Chapter 161
Yu Qingxi was originally in a frenzy, but when he saw Qingyan, his arrogance suddenly subsided.
After marrying into the family, although he knew Qingyan would sooner or later hear about it, what he feared most was actually meeting him face-to-face.
For so many years, he had been living under the shadow of his elder brother. Despite being the most favored child in terms of food, clothing, and daily necessities, he couldn’t match his brother in what their father valued most.
Back home, Yu Qingxi appeared to get along well with his brother on the surface, and they were quite close in private. Whatever mischief his mother did, he would secretly inform his brother.
But in reality, Yu Qingxi had always been secretly competing with him in his heart, wanting to outshine him in academic achievements. However, he watched helplessly as his brother passed the county exams and even the provincial exams, while he achieved nothing.
Seeing his father sighing over both sons, he lamented over his elder son being a scholar and his younger son being so worthless.
Qingyan’s marriage without participating in the imperial examinations relieved Yu Qingxi. He thought he could eventually catch up with and surpass his brother. But he never expected that, despite considering himself a scholar and working hard, he lacked the talent and simply wasn’t cut out for it. His father’s criticisms were actually quite accurate.
Yet he continued studying and refused to give up.
Meanwhile, Qingyan had already embraced a life filled with the scent of copper, becoming a common merchant.
Yu Qingxi refused to work to support himself and his mother because, even if he didn’t achieve fame and rank, he wanted to uphold his father’s expectations and be much stronger than his brother.
But today, his brother caught sight of him and his paralyzed wife going out together. His face immediately flushed with embarrassment, feeling like he wanted to find a hole to hide in.
Knowing something and confronting it face-to-face were two different things.
Although Qingyan didn’t say anything, Yu Qingxi felt that her eyes were mocking and pitying him, which made him extremely uncomfortable.
With an unpleasant expression, Yu Qingxi pushed the wheelchair and was about to leave.
“Wait.”
The gentle woman in the wheelchair spoke up to stop him.
Yu Qingxi instinctively stopped. The woman looked curiously at Qingyan and said, “Are you Qingyan, the proprietor of Fragrant Melody Pavillion?”
Qingyan nodded and bowed politely to the woman.
The woman thought for a moment, glanced at her husband behind her, then suddenly realized, “Yu Qingxi… Yu Qingyan, why didn’t I think of it? Are you two brothers?”
Qingyan smiled and said, “We have the same father but different mothers.”
He didn’t mention their estrangement; there was no need to bring it up in such a chance encounter.
However, Yu Qingxi snorted coldly and said, “We have no relationship anymore.”
The woman hesitated for a moment.
She probably guessed that there was some conflict between the two, but still smiled and said, “I should have greeted you earlier. It was just inconvenient with my leg. If Qingyan, the proprietor, has time in the future, come to our home for tea as my apology.”
Qingyan smiled, “There’s no need to be so polite. If I have time, I will definitely visit.”
After exchanging pleasantries, Yu Qingxi gritted his teeth in anger.
Qingyan looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and said, “Cherish what you have now and live well.”
But Yu Qingxi felt that she was mocking him and shouted, “I know you’re laughing at me! Yu Qingyan, I tell you, I may not be better than you today, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be inferior forever. Just wait and see!”
Qingyan was already tired of talking to him. He nodded to the woman in the wheelchair and turned to leave.
Behind him, Yu Qingxi was furious at the woman in the wheelchair, asking, “Why did you talk to him? Did I ask you to talk to him? You’ve read books, but where’s your sense of propriety?”
The woman’s voice was very low.
She said, “He is your brother. I didn’t want to be disrespectful, so I greeted him.”
But Yu Qingxi didn’t listen at all. Like a mad dog, he loudly criticized his wife for lacking shame in the bustling market, and it took a while before he grumbled and pushed her away.
Qingyan turned back and saw the woman lowering her eyes. Her gentle expression turned cold and distant, no longer arguing back. She didn’t say much more, just allowing herself to be ridiculed.
Looking at her expression, Qingyan felt that she had probably made some kind of decision.
…
On Mid-Autumn Festival, Xiao Zhuang’s family prepared a lot of delicious food.
After dinner, before it was fully dark, Xiao Zhuang’s mom hurried Xiao Zhuang and Wu Shuang to go into town for a stroll.
Xiao Ling also wanted to go, but Xiao Zhuang’s mom stopped her, saying, “Don’t randomly join in. If you want to go, later your father and I will take you and Xiao Hong together.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling felt her parents were being stingy. Although going shopping with her brother and sister-in-law would be more fun, she understood. They rarely had a chance to go out alone, and she wasn’t too young anymore. So, reluctantly, she sat back down.
Xiao Zhuang smiled and patted her head, saying, “When we come back, I’ll bring you and Xiao Hong some delicious treats and fun things.”
Hearing this, Xiao Ling cheered up.
Both got dressed to go out, bid farewell to their parents, and were about to leave.
Seeing that it was chilly outside, Xiao Zhuang’s mom put her thin cotton vest on Wu Shuang before letting them go.
On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the town was lively. Shops stayed open later, there were many food stalls on the streets, and various rabbit-shaped lanterns adorned the streets. Though not as numerous as during the Lantern Festival, they were still quite charming.
By the time the couple leisurely strolled into town, it was already dark. However, because there were lanterns on the stalls and lanterns hanging outside the shops, it wasn’t dark at all.
Wu Shuang had never been out during such a bustling time, and although he was not a lively person, he couldn’t help but look around.
Often Xiao Zhuang would walk ahead for a while, only to realize that the person beside him was gone. When he turned back, he would see Wu Shuang staring at something in awe not far behind.
Xiao Zhuang didn’t think Wu Shuang was inexperienced; instead, he found his wife’s innocent moments quite endearing.
He turned back, quietly taking Wu Shuang’s hand to prevent him from getting lost again.
Clearly not recognizing him, Wu Shuang jumped in fright and raised his hand to strike, but fortunately, he saw Xiao Zhuang’s smiling face in time.
Looking around cautiously, Wu Shuang whispered, “Is it okay to hold hands like this?”
Xiao Zhuang laughed, “It’s fine. There are many people around, and even if someone sees, so what? You are my husband, and I am your husband. It’s perfectly natural. What’s there to fear!”
As he said this, there was a carefree and casual attitude in his tone that he usually didn’t have, which made Wu Shuang look at him for a while.
Xiao Zhuang touched his own face and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Wu Shuang raised his hand and pinched his face, saying, “Nothing.”
Xiao Zhuang didn’t get angry either. He squeezed the other’s hand slightly harder, and the two continued walking.
Arriving at a shop, a clerk shouted at the door, “Freshly baked mooncakes, delicious and crispy mooncakes, selling them for a cheap price!”
Wu Shuang paused for a moment, and Xiao Zhuang looked to where his gaze fell and said, “Let’s go, let’s buy some mooncakes.”
When Xiao Zhuang’s family was not well off in the past, they used to buy a few mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Now that their lives were better, they found them too sweet and didn’t buy them much.
This year, neither his parents nor Xiao Zhuang thought about it, so they hadn’t prepared any.
At the door of the shop, the clerk warmly welcomed them, presenting the mooncakes for them to choose from.
The fillings were listed on the mooncakes.
Xiao Zhuang asked Wu Shuang, “Which filling do you want?”
Wu Shuang examined them all carefully, then looked at Xiao Zhuang and said, “Can I have one of each?”
There were only four types of fillings, and Xiao Zhuang intended to take Wu Shuang out for a good time to relax, so he naturally agreed.
“Sure!”
Xiao Zhuang smiled and had the clerk prepare two of each type of filling, wrapped in separate pieces of oil paper.
After paying, they left the shop.
Xiao Zhuang lifted the two oil-paper packages in his hand and said, “One package is for our parents, and one is for you. You can enjoy it slowly at home.”
Wu Shuang nodded.
After walking a while, Xiao Zhuang noticed Wu Shuang occasionally glancing at the oil-paper package he was carrying, finally realizing something.
He grabbed Wu Shuang’s wrist and dragged him to the riverside.
There weren’t many people on the riverbank, just scattered women and children setting river lanterns afloat.
The two sat on a step by the riverbank, and Xiao Zhuang opened one of the oil-paper packages, asking Wu Shuang to hold it and eat.
Wu Shuang picked the one with five-nut filling, split it in half, and ate one half.
After Xiao Zhuang finished his share in three or four bites, he saw that Wu Shuang had only eaten a small piece. He ate slowly and carefully, as if savoring every bite.
Xiao Zhuang patiently waited until Wu Shuang swallowed his last bite, wiped his hands carefully with a handkerchief, and then they got up to continue their stroll.
Their mouths were sweetened from eating the mooncake, so Xiao Zhuang bought a bowl of hot oil tea, sharing it together.
Later, they bought a rabbit lantern to carry.
Wu Shuang still remembered Xiao Zhuang’s promise to his younger siblings and went to several shops selling trinkets, buying Xiao Ling a new handkerchief embroidered with her favorite lotus flowers.
He also bought Xiao Hong a new set of leaf cards, which he loved playing with at night. The old ones were worn out from his constant handling and needed replacing.
With their purchases nearly complete, as they passed by Fragrant Melody Pavillion, the shopkeeper was standing at the door.
Qingyan waved to them and invited them inside.
The shop was crowded, and Qingyan didn’t have time to greet them properly. Instead, he handed several items to Wu Shuang.
Wu Shuang glanced at them, seeing various bottles and jars, including fragrant ointments, rouge, and lip balm.
They thanked Qingyan and didn’t want to linger and cause trouble, so they quickly said goodbye and left.
Qingyan called after them, asking if they wanted to ride back in the carriage together at night, as Qiu Henian would come to pick them up later.
Xiao Zhuang and Wu Shuang both shook their heads, saying they wanted to walk back slowly. Qingyan didn’t insist further and went back to his duties.
They strolled around a bit more, saw enough sights, finished their shopping, and started heading back.
The road was quite dark, Xiao Zhuang carried numerous large and small packages, and also held a lantern.
Seeing this, Wu Shuang took the lantern from him and carried it himself.
It was overcast tonight, and the full moon wasn’t out. They could hear faint voices ahead and behind them, but couldn’t see anyone, only distant twinkling lights.
After walking for a while, Xiao Zhuang suddenly stopped and asked, “Are you tired?”
Wu Shuang said, “For such a short walk, what’s there to be tired about?”
Xiao Zhuang stopped walking and Wu Shuang also halted, turning to look at him and asking.
“Can’t walk anymore? If you can’t, I’ll carry you!”
