The Art of Teasing - Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Even as they were speaking, a fragrant breeze drifted in. A woman of about the same age suddenly darted out from the side, circled around behind her grandmother, covered the old woman's eyes with both hands, and called out, "Grandma, guess who I am?"

The old lady immediately broke into a smile. "You little rascal, what took you so long? We've been waiting half the day for you."

"I should have been here ages ago, but the flight was delayed, and then there was traffic."

Wen Zhengyu stared blankly at this woman who had fluttered in and immediately called her maternal grandmother "Grandma." It took her a moment to realize this must be some granddaughter from a family on good terms with the Lian family.

The woman released her hands, then wrapped her arms around the old lady's neck from behind, the picture of familiarity. She glanced around the room, nodded and smiled in greeting when her eyes met Ye Ling's, then swept her gaze twice over Wen Zhengyu. She murmured by the old lady's ear, "Which one's your granddaughter?"

Grandma teased, "You guess."

The woman said, "What's there to guess? You can tell who's your blood just by looking at the face."

Wen Zhengyu couldn't help thinking that if this woman weren't so ridiculously good-looking, she'd really be… well, anyway, she just felt this person had come to steal her grandmother.

And good-looking she truly was. When she smiled, it felt like a misty spring rain brushing across your face, as if you'd been suddenly swept back into the third month of the year. Her eyes were the classic peach blossom eyes—smiling, gently curved, the laughter in those eyes seeming to suffuse with the misty rains of Jiangnan, half-inebriated, hazy and alluring. Every casual lift of her eyes, every smile, every word she spoke was charm personified. An innate charisma Wen Zhengyu could never dream of copying, no matter how much she envied it.

With a single glance, Wen Zhengyu could tell this woman came from an excellent family and had received a top-notch upbringing.

Alluring women came in many types. Some slid into vulgar coquettishness, others lost their poise to nervousness. This woman… how to describe her. When she smiled, she was like a peach blossom standing proudly on its branch in the spring rain of the third month, brilliant in its splendor, commanding the season all on its own. The droplets of rain clinging to the petals carried a cool, refreshing moisture that touched the heart. Every gesture she made carried the absolute confidence of a flower that knows it is the most beautiful in an entire forest of blossoms—not the arrogance of someone putting on airs, but the kind of presence that makes you look at her and simply know she deserves to be. What Wen Zhengyu found most captivating was that the very first impression she gave was one of utter purity, like a flawless piece of white mutton-fat jade.

Wen Zhengyu had taken care of her skin since she was a child, and she'd always thought her complexion was quite something. In over twenty years, she'd rarely met anyone who could compete. Yet today, try as she might, she couldn't outshine the woman. Her best estimate: a draw, at most.

The old lady smiled and called, "Yu'er, come here."

Wen Zhengyu walked to her grandmother's side.

The old lady introduced them. "This is the famously beautiful granddaughter of the Qi family. She's a year and three months older than you. Her name is Qi Wei—the 'Wei' as in longitude. Just call her Sister Weiwei."

Wen Zhengyu obediently said, "Hello, Sister Weiwei."

Qi Wei raised a hand and rubbed it gently over her head. "What a good girl."

Wen Zhengyu: "…" What the heck!

Qi Wei sighed. "What gorgeous hair." She turned to the old lady and called, "Grandma, you have to feel this."

Wen Zhengyu: "…" The bratty sister from next door! No, the bratty sister from Grandfather's comrade's family. She quietly sidled a step away.

Qi Wei sighed again. "When your long hair reaches your waist, shall I marry you?"

Wen Zhengyu: "…" Another lunatic!

Qi Wei added to Wen Zhengyu, "Don't read too much into it. Seeing your waist-length hair just reminded me of that internet meme."

Wen Zhengyu: "…" Yet another person with no shame.

Qi Wei continued, "Alright, that little look in your eyes already told me you're bad-mouthing me in your head. What are you saying about me?"

Wen Zhengyu silently relocated behind her grandmother.

Qi Wei called out, "Grandma, she's bad-mouthing me in her head."

Wen Zhengyu: "…" Was it okay to hit someone now?

The old lady laughed uncontrollably and patted Qi Wei gently. "Stop teasing Yu'er now. The banquet's about to start. Yu'er, sit next to Qi Wei. She'll look after you. The child's only just come back, she doesn't really know you yet. Spend more time with her."

Qi Wei responded, "Done."

The old lady said to Ye Ling, "You go too. It'll be livelier with all you young people together."

Ye Ling smiled and gently answered, "Alright."

At the old lady's instruction, Ye Ling, Wen Zhengyu, and Qi Wei were all seated at the same table.

Wen Zhengyu had noticed the earlier exchange of nods between Qi Wei and Ye Ling. Once they'd stepped away from her grandmother, she asked, "You two know each other?"

Qi Wei said, "We do."

Hearing the lack of elaboration, Wen Zhengyu understood their acquaintance was limited—they simply knew of each other, with no private connection. If they had been close, she'd have seated them together with herself next to Ye Ling. Since they weren't, she'd sit between them herself.

This table was filled with young people from the families closest to the Lian family, all roughly her own age.

Grandpa Bian's grandson, Bian Fangxian, was there too.

Right, his name was Bian Fangxian, literally "defense line." If her grandmother hadn't said it herself, she'd hardly have believed his own grandfather had given him that name. Bian Fangxian also had an older brother named Bian Fangjun, literally "defense army." Bian Fangxian was deeply tanned, with the ruddy cheeks that came from living at high altitude. After finishing his master's degree at the National University of Defense Technology, he'd gone straight to Tibet to serve at a border post, where he had been stationed for several years. He was currently home on family leave and had accompanied Grandpa Bian here.

Qi Wei was clearly familiar with Bian Fangxian. She asked as soon as she sat down, "How are you getting darker and darker?"

Bian Fangxian shot back, "And you're getting paler and paler."

Qi Wei asked, "I heard you're transferring back?"

Bian Fangxian said, "It's not settled yet."

Qi Wei said, "Do hurry back. I hear the winters there are cold enough to freeze your toes right off."

Bian Fangxian replied, dead serious, "Only the toenails froze off. No toes were lost."

Wen Zhengyu: "…" She could only offer him a toast in tribute.

Qi Wei's jealousy flared. She said to Wen Zhengyu, "You toast him but not me?"

Wen Zhengyu shot back, "You go garrison the border, and I'll toast you too."

Qi Wei: "…"

Bian Fangxian pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh. He cleared his throat. "Once, Qi… hey… fine, I won't say it. Stop kicking me."

Now openly curious, Wen Zhengyu looked back and forth between them.

Qi Wei looked embarrassed. "It's nothing. Just one time I was traveling in Tibet and decided to swing by and visit him."

Wen Zhengyu understood. And she'd thoroughly embarrassed herself in the process, of course.

She didn't know everyone at the table, so Qi Wei took on the task of introductions.

Listening to Qi Wei's introductions, Wen Zhengyu learned that Bian Fangxian, who barely looked two or three years older than her, had already risen to deputy regimental commander. His older brother, Bian Fangjun—several years his senior—was already a full regimental commander in the Capital Garrison. It made sense once she thought about it: Bian Fangxian's academic credentials were solid, he could endure hardship, and by going to that bitterly cold frontier where toes could freeze off, he naturally had more opportunities to earn merit.

Most of the people at her table were from military or political backgrounds. She, Ye Ling, and Qi Wei were the three odd flowers in this cluster. Ye Ling was in business, she herself was now more or less in business, and Qi Wei introduced herself as "unemployed."

Wen Zhengyu didn't believe that for a second. "Unemployed?"

Qi Wei said, "Really."

The person next to them whom Qi Wei had addressed as "The Tax Collector" told Wen Zhengyu, "She really is unemployed—and an unemployed person who turns up everywhere."

Wen Zhengyu was baffled. Before Wen Shiyi's downfall, she'd also been somewhat unemployed, but at least she'd had the identity of a minor painter to prop her up. Qi Wei, unemployed? Qi Wei didn't look remotely like an unemployed person.

Once again, Qi Wei's hand reached over to ruffle Wen Zhengyu's hair. "If you can't figure it out, don't think about it, okay?" She picked up a morsel of food with her chopsticks and placed it in Wen Zhengyu's bowl. "Eat."

Wen Zhengyu was speechless. Was this how you coaxed a child? She turned to Qi Wei. "Thank you so much."

Ye Ling glanced at Qi Wei and murmured in Wen Zhengyu's ear by way of explanation, "A private slush fund."

Wen Zhengyu understood instantly. Lian Xin was also a slush fund of sorts, just an overt one. Alright, so the woman on her left was Ye Zhan's hidden war chest.

The people at her table were all of the same generation but from every profession imaginable, and since they were peers, they found endless topics to discuss. Wen Zhengyu listened to their chatter and found it genuinely entertaining. For instance, the Tax Collector related the bizarre people and situations he encountered in his tax work: "The fake accounts were so pathetic they'd make you weep. You'd think they could at least hire someone even slightly professional. If you're going to cheat, at least cheat seriously. And then, they came back and plonked a huge antique on my desk. You tell me, with that kind of behavior, who else are you supposed to investigate?"

Someone else asked Bian Fangxian just how cold the Tibetan border winters actually were.

Bian Fangxian thought for a moment. "Not too cold, really. Just cold enough that your pee freezes into ice halfway through."

Wen Zhengyu: "…" Could they please be civilized? They were eating!

As she ate, the two pairs of chopsticks on either side kept adding food to her bowl. The pile never diminished. She knew exactly what Ye Ling meant by it, but what was with Qi Wei's compulsion to serve people food?

She turned to Qi Wei. "Sister Weiwei, I can serve myself."

Qi Wei said, "Give it a rest. Just eat in peace. It's rare that I'm in a good enough mood to serve you today. Count your blessings."

Wen Zhengyu: "…" She really wanted to drag Qi Wei and Ye Ling together to compare whose skin was thicker.

Qi Wei said to her, "Don't bad-mouth me in your head. With the type like you, if someone's talking and you're not making a sound, you're definitely yapping away inside."

Wen Zhengyu couldn't stand Qi Wei. She quickly served her some food to stuff her mouth shut.

Qi Wei pointed at the bamboo shoots on the table. "Those shoots are good."

Wen Zhengyu gave her two more slices.

Qi Wei said, "What do you think I am, a cat? Two more slices. My cat eats more than this."

Wen Zhengyu said, "Your cat must be very fat." Fine, I won't bad-mouth you in my head. I'll say it out loud and annoy you.

Qi Wei said, "Not too bad, only about twenty pounds."

Wen Zhengyu jumped. "A cat? Twenty pounds? And that's not fat?"

Qi Wei said, "It's fine, just a little plump. He's on a diet."

Wen Zhengyu: "…"

Ye Ling watched Wen Zhengyu being ordered around by Qi Wei—fetching her food, ladling her soup, never stopping. She gripped her chopsticks tightly, suppressing the urge to stab someone with them, and set them down. She switched to offering toasts instead. After making a round of toasts, she placed more food into Wen Zhengyu's bowl and said, "You've been drinking. Eat more."

Qi Wei could now confirm that Ye Ling's interest in Wen Zhengyu was very real, and the kind of interest was the interesting kind.

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