Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Fang Ying: "You said he just asked that...
Ji Yanlang admitted, "Last time I came back from your house, mother told me about it, but I've been busy these days and haven't been able to take care of it. Today, after I almost got to know the camp, I went to meet your cousin. He doesn't look much like your uncle, he's much taller."
"Well, according to my stepmother, he looks more like my grandfather." Fang Ying held it back and didn't ask any further questions, waiting for him to continue.
"Haven't you ever met your grandfather?"
Why did he change the subject? Fang Ying wanted to hear what he had talked about with his cousin today, so she said perfunctorily, "I haven't seen him since I can remember. Did you just exchange pleasantries?"
"Well, just to say hello and get to know him. I told him I'd invite him and my second cousin out for drinks someday. I noticed he doesn't speak or act like your uncle. I asked the commander of their army, and he said he was a down-to-earth man who could endure hardships. He was an elite rider and archer, but he wasn't boastful. If he made some achievements later, he'd definitely be promoted."
"Really?" Fang Ying was very surprised. How could her uncle and aunt give birth to a son who was down-to-earth and able to endure hardships?
Ji Yanlang was even more surprised: "Don't you know?"
Fang Ying shook her head. "My eldest cousin is seven or eight years older than me, not much younger than my stepmother. Whenever he and my second cousin visit my house, they only go to see my father and never go into the backyard. My aunt often praises her two sons, but her words are always half true and half false, so I don't really believe them."
So that's how it is. "It seems that my parents are dragging me down." Ji Yanlang sighed.
"Don't jump to conclusions too quickly. Be cautious and wait and see. Maybe he'll go home and tell his parents today, and then my father will come home tomorrow, and my uncle will come uninvited the day after tomorrow." Fang Ying felt that this was 99% likely to come true, and her brows furrowed. "No, I have to send someone back to tell my father to keep an eye on my uncle..."
"No need, just come if you want. We're relatives, there's no reason not to let people come." Ji Yanlang counseled her, "You've already met my father, are you still afraid that your uncle will dare to act rashly in front of him?"
Fang Ying thought about it and her brows relaxed. She smiled and said, "You're right. People like my uncle are the ones who bully the weak and fear the strong. When he saw my father, he was probably so scared that he didn't dare to breathe."
"My uncle is the same. No matter how much he hates me behind my back, when he sees my father, he still calls me brother-in-law affectionately."
"Did he see you when you visited him last time?" Fang Ying never heard any follow-up to this matter. Neither Ji Yanlang nor Li mentioned it to her.
"We did meet, but he spoke in a sarcastic tone. My second brother and I were afraid that Mom would be sad, so we only learned a few words that we could understand," Ji Yanlang replied.
"There's only one sentence I can hear?"
Ji Yanlang looked at her with a smile: "What do you think? Everyone would say that. Just come back and don't let your mother worry anymore."
This emperor is really something, Fang Ying sighed in her heart, and seeing that she had arrived at her own yard, she stopped talking and said, "I'll talk to mother about the Deng family's matter when I have time tomorrow morning." As usual, she planned to part ways with him after entering the yard and go back to her own room.
Unexpectedly, after Ji Yanlang responded, he did not go into the east wing, but followed her into the main hall and sat down. He also asked her what she did at home every day in a casual manner.
"Nothing much, just chatting with mom. If there are a lot of things going on at home like there have been lately, I'll help my sister-in-law." Fang Ying was puzzled, not knowing what his intention was, so she answered simply.
"What do you do when you're alone?"
He continued to ask? Fang Ying became even more cautious. "Sometimes I do needlework, or practice calligraphy, or copy Buddhist scriptures."
Ji Yanlang was surprised: "Can you sew?"
Fang Ying: "...How could a girl from an ordinary family not be able to sew?"
Ji Yanlang thought for a moment and said, "Logically, there shouldn't be any, but you don't look like someone who would do such a thing."
Xing Niang happened to come over to serve tea. Seeing that the two masters were getting along differently than usual, she boldly said, "This round-collared robe that my lord is wearing was made by me and my servants."
"Stop talking too much." Fang Ying scolded immediately.
Xingniang bowed and apologized. Ji Yanlang looked down at the casual robe he was wearing and was a little bit incredulous: "Did you do this?"
"They've already cut it, and I just sewed it on." Fang Ying finished answering, then turned to Xing Niang, "Why don't you leave?"
Xing Niang hurriedly retreated. Ji Yanlang thought Fang Ying was just shy and uncomfortable, so he smiled and said, "I can't believe it. I thought that with your temper as a child, you wouldn't be impatient to learn these things."
Fang Ying was a little annoyed by Xing Niang's talkativeness, and too lazy to pretend to coax him anymore, so she replied calmly, "Isn't that what happens when you grow up?"
Ji Yanlang was stunned for a moment, then sighed, "You're right. This is how people grow up. They control their temper, smooth out their edges, and learn all sorts of meaningless but potentially useful skills."
Fang Ying glanced at him and held back her words. Ji Yanlang saw this but insisted on asking, "What's wrong?"
"...Nothing much, I just feel that you haven't changed much." You asked this yourself.
Ji Yanlang raised his eyebrows and his tone turned cold: "You mean to say that I haven't made any progress."
Fang Ying immediately shook her head: "What are you thinking? I meant that despite all the hardships you've faced, it's a relief that you still have the temper of your youth and haven't become worldly-wise and tactful."
Ji Yanlang stared at her, and she stared back at him with a frank look. They stared at each other for a while before Ji Yanlang looked away. He took a sip of tea and said, "It's just that I'm not like that at home."
He seemed to lose his mood all of a sudden. He put down his tea, stood up, said, "You should rest early. You will be busy tomorrow," and left.
Fang Ying saw him off, then went back into the inner warm room, took off her jacket and shoes, and lay down on the kang. She sighed comfortably and muttered to Lichun, "The day is finally over."
Lichun put away his jacket, glanced outside, walked to the kang, and whispered, "We finally got things out of the way, why is my wife deliberately stabbing me again?"
"Who told him to be so long-winded and talk for no reason?" Fang Ying was tired of dealing with him for so long.
"My dear, you're just trying to make small talk. Isn't it just that you want to talk more and learn more about your current preferences?" Lichun leaned against the edge of the kang and carefully advised her master, "He's trying to show his goodwill to you. He wants to be your husband and wife and live a good life with you. If you use these words to tease him, won't all the conversations we had last night and this afternoon be in vain?"
Fang Ying half sat up: "You said he asked those nonsense questions just now because he wanted to know my preferences?"
"Yes." Lichun laughed. "What do you think, my lady? I'm asking you what you do by yourself on weekdays. What other intentions could there be?"
"I just can't figure it out. When he suddenly mentioned my cousin earlier, I thought..." Fang Ying frowned, turned her head and glanced through the window at the east wing, and whispered to Lichun, "Do you think he really believed what I said last night?"
Lichun nodded: "Even a servant would believe it, let alone my lord?"
Fang Ying glanced at her sideways: "What do you believe in?"
Lichun kindly advised, "Whether I believe it or not is irrelevant. What matters is that you believe it, and then it must be true. I may be a little short-sighted, but judging by how you treat Madam Deng and her daughter, you seem like someone who understands right from wrong and knows how to repay your debts. He didn't believe you before, and to be fair, I don't blame him. You haven't been kind to him before."
Fang Ying: “…”
"Last night, when the Master learned what you said in Madam's room, didn't he immediately change his mind? He even solemnly apologized to you twice. Not to mention the Master's temper, even Master Fang might not have agreed to that at first."
The "beginning" Lichun was referring to was naturally the time when Fang Ying's mother was around. Her father, when he was out in public, always acted with a gentle, courteous demeanor, whether with superiors or colleagues. Even to people like her uncle, he was always kind and gentle, rarely showing any disapproval. But when he returned home to face his wife and daughter, he acted like the head of the household.
Fang Ying herself felt it was impossible for him to apologize to her mother or her current stepmother, but, "I didn't expect that! I wanted to go along with him, ignore him, and just live my own life. Who would have thought he would change again."
Lichun laughed and said, "That was just an angry remark. How could such a thing happen in the world? A newlywed couple should live their own lives? Even if you two are willing, Madam can't just sit there and watch. Madam, don't forget, Madam said that when the Duke returns home, she will choose an auspicious day to hold the wedding ceremony for you and your husband."
Ah, yes, there is such a thing! Fang Ying became worried and lay down again, pressing her forehead.
"Madam, please look at your husband's good qualities." Lichun sat on the edge of the kang, reaching out to gently massage her temples, while softly soothing her, "Take Madam Deng and her daughter for example. If it were someone else, they would have just left them to the Madam and left them alone. They would have fed her well, clothed her well, and lived in her house well, and told everyone about it, and that would have been their repayment. Why would they have to worry about whether the servants looked down on them or whether they could get used to their lives?"
Fang Ying snorted, "Even so, don't think I can compare with the mother and daughter of the Deng family."
"There's a lot of time to come. Stop irritating me with your words. With your character, he'll fall in love with you sooner or later."
Fang Ying didn't care whether Ji Yanlang liked her or not, as long as her mother-in-law, Mrs. Li, liked her. But when she told Lichun about this, she would just continue to nag. So she changed the subject and said, "I'm still worried that he will go find his cousin."
Lichun said, "From what I can see, my lord has no particular purpose in bringing this up. He simply wants to find a topic to discuss with you. Although I haven't seen the two young masters of the Pan family very often, I used to hear your attendant occasionally say when I was at the Fang family..."
She suddenly stopped, Fang Ying was surprised and asked, "What did you say?"
Lichun looked embarrassed and whispered, "Good bamboo shoots come from bad bamboo."
Fang Ying couldn't help but laugh: "I think they are the ones who are mean-spirited."
Lichun also smiled with pursed lips. After Fang Ying finished laughing, she thought for a while and said, "If that's the case, it's okay." It's better than having a whole family of useless people who always drag down the Fang family.
Seeing that she had thought it through, Lichun decided to stop while he was ahead. Without saying anything more, he asked someone to bring in some water, helped Fang Ying soak her feet, and then went to rest early.
The next morning, it was indeed a sunny day. After seeing off Ji Yanlang and his three brothers, Fang Ying told Li about Ji Yanlang's request before anyone else came to pay their respects.
Li listened without commenting, and then asked Fang Ying, "What do you think? Do you really agree, or are you hesitant to disobey because Liu Lang asked?"
"I wholeheartedly agree," Fang Ying replied seriously. "Besides addressing Liu Lang's concerns, it also helps prevent Madam Deng and her daughter from misunderstanding me."
Mrs. Li couldn't help but sigh: "Child, you only think about others."
"Mom is not someone else." Fang Ying replied with a smile.
Before Li could say anything else, the maid came to report that the concubines and several ladies had come to pay their respects. She had no choice but to hold back and first sent someone to tell Madam Fu and Madam Du that they didn't need to go to the Deng family from today onwards.
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These two chapters have modified some words and sentences, the plot has not been changed, no need to reread~
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