TYSUF – Chapter 28 Alas, the Swallow Returns (3)

The villain complains first.

Shen Xi could tell from his tone that Fu Tongwen was teasing her, so she kept a straight face on purpose. “Since you came in, I haven’t said a single harsh word. Where do you see any bad attitude?”

“I’ll go get a mirror and let you see for yourself,” he said, pretending to get up from the couch.

Shen Xi thought he really meant to leave and quickly said, “It’s warm inside and cold outside, don’t keep running back and forth.”

That played right into his hand.

Fu Tongwen reached over and pulled the black mink blanket from under her feet, shook it out, and gently laid it back over her legs.

So he wasn’t leaving, just trying to win some affection with his words. Shen Xi regretted falling for it again. She glanced at him and saw that he had even taken off his twill wool suit—wearing only a vest and shirt in this freezing weather, not even caring if he got sick.

“Cover me with it too?” he asked softly.

Shen Xi pressed her lips together, still holding back a breath of frustration.

Fu Tongwen smiled and took her wrist, guiding her palm to rest on his forehead. “Feel for yourself.”

In the depths of winter, his forehead was slick with sweat—a cold sweat.

“You really do have a headache?” Just moments ago she had assumed he was faking. The sudden contact startled her and made her heart skip a beat.

“When have I ever lied to you?” he looked at her with a smile.

“I’ll go get Dr. Tan.”

“I already called for him when I came into the courtyard. He’ll be here soon.”

“Did the headache start when you went out or when you got back?”

“It’s been like this all evening.”

“Since the opera?”

Fu Tongwen chuckled. “You’re asking the same set of questions that Qingxiang just asked. There are two doctors in the courtyard—what a nuisance.”

He was the kind of person who smiled even more the worse he felt physically.

“Then I won’t ask anymore. Come here, lean on me.” Shen Xi wanted him to rest against her and stop talking.

Seeing she wasn’t really angry anymore, Fu Tongwen didn’t lean into her this time.

Instead, he rested against the wall, sitting beside her. “Have you heard tonight’s opera before?”

“No, I’ve heard very few operas.” She had heard some in childhood, but most were now a blur. After fleeing to Beijing, who in a smokehouse would sing operas for her? Later, in New York, among the overseas students, they had all rejected old traditions, disliking opera and classical literature.

“Hong Luan Xi,” he said softly. “It’s about an elderly man with some property who finds a destitute scholar to marry his daughter—making him a live-in son-in-law.”

“And then the scholar passes the imperial exam and abandons the daughter?” Shen Xi guessed.

That’s how operas always went—predictable and formulaic. No matter how deep the bond between a poor couple, once the man passed the exam, he turned into a heartless cad.

“Good guess,” he smiled. “But the opera doesn’t include the second half. The full story does—it’s Jin Yu Nu Beats the Unfaithful Man. This version ends at the happy part.”

“It’s better to end at the happy part,” she smiled. After all, it was a birthday celebration.

“Yes,” he sighed quietly. For no particular reason, his voice lowered. “Our dear Yao Yao was once a lady of a fine family too.”

As if afraid to stir up her sorrow, he didn’t go on.

“Speaking of ladies, the one tonight was the real deal,” she said suddenly.

Fu Tongwen couldn’t help but laugh. “The moment you mention her, my head starts hurting even more.”

“I was just saying it casually,” Shen Xi said stubbornly, turning to look out the window. “You can’t just grit your teeth and bear it. Let me go hurry them up—at least I’ll bring you a cup of hot tea.”

She draped the mink blanket over him and was about to step down from the couch, moving over his legs.

But then his arm tightened around her waist, and he pulled her back. Shen Xi laughed, “I’m not mad, you know.”

His chin rested in the hollow of her shoulder as he said softly, “I’m in the wrong. Third Brother still cares about appearances—especially in front of you.”

Unfortunately, Shen Xi had seen him at his lowest.

With no power or influence, his entire business under his father’s control, confined within the courtyard. Even going out meant being guarded day and night by a dozen rifles.

“Father arranged for armed escorts to accompany me when I went to send her home tonight. The car broke down halfway, and we couldn’t get out. We just sat there. This is practically holding a gun to my head to force a marriage. You know how Third Brother is—he values money more than his life. In the past, a marriage wasn’t such a big deal, but now that you’re here, it’s different.”

He paused for a long while before continuing.

“As for how to resolve this mess now, I’ll be honest with you—I have to play it out for a bit. Her return does bring some advantages. She might help me get out of this trap.”

Fu Tongwen wasn’t lying.

Everyone in this courtyard had been replaced before his return. Aside from his personal physician Tan Qingxiang and Wanan, who was gifted by the old madam, Shen Xi was the only one who was still truly on his side. Inside, countless eyes watched; outside, countless guns pointed in. . . .

How much help Gu Youwei’s return could be for him—he didn’t need to say. Shen Xi could figure it out on her own. That Sixth Miss’s remark earlier at least served as a reminder: it was Gu Youwei’s presence that could allow Fu Tongwen to be released early.

“The political situation changes day by day. Four months wasted in this courtyard—I’m burning with anxiety. Just now, after a few words with her, I found out General Cai has already gone south to oppose Yuan. And here I am, unable to do a thing. . . .”

He stopped there.

The study was unusually quiet.

With a soft pop, a charcoal piece in the brazier snapped in half and burned to ash.

Shen Xi hadn’t expected that her light jab of jealousy would prompt him to reveal so much of his true heart.

“It’s normal for a girl to get jealous. Don’t pretend you don’t know that. If I thought you weren’t worth it, I wouldn’t have come looking for you, wouldn’t have stayed,” Shen Xi exhaled softly, and said, “If all I wanted was marriage in this lifetime, I would’ve demanded an explanation from you today. But what I seek from you is the same thing you’re after—so whatever you do or say, I understand it.”

She had always believed that if a woman sought peace and happiness, then tying herself to a man devoted to saving the country would only bring grievance—it would be a sacrifice of her own wellbeing. But if both were pursuing the same goal—a strong, secure nation—then there was no talk of sacrifice or grievance. They shared the same purpose and aspiration, so what each gave was simply their part in achieving it.

“It’s like Dr. Tan—he wants to protect you not just because you’re friends, but because you share the same vision. I’m the same,” Shen Xi said with a rare bit of passionate conviction, then chuckled awkwardly, “I like you—not just because women find you charming.”

What nonsense. Her face flushed with heat.

Fu Tongwen simply smiled at her without saying a word.

Someone knocked on the doorframe.

She brushed his hand off, slipped on her shoes, and got up to straighten her clothes.

“What’s the rush?” Tan Qingxiang walked in carrying a bowl of medicine. “I’m a Western doctor. Even if the two of you were stark naked in front of me, I wouldn’t be interested in looking.”

Shen Xi’s face turned crimson. She gave Tan Qingxiang a sharp look.

“What are you glaring at me for?” he laughed, handing the bowl to Fu Tongwen. “You’ve slept together on the ship, in Guangzhou, and here for over half a month. Why do you still act like some shy maiden? Every time I walk in, same exact routine.”

Tan Qingxiang mimicked Shen Xi’s hurried motion—yanking at the hem of her clothes, smoothing the front down with his palm—“Right?”

“You’re getting more and more inappropriate,” Fu Tongwen laughed and handed the medicine back. “Have Wanan come in too.”

While Tan Qingxiang stepped out to summon someone, Fu Tongwen still found time to glance at her.

Wanan entered and bowed.

“Starting tomorrow, teach Miss Shen to play cards.”

“Uh—” Wanan looked at Shen Xi in confusion. “Miss Shen, what would you like to learn?”

Shen Xi was puzzled too. “It’s Third Master’s idea. Ask him.”

“Teach her everything the madams and young ladies enjoy,” Fu Tongwen said.

“Yes, sir.”

“You may go.”

“Yes.” Wanan hesitated. “The bedroom is ready.”

“She’s staying here tonight. Make arrangements.”

“Here?”

Here?

Both of them turned to Fu Tongwen.

He stood up from the daybed. “Yes. Right here.”

Wanan didn’t say anything more. He immediately left to summon people to add more braziers, tidy up the bed, lay out clean bedding and pillows, and place fresh sleepwear beside the pillows before leading everyone out.

“Why are you having me learn cards?” she asked, puzzled. “I’ve played with Wan Feng and the others in New York—Western-style cards.”

“Western or Chinese, it doesn’t matter. Learn a bit of everything. You’ll be able to help Third Brother later.”

If she could help him, all the better. She didn’t think too much of it. As she walked over to the bed, she spotted the book he’d been holding earlier—Journey to the West?

“Why are you suddenly reading this?” Shen Xi couldn’t picture it.

“To make you happy,” he smiled. “The servants were around earlier, so I couldn’t say it.”

Shen Xi looked even more puzzled. “What’s there to hide about Journey to the West. . .”

A Monkey King journeying west for scriptures—how did his phrasing manage to sound like a late-Qing flirtation?

Fu Tongwen had originally picked up his sleepwear to change, but seeing her pursue the question, he grabbed the book again and sat down on the edge of the bed. He pulled her to sit in front of him, wrapped his arms around her, and flipped the book open in front of her eyes.

“I’ll find it and show you,” he said.

Shen Xi watched as he flipped to Chapter 72—

The Spider Cave: Seven Emotions Confuse the Heart, the Filthy Pool: Bajie Loses Himself.

The Spider Cave? She vaguely remembered it was about spider spirits.

Fu Tongwen’s finger traced down the page and stopped at a certain spot. She tried to focus and see what it was—but her vision blurred as he suddenly shut the book.

“Forget it. Better if you don’t read it,” he tossed the book aside.

Shen Xi picked it back up. “What’s with all the secrecy? What is it?”

“Just some bedroom talk.”

Who was he trying to fool? This was Journey to the West. Shen Xi didn’t believe it for a second. “You never tell the truth.”

Fu Tongwen chuckled and lay down on the pillow, resting his head on the crook of his arm. He laughed, “I’ve always been honest with you.” He reached for her wrist again. “If I won’t let you read it, I have my reasons. That’s enough now—stop looking.”

The more he smiled, the less she believed him.

Shen Xi evaded his grasp and flipped through the pages faster.

Finally, she found Chapter 72 and carefully looked at the spot his finger had indicated:

The Monkey King peeks at the spider spirits bathing: “Unfastening buttons, loosening silk sashes… skin like snow… knees and wrists curled together, tiny golden lotus feet three inches narrow. In that moment of tenderness, her sensual charms were fully revealed…”

Oh god. Of all the eighty-one trials of slaying demons and monsters—why describe a demoness bathing in such vivid detail?

Fu Tongwen’s teasing gaze made her feel awkward whether she closed the book or tossed it away. So she pretended to keep skimming the page, putting on a show like she was still searching.

He laughed, sat up, and leaned close to her shoulder. “Believe me now?”

She shut the book. “Mm,” she mumbled, flustered by those tight columns of tiny printed words and trying to play it cool.

Fu Tongwen gently pulled her into his arms.

It was a strange room, a strange bed—her whole demeanor stiffened with discomfort.

He smiled, lowering his head close to her cheek. “With your head down like this, you look like a proper young lady being carried into the bridal sedan chair for the first time—your first night on Third Brother’s bed.”

“…You don’t seem to have a headache anymore,” she muttered. No matter how thick her skin was, he could wear it thin.

“Even with a headache, I wouldn’t miss this,” he grinned again.

Outside the thick cotton drapes was a deserted corridor, quiet and still. The papered windows flickered with shadows from the lamplight, casting no sound.

But outside, the northern wind howled fiercely, stirring and sweeping up the dust of Beijing. Just listening to the wind, one could picture the main road beyond the Fu family’s gates—yellow dirt flying, stinging the nose and blinding the eyes.

The room was spacious. With no canopy around the bed, the light from the lamps spread openly, giving the strange feeling of being in a train station—like someone was constantly watching. His hands on her felt awkward no matter where he placed them. Over her clothes felt odd; under them, just as unnatural.

Like snow on her chest, bitten by him…

A flush crept across Shen Xi’s shoulders. Looking down at his half-hidden face and his eyes, she saw his breath fogging up the golden rims of his glasses.

Someone laughed in the courtyard, and hurried footsteps followed.

Only military boots could make that kind of stride. Fu Tongwen guessed who it was and lifted his head. Through the misty lenses of his glasses, he glanced at the standing clock—10:50 p.m.

Outside the cotton curtain came a sudden bang as someone stepped over the threshold.

“Stop right there,” Fu Tongwen scolded quietly, half-laughing. “Your sister-in-law is in here. Barging in like this—what do you think you’re doing?”

The footsteps halted immediately. Clearly, he knew Little Fifth Master well—without those words, the man would’ve already come in.

Fu Tongwen picked up a handkerchief from beside the pillow and stuffed it into her hand, whispering, “Wipe yourself.”

And he said it out loud, too. She kicked his knee, still kneeling on the bed, and earned a grin in return. She wiped herself quickly with the handkerchief, pulled on her clothes, then looked up to see him still watching her with his head lowered. She shoved him silently. Stuffing the handkerchief back under the pillow, she put on her shoes and socks, pulled the black sable fur over the messy blankets, and grabbed the teapot.

Only then did she lift the curtain and step outside.

The light from the room spilled across the doorway.

A boy in military uniform stood straight-backed, his face redder than hers as he gave a bashful smile, like he’d applied rouge. “Sister-in-law… I honestly didn’t know you and Third Brother could sleep in the study. I saw the lights on and just got confused.” He quickly added more politely, “It’s freezing tonight—have they added enough braziers? Don’t catch cold now.”