Chapter 284: I’ll Give You a Tap Too
Li Yi didn’t turn his gaze back until after they had run off. He shot a glance toward the three guards standing in the corner, and one of them immediately set out to follow them.
Wen Yao took this all in and said, “They’re all inside the village, so nothing will happen.”
Li Yi wasn’t afraid of anything happening; he had simply sent someone to keep an eye on the kid to make sure he didn’t use his status to bully others.
Li Yi didn’t bother offering much explanation, asking directly instead, “Why the sudden desire to partner with me?”
Wen Yao hadn’t intended to hide anything from him either, so she gave him a brief account of the situation involving Lady Liu and Meng De.
After listening, Li Yi’s brows knitted slightly. He stole a glance at Wen Xiuyi, who had gone over to consult Old Man Wen about farming matters ever since Wen Yao arrived, and a trace of sympathy flickered in his eyes.
Having his ex-wife bring her current husband along to parade their power—Uncle Wen really has it rough.
“I know this man. He possesses quite a few tricks,” Li Yi summarized his assessment of Meng De in a few simple words.
However, if Meng De dared so much as lay a finger on Uncle Wen’s family, he and his father would certainly not let Meng De off the hook.
Li Yi didn’t utter these words aloud, keeping them tucked away in his heart instead. He decided to find a time to write a letter to his father to lay out the situation. Though his father never meddled in court affairs, giving someone small shoes to wear or tripping them up was still second nature to him. What’s more, Uncle Wen had caught Imperial Uncle’s eye now. If anyone else wished to move against him, they would likely have to weigh their own footing first.
Who didn’t know that in Imperial Uncle’s heart, the matter of grain yield outweighed all else?
Wen Yao naturally knew this man possessed tricks; otherwise, in the original novel, he wouldn’t have ultimately used Datou to climb to a high position. However, he eventually suffered the consequences of his own evil deeds and was taken out by Datou. Hehe, it could only be said that retribution came around in the end.
“I wonder how the Young Master has weighed the matter? Are you willing to engage in this modest business with us?” Wen Yao teased with a smile.
Li Yi felt utterly helpless. “I’m already sitting right here, so what do you think?”
Wen Yao let out a hehe laugh and held out both hands—four fingers raised on one hand, and six on the other.
“What do you say, Young Master? This is what Sister Qiu and I discussed. This part is yours, and this part is ours. If you feel it’s unsuitable, we can negotiate further.” Wen Yao knew full well in her heart that once Li Yi partnered with them, she and Qiu Rongrong would effectively be connected to Prince Fu. There would be plenty of areas where they would have to rely on him in the future, so giving him a larger cut of the profits was only right.
Looking at the hand she held out showing six fingers, Li Yi silently extended a single finger, gently pushing Wen Yao’s hand back, and then pointed at her other four fingers, saying, “This is plenty.”
“How can that be?” Wen Yao was stunned. Imagine someone complaining about having too much money.
Li Yi withdrew his hand, feeling his fingertips burning slightly. He put on a show of straightening his clothes while saying, “This much is enough, and you two can split the rest. Before coming here, I already discussed it with Mother; she will arrange the storefronts and personnel, so there’s no need to worry about a thing.”
Refusing to give up, Wen Yao stretched her hand forward a bit more. “You really don’t want it?”
If the sky weren’t darkening at this moment, Wen Yao would surely have noticed the crimson blush on his face.
Li Yi pulled his fingers back awkwardly and nodded. “Mm.”
“Many thanks for your consideration, Young Master!” Wen Yao playfully performed a curtsy while remaining seated, offering an improper, quirky bow.
Looking at the bright smile on her face and her brilliant eyes, Li Yi—for reasons unknown—averted his gaze after taking just a single glance, feeling his cheeks burning inexplicably.
As night fell, sparse lights twinkled across the village. Old Madam Luo had the table set and the dishes served, only to realize the children hadn’t returned yet.
“Wen Nong, go over to Tieniang’s house and see what’s going on. Why aren’t they back yet? Make sure they don’t eat at Tieniang’s place—with so many growing boys, his family can’t afford to feed them all!”
“Alright, I’ll go now.” Wen Nong had just stepped out the door when he saw Wen Fa leading a few others, shifting a large crate forward step by step toward the house.
“Second Brother, help out!” Wen Fa shouted at the top of his lungs.
Wen Nong walked over and saw that the crate was completely filled with pears. Stunned, he asked, “Did you boys knock down every single pear from Tieniang’s tree?”
Exerting his strength to shift the crate forward—the remaining younger ones were truly useless—Wen Fa explained as he moved, “We originally just wanted to knock down a few for Ah Rui to sample. Who knew his mother would hear that the Heir of Prince Fu had arrived and insist we knock down a whole crate to bring back? Brother, don’t just stand there dazed—help out!”
Wen Nong had no choice but to step forward and carry the crate into the house with his younger brother.
Taking a look at it, Old Madam Luo went straight back to the kitchen, grabbed a slab of meat, and handed it to Lady Li. “Take this over to Tieniang’s house.”
Wiping her hands, Lady Li took the meat and left. As she passed the boys, she didn’t forget to give each of them a tap on the head. “All day long, you do nothing but cause trouble!”
By the time she finished tapping, only Guan Shengrui was left. Lady Li looked at him, and he looked back at Lady Li.
Lady Li hesitated for a moment, but ultimately gave his head a gentle tap as well, then departed holding the meat.
She left Guan Shengrui standing frozen on the spot, completely at a loss.
Originally, Guan Shengrui had felt a tinge of envy watching how they interacted with one another. When he saw Lady Li tapping their heads one by one, Guan Shengrui had even wondered whether she would tap his as well.
What if she doesn’t tap mine? And if she does, should I blame her for being disrespectful?
Yet the moment Lady Li tapped his head, Guan Shengrui actually felt that this sensation… wasn’t bad at all.
Seeing him frozen, Wen Fa gave him a nudge and asked, “What’s wrong with you? Did my mother hurt you when she tapped your head?”
“Ah? N-No.” Guan Shengrui quickly shook his head. It didn’t hurt—it really didn’t hurt at all.
Li Yi took all of this in, keeping silent.
Wen Yao, on the other hand, walked in a circle around the crate of pears and said, “We can’t finish this many pears in a short time. Grandma, let’s brew autumn pear paste tomorrow, shall we? We can mix it with water for Datou and the others to drink—it nourishes the lungs.”
Old Madam Luo naturally had no objections. “Alright. Eldest Son, Second Son, move the pears under the eaves, wash your hands, and let’s eat!”
Hearing that it was time to eat, the younger ones let out a cheer and ran over to the water tub to wash their hands, not forgetting to drag Guan Shengrui along.
During the meal, Li Yi suddenly spoke up: “Tomorrow, Ah Rui will go to the academy with Datou and the others.”
The chopsticks in Guan Shengrui’s hand nearly dropped to the table.
“I…” He wanted to say he didn’t want to go, but under Li Yi’s stern glance, he instantly lost his nerve.
After finally escaping the capital, to think I still have to study.
Someone save me!
Datou and the others, however, were thoroughly accustomed to it. Finishing their food in two shakes of a lamb’s tail, they pressed Li Yi to leave.
“Brother Yi, come let us show you our schoolwork!”
Looking at the table full of delicious food, Li Yi had no choice but to quicken his eating pace and follow them out, taking Guan Shengrui along as well.
Only after they had left did Lady Li let out a breath of relief, speaking up: “First a King, then a Young Master, and now a Princess’s son has arrived!” In the past, such a thing was truly beyond their wildest dreams.
Wen Ying gave her mother no face whatsoever, remarking directly, “Mother, you even tapped his head earlier!”
Lady Li: “…” Did I do that on purpose? Didn’t I tap everyone else’s, so I feared leaving him out might make the boy overthink things?
Glaring at Wen Ying, Lady Li issued her command directly: “And you! What is a young girl doing running wild outside with them all day? You don’t have the slightest resemblance to a proper young lady! Look at your eldest sister and second sister, then look at yourself!
“Starting tomorrow, you aren’t allowed to go anywhere. Just stay home with your eldest sister and learn embroidery. If you dare run wild again, see if I don’t break your legs!”
Having just finished her meal, Wen Ying quickly set down her bowl. “Grandpa, Grandma, Eldest Uncle, Father, Third Uncle, Third Aunt, brothers, sisters—I’m finished eating!”
Saying this, she didn’t forget to pull a face at Lady Li before making a swift escape.
“Hey, this darn girl!” Just as Lady Li was about to chase after her, Old Madam Luo stopped her.
Old Madam Luo said, “This girl simply doesn’t have a personality that can sit still! Why must you restrict her? If you ask me, Third Girl is great just like this. Who knows, our family might actually produce a female general in the future!”
In the past, Old Madam Luo would certainly never have uttered such words. But as the changes in their household grew grander, Old Madam Luo’s mindset had altered as well, growing open-minded. Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes—let them fight for their own future path.
Lady Li sat back down helplessly. “Mother, you just keep pampering her!” Though her mouth said so, she brought up restricting Wen Ying no further.
When all was said and done, the girl had crawled out of her own belly—how could Lady Li not know her daughter’s nature? It was just that previously, she wouldn’t have dared to dream of such things. But now… hehe, dreaming a little was fine! What if it actually came true?
