The Art of Teasing - Chapter 159

Chapter 159

Old Master Lian passed away. Ye Ling, having received a call from Lian Xin, rushed back overnight.

From then on, as a descendant of the fourth branch of the Lian family, she joined the Lian relatives in dealing with the aftermath of Old Master Lian's passing. Whenever the Lian family introduced her to others, they would say, "This is Ye Ling of the fourth branch," and had her and Lian Xin jointly responsible for receiving and arranging for the various mourners and relatives who came from afar.

It was at the funeral of Old Master Lian, the most solemn of occasions. Publicly declaring her as a member of the fourth branch at such a place meant truly and unreservedly treating her as one of their own.

Old Master Lian passed away at the age of eighty-nine. His funeral was held at home and conducted with great solemnity.

Because he had so many descendants, the burial hour had to be chosen to avoid times that would clash with his living children and grandchildren. It was only on the seventh day that a suitable time was calculated, so the funeral rites lasted a full seven days.

For those seven days, there were three Daoist rites every day—morning, noon, and evening. All descendants had to be present, and under the direction of the Daoist priest conducting the rituals, they would kneel, kowtow, and wail.

At night, filial sons and worthy grandsons had to take turns keeping vigil. Old Madam Zhang arranged matters without partiality.

For the vigil, they started from the eldest branch and rotated down. The fourth branch only had Wen Zhengyu and Ye Ling.

Wen Zhengyu was still nursing her injuries, and seeing her wilted look and how she wouldn't leave the old lady's side, no one dared to make her keep vigil. On the day of the fourth branch's vigil, Lian Xin and Lian Xi were the ones to accompany Ye Ling in the night watch.

While Ye Ling kept vigil, she inevitably thought back to Old Master Ye's death, when the Ye family wouldn't even allow her and her brother into the mourning hall. In the Ye family, she, the biological granddaughter of the eldest branch, was treated worse than the household help.

She had a brother, but from a very young age she knew that she and her brother would each eventually form their own families. Given her family circumstances, after she tore apart all pretense with the second branch in Old Master Ye's mourning hall and completely ruined her reputation, she thought it would be hard for her to ever have a family of her own.

Even if she found someone she liked, the other party's family would either interfere or oppose it. She never imagined the Lian family would treat her like this. This attitude, which wholeheartedly accepted her, treating her as one of their own, even giving her the same treatment as their own grandsons, filled Ye Ling with deep emotion.

After so many years of striving, she now, it seemed, had finally found the feeling of home, as if she had roots.

Old Master Lian had already been laid to rest, but there were still many affairs to take care of at home. The mourning hall was taken down, and Old Master Lian's spirit tablet was moved to the rear hall for veneration. When the relatives and friends who had come to mourn and see off the deceased departed, people or vehicles also had to be arranged to send them off.

Old Master Lian lived to such an advanced age; it was already considered a full lifespan, and with children and grandchildren filling the hall, it was considered a full blessing. Although he died of illness, it was also because of old age and physical frailty.

He left without suffering the torment of illness, so it was also considered a full end. Full lifespan, full blessing, full end—his funeral was also considered a joyous funeral, so they had a batch of longevity bowls specially fired for the occasion.

Ye Ling came out of Old Madam Zhang's room, quietly glanced back into her own room to see that Wen Zhengyu was still sound asleep, and then went back to busying herself with chores. With only the two of them in the fourth branch, they couldn't very well have Wen Zhengyu's uncles and cousins all running around while they hid in the room sleeping.

After all these days, everyone was tired, and everyone had dark circles under their eyes. Wen Zhengyu, being injured, could rest, but she was lively and hopping about; if she went to rest too, it would be unseemly.

From a personal standpoint, she was also willing to take this opportunity to get to know more of the Lian family's relatives and connections. She guessed that Old Madam Zhang arranging for her and Lian Xi to work together was also out of this consideration.

Everyone in the family knew Wen Zhengyu was delicate, and that just before the new year, she had suffered a great calamity. She had only just begun to look better recently, and then had grieved all over again over Old Master Lian's passing.

Knowing she was sleeping in her room, no one went to disturb her. Even dinner was simply left in the kitchen for her to eat when she woke up.

Wen Zhengyu slept until past eight in the evening before waking up. She got up, had something to eat, and went back to Old Madam Zhang's room.

Old Madam Zhang was leafing through old photographs. The little worrywart attached herself to her side.

The old lady tried shooing her away a few times without success, and simply let her sit there. The old lady looked at Wen Zhengyu's pitiful expression, determined to stay by her side in fear that she, too, would follow, and her irritation got the better of her.

She said grumpily, "People all grow old and have to go. I'm a full sixty years older than you. Even if I could live to a hundred, I'd still have to go before you. You're living your days with Ye Ling, not with me. What's the use of clinging to me?" Wen Zhengyu didn't say anything, only quietly sneaking glances at the old lady. The old lady's voice was full of vigor, and she didn't look like she was forcing herself not to be sad.

At least her complexion showed nothing amiss, so Wen Zhengyu was slightly relieved. She said, "In the future, you'll be living in this big house all alone. How about moving to my place?" Old Madam Zhang tossed her a white-eyed glare. "Go discuss it with your uncles." Wen Zhengyu's eyes lit up, and she asked with surprise and delight, "Really?" Old Madam Zhang added, "See if they don't skin you alive." She leaned in close to Wen Zhengyu. "I have four sons. If I don't live with my sons but go live with you instead, you'd best be careful your uncles don't give you a beating."

The next day, the Lian family gathered for a family meeting. With Old Master Lian gone and Lian Huaixin away from home year-round, the huge residence had only Old Madam Zhang as the sole master.

If she were to suddenly fall seriously ill or stumble and hit something in the middle of the night, there would be no one to take charge. So, after discussion, the eldest son, Lian Huairen, and his wife would move back to the old family residence.

Lian Huairen was sixty-three this year, already retired, and had officially entered a life of leisure, occasionally helping his three sons look after the grandchildren. With the eldest uncle moving back, Wen Zhengyu didn't dare fight him for her grandmother, and obediently allowed the old lady to shoo her home.

When Old Master Lian passed away, Wen Shishu, having come to the Lian family to pay her condolences, did not return to the capital but stayed at home to wait for Wen Zhengyu and Ye Ling to come back. Seeing that Wen Zhengyu's spirit was decent when she returned, not the mournful state from days before when she seemed to have lost her very soul and couldn't even cry, she booked a return ticket and went off to attend to her own affairs without worry.

When the two of them got home, Ye Ling washed up, found an anti-inflammatory pill to take, and went to bed to catch up on sleep. Wen Zhengyu looked at the box of anti-inflammatory pills, then at Ye Ling, and moved to the bedside to ask, "Are you sick?" Ye Ling said, "My throat is dry, and I'm worried I might be catching a cold.

Taking some medicine to prevent it." She knew her own body. Rushing about every day without a moment to spare, often lacking sleep, her immune system was weak.

Every couple of months, she would inevitably catch a cold. It didn't need much management: take some cold medicine, catch up on sleep, or, if truly busy, get a shot, and she'd be fine in a couple of days.

Wen Zhengyu touched Ye Ling's forehead and didn't feel it was hot. Still uneasy, she fetched a thermometer and took Ye Ling's temperature, and seeing no sign of fever, she then let Ye Ling rest properly.

While she was away, household chores and security at home were managed by Zhan Cheng; everything remained orderly. As for her personal security, Zhuo Yao arranged bodyguards to accompany her daily outings.

Wen Jing was still recovering from her injuries back in her hometown, so Zhuo Yao stayed close to her for the time being, with additional personnel following discreetly. Those people were arranged by Zhuo Yao and Ma Lu as the situation demanded.

There was nothing to do at home, and her second aunt had made appointments with friends and gone out. She thought about dropping by the studio, but with Ye Ling at home, she wanted to listen to music or an audiobook, yet was afraid of disturbing her.

Doing nothing at all was boring. Picking up a brush to paint, she would get dizzy and lightheaded in less than an hour. She might as well do nothing, so she curled up on the arhat bed in the bedroom, staring out the window in a daze.

When Ye Ling woke from her afternoon nap, she saw Wen Zhengyu lazily resting her chin on her hand, staring blankly outside, a picture of utter listlessness. The look on Wen Zhengyu reminded her of Old Madam Zhang's description of Wen Zhengyu's endless worries.

This young mistress owned a catering company, a property management company, an art studio, a food factory, not to mention all those shares—piles of financial reports and account books to review—yet she was placidly nursing her injuries this whole time, never even asking about any of it. If Ye Ling were to harbor any ill intentions, Wen Zhengyu's entire fortune would be hollowed out.

She walked over. Catching the sudden gleam of joy in Wen Zhengyu's gaze, she realized this young lady had been keeping watch over her, waiting for her to wake.

The smile on her face instantly spread. She stepped forward, leaned down, and planted a kiss on Wen Zhengyu's cheek.

"Don't forget to pay me my wages later." Wen Zhengyu blinked in confusion. Ye Ling said, "I'm managing those businesses for you; you ought to pay me a salary." Wen Zhengyu stared blankly at Ye Ling.

Her brain still hadn't caught up for a few seconds. Ye Ling looked at her suspiciously.

"Thinking of reneging?" Wen Zhengyu thought it over and asked, "You know my account passwords, right?" Ye Ling said, "I do. The three fools of password setting—I laughed at you for it, and you changed it to my birthday, in reverse." Wen Zhengyu glanced at her again. Ye Ling cleared her dry throat with a couple of coughs, poured herself a glass of water to moisten it, and asked, "What's with that look?" Then, smiling, she asked, "You wouldn't be thinking, 'What's mine is yours,' would you?"

Wen Zhengyu said, "In the Lian family customs, and when Grandmother was still alive, the women in the family managed the money. All my uncles' money is managed by my aunts, and my cousins' money is also managed by their wives.

Brother Xin's situation is a bit special—he manages his." Ye Ling let out a long, drawn-out "Oh—" and said, "So, I'm your unpaid labor, is that it?" Her eyes swept back and forth over Wen Zhengyu's face, and her mind echoed with the words, woman manages the money, woman manages the money, woman manages the money… Even if she was a woman, to be placed by an eternal bottom in the position of "woman managing the money," with that eternal bottom putting herself in the "man's" position—she really had the nerve! Wen Zhengyu said, "You manage the money; all the expenses come from the accounts.

You don't need a salary, right?" She considered and asked, "Do I need to set a monthly spending limit for you?" Ye Ling finally understood completely what Wen Zhengyu meant. It was that Wen Zhengyu's money was to be managed by her, for her to spend freely.

She leaned in, bringing her face close to Wen Zhengyu's, and asked, "What if I empty all your family assets and run off? What would you do then?" Wen Zhengyu thought for two seconds and said, "Then I'd renounce the world and devote myself wholeheartedly to painting." Ye Ling: "…" She gathered Wen Zhengyu into her arms and gently stroked her head, her heart both aching and prompting the urge to ask: Were you hit on the head dumb by Cen Xun? But then she also remembered that Wen Zhengyu had previously had thoughts of renouncing the world.

Wen Zhengyu naturally leaned into Ye Ling's embrace and closed her eyes. "I know what you and Grandmother were thinking." She understood; the things she was supposed to do herself, she shouldn't push onto Ye Ling.

Even if the company had a general manager handling the daily trivial matters, the operational decision-making and financial affairs still needed her oversight. Otherwise, as time went on, whose company it was and whether it would be hollowed out would be hard to say.

Ye Ling said, "Your money, I'll spend as I like, but you still have to manage your own companies." Wen Zhengyu gave a soft "Mm." Ye Ling gently smoothed Wen Zhengyu's long hair and said slowly, "It's not hard. I'll teach you." Wen Zhengyu lifted her head to look at Ye Ling.

Ye Ling leaned down, tilted up Wen Zhengyu's chin, and said, "First, be my assistant." Perhaps it was the flirtatious note in Ye Ling's voice and action, but Wen Zhengyu instinctively felt that Ye Ling was taking advantage of her. Then she thought: With our relationship, what advantage is there to take? She asked, with a hint of puzzlement, "Start by learning at your side?" Ye Ling said, "Exactly.

You can't paint right now; we can't just toss you at home to grow mold and mushrooms, can we?" She dry-coughed twice more, clearing her scratchy throat. Ye Ling was now almost certain she had caught a cold.

Wen Zhengyu called Sun Yuan, asking the kitchen to prepare a soothing syrup to moisten the throat, and also instructing them to prepare food for dinner suitable for someone with a cold. Ye Ling leaned down and pressed a kiss to Wen Zhengyu's lips.

"If you agree, come to the office with me tomorrow." Wen Zhengyu also didn't want to grow mold and mushrooms at home, and she was also quite intrigued by the office-working lifestyle she'd never encountered before, so she nodded happily. She stood up.

"Then I'll go prepare my work clothes for tomorrow." She walked away from Ye Ling, then circled back. "Starting tomorrow, we'll be colleagues?" Ye Ling smirked wickedly as she looked sideways at Wen Zhengyu.

"No, I'm the boss, you're the employee." Wen Zhengyu suddenly felt that Ye Ling was holding back some mischief. She wanted to say she was the boss lady, but saying that would truly be shameless, so she obediently opted to be the apprentice. Wen Zhengyu quietly went into the walk-in closet to find the work clothes she would wear tomorrow.

Get instant access to all chapters now.

Previous Table of Contents Next