Chapter 55: True Colors Revealed (Part 2)
Her ears were buzzing, her head was buzzing, and she shuddered. She took two or three steps back. "W-what?"
Xue Jia sneered, "You Yanru, are you pretending to be a chaste woman in front of me? Are you assuming I don't know about all that shit? You slept with Ji Mingxiu for a year or two, so how good is your crotch?"
Yanru felt a chill down her spine. It was unbelievable. She had been pretending very well. She had claimed that she and Ji Mingxiu were the purest teacher and student. Xue Jia had let her be alone with Ji Mingxiu before. On her wedding night, she had...
Xue Jia looked at Yanru with amusement, as if he were watching a cricket, a fighting cock, or a puppy trying its best to amuse its master. "I've slept with so many women, can't you see what tricks I've used? You're smearing your chicken blood on the sheets like you're coaxing a child. I'm not jealous and I don't want to argue with you, so you should be grateful! Instead of wrapping yourself up in bed and enjoying yourself, you're the one who's trying to be a jerk to me."
She had never imagined that her painstakingly crafted plan would be discovered so early on, yet she still feigned ignorance and an open-minded attitude. After all this drama, what an ugly man, what a cruel heart! Thinking of the unfathomable scheming hidden beneath his usually foolish, easily manipulated, foolish exterior, Yanru's legs and feet weakened, her composure lost, and she collapsed to the ground, staring blankly at her husband, his face greasy and gray, winking at her, shaking his hips and hips. She had always thought he was just plain ugly, but today, in her eyes, the ugliness was compounded by his disgust, disgusting, disgusting, as if she had swallowed seven or eight black-skinned toads alive, their legs still waving in her mouth. Her throat tightened, and she clutched her chest as she retched.
Xue Jia made no attempt to help his wife to her feet, let alone attend to her discomfort. He merely grunted twice and swaggered past Yanru. After the attacks from the two women, Dong and You, he was left with a furious rage. He suppressed his anger and emerged from the peach grove, squeezing into the men's section on the raised platform to find some wine and some relief. Coincidentally, a man in yellow sat in the crowd. He was plain-looking, but tall and strong, with the air of a bright young man. Xue Jia recognized him as Dong Jingui's newlywed husband, Cao Yanei. His guts boiled, and he thought to himself: I thought he was some peerless beauty, but he wasn't particularly handsome. He just had a longer neck and a paler face, like a scholar. With a flick of his robe, he strode with a steady hand, pushing aside several servants serving tea and water, and slid straight in, forcing himself into a spot between the arms of the others and settling down unhurriedly.
He arrived bearing his adoptive father's name, though the guests couldn't tell his surname or name. He didn't care about being thrust into such a role, instead conversing casually with Cao Yanei, the son of Doctor Cao, praising his new bride, Dong, for her beauty and character, calling her a truly wonderful woman. Xue Jia, consumed by resentment towards Dong Jingui, could not tolerate any compliments and vowed to publicly humiliate her, venting his anger. He racked his brains, recounting their childhood sweethearts' past, conjuring several far-fetched fabrications. Clearing his throat, he found a moment to speak softly, "Really? I think Zhu Wu and the Dong family's daughter... Tsk." He licked his tongue, leaving the words unsaid to create a sense of meaning.
Everyone was surprised, and they stopped talking and looked aside, waiting to hear what was going on. Cao Yanei did the same, and asked, "Sir, do you recognize my new bride?"
Xue Jia took his pride, drank a glass of wine, smacked his lips, and said, "I'm an old acquaintance of the Dong family. I've heard that Miss Dong is obsessed with luxury and has been very particular about food and clothing since she was a boudoir girl. Everything she spends on must be from famous shops and by famous artists."
Someone at the table scoffed, "I thought I was some unscrupulous, dishonorable person. We're all just ordinary people. Who in this world doesn't love a good life?"
Xue Jia hurriedly said, "Although the Dong family has no worries about food and clothing, they are not extremely wealthy. They rely on a few acres of land and a small shop for their livelihood. How can such an extravagant daughter, who doesn't know how to be frugal, be worthy of her parents? Moreover, she has never liked studying since she was a child, and she can only read a few words. And then there's her appearance, with her naturally pointed face, willow-shaped eyebrows, and peach-shaped eyes. She likes to flirt with everyone she meets, and she is so tacky."
"Bang!" Cao Yanei's face was filled with anger. He slammed the wine cup in his hand down on the table, shocking everyone present. He then sarcastically retorted, "Sir, that word is pronounced as 'mi', 'extravagant', not 'extravagant'. You criticized my bride for being tacky. If you were someone like Mr. Wu Liu, I wouldn't have anything to say. But you yourself came in gorgeous clothes, with so many things hanging around your waist. I don't think you're much more noble than others. As the saying goes, a gentleman loves money but gets it in a proper way. My wife is bound by her boudoir body, but she is the best at business. She can help her parents manage the family property in an orderly manner and make it prosperous. The family's money is earned cleanly through her hands, and she can spend it however she wants. Such a good person, now married into our Cao family, can't we even afford her a small amount of money? Naturally, she can spend it however she wants. As for her appearance, you are a man, but you are so arrogant and rude to comment on a woman like this! They say that husband and wife are one body, but knowing that she is my new bride, you actually scold her husband. Your Excellency, you are really despicable.
Xue Jia was speechless after being refuted. His throat was full of dirty words, and his face flushed red. He suddenly remembered his own wife and quickly brought up Yanru, intending to praise and criticize her: "It's true. Dong Jinggui is extremely vulgar. You just haven't seen a better girl. The eldest daughter of the You family in Jinling is the best. Her mother opened the largest embroidery shop in Jinling and sent her to Qiushui Academy and Guanyan Academy. She is really well-read! She is beautiful and has a full forehead. And who is that? Ji Mingxiu, the most powerful painter in our dynasty, has painted many paintings based on her. She is Ji Mingxiu's goddess of painting! And she is extraordinary and has no interest in fancy goods, gold or silver, and is very beautiful. Can a vulgar person like Dong Jinggui compare to her? Really, you just haven't seen a better one."
It is said that killing can be forgiven, but disrespect cannot be tolerated. When Cao Yanei heard this vile villain calling his wife's name in public, he raised his eyebrows, threw away his wine cup, jumped up and grabbed Xue Jia's collar, vowing to beat him up to vent his anger. The other guests hurried forward to stop the fight and persuaded them to stop. The leader, a thin man, was afraid of more trouble, so he found a new topic to talk about: "Hey, we all met today. Madam Dong is heroic and valiant, with a heroic demeanor. She is a hero among women. But... Your Excellency just said that you were talking about Jinling Youshi, and that your family owns the largest embroidery shop in Jinling?"
Xue Jia straightened his clothes and said, "Yes, isn't it?"
The thin man laughed, "I'm afraid it's a misunderstanding. The best embroiderer in Jinling was surnamed Qian. She married into the You family and later opened a shop. The men in the You family worked in the palace, perhaps buying flowers for them. As for the largest embroidery shop in Jinling, it's definitely not surnamed You, but An's, called An's Embroidery Shop."
Xue Jia was struck by a thunderbolt, and he cursed: "You know nothing, you are talking nonsense, the largest embroidery shop in Jinling belongs to the You family."
The thin man said firmly, "No, my wife is from Jinling, and I make a living by embroidering cloth. There's no mistake. The largest embroidery shop in Jinling is owned by An, with nearly ten embroiderers. The You family's shop is very small, with only Madam Qian doing the work. Madam Qian is excellent, her craftsmanship is top-notch, and she rented a shop to run her own business. Two years ago, she tried to expand her business, but unfortunately, Madam Qian is a cunning person and looks down on the work of other embroiderers. She once argued with an embroiderer, saying that her embroidery was not good enough and withheld her money. She almost took the matter to the government. After all this, she has been running the business herself."
Xue Jia was stunned: "How could it be? I've seen her shop before. It's across the street."
The thin man waved his hand. "No, no, no, you misunderstood. Her shop is rented on the main street, and the banners used to attract customers are huge, so it's easy to misunderstand. However, larger embroidery shops usually dye their own silk thread, so they need a courtyard to serve as a small dyeing workshop. The house on the street that the You family rented only has a shopfront, no courtyard, so it can't be an embroidery shop."
Xue Jia stopped talking, the veins on both sides of his forehead trembled violently, and his thick nostrils opened and closed, like a huge clam. He stood up with a cold face, shouting "Long'er" and "Long'er", and squeezed out of the crowd.
Everyone looked at each other, bewildered. Then someone spoke up, "I remember now. This guy's the owner of Qixian Pawnshop and the old horse farm on the outskirts of the city. His surname is Xue. And that goddess of painting, Youshi, seems to be his new bride."
The thin man covered his mouth. "Wow, he seems very angry. I didn't mean to do that—oh no, since she's his new bride, why did she confuse the An's Embroidery Shop with the You's? Why did she need me to tell her?"
The stage fell into silence. Cao Yanei was the first to react, laughing so hard that he fell backwards, gasping for breath: "Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."
Everyone looked at each other and couldn't help but burst into laughter. For a moment, the surroundings were filled with a happy atmosphere.
Yanru's thoughts were in turmoil as she circled the horse farm again and again. What man would want to be a cuckold? Liu Xiang had deep feelings for her, but wasn't he abandoning her because of their past? Even though he tried to win her back later, he ultimately regarded her as a shameless adulterer. That idiot Xue Jia, if he knew all along, why didn't he ever confront her? Could it be that he truly loved her so deeply that he didn't care about the mundane matters of flesh and blood?
Tsk, even a pig wouldn't believe that. Furthermore, everything that happened today was closely related to Dong, and she had witnessed him being particularly affectionate with her. Yanru, enjoying Liu Lang's expression, couldn't she see through the falsehood, the hypocrisy, the intimacy, the differences in closeness between men and women? Jealousy welled up in her, remembering that Dong's clothes were far superior to hers, and that her husband's family was in government. She felt even more resentful, stamping her feet repeatedly. Tsk, she was truly furious!
Having said that, if that was the case, then why didn't Xue Jia care, pretended not to know even after knowing it, and even let her be alone with Ji Mingxiu?
Tsk, why?
Yanru was completely baffled. Just as she was in a state of confusion, servants from the horse farm's owner rushed around, informing the guests that the banquet was ready and that they could have lunch in the pavilion at the back. Everyone around her left, and Yanru, confused, followed the crowd. Only after she sat down at the women's table and was halfway through her meal did she realize what was happening. She glanced around, glancing at the men's table from a distance, panicked: "Xue Jia is gone! Shan Juan is gone too!"
She had no interest in eating, so she pulled a maid to the main seat to ask the hostess. The lady was startled, and then asked the maid to go to the men's table to ask their master, and then came back to tell Yanru:
"Young Master Xue left early with his maids and servants. Didn't he inform the lady?"
Upon hearing this, Yanru couldn't tell if she felt more heartbroken than angry, more angry than sad, or more sad than aggrieved. What a cruel, black-hearted son of a bitch! He'd had a disagreement, and he'd just dumped her here. He'd even taken Shanjuan and Long'er, only to leave her here? She didn't have a carriage, didn't know the way, and had no close friends. She was completely unfamiliar with the place, at an unfamiliar racecourse, with nowhere to turn. Was he really going to let her walk back home?!
Yanru was extremely sad. She frowned and glared at Dong who was drinking diagonally across from her. She broke a bamboo stick in her hand that was used to stick fruit in it and was about to burst into tears on the spot.
The lady of the house, sensing that things were not going well, quickly arose and, while Yanru was still asleep, led her behind a screen. After some persuasion, she arranged for a carriage to take her back to Daiyuan. The coachman didn't know the way to Daiyuan, so he followed Yanru's ambiguous instructions and took a long detour. By the time they arrived at Daiyuan, smoke from cooking fires rose from the city, and it was already dark.
Yanru, hungry and tearful, rushed into the house. Xue Jia had changed his underwear and was humming a little tune while enjoying a braised duck leg. Yanru rushed forward, snatched the duck leg away, and threw it to the ground, spitting into Xue Jia's face, howling loudly, "Xue Jia! Did a thunderbolt strike your brain, or did the wild dogs outside eat your filthy heart and lungs? You left your wife outside, and you come back here to enjoy yourself? Have you ever thought about how I came back?" Her voice was so loud that the birds in the Yingyu Hall next door flapped their wings and tried to fly away.
The duck leg flew out of his mouth, and Xue Jia was naturally annoyed. He wanted to kick her, but his lower limbs were clumsy, and his foot landed on the stool. He screamed in pain and cursed: "How dare you touch me? You Yanru, today, because of you, I have lost all my face!"
Yanru rolled in front of him, squeezed his ugly head with both hands, and said unyieldingly: "What did I do? If anyone should be embarrassed, it should be you! A married man, but he doesn't know etiquette, getting close to other people's wives behind his wife's back, and giving your wife's things to other people's wives. Humph, other people's husbands are a hundred times better than yours. Even if you lick your face and become a pimp, they will look down on you!"
Xue Jia tore off his usual disguise and spat at Yanru: "Pah! What do you mean by your things? I bought them, it's none of your business! What's so great about you! You're just the daughter of a small embroidery housekeeper in Jinling. Your father works as a servant in the palace, and your mother runs a small embroidery shop. Why are you pretending to be a rich lady?"
Yanru was stunned: "What? When did you know this?"
"How could I not know? How could I not know all that filthy, rotten, rancid, and smelly stuff of yours? It's precisely because I knew that I've lost face!" Xue Jia pinched Yanru's arm, causing her to scream in pain. "In the past, I treated you as a noble lady of great stature and beauty, treated you with respect, and didn't bother with you. But I never knew your family was so different from mine, and you tried to marry me up. You came from a poor, humble family, yet you pretended to be a prominent figure in Jinling, tricking me into marrying you."
Yanru looked at Xue Jia's distorted face and suddenly realized something. Xue Jia certainly didn't care about her past. He never married her for her as a person, but for her far-fetched identity as a descendant of the Privy Council, for her fabricated title as the owner of the Jinling Embroidery Shop, for her reputation as a female scholar at the two major academies to embellish the Xue family's business reputation, and for her romantic affairs with Ji Mingxiu, which would allow the illiterate Xue Jia to be associated with the talented scholars of the time.
That's why he doesn't care about what kind of affair he has with Ji Mingxiu. This bastard wishes she were still secretly having an affair with Ji Mingxiu.
The stories of fate that came with the kite and love at first sight were all Xue Jia's tricks. Her husband wanted this and that, but not her, You Yanru.
When the clouds and fog are cleared away, everything becomes clear.
Yanru withdrew her hand in a daze. Seeing that she no longer pestered him, Xue Jia looked foolish and thought she was an eyesore. He pushed Yanru to the ground, patted his butt, and left. Yanru was left lying on the ground, her eyes empty. He had warned her hundreds of times before she married him that she was after money, endless silver, and that the friendship between husband and wife was not as important as gold, silver, and jewelry. But why did he feel so desolate and sad at this moment, as if his heart was sinking?
Yanru groped to her feet, stumbling and fumbling. She dug out a pebble-carved pendant from her dressing table and cradled it in her arms, wanting it to fill her chest and soothe her falling heart. In a trance, she seemed to hear once again the faint, green-haired youth's song on the snowy road leading to Tiekan Temple:
"Why do people gather and disperse?
What sorrow and joy are there in the world?
I wish to stay with you forever,
Don’t be a flash in the pan.”
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