Arrancando flores y sonriendo

Capítulo 43

Seeing my disapproval, Grandpa Guan said earnestly, "You know, when Mengyao came into the family, Rumei was only four years old. Suddenly she had an older brother and lost her mother. How was she supposed to cope?! If it were you, could you remain calm?"

"I truly cannot do it." I gently shook my head—in short, he was definitely siding with Rumei. Then, I coldly retorted, "But you clearly know that all of this tragedy stemmed from Master Lu's infidelity. How can you expect the three of us to live together harmoniously?" This book was first published on Xiaoxiang Novel Original Network; please retain this information when reprinting!

[Volume 3: War and Chaos - Chapter 4: Standing in the Wind and Dew at Midnight]

"You... why are all women so jealous?" Grandpa Guan was clearly very unhappy with my retort, and he was so angry that he glared and puffed out his cheeks. He drew out his words, "It's very common for men to have three wives and four concubines. It's hard for me to speak up for you if you act like this!"

"Then don't say it." I sneered. "I can compromise on everything else, but I've never thought of sharing my husband with someone else! And there's one more thing you'd better understand—I've never said I wanted to marry Master Jiang!"

After saying all that, I stood up angrily, ignoring Guan Dingshan's darkening face, and turned to leave this stubborn old man. But unexpectedly, I bumped into a pair of bright, piercing black eyes.

Liu Wufeng remained dressed in pristine white, untouched by the world. At that moment, his once handsome face turned deathly pale as he stared intently into my eyes—clearly, he had heard my final declaration.

"Ahem, Wufeng, you're here. You two chat, I'm leaving." Guan Dingshan nodded awkwardly with a gloomy old face, then vanished like a whirlwind—you old rascal, you're quick to run away after causing trouble, how am I supposed to face Wufeng?!

"There's no wind." I looked at him awkwardly, unsure how to explain, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you all this sooner!"

Liu Wufeng didn't speak, only stared at me silently—what did he mean? Disguising oneself as a man isn't a capital offense, is it? Was it necessary to get so angry?!

"As you know, I don't know martial arts, and it's very inconvenient for me to travel alone. I had no choice but to hide the truth," I stammered as I explained to him—oops! Why isn't he answering?!

"Did you know all along, brother?" After a long silence, he finally spoke, "Those clothes he had Uncle Zhou send were actually for you, weren't they?"

"Yes." I nodded gently. "I'm sorry. At that time, Master Jiang's body was still poisoned. He didn't want others to see him in such a helpless state, so I couldn't take the liberty of telling you."

He gazed at me for a long time, then suddenly smiled, a smile as warm as the spring sunshine, capable of melting away all worldly troubles. Then, he softly uttered two words I couldn't understand: "So good!"

"What?" I was completely dumbfounded.

"So you're a woman, that's great!" Liu Wufeng smiled meaningfully once again.

"Oh? You're not upset that I lied to you?" Seeing that he didn't seem angry, I smiled with relief. "Yes, Wufeng is the warmest person in the world, how could he get angry over such a small thing?!"

"Were you sincere when you said that just now?" He smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying my assessment, but then threw out a strange question.

"Which sentence? I think I just said a lot of things." I looked at him blankly. "Which sentence are you referring to?"

“I can compromise on everything else, but I’ve never thought of sharing my husband with someone else!” Liu Wufeng stared at me intently, slowly repeating, “You’d better understand—I never said I wanted to marry Master Jiang!”

I was so surprised that he asked me that that that I immediately blushed and stamped my foot, refusing to answer directly, "You just asked one sentence, now it's two sentences."

He stared at me for a while, then suddenly laughed. "Alright, then I'll ask you another question, and you'll definitely know the answer."

"If it's about myself, I'll tell you the truth. But if it's about what happened during Jiang Daxia's disappearance, it's best not to ask me, because I don't know either." I carefully chose my words, looking him directly in the eye.

"Qingyang shouldn't be your real name, right? What's your real name?" Liu Wufeng smiled smugly.

"Ye Qing. Qing as in sunny." I breathed a sigh of relief. There's nothing to hide, right?

"Ye Qing? Ye Qing, Ye Qing." Liu Wufeng called my name softly, almost in a murmur.

"What are you doing here?" I turned around and saw Lu Rumei standing prettily behind us, looking back and forth between Wufeng and me with a suspicious expression.

"Is there something you need?" Wu Feng asked her casually.

"Didn't Grandpa Jiang want you to find someone surnamed Ye and have dinner together at Feiyun Pavilion?" It was clear that Lu Rumei was extremely reluctant to accept this decision. She muttered to herself with a sullen face, "I really don't understand what Grandpa Jiang is thinking. It's true that the Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for family reunion, but it doesn't seem to have anything to do with him, an outsider, does it? Why do we have to invite him?!"

"Is today the Mid-Autumn Festival?" I asked in surprise, then fell silent—had I already been in this time and space for a year? Time really flies!

"Hurry up and stop dawdling," Lu Rumei urged impatiently. "It wouldn't be good to keep Grandpa Jiang waiting!"

Feiyun Pavilion was brightly lit and decorated with lanterns. Servants moved about in an orderly fashion, their faces beaming with joy, excitement, and happiness—it had been many years since Jingyou Manor had been so lively. Now, with Huaiyuan's unexpected return, the exoneration of his name, and the Mid-Autumn Festival, the manor was truly celebrating three joyous occasions.

This lavish feast wasn't held in the main hall, but rather moved to a spacious courtyard. The fragrance of flowers mingled with laughter, exuding an aroma of happiness.

"Qingyang, come here quickly." Grandpa Jiang spotted me with sharp eyes and immediately waved to me with a smile, signaling me to come to his side.

Lu Rumei's originally light and even somewhat hurried steps suddenly slowed down and even stopped—her beautiful eyes were fixed on the face of the beautiful girl in a pale yellow dress sitting to the left of Grandpa Jiang.

I gently shook my head at Grandpa Jiang, smiled, avoided Huaiyuan's burning gaze, nodded slightly to Yang Wanqing, and quietly sat down next to Wufeng—I didn't want to face Guan Dingshan's dark old face.

"Second sister, it's been a long time." Rulan parted her lips slightly, her attitude so peaceful and natural, her smile so serene, as if there had never been any grudges or entanglements between the two sisters.

"Rulan?" Lu Rumei's lips trembled as she uttered the name with difficulty. Her pretty face turned pale, and her eyes quickly flashed with a complex expression of surprise, guilt, confusion, and so on.

"After all these years, Miss Lu is still as noble and elegant as ever." Yun Mengyan's voice was as cold as ice, her gaze as sharp as a knife. "What, seeing Rulan, don't you have anything to say?"

"Mengyan, so many years have passed. For my sake, please let it go!" Grandpa Jiang hurriedly stood up and pulled Lu Rumei to sit down beside him. "It's rare to be so happy today. Little Huizi has been found, and his injustice has been cleared. Come, let's all have a drink!"

"Yes, we've been looking forward to this reunion for so long. It's truly a cause for celebration!" Guan Dingshan glanced at me, raised his wine glass, and looked at me with a provocative tone. "Little Huizi, as they say, those who survive a great calamity are destined for good fortune! Rumei, a young lady, has waited for you all these years. You mustn't forget her kindness and let her down! You must settle down and start a family soon, so that we two old folks can hold our great-grandchildren in our arms!"

"Grandpa Guan! I just got back to the village, there's no rush." Huaiyuan replied casually, his eyes trying hard to catch my gaze.

I pretended to lower my head and drink, taking the opportunity to avoid the doubt in his eyes—alas! This triangle problem is probably not something that can be solved in a short time! My heart was filled with sorrow and mixed feelings.

"How can I not be anxious? You're already twenty-eight! If it weren't for that accident six years ago, your and Rumei's child would already be able to do horse stance and practice plum blossom stakes!" Guan Dingshan immediately glared at Huaiyuan, his beard bristling. "Don't you even think about how many years your grandfather has left to live? Are you trying to anger him to death?!"

"Dingshan, what's wrong with you? You're usually not that fond of children. But today you seem more anxious than I am?" Grandpa Jiang looked puzzled. "Xiao Huizi is right. Marriage is not a trivial matter. No matter how anxious we are, we have to wait for Kunlun to come and discuss it. First of all, we have to cancel Rumei and Wufeng's engagement!"

When Liu Wufeng saw that the topic had been directed at him, he immediately stood up. "Grandpa, Rumei and I are just like brother and sister. This matter is a verbal agreement between you and Master Lu. I never agreed to it. So it doesn't count!"

"Enough! What do you take me for, Lu Rumei? To be pushed around like this by you all?" Lu Rumei shouted, feeling both ashamed, annoyed, anxious, and furious. With a twist of her slender waist, she leaped and disappeared beyond the courtyard wall.

Guan Dingshan's attempt to outsmart me backfired, leaving him speechless. He could only direct his anger at me—glaring at me fiercely, as if to say, "It's all your fault, you've ruined the Jiang family's peace!" I could only respond with a bitter smile—"Heaven is my witness, I really didn't do anything! Is this really my fault?"

"Hmph! So many years have passed, and she's still so spoiled and willful! I think it's good that Xiao Huizi takes this opportunity to reject this marriage! It will save her from suffering for the rest of her life!" Yun Mengyan said sarcastically, her gloating was very straightforward.

"Uh, why don't I go check on her?" I pointed in the direction where Lu Rumei disappeared and immediately made an excuse to slip away—just kidding, if I didn't leave now, would I stay here and become cannon fodder for Guan Dingshan?