Chapter 677 The Fang Sisters: You're Ouyang Lianghan?! [Seeking Monthly Tickets!]
A quiet little courtyard.
The young man in the scholar's robe finished collecting his clothes and went outside. He saw Fang Yiwu bending down and hurriedly picking up the broken pieces of the teacup with his bare hands.
Even Fang Shengnan, who was sulking, couldn't help but glance at him.
Fang Juxiu saw that Fang Yiwu's hands were covered in blood from the wounds, and hurriedly said:
"Father, put it down. Young Master isn't that stingy. We'll clean it up."
After speaking, Fang Juxiu gave Fang Shengnan a look, and the latter had no choice but to bend over and help Fang Yiwu up.
"Dad, what are you picking up with your hands? Are you stupid? Move aside, let me do it..."
Fang Juxiu then withdrew her gaze, frowning as she looked in the direction Ouyang Rong had left. Suddenly, she moved.
"Father, sister, please wait a moment."
Before Fang Yiwu and Fang Shengnan could react, Fang Juxiu had already run out of the courtyard in the rain. When she arrived at the gate, she called out to Ouyang Rong, who was about to board the carriage.
"Young Master Ouyang, please wait."
In the rain, Ouyang Rong's back, holding the zither case, paused for a moment.
Fang Juxiu saw a luxurious car parked and waiting in the rain in front of him.
It was Madam Pei's carriage. Through the curtains, she could vaguely see the silhouette of a graceful woman waiting inside.
Ouyang Rong waited for a while with his umbrella, but she didn't say anything. Without turning his head, he asked:
"What's wrong, Madam Fang?"
Fang Juxiu pursed his lips, withdrew his gaze from the bicycle frame, and walked directly forward to block his way.
Ouyang Rong tilted his head slightly: "What is it?"
Fang raised his sleeves, lowered his eyes, and remained silent for a while before suddenly raising his head:
"I'm sorry, I didn't know before today that my sister and I living in this courtyard would upset you, Young Master Ouyang... It's my fault, I was too confident and presumptuous."
As she spoke, whether intentionally or unintentionally, she slightly raised her chin and spoke earnestly:
"My father did indeed damage some things in the yard when he came today, and I am truly sorry. But please rest assured, my sister and father will restore everything to its original state. They will not take a single needle or thread. Our Fang family understands this basic courtesy. So, we are very sorry for what happened before, and we are also very grateful for your understanding these past few days..."
As Ouyang Rong listened to the increasingly distant words of the gentle, refined woman before him, he smiled after a while:
"There's no need for that. Madam, you're overthinking it. It's not that you're complaining. We haven't even thanked you for keeping the embroiderers company yet."
Fang Juxiu stared at the scholar-robed young man who made no move to offer her an umbrella for a while, then asked out of the blue:
"Where is the young master going... Never mind, let's not ask that."
She shook her head as if talking to herself, and then asked:
"Young master, where is the embroiderer? Why hasn't she returned yet?"
She glanced back at the luxurious car chassis.
Ouyang Rong nodded and told the truth:
"She is resting at Madam Pei's house and borrowing the kitchen to stew Dongpo pork. I happen to be entertaining friends in the evening, so she will probably be back in the evening."
Fang raised his sleeve and shook his head:
"It's evening, so we probably won't be able to see her then. My sister and I will be going home with Father later, so we won't be able to wait too long. Please ask Young Master Ouyang to say goodbye to Miss Embroidery for us. We are really sorry that we won't be able to visit Miss Embroidery for a while."
Ouyang Rong nodded again: "That's true, I will bring it. Um, is there anything else?" His tone was questioning.
Fang Juxiu glanced at his somewhat calm and indifferent expression.
"It's gone."
"good."
Ouyang Rong turned around and was about to get into the car.
Fang suddenly said:
"Actually, I have a small reminder, but I'm not sure if I should say it."
Ouyang Rong stopped, without saying a word, his back to the zither case tilted slightly.
The meaning is self-evident.
Fang raised his sleeves and slowly spoke:
"Actually, this is not something we should meddle in, much less interfere. But I really feel sorry for the embroiderer, and my sister and you get along very well. She even praised you as a real man who treats women well... So I have to say something. I hope you won't be offended by my presumption."
Ouyang Rong didn't look at her, but glanced back in the direction of Chengtian Temple, muttering to himself:
"There's not too much of a rush. I'm just coming back to collect the laundry. It'll take a little longer, but I'm sure you can understand, right..."
He turned back, smiled lightly at Fang, who was frowning, and said:
"Well, Madam Fang, you can speak now. We've already come to this point."
Fang Juxiu's expression was very serious:
“Young Master Ouyang, Xiu Niang is an exceptionally good girl, so good that you can’t even imagine. I dare say you can’t find one like her anywhere in the world. You’ll see later… Moreover, such a good girl only has one requirement for a man: that he live a down-to-earth life.”
"My sister and I, along with many friends and relatives who care about the embroiderers, share this expectation: the embroiderers' husbands must be honest and reliable. This is actually very simple to achieve. We don't need to ask them to be outstanding, to accomplish great things, or to stand out from the crowd... just to be down-to-earth."
The more Ouyang Rong listened, the more his eyebrows rose, and he raised his hand to interrupt:
"Miss Fang, could you please explain yourself more clearly?"
Fang raised his sleeves as if he hadn't heard, seemingly talking to himself:
"Actually, my sister and I don't really have the right to interrupt, but the real family members of the embroiderer are not as easy to talk to as we are. This is something we can confirm with you in advance, young master."
"Without the blessings of her family, the embroiderer would be very, very sad. Neither I nor my sister want to see that. It is truly heartbreaking."
Ouyang Rong glanced at the riddle-solving man in front of him, then at the zither case in his arms, and asked cautiously:
"so?"
Fang raised his sleeves and looked at the luxurious car parked silently behind him, then sighed:
"Therefore, I hope that you can cut off some messy relationships as soon as possible, avoid taking shortcuts, and be more down-to-earth. Such things of using beauty to amuse others are ultimately not respectable. Let alone doing great things, they will even mess up your family affairs. The embroiderer may understand and not care, but other people's gossip will eventually become the straw that breaks the camel's back."
Ouyang Rong: ...
He vaguely, perhaps, seemed to understand something.
Ouyang Rong smiled.
Fang Juxiu spoke in a very formal tone:
"Alright, I won't say any more. I'm sure you understand better than I do. I've said too much. You'd better take heed."
She glanced deeply at Ouyang Rong, who was holding the umbrella, then looked away, passed by him, and returned to the courtyard.
Fang entered the room after raising his sleeves.
Ouyang Rong held the umbrella and remained in place, glancing sideways as he saw him off.
Inside the luxurious carriage at the back, a beautiful woman in a purple and gold shawl, who had been patiently eavesdropping for half a day, could no longer hold back.
"Young master, could this young lady mean something like that?"
Ouyang Rong lowered his head, folded his umbrella, and calmly got into the car with his violin case.
"Go to Chengtian Temple."
"Yes, young master."
Pei Shisan Niang nodded obediently and did as she was told.
After a while, the luxurious carriage arrived at the silent entrance of Chengtian Temple, where soldiers in black armor were on high alert. They were allowed to enter and arrived at a certain Zen temple.
As Ouyang Rong stepped out of the car, holding an umbrella.
Pei Shisan Niang, who had been glancing sideways with a smile and scrutinizing Ouyang Rong's face the whole way, couldn't help herself any longer. She covered her mouth and giggled softly.
"Young master is truly handsome. If one day you grow tired of the mundane world and the court, and wish to live off a woman, would you perhaps glance at me and consider my appearance?"
Ouyang Rong: "?"
...
Fang raised his sleeves and returned to the quiet courtyard.
Upon entering, I found that the broken porcelain shards and tea leaves on the floor had already been cleaned up.
Turning around, she saw that it was her father who had done it. After cleaning up, he had even wiped away the bloodstains with a rag, leaving the spot spotless. Fang Shengnan followed behind Fang Yiwu, helping him bandage the wound on his hand.
Fang Shengnan looked helpless and gave Fang Juxiu a look.
Fang Yiwu insisted on cleaning the floor himself.
However, after Ouyang Rong's interruption, the tense atmosphere between the father and his two daughters disappeared without a trace. At this moment, no one spoke, and there was an awkward silence between them.
"father……"
Just as Fang Juxiu was about to say something caring, Fang Yiwu asked in a frenzy:
Where did you run off to?
Fang Juxiu shook his head: "I went to chat with Young Master Ouyang and gave him a suggestion before I left."
Fang Yiwu's eyes widened: "Give him a suggestion? Give him a suggestion?"
Fang raised his sleeves and lowered his eyes: "Hmm."
Fang Shengnan explained, "Father, this Young Master Ouyang isn't from Jianze, but he has a close relationship with the young mistress. He's... well, he's the man she likes. But the young mistress has a very good personality, so Young Master Ouyang's words don't count. Don't be so afraid..."
Fang Yiwu brushed Fang Shengnan aside and asked, "Raise your sleeve, what did this young master just say?"
“He didn’t say anything. I just gave him a few simple instructions, which were for his own good. He probably felt guilty, so he didn’t say much.”
Fang Yiwu opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but swallowed it back in the end.
He waved his hand: "Alright, alright, shut up, let's go, let's get out of here first, come with me."
Fang Yiwu strictly ordered the two women to follow him out.
Fang Juxiu and Fang Shengnan looked helpless and could only follow.
"Father, shall we go back?"
Fang Yiwu remained silent, did not open his umbrella, and quickly walked into the rain outside the quiet courtyard.
The Fang sisters quickly caught up with him and held an umbrella over him.
A short while later, the two women discovered that Fang Yiwu had led the way and left in the direction of Chengtian Temple.
Fang Shengnan asked in confusion, "Father, where are we going?"
Fang Juxiu asked thoughtfully, "Does Father need to see Master Yizhi?"
Fang Yiwu suddenly said:
"Remember, you'll be kneeling later."
The Fang sisters hesitated to speak, but knowing they had made a mistake, they lowered their heads and followed.
A short while later, the three arrived at the entrance of Chengtian Temple.
The Fang sisters immediately saw the heavily guarded black-armored soldiers at the door and turned to run away, but found their arms were grabbed. When they turned to look, perhaps because they were backlit, their father Fang Yiwu's face was very dark from the rain... like a stone in water.
...
The rain poured down.
Raindrops bounced off the cold, dark iron armor plating in the courtyard.
Ouyang Rong, carrying the zither case, returned to the Zen temple.
"Sorry, I just remembered something and had to take care of it. By the way, Master, where were we?"
As soon as he entered, he asked in a gentle tone.
Inside the courtyard, the atmosphere was quiet.
Qin Yi and Yan Liulang were leading their troops, coldly guarding the entire scene.
The Zen Master Yizhi was surrounded by the panicked abbot of Chengtian Temple and a chubby little novice monk, and he was giving them advice in a low voice.
The middle-aged Zen master sat cross-legged with his head down, not uttering a word.
This has been the case ever since Ouyang Rong gave his name and left.
This made the abbot of Chengtian Temple, the chubby little novice monk, and others even more desperate.
After scanning the area without asking any questions, Ouyang Rong already had a general idea of the situation in the courtyard.
He walked over and sat down in front of the Zen Master Yizhi and the monks, smiling as he looked around:
"Um, abbots and senior monks, how's your persuasion going? Would you like some water to continue?"
No one dared to speak; they bowed their heads and murmured.
Just after Ouyang Rong appeared and took control of the situation, he glanced at the sky halfway through his sentence and left, saying he needed to collect his clothes and asked them to talk to Master Yizhi first...
The monks were dumbfounded. How could a dignified governor of Jiangzhou lead troops to search for a suspect, only to run back to collect clothes when it started raining?
Only Yan Liulang, Qin Yi, and others remained calm, as if it were a habit.
Just then, the sound of a woman crying and making a fuss came from the courtyard gate.
Fang Yiwu dragged his two daughters into the Zen temple.
Fang Shengnan and Fang Juxiu walked into the Zen temple with their heads held to the swords of black-armored soldiers, looking dazed.
Fang Yiwu walked at the front with a gloomy face.
Fang Shengnan stared in disbelief at her father's retreating figure, her expression still hard to believe. She anxiously pressed for an answer:
"Father, what are you doing? Why...why did you send people to arrest us? Who are these people? They look like soldiers. What are they doing in Master Yizhi's courtyard...?"
When she and her sister Fang Juxiu saw the figures of Yan Liulang, Qin Yi, and other court officials and generals in the courtyard, they silently opened their mouths wide, their eyes filled with despair, and they completely lost all hope.
The despair of the two girls being sold by their elderly father did not stop Fang Yiwu from pursuing his goals.
The square-faced man with blood-stained white cloth wrapped around his hands led them into the courtyard and to the entrance of the meditation room.
Without the tall, black-armored soldiers arrayed in the courtyard to conceal them, Fang Juxiu and Fang Shengnan immediately recognized a familiar, slender figure surrounded by stars in the very center of the room.
"Young Master Ouyang?"
"Ouyang Huaimin!"
Fang Shengnan and Fang Juxiu blurted out almost immediately.
However, the way Fang Juxiu addressed them made Yan Liulang and the others glance at them, but after a moment they looked away without changing their expressions, pretending not to have heard.
Fang Yiwu abandoned the two women, went directly behind Ouyang Rong, and knelt down heavily with a thud:
"Your Excellency, please spare our lives! I, Fang Yiwu, have brought two guilty women to beg for forgiveness!"
He clasped his hands above his head, but kept his head very low, his forehead pressed against the cold, hard, rough floor.
Staring blankly at her father, whom she idolized, in such a humble and respectful manner, Fang Shengnan's eyes gradually widened.
She looked at the back of Ouyang Rong, whom she had previously thought to be weak and frail, and stammered with pale lips:
"Prefect? You...you are Ouyang Lianghan, not Ouyang Huaimin!"
Fang Juxiu, standing to the side, remained silent, as if she had lost all hearing and perception. Ever since her father brought her into the courtyard, her gaze had been drawn to a certain figure… Fang Juxiu turned her head blankly, staring at the beautiful woman surnamed Pei who was gracefully walking towards her and was quietly pouring tea for Ouyang Rong, who was sitting cross-legged.
Pei Shisan Niang didn't even glance at the young girl who loved to give advice.
Fang Juxiu abruptly turned his head, staring straight at Ouyang Rong's calm profile, which showed no sign of turning around.
Fang Juxiu suddenly realized that the instruction not to dirty the embroiderers' courtyard was not just something he said to them.
She was being a bit... delusional.
——————
(PS: My good brothers, please vote for me with monthly tickets~ or 2)
(End of this chapter)
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