Chapter 116 Chapter 116 Who taught her bad things?
Mrs. Song hurriedly dragged Mr. Song home.
Maybe this kind of thing happens often. Yu Li noticed that some people in the alley opened their doors and came out to watch, with looks of anticipation on their faces.
Mrs. Song ignored them and dragged her husband home.
When Yu Li walked into the alley and was about to enter the door, the lady from the family diagonally opposite waved at her.
"Madam Fu, Madam Fu."
Yu Li stood there and asked politely, "Auntie Zhang, what can I do for you?"
Madam Zhang looked quite thin, but in good spirits. She first looked at the Song family, then came over and said to her, "Madam Fu, you shouldn't have stopped Mr. Song just now. It's not right for outsiders to interfere in matters between husband and wife."
Yu Li blinked and said hesitantly: "But she asked me to stop her."
Oh, you can tell at first glance that he is an honest child!
Aunt Zhang was speechless. She thought that the lady from the Fu family was good-looking but seemed difficult to get along with. However, she turned out to be just a pretty face. She was too obedient and did whatever people said. She looked like she was easy to bully.
She said earnestly, "Madam Fu, that's not the way to say it! Everyone in our alley knows that Madam Song is a hot-tempered and cunning woman, very jealous. Whenever Scholar Song is not home for a night, she gets angry and threatens to break Scholar Song's legs, calling him Song Daqiang all the time. Scholar Song used to be called this name, but after studying with the teacher, he changed his name to Song Yi..."
"You know, men, especially scholars, have their own circles. There are many poetry and literary gatherings. They are places where scholars discuss knowledge. Even if they go to such places, they just go there to study and pretend to be elegant. They may not take it seriously. As women, we should not care so much..."
Yu Li looked at her in confusion and didn't react for a moment.
What kind of place is that?
What can't be taken seriously?
Aunt Zhang changed the subject and talked about Fu Wenxiao: "I heard that Mr. Fu will go to the provincial capital to take part in the provincial examination next month. The provincial capital is more sophisticated than our county town. There are many scholars there, and literary gatherings and poetry gatherings are more common. With Mr. Fu's character, talent and appearance, I'm afraid there will be a lot of invitations to him to participate in poetry gatherings and literary gatherings, and there will be no shortage of social interactions among scholars..."
She looked at Yu Li and felt emotional. The young couple from the Fu family were really good-looking. The man was handsome and the woman was pretty. They were like a perfect couple. They made people feel comfortable no matter how they looked at them.
However, no matter how loving a couple is, they can’t stop the husband from making progress, right?
"As for men, when they are out socializing, they will always encounter some occasions where they just flirt with each other. How can women outside compare to the ones at home? Men are just playing around! As women, even if we feel uncomfortable, how can we stop them from going? Isn't this hindering men's progress?" Aunt Zhang said with the tone of an experienced person, "There will definitely be a lot of people who will invite Mr. Fu in the future. You don't have to worry too much. I believe that with Mr. Fu's character, he won't do anything to let you down..."
"You must not learn to make trouble like Miss Song. This is not good. Every time she makes trouble for this matter, Mr. Song dares not go home. He always hides away. I don't know how many jokes she has made. Everyone secretly laughs at her and calls her a tigress..."
"Hey, if you hadn't stopped Mr. Song just now, he would have probably run away and wouldn't have been caught by Madam Song."
Aunt Zhang talked a lot, and when she saw that Yu Li remained silent, she asked, "Madam Fu, do you understand?"
"I don't understand!" Yu Li said very straightforwardly, "Since we are husband and wife, we can't betray each other!"
Even if it was just a casual affair, it was wrong for Mr. Song to go out and look for women, and Ms. Song did nothing wrong.
Aunt Zhang choked and looked at her in surprise.
What does this Madam Fu mean? Could she be another "Madam Song"?
Before she could speak again, a clear and pleasant voice sounded.
"Leave mother."
Yu Li turned around and saw Fu Wenxiao opening the door and came out. He said to Aunt Zhang, "Aunt Zhang, I'm home."
Aunt Zhang was a little slow to react and responded subconsciously.
She watched the young couple walk in together, and Fu Wenxiao turned around and closed the door.
The relationship between the young couple seemed to be very good. Mr. Fu probably heard the voices at the door and came to open it. Only a young couple who had just got married and didn't have any children could have such a close relationship.
Aunt Zhang seemed to understand a little bit. The young couple had a good relationship and naturally couldn't stand to hear those words.
She couldn't help but shook her head. It seemed that Madam Song had found a companion. Madam Fu was the type who could not tolerate men having affairs outside. This Shuying Lane would be lively in the future.
**
After returning home, Yu Li put down the backpack and went to wash his hands and prepare for lunch.
She looked calm, as if Aunt Zhang's words had no effect on her. She ate when she was supposed to, and slept when she was supposed to. Only Fu Wenxiao couldn't help but look at her a few more times.
In the afternoon, Yu Li stayed in the study room practicing calligraphy, while Fu Wenxiao sat beside him reading a book.
There was a knock on the door. Yu Li went to open the door and found Song Xiucai and his wife standing at the door.
"Madam Fu, I'm sorry to bother you." Song Xiucai bowed politely, "I wonder if Mr. Fu is home?"
Yu left the door to let them in, "Yes."
Fu Wenxiao came out of the study and politely greeted Song Xiucai and his wife. Song Xiucai smiled and said that he wanted to ask Fu Wenxiao about academic matters, and then the two went to the study together.
Although Fu Wenxiao was not a scholar yet, even Mr. Wang praised his knowledge. The scholars in Shuying Lane did not think that his knowledge was lower than theirs, and might even be higher.
I heard that he was in poor health before and was unable to take part in the imperial examination, so he had delayed it until now.
So it was nothing special for Mr. Song to come and ask him for advice on his knowledge.
Madam Song held a bowl of steamed cake she made herself, and said to Yu Li a little embarrassedly: "Madam Fu, this is the steamed cake I made today, let me give you a taste."
Yu Li asked her to sit in the hall and made her some tea.
Madam Song took a sip of tea, her face flushed a little, and she said softly, "Thank you Madam Fu for your help."
"What are you thanking me for?" Yu Li didn't quite understand.
Madam Song said: "It was you who helped me stop my husband..."
She knew that everyone in the alley thought she was a jealous woman and a shrew. They said she controlled her man like a son and wanted to tie him to her belt. They also called Song Xiucai a softie who couldn't even control his wife at home.
The Song family is like a joke in the alley.
However, because she couldn't stand hearing these words, she would curse back directly every time, and as time went by, no one dared to say it openly.
Madam Song doesn't care what others say, as long as they don't say it in front of her.
Every time she taught Song Xiucai a lesson, others would laugh at her. Previously, when she and Song Xiucai returned home, she heard Aunt Zhang from the opposite door calling Yu Li, and she knew that she must be trying to persuade her not to get involved.
Yu Li blinked and said it was okay.
Madam Song looked at her carefully and saw that she looked calm and had no intention of persuading her to be magnanimous. Her tense heartstrings immediately relaxed a little and a smile appeared on her face.
She enthusiastically pushed the bowl of steamed cake she had made over to her, wanting her to have a taste.
Yu Li picked up a piece of steamed cake and tasted it, and found it was surprisingly delicious.
She ate faster.
Seeing this, Madam Song smiled and said, "My mother taught me how to make steamed cakes, and this is the only way I can make it the best. If you like it, I'll make more for you in the future."
"How can this be embarrassing?" Yu Li said, thinking in his heart, it would be embarrassing to eat other people's food for free, maybe he could just make an exchange.
"It's nothing." Madam Song smiled, "When I have nothing to do, I make some steamed cakes to sell to supplement the family income."
Yu Li asked her where she sold it, and then she would buy it when she saw her stall.
Madam Song told me where she was setting up her stall. "I usually set up my stall at 12:00 a.m. every morning. I don't do much, so I can sell out in one or two hours."
Yu Li suddenly realized that she knew the place and decided to visit it tomorrow.
Perhaps it was because of the delicious food that the two of them talked more freely.
Madam Song was familiar with every household in the alley, and she took the opportunity to introduce to Yu Li what those families did.
Although the alley was full of scholars, studying costs money, and the expenses are not small, so the families of those scholars have to do something to make a living. Some do embroidery, some work for others, and some do small business like her...
Song Xiucai and his family moved here five years ago.
There are not many people in their family. In addition to the couple, there is an old lady and the daughter of Mr. Song and his wife. The old lady is Mrs. Song's mother and usually takes care of her granddaughter at home.
Their daughter is not very old either, only three years old this year.
Yu Li didn't quite understand why Madam Song's mother lived with her daughter and son-in-law.
Madam Song said calmly, "It's nothing, actually. Song Daqiang...well, Song Yi's family fled to our village. When he was about to starve to death, our family gave him some food to eat, and then he became my son-in-law."
Yu Li suddenly realized that she knew about the concept of a live-in son-in-law, but many men were ashamed of it and few were willing to be one. Generally, those who were willing to be one were not very good men.
Mr. Song looks upright, and is always chased by Madam Song, but it can be seen that he doesn't really care about it.
On the contrary, when Madam Song was aggressive, he would calm her temper.
At this point, Madam Song felt a little embarrassed: "I made a fool of myself today! Actually, I know he didn't do anything. He doesn't have the guts. It's just that - I don't like him going out for social events. I don't know why those scholars always like to find girls from brothels to accompany them when they hold literary and poetry gatherings. No matter how careful he is, he will still be stained with some powder and cosmetics. I don't like it..."
In the end, Madam Song complained, thinking that those scholars were all sanctimonious people. They were obviously lustful, but they insisted on saying that they were romantic and unrestrained, and had the character of scholars.
Yu Li ate the steamed cake silently without saying a word.
Madam Song looked at her and felt that Madam Fu was a very quiet person, so she sighed in her heart.
If Mr. Fu is dragged to attend those literary gatherings someday, given his looks, there will probably be many girls who are interested in him. If he can control himself then, that would be fine. If not, like some scholars, he might as well just keep the girl away and have her as a concubine...
The more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt. If Song Yi dared to do this, she would cut off the things he used to commit the crime and then divorce him.
Don't even think about letting her endure this humiliation.
Before leaving, Madam Song said to Yu Li, "Madam Fu, men still need to be managed. Don't let them have it too easy. Otherwise, one day they won't even know how to get home, and they will take advantage of you."
Yu Li reacted a little slowly, but then he understood what she meant.
She was a little conflicted. Actually, she and Fu Wenxiao did not have that kind of relationship, but it was not easy to tell her about this.
After Mr. Song and his wife left, Yu Li continued to practice calligraphy, but he seemed absent-minded.
"Li Niang, what's wrong?" Fu Wenxiao asked.
Yu Li glanced at him and said, "I heard that you scholars are looking for Hua Niang to accompany you to your literary and poetry gatherings..."
Fu Wenxiao was slightly stunned, but soon understood why she mentioned this.
In fact, he heard what Aunt Zhang said to her through the door, but he didn't know what to say when he saw that she didn't care. He felt a little disappointed. She didn't say anything, which proved that she didn't care.
At this moment, seeing her suddenly speak, no matter what the reason was, he was very happy.
"Not all of them." Fu Wenxiao said tactfully, "There was nothing like this at the banquet hosted by Mr. Wang. I attended one once and it was full of scholars, all of whom came to discuss academic matters."
Yu Li was surprised, "Are you really not going to ask Hua Niang to be your girlfriend?"
Fu Wenxiao: "..." Who taught her bad things?
"No!" He denied it a little quickly, and then added, "I don't like that kind of thing either."
Yu Li tilted his head and looked at him, "You don't like it? Why?"
Don't all men like this? Although most of the men she met were ordinary people who didn't have the ability to participate in such literary poetry gatherings, there were many scholars in Shuying Lane, and the lives of these scholars were also quite rich.
Also, there are actually quite a few men who want to find Hua Niang regardless of whether they are rich or poor.
Fu Wenxiao's heart tightened slightly, and he felt that he must not let her misunderstand him: "Maybe I am a little weird, I really don't like it..."
There are many reasons why he doesn't like it, and he can't tell her all of them, but who says men have to like that kind of thing? There are men who are self-disciplined, and there are even men who would rather be alone than be in a mess.
In the past, he had too many things to do and had no time to think about those things, but now he has found the person he wants to be with for the rest of his life, and he only hopes that she can look at him more.
Yu Li looked at him for a long while, then nodded and said, "You are indeed quite weird!"
Fu Wenxiao: “…”
Fu Wenxiao was a little amused and wondered if this was considered self-defilement.
Before he could think of how to correct the image of himself in her mind, he heard her say, "Fu Wenxiao, if you go to that kind of occasion in the future, you must tell me."
Fu Wenxiao was stunned. "Why should I tell you?"
"Divorce!" Yu Li said as a matter of course, "Since you are willing to do so, then let's get a divorce. This way I don't have to worry about you." Otherwise, if he goes to find Hua Niang and she does nothing, wouldn't it be embarrassing?
At least now, they are still husband and wife on the surface.
Fu Wenxiao: “…”
For a moment, Fu Wenxiao didn't know which issue concerned him more.
Before he could say anything else, she seemed to feel that everything was alright and started to concentrate on practicing calligraphy.
No matter what she does, she is very serious. Since she wants to practice calligraphy, she will practice it well and not allow herself to be distracted.
Fu Wenxiao stared at her with an unclear expression.
He knew that when she said she wanted a divorce, she really meant it and it was definitely not just talk. Once he really did something, she would give up this marriage without hesitation.
But she said she would take care of him... Is she going to take care of him like Madam Song takes care of Mr. Song?
Thinking of something, Fu Wenxiao couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" Yu Li looked up at him.
Fu Wenxiao looked at her with a smile, his pair of black jade eyes reflecting her figure, and said, "Don't worry, Li Niang, I'm not interested in those things, and I won't do that kind of thing."
Yu Li said "oh", looked at him again, and said nothing.
If he had any ideas, she felt that she could solve him with just one punch, and she didn't care whether he did it or not.
Of course, it would be best if he didn't do it. As his wife in public, she couldn't stand this kind of humiliation.
**
In the following days, it seemed that something chaotic happened in Shuying Lane every day. Either Mrs. Song scolded her husband, or other families quarreled over trivial matters, or neighbors had conflicts.
Fortunately, apart from these, everyone else is easy to get along with, which is in line with Yu Li’s original intention of buying the house.
Gradually, fewer and fewer people came to visit the Fu family.
Perhaps they saw that Fu Wenxiao was aloof and would not introduce Mr. Wang to them, so they gave up the idea. Only some people like Mr. Song came who came sincerely to seek advice.
Fu Wenxiao did not refuse these people, but most of the time he would politely send them away.
The reason for sending them away was ready-made: he was in poor health and could not discuss academic matters with them for too long.
That day, Yu Li came back and found a lot of people gathered together in the alley talking.
When they saw her, they looked at her strangely, as if she had done something strange.
Yu Li ignored it and was about to go home when someone called her.
"Madam Fu," the person who called her said, "I went to the morning market in the south of the city to buy meat yesterday, and I seemed to see you enter a butcher's shop. I heard people say that you were slaughtering pigs in that butcher's shop... Is this true?"
When the person asked, the others stared at her with curiosity on their faces.
Yu Li nodded calmly, "Yes."
There's nothing to hide about this.
In an instant, the way those people looked at her became very subtle.
Yu Li couldn't tell what this subtlety was, but she didn't care. When she was about to go home, a loud voice rang out.
"Mrs. Fu, you can't do this. How can a scholar's wife kill pigs?" The person who spoke was Aunt He. Her face was flushed and she stared at Yu Li with some ill eyes.
When Yu Li turned his head, she continued, "Madam Fu, Mr. Fu is going to take the exam to become a scholar. If people knew that he had a wife who was a butcher, they would laugh at him."
She thought proudly in her heart that although her son was only slightly less good-looking than Mr. Fu, he was marrying a girl from the county town.
Although my daughter-in-law's family is in business, this is much better than being a butcher.
Yu Li had a serious expression and was about to say something when the door of the Song family opened with a swish.
Madam Song came out and said to the people present: "What do you mean? Mr. Fu didn't say anything, but you all jumped out. Aren't you meddling too much? You are jealous that Mr. Fu is more handsome and knowledgeable than those scholars in your family, right? What's wrong with killing pigs? I don't believe you don't eat pork. Without a butcher, who would kill pigs for you to eat!"
She put her hands on her hips and cursed, "You can't hold the bowl to eat meat and then put it down to curse your mother!"
Madam Song's words made everyone present laugh.
An old lady said angrily, "Madam Song, you, you are just making up your mind. You can't compare them."
"Oh, you're comparing them! Why don't you say that your son is not even worthy of carrying Mr. Fu's shoes? I guess he can only be a scholar at best in his life. You actually have the nerve to laugh at others who can pass the imperial examinations. Aren't you ashamed? If you care so much about it, why don't you take care of your son's flower-raising wife outside?"
“You, you, you…”
"What am I saying?" Madam Song said incessantly, "What did I say wrong? I saw your son taking Hua Niang to buy jewelry a few days ago! Poor Auntie, you are eating coarse food at home with your grandchildren, but your son is willing to spend money to buy jewelry for Hua Niang. He is such a filial and good son!"
The old lady was so angry that she almost vomited blood. She was really no match for him, so she turned around and went home.
When the others saw this, they also knew that Madam Song had a hot temper and dared to say anything, so they did not dare to confront her and ran away.
After sending everyone away, Madam Song said to Yu Li, "Ignore them. They just can't stand seeing others doing well."
Yu Li nodded, but in fact she didn’t take it to heart.
She thanked Madam Song for her righteous words and decided to patronize her steamed cake stall more often in the future. After all, the steamed cakes were indeed delicious.
-
Although Yu Li didn't care, the news of her slaughtering a pig in the butcher shop soon spread throughout Shuying Lane.
Every time she came back, those people looked at her with contempt, as if slaughtering pigs was such a lowly job that no decent person would do it.
Fu Wenxiao naturally noticed this as well.
He didn't say anything. At the beginning of the next day, he went to the butcher shop to find Yu Li in person.
The people in the butcher shop were very welcoming to his arrival, and the neighbors who came to buy meat would also greet him and call him "Anshou" affectionately.
Fu Wenxiao responded one by one in a polite and courteous manner, with a warm and friendly voice that easily made people feel good about him.
He was waiting for Yu Li to come back at the butcher's shop. Instead of going inside the shop, he stood next to the chopping board.
Because of him, the butcher shop's business is booming today.
Zhang Yaoping was busy cutting and selling meat for people. Because there were too many customers, he was in a mess. Fu Wenxiao helped him.
By the time the meat is sold out, the morning market is not over yet.
Zhang Yaoping looked at the empty chopping board and said to those who came to buy meat: "Today's meat is all sold out. Please come back tomorrow."
Someone asked with a smile: "Will Mr. Fu still be here tomorrow?"
"I can't say for sure."
After seeing off all the guests, Zhang Yaoping turned around and looked at Fu Wenxiao who was standing there.
This is clearly a butcher's shop, but the walls are mottled and there are several dirty wooden barrels in the corners. It looks dirty and messy, and the air smells bad.
However, as he stood there, the spring sun was shining brightly and the breeze was blowing on his face, it seemed as if the mottled walls had become bright and clear, the air had become fresh, and it seemed as if all the light in the world was gathered on him.
Good-looking people are popular!
Zhang Yaoping thought to himself that Mr. Fu was not only good-looking but also well-educated. He was simply a perfect man and only such a man was worthy of Sister Yu.
He asked, "Mr. Fu, are you here to see Sister Yu?"
Fu Wenxiao curled his lips and said calmly, "I'll take her home."
"Hey, why did you come to pick her up all of a sudden?" Zhang Yaoping asked in confusion, "Sister Yu said you're not feeling well and you can't get tired. Do you want to come in and sit for a while?"
Fu Wenxiao declined politely: "No, I'll just wait for Li Niang here."
Zhang Yaoping looked at him. Today's business was really good, all thanks to him.
Oh, even if Mr. Fu doesn’t study in the future, he can still make a lot of money just by selling meat.
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