When awkwardness meets the honeymoon phase
"Who did you say?" Tang Feng seemed not to have heard clearly, or perhaps he had heard clearly but was unwilling to believe it, so he asked again.
Zhang Mobai seemed to have anticipated this outcome. With one arm around Tang Feng and the other pointing at the man, he said, "Him! Zhou Ziliang!"
After listening, Tang Feng followed Zhang Mobai's finger and looked the person up and down carefully again. Then, as if to confirm again, he asked the person, "Are you Zhou Ziliang?"
Zhou Ziliang tightened his grip on the reins, his brow furrowing, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes. He quickly composed himself, glancing at Zhang Mobai, who shook his head helplessly. Zhou Ziliang sensed that things might not be so simple. He stared at Tang Feng for a moment before finally speaking, "Exactly."
Upon hearing this, Tang Feng clenched his fists tightly at his sides. Perhaps due to excessive force, his entire body began to tremble slightly. Tang Feng was about to charge straight forward when Zhang Mobai, seeing the situation was not good, grabbed Tang Feng's waist and said, "Little brother! Calm down, let's talk this out."
Tang Feng kicked his feet, trying to break free from Zhang Mobai's arm, while pointing at Zhou Ziliang and cursing, "Zhou Ziliang, you bastard! You don't like me but you still want to marry me? What are you pretending to be? I endured beatings and house arrest in Xiling to resist this marriage, and you, on the other hand, are completely indifferent while I'm at the border! You really just wash your hands of it and leave without a care in the world! Do you know what this behavior is called? This is marriage fraud, and in a society governed by law, it's punishable by law! You bastard!"
"Well! Why are you suddenly so agitated?" Seeing that Zhang Mobai was about to lose control of Tang Feng, Yang Fei quickly dismounted, grabbed Tang Feng's wrist, and said, "Tang Feng, calm down! Listen to Bai Bai, sit down and talk slowly!"
Tang Feng tried to shake off Yang Fei's grip on his wrist, but ultimately couldn't overcome Yang Fei's martial arts background. After several attempts, he failed and said resentfully, "Squinty-eyed brat, let go of me. This is my business, don't interfere."
Upon hearing this, Yang Fei tightened her grip on his wrist. "I know it's your family matter, and we shouldn't interfere, but think about it carefully. It's not just the two of you now; everyone needs to get on their way. Otherwise, the consequences of delayed school start are something neither of us can afford. You can argue about it once you get there."
Zhang Mobai's eyes widened in disbelief. He hadn't expected Yang Fei to tell them to move to another place to continue arguing. Just as he was about to unleash a torrent of curses, he saw Yang Fei, out of Tang Feng's sight, gesture for him to be quiet.
Tang Feng, on the other hand, felt that Yang Fei's words didn't seem unreasonable. After all, they were all traveling together, and they couldn't drag Zhang Mobai into this mess because of Zhou Ziliang, this innocent victim. After thinking for a moment, he shouted at Zhou Ziliang, "You just wait! You'll be punished when we get to the academy!" He then turned and walked towards the carriage. Halfway there, still somewhat angry, Tang Feng stopped, picked up a stone from the ground, and threw it forcefully at Zhou Ziliang. However, Tang Feng had no martial arts training, and the stone was too large; it didn't hit Zhou Ziliang, but instead struck the horse's hooves, startling the horse and causing it to retreat a few steps.
After Tang Feng got into the car, Zhang Mobai pulled Yang Fei aside, grabbed his ear, and said through gritted teeth, "Did a donkey kick your brain?! Let's find somewhere else to continue arguing! How could you even think of that! Do you think this isn't big enough already?!"
"Bai Bai, Bai Bai, let go... let go!" Yang Fei pulled away from Zhang Mobai's hand, rubbed her reddened ear, and said, "This is called a delaying tactic. Your little brother isn't the type to be dramatic. By the time we get to Lishan Academy, any anger will have subsided, and any cursing will have been done. Besides, we can still try to persuade them along the way! If we manage to get them together, we'll at least have done a good deed."
Zhang Mobai listened, resting his chin on his hand, and thought there was some truth to what was said. "Hmm~ Not bad! Finally, someone did something worthwhile."
Upon hearing Zhang Mobai praise him, Yang Fei chuckled, scratching his head. "He's my junior brother, of course I have to take it to heart. Although I wasn't too keen on this marriage before. Hey, hey, hey! Bai Bai, don't be angry! It's mainly because your little brother cries too much. How can my junior brother, a seasoned marquis, marry a pushover? But now, seeing your little brother's transformation, I think they're quite a good match."
Zhang Mobai glanced at Yang Fei and said, "You're lucky you have eyes," before turning back to the carriage to comfort Tang Feng.
Yang Fei went back and mounted his horse. Zhou Ziliang, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke up, "What's wrong with him?" Zhou Ziliang looked towards the carriage, somewhat worried. He had imagined their meeting countless times, but he had never imagined being verbally abused by Tang Feng. He feared that his words when he went to guard the pass had provoked Tang Feng, and that he was now confused. Thinking of this, Zhou Ziliang still felt a pang of self-reproach.
"My God! That's your wife, don't you know?!" Yang Fei tugged at the reins, then freed one hand to grab Zhou Ziliang's reins and pull forward, trying to catch up with Tang Feng's carriage.
Zhou Ziliang shook his head. "If it weren't for the imperial edict, many things wouldn't reach the border from Xiling."
Upon hearing this, Yang Fei exclaimed, "You two really know nothing! One of you is causing such a stir in Xiling with your annulment of the engagement, while the other is oblivious to everything happening around you at the border!" Yang Fei sighed and then recounted to Zhou Ziliang Tang Feng's fall from his horse and subsequent amnesia in Nancheng, followed by the annulment of the engagement.
After hearing this, Zhou Ziliang felt much more relaxed. "Did he really say that?" Zhou Ziliang asked. A few days ago, when he returned home, he heard his father talk about Tang Feng asking him to postpone the engagement, and he didn't think that Tang Feng would do such a thing. But now, seeing Tang Feng like this, it seems to be true.
"Yes! Don't think it's unbelievable to you; I was just as baffled as you were after hearing it."
Zhou Ziliang looked at the carriage again, from which came Tang Feng's cursing voice. Since Tang Feng could already abandon this relationship, he would continue to treat him like a younger brother, just as before! As for the annulment of the engagement, if it was truly Tang Feng's idea, he was willing to bear the consequences.
Meanwhile, Tang Feng sat in the carriage, sulking and chewing on dried apricots. Zhang Mobai patted Tang Feng on the back, then snatched the bag of dried apricots from his hand. "Alright, alright! It's not a big deal. Don't let this upset you. I'm confiscating these dried apricots; you won't have an appetite later."
After the dried apricots were taken away, Tang Feng became even angrier. He crossed his arms and leaned back. "Anyone in this situation would be angry! If he liked me, I wouldn't say anything. I might even feel guilty. The problem is! He doesn't like me, yet he still agreed to marry me! This... this is so infuriating! And he won't even explain!"
Zhang Mobai lifted the curtain and looked behind him, then turned to Tang Feng and said, "But you didn't give him a chance to explain!"
Tang Feng thought about it and realized it was true. He had been so busy cursing that he hadn't heard Zhou Ziliang's excuses. Suddenly, he felt like a wronged woman whose husband had cheated on her with another woman and then ran off with her money, crying and screaming in the street. Thinking of this, Tang Feng blushed, but still tried to remain calm. "Well... well... I was just... so angry!"
Zhang Mobai noticed Tang Feng's embarrassment and offered a way out, saying, "Alright, alright! When we have lunch, listen carefully to their explanation. If there's any misunderstanding, this will clear it up!"
Tang Feng snatched the dried apricots that Zhang Mobai had just confiscated, then nodded to indicate his agreement. Just then, Yang Fei, riding his horse, lifted the carriage curtain and asked, "It's already noon, but we haven't reached Fenghe City yet. Finding a shop to eat at is out of the question, but Ziliang said there's a water source in this area, and there should be plenty of animals. We two will go and try our luck. You two wait in the carriage."
Zhang Mobai nodded and said, "Okay! Be careful too." After Yang Fei and Zhou Ziliang left, Zhang Mobai got out of the car, lifted the curtain, and said, "Little brother, you can get out now! Ziliang is gone."
Upon hearing this, Tang Feng got out of the car. "Little madman, what are you trying to do?"
Zhang Mobai picked up a few stones and arranged them in a circle. "Let's start a fire! We can't eat raw food! Little brother, don't just stand there, go get me some leaves." Tang Feng was obedient; he bent down and scooped up a handful of leaves and twigs, then put them into the circle. Zhang Mobai stood up and, seeing that it was almost ready, clapped his hands and took out two flints from the carriage.
Once the fire was lit, Zhang Mobai and Tang Feng sat on a rock to wait for Yang Fei and the others to arrive. Just as Zhang Mobai added some firewood to the fire, they heard Yang Fei running back from afar, calling out, "Bai Bai, Bai Bai! Look what I caught! Come and see!"
Zhang Mobai, sitting on a rock, rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Can't you be serious for once! Seriously!" Then he and Tang Feng stood up to see what Yang Fei had caught. Just then, Yang Fei returned carrying two rabbits. "Bai Bai, look! I caught two rabbits!" He then turned to Tang Feng, "Your husband is even better; he caught a deer and some fish. He'll be back soon, don't worry."
Tang Feng was speechless after hearing this, and even laughed in anger. "I'm worried about him? Ha! How could you even think of that! I don't read romance novels without you in them." He then sat back down.
"What are romance novels?" Yang Fei asked Zhang Mobai, seeing that Tang Feng didn't seem to want to talk to him. "If there's nothing else, I'll go kill the rabbit first, and we'll roast it later."
While they were talking, Zhou Ziliang returned on horseback, carrying the deer and several fish. "Hey! Are you going to grill these fish?" Zhang Mobai went over and helped unload the load from the horse.
"Yes, Brother Mobai, please save a few for me when you're grilling them; I'll use them for soup," Zhou Ziliang instructed as he lifted the deer off the grill. Zhang Mobai's eyes darted around, as if he knew something. He smiled, took a few large fish from the fish tank, and handed them to Zhou Ziliang. "Then I'll trouble Brother Ziliang to prepare these himself," Zhou Ziliang said without hesitation, taking the fish and beginning to prepare them.
The three men were busy running around during the meal, while Tang Feng was happy to have some free time. After all, it was already quite an achievement for him to keep an eye on the fire; if he were to handle the live animals as well, he might not get a meal until dark. By the time they finished, everyone was starving. Tang Feng's mouth watered at the sight of the roasted rabbit and fish in front of him. Just as he was about to reach for some, Zhou Ziliang grabbed his wrist and handed him a bowl of fish soup, saying, "You've always had a weak stomach; grilling is too oily. You should drink some fish soup to soothe your stomach."
Upon hearing this, Tang Feng slapped Zhou Ziliang's hand away, "I just..." He then saw Zhang Mobai staring at him and shook his head, so he lowered his voice, "Oh, thank you." Meanwhile, Yang Fei handed Zhang Mobai a roasted rabbit leg, saying, "Bai Bai~ try this rabbit I specially caught for you, it's delicious!" Zhang Mobai took a bite of the rabbit leg from Yang Fei's hand, "Roast it a little longer! I feel it's not flavorful enough."
Tang Feng curled his lip. Wasn't this just the kind of saccharine, overly sweet couple everyone criticizes online? Just then, Zhou Ziliang put a piece of fish into Tang Feng's bowl. "Eat more, we still have a long journey this afternoon." Tang Feng nodded somewhat awkwardly. He remembered how he'd scolded him that morning! Now that Zhou Ziliang was putting food in his bowl, he felt like he'd been petty. Thinking back to what Zhang Mobai had said to him in the carriage, he lowered his head, poked at the fish with his chopsticks, and after a long pause, slowly said, "Um... I'm sorry about this morning... about this matter... um... I'd like to hear your thoughts."
Zhou Ziliang put down his chopsticks. "What I mean is exactly what you said. You don't need to be afraid of this marriage. I'm willing to treat you like a younger brother from now on, and my parents will treat you like their own son. I'll take responsibility for anything that happens in the future." Zhou Ziliang wanted to tell Tang Feng that he was willing to face the annulment of the engagement with Tang Feng and would take good care of him like a younger brother. However, what Tang Feng heard was that even if he didn't like Tang Feng after the marriage and treated him like a younger brother, he couldn't possibly annul the engagement.
Tang Feng jumped to his feet, startling not only Zhou Ziliang but also Zhang Mobai and Yang Fei, who were currently entangled in a sweet nothings. Tang Feng pointed at Zhou Ziliang and said, "I patiently listened to your explanation, but you're still so persistent! Do you even know what you just said?! You're a complete green tea b*tch! Unrepentant to the end! I! I! I'm so angry!" He then put down the fish soup, grabbed two skewers of grilled fish and rabbit meat, and turned to leave.
Yang Fei called out from behind, "Tang Feng! Rabbit! I caught this rabbit for my family for free!"
Zhang Mobai shoved Yang Fei hard in the chest. "Shut up! You're just making things worse!" He then got up and chased after Tang Feng, calling out, "Hey, big brother, wait for me!"
Tang Feng originally wanted to walk further away, but when he heard Zhang Mobai following him, he slowed down, found a tree root, sat down, handed Zhang Mobai a skewer of grilled fish, and started eating himself. Then he said angrily, "Listen to what he's saying! He's going to get married right away! Don't make me listen to his excuses anymore! It's either him or me! It's either him or me!"
Seeing that things had come to this point, Zhang Mobai could only smile and say, "Alright, alright, whatever you say, I won't try to persuade you anymore. Finish eating and hurry back. Don't throw a tantrum; if we don't make it to Fenghe City tomorrow, you'll have to sleep outside all day again."
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