“What’s wrong with you, Afeng?” Yuan Zheng frowned at him. “Drink up! Once we finish this round, I have to head back to the academy again. Who knows how long before I can come out next time!”
“Hehehe, Yuan Zheng, how many years have you been taking the exams now? Still going at it?”
Yuan Zheng downed a large bowl of wine and snorted coldly. “Of course I’m still taking them! I’ll be a great official one day!”
The others burst out laughing, teasing him mercilessly.
Gu Feng looked up and down at the person before him, who bent low under his gaze, and barked sharply, “Turn around!”
“…”
“Afeng, what are you making her turn around for?” Wei Lai jeered. “Don’t you know she’s the ugliest woman in Furong Town—the infamous ‘Ugly Wuyan’? What’s there to see? Careful she doesn’t scare you so bad you can’t sleep tonight…”
“Mind your mouth.” Gu Feng sneered. His eyes lingered on the woman’s face, mostly hidden by her hair. Toying with the wine bottle in his hand, he grinned. “I’ve had guts since I was little. I’ve never seen anything that could scare me yet. I want to see just how ugly this so-called ‘ugly woman’ can be!”
Before she could resist or scream, Gu Feng grabbed for the mask on her face.
But he was merely a spoiled wastrel—weak, drained, and soft from indulgence—while Fang Linchun had done years of hard labor.
After several failed attempts and the sound of his friends’ laughter in his ears, Gu Feng grew angry. He slapped her hard across the face and barked at the others who were watching the show, “What are you looking at? Get over here and help me!”
“Help! Help!” Fang Linchun cried out, only to be met with mocking laughter.
“What a terrible voice! Sounds awful!”
“Afeng, don’t even bother. If she sounds that bad, just imagine how hideous she must look. I’d lose sleep!” Gou Ting spat on the ground, face twisted in disgust.
Chen Quanhai chuckled, intrigued. “Actually, now I’m curious. Come on, hold her down!”
Gou Ting and Chen Quanhai grabbed her arms, while Wei Lai and Yuan Zheng pinned her legs, making her unable to move.
“Help! Help!”
“Stop shouting! Even if you scream till your throat bleeds, no one’s coming to save you!”
“No… please don’t…” Fang Linchun struggled, shaking her head desperately, begging, “I’m begging you—please don’t take it off. I’ll give you all my money if you want, just don’t…”
“Too noisy.” Gu Feng snarled impatiently, yanking her hair back. When he saw the half of her face that was exposed, his eyes flashed with a trace of amazement. “Well, one side’s actually not bad! If only I could ignore the other…”
Tears streamed down Fang Linchun’s face. The side of her cheek he’d slapped burned painfully.
Gu Feng pinned her head with one hand and tore off her mask with the other.
“Tch…” He glanced once, then turned away instantly, disgusted. “Ugh, revolting…”
Chen Quanhai frowned after one glance, unable to get the image out of his mind.
Gou Ting didn’t dare to look at all. He grabbed a cup of wine and gulped it down.
Fang Linchun took advantage of their distraction to break free, trying to grab the mask back from Gu Feng’s hand.
“Ha!” Gu Feng tossed the mask far away and sneered, “Crawl over there to get it, and I’ll let you wear it again.”
“…”
Fang Linchun froze, her whole body trembling as if her bones had shattered. Her hands and feet shook violently, and her heart plunged into icy despair.
“Crawl!”
When she didn’t move fast enough, Gu Feng shoved her hard.
“…”
Just as she was about to fall forward, a cold male voice shouted sharply—
“What are you doing!?”
A man in a faded blue robe stood not far away, handsome and stern, clutching a stack of books.
“Well, look who it is!” Chen Quanhai sneered. “Another idiot who thinks he can play the hero and rescue a damsel like in those plays?”
Laughter erupted again. They mocked the scholar, a frail bookworm who couldn’t lift a chicken, yet dared to act righteous.
The young scholar didn’t get angry. He simply said sternly, “Let that girl go! Or I’ll report you to the magistrate for assaulting a decent woman!”
“Tch. You, boy? Do you even know who we are?” Gou Ting stood up, voice harsh. “And who the hell are you!?”
The scholar’s tone was cold. “It doesn’t matter who I am. Release her, apologize, and beg her forgiveness.”
“Hah! Funniest thing I’ve heard all year!” Gou Ting rolled up his sleeves, ready to teach the scholar a lesson, but Yuan Zheng stopped him.
“What are you doing, Yuan Zheng?”
“Don’t hit him—I think I know him.” Yuan Zheng squinted through the dim moonlight at the elegant young man.
“What’s your name?”
“My surname is Tang. Given name, Peiqian.”
“…” Yuan Zheng slapped his own forehead. “You’re the scholar who took first place in this year’s exams?”
“I am.”
Yuan Zheng stepped forward in excitement. “It really is you! We were in the same examination hall! I read your essay—could you answer a few of my questions sometime?”
Tang Peiqian didn’t respond right away. Instead, he looked toward Gu Feng, who still held Fang Linchun, and said, “I can—but release the lady first.”
“No problem, no problem!” Yuan Zheng quickly agreed, hurrying to Gu Feng’s side. “Afeng, do me a favor, alright?”
“Seriously, Yuan Zheng? Have you read yourself stupid?” Wei Lai scowled. “You’re really taking the side of a stranger over us now?”
Yuan Zheng ignored him, keeping his gaze fixed on Gu Feng.
When Gu Feng heard Tang Peiqian’s name, he froze for a moment. He remembered that his uncle had plans to befriend this scholar and even wanted to marry his cousin Hui’er to him.
He sized Tang Peiqian up—upright, refined, decent-looking. Not bad for his cousin, he thought.
Gu Feng snorted coldly, suddenly losing interest in the fun. “Let’s go. I’m done here.”
Gou Ting and Chen Quanhai, his ever-loyal followers, quickly followed. Wei Lai glanced at Yuan Zheng but said nothing more, leaving as well.
Tang Peiqian stepped forward, cupping his hands politely. “Thank you, Young Master Yuan. If you have any scholarly questions, you may find me at the end of Wuxing Alley—the small tile-roof house near Cat Alley.”
“Ah—thank you, Brother Tang!” Yuan Zheng replied cheerfully before running off to catch up with the others.
Fang Linchun curled up in the corner, head bowed, trying to make herself invisible.
A faint scent of ink approached. A simple cloth robe stopped a short distance away.
“…”
“Young lady?”
A pair of pale hands—calloused and cracked from frost—held out her mask.
“Don’t be afraid. They’ve all gone.”
“….” Fang Linchun trembled at the gentleness in his voice.
“I’ll leave your mask here.” Tang Peiqian, sensing her fear, placed it by her feet and quietly left.
“Thank you…”
Her words, soft as a mosquito’s buzz, might not have even reached his ears.
After that day, every morning when Fang Linchun opened her stall, she would see Tang Peiqian passing by with books in his arms, hurrying toward the academy.
Strangely enough, she had never noticed him before—but now, she had memorized his schedule completely.
In her heart, she wished that one day he would remember she hadn’t properly thanked him—so she could do it face to face.
That night, Tang Peiqian returned under the starlight, walking briskly.
Fang Linchun’s heart pounded wildly, her hands trembling. Just thinking about what she wanted to say made her mouth go dry and her nerves flutter.
Distractedly packing up her things, she waited and waited—until finally, he arrived.
“Master Tang!”
Tang Peiqian stopped, puzzled. “Do you need something, miss?”
Fang Linchun’s eyes darted nervously. She couldn’t bring herself to look up. “I… I just wanted to thank you.”
Tang Peiqian smiled gently. He remembered her—strong, hardworking, resilient. “It was nothing. Anyone who saw would have helped. You don’t need to thank me.”
No! It’s not the same!
Fang Linchun wanted to tell him that no one else—no one except Peony—had ever stood up for her like that.
But her shame at her own voice kept her silent.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be on my way,” Tang Peiqian said kindly, then turned back with a reminder: “You shouldn’t stay out so late. This area’s full of troublemakers—it’s dangerous.”
“…Thank you.”
All she could do was whisper her gratitude.
After he left, Fang Linchun clutched her racing heart and smiled uncontrollably.
From then on, every day when he passed by, he would greet her. At first she was flustered, then delighted—she began to anticipate his arrival, his greeting, the sound of him saying “Miss Fang” in that warm tone.
Even Peony noticed her absentmindedness.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Ah? Nothing…”
Peony, preoccupied herself, didn’t press further. “I might not be able to come out for a while. If anything happens, send word.”
“Why?”
“Adult business. Kids shouldn’t ask too much,” Peony said vaguely. “Anyway, after this, we’ll finally be free to go wherever we want.”
“Alright…”
Fang Linchun didn’t notice the heaviness in Peony’s voice.
Days passed.
Perhaps joy truly brings fortune—her tavern business thrived.
But when things go well, jealousy follows.
“Hey! Bring us your best wine!”
That voice—exactly the same as that night.
Fang Linchun froze. Fear surged, but she tried to refuse.
A cold blade pressed against her neck, making her shiver from head to toe.
“W-what are you doing?”
“Just here for your wine, of course.”
Gu Feng led the group inside, glancing around with arrogance. His men overturned jars and shelves, smashing things carelessly. Fang Linchun dared not even feel heartache over the losses.
“You can have all the wine you want…”
“You said it.” Gu Feng grinned, but before she could breathe a sigh of relief, he added, “But that’s not enough.”
“…” Fang Linchun didn’t know how she had offended him again. “What do you want?”
“Your brewing recipe.”
Yuan Zheng spoke bluntly.
“No!” Fang Linchun would give them anything—but not that. It was the last thing her parents had left her.
“Well, well. Getting bold, aren’t we?” Wei Lai sneered, grabbing her arm. “Think someone’s backing you up now, so we don’t dare touch you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Still pretending?”
“You ugly slut! How dare you seduce Afeng’s future brother-in-law! You’ve got some nerve!”
“I didn’t! I don’t even know his cousin!”
“Still pretending!”
“Ah!” Fang Linchun flinched from another slap but continued to deny it. “I really don’t know him!”
Chen Quanhai’s tone was icy. “Then why were you meeting Tang Peiqian in secret at night?”
“W-what?” Fang Linchun froze in shock.
Gu Feng grabbed her by the throat, forcing her to look at him. “Tang Peiqian is already engaged to my cousin. Their marriage is set—it’s all over town! You mean to tell me you didn’t know?”
He sneered, voice dripping with scorn.
“Didn’t expect it, did you? Ugly and shameless! Daring to seduce our He family’s son-in-law!”