The Art of Teasing - Chapter 142

Chapter 142

Ye Ling could barely contain her joy, her face breaking into a radiant smile. "I will. I never even thought I'd be able to catch Zhengyu, and now she actually wants to marry me, wants to go through every proper ritual. Even a pie falling from the sky wouldn't be this good."

Her sister-in-law said with exasperation, "You two keep a low profile."

Ye Ling cast a leisurely glance at her sister-in-law, drawing out her voice as she uttered a single word: "Hard."

The sister-in-law, irritated, lightly swatted Ye Ling's shoulder and sighed, "Come help me with the work." She shooed Ye Ling off to assist with the household chores. It wasn't that she hadn't seen children like Ye Ling and Wen Zhengyu in the family before, but those others kept things low-key, simply calling each other close friends or besties. Everyone knew what was really going on, and at most, they'd gossip privately, but no one would openly acknowledge it. These two, on the other hand, had already moved discussions to marriage. Looking at how Wen Zhengyu was, she could tell the girl was single-minded and oblivious to worry, and then Ye Ling had to join in the excitement. As her sister-in-law, she could only offer a word or two; whether she was happy about it or not, she had to let Ye Ling be.

Old Master Cui, however, was quite open-minded. When it came to marriage discussions, unless the two of them decided not to involve their elders and just cohabited, as was trendy these days—happy, they'd live together; unhappy, they'd pack their bags and separate. But if they were going to invite the elders, that was an entirely different matter. He couldn't make decisions for Ye Ling, but looking at Wen Zhengyu's demeanor, whether she could make decisions for herself was hard to say.

Ultimately, he was Ye Zhan's father-in-law. For his son-in-law's sake, he looked after her a bit, helped out here and there. Ye Ling didn't depend on his family for her livelihood; how could he control her? He'd joked a few times, and Wen Zhengyu had taken it completely seriously. He now understood why there had been that incident with Lian Xin and Ye Ling beating up Zhao Si. Any family with such a straightforward, naive fool of a girl needed to keep a closer eye on her.

Old Master Cui had spent most of his life's income on calligraphy and painting collections. His collection wasn't vast, but it wasn't small either. Hearing from Ye Ling that Wen Zhengyu excelled in meticulous brushwork and calligraphy and understood antiques and paintings, he also wanted to see her level of skill.

He first brought out a piece of calligraphy for Wen Zhengyu to examine and asked, "What do you think of this piece?"

The moment Wen Zhengyu saw the color of the paper, she became solemn. She didn't directly handle it. When her eyes fell on the characters, they immediately lit up. After meticulously appreciating and authenticating it, she said, "The Recluse of Idiocy Daoist, Wang Duo. 'Dong of the South, Wang of the North'—Dong of the South is Dong Qichang, and Wang of the North is Wang Duo. This old gentleman was a Hanlin Academy scholar in the Ming Dynasty..." This old predecessor was indeed famous; she could recite his life's biography effortlessly. Her grandfather had also collected his calligraphy model books, and she had even taken them to copy for a few days.

Afterwards, Old Master Cui brought out several more pieces for Wen Zhengyu to appreciate.

Wen Zhengyu had been afraid Old Master Cui would discuss the matter of her marrying Ye Ling with her. Now that Old Master Cui had brought out calligraphy and paintings, and since this was about the only skill she could confidently display, she dove into a discussion with him.

After she had examined several paintings and calligraphy pieces, Old Master Cui said, "You speak so knowledgeably. Write a couple of pieces for me to see."

Wen Zhengyu shook her head and said, "My painting is only third-rate, and my calligraphy is even less worth mentioning—not fit for refined settings. My grandfather always said my chicken-scratch characters would need another twenty years of practice before they could be shown to anyone."

Old Master Cui said, "Then let's discuss the matter of marriage..."

Before he finished speaking, Wen Zhengyu had already rolled up her sleeves to grind the ink. Her movements were so swift and efficient that she seemed like a completely different person from her slow, measured way of speaking.

Old Master Cui was inwardly amused. Very considerately, he helped Wen Zhengyu spread out the calligraphy paper, smooth it flat, and weigh it down with a paperweight, saying, "It's your sister-in-law's birthday. Write a few characters for her."

Wen Zhengyu said, "Please don't put us in a difficult position. My characters are ugly, unfit for public eyes. If I give them to sister-in-law, it'll be awkward for her to throw them in the trash, but they'd just take up space if she doesn't." As she spoke, she stood before the desk, lifted the brush, and wrote four characters: Hou De Zai Wu (Virtue Bears All Things). These were characters that elderly people liked, and also favored by those who enjoyed feigning refinement.

Old Master Cui was tickled by Wen Zhengyu's little scheme. Looking at her characters again, although they still lacked some maturity, the brushwork had strength and considerable character. Compared to Ye Ling's sharp, angular, and aggressive calligraphy style, they carried an extra touch of suppleness and gentleness. He nodded and said, "At your age, having such a hand in calligraphy is quite remarkable."

Not long after, Ye Zhan, along with his several brothers-in-law and family relatives, arrived one after another.

With guests arriving, Wen Zhengyu wanted to retreat, but Old Master Cui kept her there.

Everyone who came to Old Master Cui's place was middle-aged or elderly. Wen Zhengyu was the youngest and also had the lowest seniority, so she had to stay by the side, serving tea and pouring water.

Old Master Cui, moreover, was a man who loved to show off. He brought out his collection to flaunt once again. When he showed off, he only displayed pieces that were famous in name but not particularly valuable, plus that piece of calligraphy. The truly precious paintings and calligraphy pieces he had brought out earlier to test her eye—he didn't mention them at all.

The sister-in-law was turning forty. Although it was called only a family banquet, there were many relatives and close family friends who came and went, so the number of guests was considerable.

Wen Zhengyu didn't see Ye Ling come over, and Old Master Cui wouldn't release her to leave, so she had no choice but to stay at Old Master Cui's side, helping to greet the guests.

It wasn't until everyone was seated that Old Master Cui finally let her go.

Wen Zhengyu suspected Old Master Cui wanted to play the role of the Queen Mother of the West separating the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.

Ye Ling had her own room at her brother and sister-in-law's place. Wen Zhengyu had the habit of taking an afternoon nap. After lunch, Ye Ling took Wen Zhengyu to her room to rest.

Wen Zhengyu could tell at a glance that Ye Ling didn't stay there often.

Rooms also needed to be nurtured by people. A room occupied long-term would have more of a lived-in feel, while a room not lived in long-term would feel slightly cold and deserted. Still, she could see that the room was diligently cleaned and the supplies were well-stocked. Ye Ling didn't have much else, but she had plenty of clothes, all in similar styles and colors.

Wen Zhengyu had no trouble adjusting to Ye Ling's room. She obediently got into bed to catch up on sleep.

Ye Ling, fully clothed, lay on her side beside Wen Zhengyu, holding her, showing no intention of napping.

Wen Zhengyu figured Ye Ling still had to go out and attend to the guests, so she said, "Go on and do what you need to do." She wasn't a three-year-old child who needed Ye Ling to coax her to sleep.

Ye Ling said, "I'll go after you fall asleep." She paused, thinking about how naive Wen Zhengyu could be, both amused and tender-hearted. She gently pinched Wen Zhengyu's nose and said, "Papa Cui was just teasing you. My relationship with the Cui family is only that of in-laws."

Wen Zhengyu understood the meaning behind Ye Ling's words: an in-law relationship meant the Cui family couldn't decide things for Ye Ling. She glanced at Ye Ling and said, "But Old Man Cui kept holding onto me today, wouldn't let me go find you."

Ye Ling laughed, "That's because people find you endearing." Wen Zhengyu's rapport with the elderly was truly something else.

Wen Zhengyu, long accustomed to spending time with elderly people, now that she understood, didn't hold any grudge. She burrowed deeper into Ye Ling's embrace, closed her eyes to rest, and quickly fell asleep.

After Wen Zhengyu fell asleep, Ye Ling covered her properly with the blanket, gently placed a kiss on her forehead, and then went out.

It was called a family banquet, but the attendees weren't just family relatives. Some families with close ties also came, such as her brother's direct superior. Her brother was only a deputy, but his relationship with his direct superior was quite good. Only, the superior's wife was... somewhat hard to describe.

She loved playing mahjong, and the stakes weren't high—just one yuan. Anything over five yuan, and she'd complain the stakes were too high. If a mahjong game wasn't arranged for her, she'd feel she hadn't been properly hosted. When playing mahjong, if she lost money, she'd put on a sour face and grumble endlessly; if she won, she'd be smug and triumphant. Her vanity was also extremely strong—she loved to show off and brag, yet her family's financial situation wasn't too good. There were plenty of people who enjoyed playing cards, but even idle elderly women didn't like playing with her. Yet, when she came, somehow they always had to scrape together a table for her. Ye Ling was conscripted by her sister-in-law for this task; after all, she was notorious for losing at any gamble.

Ye Ling wouldn't bat an eyelid at a business deal worth tens of millions, but facing Ms. Yin, winning or losing a few dozen yuan could make her want to vomit blood. And she could only smile wordlessly and keep her company.

She could only secretly sigh: every family has its troublesome members, and you couldn't just stop them from coming out and inflicting themselves on others. Her brother's direct superior wanted to keep her in check, but soon enough, gossip would spread, saying he was looking for a mistress, not even bringing his wife out anymore. Such a stain on his conduct couldn't be allowed to be smeared. Better to let her come out and play a little mahjong with stakes of a few dozen yuan. Whoever spread rumors about him, he'd send his wife to invite that person to play mahjong—a true diplomatic weapon of mass destruction. Her brother's direct superior was also famously a hardworking, practical man who kept his head down and got things done.

When Wen Zhengyu woke from her afternoon nap, she found Ye Ling in the mahjong room.

Four mahjong tables had been set up in the room. Three tables were occupied by elderly women, and only one table had middle-aged women. Ye Ling, a flower-like beauty, sat among them, like a single blossom in a pile of dry firewood.

Seeing that it was Wen Zhengyu pushing open the door, Ye Ling joyfully rose to greet her, unable to hide her delight. "Awake? Come, sit here." It was torturing her to death. She pulled a chair over and placed it beside her seat, asking, "Want to play?"

Wen Zhengyu shook her head and said, "I don't play." She sat down on the chair next to Ye Ling, but immediately, a plump middle-aged woman beside her said, "Hey, don't sit next to me. Sit across the way." In her entire life, this was the first time Wen Zhengyu had ever been openly disliked by someone. She silently moved to sit behind Ye Ling.

Ye Ling introduced her, "This is Big Sister Yin. Just call her Sister Yin."

Wen Zhengyu greeted, "Sister Yin."

Ms. Yin said to Ye Ling, "I won on a self-draw."

Ye Ling asked, "How much?"

Ms. Yin said, "With a kong, one fan, two yuan."

Wen Zhengyu's eyes instantly widened. She watched as Ye Ling took two yuan out of the mahjong machine's drawer and handed it to the woman. She also noticed that Ye Ling's drawer was stuffed full of one-yuan bills. She thought to herself: Does this count as gambling or not?

She looked Ye Ling up and down, never having imagined that Ye Ling would be someone who played one-yuan mahjong.

She liked not playing mahjong; she had never touched mahjong tiles in her life. But when she went out to banquets, she always saw people gathering for mahjong games. When they played mahjong, they used chips, and it was common for wins and losses to amount to several million in a single night.

Wen Zhengyu saw that Ye Ling seemed tired and asked, "Do you want to go wash your face?"

Ye Ling decided to let Wen Zhengyu handle Ms. Yin. "Alright, then you play a couple of hands for me while I go to the restroom. You need three consecutive numbers linked together, every three in a row, plus a pair, then you can win." After saying this, she got up and left.

Wen Zhengyu stared blankly at the doorway, then could only brace herself and sit down. She was worse than a complete beginner.

A novice player very enthusiastically told Wen Zhengyu the rules of mahjong and how to play, saying, "It's very easy to learn. You'll get the hang of it after a couple of hands."

Wen Zhengyu acknowledged this. She couldn't recognize the mahjong tiles, but the patterns on the tiles were quite easy to distinguish. She treated it like a puzzle game, and having company for it was rather nice. She silently played her puzzle game. When someone said they'd won and told her to pay, she paid.

When Ye Ling returned from the restroom, Wen Zhengyu got up to give her seat back, but Ye Ling told her to keep playing, saying, "I'll rest a bit. You draw the tiles for me; I'll sit behind you and watch." She guessed that Ye Ling found the stakes too small and was bored playing.

Ms. Yin kept winning hand after hand, and being in a good mood, she started chattering away again. First, she showed off the diamond ring on her finger, boasting about everything from the brand to the price, and then flaunted the bracelet on her wrist. She asked Wen Zhengyu, "That ring on your hand must cost several thousand, right?"

Wen Zhengyu said, "My grandmother gave it to me. It didn't cost anything."

When Ms. Yin moved on to the topic of bracelets, she again addressed Wen Zhengyu, "Your bracelet is blood-inclusion jade, right?"

Wen Zhengyu softly responded, "Mm."

Ms. Yin went on, "Looking at how red the color inside your bracelet is, it must have been dyed by burying it in the soil with dog's blood or chicken's blood. Wearing that kind isn't good. If you want something that nourishes, silver is better. Jade carrying such a bloodstained aura is actually harmful to people."

Wen Zhengyu said, "When I'm out and about, I just wear whatever. At home, I don't wear it at all."

The novice player sitting opposite Wen Zhengyu and the older sister playing on her other side silently exchanged glances and then continued playing. They noticed that Big Sister Yin, probably tired of showing off to them, was directing all her flaunting at Wen Zhengyu.

Wen Zhengyu's patience was so good it left the two of them marveling.

Ms. Yin won money and was happy. She took a great liking to Wen Zhengyu, who had good table manners, played seriously, and didn't get irritated when she lost. She invited Wen Zhengyu to her house to play mahjong and also criticized Ye Ling for not being attentive when playing and for looking down on one-yuan stakes.

Wen Zhengyu had spent the afternoon playing a brainless puzzle game of mahjong, without needing to go out and socialize, and she too developed a favorable impression of Ms. Yin. She made plans with Ms. Yin: next time they met, they would play together again.

As Ms. Yin exited the mahjong room, she ran into Ye Ling's sister-in-law and, in front of her, went on and on praising Wen Zhengyu's excellent table manners and good character. Then, casually, she asked whether Wen Zhengyu had a partner, offering to play matchmaker.

Ye Ling was so annoyed she let out two "hmph" sounds and said to Wen Zhengyu, "Next time, don't keep her company and play."

Wen Zhengyu caught the whiff of jealousy and couldn't help the corners of her mouth from curving upward. She gave a light laugh and hummed in agreement, then added, "You were the one who told me to play." Lowering her voice, she said, "But don't let Grandmother know."

Ye Ling asked quietly, "Afraid of Grandmother finding out, but you still sat down?"

Wen Zhengyu glanced at Ye Ling, didn't answer, and walked toward the dining table.

Ye Ling thought for a moment and understood. Wen Zhengyu had definitely seen that she was unhappy sitting there, and that was why she'd stepped in to take her place. Instantly, her heart felt sweeter than honey.

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