Seeing him seemingly softening, Fang Xingye begged him not to tell their father. Fang Chengyun, seeing him crying pitifully, felt compassionate but was still reluctant to keep it from their father.
Fang Xingye crawled to Fang Chengyun’s wheelchair and pleaded, “Big brother, big brother, promise Xingye you won’t tell Father. If Father finds out, Mother will know too, and she will definitely beat Xingye to death in her anger.”
Fang Chengyun thought of his stepmother’s fiery temper. If she knew this was all Xingye’s doing, she might indeed beat him in her rage.
Fang Xingye then turned to Qin shi, “Sister-in-law, Xingye knows he was wrong. Xingye promises never to make such a mistake again. Sister-in-law, please forgive Xingye.”
Qin shi looked conflicted at Fang Chengyun. Fang Chengyun thought about how the brothers had always been close, and that the incident at Tianxiang Lou was likely just a momentary lapse of judgment. He sighed deeply, “This time, let it go. But if there’s a next time, I will absolutely not cover for you again.”
Fang Xingye was overjoyed, repeatedly promising never to offend again.
Yu Yi looked at Meng Qing, who subtly shrugged. Their mission was to help the Fang Fuguang family live in harmony. If Fang Xingye could reform, brotherly love would be the best outcome. Since Fang Chengyun had forgiven him, they as younger siblings felt they shouldn’t say more.
Fang Xingye was still kneeling. Meng Qing went to help him up and discreetly placed a listening device in the sachet hanging at his waist. Although Fang Xingye was crying and promising to reform, no one could be sure he was telling the truth. He might just be seeking Fang Chengyun’s forgiveness and trying to hide this from his parents.
Meng Qing arrived at the rice shop, Yu Yi had already entered the Xue family’s backyard. She couldn’t see Xue Siniang outside, but saw Xue Yipeng and greeted him: “Uncle, has Mother gone out?”
Xue Yipeng pointed inside: “No, Father was just talking to her.”
Yu Yi settled in to wait for Xue Siniang and Xue Jingsong to finish their conversation. After a short while, Xue Siniang came out of the room, seeing Yu Yi and asking in surprise: “Hanchu? Where did you and Wenda go? I haven’t seen you two all morning.”
Unexpectedly, Wenda wasn’t in his room. When Xue Siniang went to look for Hanchu, she found her missing too, which made her suspicious. When she went to the martial arts hall to look for them, Xue Jingsong called her over and talked for a while before she came out and saw Yu Yi, immediately asking where the two siblings had gone so early.
Yu Yi said: “Mother, Hanchu and Fourth Brother went home for a while.”
Xue Siniang pulled her into the room for careful questioning.
Because Fang Chengyun had promised Fang Xingye not to tell their parents, and Xue Siniang had a fiery temper that couldn’t keep secrets, Yu Yi didn’t want to tell her the whole story. She just said that Fang Wenda made a “wheelchair” for Chengyun and went to deliver it this morning.
Xue Siniang was most concerned about Fang Fuguang’s reaction: “Did you see your father?”
Yu Yi shook her head: “No, Fourth Brother has gone to the rice shop.”
Xue Siniang asked: “What is Wenda doing at the rice shop?”
Yu Yi smiled: “To have Father come and pick up Mother.”
Xue Siniang’s face darkened, and she scolded: “What are you two meddling in? Even if that old fool comes, I won’t go back!”
Yu Yi tried to persuade her: “Mother, don’t be angry with Father. He actually feels very remorseful. If Father comes to pick you up, why don’t you come home with us?”
Xue Siniang didn’t want to discuss this further and changed the subject: “Hanchu, your grandfather just talked to me and found you a marriage match.”
Yu Yi was stunned, thinking whether the match Xue Jingsong found was the “Big Brother Tianrui” from yesterday?
As it turned out, her guess was correct. It was indeed Zheng Tianrui.
Yu Yi was greatly surprised: “What’s wrong with him?”
Meng Qing said: “It’s not very clear yet.”
From the listening device, I only heard him arguing fiercely with someone, saying something about fake medicinal herbs.”
“Is it the medicine he usually drinks?”
“I’ll go check the situation first and tell you when I come back.”
“Okay.”
Yu Yi tightened the gemstone on her bracelet, then turned back and whispered something to Xiang Lan, asking her to tell Fang Fu Gui something at the Fang family’s rice shop.
Yu Yi stood in place and pondered for a moment, then turned and walked into the martial arts hall. The courtyard was as usual, with more than ten disciples practicing punches, some practicing in pairs. She searched among these disciples and quickly found Zheng Tian Rui.
Zheng Tian Rui was wearing a deep blue jacket, with black bands tied around his waist and legs, looking extremely sturdy. His punches were swift and his kicks were fierce, each move creating a low “whooshing” sound.
He was practicing seriously and concentrated, initially not noticing Yu Yi watching him, until a turning move when he finally saw her standing in a corner of the courtyard.
Zheng Tian Rui’s movement paused slightly. When their eyes met, he saw Fang Han Zhu give him a very light nod, and his heart immediately began to race. He knew that his family had just expressed their intention to marry to the Xue family, and since the matter was initiated by Xue Jin Song, he should first inquire about the Fang family’s thoughts before rashly proposing marriage.
Yesterday, Fang Han Zhu seemed unaware of this matter and was polite but distant towards him. Today, she actually greeted him. Could it be that Master Xue had mentioned something to her?
While Zheng Tian Rui was still speculating, he saw Xiang Lan next to Fang Han Zhu beckoning to him, which made his heart race even more. He quickly stopped his movements, patted the dust off himself, and walked slowly towards Fang Han Zhu, trying hard to remain calm.
Last night, he recalled his performance in front of Fang Han Zhu and felt he had left her with an impression of a foolish boy. How could he have faced the wall while practicing punches afterwards? Whenever Zheng Tian Rui thought about it, he felt extreme regret.
What would she think if she knew his family had proposed marriage to hers? Would she refuse the marriage because of his performance yesterday? Was she calling him over now to tell him to stop dreaming?
Zheng Tian Rui’s heart was in turmoil, his thoughts as tangled as a ball of yarn. When he was close to her, he stopped thinking and greeted her straightforwardly: “Miss Fang.”
Yu Yi curtsied softly: “Master Zheng.”
Hearing her address, Zheng Tian Rui’s heart flashed with the thought, “She knows about the marriage proposal.”
Yu Yi frowned slightly: “I have a troublesome matter.”
Zheng Tian Rui’s heart sank. Her saying she had a troublesome matter must mean she wanted to refuse the marriage, but how could she say this directly to him? He tried to maintain composure, but his face inevitably showed disappointment and frustration: “Please, Miss Fang.”
Yu Yi spoke softly: “I wish to ask Master Zheng for a small favor. If Master Zheng is unwilling, it’s fine.”
Zheng Tian Rui was unexpectedly delighted. Her seeking his help with a troublesome matter showed she at least didn’t dislike him and somewhat trusted him. He hurriedly said: “Miss Fang, please speak. As long as it’s within my ability, I will definitely help.”
Yu Yi hesitated: “They say family scandals should not be spread, but I have no other way now. I hope Master Zheng will not spread what I’m about to say.
Zheng Tian Rui said, “Miss Fang, please be assured. I’m not a gossip, and I’m grateful for your trust. I will keep this confidential.”
Yu Yi spoke softly: “I want to ask Master Zheng to tell a small lie to my father.”
Zheng Tian Rui was surprised but listened to Yu Yi’s request and nodded in agreement.
