Chapter 46
Feng Xiaosai quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said respectfully, "Master Lao Ben, weren't you in the cockfighting shed just now? How come you've lost interest so quickly?"
Lao Ben wasn't angry when Feng Xiaosai tried to stop him; he couldn't stop him anyway. He chuckled and said, "It's because your young master won and ran away, leaving me penniless and unable to do anything but beg your young master for a drink!" Then he sidled past Feng Xiaosai and headed into the private room.
Feng Xiaosai wanted to grab him, but because of their status, he could only stride forward, holding out his hands and smiling apologetically, saying, "Unfortunately, our young master has guests right now. Why don't you find a private room and have a drink slowly? We'll put the bill on our property."
Lao Ben pulled a fan from his collar and opened it quickly, waving it slowly with an ambiguous smile on his face. "I know! A distinguished guest! The news has spread all over the streets. Your young master threw his hat into the air for a beautiful woman and beat the young master of Meng Ding Mansion until he was left with only the breath to breathe."
Lao Ben looked determined to go to jail, and Feng Xiaosai was terribly worried. He could only let him go in, and there was no telling if he would get into another fight.
The feud between Yunkai and Lao Ben can be traced back to when he was six years old, which is earlier than the feud with Yueming.
He was the youngest in the family, and everyone gave in to him. He got what he wanted, and looked down on everyone. Even though he laughed at Yueming's poor English and lack of motivation, he was a complete academic failure. He studied Dai language at the temple in the mornings and Chinese language at his family's private school in the afternoons. The schoolwork was boring, the workload was heavy, and at such a young age, he had no desire to learn, so he often fell asleep in class. The old Chinese teacher, who had studied hard for decades, didn't even get to pass the imperial examinations before the Qing Dynasty fell. He could only channel his regrets into encouraging his students. He was extremely strict and serious, and if you didn't do well on the assigned homework, he would spank you, regardless of whether your father was a chieftain.
After being criticized a few times, Yunkai set his sights on Lao Ben, a diligent student. He felt that this showed he respected Lao Ben very much. Why shouldn't I copy someone else's? It's simply because I think you do the best work. My willingness to copy yours is a sign of affirmation. So he tried various tricks to get Lao Ben to copy his homework. Finally, he simply threw the homework book at him and told him to do two copies.
Lao Ben was so annoyed that he didn't care about your father controlling my father and refused to copy. Yun Kai's domineering temper would not tolerate Lao Ben's ungrateful behavior. The two children, who were only a head taller than the table, immediately started fighting in the classroom.
Lao Ben's father, Palao Langye, was in charge of taxes in the Tusi government office and was considered Tusi Han's right-hand man. He looked at his capable subordinate leading his son, who had been beaten black and blue, and said with a smile, "It's okay. Boys all like to fight."
Looking at Yunkai who was gloating over his victory, Han Tusi felt that he had lost all face because of his youngest son. He grabbed Yunkai's collar and went into the study, and started beating him with a feather duster until Yunkai howled like a wolf.
Instead of reflecting on his mistake, Yun Kai, after receiving his first beating, resented Lao Ben, believing him to be stingy, inconsiderate, and ultimately unworthy. From then on, he did everything he could to cause trouble for Lao Ben in school. But Lao Ben was no pushover. "If you hit me, I'll pull your hair," he said, "and even if I can't win, I won't let you take advantage." From then on, the two of them began a pattern of "if you're in trouble, I'll be the first to come and watch the fun; if you step on dog poop, I'll laugh louder than anyone else."
Feng Xiaosai, the guard in the outer room, ultimately failed to stop Lao Ben and watched him triumphantly enter the private room. He hesitated at the doorway, wondering if he should go in. He thought he should. If a fight broke out, he could, as Miss Yueming had suggested, pretend to intervene and trap Young Master Lao Ben, allowing the Second Young Master to give him a good beating.
When Lao Ben came in, Yueming was struggling to learn Dai language one, two, three, four, five. She breathed a sigh of relief when someone came in and interrupted her.
Unlike Yunkai, who looked unhappy when he saw him, Lao Ben smiled and asked, "How much did you win? I heard you counting the money from outside."
Yun Kai frowned and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Lao Ben pointed at him with his fan: "I asked you to treat me! What? You want to run away now that you've won?"
Yun Kai looked at him with a half-smile: "You won five games in a row and I didn't even see a single feather. I just won one game and you asked me to treat you. Are you so shallow?"
Lao Ben shrugged. "You didn't get a penny from the five games I won. What you won today was mine, right? Then you have to treat me."
Yun Kai did not argue. He leaned back in his chair and said lazily to Feng Xiaochong who was standing at the door: "Go, order a plate of roast chicken butt for Master Lao Ben, and tell him to eat and leave quickly."
Yueming huddled at the table, watching the two of them interacting with great interest. Unexpectedly, Lao Ben plopped down next to her and grinned at her, "Are you the daughter of the Lan family? My father and your father have been around a lot, and they're very close. He even told me to go to the Tusi Mansion and invite you to my house."
Yun Kai was drinking tea when he heard this and sneered, "Your father is chasing her father to pay taxes. That's called a good relationship. If you can't even establish a relationship, what else can you do?"
Lao Ben didn't react to this, but Yueming wasn't happy. Wasn't this an implication of her father's tax evasion? Her father wasn't that kind of person. She quietly glared at Yunkai.
Lao Ben sized up the girl before him. People often say that if a woman has one point of allure, three or four points of beauty can outweigh six or seven points. This girl, at such a young age, already possesses six or seven points of beauty. Who knows how many men she'll captivate once she grows older and more charming? No wonder Han Lao Er disregarded his kinship for her and beat Pu Jiang half to death.
Thinking of this, his smile grew even brighter, and he said to Yueming, "It's better to do it today than today. I'll arrange for a carriage to take you to my house as a guest. My mother lived in Mengning for a while, and she makes authentic Tu Ba Wan (ba wan)."
Yun Kai almost slammed the table and stood up, secretly planning that if Yue Ming dared to show any intention of leaving, he would kick Lao Ben down with a flying kick.
Having heard their back-and-forth, Yueming guessed they weren't on good terms. Regardless of whether Lao Ben's invitation was genuine or a deliberate attempt to upset Yunkai, Yueming knew it was time to return the favor.
She raised a polite smile and said, "The two families are on good terms, so it's only natural for us younger generations to visit each other. But it's not proper to visit your house empty-handed. Let's do it another day!"
After hearing the first sentence, Yunkai secretly exerted force with his legs. If Yueming had not said the next sentence quickly, he would have kicked Lao Ben in the back.
Lao Ben nodded approvingly. "Young lady, you are indeed a lady from a noble family. You are well versed in social etiquette. In that case, why don't you let me host today so that we, the younger generation, can get acquainted first?"
Yunkai felt that the foot he had just retracted was itchy again.
Yueming felt that the grudge between these two people must be extremely deep, otherwise this young master named Lao Ben would not be so persistent.
Behind him, Yun Kai's eyes weren't eyes, and his nose wasn't a nose. Yue Ming pushed back, saying, "We agreed to treat the Second Young Master to dinner today, but this isn't very convenient. Why don't we get together next time?"
Lao Ben was about to say that adding a set of bowls and chopsticks was convenient and he didn't mind. But Yun Kai interrupted him and said, "It's just a meal, why are you talking so much? If you want to eat, go eat next door. If you don't have money, I'll give it to you." Then he asked Feng Xiaosai to give Lao Ben two yuan.
Yueming was stunned. How could Han Yunkai be so domineering? He dismissed a young master from the Lang family like a beggar. Even more surprising was that Lao Ben actually accepted the two silver dollars from Feng Xiaosai and happily left. As they reached the door, he turned back and smiled at Yueming, "Miss Lan, we agreed to get together on our own next time."
Yunkai pretended to throw the teacup in his hand at him, and then he smiled and left.
Yunkai was so angry that he broke into a sweat. He asked Feng Xiaosai to stand behind him and fan him. He took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead while kicking Yueming. He thought to himself, we really get along! We even made an appointment to have dinner together.
Yueming looked innocent under the glare. She tried to refuse, but what could she do if Young Master Lao Ben insisted on provoking her? She thought about it and realized that Yunkai had helped her beat someone up today, so it was only right for him to give her a break. Pretending to be very interested, she leaned over and asked, "Did you win money today? A lot?"
Yun Kai felt that Feng Xiaosai's fan was not cool enough, so he grabbed it and fanned it himself. He squinted at Yue Ming and said, "Of course it's a lot. If I hadn't gone to help someone, I could have won more."
Alas! Men who vent their anger on others are so petty and can't let go. Yueming touched his nose and retreated awkwardly, playing with a grapefruit slice in his hand. He muttered, "We said we were brothers, but I didn't ask you to stick your neck out. After you did something, you keep repeating it like it was old news."
Although it was a quiet whisper, Yun Kai still heard it. Yun Kai laughed in anger. You know brothers should stick together, but do you also treat your brother's enemy as your mortal enemy? What's the matter with chatting and laughing with Lao Ben? And even making dinner plans in front of him?! How many good people can this man have? As the saying goes, it's not the thieves who are afraid of stealing that are afraid of thieves thinking about it, but this girl is actually creating opportunities for thieves. As a girl, can't you be more careful? Can't you be a little more cautious?
Seeing the two men about to quarrel again, Feng Xiaosai quickly tried to smooth things over: "I thought Master Lao Ben wouldn't want those two silver dollars! But he just grabbed them and ran away. I'm afraid he really lost miserably."
Yun Kai sneered, "He has a family background in learning. His whole family is obsessed with money."
Yueming was curious: "How much money did you win from him?"
Yunkai slapped her and then flipped over three times.
Yueming: "150?"
Yun Kai gave him a look that showed he was really ignorant: "Be bolder and guess again."
Yueming couldn't believe it and said, "1500?"
Yun Kai sat back in his chair with his legs crossed, fanning himself with a rustling sound.
This prodigal son is still laughing. What if he loses? Oh, right, it doesn't matter if he loses. Selling opium is very profitable! Yueming feels that he is worrying about nothing. The Tusi Mansion is a big family with a lot of wealth. How can a young master like him care about such a small amount of money?
After Yunkai's rage, he felt even hungrier, so he asked Feng Xiaosai to rush the food. Ye Hu stepped forward, weighed the tea, and went out to ask the waiter to refill it. Yunkai saw Ai Ye standing behind Yueming in a daze, frowning and said, "You should go out and stand there too. It's hot in a room with so many people."
Yue understood him at a glance: "Don't take your anger out on my girl."
Ai Ye listened to Yue Ming the most. Although she was afraid of Yun Kai, she would not budge if Yue Ming did not let her go. She lowered her head to look at the floor, pretending not to hear Yun Kai's words.
Yun Kai was even angrier. The master and servant were all ungrateful. If he didn't take his anger out on the maid, he would have to take it out on the master. He raised his head and tapped Yue Ming with his chin: "Count again what I taught you just now."
Yueming froze, trying to recall what Yunkai had just taught her: "Disperse"? No, it should be "three." "Send"? That should be "two." If she was dying, she would just remember to send an umbrella.
After thinking for a long time, she couldn't remember. She raised her face and smiled ingratiatingly, "What did you order just now? Is it enough? If not, order more."
Yun Kai looked at Yue Ming with satisfaction as he admitted his defeat. He nodded his head and lectured Yue Ming: "Look at your ignorant spirit. You can't even count. What else can you do?"
What else can you do? This has become his catchphrase, and he asks everyone he meets.
Yueming knew he was picking a fight on purpose and wanted to lash out at him, but thinking of Pujiang, who was beaten black and blue, her complaints turned into helplessness: "Just explain to me briefly. Who do you want me to glare at? And stay eight feet away from them? Just make a list and I'll do it. How can I let these things affect our brotherhood?"
The words sounded like a sign of surrender, but they also hinted at a rebuke of his unreasonable behavior. But something was better than nothing; the kid would get angry if teased for too long, so quitting while the going was good was the only way to maintain peace.
"Then just say something like, 'You can trust Abby,' and I'll forgive you!"
Aibi remembered that he said it was a respectful title for him, but what was Ketuo? This time she didn't ask Yunkai, but turned to ask Ai Ye: "Did he teach me to say nonsense?"
Ai Ye thought for a moment and translated truthfully, "It's not some random thing. The Second Young Master wants you to say 'Brother, I'm sorry.'"
Yueming turned back and glared at him: "Pah, whose brother are you?"
Yun Kai had originally just wanted to tease her, but she was so disrespectful that he stubbornly pouted and said, "What's wrong with calling me brother? I'm so much older than you, and you're at a disadvantage by calling me brother?"
Being brothers is just talk. Does he really want to play brotherly games with her? Why is he calling her so cheesy when they are not relatives? Yueming refused to listen: "Forget it, I'll just call you Second Young Master."
Yun Kaixin was moved: "Why call me Second Young Master? It's too strange for brothers to call each other like that. If you really don't want to call me brother, then you can just call me by my name from now on."
Yueming asked tentatively: "The clouds are opening?" Why is it even more awkward than calling him brother?
Yunkai didn't feel awkward at all. Hearing Yueming calling his name, he suddenly remembered a line from a poem: "Wait until the clouds part and the moon appears." The poem contained their names, what a fate! He felt inexplicably satisfied, and even a little shy.
Feng Xiaosai led the waiters to serve the dishes, interrupting Yunkai's distracted thoughts. Without waiting for Yehu and Aiye to serve them the dishes, Yunkai picked up his chopsticks and picked up a piece of roasted pig's trotter for Yueming: "Have this, this is their signature dish."
Some things will just pass if you don't mention them. It's nice to just have a meal in peace.
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