He moved his lips, and his hand instinctively reached into his pocket.
"Hey, beauty, I'm talking to you. Stop daydreaming, didn't you hear what your princess was saying?"
He slowly lowered himself, knelt on one knee, took her hands in his, kissed them, and said, "Xiang Lan, you—"
Before he could finish speaking, Xiang Lan, with a hint of embarrassment and a touch of joking, said, "I do. Okay, now it's time to put the ring on my finger."
Fang Zi looked up and smiled, "You did this on purpose?"
"Of course. Who told you to make me angry—"
"Xiang Lan, what can I say to you? You ruined my perfect plan." He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box. "Luckily, I had this with me, otherwise what would I have done?"
She looked at him in surprise. He opened the box with one hand, revealing a simple platinum ring. He took it out, slipped it onto her slender finger, and slowly pushed it up; the size was just right.
"You—" Xiang Lan couldn't say a word. She raised her hand to look at it. It was just a simple ring, but she felt that it was the most precious treasure in the world.
She felt a surge of emotion and almost cried, but then she noticed the door lock turning and heard Liu Zewen knocking. She quickly pulled him up, trying to hide the flush on her face. Fang Zi brushed a strand of hair from her face, kissed her on the lips, and said, "I'll go open the door for Mom. You have to keep your beautiful smile, okay?"
Chapter 48
Liu Zewen exclaimed "Wow!" as soon as she entered. The two young people were dressed so neatly, looking like a perfect couple. She took out her phone to take a picture. Hu Li stopped her, saying, "Mom, don't take pictures. If people see them, it won't be a surprise at the wedding."
She was extremely disappointed, as such opportunities to show off were becoming increasingly rare. Now, she had completely lost all prejudice against Fang Zi; he looked so adorable.
Xiang Lan suppressed the urge to laugh and tugged at her skirt. "Call a shop assistant in. Some sizes don't fit."
Fang Zi helped straighten her skirt. Liu Zewen sighed and whispered to Hu Li, "Young people, one minute they're making a fuss, the next they're making up. What's going on?"
Two dresses were tried on for each person, and the sizes and necessary alterations were noted. The photographer then took some indoor photos to use as wedding signs. The group had lunch nearby, and afterwards, at Xiang Lan's insistence, they hitched a ride to the mountain. Hu Li drove, Liu Zewen sat in the passenger seat, and the two children sat in the back.
Fang Zi had never met any relatives or friends outside of the Xiang family. He knew that tonight's "trap" was probably a special event his brother-in-law had arranged for him. Perhaps the reason he hadn't bothered him for a while was to gather everyone together and lower his guard. He glanced at the cheerful Xiang Lan, reached out and took her hand, his fingers fiddling with the ring on her finger. She smiled at him and said, "Let's stay on the mountain tonight!"
Did you bring clothes?
She patted her little backpack; having planned this for a long time, she certainly wouldn't forget all her gear.
"Your brother thinks it's best to introduce everyone to the family before the wedding, otherwise it'll be awkward if they only meet on the wedding day. It'll be good for you young people to eat, drink, and chat." Liu Zewen was still thinking too simply. "Your brother Chuan was on a mission out of town, and when he heard you were getting married, he was so anxious he almost rushed back. But his boss personally made him come back. And Xiao Fangjun, he was participating in some food judging competition or TV show, but he was forced to turn it down, losing half of his job, and flew back."
"Oh." Xiang Lan played with Fang Zidu's hand. "I know, they want to come back to see the excitement."
"Talk to them nicely tonight, and don't be willful or throw a tantrum."
“With my brother around, it’s impossible to have a proper conversation.”
"Are you two still arguing?" Liu Zewen asked, puzzled, looking at Hu Li. "What are you arguing about?"
Xiang Lan didn't want Fang Zi to know about the bad ideas Xiang Yuan had come up with, and Hu Li didn't want to stir up internal family conflicts either, so the two insiders just hummed and hawed it over.
It was early summer, a time when the mountains were lush with trees and birdsong filled the air.
After driving for more than half an hour along the winding mountain road, we finally came into view a pink and white building with upturned eaves.
The two younger children got off the bus first to check in, while Hu Li went to take Liu Zewen home.
No banquet is ever a good one, so be prepared. Before entering the club, Fang Zi pulled Xiang Lan aside.
"What's wrong?"
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Could you tell me about the people who came today, and what they were like?"
"Scared? Worried?" She punched his shoulder and said cheerfully, "I'll teach you to make me angry again. Let me tell you, my family is huge."
"That's true to some extent." If I'm not mistaken, today is the day we'll all be setting rules for him, with his brother-in-law in charge.
"Now you know how important a wife is, right?" Xiang Lan lifted his chin, stood on tiptoe and kissed him. "I'll be merciful and tell you anyway."
"you say."
"My older brothers from the Bai family are older and don't cause trouble, they just play cards, smoke, and drink; my two cousins from my mother's side are even older, about the same age as my uncle, they only care about current affairs, nothing else; my cousins from my father's side, I reckon only one came, the others are in politics, and they have very annoying personalities, my brother definitely wouldn't invite them, so it's not a big deal; the main ones are Brother Chuan and Brother Jun, they love teasing me the most—"
Fang Zi silently highlighted the key points in his mind.
"Did you all come with your wives?" he asked after thinking for a moment.
"Yeah, but Brother Chuan and Brother Jun are still single, haha, they're the only two single guys here today, how sad—"
"Are they relatives too?"
"No, he's my brother's childhood friend. The families are quite close."
Haha, single, not even related.
"Brother Chuan is a policeman, Brother Jun is a cook. One is very rough, and the other is extremely meticulous."
The two walked into the club hand in hand, strolled around the lobby for a while, and then went directly to the front desk to check in. Xiang Lan remembered that the front desk used to be staffed by a rather cute young girl and a manager, but today she saw a well-dressed man leaning resentfully against the inside of the bar from afar, and his eyes flashed with a fierce light when he saw her.
"Hi—" Xiang Lan waved, "Brother Jun."
Fang Jun grunted an ambiguous "hmm," not even glancing at her, and went straight to look at Fang Zidu. After catching sight of his face, he said, "Lanlan, aren't you going to introduce us?"
She immediately said, "Zidu, this is Fang Jun'er, just call him Brother Jun; Brother Jun, this is my husband—"
He couldn't stand any talk about husband and wife, and interrupted directly, "Alright, alright, I know, you have the prescription, right?"
"Hello, Brother Jun."
Fang Zidu extended his right hand, and Fang Jun raised his hand to shake it. As a chef, he was always strong, and since he already disliked Fang Zidu, he didn't hold back and gripped his hand tightly. He thought with a bit of malice that even if he didn't make Fang Zidu cry for his parents, he would still make him suffer in silence.
Their hands touched, their fingers calloused. With a slight exertion, Fang Zi knew the newcomer meant no harm. He smiled, his fingers pressed together, the base of his thumbs touching, subtly pulling back his strength. Seeing Fang Jun's face twitch, he knew he was probably in pain. He smiled and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Fang Jun gritted his teeth, "I'm also very happy."
The grip snapped shut, and Fang Jun pulled his hand back into the counter, frantically fidgeting with his fingers. His hands, which he had carefully nurtured for so many years, were now completely paralyzed by this brat's strength.
"Brother Jun, get me a room," Xiang Lan said, unaware of the situation. "Like a suite—"
"what?"
"Hehe—" She had a plan, but how could she say it openly? So she said, "We'll be having dinner and drinks tonight, it'll definitely be late. We don't have a car or a driver, so let's just stay here. I'm giving you a chance to make money, aren't you happy?"
Fang Jun was furious, but he kept telling himself to maintain his composure, saying, "Alright, I'll arrange it for you, you poor wretch. Your brother booked this meal today, saying you'd pay and that everything should be top-notch. Want a discount?"
"Of course, and it has to be the lowest discount." Xiang Lan wasn't embarrassed at all. "Is it okay to put it on credit?"
"No way." Fang Jun glared at her, leaned down, and whispered to the girl behind the bar. A moment later, he tossed her a room key and said, "It's in the Mountain Courtyard. Go find it yourself tonight. Now—" Fang Jun smiled, "Everyone's already here, just waiting for you. You've been eagerly anticipating this, and you even sent me to greet you. Come on, let's go show ourselves."
"You've gone to such lengths, I'm so embarrassed."
Well, of course you're embarrassed. Everyone's waiting to see which brat snatched away their little sister, and what's worse, she's pregnant.
Passing through corridors and courtyards, parting willows and caressing flowers, we finally arrived at a small hall, which was packed with more than ten people, both men and women. Some were chatting together, some were smoking on the porch, and some ladies were huddled together looking at the latest clothing and jewelry catalogs.
Before stepping inside, Fang Jun stood outside the threshold, straightened his clothes, cleared his throat, and after he had finished his act, he pounded on the wooden door, and immediately more than twenty beams of light turned around.
He announced loudly, "The people have arrived."
To Fang Zidu, these words were the same as saying, "The food is served, let's eat."
"Oh, you're all staring at me like that, it's so stressful." Xiang Lan walked in casually, arm in arm with Fang Zidu. "I feel like I'm going to become an important person right now, and the banquet can't start unless I'm there."
"Come in quickly, stop dawdling," Shen Chuan's voice came from inside the house.
Fang Zi looked over and saw a man wearing a thin black shirt sitting imposingly on the porch, exuding a fierce aura. Xiang Yuan stood beside him, smiling.
"Let's go, let's introduce them one by one." Fang Jun said with ill intent.
Everyone stood up, and she pulled him along, calling out to Brother Bai, Second Brother Bai, Third Brother Bai, Fifth Brother Bai, and then a circle of various sisters-in-law. Finally, the two of them stood in front of Shen Chuan.
Seeing Fang Jun wink at him, shake his hand, and make a pained expression, Shen Chuan realized he had suffered a small loss. He chuckled and reached out, saying, "Fang Zidu, right?"
Fang Zi reached out and was immediately grabbed. His four fingers were squeezed, causing excruciating pain, but his expression remained unchanged. He grabbed back, and this grip became a contest of strength.
Xiang Yuan raised an eyebrow at the two of them, the skin on his wrists taut. Although the two tried their best to remain calm, they couldn't do anything about it. He said, "Alright, we've all gotten to know each other now."
Shen Chuan released his grip, casually rubbing his fingers. "Not bad, you're strong enough. You don't seem like a scholar."
Xiang Lan then realized something was amiss and stared at her older brother.
"I exercise regularly," Fang Zidu said modestly.
"It's still early, shall we play cards for a while?" Xiang Yuan suggested.
Xiang Lan glanced at Xiang Yuan, then at the restless Shen Chuan, and finally at Brother Bai who was getting up and walking over. She knew something was wrong. These three were known as the three little card gods in the industry; in any game they played alone, they won more often than they lost. Among the three, Brother Bai was the best; with him around, no one else could possibly win money. Heh, what exactly did Xiang Yuan mean?
She grabbed Fangzi and wanted to run away. They were both extremely short of money in their bank accounts and couldn't afford to play games with them.
Fang Jun immediately stood behind her, Shen Chuan hooked his arm around Fang Zidu's neck, and Xiang Yuan said with a smile, "Xiang Lan, the brothers also want to chat with Zidu, don't get in the way, go play somewhere else."
"Brother, what are you trying to do?"
"Just having some fun."
The three of them, each carrying a prescription, walked inside. A group of older men gathered around to watch and cheer them on. Brother Bai lagged behind, cracking his knives as if he were sharpening a knife.
"Zidu—" Xiang Lan was extremely worried.
Fang Zi didn't struggle. Instead, he turned back and smiled at her, a sharp glint in his eyes, and said, "Go play, it's fine—"
Xiang Lan finally came to her senses. What "playing around and chatting"? It was clearly a trap set by that bastard Xiang Yuan to embarrass her beauty. Such behavior meant they could no longer be siblings. She angrily tried to rush in, but was stopped by several of her sisters-in-law who pulled her aside to discuss the wedding arrangements.
What should a person do when they are alone, weak, and isolated?
She cried out, "You mustn't bully my Zidu, or else—" She gritted her teeth and could only resort to her old trick from childhood, "Xiang Yuan, I'm going to tell Dad about you."
Xiang Yuan turned back and smiled at her, the meaning of which was self-evident.
If you don't bully him, how can you do justice to the hard work he put in to this game? The louder you yell, the less chance he has of surviving.
Today, he's going to teach Fang Zidu a lesson on how to be a decent human being.
Author's Note: It's almost the end of the month, and the nutrient solutions my little angels have are about to expire. If you have any, please give them to me! Thank you!
Chapter 49
Xiang Lan was filled with despair. Seeing Hu Li walk in from outside, she rushed over and cried, "Sister-in-law, my brother and the others—"
"What's wrong?" Hu Li looked at the smiling women behind him. "Did your sisters-in-law bully you?"