SGEIRS -Chapter 523 Meng Father’s Wedding Date

When Zhou Yun, along with the brothers Fang Xuan and Fang Ce, went to see Yu Chuan with some tonic medicine, Yu Chuan didn’t want to see any visitors.

The three of them sensed something was off. They exchanged a glance, then, with perfect coordination, left the items at the door and let Yu Chuan come out to pick them up. Yu Chuan agreed to it.

They put the items down, then made a bit of noise as if they were truly leaving, and crouched nearby, watching Yu Chuan.

Sure enough, Yu Chuan fell for it. As soon as he opened the door, he saw a dozen or so packages that looked like some kind of medicine lying on the ground. Puzzled, he bent down to pick them up—and then caught sight of three familiar pairs of eyes staring at him in surprise.

Yu Chuan: “…”

Damn, he’d been tricked, and now he couldn’t hide it.

Seeing his reaction, Zhou Yun and the others exchanged looks of realization, thinking Yu Chuan was done for. Judging by how he looked, Chan’er must have been dissatisfied with him and had beaten him.

Fang Ce quickly stepped forward, picked up the tonic, and stuffed it into the dazed Yu Chuan’s arms, speaking softly to reassure him: “Yu Chuan, it’s fine. If you take these tonics, it’ll help you regain your strength as a husband.”

Yu Chuan was a little confused: “I’m perfectly healthy. Why should I take tonic?”

Fang Ce gave him an appraising look and said, “Look at you—you’ve already been beaten to this state. If you don’t take some tonic to recover, won’t you end up worse off? You’re young, even younger than me. You’re not the type to squander your health in brothels, so how did you get so weak?”

Hearing this, Yu Chuan felt as if thunder had struck. He said nothing—these people actually believed he was powerless? Who spread this rumor? He scowled and asked, “Who told you this? I’ll go beat them until they cry and wail, so they’ll never dare to talk nonsense again.”

Fang Ce replied, “Do we really need someone to tell us? We’re not idiots; we could guess.”

Yu Chuan’s face darkened. “Listen carefully! I was beaten because I was too strong! Chan’er didn’t like me being too rowdy! I’m strong! Very strong! Got it?” He shoved the tonic back into Fang Ce’s hands, pushed him back a step, and then slammed the door with a ‘bang.’

The three outside stared at the closed door, exchanging glances.

Zhou Yun pondered, then said, “Do you think maybe we misunderstood Yu Chuan? After all, how old is he? He’s the youngest of us four, and he’s a martial artist, right in the prime of his vitality. There’s no way he’s powerless.”

Fang Xuan nodded. “Exactly. He’s not weak; he’s just embarrassed to show himself after being beaten, so he’s hiding.”

Zhou Yun agreed: “I think so too. He got beaten by his wife, so he’s ashamed to face anyone. Think back, when he was beaten before, he would hide for a few days first. Last night was his wedding night—his big day. We didn’t consider this and assumed he wouldn’t have been beaten on such a joyful occasion.”

Fang Ce looked at the dozen tonic packages and frowned, feeling troubled. “This kid’s not weak—that’s good—but what do we do with all these tonics? Who’s going to take them? If we don’t, it’s wasteful. The money spent on these tonics could buy a lot of good food.”

Zhou Yun glanced at the packages, thinking they might be wasted, when an idea struck him. His eyes lit up. “You like eating so much—why don’t you take them?”

Upon hearing this, Fang Ce nearly exploded with anger. He stuffed the packages into Zhou Yun’s arms and snapped, “I’m not weak, so why should I take these? You’re the one who seems weak—take them for yourself.” With that, he quickly left.

Fang Xuan followed his younger brother, striding away.

Zhou Yun was left holding a pile of tonics, unsure what to do with them. Suddenly, inspiration hit him: there were elderly household servants with wives—giving them the tonics would be a good use. This way, nothing was wasted, and he could earn some favor.

Thus, several household servants in their thirties received Zhou Yun’s attention. Surprised and flattered, they began to wonder if their wives had accidentally let some secrets slip. Otherwise, how would they receive such special care?

As a result, these servants’ pride was seriously wounded. They resented their wives for talking too much, but couldn’t argue, since arguing would only make more people aware.

Whether they were annoyed or not, Zhou Yun didn’t know. At least the tonics weren’t wasted.

That day, the Changxing Marquisate received an invitation sent from the Yongchang Marquis’s household.

Meng Jinyao looked at the invitation and realized it was news of her unreliable father’s wedding. The date was set for the eighth day of the seventh month. There weren’t many auspicious dates for weddings in July, so setting it in early July showed that the Meng family was somewhat anxious. If they weren’t in a hurry, they could have waited until August, when there were more good days.

Qingqiu curiously asked, “Madam, is the Old Master about to get married again?”

Meng Jinyao nodded. “Yes, the wedding is set for July 8th.”

At that moment, Gu Jingxi was just returning home. Before he even stepped through the door, he heard her words and asked out of curiosity, “A-Yao, whose wedding is on July 8th?”

Hearing him, Meng Jinyao smiled faintly and handed him the invitation. “Here, take a look.”

Gu Jingxi took it and glanced over it. It was his father-in-law’s wedding invitation. He had heard earlier that the marriage was arranged—his father-in-law would marry Miss Zhao, the daughter of the Imperial Academy scholar—but he didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

Meng Jinyao said, “Don’t you think the timing is a bit rushed? I suspect it’s my grandmother who’s anxious. Otherwise, why choose July? If they waited, there would be more auspicious days in August, and the dates would be even better.”

Gu Jingxi said warmly, “It’s a matter for the elders. We can’t interfere, but we should prepare a wedding gift.”

Mentioning the gift, Meng Jinyao couldn’t help but feel exasperated on behalf of her father’s friends. She laughed: “Most people only get married once in a lifetime. If a spouse dies and they remarry, that’s two times. But him? Not even forty yet, and this is the fourth time! Being his friend, you have to give a gift four times.”

Gu Jingxi’s expression froze for a moment, then he helplessly chuckled. “You care so much about that, when it’s your father marrying a stepmother?”

Meng Jinyao retorted, “What else should I care about?”

Gu Jingxi patted her head gently. “We still have to give a gift. Have you decided what to give?”

Meng Jinyao thought for a moment, then replied, “For someone’s wedding, you could wish them a child quickly, but he already has children, so that’s not suitable. Give something symbolizing a long and harmonious marriage. I remember there’s a painting in the storeroom with that meaning.”

Gu Jingxi paused, asking, “Isn’t that a bit perfunctory?”

Meng Jinyao shook her head. “I’m already giving him face by attending his wedding and giving a gift. The painting is by a somewhat famous artist. If he doesn’t like it, he can return it.”

Considering her father’s situation, she had no intention of giving expensive jade or jewelry—it wasn’t worth it.

Gu Jingxi nodded. “Alright, we’ll follow your decision, A-Yao.”