Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Ji Yanlang picked up the wine glass and looked towards Fang Ying...
Li rejected him on the spot: "You're talking nonsense again. Who will have time to talk to you tomorrow? Choose another day."
"Yeah." Ji Yanlang agreed honestly.
Third brother Ji Yanchang interrupted, "Liu Lang only invited mother and sisters-in-law, what about father and brothers?"
Ji Guangting said, "Don't use my name to interfere in your brothers' affairs."
Ji Yanchang quickly replied, "Yes." Then he turned to Ji Yanlang and said, "Brothers, you can't escape this dinner."
"Look at what Third Brother said. Would I run away after a few drinks?" Ji Yanlang replied with a smile, "When I have time in a couple of days, I will definitely invite my brothers to have a drink."
Ji Guangting waited for the brothers to finish speaking, then raised the third glass of wine and encouraged his sons to serve the country well. He also decided to hold a banquet on the next holiday and invite all the relatives and old friends to come, so that everyone can gather together for a day to celebrate.
After drinking this cup, Ji Yanshou, together with his fifth brother Ji Yanhui and Ji Yanlang, congratulated their father on his successful suppression of the rebellion and his promotion; the two brothers Ji Yanchang toasted Li alone and said a few words about how the sons were unfilial, failing to serve their mother and instead causing her to worry.
The daughters-in-law had nothing to do at this time, so Fang Ying was happy to concentrate on eating. She finished the chicken leg that Ji Yanlang picked for her, drank a bowl of mutton soup, and ate half a plate of roast suckling pig. Finally, she felt a little greasy, picked up a few pieces of vegetarian dishes and ate them, and then the steamed silver carp was served on the table.
Ji Yanlang was kneeling beside Ji Guangting at this time, holding a wine glass and listening to his father's lecture. Fang Ying hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't resist the fragrant smell of fish, so she stretched out her chopsticks to scoop out the fish meat from the side next to the plate and eat it.
When she felt she was about 60% full and put down her chopsticks, she had almost hollowed out the lower half of the fish.
But because nothing was touched, when Ji Yanlang came back and saw that the fish was whole, he thought Fang Ying was waiting for him to eat first, so he picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and said, "You can eat it first, no need to wait..." Before he finished speaking, he picked up the fish meat and removed it, revealing the dangling fish bones.
“…”
“…”
The two looked at each other, and Fang Ying looked away guiltily. Ji Yanlang laughed and put the piece of fish on the chopsticks on the plate in front of her, jokingly saying, "I don't know which cat is so good at stealing food."
Fang Ying pretended to be deaf and dumb. Ji Yanlang picked up a piece of fish and ate it himself. Seeing that she didn't move her chopsticks, he thought she was angry and said, "Father said he would invite your father to drink tomorrow. Mother asked me to ask you what your father likes to eat so that I can ask the kitchen to prepare it."
"Are you inviting only my father?" Fang Ying was flattered. "There should be a lot of people visiting father tomorrow, right?"
"If someone comes, just come and meet them. Father said that he hasn't had a drink with your father alone since the marriage. It just so happens that tomorrow is a day off, so your father will have some free time."
"Oh, then I'll wait and tell my sister-in-law later." Fang Ying was still a little dazed. Her father, a mere magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture, could be invited to a private banquet by her father-in-law, who was the Jiedushi and the Duke of Yingchuan County - and this magistrate was appointed with the help of her father-in-law - not to mention that she was shocked, her father might not be able to sleep tonight if he knew.
Ji Yanlang nodded, picked up the wine glass, and said with a smile: "Come, let me toast you."
"What are you toasting me for? Didn't you toast me just now?" Fang Ying was puzzled.
"That was Dad asking me to toast you just now. Now I'll toast you myself." Seeing that she didn't hold up the wine glass, Ji Yanlang stretched out his left hand, picked up her wine glass, and placed it in front of her. "Thank you for accompanying and comforting mother for the past two years. In fact, during the three years I was in Jiaozhi, the one I was most worried about was mother. She had already lost her eldest brother. If I couldn't come back..."
He had drunk quite a bit before and was easily aroused by the alcohol. When he spoke of this, his eyes became red.
Fang Ying quickly took the wine glass and said, "You're back safely, aren't you? From now on, think more about mother when you do things, and don't mention the war in front of her. A few days ago, mother said that she was afraid that it wouldn't be long before she would have to eat vegetarian food again for you."
"Really? Next time we bring it up, tell mother that conquering Northern Zhao is easier than Jiaozhi. The emperor will most likely lead the army in person, and our Valiant Army will definitely accompany him. It won't be my turn to fight Northern Zhao. And please don't be a vegetarian anymore. It's not good for your health."
"Okay." He said it sincerely, so Fang Ying took it seriously. She even raised her glass and clinked it with his, saying, "Then I won't hesitate to drink this."
Seeing her drink the wine straight away, Ji Yanlang couldn't help but smile and drank the whole glass as well. Then he couldn't help but say, "You are truly a woman of heroic character."
"Thank you for the compliment." Fang Ying was very satisfied with this statement and picked up the chopsticks to eat the piece of fish he had picked for her.
In the blink of an eye, it was 2:15 PM. Seeing that it was almost time, Mrs. Li took the women and children with her and left the table, leaving the father and son behind to regroup and continue drinking.
After Fang Ying sent Li home, she returned to her room in the evening breeze. She felt a little dizzy and wanted to lie down in the warm room for a while to sober up. However, she fell asleep as soon as she lay down. When she woke up, it was already dawn.
"I slept so soundly..." Fang Ying muttered as she dressed, "When did my husband come back?"
"I just got back at the beginning of the night, and I was so drunk that I staggered. It's rare for me not to act crazy. I fell asleep as soon as I fell asleep." Lichun glanced outside and chuckled, "I haven't woken up yet."
"Not awake yet? Isn't it getting late?" Fang Ying said, glancing at the sky.
"My lady, don't worry. Madam has sent a message saying that you and your husband will not be waiting for breakfast today. You can come and greet him after you have eaten."
Fang Ying breathed a sigh of relief and was no longer in a hurry. She slowly washed and dressed herself. By the time she was done, the man in the east wing had finally woken up.
She asked someone to go to the kitchen to get food, and she sat in the hall waiting for a while. Ji Yanlang came in, holding his forehead, and said, "Since Dad came back, Mom didn't even ask us to eat."
Fang Ying laughed: "What are you talking about? Mom must have thought that you drank a lot last night and knew that you couldn't get up in the morning, so..."
Ji Yanlang sat down on the chair next to her, shook his head, and immediately groaned: "Oh... Fortunately, it's a day off today."
"Have a bowl of sobering soup first." Fang Ying gestured to Xingniang to bring it.
"Will it still work if I drink it now?" Ji Yanlang muttered.
"Who told you to go straight to bed without drinking last night?"
Ji Yanlang pressed his forehead and said weakly, "How would I know? I don't even remember how I got back last night."
Lichun listened to the two talking back and forth, just like an ordinary couple, and couldn't help but smile.
Xingniang brought some sobering soup, and Ji Yanlang drank it anyway. But after finishing the bowl, he had no appetite at dinner time, and he didn't eat as much as Fang Ying.
After dinner, the two of them went to the main hall together. Ji Yanlang remembered what he had said before and said, "Do you want to make a bet with me? These days when Dad is at home, Mom won't ask us to have breakfast with her."
Fang Ying thought about it and shook her head: "I think you are right, I won't gamble."
"...That's not what you just said."
"I've changed my mind now." Fang Ying said with a smile.
It is indeed inconvenient for everyone to sit at the same table for dinner when the father-in-law is at home, and Mrs. Li must want the couple to spend more time together, so it is reasonable to let them eat by themselves.
Ji Yanlang's thoughts were different from hers. "Dad rarely comes home once a year, and when he does, he's always very busy. The only time they can have some quiet time to chat is during breakfast."
This is also a reason, Fang Ying nodded in agreement.
As they were talking, they soon reached the main courtyard. At this time, a few people came from another road. Ji Yanlang took a look and asked with a smile, "What's wrong with Third Brother's face?"
Fang Ying looked over and saw Ji Yanchang holding his eye socket, revealing a dark bruise. He said in frustration, "It was you who urged me to drink so much that I fell down on the way home."
"He fell down?" Ji Yanlang didn't believe it. "Third brother is so good at fighting, how could he fall down after drinking a little? Don't tell me..."
He looked at his third sister-in-law, An, with a hint of meaning. An immediately said, "Why are you looking at me? He was like this when he returned to his room last night. I thought you two brothers were fighting!"
Ji Yanlang laughed and said, "Don't worry, Third Sister-in-law. I was just wondering if Third Brother was so drunk that he mistook the wall for a door and bumped into it."
Ji Yanchang was so angry that he raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder: "Next time I will use you as a door to hit you, and see if you keep talking nonsense!" After saying this, he strode in.
An, who rarely said much, followed him into the yard.
Ji Yanlang turned around to look at Fang Ying, who whispered, "Third sister-in-law doesn't have the ability to beat Third Uncle like that."
"Pfft..." Ji Yanlang laughed out loud, "I just said it casually to piss him off, and you actually took it seriously."
Fang Ying rolled her eyes at him and went into the courtyard first. Ji Yanlang followed her with a smile and entered the main hall with her.
At this time, the concubines and his brother and sister-in-law had all gathered in the hall and were also asking Ji Yanchang what was wrong with his face. He had to explain it again and politely declined Li's offer to ask a doctor to see him.
Seeing that everyone was present, Ji Guangting asked his sons to follow him to the outer courtyard. Li kept the female relatives to talk for a while and soon asked everyone to leave.
Fang Ying followed Yue Qing'e to take care of the household chores. She mentioned a few of her father's favorite dishes to her. Finally, she whispered to her second sister-in-law, "I'm so flattered."
"Who isn't? Yesterday, all four of my grandchildren were here, but my father didn't hold any of them. Instead, he held our Huaizhi. On the way to the flower hall, he specifically mentioned that my father was also going back to Beijing. When he toasted in the evening, he mentioned you and me separately. I felt the same way..."
"Second sister-in-law, do you think father did this on purpose for the third and fourth wives to see?"
Yue Qing'e nodded: "I thought about it over and over again, and this is the only reason. I asked your second uncle at breakfast, and he just told me not to think too much and just do what I have to do."
This is the words of a wise man. Fang Ying said, "That's right. We are doing what is right and sitting upright. There is really no need to overthink it. Just accept it with peace of mind."
Not long after the two of them finished their conversation, someone came to report that the in-laws had arrived.
Fang Ying calmed down and didn't ask any more questions until her father was about to go home in the evening, then she went out to see him off.
For the next two days, Ji Guangting had to go to the palace to meet the emperor and would not return home until dusk every day. Ji Yanlang also became busy in the camp and returned home later and later. Fang Ying herself was also quite busy helping Li and Yue Qing'e prepare for the banquet on the day of rest.
On the morning of the 23rd, she had nothing to do, so she was about to go back to her room from Li's place when a message came in from outside saying that the young lady from the Zhou family had sent an invitation to Liu Niang, inviting her to come to their house for a chat the next day.
Fang Ying suddenly remembered: "Oh, did her family get rid of the mourning period?"
"Yes," Li said, "I forgot to tell you. Yesterday, your father came back and said he had seen Uncle Zhou in the Imperial Court. The Emperor has reinstated Uncle Zhou as Minister of War. Your father also invited him to a banquet and asked me to send him an invitation. So, why don't you invite the young lady to join us as well?"
"Okay." Fang Ying agreed and went back to her room to meet the person sent by Zhou Congshan, and agreed to go to Zhou's house tomorrow.
After sending the Zhou family away, Li sent someone to call her. Fang Ying hurried over and entered the room to see her mother-in-law holding a piece of yellow paper in her hand. She had a bad feeling in her heart.
Sure enough, Li asked her to sit next to her and unfolded a piece of yellow paper with two dates written on it, one was the 26th of this month and the other was the 12th of next month.
"This is the auspicious date calculated by Master Lu." Li's face was also troubled. "The 26th is indeed a bit too hasty, but if we delay it to the 12th of next month, I'm afraid your father won't be able to stay at home until then..."
Fang Ying pursed her lips, unable to speak.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were silent for a while. Li took Fang Ying's thin shoulders and gently stroked them. "Never mind. Twenty-six is too late. Twelve is twelve. You go."
Fang Ying stood up and took two steps outside. She couldn't help but look back and saw a look of disappointment on Li's face. She had always hoped to hold a wedding ceremony for them while her husband was at home, and then drink tea offered by the young couple together the next day. If it was delayed until the twelfth, this wish would probably not be realized.
"Mom, how about the 26th?" Fang Ying said quickly, fearing she would regret it. "I originally wanted to hold this wedding ceremony while Dad is home. I... I'm fine with whatever you say."
After saying this, he ran out quickly without waiting for Li's answer.
The author has something to say:
----------------------
Good night~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
