The farther they walked from Mingyue Bridge, the less noticeable the noisy sounds of the crowd became, and the dark night gradually enveloped their figures.
It was too dark for Yang Anchen to see Zhang Lanzhen's expression, but when he got closer, he could still feel that she was unhappy all over.
"Mom." Yang Anjin took the initiative to break the silence and pulled Zhang Lanzhen's sleeve, but the latter did not respond.
He wanted to plead for Yang Anchen, but seeing Zhang Lanzhen like this, he didn't know how to start.
Yang Anchen was afraid that he would be implicated, so he pulled him and shook his head. Ever since he came back with Zhao Fangchu, he had never intended to hide it from Zhang Lanzhen, so her attitude was within his expectations.
"Mom, I didn't mean to hide it from you, nor did I mean to hide it from anyone else. Just as you thought, Fang Chu is the one I've chosen."
"Shut up. What's your relationship with someone else in public? If people around you hear that, it'll make you look bad. Go back and tell them what you have to say."
This was the only way back to the village. Several familiar women had already greeted Zhang Lanzhen. If a dispute arose here, their family would be the topic of conversation in the village tomorrow.
Yang Anchen fell silent. It seemed that Zhang Lanzhen was really angry. He was thinking about how to make Zhang Lanzhen feel at ease after returning.
It was late at night, and those who had returned from Mingyue Bridge had already fallen asleep. In order to save candlelight, they washed in the moonlight without even lighting a candle.
As soon as Yang Anchen entered the door, he knelt down in front of his mother without saying a word. Yang Anjin exclaimed and hurried to support Yang Anchen's arm. He had never seen his brother and mother so deadlocked in his life.
"Brother, what are you doing? Get up and talk nicely."
Yang Anchen remained unmoved and continued kneeling straight.
Zhang Lanzhen was startled for a moment, then she was furious: "What are you doing? Threatening me? You're willing to kneel, right? Fine, An Jin, don't stop him. Go back to your room."
"mother."
"Go back to your room!"
Yang Anchen patted his hand and comforted him: "It's okay, you go back first."
Yang Anjin still felt uneasy, so he walked into the house, looking back every few steps. He closed the door, pricked up his ears, and eavesdropped through the crack.
How could a mother not love her child? Moreover, Yang Anchen had been worry-free since he was a child, and his passing the imperial examination brought her honor. Zhang Lanzhen loved him dearly and could not bear to hit him even once, let alone such a severe punishment of kneeling.
"A man's knees are as precious as gold. From childhood to adulthood, when have I ever let your knees touch the ground? Stand up first. What can't you say while you're sitting?"
Zhang Lanzhen still felt sorry for him. The ground was cold at night, and Yang Anchen wasn't as strong as the men working in the fields. She tried to pull him up, but he didn't get up. She felt like he was against her, and immediately became angry: "Are you deliberately going against me?"
"Mother, I dare not. Disobeying parents is a great act of unfilial piety. I should kneel down as punishment. But you also know my temper. Now that I have chosen someone, it is a lifelong commitment and I will never change easily. I hope you can fulfill my wish and not bring trouble to An Jin."
Before he even opened his mouth, Zhang Lanzhen knew what he was going to say. However, she had been with Zhu Cuilan tonight and had heard her praise the carpenter's son many times, and her words were full of satisfaction.
"I'm your mother. How could I not want you to be well? Now it's not about whether I can fulfill your wish or not. Your Aunt Cuilan has already found someone for Fang Chuxiang. Fang Chu is a good and obedient child. He will definitely listen to his mother. You haven't even said a few words to him. If your Aunt Cuilan doesn't want to, will Fang Chu disobey his mother like you did?"
"Fang Chu is attracted to me, but I can sense that the Fang Chu that Aunt Cuilan is looking at may not be willing."
If it was before tonight, Yang Anchen would definitely not dare to say such words, but after the contact tonight, Zhao Fangchu's little thoughts were not hidden very well. How could Yang Anchen not see that his attitude towards him was different from before.
At noon, someone brought a message saying that Yang Anchen asked Yang Anjin to go to the town, saying that he had something to tell him. Zhang Baoyu told him the story of Zhao Fangchu being rescued by Yang Anchen when he was in danger on the street as gossip, and Yang Anjin told it to Zhang Lanzhen when he came back.
So when he said this, Zhang Lanzhen snorted again.
"Are you so sure that Fang Chu likes you and isn't just grateful? What happened yesterday doesn't count in matters of love. Even if it wasn't you, but another righteous man, Fang Chu would still have a good impression of him after being saved. He would agree to anything you say to him now, but this isn't called love. You're taking advantage of someone in distress."
"Yes, I know Fang Chu looked at me more than once probably out of gratitude. If it weren't for this incident, he might never have had me in his heart for the rest of his life. But this incident happened between us. Whether you call me a hypocrite for taking advantage of someone's misfortune or a shameless villain for taking advantage of someone's weakness, I accept it. As long as Fang Chu and I can have a future together, I'm willing to bear these insults."
"What's the point of you being willing? Have you ever thought about whether others are willing? Didn't you listen to a word I said to you before?"
Yang Anchen stuck his neck out and said nothing. Zhang Lanzhen knew that her son was as stubborn as a donkey. Once he made up his mind, ten oxen could not pull him back.
If he were to become alienated from his son because of his own obstruction, then the loss would be worth it.
"Okay, in that case, I don't care what you do, and I won't ask. If you have the ability to get Aunt Cuilan to agree to your relationship, I won't say a word."
Neither of them gave in. Seeing that he refused to budge, Zhang Lanzhen became so angry that she threatened that she would not take care of it.
Zhang Lanzhen was getting angry at everything she said. Yang Anchen had already been contradictory enough today. Taking advantage of her relaxation, Yang Anchen quickly said some soft words: "It's my fault today. I made mother anxious and angry with me. I'm not sensible, so I hope mother will bear with me."
"They say children are a debt from past lives. I must have sinned in my past life to have a son like you." Zhang Lanzhen punched his shoulder angrily: "Sometimes I really want to beat you up to vent my anger."
Yang Anchen knelt still, letting her pound her fists while smiling and saying, "Then go ahead and hit me. I won't move, and I won't fight back. When I'm done with my anger, I'll get up again."
"Stop talking nonsense. It's already so late, why don't you get up quickly? How long do you want to kneel down? Go take a shower and go to bed. You have to get up early to go to town tomorrow."
Zhang Lanzhen pulled him up from the ground, and kept on telling him, "I'm telling you, don't do anything out of line, don't let it affect Fang Chu's reputation. Also, An Jin and Fang Yu, you have your own ideas, and no matter how much I say, you won't listen. Just keep your mind on it."
"I know."
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