Yang Jingyuan ground his teeth, looking as if he would bite her to death right then and there. Who was it that had said such hurtful words to her earlier? Now he was acting as if he’d never said them. How dare he act fierce when he is the one being unreasonable? Shaking her head, Ji Yingying stared at him for a moment, her gaze gradually softening as she watched him in silence.
Yang Jingyuan grew thoroughly annoyed. “Ji Yingying, why are you playing dumb? Say something!”
Warmth spread through his embrace as Ji Yingying wrapped her arms around his waist, melting into his arms like she had no bones. Her voice was as warm as a spring breeze: “Third Young Master, you look so handsome even when you’re angry. Your aunt must be incredibly beautiful…”
Was she afraid he would abandon her in his anger? Such a paper tiger, tough on the outside but soft within. Yang Jingyuan’s anger dissipated in an instant. He tugged at the reins, guiding the horse to walk slowly forward. Looking down at Ji Yingying, who was nestled in his arms like an obedient puppy, he curled his lips in satisfaction: “I’ve never seen a woman more beautiful than my aunt.”
Fine then – no point comparing anyone to his mother. No point in being jealous of his mother either. Yang Jingyuan, you’re not handsome at all! You have a foul mouth!
When a cat’s fur is standing on end with its tail straight up, it’s best not to tease it, lest you end up with scratches all over your face. Ji Yingying grumbled internally but continued to ‘overcome hardness with softness’: “Since Aunt Liu is so beautiful, the master must love her very much, right?”
“My aunt… has a gentle temperament. She never goes against anything my father says. There are so many beautiful women in the world – how could one love them all? For men, what we love most are gentle women who can rely on us.” Yang Jingyuan had a flash of inspiration and took the opportunity to lecture Ji Yingying, “My aunt was never a tree herself; at most, she was like an evening glory that could only bloom while climbing on the great tree that was my father. When my father was with my aunt, he felt particularly accomplished as a man. How could he not cherish her? Parents always have a soft spot for their weakest child, and it’s the same with men and women.”
So, whatever I say goes. I am the head of the household. Your man. Understand? Yang Jingyuan lowered his eyes and smiled, thinking how much more lovable Ji Yingying seemed at this moment, leaning against him.
Ji Yingying carefully dug her trap, her coquettish voice soft and sweet: “Then if you meet someone more beautiful and gentler than me in the future, will you cherish her more than me?”
Jealous already over something that hasn’t even happened? Yang Jingyuan felt immensely pleased: “If you obediently listen to what I say, why would I go cherish someone else?”
After a light sigh, Ji Yingying buried Yang Jingyuan in the pit she’d dug: “So you mean if I don’t listen to you, you’ll go love other women?”
…
How could that be what he meant? He meant that she should listen to him and rely on him! Yang Jingyuan froze, but before he could clarify, he heard Ji Yingying say softly: “It’s fine. In the future, when you fancy some other young lady, I’ll help you marry her and let you dote on her exclusively. As for me, I’ll focus on my dye research and mind my own business. You’d better not step into my chambers anymore – out of sight, out of mind.”
“Nonsense!” The words made Yang Jingyuan’s heart turn sour and bitter. He raised her face with his hand, “Yingying, I would never make you suffer like that.”
Ji Yingying’s dark eyes sparkled with mirth: “But the master has made the madam suffer for twenty years, hasn’t he?”
She clutched his collar and said seriously: “Third Young Master, the madam harbors resentment too. But if she had wanted your aunt dead, if she had wanted to deal with you, why would she wait until after the master passed? She’s the mistress of the inner court – she would have had plenty of ways to get rid of you both. Has she been that unkind to you?”
He knew it – Ji Yingying was a hedgehog, not a rabbit! All that roundabout talk, making his heart bloom with joy, was just to speak up for the First Madam. Yang Jingyuan’s face darkened: “Ji Yingying, do you know what it means to kill with kindness?”
“I do. But my Third Young Master is so wonderful. You weren’t raised to be like Zhou Seventh Young Master, you have excellent martial arts skills, and you have a delicate and considerate heart. I’m grateful to the madam. She raised you for eighteen years. Even if you can’t forgive the madam and feel sorry for Aunt Liu, you should know in your heart that the madam never meant to have you beaten to death – it was Servant Chen who acted on her own. Your two elder brothers are so much older than you – haven’t they ever cared for you? Now your eldest brother has been beaten bedridden by the Military Commissioner, and your second brother can barely hold things together alone. Even if you want to forge your path, you shouldn’t abandon them. My staying with the Yang family would help them too, wouldn’t it?”
Ji Yingying gazed at him softly, her eyes almost drowning Yang Jingyuan.
He lifted his head and sneered: “Ji Yingying, say no more. You just can’t bear to give up the wealth and glory of being the Yang family’s Third Young Madam.”
Still unmoved – even this wouldn’t persuade him? Ji Yingying wanted to continue, but suddenly the horse reared up and galloped forward. She grew anxious: “Third Young Master, if the Second Master and Third Master seize the position of the family head, can you bear to watch the First Branch family fall into poverty? Can you face your father?”
Yang Jingyuan remained silent. Ji Yingying suddenly flared up: “I’m not asking you to return to the Yang family, I’m just saying you should go earn your reputation in the military while I stay with the Yang family to help. The madam may have wronged you, but she has shown kindness to the Ji family. For these three years, I want to help the madam and eldest brother weave brocade. If you want to leave then leave, but I absolutely won’t go with you!”
Seeing the tea pavilion under the large Chinese parasol tree, Yang Jingyuan pulled the reins tight, bringing the horse to a stop. He jumped down and lifted Ji Yingying off the horse.
“I knew you were the best!” Ji Yingying’s eyes curved in a smile as she reached out to pull him along. In a flash, Yang Jingyuan had already mounted the horse again.
“Ji Yingying, you’re good to everyone except me. If you want to stay with the Yang family, suit yourself.” The oil merchant’s cart would arrive here in at most half an hour. Yang Jingyuan turned the horse around to leave.
Ji Yingying panicked and spread her arms to block the horse’s path.
Her dark eyes were filled with hope and pleading.
He didn’t stop, skillfully guiding the horse to brush past her.
Tears instantly filled her eyes. Ji Yingying said softly: “Third Young Master, you’re abandoning me here?”
It wasn’t that he wanted to abandon her. He just didn’t want to take her back to the Yang family now. He couldn’t get over the hurdle in his heart, couldn’t cross the threshold of the Yang family. “Hya!” Yang Jingyuan cracked his whip, and the horse galloped away.
“Yang Jingyuan! I’ll wait for you for three years at most! If you don’t come for me after three years, I’ll come find you! If you dare have any woman by your side, I’ll sweep her out with a broom!” Ji Yingying shouted at his disappearing figure.
She watched until he vanished from sight, then kicked the dirt at her feet forcefully: “I won’t be foolish like the madam, giving you up to other women.”
Ji Yingying pouted as she entered the tea stall, ordered a bowl of large-leaf tea, and sat waiting for Xiangyou and Uncle Ji Fu to arrive with the cart.
Half an hour passed, but the cart hadn’t arrived. Ji Yingying craned her neck to look down the road. She vaguely saw a group of people approaching on horseback in the distance. The sound of hooves grew louder, and in an instant, they were before her.
The riders were all dressed in black with masked faces. One of them swept his gaze across the tea stall and spotted Ji Yingying: “She’s here!”
She? Ji Yingying looked behind her – she was the only one in the tea pavilion, as the tea master had already hidden behind the stove. Were they looking for her?