“If you don’t have a diamond drill, don’t take on porcelain work.” How could he win so easily, making all his careful planning meaningless?
Second Young Master Zhu bowed farewell with a bright smile: “Until next time.”
His sister was smiling and still willing to tour Qingyang Temple with Zhu. Ji Yaoting was overjoyed. He was so grateful for Yang Jingyuan’s help that he gave him a metaphorical good person card: “You’re Yang Third Master, right? You’re a good person. Second Young Master Zhu won’t blame you. Don’t take it to heart. My sister and I have never won in all our years together. Don’t worry about it. Farewell.”
The looks of people around treated him as a joke. Yang Jingyuan’s expression grew even worse.
Ji Yingying covered her grinning mouth with a round fan, her eyes full of laughter, as she turned to leave.
“Hey! Second Miss Ji, you also think I can’t win the qilin?” This was all for whom? She turned away without acknowledging him. Yang Jingyuan wouldn’t stand for it. If you pretend not to know me, why should I listen to you?
When he called out “Second Miss Ji,” Zhu was surprised: “Second Miss, you know each other?”
Ji Yaoting had to admit Zhu was too naive. He could see it clearly—you’re completely focused on my sister, how did you not notice?
Ji Yingying nodded: “Yes, we know each other. He’s Third Young Master Yang from the Brocade King’s Yang family.”
Zhu’s look at Yang Jingyuan changed. Though he had many friends and wasn’t ignorant of worldly matters, once suspicion arose, things felt wrong. Yang Jingyuan’s apparent desire to win a qilin wasn’t to compensate him. Could he also be trying to please Ji Yingying? While generous with friends, he couldn’t be generous about giving away his future wife. Zhu pointed at him angrily: “Third Young Master Yang, did you deliberately break my sugar qilin earlier?”
Yang Jingyuan wouldn’t deny flirting with young ladies, let alone breaking a sugar qilin. He stared at Zhu’s pointing finger, suddenly realizing as his playboy habits returned: “Didn’t I say I’d compensate you?”
So he deliberately tried to steal his intended wife. Zhu’s excitement and pride from winning the qilin vanished. Most importantly, he hadn’t even heard Ji Yingying praise him before Yang Jingyuan ruined everything. He said in extreme irritation: “Who wants your silver? Try winning a qilin yourself!”
The situation turned tense, seeming likely to end in a fight. Breaking that sugar qilin deliberately was because of his sister, right? Ji Yaoting began to understand. Since it was because of his sister, he should try to make peace. He stepped between them, trying to persuade Zhu: “Second Young Master, let it go. Winning a qilin is just for fun, don’t take it so seriously.”
Ji Yingying also felt bad and tried to mediate: “Brother Zhu, winning the qilin was your good luck. Be happy with that luck. It’s just sugar art, not worth much. Let’s go enjoy the chrysanthemums inside the temple.”
Zhu’s expression softened slightly. True, he won the qilin to please Ji Yingying. Though the qilin’s tail was broken, he received Ji Yingying’s comfort—a blessing in disguise. Arguing with this man was wasting the time he could spend with Ji Yingying. Zhu was naturally generous; he glared at Yang Jingyuan once more but stopped arguing.
The group was about to leave Yang Jingyuan behind.
Had he played the fool today? Now they were even consoling the other party. Yang Jingyuan was very unhappy. He stepped forward and grabbed Zhu’s wrist, his fingers lightly hooking off the ring. Seeing Zhu about to shout, Yang Jingyuan said quietly: “You don’t want people to know how you won the qilin, right?”
When Zhu saw Yang Jingyuan put the ring on his finger, sweat broke out on his forehead.
“I just wanted to have some fun, don’t worry. I said I’d compensate you with a qilin, and I won’t go back on my word.” Yang Jingyuan patted his shoulder with a smile.
With that magnetic ring, even an idiot could win. Zhu nervously wiped his sweat, saying to the Ji siblings with a bitter face and stutter: “I, I still want him to compensate me with a sugar qilin.”
Worried Yang Jingyuan would expose his trick, knowing Yang Jingyuan would win a qilin this time, and having to cheer for it—Zhu wanted to find a piece of tofu to slam his head against in death. Why hadn’t he put away that magnetic ring?
“Of course, of course.” Yang Jingyuan smiled at the Ji siblings as they turned back, saying triumphantly to Sugar Artist Zhang, “Hurry and make one!”
Sugar Artist Zhang also had a bitter face, his eyes full of pleading. Couldn’t you just win one?
Yang Jingyuan’s lips curled up as he said quietly: “I’m bringing you business. Quick, while no one’s around.”
As he stood before the gaming board, Sugar Artist Zhang understood, quietly taking out his usual bamboo sticks from the cabinet below, pretending to wipe dust with a cloth in one hand while swiftly making the switch.
Yang Jingyuan’s hand, hidden behind his back, made a small gesture, and Sugar Artist Zhang instinctively slipped the bamboo stick with the iron needle into his hand.
When the Ji siblings and Zhu were positioned by the gaming board, Yang Jingyuan this time only counted out five copper coins to throw into the bamboo tube before spinning the stick.
The stick inevitably stopped at the qilin square. Since Little Zhu had won one earlier, Sugar Artist Zhang had added another stuck in the straw stack. He insincerely congratulated Yang Jingyuan: “Young master has good luck!”
Yang Jingyuan pulled out the sugar qilin and handed it to Zhu: “Your compensation.”
Zhu knew exactly what had happened but accepted with a false smile. He immediately tried to give the qilin to Ji Yingying: “Second Miss, this is… take it!”
Though he had prepared his lines all evening, planning to proudly tell Ji Yingying “I won this for you,” now he couldn’t say those words. Zhu felt utterly frustrated.
Ji Yaoting was also puzzled. He knew Zhu had colluded with Sugar Artist Zhang to win the qilin, but how did Yang Jingyuan also know how to cheat? Ji Yingying, seeing through the game’s tricks, wanted it even less: “Brother Zhu, this is Third Young Master Yang’s winning to compensate you. I can’t accept it.”
Zhu awkwardly held the sugar qilin, silently cursing his bad luck.
Just then, someone nearby noticed and shouted: “Zhu’s won another qilin, it must be cheating!”
“Sugar Artist Zhang, you dare to cheat at gambling?! Do you still want to keep your stall?”
“Right! Give me back my five coins!”
“Make me a qilin and we’ll call it even!”
The temple fair was crowded, and once someone started shouting, more people rushed over to watch, surrounding the sugar art stall.
“Everyone, this old man has run this stall for forty-some years, honest to young and old alike!” Sugar Artist Zhang feared exactly this kind of situation, bowing repeatedly to the crowd with a bitter face.
“If it’s not cheating, how could someone win two sugar qilins?! Come on, let’s take his things to the officials!”
“Right! To the officials!”
The agitated crowd pushed toward the sugar art stall. The first person who had shouted tried to grab the bamboo tube containing the silver coins.
“What’s all the noise about?! Is winning a qilin so difficult? Is it?” Yang Jingyuan shouted while grabbing that person’s wrist, taking back the money tube, and handing it to Sugar Artist Zhang. “Who says Sugar Artist Zhang is cheating? I think you’re the ones trying to steal money and goods!”
He forcefully pushed the man away.
The man said angrily: “I wasn’t stealing! He’s cheating, what’s wrong with taking back my five coins?”
Yang Jingyuan gave a cold laugh, standing in front of the stall with his arms crossed: “So me and Zhu winning qilins means cheating? You must be jealous!”
The crowd burst into laughter.
The man grew angry: “Win another one for me to see!”
Yang Jingyuan reached out to Ji Yingying: “Five coins. I’ll win you a qilin.”
As he said this, his eyes flickered, and a trace of discomfort passed over his handsome face.
She hadn’t wanted to accept Zhu’s qilin because she didn’t want to be the subject of gossip in front of everyone. Now if she accepted one from Yang Jingyuan, what would Zhu think? Though she didn’t like Zhu, Ji Yingying didn’t want to hurt his pride this way. After all, they had grown up together. She turned her face away: “I don’t want it.”
So breaking Zhu’s qilin and preventing them from leaving was because he wanted to win her a qilin himself. The moment he understood his feelings, she rejected him firmly. Yang Jingyuan felt as if his chest had been cut with a knife—it hurt a little.