At that time, the news spread throughout the streets and alleys. It was understandable that someone who knew pharmacology would save someone and take them home, but that was a man of marriageable age!
Not to mention that this man had even become a laborer in the pharmacy!
The bored common people naturally assumed that there was something going on between this person and Song Shiyi.
That day, the person in question acted obediently, sitting among the crowd for half an hour, listening to everyone's conversation go around in circles, and no one mentioned her and her brother again.
She realized that the greatest benefit of having a man in the house wasn't doing any business, but rather helping to deflect most of the gossip.
Some people even deliberately came to their pharmacy to inquire about things, and would buy something small, so business turned around quickly.
Song Shiyi never mentioned asking Cui Wensong to leave, tacitly acknowledging that he had always stayed by her side.
Just because she doesn't say anything doesn't mean others won't think it.
As Song Shiyan watched the man who had been rescued by his sister gradually recover and even integrate into his original environment, he felt increasingly unable to bear it and went to talk to Cui Wensong in private.
Of course, what kind of nice things could a half-grown boy who doesn't know how to conduct himself in society say when he's angry?
Naturally, they were urging people to leave quickly.
At this point, Cui Wensong noticed that something was wrong with him, and stayed for a few more days, carefully observing Song Shiyi, and finally confirmed that there really was a problem between the brother and sister.
His opinion of the beauty dropped even further, and even his initial pity for her faded considerably.
Before Song Shiyan could lose his temper, he went to see Song Shiyi first, this time for a real negotiation.
"I always thought what those people said was all rumors, but I never expected you guys..."
With just half a sentence thrown out, Song Shiyi's psychological defenses crumbled.
She gripped the hem of her dress tightly, lowered her eyes, and whispered, "It's just a rumor. What exactly are you trying to say?"
She thought she had put on a tough front, but little did she know that the moment her emotions were stirred up, she had already fallen into a trap.
"Don't worry, that's not what I meant!"
Cui Wensong's eyes were full of heartache, and he sighed three times for every sentence he spoke, "I just feel that I have no way to repay your life-saving grace, and I was thinking about where I could help you in some other way..."
"If you need a shield, I'm willing to fake a marriage with you to cover for you and Brother Song, confirm our identities, and the so-called rumors will disappear completely. It will also make it easier for me to stay and continue to help."
Song Shiyi's first reaction was that this was unfair to Cui Wensong; she never imagined what she would encounter.
Unable to resist the other party's repeated insistence that he only wanted a chance to repay a debt of gratitude and to help her and her beloved be together.
Thus, selfish desires took over in the attempt to comfort her, and disregarding rational advice, she actually held a wedding banquet with Cui Wensong to tell everyone that she and the young master she had saved some time ago had developed feelings for each other and were now happily married.
The crowd cheered and applauded, with laughter and shouts filling the air.
As the elder brother, Song Shiyan could only smile and wish them happiness from the crowd.
It was all fake from the start. The wedding was kept simple, and the day flew by. After seeing off the guests at the banquet, the two officially entered the bridal chamber.
Song Shiyi was eager to explain to her brother that everything today was an act, and she was willing to go all out to break through that barrier.
But someone grabbed her hand.
"Even if it's fake..." Cui Wensong smiled wryly, "at least finish the nuptial wine before leaving, right?"
After all, she was at the age of first love, and even if Song Shiyi were a blockhead, she would know that the other person had feelings for her.
Now that they had already gone through the wedding ceremony, seeing the bitter expression on his face, she softened and returned to the table. She took the wine that Cui Wensong had poured for her, crossed arms with him, and drank the wine in one gulp.
Alcohol itself has a celebratory quality; when strong liquor goes down the throat, a burning sensation rises up, making it hard to tell whether it's intoxication or the effects of medicine.
Song Shiyi naively thought he could leave, so he got up and said he was leaving, and then said a few words of apology.
Before she could finish speaking, her body went limp and she collapsed into Cui Wensong's arms.
The plan succeeded, and the beauty was in his arms. Without hesitation, he placed her on the bed and claimed that she was unconscious and that they would consummate the marriage.
What neither of the two people in the room knew was that Song Shiyan also wanted an explanation.
He initially waited inside, but then he thought he shouldn't let his bride abandon her husband and come looking for him on their wedding night.
So he decided to take the initiative, but he was a step too slow. When he arrived at the door of the new house, all he could hear were ambiguous panting and moaning.
It was only 7:45 PM, and how long had it been since the guests were dismissed?
Are these two really that deeply in love?
I don't know what my psychology is, but I feel like I can hardly breathe, and something inside me has completely shattered. I can't tell whether what's spreading to my limbs is pain or numbness.
As if torturing himself, he forced himself to stand outside the door all night as punishment, only leaving in the early morning.
Where some suffer, others rejoice.
Everything that Choi Man-song planned was a perfect success; now all that's left is the final step.
Using the pretense of being newlyweds, he settled Song Shiyi in the room and went to find Song Shiyan, bluntly stating that he wanted to take his wife away.
Two barbs are hidden in one sentence.
Song Shiyan now felt like punching this person whenever he saw him, so of course he wouldn't agree.
He said coldly, "Does Shiyi think the same way? Let her come and tell me herself, or I can go find her now."
Cui Wensong stopped the man, a shy smile on his face, but his eyes were full of provocation: "Brother-in-law, I'm sorry, my wife and I have a good relationship. We got married yesterday and barely slept all night. Shiyi is tired and is catching up on sleep now. I don't want to wake her up."
The inkstone from the Song Dynasty remained frozen in place.
The then-naive siblings were completely manipulated by Cui Wensong, and Song Shiyan even felt that he had no right to say anything.
He could only repeatedly emphasize that he was the older brother, and that it was only right for an older brother to worry about his younger sister's life.
Choi Man-sung then made even more outrageous demands.
He had learned most of the operating model of the pharmacy during this period and wanted to open a branch of Song's Pharmacy in Lancheng. He added that his wife would be very happy.
Song Shiyan almost ground his teeth to powder and argued with him for a long time before finally giving in when the other party brought up his sister for the fifth time.
The reason they were allowed to open a branch of the pharmacy was simply because the man in front of them was a poor scholar with no other skills. This way, at least their sister's livelihood could be guaranteed.
He had to do this for Song Shiyi's sake.
Their conversation lasted almost the entire morning. Song Shiyi had originally sneaked out, wanting to find an opportunity to tell her brother the truth about yesterday.
She wanted to explain her feelings to him, but the two were having a heated discussion, and she didn't dare to go forward.
When she tried to find an opportunity to talk to her brother alone again, he no longer offered her that time.
The two missed each other time and time again. As time went on, their grievances deepened, and it became increasingly difficult for them to have a proper conversation.
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