Pei Ji does not forget to issue harsh threats.
Inside Songhe Pavilion.
Song Yu and Yan Qi were still sitting quietly and tasting tea. Pastries were displayed on the table, and the previous dishes had already been cleared away, leaving everyone waiting for Pei Ji to arrive so the new courses could be served.
“Will he really bring someone here for us to see?” Yan Qi took a sip of tea with a skeptical expression.
They had been close since childhood, so they naturally knew Pei Ji’s temperament. He was as fiercely protective as a wild beast, and things he wanted to hide in his den were never easily shown to outsiders.
Just judging by the look on his face earlier, anyone could tell how much he cherished that little mute, a far cry from the utter disdain he had shown before.
Even though barely a month had passed, such a massive shift in attitude was like the transformation of oceans into mulberry fields, and that little mute from the He family surely must have some unique qualities.
Song Yu lowered his gaze and chuckled softly, his brows gentle. “What are we betting?”
The moment Yan Qi heard that, he instantly perked up. He loved this competitive streak in the Song dog; he looked all gentle and mild on the outside, but he simply wouldn’t allow anyone else to disagree with him, or else he would trick you into a loss!
Yet who was he?
He was the young general Yan of Tianqi!
“A bet! I bet my younger brother!” Yan Qi raised his chin toward him with exceptional boldness. “I’ll bet my younger brother to you!”
“Does Jingchun himself know about this?” Song Yu let out a light laugh. “Your attempt to back out of the bet is a bit too obvious.”
Yan Qi curled his lip and clicked his tongue twice. “When you make a bet with me, it is not about what you want, but about what I have!”
Song Yu nodded in agreement. He picked up his teacup and took a sip, his warm eyes narrowing into a smile as he instantly thought of a new wager for himself.
“Speaking of what you have, I recall you have a young military officer under your command. Give him to me,” Song Yu said.
“Song Yanguan… you really have no shame!” Yan Qi swallowed a mouthful of curses that had already made a full circle back to his throat!
Although his Yan family was also renowned for generations of valor, military achievements were carved out inch by inch. By his generation, even the opportunities to set foot on a battlefield were scarce, leaving him with very few usable men under his command.
Ordinary guards and secret agents were plenty, of course, but his actual combat soldiers were far fewer compared to that Pei dog’s forces! This fellow didn’t go ask the Pei dog for men, yet he came asking him instead!
Insidious thief!
He only ever knew how to snatch the good things back to his own nest!
Song Yu looked completely innocent. “This is something you have, after all.”
Yan Qi sneered coldly. “Even if he follows you, he remains loyal to me. What use is he to you?”
“Naturally, he has his uses. Just tell me whether you will give him to me or not.”
“Take him, take him!”
Naturally, Yan Qi didn’t care to keep him anyway; he could always find a chance to reclaim him later, or simply snatch him back by force if necessary. In any case, the Song dog wasn’t lacking just this one man!
Song Yu immediately raised his hand and slapped palms with him, sealing their wager right then and there.
Actually, if Yan Qi were to speak his mind, he secretly suspected that the Pei dog would indeed come. But then again, he thought that today was truly a special occasion, and since that little mute would surely suffer grievances in the palace, Pei Ji would definitely bring him straight home to coddle and soothe him properly.
Just as his thoughts were spinning through various possibilities, before he could even sort it out for himself, Pei Ji actually brought the person right to them.
Yan Qi’s eyes widened in sheer astonishment.
As for Song Yu, he raised an eyebrow at Yan Qi, a victor’s smile blooming across his gentle face.
“You Pei dog!” Yan Qi growled through grates of clenched teeth.
“You’re using me in a wager again?” Pei Ji clicked his tongue lightly. Though his tone carried a hint of impatience, his brows and eyes were wreathed in amusement, showing that he was long accustomed to their antics.
Song Yu smiled as he stood up. “Stop hiding him away. You ought to introduce him to us properly.”
Hearing this, Pei Ji’s smile deepened. He pulled the person half-hiding beside him entirely into view, wrapping one hand tightly around the little mute’s hand while keeping his other arm positioned protectively in front of him. “This is my primary spouse, He Zhile,” he announced with a grin.
“These two are Song Yu, styled Song Yanguan, and Yan Qi, styled Yan Jiangshu,” Pei Ji continued his introductions. “You’ve already met their younger siblings and wives back in the palace.”
“Pleased to meet you.”
“He really is well-behaved!”
Yan Qi let out a loud exclamation of amazement, cutting Song Yu off right in the middle of his sentence.
Song Yu pressed his lips together and shot Yan Qi a sideways glance; he knew right away that this Yan dog had done it on purpose!
He Zhile trembled all over. The smile on his face froze for a fraction of a second before he managed a rather forced, stiff grin.
“Pay him no mind. He just has a loud mouth, which is why his father refuses to let him go to battle, fearing he would leak military secrets the moment he opens his mouth,” Pei Ji joked smoothly, feeling relieved only when he saw the little mute start smiling again.
The four of them took their seats. Amidst several orderly chairs, He Zhile’s was placed right next to Pei Ji, so close the two of them looked practically ready to share a single seat.
Such intimacy was a rare sight indeed, and judging by Pei Ji’s demeanor, anyone could tell just how deeply he treasured this little mute.
Pei Ji meticulously introduced the dishes available at Songhe Pavilion, noting that the youth favored sweet, sour, and spicy flavors, and ordered extra portions of those. Song Yu and Yan Qi added a few dishes of their own before conversation resumed.
“The tea is running low.” Song Yu frowned slightly, just as he was about to instruct the attendant outside, he saw He Zhile across from him stand up. “Are you heading out?”
He Zhile gave a gentle nod and tugged lightly on Pei Ji’s sleeve, shaking it a little.
“Alright, alright. Then take Chun Jian with you, and if there are any other pastries you want to eat, just tell the shopkeeper to buy them.” Pei Ji had the least resistance against these little gestures of his.
Tugging on his sleeve like that.
It was simply impossible to be any cuter.
He Zhile hurriedly hurried out the door with Chun Jian trailing behind. Sitting inside the private room made him undeniably nervous; even if these men were his husband’s closest friends, stepping out for a breath of fresh air was a welcome relief.
Naturally, alongside the nervousness, there was a greater sense of lingering joy.
The purpose behind today’s gathering was self-evident.
The waiter recognized He Zhile, even if he hadn’t known him before, seeing him led in by the hand by Pei Ji today made his identity crystal clear. Spotting him coming downstairs, the waiter hurried forward to greet him. “Is there something you need? Just call out to us waiters; there is no need for you to run about and tire yourself!”
“The tea in our private room is running low, please bring up another pot,” Chun Jian spoke up first, and following a subtle signal from He Zhile’s eyes, he helped support the youth as they stepped out of the restaurant.
There were numerous shops lining the street alongside Songhe Pavilion. To He Zhile, everything he saw felt novel and fresh, so he headed straight into a pastry shop just as Pei Ji had instructed.
Facing the overly enthusiastic shopkeeper always made him nervous, and his fingers unconsciously began tweaking the fabric of his clothes. But Chun Jian kept a constant, attentive watch on him; whenever He Zhile’s gaze lingered a fraction too long on a particular pastry, Chun Jian’s hand would point directly toward it.
Although the shopkeeper found him a bit strange, wealthy families were always finicky and disliked speaking much, so it didn’t strike him as entirely abnormal.
Very soon, three paper-wrapped parcels of pastries were swinging from Chun Jian’s hands.
“Young Master, look over there.”
Chun Jian spoke in a low voice, lifting his chin to gesture toward the street not far ahead.
Following his gaze, He Zhile saw his father-in-law, Pei Xiao, engaged in conversation with He Hong’an. Though they appeared calm on the surface, he was extremely sensitive and easily read the expression on his father-in-law’s face.
Endurance mixed with deep annoyance. The man looked ready to throw a punch right at his cheap father.
“Should we go over?” Chun Jian asked in a quiet voice.
After all, they were out on the public street, and since they had spotted them, failing to step forward and offer a greeting might be considered impolite. Yet the current situation was undeniably awkward.
He Zhile gave a gentle shake of his head.
They were merely chatting amidst a bustling street. If he rushed over to interrupt uninvited, people might accuse him of lacking proper manners. It was far better to pretend he hadn’t seen them at all.
Besides, he had no desire to lay eyes on He Hong’an anyway.
Upon returning to the private room, He Zhile presented the oil-paper parcels of fine pastries to Song Yu and Yan Qi respectively. Though they weren’t terribly precious delicacies, they at least represented a small gesture of goodwill.
Pei Ji’s lazy gaze drifted back from the window, landing on He Zhile with an intensity that threatened to make the youth’s heart leap straight out of his throat.
He hurriedly stepped forward to unwrap the pastries, and like a flattering petitioner, picked up a piece to offer right to Pei Ji’s lips. A stray crumb brushed against Pei Ji’s mouth, leaving him unable to refuse.
It tickled.
“Don’t think that acting all obedient like this will make me forgive you for buying pastries for those two,” Pei Ji chewed deliberately, never forgetting to issue a harsh threat.
“Ah.”
He Zhile let out a soft sound to show he understood.
Yet Pei Ji very cooperatively opened his mouth wide, letting the youth shove the pastry straight in, puffing out his handsome cheeks until they bulged.
“Ah?”
I wasn’t trying to feed you! I was just answering what you said!
“You want to feed me more?” Pei Ji muttered around a mouthful of pastry, his puffed-out cheeks making his words entirely indistinct. “Is this enough for you? You just got scolded a bit, and now you’re trying to give me a hard time like this.”
He Zhile opened his mouth, wanting to make a sound to explain that he hadn’t meant that way, but Pei Ji always deliberately twisted his intentions. Besides, there were outsiders present.
And those two outsiders at the moment were watching them with immense amusement, taking sips of tea and bites of food between intervals, treating the whole scene like dinner theater.
“Ahem!” Pei Ji frowned and gave a light cough.
He Zhile hurriedly handed over a cup of tea, urging him to moisten his throat and wash down the sweetness.
Seeing the couple’s deep affection, Song Yu and Yan Qi could only click their tongues a few times, lacking the heart to disturb them further. After all, iron trees blooming with flowers were rare; if they teased them any more, they’d likely be blinded by an overdose of sweetness, and neither of them could stomach that.
This meal successfully helped He Zhile become acquainted with the core figures of the Song and Yan households, making Pei Ji’s efforts worthwhile.
After seeing the two off, He Zhile used sign language to tell Pei Ji about encountering his father-in-law and cheap father out on the street earlier.
“Perhaps your father had something to ask him. It’s nothing important, don’t worry yourself over it,” Pei Ji said.
“Ah-en.” He Zhile nodded obediently.
“Then let’s wander around for a bit longer before heading home.” Pei Ji gripped his hand firmly, leading him through the bustling street traffic.
Among the wealthy nobles and prominent merchants of the capital, there was not a single soul who didn’t recognize Pei Ji. Previously, they had only heard rumors of his marriage and his trip taking his primary spouse out to the country estates, but seeing him today with their own eyes, leading his primary spouse hand-in-hand through the bustling lanes, made it all feel genuinely real.
This fierce young general and noble young master had actually gotten married.
Knowing the youth would feel nervous, Pei Ji used the cover of the youth’s slightly loose sleeves to wrap his hand completely within his own, striding down the street like a wealthy patron splurging on a shopping spree.
Whatever item He Zhile lingered his gaze on for even a second was promptly bought and added to their collection.
Yet this heavy spending reminded He Zhile of how generously Pei Ji had behaved right before their return visit, throwing all those fine treasures at the He family.
Yet those wicked people, did they even deserve to share in his and Pei Ji’s filial piety?
“What is it? Are you tired? Why do you look so down?” Pei Ji noticed his dejected expression and assumed he was simply exhausted. “Well, we’ve bought just about everything anyway. Shall we head straight home now?”
He Zhile nodded silently.
He was still unaccustomed to being out in public, and his mood couldn’t possibly stay high right now. It was better to go home quickly and adjust his feelings; he didn’t want Pei Ji to have to keep reading his gloomy expressions.
“Wait.” Pei Ji clicked his tongue lightly. “Is something on your mind? Out with it. Was your mouth blocked by me?”
Bad man!
He Zhile grumbled inwardly, then laboriously formed the signs to ask about those return gifts.
“I bought those to show filial piety to my mother-in-law. Since my mother-in-law has passed away, naturally those things belong to you. They’re all piled up in your small storehouse right now.”