The crowd at the long banquet widened their eyes, knowing the good show was about to start.
Third Master Wang nimbly stood up and extended an invitation to several close guests, "I wonder what the commotion is about. Would you all like to co along and take a look?"
Those close to him imdiately responded, while those further away hesitated.
No host would invite guests to observe sothing without knowing what was happening first, unless those guests were his pawns.
But there were always those who couldn't resist curiosity and wanted to watch the excitent for free.
Not long after, Third Master Wang sohow gathered a large group of "viewers" who marched in grandeur towards the wing room.
Chang Yan walked with his hands behind his back, his wide sleeves swaying beneath his slender spine. He raised the corners of his lips, a complex look of sincerity and scheming in his eyes.
Soon, they arrived at the place where the maid was screaming.
Seeing the crowd, she shrieked even louder, pointing a shaky finger into the room, "There's...there's a man and a woman inside!"
A man and a woman alone together must be up to no good.
The man was undoubtedly soone from the Wang family, but who was the woman?
For a mont, the noblewon who had followed along panicked, hurriedly looking for their own daughters. Those who found them sighed in relief, while those who didn't turned pale.
"Where is our Awan? Awan!"
"Jingshuang, where is our Jingshuang?"
The two missing girls were Zhou Wan, the second daughter of the Zhou family, and Liu Jingshuang from the Liu family.
Third Master Wang's brows furrowed as he had a bad feeling about this. He had chosen Liu Jingshuang for his son Wang Haoran, so why was there also a girl from the Zhou family?
Perhaps they had just gone to the restroom or were sowhere else, he reassured himself.
Then he proclaid righteously, "A man and a woman together doesn't necessarily an impropriety. Maybe they were collaborating on calligraphy or appreciating flowers and painting!"
Damn collaborating and appreciating. It was clearly a secret rendezvous.
But no one exposed Third Master Wang's lies.
After he finished speaking, he took a step forward. "Let us see who this young master inside is."
As he spoke, he pulled open the door and saw his beloved son's outer robes.
Third Master Wang's pupils rapidly dilated then contracted as he reflexively shut the door.
"Third Master, what's going on? Who's inside?" soone asked curiously.
Third Master Wang pressed his lips together, not daring to speak. He only smiled and said, "The maid must have been mistaken. There's no one inside."
As the host, he tried to gloss things over.
But how could Wang Fufeng allow that? The neatly grood fifteen-year-old slowly walked over and gently laughed. "The maids saw it clearly with their own eyes. Father, stop covering it up. Who exactly is inside? If it's his lover, it's better for the parents to approve than to secretly et in the wing room."
Third Master Wang's expression changed drastically. He glared angrily at Chang Yan behind Wang Fufeng, knowing he had been sched against.
Now he just wanted to stand firmly in front of the door to protect his illegitimate son's last shred of reputation.
But he didn't get his wish.
The Wang family servants almost violently pushed Third Master Wang aside and opened the door, revealing Wang Haoran's robes draped over a chair and another young lady's dress.
In the crowd, Zhou Wan's mother looked ready to faint on the spot.
On the other hand, Liu Jingshuang had at so point returned to Mada Liu's side. After whispering to her, Mada Liu's eyes turned icy cold.
Apparently the Liu girl knew the truth and had tattled to her family.
Wang Fufeng smiled lightly without turning his head, accurately patting Chang Yan on the head.
"Good boy. Well done."
With one move, he not only forced Wang Haoran to marry the wilful and difficult Zhou girl, but also took the chance to pull the Liu family closer and make new enemies for Third Master Wang and his son.
Chang Yan pursed his lips and changed position in distaste.
Any more patting and he really wouldn't grow taller.
In the distance, Third Master Wang and Madam Zhou's argunt could be heard, or rather Madam Zhou's furious one-sided cursing as she berated the Wang family for thinking an insignificant illegitimate son could covet the Zhou's eldest daughter. Her words were so harsh that Third Master Wang's face paled.
But the die was cast. Although the two people behind the robe were asleep in their undergarnts, since so many had seen them, the wedding had to proceed.
At this, Chang Yan smiled slightly and left without looking back, keeping his rit and fa hidden.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to grab a table full of food from the main kitchen and bring it back to the Hairpin Courtyard.
That night, dinner was exceptionally abundant.
Although it was takeout, without the proper presentation, just having a whole table full brought Jiang Sheng great joy. She nibbled on fish tails and chicken feet with relish.
Her wandering mories were too deep, making these scraps her favorite foods.
Seeing this, her brothers felt pained and kept piling at into her bowl.
Before Jiang Sheng, a little at mountain visibly ford.
Only the best parts like fish bellies, fish eyes, and chicken thighs.
"Can you finish all that?" Zhang Auntie asked with concern.
After thinking for a bit, Jiang Sheng firmly nodded.
Since her brothers had served it to her, little Jiang Sheng had to finish it all, even if it was a lot. She would definitely not waste any.
Jiang Sheng turned into a little piglet, madly rooting around in her bowl. After coming across a perfect piece of top-grade pork, she smacked her lips. "I've never seen sausage with bones before."
Zhang Auntie smiled gently, finding the little girl truly adorable. Whether it was cured at or sausage, they were made by drying and curing fine cuts of at. How could they possibly have bones, unless it was cured pork ribs?
But how could ribs be cured?
Could they?
Zhang Auntie was startled, picking up a rib from the table to examine closely.
The next day, she bought a jin of pork ribs, evenly sliced them, cured them for a period of ti, then stuffed them into pork intestines before drying and curing them like cured at, wanting to test her guess.
At the sa ti, the Wang family's drama spread through Anshui Prefecture, with so watching for amusent and others laughing behind their hands.
But none of this affected Wang Fufeng. As family head, he arranged the bride price from his brother Wang Haoran to the Zhou family. The price was extrely low, the specifications extrely shabby. It was said that when Madam Zhou saw it, she nearly fainted from anger.
Third Master Wang furiously went to confront him. "You unfilial son, he's your own brother!"
"Illegitimate sons have set bride prices according to our ancestral rules. Would Father go against the regulations our ancestors left?" Wang Fufeng's face was full of sincerity. "If you want to follow the rules but make it look better, just add more privately for my brother."
But when the old master was alive, he hadn't split up the family property, leaving the four branches with pathetically little, the bulk still in the family head's hands.
Third Master Wang only had a few shops and manors. If he gave them away, he would have no spending money left.
After hesitating again and again, he left resentfully, still muttering under his breath, "Just wait until Haoran becos top scholar, then we'll settle accounts, never ending accounts..."
Wang Fufeng pretended not to hear, raising a hand to pick through the three gifts from the Liu family. After so consideration, he kept one and hurriedly sent the others to Hairpin Courtyard by fast horse.
Reviews
All reviews (0)