Chapter 17: Fickle
A short while later, Auntie Qiu’s husband came home, carrying a sack of game he had harvested from the forest.
“Daddy!” The little girl happily threw herself into the tall man’s arms. Master Qiu smiled and picked up the little girl, while Auntie Qiu took the sack from her husband’s hands.
Watching the Qiu family’s happy and harmonious scene, Feng Qi turned to Wen Ning’an and smiled. “Yixin, how about you give me a child in the future too?”
Wen Ning’an, who was sipping the mountain tea Auntie Qiu had served, was startled and choked on the tea, coughing uncontrollably.
Master Qiu noticed the two of them and turned to ask his wife, “Old dear, who are these two young masters?”
“They’re from a wealthy family in the capital, here to play. They came to our house to take shelter from the storm.” Auntie Qiu winked. “And that handsome young master in white is the male wife of the noble-looking young master next to him!”
“Oh?” Master Qiu looked interested. The couple’s love for gossip was written all over their faces.
Wen Ning’an: “…”
Truly… a married couple. Truly of one heart and mind.
Master Qiu glanced at Wen Ning’an. “As handsome as that young man from the Wang family!”
“Nonsense! Much more handsome than that one from the Wang family!” Auntie Qiu slapped Master Qiu’s head hard. “Besides, how can you compare them to the Wang family? That Wang Zhengyi is no good, and An Su is also a fickle person.”
Wang Zhengyi?
Wen Ning’an and Feng Qi exchanged a look. Wang Zhengyi was the man who had killed seven people while drunk and was now being held in the Ministry of Justice’s prison.
Wen Ning’an pretended to be curious. “Does this Wang Zhengyi you speak of also have a male wife?”
“Yes, but it’s a pity he married a bad person. But then again, a rotten pot with a broken lid… no, that Wang Zhengyi was originally a good person, but he was ruined by his wife.”
Seeing that Wen Ning’an and Feng Qi were very interested, the talkative Auntie Qiu began to tell them the story of Wang Zhengyi and his male wife, An Su.
Wang Zhengyi was born and raised in Tonghua Village. Although his parents died early, he was hardworking, honest, and kind from a young age. After he came of age, he started a business due to his natural talent and was said to have earned a lot. An Su, on the other hand, was a male courtesan from a brothel, born of extremely low status. But Wang Zhengyi had fallen in love with An Su at first sight and had been deeply devoted ever since.
It was said that their fate began when An Su was out shopping one day, and Wang Zhengyi saved him from being harassed by ruffians. Although Wang Zhengyi later learned of An Su’s identity, he didn’t mind at all and spent all his savings to buy An Su’s freedom, then married him with great fanfare.
After they were married, An Su was also very good to Wang Zhengyi, obedient and attentive. The two of them were considered a beautiful story.
“It’s just a pity…” Auntie Qiu sighed. “We originally thought that since Wang Zhengyi had spent his entire fortune for An Su, An Su should at least be loyal to him, right? But who knew that a great master from the capital came here on an inspection tour, and An Su climbed into his bed. What was that great master’s name again…”
Master Qiu reminded her, “His surname was Xu. He was from a powerful family in the court. Xu something-Rui?”
Feng Qi said, “Xu Bingrui.”
“That’s right! It was Xu Bingrui!” Master Qiu said. “But who knew that before Xu Bingrui could take An Su back to the capital, he died of illness. So An Su turned around and married Xu Bingrui’s brother, Xu Binghua.”
Auntie Qiu said, “Alas, on the day An Su was taken back to the capital by Xu Binghua, Wang Zhengyi was like a man who had lost his soul. One moment he was crazily smashing things, the next he was listless and dejected. For several days, he was drunk to the point of unconsciousness. We all saw it. Wang Zhengyi even went so far as to grab an axe and attack Xu Binghua’s men. In the end, not only was he almost beaten to a pulp, but that An Su just watched coldly from the side the whole time. Perhaps afraid of causing trouble for Xu Binghua, An Su even urged Wang Zhengyi to go back, saying their fate had ended and they should go their separate ways, and he should never bother him again.”
And after An Su married Xu Binghua and lived a life of luxury, Wang Zhengyi was ruined. His temperament changed drastically, and he was no longer as honest and gentle as before. Later, Wang Zhengyi appeared less and less in Tonghua Village. It was said that he went out to make a living. The last time they saw him was a year ago, when he recommended a good job to the young men of the village, encouraging them to go with him to earn big money.
Wen Ning’an asked, “What kind of job?”
“We don’t know either. Wang Zhengyi said it was a job that paid a lot of money, and he couldn’t tell us the location or what they would be doing beforehand. But Wang Zhengyi used to be a good person, and we watched him grow up, so the men of the village went with him.”
Master Qiu also said, “I wanted to go at that time too, but my old dear was pregnant. And now that I hear Wang Zhengyi has been imprisoned for murder, I’m glad I didn’t go. The people in the village are also uneasy. If it weren’t for the regular letters they receive, they would have reported it to the authorities long ago.”
Wen Ning’an understood. Many factories had such a system, probably for fear of being targeted by competitors.
After listening to what Master and Auntie Qiu had to say, Wen Ning’an and Feng Qi didn’t know how to respond.
The rain poured down, and a chill seeped into the wooden house. Master Qiu went to burn some firewood for warmth, while Auntie Qiu went to close the windows.
The rain was heavy, and the sound of it even drowned out people’s voices. It didn’t look like it would stop anytime soon, so Auntie Qiu had Wen Ning’an and Feng Qi go to a room to rest first.
The small room had only a small bed, a round table, and a cabinet. The walls were peeling, and the bed creaked with every touch.
The two of them sat on the bed. Wen Ning’an sighed, “It’s a pity about that Wang Zhengyi and An Su. A pity that Wang Zhengyi was so deeply in love.”
Feng Qi said, “It seems there’s no need to pursue this case any further. It’s just a disaster caused by a personal grudge between the Xu and Wang families. It’s common for the Xu family to make enemies. But I don’t believe the Xu family can be clean in this project, not taking a single cent. It seems I’ll have to start with other things. The Xu family has a hidden power, but my shadow guards are not to be trifled with either.”
Wen Ning’an nodded slightly. He didn’t understand these things very well, only that Feng Qi wanted to eradicate the Xu family. Perhaps it was because the Xu family’s merits overshadowed the ruler’s, or perhaps it was a case of “casting aside the bow once the birds are gone”…
“Yixin, since we have nothing to do, let’s take a nap together.”
Wen Ning’an turned to look at the narrow single bed behind him for a long time…
“Huaitian, I’ll sleep on the floor.”
Feng Qi raised an eyebrow. “Are you stupid? Do you think I would allow that? It’s raining now. Do you know how damp this wooden floor is? My heart would break.”
Wen Ning’an also knew that Feng Qi would not compromise, but…
Feng Qi crossed his arms. “Either I sleep on the floor, or we sleep together.”
Can’t we… just not sleep?
Wen Ning’an naturally couldn’t let Feng Qi sleep on the floor, so the final result was still the two of them sleeping in each other’s arms. Wen Ning’an realized that he had never once won against Feng Qi.
The bed was small. Wen Ning’an desperately squeezed himself against the wall, but he was still held tightly by Feng Qi. The two of them were pressed together without any gaps, and they could even hear each other’s breathing.
“Sleep.” Feng Qi narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, like a sated lion.
The familiar scent of dragon’s saliva incense lingered at the tip of his nose. Wen Ning’an relaxed his body and closed his eyes, falling asleep peacefully.
