Chapter 56 "Xiao Qiyu, you wouldn't happen to... like..."
"Come closer!"
Inside Yingchun Pavilion, Cui Ying applied medicine to Xiao Qiyu's forehead. Looking at the bright red wound, her brows furrowed tightly, and she muttered like an elder:
"I hope it won't leave a scar. If it's disfigured, how will I ever find a wife?"
The sunlight filtering through the gauze curtains cast a warm, pinkish-orange hue over the room.
Xiao Qiyu sat upright, letting her do as she pleased, and snorted coldly upon hearing this: "It's none of your business."
Cui Ying rolled her eyes at him, then put on a high-pitched voice and said sarcastically, "Yes, yes, it's not my place to worry about this. After all, some people are really arrogant. They probably picked out their concubines eight or ten times over eight hundred years ago, just waiting to line up and be carried into the house two years from now, right?"
Xiao Qiyu didn't want to hear her bring up things she didn't want to talk about anymore, so he deliberately hissed and said, "Could you be a little gentler? Are you building a wall?"
Cui Ying subconsciously loosened her grip, but her words were sharp: "Oh, so you know it hurts now? This isn't the time for you to play the hero! If you're afraid of pain, why did you rush in to shield me from the cup?"
“I’m bored.” Xiao Qiyu bluntly uttered four words.
Seeing his stubbornness, Cui Ying's playful nature took hold. She stopped what she was doing, leaned forward slightly, and moved closer, her almond-shaped eyes locking onto Xiao Qiyu's somewhat evasive gaze. With a hint of inquiry and teasing, she suddenly posed a startling question:
"Xiao Qiyu, you wouldn't happen to... fall in love with me, would you?"
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Xiao Qiyu was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on; his hair almost stood on end. When he met Cui Ying's smiling but ill-intentioned gaze, the panic in his eyes was almost impossible to hide.
But he immediately scoffed, raising his voice several decibels, and said sarcastically, "It's not even completely dark yet, and you're already dreaming?"
Cui Ying let out an "Oh~" sound, her expression meaningful, and calmly asked, "Then tell me, why did you risk your life to block that cup for me?"
Xiao Qiyu's heart was pounding, but his eyes were cold and distant: "You're overthinking it. You are, after all, my wife in name only. If something happens to you at the Duke of Wei's mansion, how will I explain it to my grandmother when I get back?"
Cui Ying nodded vigorously: "I see!"
She sat up straight, picked up the ointment again, and her tone became unusually light, even with a hint of relief: "Perfect, just don't fall in love with me."
Xiao Qiyu was taken aback, and subconsciously asked, "Why?"
"Because I will never like you."
Cui Ying smiled, her long eyelashes fluttering, her eyes clear and bright, making it hard to tell how much of her words were true and how much were false, whether she was being serious or just lying.
Xiao Qiyu was completely unprepared for her reaction. An indescribable feeling, a mixture of annoyance at being rejected and a sense of inexplicable disappointment, quietly welled up in his heart.
He frowned, and blurted out the same question: "Why?"
Cui Ying began to ponder.
Actually, her words were mainly meant to upset Xiao Qiyu; she didn't think much of it herself.
At this moment, she was thinking seriously and pondering carefully. Although she didn't know what kind of man she would like, she still had a good idea of what kind she wouldn't like.
"Because you have a bad temper." Cui Ying put on a serious face. "I already have a bad temper. If I find someone with a bad temper, how can we live together?"
Her expression was serious, and her eyes were focused.
Xiao Qiyu saw the unadorned frankness in her eyes and knew she wasn't lying.
Suddenly, a breath caught in his chest, unable to go up or down.
...
Evening, at the waterside pavilion in the garden.
The night was as dark as ink, with sparse stars. The waterside pavilion was built over the lake, with a few plain gauze lanterns hanging from the eaves, swaying gently in the cool night breeze.
Cui Yan had already prepared a table of snacks to accompany the drinks. Seeing the tall, slender young man walking towards him, he quickly stood up and asked, "How are your injuries?"
Xiao Qiyu bowed with his arms crossed and said, "It's nothing serious, just a minor scrape. Don't worry, Father-in-law."
Cui Yan stroked his beard, looking at the scabbed wound on Xiao Qiyu's forehead, his expression full of guilt: "It's my fault. I was angry at the time and didn't even see who it was—"
“Father-in-law, there’s no need to blame yourself,” Xiao Qiyu said. “Humans aren’t plants or trees; it’s inevitable that they’ll get angry.”
Cui Yan sighed deeply, clearly still not at peace, and gestured for him to sit down: "Alright, sit down and let's talk."
On the stone table were several plates of refreshing side dishes and a pot of perfectly warmed Shaoxing wine. The aroma of the wine mingled with the fragrance of osmanthus carried on the evening breeze, creating a truly delightful atmosphere.
The most eye-catching item is a plate of freshly steamed hairy crabs in the center, their shells bright red and emitting an enticing sweet aroma.
Cui Yan personally poured wine for Xiao Qiyu, then picked up the fattest crab and placed it on the blue-and-white porcelain plate in front of Xiao Qiyu. The "eight crab-eating tools" were neatly arranged on the left side of the plate.
Xiao Qiyu nodded: "Thank you, Father-in-law."
Cui Yan, picking at the crab meat, smiled slightly upon hearing this: "There's no need to thank me. You're a good kid in every way, except you're too polite to people."
He deftly twirled the crab leg with his fingertips, and as he spoke, he had already picked a piece of snow-white crab meat onto the plate: "Recently, the estate sent over a few cages of river crabs. I was originally planning to raise them until the Mid-Autumn Festival to enjoy the moon, but since you're here today, I might as well take a few first, which is a good deal for the two of us."
Next, Cui Yan placed the pair of crab claws he had just disassembled into Xiao Qi's jade dish. The crab claw shells had been gently cracked by a small hammer, revealing the plump, tender meat inside: "Eat quickly, the meat on these crab claws is the sweetest. Dip it in some ginger vinegar to ward off the cold."
Xiao Qiyu looked at the bright red crab claws on the plate, and was about to decline, saying, "Father-in-law—"
"Alright, alright," Cui Yan waved his hand, deliberately putting on a stern face, "Stop calling me father-in-law all the time, it's exhausting to hear. You've been married to Tuantuan for so long, is it too much of a burden for you to call me father?"
Xiao Qiyu paused slightly.
He was raised by his mother from a young age. After his mother passed away, he grew up with his grandmother. He had a distant relationship with his biological father, and all he could remember about him was his father's back.
This word "father" was something he hadn't heard in a long time.
Xiao Qiyu's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, his voice hoarse, and he finally responded softly, "Father."
"Oh, good son-in-law." Cui Yan smiled and added another spoonful of crab roe to his plate. "That's right."
A night breeze swept across the lake, bringing a cool breeze, but it couldn't dispel the warmth inside the waterside pavilion.
The two ate and chatted over warm wine, and despite the obvious difference in their generations and ages, they talked about everything and seemed like close friends despite the age gap.
As the conversation got more interesting, Cui Yan took a sip of wine and sighed, "We're all the same age. If Third Sister were half as sensible as you, I wouldn't have to have such a headache."
Xiao Qiyu put down his wine cup and said seriously, "Father, although I don't know the whole story of today's events, I do know a little about the inside story. Cui Ying originally had little contact with the Zhao family mother and daughter and didn't want to get involved in this matter. However, because my sixth sister and the second daughter of the Zhao family were classmates and had some old feelings for each other, my sixth sister couldn't bear it and wanted to lend a helping hand. Cui Ying was just helping my sixth sister."
Upon hearing this, Cui Yan's gloomy expression gradually faded, and he even smiled: "You're speaking up for her. But speaking of which, although my Tuantuan is a bit naughty on weekdays, she has a warm heart and is extremely loyal and affectionate."
He became more and more smug as he spoke, filling his own glass with wine: "He takes after me, just like me."
Xiao Qiyu smiled and agreed, then paused before continuing, "So I think that Father, you certainly won't stand idly by and do nothing about that mother and daughter."
Cui Yan's hand trembled as he poured the wine, spilling it over the rim of the cup. He slapped his forehead, pointed at Xiao Qiyu, and said with a pained expression, "I just praised you for being sensible. How can a young person be so easily flattered?"
Xiao Qiyu picked up his wine cup, his voice calming down: "When I barged in today, I overheard Cui Ying say those words—"
He paused, then clearly repeated: "Life is unpredictable, and officialdom is full of ups and downs. Today's honored guest may be tomorrow's prisoner."
The evening breeze carried the fragrance of osmanthus through the waterside pavilion, and the plain gauze lanterns on the eaves swayed gently, making the light in the boy's eyes even clearer.
“Cui Ying is usually carefree and walks with a brisk pace, as if she doesn’t care about anything. But in reality, no one sees things as clearly and clearly as she does. Every word she said was true.”
Xiao Qiyu looked up at Cui Yan: "Zhao Dongsheng's crimes are heinous, and it is only right that his wife and daughters suffer. But a scholar can be killed, not humiliated. Our dynasty respects Confucianism and Confucius, and prides itself on being a land of propriety, yet we openly set up the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution). As long as the price is right, the wives and daughters of criminal officials are humiliated by everyone. We think that by killing the chicken to scare the monkey, we can make other officials keep their own business. But how is this kind of tyrannical behavior any different from those barbarians on the grasslands who eat raw meat and drink blood and share wives with their brothers?"
A moment of silence fell over the room.
After listening, Cui Yan put down the wine pot, raised an eyebrow at him, and said, "Do you think only you young people can't stand it? Do you think only you have such long-term vision?"
He picked up the crab-eating tools on the table, snipped off the crab claws with the small scissors, and said slowly, "Back when the late emperor was alive, some court officials already felt that the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) was a filthy place and should be abolished. There was even an old censor who was very stubborn and submitted three memorials in a row, saying that rather than sending the female relatives of criminal officials to the Jiaofangsi to suffer that humiliation, it would be better to just give them death directly, so as to at least leave them with some dignity."
At this point, he sighed heavily, twirling the crab claw between his fingers: "But the rules passed down from our ancestors are like this, deeply entrenched and complex. How can they be changed so easily? If you change one thing, it will affect a hundred things. Those conservative old ministers will spit in your face, saying that you are disregarding ancestral rules and undermining the foundation of the country."
Xiao Qiyu listened quietly. Seeing Cui Yan's brows furrow slightly and his eyes filled with hesitation, he knew that his father-in-law had already been thinking a thousand times. Although he said no, he had actually softened his mind.
He simply filled his wine cup and said to Cui Yan, "I don't ask Father to fight with all his might, I only wish to mediate and do my best."
After saying this, he tilted his head back and drank the wine in one gulp.
Cui Yan was so shocked he almost spat out the crab meat in his mouth: "I haven't even agreed yet, and you've already drunk the wine. This is forced buying and selling!"
Xiao Qiyu remained silent and went to pour the second cup.
Cui Yan quickly stopped him: "Even the best wine is harmful if you drink too much, especially since you're still injured. Forget it, for God's sake I ended up with you two. I'll do my best, okay?"
Xiao Qiyu's tense shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly, a genuine smile flashed in his eyes, and he immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Father!"
Cui Yan quickly helped him up, and only after the two were seated again did he let go of his hand, pick up his wine cup, take a sip, and look at Xiao Qiyu with a probing gaze: "However, there is something that Father doesn't quite understand."
"Your sixth sister helped that mother and daughter because she was classmates with the second daughter of the Zhao family. Your third sister intervened because of your sixth sister's relationship with her."
"And what about you? What are you doing this for?"
The lamplight flickered on the boy's face, and his eyes, which were once as dark as an ancient well, now held an almost undisguised sincerity.
Xiao Qiyu answered without hesitation:
"I want to make Cui Ying happy."
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Author's Note: He absolutely loves...
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