The Art of Teasing - Chapter 93

Chapter 93

The old lady had placed people around Wen Zhengyu. Whether what Ye Ling said was true or false, Lian Xin sought out the old lady to inquire, conveniently informing her of the matter as well.

Wen Zhengyu had Wen Jing select someone from the bodyguards the old lady provided. Wen Jing chose Ma Jun, valuing his straightforward, honest nature and tight lips. If they had picked someone loose-tongued, a few words could leak Wen Zhengyu's whereabouts or other information—that would truly invite disaster.

The old lady called Ma Jun to ask about Wen Zhengyu.

Ma Jun was very hesitant. He said, "Grand Elder, my current task is to protect the Young Miss. As for this... even to you, leaking her information would be inappropriate."

The old lady said, "Then let me ask you this—does she want to renounce the world and become a nun? You're helping her hide it from me. What if she really does it? Tight lips are a good thing, but it also depends on who those lips are tight against. I sent you to protect her; I didn't say you've become her person."

Although Ma Jun now followed Wen Zhengyu and drew his salary from her, his true boss was still Old Madam Zhang, so he said, "Every morning and evening, the Young Miss follows the Daoist priests in reciting scriptures. The rest of the time she paints temple murals with Daoist Priest Yan. She's inquired with the temple master and Daoist Priest Yan about renouncing the world, and she's also asked other Daoist priests about conditions in the temple. I overheard her mention in casual conversation with Daoist Priest Yan that she's considering renouncing the world only after she has seen her family's elders through to the end of their lives."

The old lady's heart and liver instantly ached. She sighed despondently and said, "Understood." After hanging up, she heaved a heavy sigh and said to Lian Xin, who was sitting beside her peeling a tangerine with his ears pricked up listening to the call, with feeling: "This worry-wart." Every word gritted through clenched teeth.

Lian Xin laughed and said, "If it were any of us brothers, wouldn't you have already dragged us back for another round of beatings?"

The old lady said, "That frail, skinny little form of hers—one slap and she'd be flat on the ground."

Lian Xin said, "About this matter, it was Ye Ling who told me last night. My guess is she's either on her way to the Daoist temple right now, or she's already arrived. Last night when Qi Wei mentioned that Yu'er was at a Daoist temple, Ye Ling's face completely changed."

The old lady sighed, "How do you suppose she even got the idea to renounce the world?"

Lian Xin didn't dare say that, watching her temperament, she seemed quite suited for renouncing the world. She sought neither fame nor profit, her pursuit of money was limited to having enough to spend, and aside from painting and eating a bit of sweets, she had no other interests or hobbies. The family was reasonably well-off. If they sent a bit more incense oil money to the temple each year, her becoming a Daoist nun up in the mountains wouldn't mean a life of hardship—going to a Daoist temple could be considered finding a perfect spot. If she did renounce the world and couldn't get used to it, at worst she could simply return to secular life.

He could be open-minded about it, but the old lady might not be willing to let go. Elders always want their descendants to live free from want over food and clothing, with progeny stretching long into the future. He worried the old lady would grow anxious and distressed over Wen Zhengyu wanting to renounce the world, falling ill again. He said, "Her heart's in a tangle. It's perfectly normal for her to have some strange, peculiar thoughts. If she had truly made up her mind, why would she have all these misgivings—worrying about the family elders on one hand, and making investigations on the other?"

The old lady sighed again and said, "So she's truly taken it to heart?"

Lian Xin knew what the old lady was referring to. He said, "As for Yu'er's matters—what kind of life she wants to live—that still depends on what she herself is willing to accept. If this were several decades ago, this affair of hers would have been drowned in gossip and slander. But the ways of the world have changed, and it's long since ceased to be that era. Grandmother, shall I speak freely then?"

The old lady nodded. She also wanted to hear her grandson's opinion.

Lian Xin said, "Let's start with Ye Ling. Watching how she conducts herself, she's someone who walks the straight path, always one is one and two is two. She's not the kind who drifts and deceives, swindling and cheating. In both conduct and dealings with people, she's magnanimous. Honestly, I'm quite happy to deal with her. She's someone you can cooperate with for the long term."

The old lady nodded, signaling Lian Xin to continue.

Lian Xin went on, "All these years, those two siblings have been dragged down by the Second Branch of the Ye family. Back then, Third Brother Ye tripped up Ye Zhan yet again with that one obstacle. Failing to be promoted when promotion was due—what was delayed was far more than just a few years. Given the family background of his in-laws, the extent to which they could help him reach this point is about it. Where else they could still apply force is limited. No matter how hard he fights, his prospects are just about set."

"With Ye Zhan stuck in this limbo, scraping by isn't hard, but if he wants to achieve anything truly significant, it's not yet his turn. The situation in the capital is intricate and complex. With the meager strength Ye Zhan possesses, Ye Ling would truly be better off outside, able to act more freely, than going back to rely on him. Moreover, Ye Zhan's foundation is unstable, and Ye Ling holds no small amount of money. Put together, trouble could easily arise. Once trouble breaks out, both siblings go down together."

"With Ye Ling in the provinces, the business she runs has no connection to Ye Zhan's official position. Even if Ye Zhan gets into trouble, from the capital down to the provinces, the twists and turns multiply. For an investigation to reach her, a whole long string would have to be pulled down—and then it wouldn't be a matter of moving against just Ye Zhan or Ye Ling alone. Whether seeking stability or long-term prospects, Ye Ling remaining in the provinces is more suitable."

The old lady nodded. She more or less understood Lian Xin's meaning and stance.

Lian Xin continued, "Now let's talk about family members. At present, Ye Ling only has one elder brother. Here, she's utterly alone, a person without kin. If she truly ends up together with Yu'er, for our family it would simply be a matter of adding an extra pair of chopsticks, adding one more person. Yu'er wouldn't even need to marry out; she could remain right under your watchful eye."

The old lady lifted her eyelids and swept a glance at Lian Xin. She said, "She still must have a child."

Lian Xin finally understood the root of why the old lady was covertly causing hindrances behind the scenes. He said, "Yu'er, just to find peace and quiet, can end up heading to a temple. She's not the type who can live a life consumed by firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea. The Wen household consists of just her and Old Man Wen, and all the trivial matters inside and out are still managed by Old Man Wen. Those ten fingers of hers have never touched household chores, have they?"

The old lady recalled Wen Zhengyu trying to knead dough and managing to break a fingernail. She was also vexed into silence.

Lian Xin said, "Among those we know—of an age appropriate for Yu'er, with family conditions that match—you know the score, Old Lady. In those families, the daughter-in-law they seek must, in any case, be able to stand firm, manage the household, and also discipline the children. If we look to families whose conditions are inferior to ours, then either the other party must strive to advance, busy fighting for a career, and will certainly be unable to attend to the home; or they'd have to live off a woman, which is even more contemptible." His voice paused, then he added, "And Yu'er still holds such an enormous dowry in her hands—that again tests a person's character."

The old lady listened, remaining silent for a long while.

Lian Xin ate his tangerine segment by segment, showing no intention of leaving.

The old lady could tell—he hadn't finished speaking yet. She called out irritably, "Where did you pick up this habit of pausing for dramatic effect mid-speech?"

Lian Xin spat out the tangerine seeds and said, "I had to let you mull it over slowly, didn't I?" He cleared his throat and said, "My point is simply this: let Yu'er find someone herself. Even if she ends up with Ye Ling—Ye Ling is a meticulous person who can manage and arrange things. The trivial daily matters of firewood, rice, oil, and salt in a household, she could arrange those too. Ye Ling has her own career, and her character is passable. She's not the type who's so fixated on money she'd do anything for it. Yu'er being with her, one could be fairly at ease. As for whether to have a child—that matter, we truly have no way to intervene. When to have a child, and which of the two of them bears it—that's something the two of them must discuss themselves."

The old lady let out an "Huh?", the wrinkles on her face all squeezing together. Her eyes widened, full of suspicion, as she stared at Lian Xin and asked, "The two of them? Having a child?"

Lian Xin said, "Go online yourself and search for artificial insemination and test-tube babies."

The old lady looked at Lian Xin with an exceedingly strange expression.

Lian Xin had said all he needed to say. He also knew that the old lady understood everything perfectly well in her heart, but given the old lady's temperament—if she wasn't willing, and from time to time tripped someone up—it would be enough to make life unbearable. Yu'er, unlike them brothers who'd been disciplined by Grandmother since childhood, tough enough to withstand beatings, had long since been tempered by Grandmother into near-indestructible, diamond-hard bodies. Wen Zhengyu, with that pampered air of hers, looked at first glance like someone who could endure neither pounding nor beating, and she lacked any real cunning. Whatever foolish, guileless Qi Wei told her, she'd believe it outright.

---

Ye Ling suffered insomnia, tossing and turning, unable to sleep well the whole night. She rose when the sky was still dimly lit, not even eating breakfast before taking her bodyguard and heading straight for the Daoist temple.

She set out early; the road conditions were good, and she arrived at the temple before eight o'clock.

Beside the temple's main gate hung a sign stating that the temple gates opened at eight in the morning.

Seeing there were only a few minutes left, Ye Ling stood before the main entrance waiting for the doors to open.

After the gates opened, she and her bodyguard purchased tourist tickets to enter. A receptionist Daoist priest came to receive them.

Ye Ling first went to offer incense, and also added a generous sum of incense oil money. She had one of her accompanying staff arrange accommodations, while she herself searched the temple for Wen Zhengyu.

The Daoist temple was not large; the entire temple, all told, had very few people. It was close to the urban area, and tourists rarely stayed long-term in the temple. Even if some occasionally came to lodge, they would stay only a day or two before leaving. Someone like Wen Zhengyu, who stayed a full week without departing, was extremely rare. Moreover, she was beautiful, her bearing exceptional, and her attire far from ordinary. Wherever she went she was followed by two bodyguards, almost becoming a sight within the temple.

Ye Ling very easily inquired where Wen Zhengyu was. When she found her way there, Wen Zhengyu was standing on an A-frame ladder painting a temple mural.

Wen Jing and Ma Jun stood guard nearby. Not far off, a Daoist priest wearing a Daoist robe with a long beard was mixing pigments.

Both Wen Jing and Ma Jun wore expressions of surprise upon seeing Ye Ling.

Worried about startling Wen Zhengyu, Ye Ling hastily pressed a finger to her lips, signaling them not to make a sound.

Wen Jing and Ma Jun exchanged a glance; neither made a sound.

That Daoist priest, seeing someone arrive, looked up, and upon noting Wen Jing and Ma Jun's reactions understood they were acquainted. He understood immediately. This must be family coming to find her.

This was a newly expanded divine hall, without the deity statues erected yet. Only the altar platform for enshrining the statues had been built. Not even the cleaning had been done—dust was everywhere, with wall paint and lacquer still fallen in corners and on windowsills. Probably due to the need to paint murals, the walls had been specially cleaned and were quite pristine.

Likely to prevent her hair from getting stained with pigment, or perhaps finding it an obstruction, Wen Zhengyu had gathered her waist-length hair into a coiled bun atop her head, a single hairpin inserted through it. The texture of her hair was exceptionally smooth and sleek. A few untamed strands still hung down by her forehead and temples, setting off her smooth, luminous forehead and jade-white neck—extraordinarily sensual.

Ye Ling had known Wen Zhengyu for over a year. This was the first time she had ever seen Wen Zhengyu change her hairstyle. Encountering it so suddenly, she was truly stunned.

Her gaze settled upon Wen Zhengyu's figure, looking at Wen Zhengyu's profile, unable to tear her eyes away.

Wen Zhengyu's hairstyle closely resembled the Daoist topknot worn by Daoist nuns, yet it lent her a distinctive charm and sensuality, faintly carrying a hint of a forbidden, ascetic effect.

Ye Ling's thoughts drifted a little, flickering toward the impure, before she forcibly dragged them back.

Wen Zhengyu suddenly sensed something unusual beside her. A familiar scent of perfume drifted through the air—it seemed like the fragrance Ye Ling often wore.

Had Ye Ling come?

If Ye Ling had come, the sound of her high heels would have echoed all the way here like an alarm. As this thought flickered through her mind, Wen Zhengyu instinctively turned her head. Ye Ling was actually standing right beside her, having appeared utterly silently, quietly planted there like a ghost. Wen Zhengyu was so startled her heartbeat skipped. Her body swayed backward, the A-frame ladder beneath her wobbled, and she was about to tumble down.

Wen Jing and Ma Jun lunged forward in two steps, steadying both the ladder and Wen Zhengyu.

Wen Zhengyu steadied herself, only breathing a sigh of relief when she saw the pigments hadn't spilled. She stood on the ladder and asked Ye Ling, "Why have you come?" Her mood was, inexplicably, tinged with a sense of pleasure.

Ye Ling said gently, "I heard you were at a Daoist temple, so I came to take a look." Seeing Wen Zhengyu stepping down from the ladder, she hastily stepped forward to support her and asked, "Are you accustomed to staying in the Daoist temple?"

Wen Zhengyu said, "Quite well." The moment she said it, she froze. She stared dumbfounded at her painting of the Queen Mother of the West, of which she had only painted the head, then looked at the pigment tray in her hand. The painting wasn't finished yet, and the pigment tray was still full. What was she coming down for?

Climb back up the ladder and continue painting? How terribly awkward that would be.

Ah, wait—that's not right. Ye Ling had come specifically to see her?

She cast Ye Ling a suspicious glance. Hadn't the two of them already gone their separate ways? Now, at most, they could be considered business partners, right? Since when did business partners chase each other up mountains? Wen Zhengyu was thoroughly confused by her relationship with Ye Ling.

Ye Ling called out, "What are you spacing out for? Come down quickly." She took the pigment tray and paintbrush from Wen Zhengyu's hands and passed them to the bodyguard behind her.

The pigment tray and brush were taken away. Wen Zhengyu had no choice but to descend from the A-frame ladder. She said to Daoist Priest Yan, "Daoist Priest, I have a friend visiting."

Daoist Priest Yan said, "Go ahead. Leave the rest to me to paint."

Wen Zhengyu assented, then only afterward realized—this was a Daoist temple, not her home. With Ye Ling visiting, it should be the Daoist priests of the temple who received her. Even if visiting a friend, this wasn't her territory; she was merely a guest lodging here. The moment Ye Ling arrived, she came scurrying over—how terribly awkward. She had already finished her rejection; they had already agreed to sever things. Now coming together again—it was quite unprincipled.

Wen Zhengyu led Ye Ling out of the divine hall. Only then, feeling thoroughly ill at ease, did she ask: "So... um... your girlfriend? Didn't come along?"

Ye Ling made an "Hm?" sound and asked, "Girlfriend?" She wanted to ask: "You?" But what did "didn't come along" mean?

Wen Zhengyu swallowed back the words "your new flame" and glanced sidelong at the parasol tree beside them as she said, "Zheng Yu." After speaking, she couldn't resist stealing a glance at Ye Ling, then quickly averted her eyes, continuing to stare fixedly at the parasol tree.

Ye Ling paused briefly, then it dawned on her. So she had misunderstood, thinking Zheng Yu was her girlfriend—and had even thoroughly inquired about the name?

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