Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Fang Ying's father values the most in his life...
She came back today to ask her father Fang Chengxun for help, so although she was angry, she had no intention of bringing up the matter and making everyone unhappy. Anyway, the Ji family has already prepared a three-story mansion, and they can move in as soon as it is ready next year.
But unexpectedly, Fang Chengxun came back early in the afternoon. As soon as the father and daughter exchanged greetings, he mentioned the house, saying that he felt unworthy of it and asked Fang Ying if she could find a way to refuse it.
"This was decided by the two elders in person. How could a daughter have any say in it? Besides, so much time has passed, and the Duke and Liu Lang have both gone off to war. Even if I had a way, I have no one to refuse. Besides..." Fang Ying paused, then said jokingly, "I've been back this time and looked around. We really should move to a bigger house. Even Second Mother's room is filled with clutter..."
Pan Shi heard something strange in the tone of voice and said quickly, "Those aren't junk. They're summer clothes, gauze curtains, and mats that have been put away. They're all packed in boxes. They won't be a problem."
"That's right. Er Niang just takes Dalang and Erlang out to play every day. They neither read nor write. They just go home to sleep. There's nothing to worry about." Fang Ying said with a smile.
"..." Why did they turn to reading and writing again? Did this stepdaughter come back just to pick a fight with her? Pan glanced at her husband aggrievedly, hoping he would speak up for her.
Fang Chengxun seemed not to have heard and continued to ask, "Doesn't Second Mother know how to read? I remember Ying'er taught Second Mother how to read when she was home. Why don't you learn now?"
Pan was very upset, but she couldn't say anything in front of her stepdaughter. She just said, "The child likes to play, and I don't have time to look after her, so I just let her go."
"What about Dalang?" Fang Ying interrupted. "Didn't Dalang start learning? Doesn't his mother personally supervise his calligraphy and homework?"
"Uh..." Pan was stunned by her question. If she said no, she would be lying in front of her husband who knew the truth. If she said yes, her stepdaughter would definitely ask why they couldn't watch it together.
This time, Fang Chengxun finally realized that his wife needed his support. He cleared his throat and said, "Second Lady can't be compared with Dalang after all. She just needs to know some common words and not be vulgar..."
"Father is right. I think so too. Now that we have the Ji family as our marriage partner, Father's career will surely rise step by step. When Second Mother talks about marriage, she will definitely not talk about a small family. If we just let her stay at home and play around like this every day, not studying or being illiterate, when she gets married in the future, even if her son-in-law doesn't despise her vulgarity, he will inevitably complain about how we didn't pay enough attention to raising our daughter."
What Fang Chengxun valued most in his life was his official career. Hearing his daughter say this, he was delighted - if the Ji family was still willing to support him, his official career would certainly not stop there. When his second daughter reached marriageable age, he might be able to become the chief official of a prefecture. At that time, even if his second daughter's marriage could not be considered as good as that of the Ji family, it would not be bad either.
"That's right. We can't let her go any longer. Learning is like sailing against the current; if you don't advance, you'll retreat." Fang Chengxun stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly. Turning to his wife, he said, "From now on, have Dalang and Erniang practice calligraphy together. Bring them their completed work to show me."
"But the official is already very tired after returning from the government office every day..."
"No problem, raising children is the top priority."
Seeing that her husband looked as if the matter was settled and there was no need to say more, Pan had no choice but to say "yes". However, she was still unhappy in her heart. Second Mother was obviously her biological daughter, but after Fang Ying said that, it seemed as if she was being harsh on her own daughter. The more Pan thought about it, the more upset she became. She found an excuse and got up to leave.
She ran away in anger, which was exactly what Fang Ying wanted. It also saved her from having to ask to talk to her father alone. Seeing that only Lichun was standing in the hall, Fang Ying said directly: "Dad, there is something I want to ask you..."
When Fang Chengxun heard that he was asking about an apprentice imperial physician who had drowned the day before, his brows immediately furrowed, "Who asked you to find out about this?"
"She is the daughter of Uncle Zhou. I have been in frequent contact with her in the past two years, and our madam also hopes that I can establish friendship with her." He first explained Zhou Congshan's prominent family background, and then brought up his madam as a guarantee, thinking that his father would not refuse.
Fang Chengxun lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. As expected, he didn't refuse outright. He just asked, "Just the names of the coroner and the officer who handled the case?"
"Yes. She specifically told us not to ask any questions, and not to tell anyone anything. Just tell her your name."
For Fang Chengxun, this matter was very simple and risk-free, because he didn't even need to send anyone to ask. He could find out by just flipping through the case files. He nodded and agreed: "I'll go to the government office to check tomorrow and then send someone to tell you."
Fang Ying thanked her father for his hard work, and then Pan came back and said that dinner was ready.
After the family had dinner together, Fang Ying sat for a while before saying goodbye. "Liu Lang isn't home, so I'd better go back early."
"Well, go back early. Everything is fine at home, you don't have to worry about it. Focus more on serving the lady, and don't run back unless necessary." Fang Chengxun instructed.
Fang Ying answered yes obediently in person, but after she went out and got in the car, her face unconsciously darkened.
Lichun carefully glanced at his wife a few times, and when the carriage drove out of the alley, he gently comforted her, "Master, don't you know that Madam treats you like her own daughter? She must be afraid that you will always go back to your parents' home and make Madam unhappy, so she said this..."
"Alright, don't I know what he's thinking?" Fang Ying sneered. "He's clearly never taken care of his daughter for a single day, yet he's most afraid of people saying he's a bad parent. He has to say some high-sounding words to claim he's fulfilled his responsibilities as a father, only then can he feel at ease."
Lichun didn't dare to respond. The car remained silent until they entered the Ji Mansion.
Fang Ying heard the noise outside, exhaled, raised her hand to rub her face, tried to smile, and asked Lichun: "How is it?"
Lichun took out his purse, took out a piece of sesame candy from it, and gave it to his wife who was smiling reluctantly.
“…” Fang Ying glared at Lichun, but still took it and put it in her mouth.
The sweet and fragrant taste quickly spread from the tip of the tongue. Fang Ying savored the sweetness carefully. When she got off the car, the smile on her face was as natural and friendly as usual.
Even Mrs. Li didn't notice anything unusual. She asked a few questions about whether everything was going well at home and then let Fang Ying go back.
On the afternoon of the second day, someone from the Fang family came with a message. After being taken to Fang Ying's room, they presented her with a palm-sized envelope that had been carefully sealed with glue. They also said, "The master said that it is fine to send it as is."
The person who came to deliver the message was the housekeeper who usually served Pan. She was illiterate and looked completely confused when she said this. Fang Ying smiled and replied, "I understand. Thank you for your hard work. I just found some paper and calligraphy for Second Mother. Please bring them back to her, sister."
Lichun handed the things he had packed earlier to the housekeeper and sent her out.
Fang Ying took the envelope and looked at it over and over again. There was no word on the outside. She held it to the window, but couldn't make out any words even in the light. She thought for a moment, but still didn't listen to her father. She took a paper cutter to cut open the envelope, took out the letter inside and unfolded it to read.
As she expected, the letter contained more than just a name - her father was not a very good father, but he was a very thoughtful official and a person, always thinking three steps ahead. She had said that it was the Zhou family who asked her to do so, so he only gave her a name when asked for it. Such a dull attitude was not her father's style.
Fang Ying scanned the family backgrounds of the coroner and the yamen runner, folded the letter as it was, put it back in the envelope, and wrapped it in a small purse. After having dinner at Li's house, she mentioned to her mother-in-law that she wanted to talk to Zhou Congshan the next day.
"Go ahead." Li agreed happily. "While it's not that cold these days, go out for a walk more often to avoid being bored at home."
Since there was no one else around at the moment, Fang Ying smiled and said, "I'm thinking that the days when I can visit her like this won't last long. Once she gets married, I'm afraid I won't be able to do it this casually anymore."
Mrs. Li nodded in agreement. "That's right, go ahead. If you have fun, have dinner before you come back. It's cold out, so if Miss Zhou wants to have a few drinks, you can accompany her. Liu Lang said that the last time he took you to Fengle Tower, you were afraid that you would be impolite after drinking, so you refused to serve any wine..."
How could this guy tell this to my mother?! Fang Ying hurriedly explained: "I didn't tell her I was going to Fengle Tower when I was leaving..."
Mrs. Li waved her hand. "I know you've been well-behaved and obedient since you were little. You have a line in your heart that you dare not cross easily. Today I'm telling you, don't be afraid. There is no such line here. Go out and have fun and then come home."
She spoke so gently and kindly that Fang Ying couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat, but she forced a smile and said, "Actually, I feel drinking outside is not as good as having a good time at home." She then complained, "Liu Lang, you're really something. You even bothered to tell me this..."
"You've misunderstood Liu Lang," Li said, smiling, speaking for her son. "He told me this not because he wanted you to go out, but because he was away on the battlefield and worried you'd be bored at home. He pleaded with me, saying, 'If you're too shy to ask to go out, I'll urge you to go out for a walk.'"
Fang Ying was quite surprised. She really didn't expect Ji Yanlang to specifically tell this to Li. She didn't know what to say for a moment.
Li had finished what she wanted to say, and without waiting for Fang Ying to reply, she urged her to go back to her room and rest. "The sun will set soon, and it will be dark and cold. Come back early."
Fang Ying agreed, stood up and said goodbye. Holding Lichun's hand, they walked all the way in the cold evening breeze, their heart still warm.
The next day, when he met Zhou Congshan at Zhou's house, he couldn't help but bring up the matter, sighing, "Do you think it was God who saw that I lost my mother at a young age and that my father was like that, so he sent me to meet a living Bodhisattva like our wife?"
"God? What does this have to do with God?" Zhou Congshan raised his head seriously and looked at the sky through the window. "It was obviously you who tried your best to become Madam Ji's daughter-in-law!"
“…”
"If you want to know what God means, it's not your wife, it's Ji Liulang..." Zhou Congshan suddenly smiled evilly.
Fang Ying pushed her away: "I'm talking to you seriously, and you're teasing me again."
"I'm serious!" Zhou Congshan suddenly put on a righteous face. "Didn't you just say that Ji Liulang had informed your wife without telling you, and that's why your wife said this to you?"
Fang Ying couldn't refute it.
Zhou Congshan's righteous expression vanished as he said with a grin, "Looking at it this way, Ji Liulang is not bad. He knows how to care for you."
Fang Ying glared at her, took out a purse from her sleeve and stuffed it into her hand, "Here, what you want."
Zhou Congshan took the purse, took out the envelope, pulled out the letter from it, and asked as he unfolded it, "Have you peeked at it?"
"What do you mean by peeking? I was watching openly."
"You're just being stubborn. This letter is clearly sealed." Zhou Congshan glanced at the handwriting, then folded the letter and put it back into the envelope. He turned around and called the maid in, "Go and give this to Li Cen yourself."
The maid retreated, and Fang Ying asked, "Who is Li Cen?"
"The housekeeper." Zhou Congshan answered, then said to her, "Don't worry about it."
"Any other news in the past two days? You should have sent someone to see that Imperial Physician Wen, right?"
Zhou Congshan stared at Fang Ying without answering. Fang Ying said helplessly, "I won't get involved. Even if I wanted to, I don't have the ability. I have to ask my mother-in-law before leaving the house, and I don't even have anyone under my command who can leave the house. What can I possibly get involved in?"
Zhou Congshan withdrew his gaze, sighed, but still said nothing.
"Just treat this as a casual chat. I'll help you sort out your thoughts and see if there are any other clues." Fang Ying finished speaking. Seeing that her friend's expression had slightly relaxed, she asked directly, "Last time, you said that what the palace servant said matched your long-standing suspicions. What were those suspicions?"
Zhou Congshan raised his eyes and met her gaze for a moment before finally answering, "After my grandmother passed away, my cousin's condition did worsen, but I went to see him. My original intention was to comfort him, but unexpectedly, after our meeting, he became more open-minded, and in turn comforted me... In fact, my cousin has always been more open-minded about life and death than I am. Moreover, his condition gradually improved. On the day of my family's funeral, he even left the palace to see my grandmother off. Unexpectedly, his condition suddenly worsened a few months later, and he died before dawn the next day..."
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The author has something to say: Sorry, I broke my promise again...
I stayed up too late to finish the old article, and I've been feeling pretty low these past two days...
Everyone should go to bed early and get up early, good night
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution between 2021-01-03 20:21:49 and 2021-01-06 00:51:56~
Thanks to the little angel who cast the mine: 1 friend, are you going to the island?
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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