinking of greeting each other when the thin young man, who had just stepped into the room, suddenly retracted his legs and turned around and said, "Young Master, Young Master, I'm here. What are you doing over there?" When he reappeared, it was no longer the young man from earlier, but a burly man with a protruding belly. Pei Lan, careless and unprepared, gazed directly at him, only to see a gleaming face, crude brows, and a protruding nose. This appearance couldn't be simply described as "ugly." After all, there are those who are ugly and those who are not, those who are pleasing to the eye and those who are not. Some ugly people, despite their appearance, are still worthy of being looked at. And Xue Jia's appearance, to be precise, was more than just "ugly." After all, his facial features couldn't be described as crooked or slanted; individually, they were ordinary shapes. However, when combined, they were strangely terrifying, carrying a strong sense of aggression. The first glance at him was painful, and another glance was a stinging pain. His ugliness was a combination of all five senses: his eyes saw ugliness, his nose seemed to smell his body odor, his ears heard his loud and arrogant voice, and his fingers felt like they were sticky with the oil from his skin.
Pei Lan suddenly felt a deep respect for her daughter's ruthlessness, as she could actually handle such a role.
Xue Jia bowed to Yan Ru's family and said, "I am Xue Jia, the younger generation. I am honored to meet the four elders."
Pei Lan was so embarrassed by the blow that she froze in place. But Old Lady Qian, a seasoned veteran, took the initiative and spoke amiably, "Oh, so this must be Master Xue from the capital? Such good character and appearance, truly extraordinary. Tired from the journey? Hurry and get up! Our family has many rules, but they're not the only ones to follow."
Xue Jia stood up and said, "Thank you, old lady. I guess you must be Miss You's grandmother."
"Yes, yes, yes, I am the descendant of a member of the Privy Council." Old Lady Qian introduced them to Xue Jia enthusiastically. "This is Miss You's father, who works in the Su Wang Mansion in Jinling. This is her mother, the owner of the best embroidery shop in Jinling. This is her uncle, who now runs a large shop."
Xue Jia followed Old Lady Qian's instructions and bowed to each of Yanru's family members. After the introductions were complete, he said, "I originally brought some things with me as a supplement to Miss You's betrothal gift. I wanted to bring them to the mansion on my way to the meeting, but my uncle and aunt arranged for them to stay at the restaurant, which is inconvenient."
Pei Lan easily lied, "Unfortunately, we've recently added two buildings to our mansion, and the workmen coming and going are inconvenient, and we're afraid Young Master Xue will laugh at us. So we specially set up a table in the restaurant. It's spacious, quiet, and convenient for conversation." With a flick of her handkerchief, she said, "This restaurant is the best in Jinling. Coincidentally, it overlooks our embroidery shop. Young Master Xue, please take a look."
Xue Jia followed Pei Lan's direction and looked down. At the head of an alley in the distance, a sign with the word "Lan" painted on it stood out prominently, leading to the alleys behind it. Xue Jia, having seen what was rumored to be the best embroidery shop in Jinling, became even more respectful: "It's truly extraordinary!" He couldn't wait to call the matchmaker who was waiting outside, and brought a mahogany gift box, solemnly handing it to Pei Lan. Pei Lan opened it, revealing a piece of red paper wrapped in a yellow bundle. The waiter from the restaurant handed over a pen, and You Kang, as a father, wrote Yanru's age and date of birth on the red paper inside the box, then asked the matchmaker to put it in the box and handed it to Xue Jia. At the wine table where Yanru could not participate, everyone completed the handover of her destiny as a woman. It seemed simple and casual, yet solemn.
"The ceremony of inviting the date has been completed. I am now considered your son-in-law. Please accept my greetings, grandmother, aunts, and uncles!" Xue Jia remembered his mother's instructions and tried to act polite. Qian Lao Niang and Pei Lan could not contain their joy and quickly helped Xue Jia to his feet, their faces filled with joy. Xue Jia patiently introduced to the You family his family's livelihood in the capital, the pile of jewelry and thousands of taels of silver outside the Great Wall, and the pawnshop he promised to Yanru in the future. Pei Lan listened with joy, and her eyes gradually softened when she looked at Xue Jia.
She thought to herself: "Actually, this child is quite pleasing to the eye after looking at him for a while. He and our Yanru are a good match, and they even look like a married couple."
[Mumbling]: Yanru is about to reach the most difficult point in her life. It is becoming increasingly difficult for me to write, and the number of words is decreasing... I hope everyone can leave more messages. Your messages are my greatest motivation.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
