Chapter 314: Chapter 294, For Life and Always, Just the Two of Us?_1
Hearing that Daohua and others were flying kites on the grassland behind the Temple of the Flower God, Li Zixin couldn’t care less about the pain in her feet and insisted on dragging Li Zixuan to join the fun.
As soon as they arrived, they saw Sun Jiayue holding a kite and talking to Feng Liangji.
“This Sun Jiayue is truly shameless, doesn’t she know that Big Brother Feng is already engaged? She still clings to him incessantly!”
Li Zixin had a strong dislike for Sun Jiayue and immediately showed a cold expression.
Although Li Zixuan also looked unhappy, she was more concerned about Feng Liangji’s reaction and demeanor. Seeing Feng Liangji’s impatience as he declined Sun Jiayue and intentionally went over to Cousin Wenxiu’s side, her expression finally eased a bit.
“Let’s go over there.”
The two of them walked towards Yan Wenxiu and the others.
“Zixuan!”
Upon seeing Li Zixuan, Feng Liangji’s face immediately brightened with joy.
He was actually quite pleased that his family had set the engagement with Li Zixuan.
He remembered that during the New Year’s banquet at the Li Family, Li Zixuan performed a piece on the guzheng. He had already forgotten the melody, but he still remembered Zixuan’s delicate and enchanting appearance.
Unlike the lavish air typical of other merchant daughters, Zixuan had an added scholar-like elegance.
He liked this scholarly air very much.
Li Zixuan glanced at Feng Liangji and saw his gaze intently fixed on herself, which made her feel somewhat embarrassed and annoyed. Having spent several months learning etiquette and manners under Mr. Shen at her aunt’s home had made her even more mindful of her behavior.
Ignoring Feng Liangji, Li Zixuan smiled and greeted Cousin Wenxiu and Feng Hao, and upon seeing Sun Jiayue and others not far away, she also nodded and waved politely.
This was Feng Hao’s first encounter with Li Zixuan. After observing her manners for a while, he showed an expression of satisfaction.
Feng Ming’s taste was indeed not bad. Compared to the girl from the Li Family, that miss from the Sun Family truly fell short by more than a little.
“Zixuan, let me take you to fly kites!”
Seeing Daohua and the others frolicking in the distance, Feng Liangji couldn’t help but suggest to Li Zixuan.
Li Zixuan’s face turned red, and just as she was about to refuse, she heard Li Chenyi say with a smile, “Go ahead. Today is the Festival of the Flower God, it’s rare to come out, just have fun.”
After hearing her older brother say so, Li Zixuan nodded with a blushing face.
Seeing her agreement, Feng Liangji grinned, “It’s more open over there; let’s go that way.”
Not far off, Sun Jiayue saw Feng Liangji leading Li Zixuan to fly kites with a gentle and affectionate manner and her face showed indignation. She threw the kite in her hand to the ground in anger.
“What a crappy kite, I don’t want to fly it.” After saying so, she even made as if to stomp on it a few times.
Seeing this, Sun Yongyi’s face turned angry and he couldn’t help but reprimand, “Calm down. Otherwise, you might as well go home right now.”
Seeing that her brother was not taking her side, Sun Jiayue’s eyes suddenly filled with tears.
Sun Yongyi sighed silently, glancing over at his good friend who was completely engrossed by Li Zixuan, “Stop thinking about Feng Liangji. Father and Mother will choose a better family for you than the Feng Family.”
Sun Jiayue: “I don’t want anyone else, I just want…”
“Shut up!” Sun Yongyi said sternly, “If you don’t want to be confined at home, you’d better stop saying such things.”
Merchants might not be strict about rules, but societal conventions still must be followed.
A young lady publicly speaking about men is unacceptable, even for merchants.
Sun Jiayue was somewhat taken aback, biting her lip and remaining quiet, her eyes tearfully watching Feng Liangji happily flying kites with Li Zixuan.
Seeing his sister like this, Sun Yongyi also felt uncomfortable.
Although his father was the president of the Zhongzhou Province Chamber of Commerce and had good relations with some officials, these relationships were all built upon silver. Once their business ran into trouble and the flow of silver slowed, these relationships could easily fall apart—far less solid than the marital ties between the Li Family and the Yan Family.
Forget about the Feng Family, even their family had considered arranging a marriage with the Li Family.
Unfortunately, the Feng Family had acted first.
Looking at the demure Li Zixuan, Sun Yongyi felt a twinge of regret. He hadn’t paid much attention to this girl before, but observing her today, she indeed seemed much more poised and gentle than the other girls he had met.
Then, glancing at his impulsive and agitated sister, he couldn’t help but sigh.
“After we get back home, I’ll have mother hire a teacher to instruct you in etiquette and manners.”
…
“What are you looking at? Focus on flying your kite!”
Seeing Daohua frequently glancing over at Li Zixuan and Feng Liangji, Xiao Yeyang couldn’t help but intervene.
Daohua withdrew her gaze and huffed.
Xiao Yeyang glanced in that direction and said, “They’re enjoying themselves; why the huff?”
Daohua replied grumpily, “Men are all pigs’ trotters.” One moment he was graciously accepting Sun Jiayue’s feeding, and the next he was casually flying kites with his cousin. Her impression of Feng Liangji was truly not good.
Xiao Yeyang was taken aback. “What do you mean?”
Daohua glanced at him. “It means that men are no good, they fancy every woman they see.”
Xiao Yeyang was at a loss for words. “Isn’t that a bit too absolute?”
Daohua challenged him, “Then let me ask you, will you be devoted to only one girl in your entire life?”
This sudden probing of his soul left Xiao Yeyang somewhat at a loss for an answer, and he was momentarily stunned.
Daohua curled her lip, not expecting an answer, and continued, “You’re the Little Prince, dignified in status, and you’ll surely have multiple wives and concubines in the future. How could you possibly be devoted to just one girl? It’s pointless to even ask you.”
As she spoke, she glanced over at Feng Liangji and Li Zixuan. Seeing the sweet smile on Li Zixuan’s face, she sighed.
“I just hope that Feng Liangji and Sun Jiao Yue won’t keep getting tangled up in the future.”
Xiao Yeyang muttered, “I think your Sister Zixuan and Feng Liangji are getting along quite well.”
Daohua snorted, “They’re in the honey phase of their relationship right now, so of course it’s all lovey-dovey. But once the passion fades and life returns to its mundane phase, add in a beauty who throws herself at a man, how many can resist?”
“When Sun Jiayue fed pastries, Feng Liangji said it was to keep his friend’s face, but in his heart, he probably cares about Sun Jiayue’s feelings to some extent.”
“If he really didn’t care at all, he would always find a reason to refuse,” she said, glancing again at Sister Zixuan and Feng Liangji.
“To Feng Liangji, Sister Zixuan is just a more suitable bride than Sun Jiayue, far from being indispensable to him.”
“If the feelings between two people were truly intense and sincere, they’d only have eyes for each other and would not allow a third person to intervene.”
“Such emotions intertwined with interests are really suffocating. If I were my cousin…”
Daohua stopped there, not continuing.
She clearly understood that marriage among ancient people was the union of two families. Whether the new couple could have love was a matter of luck and character.
Xiao Yeyang pressed her, “What would you do if you were your cousin?”
Daohua immediately scoffed, “Naturally, I would stay as far away as possible. What expectations can you have for a man who is involved with another woman before marriage to be faithful to his feelings? What’s the use of a man who isn’t faithful in love? To be a spare tire for him?”
Xiao Yeyang blurted out, thinking that it was very normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines, but then, remembering how Daohua reacted so strongly when she saw another girl give a pastry to her future brother-in-law, he wisely held his tongue.
He was afraid she would get angry with him!
However, at that moment, Daohua sighed with a touch of desolation, “A lifetime, a world, a pair of people… In this era, I’m afraid it’s just an unattainable daydream.”
Hearing this, Xiao Yeyang was taken aback, looking at Daohua with surprise.
A lifetime, a world, a pair of people?!
Suddenly, Xiao Yeyang felt like he understood some of Daohua’s unconventional behavior.
Why did she despise her father’s concubines?
Why did she loathe Feng Liangji?
A lifetime, a world, a pair of people—was this what she expected from her future husband?
Seeing Xiao Yeyang staring at her in shock, Daohua scoffed, “What are you looking at? Do you think I’m a jealous woman? I’m jealous, so what?”
With self-mockery, she said, “Forget it, it’s pointless to explain to someone like you.”
Xiao Yeyang protested, “What kind of person am I?”
Daohua’s lips curled sarcastically, “You are the kind of person who takes having multiple wives and concubines for granted and thinks it’s perfectly normal.”
“I…”
“Don’t deny it. If you boast today and don’t follow through later, I will be the first to call you out on it.”
Xiao Yeyang stiffened his neck. “What if I do follow through?”
Daohua’s gaze flickered, looked around cautiously, and whispered, “Don’t try to deceive me. I heard from Jingwan that someone of your family’s standing will certainly have a few maids to serve in your chamber before you marry.”
“Zhou Ge has them, how could you not?”
After saying this, she even tilted her head and sized up Xiao Yeyang with a scrutinizing look.
Seeing Daohua like this, Xiao Yeyang’s ears flushed red with anger, and he ground his teeth, “Yan Yiyi, don’t go too far now; you are insulting me!”
When he was in Beijing, there were indeed maids attending to him, but since arriving in Zhongzhou, all his affairs had been taken care of by the aptly named Fu, and there were no maids at all.
Daohua saw him getting so worked up that his veins were popping, and she was quite baffled, “Really?” Seeing Xiao Yeyang about to explode, she quickly placated, “All right, all right, if there aren’t any, then there aren’t any. Why are you so anxious? I was just making a casual remark.”
After taking several deep breaths, Xiao Yeyang managed to suppress the fury in his heart and said through gritted teeth, “Yan Yiyi, you sure know a lot, to even be aware of ‘household maids’!”
Daohua: “If you don’t want anyone to know, don’t do it.”
Her probing gaze infuriated Xiao Yeyang to no end. He dropped the thread in her hand and stormed off angrily.