Fang Xingye wept bitterly. The previous time he had cried and apologized to Fang Chengyun and his wife, he hadn’t truly felt he was wrong. He had only thought it was bad luck that Wen Da had uncovered the truth, feeling regret and fear, afraid of being punished by Fang Fugui. He had cried and begged Fang Chengyun’s couple to forgive him. Only today was he truly touched, realizing how wrong he had been before.
After crying for a while, Fang Xingye wiped his tears and stood up, saying to Fang Chengyun: “Big brother, Xingye will go confess to Father right now and accept whatever punishment he deserves.”
Fang Chengyun wanted to stop him, but Fang Xingye had already stridden out of the room.
Fang Chengyun hurriedly called Fang He to push his wheelchair to chase after Fang Xingye.
When Fang Xingye reached the main hall, he was surprised to see Fang Wenda entering from outside, with Fang Bao pushing a person with bound hands behind him.
Shocked, he asked: “Wenda, weren’t you studying abroad? How are you back so soon? This… this person…” As he spoke, he recognized the bound man as the “medicine merchant” who had swindled him.
Having long harbored deep hatred for this man, he immediately kicked him twice, shouting: “Where’s my money? Where’s the money you swindled?”
Meng Qing hadn’t immediately sent the swindler to the county yamen because if he did, the county magistrate would need to investigate the case, and the stolen money might not be recovered quickly. So he brought the man to the Fang family. Seeing Fang Xingye’s urgency, he took out the bank notes: “Second brother, most of the money is here, about fourteen hundred taels. Some has already been spent.”
Fang Xingye took the bank notes, extremely excited. He had originally held no hope that the authorities would catch the swindler, and even if caught, it would likely be months or years later, by which time the money would probably be gone. Now, recovering over fourteen hundred taels was far better than he had imagined.
As soon as she finished speaking, they returned to the courtyard of Xiye Mountain Villa.
Yu Yi lowered her head to check her account, and only heard Meng Qing say: “My dear wife, you have teased me many times during this mission. It seems I need to teach you a lesson to restore my authority.” When she looked up, she saw him lunging towards her, and she quickly dodged to the side, then turned and ran.
Meng Qing chased her, blocking the doorway and forcing her to hide inside the room. He caught up from behind, cornering her against the wall.
Yu Yi, with nowhere to run, leaned against the wall corner and looked up at him with a bright smile.
Meng Qing placed his hand on the wall beside her head, raising an eyebrow: “Looks like you’re not scared at all? Watch my ultimate move…” Then he reached out to tickle her. Yu Yi laughed and dodged, slipping under his arm, but he caught her around the waist and lifted her up.
Yu Yi, losing her balance, let out a light surprised cry, then started laughing again.
Meng Qing pretended to throw her onto the bed but gently lowered her just before she would have landed.
Yu Yi looked at him, her smile undiminished, and wrapped her arms around his neck. His passionate kiss then descended.
After being apart for so many days, only able to be siblings, she had missed his kiss…
After their lips parted, his heated kiss moved from her lips to her cheek, then to behind her ear. He gently bit her small, round earlobe with his lips, and his hand moved from supporting him on the bed to her neck, softly caressing and slipping inside her clothes, grasping and kneading.
A light blush appeared on Yu Yi’s cheeks as she half-closed her eyes.
He whispered in her ear: “You dared to mock me earlier. Now let me show you what true heroism really is…”
Yu Song-shi seemed not to notice the exchange of glances between them, stood up and said, “Oh, as one gets older, I feel my energy waning at this hour. Please forgive me, Young Master Meng.”
Meng Qing also stood up and said, “Madam Yu, you speak too modestly. You are the host, and I am the guest. If Madam Yu is tired, you should naturally rest early.” As he spoke, he winked at Yu Yi.
Unexpectedly, Yu Song-shi said to Yu Yi, “Yi’er, come with me.”
“Yes,” Yu Yi glanced at Meng Qing and followed Yu Song-shi inside.
Meng Qing scratched the corner of his mouth and carried the lantern back to the guest courtyard.
Yu Yi followed Yu Song-shi into her room, her heart uneasy, not knowing what her mother wanted to discuss.
After sitting down, Yu Song-shi did not speak immediately.
After a moment of silence, she sighed softly and looked up at Yu Yi, asking, “Yi’er, Mother knows you have many things you don’t want to tell me, and I won’t ask. But this matter concerns your entire life, so you must be honest with me.”
Yu Yi felt she already knew something and said, “Mother, please ask.”
Yu Yi had said that Young Master Meng felt Xi Ye Mountain Villa was too far from Longdu, making it inconvenient for visiting friends and handling affairs, and wanted to buy another villa closer to Longdu for her. Yu Yi had refused, which displeased Young Master Meng.
Yu Song-shi repeatedly pondered this matter, suspecting that Meng Qing’s desire to buy a new villa was not for convenience in visiting friends, but to live more conveniently with her daughter.
Previously, Yu Yi had always lived in the main courtyard, while Meng Qing had stayed in the guest courtyard as a visitor. But in recent days, their exchanges had become increasingly intimate, and Yu Yi had been spending more time in the guest courtyard. Yu Song-shi, being experienced, had noticed these changes and wanted to clarify Yu Yi’s thoughts about the future.
Directly addressing her strong-willed eldest daughter, Yu Song-shi asked, “Yi’er, will Young Master Meng marry you?”
Yu Yi thought to herself that he was already married, but she could not tell her mother, as in this time and space, he had no true identity to marry her.
She considered how to persuade her mother to accept the current situation and slowly said, “Mother, I have been in the music house and was only an artistic courtesan. If I were to marry into a poor family, to a farmer or a servant, I would not be willing. Not because I look down on their poverty, but because our interests would not align, and we might not even be able to communicate. And to become a concubine to a merchant or official family, if I were to encounter an unsuitable person, it would only bring me suffering. It is better to be as free as I am now.”
Yu Song-shi knew there was truth in her words, but she had originally hoped they could marry. Hearing her daughter’s words, her hopes were half-dashed. She pressed further, “Doesn’t Young Master Meng even want to take you as a concubine? But I can see he cares deeply for you. If you were to suggest…”
“He truly cares for me,” Yu Yi said softly. “He says he can give me everything except a formal title.”
Yu Song-shi slowly shook her head, also speaking softly, “Yi’er, such momentary sincerity is not reliable. Have you considered that when your youth passes, he may no longer treat you as he does now? But if you marry into an honest family, at least you would have the title of a legitimate wife.”
Yu Yi responded, “Mother, isn’t it possible to encounter an unsuitable husband even after marriage? And to be neglected when one’s youth fades? What good is a title then? Instead of becoming old, poor, and alone, it’s better to save money now. If a woman has money, she can live freely even without marriage.”
Yu Song-shi was shocked by her unconventional words, feeling she was wrong but unable to refute. After a long silence, she could only ask, “Don’t you care about what others think of you?”
Yu Yi looked directly at her mother and smiled, shaking her head, “No, not anymore.”
