The Art of Teasing - Chapter 91

Chapter 91

Old Master Wen handled matters with remarkable efficiency. By the eighth day of the tenth lunar month, the Old Family Mansion was officially ready for habitation.

The move was something the old master had arranged with Zhan Cheng.

Considering the financial situation, the household did not hire private bodyguards. They contracted a security company for guards. The guards worked in two shifts, twelve-hour rotations. The rear and side gates were locked, and the gate used for vehicles had an electronic lock that required no posted guard. Four security guards to watch the mansion, combined with surveillance and anti-theft systems, were sufficient. One cleaner, one housekeeper, and one gardener were hired. With the additional household staff, Sun Yuan could no longer manage alone, so another cook was brought on.

When Old Master Wen saw the furniture in her room, he inquired pointedly, "Was it Ye Ling who bought these back?" He also asked if she wanted to invite Ye Ling on the day the mansion was officially opened.

Wen Zhengyu shook her head and said, "That won't be necessary." Since things were to end, they should end cleanly and decisively. As for Ye Ling's favor in helping her buy back her grandmother's dowry furniture, she could only repay that debt of gratitude when an opportunity arose in the future.

For the mansion's opening, relatives and close friends had to be invited for the housewarming banquet. Her uncles, aunts, and cousins all came. The mansion was in her name, so the Lian family relatives also had to be invited. Lian Xi and her maternal cousins-in-law brought their children. Her maternal grandmother and grandfather had prepared a gift for her, delivered by Lian Xi.

Her mother's accident had occurred in this very mansion. This was a wound the Lian family would never fully overcome. Lian Xi could come because he was too young to understand when her mother's accident happened. Her sisters-in-law had also married into the family later and were willing to come on her account.

After the Old Family Mansion was officially opened, Wen Zhengyu moved back into her original small courtyard.

Her room was fully furnished. The old master had only remade the curtains.

Her walk-in closet had been remodeled after she came of age. The wardrobes and shoe cabinets were all made from wood purchased later, built by artisans according to modern, practical designs. The most valuable part was the cost of the wood itself. Because they could not fetch a good price, they were left behind. When she moved back in, the walk-in closet remained exactly as before.

Her small storage room had been sold off completely. Now she had nothing saved up, nothing to use.

When she slept on the Babu Canopy Bed, she always remembered that Ye Ling had bought these back. Her emotions were often a mixture of feelings. If these were not her grandmother's heirlooms, she could move the items into storage as collectibles to avoid seeing them so often and thinking too much. But since they were her grandmother's heirlooms, objects she had used for over twenty years and grown accustomed to, it left her feeling that removing them was wrong, yet not removing them felt wrong too. Every time she returned to her room and saw these things, her thoughts inexplicably drifted to Ye Ling.

Needless to say, the wing room next to her courtyard gate was the same. Although it was meticulously cleaned and all personal items were packed away, the furnishings and ornaments remained. Things that had been used always leave some trace behind. These traces were not easily visible to ordinary people's eyes, but since she had handled antiques for years, she could spot them at a single glance. Take a tea table, for instance. A brand-new one that had never been used, even if displayed for many years, would have a color drastically different from one that had been used. A regularly used tea table, after every use, would be wiped down. If tea splashed on it, tea stains would seep into the lacquer. On the surface, it appeared wiped clean, but in truth, during the wiping and the contact with the tea, substances had already penetrated the lacquer. Combined with the friction from wiping back and forth, the luster of the lacquer would inevitably change.

There was no one else but Ye Ling who could have set up such a rest room in her small courtyard's wing room. From the traces left by use, she could even tell which spot Ye Ling occupied when resting in that room.

Every time she returned to the small courtyard, the moment she stepped inside, she first saw the small wing room. When she went back into her own room, she saw the furniture filling the entire space. It left her in a terrible mood.

Fortunately, she lived at her maternal grandmother's house. Even when she came back frequently to see the old master, she mostly spent time in the dining room and the guest hall.

In the blink of an eye, the Mid-Autumn Festival arrived.

She had lunch at her maternal grandmother's house and returned in the evening to celebrate Mid-Autumn with the old master.

Her uncles and aunts had come for the Mid-Autumn reunion banquet at noon. They each had their evening plans, so the dinner was her, her second aunt's family, and the old master celebrating Mid-Autumn together.

Madam Wen Shishu brought her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter. Also coming along was her former brother-in-law. Though called a former brother-in-law, Mr. Kang did not consider himself an outsider. He still adopted the demeanor of a son-in-law of the Wen family, addressing Old Master Wen as "father" with far more warmth and intimacy than Wen Shiyi ever did.

Mr. Kang had been unfaithful and consequently divorced her second aunt. Yet, for so many years after the divorce, he continued to be utterly devoted to her. The success of her second aunt's business owed a great deal to Mr. Kang's assistance. That evening, Mr. Kang drank heavily and began his familiar laments about how his family was poor in the past, how he had no skill beyond his studies, and how he had married a good wife to get to where he was today.

Listening to Mr. Kang's ramblings, Wen Zhengyu could tell he was still hoping for a reconciliation, to retrace his steps. But watching her second aunt's reaction, she knew her aunt truly no longer had those feelings for Mr. Kang.

When Mr. Kang was half-drunk, he thanked her second aunt again for helping him so much this time.

Wen Shishu told Mr. Kang to thank Young Mr. Kang; everything she did was for her son.

Mr. Kang did not thank Young Mr. Kang. Instead, he offered a toast to Wen Zhengyu.

Wen Zhengyu covered her wine cup with her hand and asked, "Uncle-in-l—" The moment her mouth opened, her second aunt's talons landed on her ear. Startled, she swallowed the rest of the word, corrected herself to "Uncle Kang," and asked, "Are you drunk?"

Mr. Kang insisted she drink.

She had no choice but to drink it.

After finishing the wine, she looked at her second aunt, puzzled. Her second aunt told her that, in investigations, knowing who is or is not being investigated, and whether someone leaks a hint of information, can sometimes be a matter of life and death. She added that Lao Kang nearly stumbled badly this time.

Having someone leak a word, allowing you to get ahead of things, versus having no one give a hint and only knowing when it is a foregone conclusion, those are worlds apart.

Wen Zhengyu thought of Ye Che again. If the evidence for his case this time had not been so complete and ironclad across the board, the Ye family's second branch would not have fallen so quickly and so cleanly.

Building a family enterprise was not easy. It often required many years of accumulation. But collapse could happen overnight, said to fall, and it would fall.

Wen Zhengyu thought of Ye Che, and then she thought of Ye Ling. For so many days, they had not contacted each other. She had sent a festive greeting to Ye Ling, but Ye Ling had not replied. Even if they could no longer be lovers, business partners and friends usually still exchange holiday greetings. But because of the private matters that had passed between them, even ordinary social courtesies were gone now.

Wen Zhengyu let out a deep breath and withdrew her thoughts. Some people, some connections, once severed, are simply severed.

Madam Wen Shili made a video call to the old master. After a few words between father and daughter, the old master asked about Wen Shiyi. Wen Shili said, "He's with me. He won't go hungry. You just take care of yourself, Old Master, and enjoy some unburdened good fortune. At your advanced age, don't worry about your children and grandchildren anymore. If you must worry, worry more about the one right in front of you."

Wen Zhengyu leaned in and said, "Eldest Aunt, there isn't much to worry about with me."

Wen Shili laughed. "I hear from your second aunt that you're about to find a girlfriend?"

Wen Zhengyu shot a glance at Wen Shishu, then said to Wen Shili, "Don't listen to Second Aunt's nonsense. There's nothing like that." Unwilling to linger on the topic of Ye Ling, she quickly changed the subject. "Eldest Aunt, when are you coming back?"

Wen Shili said, "Guo nian."

Wen Zhengyu paused for a moment before realizing her aunt meant "for the New Year," not "in two years." Surprised and delighted, she asked, "Truly?"

Wen Shili said, "Truly."

Wen Zhengyu was overjoyed. "Then you must come back soon. The old master has already tidied up your small courtyard. The plum tree in your courtyard blooms every winter, and it's almost as tall as the rooftop now."

Wen Shili paused for two seconds before responding, "Very well." She then told the old master not to overstrain himself at his age.

Listening to the conversation between father and daughter, Wen Zhengyu felt as if they were on the verge of reconciliation.

Her cousin, cousin-in-law, and niece all took turns speaking with Wen Shili on the phone, creating a lively atmosphere.

They enjoyed the moon, ate mooncakes, and drank wine during the Mid-Autumn festival, and it was late into the night before everyone dispersed.

Wen Zhengyu had drunk a bit too much. The path she walked was no longer a straight line.

Madam Wen Shishu's small courtyard had its main house occupied by Young Mr. Kang's family of three. The wing room, set up as a guest room, was given to Mr. Kang. So, Madam Wen Shishu came to share Wen Zhengyu's bed again.

Madam Wen Shishu squeezed into her bed and tried to pry for gossip.

Wen Zhengyu ignored Madam Wen Shishu, hugging her blanket tightly as she pressed herself against the innermost edge of the bed and fell asleep.

Wen Shiyi had not even called during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Madam Wen Shili was unwilling to mention him. From this, Wen Zhengyu knew Wen Shiyi was likely not doing well. The most her eldest aunt was probably doing for Wen Shiyi now was, as she put it, "not letting him go hungry."

For a man who would not even call his old father, who constantly worried about him, Wen Zhengyu treated him as if he were no longer among the living.

Wen Shishu looked at Wen Zhengyu, who clutched the blanket like a kitten and curled into a ball, already fast asleep. Though she had gotten nothing out of her, she could see that Ye Ling was definitely a lost cause. Wen Zhengyu loved tea but did not care much for alcohol. Even when she drank, she would have, at most, half a bottle of red wine or two taels of white spirit. Tonight, she had drunk so much that she was swaying as she walked. It was clear she was truly hurting.

After Mid-Autumn, once she had finished calculating the festival's profits, Wen Zhengyu finally found a bit of free time.

Wen Zhengyu arranged the matters of the art studio, the catering company, and the food factory, then asked the old lady for leave, wanting to go out to sketch and gather inspiration.

The old lady said, "Go ahead. It will do you good to ease your mind. Take Wen Jing and Ma Jun with you. But wait a few days before leaving. The day after tomorrow is Old Cai's birthday. You must accompany me."

Wen Zhengyu nodded in agreement. Anyone the old lady addressed with the prefix "old" and visited in person was surely an old friend of many decades. In recent years, the old lady and the old master had been frequently ill and had long since handed their affairs over to the younger generation. The only elderly people they still visited were those with friendships spanning half a lifetime. As the old lady would say, every day lived is a day less, and you never know when another one will be gone. So, unless they were too sick to get out of bed, if the other person was holding a banquet or had some matter, they would go if possible.

At gatherings of elderly people of such advanced years, unless it was a gathering like Old Master Wen's that was driven by shared hobbies, everyone liked to bring a younger family member along. This served both as someone to take care of the elderly and run errands, and as a way for the younger generation to interact and build connections.

Old Master Cai's longevity banquet was held at a hotel. Because his son held a high-ranking position, there were a great number of people coming to offer birthday congratulations. The level of bustle rivaled her grandmother's longevity banquet. Since it was in the same city and the people coming and going were much the same, Wen Zhengyu saw many familiar faces when she arrived.

Qi Wei was there. Ye Ling was there too, each surrounded by a crowd of people.

From the fervent eagerness displayed by those around them, and their overt and covert attempts to impress—so eager they seemed ready to fan their tails and strut—it was impossible for Wen Zhengyu not to see they were all suitors. And indeed, both of them had rather thriving romantic prospects.

Today, Ye Ling had brought a companion. It was a woman, appearing to be about thirty-four or thirty-five, whose every gesture and movement was full of allure. Though not as beautiful as Qi Wei, she possessed a more mature and sultry charm than Qi Wei. The way this woman looked at Ye Ling was unlike how others did.

When Wen Zhengyu saw Ye Ling turn her head toward her, she gave a slight nod in greeting, then withdrew her gaze and walked with the old lady into the hall.

An indescribable emotion spread through her heart, like a cloud of smoke diffusing within, expanding and thinning, growing lighter and lighter. Then, the sound of a string snapping echoed, and all returned to stillness.

Wen Zhengyu felt that going their separate ways was for the best. Ye Ling could find someone who could respond to her feelings, someone who could treat her well. She herself would return to her unencumbered, quiet, and free life. From then on, the two would have no further ties or interactions.

This thought finally settled her heart, which had been in turmoil for so long.

She felt that she was truly unsuited for romantic entanglements.

Staying by the old lady's side, she unexpectedly discovered that the old lady seemed to have intentions of matchmaking for her. However, the old lady did not force her. When she showed no interest, the old lady said nothing, though she did cast a few glances toward Ye Ling.

Qi Wei, that incurable gossip with well-informed sources, specifically came over to tell her who Ye Ling's new flame was.

Wen Zhengyu immediately felt Qi Wei was here to stir up trouble. She leaned close to Qi Wei's ear and whispered, "Ye Ling and I, it's over." Having said this, she ignored Qi Wei and lifted her teacup to drink.

Seeing that Wen Zhengyu truly seemed not to take it to heart, Qi Wei found it rather dull. She said, "Watching you two before, I thought there was really something going on. Turns out it fell apart so fast. No fun."

Wen Zhengyu gave a rather agreeing "Mm" and said, "It was no fun."

Detecting the languid tone, Qi Wei said, "Hey," and added, "I have something to tell you."

Wen Zhengyu gave an "Mm" and slowly sipped her tea.

Qi Wei said, "There's this annoying pest I can't shake off. So I told him you were my girlfriend."

Wen Zhengyu nearly spat out her tea. She exclaimed, "And anyone actually believed that?"

Qi Wei said, "Well, yes. Last time, he saw us feeding each other food. We're always together when buying antiques, and I saved your life. A life-saving favor, aren't you going to repay it?"

Wen Zhengyu said, "No. In a couple of days, I'm going up the mountain. I don't have time to fend off your rotten romantic prospects."

Qi Wei asked, "What are you going up the mountain for?"

Wen Zhengyu said, "Autumn is crisp and clear. A perfect season for gathering inspiration."

Qi Wei asked where she was going and if she would bring her along.

Wen Zhengyu told Qi Wei that she planned to stay at a Daoist temple for the few days she was sketching.

Upon hearing that it involved staying at a Daoist temple, Qi Wei lost all interest.

After accompanying the old lady to Old Master Cai's longevity banquet, Wen Zhengyu packed her luggage and, bringing Wen Jing and Ma Jun, went to stay at a Daoist temple on the mountain.

As a rule, famous mountains and scenic spots were either occupied by temples or Daoist temples, or they were bustling tourist attractions. In this era, Buddhist temples were generally very popular. Now, at the peak of tourist season, the crowds of visitors were like a marketplace. Comparatively, the number of worshippers paying homage to the Most High Lord Lao was smaller than those praying to the Buddha or Guanyin. Some Daoist temples could still offer a peaceful retreat. The one Wen Zhengyu found was not large in scale, not too far from the city, and the mountain was not very high. However, the mural paintings within the temple were exceptionally well done.

Get instant access to all chapters now.

Previous Table of Contents Next