Now, on the Wen family's side, upon hearing that Yan Feng'an would be visiting today, Wen Liu got up early to dress up. He put on new clothes with fabric soft as water, wore a white jade hairpin and silver bracelets, and even dabbed some fragrant powder on his face.
Wen Liu loved to dress up on ordinary days too, but never as elaborately as today.
The villagers were shallow and full of jealousy, and there was a whole crowd of toads like Zhao Shoutian secretly lusting after him. Though Wen Liu enjoyed these people's admiration, he wasn't a fool. Luring them into restless temptation was one thing, but he must never deliberately provoke them. He understood these filthy men all too well—each one cheap and wicked, not worth so much as Yan Feng'an's fingernail, yet still dreaming of marrying him.
Wen Liu did have some genuine feelings for Yan Feng'an. The man had passed the xiucai examination at a young age, and his looks were first-rate. Back when Wen Liu studied in town, he'd rarely seen anyone more dashing and handsome than Yan Feng'an. Wen Liu himself was quite good-looking, so naturally he wanted a handsome husband in return.
Yan Feng'an hadn't been his first choice at the start. Though the man had both talent and looks, his family background fell somewhat short compared to those wealthy young masters in town. But those young masters were nothing like simple country folk—every one of them was snobbish and cunning, wanting only to take advantage of him, with none sincerely wanting to marry him and bring him home.
City people cared about matching family status. Wealthy households would never take a country ge'er like him as a proper wife. With his looks, plenty of people would gladly carry him off as a concubine. But the status of wife and concubine was as different as heaven and earth. Even if he dreamed of flying up a branch and becoming a phoenix, he would never degrade himself like that.
After much deliberation, Wen Liu decided Yan Feng'an suited him best. Though the man's family circumstances couldn't compare to those rich and noble young masters in town, they were far better than ordinary village families.
Skilled craftsmen were in demand in every era. In autumn and winter, the other three men of the Yan family were hardly ever home, earning who knew how much money over the year. Yan Feng'an had already passed the xiucai examination, and it was surely only a matter of time before he passed the provincial exam. Passing that would qualify him for officialdom—wouldn't Wen Liu then get to rise to glory alongside him and eat off the government's rice? Thinking this way, his heart grew even sweeter.
Wen Liu was a man of strong initiative. Once he had a goal, he would act decisively and immediately. Having figured out the pattern of Yan Feng'an's days off from his studies, he deliberately engineered several "chance" encounters. Bit by bit, he charmed Yan Feng'an into falling deeply for him, so much that the man could hardly wait to marry him and bring him home.
After Yan Feng'an's accident, Wen Liu felt some regret, but if it really came to marrying into that family, he wouldn't do it. He was marrying to enjoy life, not to suffer. His little fondness for Yan Feng'an wasn't enough to make him gamble away the rest of his life.
Who could have known that Heaven would toy with him like this? Just as he'd resolved to abandon Yan Feng'an, the man actually recovered.
That was clearly the husband he had handpicked after careful selection, yet in the end the prize went to Wen Xi. How could he ever accept that?
The face in the bronze mirror twisted slightly. After taking a deep breath, Wen Liu finally regained his composure. He resolved that this time, no matter what means he had to use, he would make Yan Feng'an change his heart.
Wen Shishan and Li Qiaozhen were both shrewd people. Suddenly hearing that Yan Feng'an was coming to their home, their hearts thumped with the instinctive feeling that this was nothing good.
Seeing Wen Liu dressed up so gaudily, Wen Shishan felt even more vexed. "That man Yan, whatever else you say, is your brother's husband in name. What kind of propriety is this from you?"
Wen Liu was unbothered. "Oh, Papa, what are you afraid of? No one sees me dressed like this in my own home. If I dress prettily, An-lang will be delighted when he sees me."
Wen Shishan frowned. "After all that's happened, you still want to rekindle things with him?"
Wen Liu said, "Why not? An-lang looks like he's going places. If I can win him over again, wouldn't that benefit our family too? If you don't count on me, who else would you count on? Ge'er Xi? With that dull personality and plain face of his, one extra glance would probably turn An-lang's stomach. And you expect him to win An-lang's heart? Impossible. Not that I look down on him, but even if An-lang is willing to stay with him now, once he becomes an official, he'll likely find an excuse to divorce him anyway. As the saying goes, why let good water flow to outsiders' fields? If it really comes to that, you might as well let me try."
Li Qiaozhen thought his words made sense. Yan Feng'an was originally Wen Liu's fiancé, so if he could hook this man back, it wouldn't be a bad thing. Then Wen Liu could comfortably become an official's wife, and when Wen Xi was driven back out by the Yan family, they could sell him off for money again. However you looked at it, they wouldn't lose.
"Your reasoning isn't bad, but have you considered what if Yan Feng'an resents you for abandoning him and refuses to make up with you?"
Men were all vain about their pride. Li Qiaozhen didn't believe Yan Feng'an had no complaints whatsoever about the bridal substitution. If that little slut fanned the flames in front of him, wouldn't their family be hated all the more?
Wen Liu's gaze swept over the two of them. "I'm afraid I'll need Papa and Mama to help me with this."
After the family of three finished their discussion and prepared to put their plan into action, they waited and waited but no one came. Wen Shishan wasn't a fool either—with a moment's thought, he knew Yan Feng'an was deliberately using Qiao to snub them.
So the xiucai was petty too. Wen Shishan was displeased, and at lunch he took it out on Wen Liu. "Daydreaming all day, chasing unrealistic fantasies. I can tell that Xiucai Yan has no lingering feelings for you. Go inside and change out of those clothes before you embarrass your old man."
Wen Liu felt awful but forced himself to hold on. "The bridal substitution was my fault to begin with, so it's natural An-lang is angry. If he said he'd come, he will come."
Wen Shishan was about to lose his temper again, but Li Qiaozhen hurriedly intervened. "Ge'er Liu has his own ideas. Just leave him be."
Right as they were speaking, Yan Feng'an arrived with Wen Xi.
The two were still wearing the same clothes from yesterday. Wen Liu had mentally prepared himself, and though he saw that Wen Xi seemed quite different from before, he didn't spare him so much as a glance.
Wen Shishan and Li Qiaozhen, however, were taken aback. In the past, Wen Xi always hunched his shoulders and lowered his head in front of them, as humble as an ant that could be crushed underfoot at any moment. Who would have thought that today he would stand tall and look them straight in the eye?
In truth, Wen Xi had broken out in a cold sweat from fear. He still remembered with perfect clarity how his parents used to beat him before the wedding. Even though the wounds on his body had healed, the memory still made them ache dully.
But before they left, Yan Feng'an had told him that he was now the husband of a xiucai, and that no one—not even his own parents, let alone the constables in town—could casually have him beaten.
Though a few words couldn't fully put Wen Xi's mind at ease, they at least kept him from being as fearful as before.
Yan Feng'an had originally intended to give a courteous cupped-hand salute to Wen Shishan and Li Qiaozhen, but his hand was clasped tightly with Wen Xi's and he really couldn't free it, so he simply nodded and said, "I've brought Xiao Xi here today to take care of some business. Sorry for the intrusion."
Without even a proper form of address, Wen Shishan felt displeased but didn't dare show it to their faces, and instead smiled obsequiously. "Dear son-in-law, what are you saying? This is Xi ge'er's natal home—how could your visit be an intrusion? Please, come in and sit."
Yan Feng'an didn't stand on ceremony either, and led Wen Xi straight to a seat in the courtyard. In the main hall, a table was still strewn with leftovers from a meal. Li Qiaozhen hurriedly flustered about cleaning up. On one hand, she wanted to create an opportunity for Wen Liu and Yan Feng'an to talk; on the other, she couldn't stand seeing Wen Xi so relaxed and at ease. Just like in the old days, she grumbled and cursed at him: "You little brat, you've known how to shirk work since you were small. You finally come home for a visit, and you don't even lift a finger to help me. Those eyes of yours really grew for nothing."
Though he had long known what kind of life Wen Xi led in this household, seeing Li Qiaozhen be so spiteful right in front of him made Yan Feng'an genuinely furious. His brow furrowed as he said, "As the saying goes, when burning incense, mind the Buddha; when beating a dog, mind its master. I don't know what I've done to offend you, that you'd throw this unprovoked tantrum at my husband. Xi ge'er is gentle and well-behaved in our home, diligent and virtuous. How is it that in the mouth of his own mother, he's become such a worthless person?"