Chapter Forty-Five
In the following days, as expected, news of Second Master Li's little happy event reached Mu Garden. The story of how the Li family was in an uproar over the matter and how they managed to make compromises was also told in vivid detail and with great interest.
Although society nowadays advocates monogamy, it's still common for men to have extramarital affairs. If left unsaid, most families choose to tacitly accept it for the sake of peace. But if it comes to light, it will inevitably become a scandal.
Moreover, Second Master Li had always presented a gentle, kind, respectful, frugal, and modest image to the outside world. For him to directly marry a prostitute into his household was undoubtedly a great humiliation for Second Madam, who came from a respectable family. No wonder Second Madam's family disregarded all decorum and made a scene at the Li residence. It's just unknown what kind of agreement the two families reached in the end that made Second Madam's family quiet down.
Upon hearing this, Mu Xing was deeply concerned for Li Yining, fearing she might be heartbroken due to the discord at home. However, since Li Yining didn't bring it up herself, she had no way to comfort her.
Therefore, she had no choice but to invite Li Yining out for some time, carefully avoiding mentioning the matter in her conversation, afraid of upsetting Li Yining. Li Yining, however, simply pretended that nothing had happened and kept quiet about it.
After returning home from shopping that day, Mu Xing received a call from Tang Yu, who said that Second Master Li had a small happy event and intended to hold a big celebration, sending out many invitations. He then came to invite Mu Xing to attend.
Although Mu Xing, as the Third Young Master Mu, had never interacted with Second Master Li in social circles, the social circles of these young masters often overlapped, and eventually, connections would form. The fact that Second Master Li would hold such a grand celebration at such a sensitive time likely indicates that he had completely lost face and didn't want to make amends.
Actually, out of consideration for Li Yining's friendship, Mu Xing didn't want to participate, but firstly, Miss Bai had already invited her to go, and secondly, she still had a good relationship with Tang Yu and his group of young men, so it would be inappropriate not to go.
Torn between the two, she simply called Wang Mengwei and Song Youcheng to inquire, and they had indeed both received invitations from Master Li. Their answers were surprisingly consistent: although awkward, they had to maintain appearances and go.
After the conversation, Wang Mengwei was puzzled as to why Mu Xing knew about the banquet, but she brushed it off.
After much deliberation, Mu Xing still prepared some gifts, hoping that Li Yining would not be present and that she could be placed in an inconspicuous corner so as not to attract the attention of acquaintances such as Second Master Li.
The wedding banquet was scheduled for the 25th of this month. Mu Xing took leave from the clinic early in the morning. After getting dressed, he went to Yuhua Book House to pick up Bai Yan.
The eldest son's redemption and marriage was hardly a joyous occasion for the brothel, but due to Master Li's power, the brothel was still decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers. The nanny and some prominent gentlemen all had to attend, and the entire brothel was bustling with activity.
Bai Yan was putting on makeup in her room when she heard Mu Xing coming over. She quickly closed the door from the inside and leaned against it, saying, "Wait downstairs for a moment, I haven't finished my makeup yet."
Mu Xing laughed and said, "What's there to be afraid of? It's not like I haven't seen it before. Even if you don't dress up, you'll still be the most beautiful one at the restaurant." As she spoke, she tried to push open the door.
Bai Yan still refused to open the door, so Mu Xing said again, "People say, 'After finishing her makeup, she whispers, "Is the shade fashionable?"' I've studied abroad, so I can at least give you some feedback on whether it looks good or not, right?"
Bai Yan thought for a moment and said softly, "The original poem was clearly directed at the husband. If I were to ask a question, shouldn't I be asking my husband?"
Mu Xing had only said it casually, never expecting to dig herself into a hole. She was momentarily embarrassed and was about to change the subject when Bai Yan suddenly opened the door and said, "Hurry up and come in, you PhD who studied makeup abroad!" There was nothing unusual in her coquettish tone.
Seeing that she wasn't dissatisfied, Mu Xing secretly breathed a sigh of relief and went inside.
Bai Yan had already changed her clothes. She turned around in front of Mu Xing and asked, "How is it? Is it a newly made cheongsam?"
Mu Xing looked you over and shook his head, saying, "You look good in it, but why wear such a high collar? It's suffocating to look at. The neckline is stiff and will rub against your chin."
Bai Yan glanced at her and smiled, "You explained it so clearly, it's as if you've actually worn it yourself."
Touching his nose, Mu Xing said, "I heard it from my sister."
Bai Yan said, "Actually, I don't like it either, but this kind of cheongsam is fashionable now. Have you seen Ruan Lingyu's new movie? She wore it like this."
As she spoke, she walked to the display shelf, pointed to a long-necked vase, compared it to her own, and laughed, "Look, don't I look like a head has grown out of a vase now?"
Mu Xing took a look and indeed it looked very similar. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "What a wonderful 'Beauty Bottle,' truly living up to its name."
After laughing for a while, Bai Yan opened the wardrobe and let Mu Xing choose for her.
Mu Xing chose a lotus-colored cheongsam for her, and Bai Yan took the clothes and went behind the screen to change, without even inviting Mu Xing to come out.
Mu Xing didn't pay attention at first, but when she heard the sound of fabric rustling behind the screen, she turned her head and saw the figure vaguely reflected on the screen. Suddenly, she blushed for no reason.
Why are you blushing! It's just changing clothes, it's not like you saw anything...
Mu Xing cursed himself inwardly, then suddenly remembered that night at the hotel.
Some details that I hadn't paid attention to at the time suddenly became clear—Miss Bai's petticoat, her seaweed-like, dripping black hair, and how the trembling water droplets fell...
When Bai Yan came out after changing her clothes, she was surprised to find Mu Xing not in the room. She opened the door and saw him leaning against the railing outside. Hearing her open the door, Mu Xing turned around: "All changed?"
Seeing the blush still lingering on her serious face, Bai Yan understood and smiled, "How is it?"
She leaned against the vermilion door, without any makeup. Her lotus-colored cheongsam was a common style, but the semi-transparent white gauze around the sleeves and hem revealed a glimpse of her jade-colored skin, making it impossible to look away.
In the past, Miss Bai was either alluring and seductive or beautiful and charming, but now she was exceptionally gentle and lovely.
—It makes you want to keep her to yourself.
Mu Xing looked at her again and again, repeatedly saying, "I told you, you're beautiful no matter what."
It was getting late. After changing her clothes, Bai Yan went back to her room to put on makeup. Mu Xing sat beside her, watching her intently until she blushed and couldn't bring herself to draw anything with her brush.
"Stop looking at me," she said reproachfully. "If you keep looking at me, I'm afraid I won't be able to finish drawing by tomorrow."
Mu Xing remained motionless, and smiled, "'At the small window, she is putting on her makeup,' so this is what the view is like."
As she spoke, she took the eyebrow pencil from Bai Yan's hand and said, "I'll draw it for you."
Bai Yan raised an eyebrow: "What kind of American university teaches eyebrow drawing?"
Mu Xing said without batting an eye, "I learned it from my sister."
The eyebrow pencil was dark, and Mu Xing carefully placed the pencil down, drawing with more precision than if she were performing surgery.
Bai Yan looked up at her with gentle eyes.
"When I was in the United States, I noticed that foreign women didn't like to groom their eyebrows and preferred natural, thick eyebrows. After getting used to it, when I returned to China, I felt awkward and strange seeing that Chinese women always had thin, long eyebrows."
With her elbows propped on the small table, Mu Xing drew and said softly, "It wasn't until I met you at the trading company that I realized there are no bad eyebrows, it's just that you haven't met the right person yet."
After finishing her eyebrows, she examined them for a while, making sure they were perfectly done. Then her gaze moved downwards, to the tiny mole, the tip of her nose, her lips… Her eyes widened suddenly as she saw the ring hanging on Bai Yan's neck.
A thin red thread threaded through the silver ring and hung down quietly.
As she stood there stunned, Bai Yan smiled and said, "Am I not the same?"
…
It was only five o'clock, but the restaurant that Master Li had booked was already bustling with people. A group of male and female waiters, dressed in newly starched clothes, greeted and saw off the gentlemen, merchants, and dignitaries with smiles on their faces, busy with their work and not even having time to wipe the sweat from their brows.
When Mu Xing and Bai Yan entered, the main hall of the hotel was already full of people.
Through the crowd, she first determined that Song Youcheng and Wang Mengwei were seated slightly out of the way, then noticed Tang Yu sitting at the innermost table. Seating was arranged according to rank and relationship, so even if people wanted to socialize, no one would dare to overstep their bounds. Since Wang Mengwei and her group rarely interacted with Tang Yu and his group, she figured they wouldn't notice her, and only then did she feel reassured as she walked over.
After greeting Tang Yu and the others, Mu Xing sat down in a relatively secluded spot at the table, hoping not to attract attention. Unexpectedly, she had barely sat down when she heard someone call her, "Third Young Master Mu?" Turning around, she saw it was Zhang Derong.
After greeting Tang Yu very respectfully, Zhang Derong whispered to Mu Xing, "Thanks to you, young master, the matter I entrusted to you before has been settled. I have already asked someone from your household to send a small gift. I will invite you to a more formal occasion another day. I hope you will do me the honor."
Mu Xing naturally agreed and said a few words of congratulations. Suddenly, Zhang Derong's lover, Fei Lan, whispered a few words in his ear. Zhang Derong smiled and then excused himself and left.
A little while later, Bai Yan suddenly told Mu Xing that she wanted to wash her hands. Mu Xing wanted to go with her, but then someone came over to chat, so Bai Yan went by herself.
The restaurant was decorated in a Chinese style. Bai Yan walked all the way to the moon gate in the inner garden. At this time, everyone was in the front hall, and the back garden was almost deserted.
She waited for a while under the moon gate, and then saw Zhang Derong come out of the front hall and walk towards the moon gate.
He looked around as he walked, and just as he passed through the moon gate, he suddenly heard a faint voice calling "Boss Zhang," which startled him: "Who is it!"
He turned his head and saw Bai Yan, and was immediately stunned: "Miss Bai?"
Looking around again, Zhang Derong didn't see Fei Lan, who had called him over, and immediately understood what was going on.
Knowing that Bai Yan held considerable influence with Mu Xing, Zhang Derong softened his tone and asked, "Miss Bai, is there anything you wish to instruct me to do?"
Bai Yan said, "I dare not give orders, but our young master Mu has some worries in his heart, and there is no one he can entrust to help him. If this matter can be resolved, it will surely make young master Mu feel more at ease than any mountain of gold or silver."
Assessing her intentions, Zhang Derong smiled and said, "Young Master Mu has been kind to me. Sharing Young Master Mu's troubles is not only Miss Bai's business, but also my business. Miss Bai, why don't you tell me? If I can help Young Master Mu, it will not only benefit me, but also Miss Bai."
With a faint smile, Bai Yan said, "Speaking of which, this matter has indeed brought together me and Young Master Mu."
Chapter Forty-Six
When Bai Yan returned to the main hall, the ceremony had already begun.
"Why did it take so long?" Mu Xing pulled out a chair for her to sit down and asked softly, "What are they doing?"
At the front of the hall, Second Master Li and Fei Lian, dressed in her wedding gown, stood side by side. A gentleman spoke with the madam of Yu Hua's brothel, then received something from her. Because of their secluded seating, it was difficult to hear what they were saying.
Bai Yan glanced at him and said to Mu Xing, "That gentleman was the matchmaker for Second Master Li and Fei Lian. He will act as the witness now, retrieving Fei Lian's indenture as a sign of notarization. From now on, the past is forgiven, and Fei Lian belongs to Second Master Li."
Mu Xing nodded.
Bai Yan continued, "Young Master Mu, you know what 'lighting the big candle' means, right? It was Second Master Li who lit the candle for Fei Lian and deflowered her. In this brothel, after the candle is lit, the patrons usually book the master immediately. If someone as lucky as Fei Lian can be redeemed and become a concubine, that's an immense blessing."
Upon hearing this, Mu Xing couldn't help but think of Master Li's wife. What was a woman's blessing was another woman's misfortune.
With a sigh, Mu Xing casually asked, "What if they aren't redeemed?"
After a pause, Bai Yan said softly, "If a patron abandons him, the master can only return to the brothel and wait for the next patron to take care of him, in a never-ending cycle. Until he grows old and loses his beauty, exhausting his last bit of worth. If he can save up some money to redeem himself, he can either get married or buy two people and become a madam. Or perhaps, he will contract a disease and end up in a brothel, waiting to die."
Feeling a lump in her throat from her words, Mu Xing thought for a moment and asked, "I wonder how much it cost Second Master Li to redeem Fei Lian?"
“Feilian and her family are in debt, so if you add it all up, it’s bound to be this much.” Bai Yan made a five-pointing gesture.
Five thousand dollars, for a family like Master Li's, is nothing more than half a plot of land or the price of a few high-stakes gambles, yet it can buy a woman's entire life.
Mu Xing wanted to ask, "And what about you?" but he swallowed the words back.
Since returning from Caiyun Pavilion that day, she had been determined to tell Miss Bai everything, and now, all that was needed was the right opportunity.
She knew that Miss Bai had always wanted a man, and once she revealed her identity, she could only let Miss Bai blame and resent her as she pleased.
Even if she wanted to redeem Miss Bai, she should have waited until everything was settled. Or perhaps, by then, Miss Bai wouldn't need her help anymore…
After the various ceremonies were completed, the officiant offered a few words of blessing and announced that the ceremony was successfully concluded. As soon as he finished speaking, all the guests applauded and raised their glasses to congratulate Master Li. With the ceremony over, everyone relaxed and began to enjoy the banquet. The hall was filled with the clinking of glasses and a lively atmosphere.
Mu Xing was originally sitting in the center with Tang Yu. After drinking a few glasses of wine, she suddenly saw Second Master Li leading Fei Lian to toast the people in the main seat. She immediately panicked.
Damn it, I completely forgot about the toasting part!
Although she hadn't seen Second Master Li for several years, the Mu and Li families had maintained a long-standing friendship and knew each other very well. Second Master Li couldn't possibly be unaware that the Mu family actually had a "Third Young Master Mu." If he were to expose her in public, it would be disastrous—even if she had long wanted to be honest with Miss Bai, she certainly wouldn't do it in such a setting!
Seeing that Master Li was only two tables away from them, Mu Xing was anxious to change tables but couldn't think of a good reason. Just as she was getting impatient, Bai Yan suddenly tugged at her sleeve and said, "Young Master, Boss Zhang wants to invite you over."
Mu Xing quickly turned her head and saw that Zhang Derong was indeed walking over here. It seemed that Boss Zhang was coming to toast her and Tang Yu. He was not familiar with Second Master Li and had a status restriction, so he sat quite far away. If she wanted to hide, their place was a good place.
With a determined look in his heart, Mu Xing was about to stand up when a servant suddenly trotted in and whispered a few words in Master Li's ear. Master Li frowned, and without even bothering to offer a toast, followed the servant out.
Everyone was busy toasting and moving around, and the whole hall was bustling with noise. Apart from the table where Master Li was toasting, no one paid any attention.
Mu Xing breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down in his chair.
A moment later, Zhang Derong approached: "Second Young Master, Third Young Master Mu! I was just about to invite you for a drink, but since our distinguished guests are all seated together, I didn't want to bother you." He glanced at Bai Yan and then added, "Would you two gentlemen do me the honor of sitting at our table?"
Tang Yu and Zhang Derong already had a relationship, so she naturally agreed. Mu Xing didn't want to sit there in fear any longer, so she followed Zhang Derong to their table.
Zhang Derong's table was mostly filled with businessmen who had started their careers later in life. Although they had no real connection to Master Li, they were there for a drink, hoping to make some new acquaintances. When Tang Yu and Mu Xing arrived, everyone quickly stood up to offer them drinks, poured them a few cups of wine, and began chatting amongst themselves.