Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Ji Yanlang was sitting on the couch leaning against the wall...
After seeing off the guests, Fang Ying helped Yue Qing'e watch the servants clean up the mess for a while. When she returned to the room, it was already dark.
Xi Liu came forward and reported, "My dear, you've been back for a while now. You've had some hangover soup and are sitting on the couch waiting for you."
Fang Ying entered the room and saw Ji Yanlang leaning on the couch, his face flushed, his eyes blurred, and he looked very drunk.
She greeted him, went into the inner room to remove her hairpins and rings, and changed into casual clothes. She came out and sat down beside the couch, across from Ji Yanlang, on a small table. After taking a sip of tea, she asked, "Are you drunk?"
"Yeah, I feel a little dizzy." Ji Yanlang pressed his forehead and answered vaguely.
"Or just go in and sleep."
"It's still early. Let's sit for a while before going to sleep." He picked up the tea and drank half of it. "How are you guys doing?"
"Very good, both the host and the guests enjoyed themselves." Fang Ying paused and brought up what her stepmother had told her. "My stepmother said the Duke of the County wanted to give them a house. Did you know about this?"
Ji Yanlang responded vaguely, and Fang Ying didn't hear clearly: "What?"
"Come sit over here..." He moved inside, "It'll be easier to talk if you're closer."
“…” It’s just a small table one foot square, how far can it be?
But after Ji Yanlang finished speaking, he pressed his forehead again, looking weak and drunk. Fang Ying had no choice but to ask, "How about asking them to give you a massage?"
"No need." After refusing, Ji Yanlang suddenly looked up, looked at her and said clearly, "Just give me a massage."
“…” This bastard has been pretending since the beginning!
Fang Ying rolled her eyes and glared at him. When Ji Yanlang met her gaze, he immediately covered his forehead and fell sideways on the couch, humming a few times.
Fang Ying really didn't want to pay attention to him because he acted so poorly. But firstly, she still had something to ask him, and secondly, it would not be nice to leave her new husband alone just a few days after consummating their marriage. This would make her so-called love seem too fake and shallow. So she stood up and walked over to sit next to him.
Seeing this, Ji Yanlang immediately stopped humming, sat up, pushed the small table aside, then lay sideways on Fang Ying's legs, waiting for her to press his forehead.
Fang Ying: “…”
She stretched out her thumbs and index fingers and pressed tentatively on his solar plexus. "You're putting it hard on me. How would I know how to do this? How is it? Is the force too little?"
"Well, a little harder." Ji Yanlang said with his eyes half closed.
Fang Ying applied a little more strength, massaging his temples and forehead while bringing up the previous topic: "My stepmother said that when my father invited my dad for a drink last time. Weren't you there then? Why didn't you tell me when you came back?"
"Hmm, I forgot. It's not a big deal. The last time you and I went back to your parents' home, Mom asked me to mention this to my father-in-law, but he politely declined. Dad probably thought that since he brought it up, it would be difficult for my father-in-law to refuse politely, so he just said it directly."
"Giving me a house isn't a big deal? My stepmother brought it up, and I had no idea. Do you think it's appropriate?"
Ji Yanlang heard Fang Ying seemed unhappy, so he quietly opened his eyes and saw her looking down at him. Although there was no smile on her face, she didn't look angry either. He reached out and held her fingers, coaxing her, "Originally, my mother didn't let me tell you in advance, for fear that you would stop me, so I didn't..."
"But didn't Father forbid my dad from refusing this time? Why haven't you told me yet? Are you going to wait until we move before telling me?"
"The house still needs to be cleaned up, and we can't move for a while." Ji Yanlang explained from the beginning, "Because my father-in-law said that with so few people, we can't live in such a big house, and we have to hire more servants. My father said that this house can accommodate two families of servants, and they are still being trained..."
"What my father said is true. There are five people in the family, and my sisters and brothers are still young. Why would we need a three-story house? With my father's salary, it's just enough to support a family of seven or eight servants. Adding two more rooms of servants would be a burden."
Ji Yanlang shook her hand and said with a smile, "I knew you would say that, but father feels that the small courtyard we live in now is okay, but it's not cheap for socializing with colleagues. We can't even drive into the courtyard when we go back. And my sisters and brothers are growing up fast, so they don't have to wait until they get married. Fang Sheng has already started to learn, and my father-in-law is so busy at the government office, how can he have the time to personally supervise him? In a year or two, we will have to hire a teacher to teach us, but there is no room for him in that small courtyard now."
He turned over, resting the back of his head on Fang Ying's legs, and looked up at her. "Since we have to move house sooner or later, we might as well make plans early. Houses in Beijing will surely become more expensive every year."
"But my father's salary is so little..."
"Don't we still have us?" Ji Yanlang took Fang Ying's hand and put it against his face. He felt her hand was soft and a little cool, which was very comfortable. "Don't worry."
Fang Ying said, "I've let you get carried away. What I want to talk about isn't the house—it's all a done deal, what else is there to say? What I want to say is that you can't hide things like this from my family from me. Otherwise, if my family tells me about it and I'm completely clueless, what will they think? Do you take me seriously, or do you not?"
Ji Yanlang said hurriedly, "Of course I take it seriously. I'm just afraid you'll refuse on their behalf, so I wanted to wait until the house is ready before I tell you."
Fang Ying raised her free hand and flicked him on the forehead. "Don't do that again—we should discuss everything together. If you act on your own without telling me again, I'll be furious."
She played lightly but spoke seriously. Ji Yanlang knew that her temper was different from that of ordinary young ladies. She would do what she said, so he raised his hands, clasped his fists and said, "My lady, you have taught me a lesson very well. I will never dare to do it again."
Regardless of whether he really wouldn't dare to do it again in the future, at least he had these words. Fang Ying reached out and pushed him: "Stop making trouble and go to sleep."
"Sleeping already? You didn't even give me a couple of presses." Ji Yanlang looked like he'd suffered a great loss. "I'm still dizzy."
Fang Ying rubbed his head twice and said perfunctorily, "You'll be fine if you wake up from the dizziness. I'm tired, let's go to bed early."
Ji Yanlang finally raised his head, which had been pressing down on his legs and numbing them, put on his shoes, got downstairs, and followed Fang Ying into the inner room.
The bedding had been laid out in the warm room, and the two of them undressed and lay down. Lichun blew out the lights, closed the lattice door, and retreated to the outer room to keep watch.
Almost at the same time, a hand rustled into Fang Ying's quilt. Not wanting Lichun outside to hear, she whispered to Ji Yanlang, "Are you not dizzy anymore?"
"Dizzy, I need you to treat me."
Fang Ying pushed his hand away, "I don't know how to treat it."
Ji Yanlang simply crawled into her quilt, hugged her tightly, and whispered in her ear: "You don't need to know, you are the antidote." As he spoke, he kissed her from her ear to her lips. Suddenly, there was no sound in the warm room, only the rustling sound of clothes and quilts rubbing against each other.
***
The Ji Mansion hosted a banquet for the guests, and Ji Guangting and his two sons stayed at home for only two more days. On the third day of the first lunar month, they set out to return to the Zhangde Army in Xiangzhou.
On the second day, Duke of Lu and Minister of War Zhou Jingru was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guard Sima and Infantry, in charge of the Imperial Guard Division and the governor of Anguo.
"Uncle Zhou will lead his troops to Taiyuan soon. We can't be late for a few days. We owe you and your sisters-in-law a banquet, so we can't delay it any longer. How about setting it for the day after tomorrow?" Ji Yanlang asked his mother with a smile.
"You are the host, and you have the final say." After knowing that he would accompany the emperor to the war, Li felt much more at ease and was not so shy about talking about it.
"Then it's settled. The day after tomorrow afternoon, I'll host a banquet in the garden's warm pavilion to thank mother and my sisters-in-law."
Mrs. Li corrected him, "It's not just me and your sisters-in-law. There's also Ying'er. She's a guest too. Don't drag her along with you to prepare."
Ji Yanlang looked at Fang Ying and sighed, "My mother has seen through me. What should I do now?"
Fang Ying smiled: "Anyway, I listen to my mother."
Ji Yanlang said, "It seems I can only ask my second sister-in-law for advice."
"That's your business. Ying'er and I are just waiting to have a drink." Li said impartially.
Ji Yanlang really went to find Yue Qing'e for advice, and then returned to his room and wrote an invitation with his own handwriting on flowery paper, inviting his mother and four sisters-in-law to a banquet in the warm pavilion in his garden at 3:00 p.m. on the sixth day of the first lunar month. Of course, Fang Ying was also invited.
Fang Ying held the flowered note and read the words written on it: "Ying'er, my wife: For the past two years, you have taken great care of our parents and managed the household. Your husband is deeply grateful. I will be hosting a banquet in the warm pavilion in the back garden at 3:00 PM on October 6th to express my gratitude. I hope you will honor me with your presence. Your husband, Yanlang, cordially invites you."
She couldn't help but complain in her heart: He really didn't put any effort into studying at all. She, who had only studied for a few years, could even write this invitation.
After she finished complaining, she looked up and saw the person who gave her the invitation was looking at her with sharp eyes, as if waiting for her to say something.
"Your handwriting is really good." Fang Ying smiled and found the only advantage she could sincerely praise.
Ji Yanlang was not at all modest: "I've worked hard to practice. By the way, didn't you say that when you have nothing to do, you practice calligraphy and copy Buddhist scriptures? Write a few words for me to see."
Fang Ying couldn't refuse, so he pulled her to the desk and she had no choice but to pick up her pen and casually write the words "Learn and practice it from time to time". Ji Yanlang watched her finish and commented: "The penmanship is not bad, it seems that you laid a solid foundation. However, the structure of the dots and strokes, including the use of ink, are still not well organized..."
As he spoke, he picked up his pen and wrote the word "learn". Using this word as an example, he explained to Fang Ying the key points of writing different fonts that the teacher had taught him before.
Fang Ying has always liked practicing calligraphy. In the past, no one taught her, so she could only copy old calligraphy on her own. She had always felt that her progress was too slow. Now that someone is willing to teach her, she is more than happy to do so. Not only does she listen carefully, but she also asks questions carefully when she has questions.
What teacher doesn't like eager students? Although Ji Yanlang had only done this on impulse and had never been a teacher before, he was pleased to see Fang Ying's seriousness and eagerness to learn. The two of them, one willing to teach and the other willing to learn, threw themselves into the lesson. It wasn't until dusk that they finally adjourned the class at Lichun's urging.
"Tomorrow, practice like this. Write these five characters twenty times before you read it." Ji Yanlang was so excited about being a teacher that he even assigned homework. "My teacher back then made me write them at least fifty times."
"Then I have to thank you for showing mercy."
Ji Yanlang took Fang Ying's hand and said with a smile, "A simple thank you is not enough." He lowered his head and leaned close to Fang Ying's ear, "Remember to repay me well tonight."
Fang Ying pushed him away and strode out of the study. Ji Yanlang chuckled twice and chased after her, saying, "Slow down, wait for me, I still have to deliver invitations to mother and my sisters-in-law."
"Go by yourself." Fang Ying didn't even turn her head.
"I'll go by myself. Mother won't think we had a quarrel?"
"Mother said, I am also a guest, so it is right for me not to go to deliver the invitation."
Ji Yanlang strode after her, hugged Fang Ying from behind, and asked with a smile: "Would my distinguished guest like to eat grilled lamb chops tomorrow?"
Her struggling hands paused, and Ji Yanlang continued to tempt her: "Across from the restaurant that sells lamb chops, there's also a braised meat shop. I plan to buy some back the day after tomorrow to add to the dish. Do you want to try it first?"
Fang Ying couldn't resist and nodded, and then both of them got what they wished and ate the meat one after another.
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