Li Qiaozhen hadn't expected Yan Feng'an to suddenly turn on them and take Wen Xi's side. She gave a dry laugh and said, "Scholar Yan, you haven't spent much time with him, so you don't know what he's really like. This child has been full of schemes since he was little and loves to fool people. If I, as his mother, don't keep him in check, he'll surely climb right over our heads and lord it over us."
Yan Feng'an's expression turned cold and sharp. "What kind of person Xiaoxi is, I have eyes of my own to see. When he was a ge'er in your household, whatever you said about him as his elders, an outsider like me had no place to interject. But now that he's become part of my family, there's no way I can stand by and watch him be bullied. Come to think of it, the Wen family's ways are truly strange. Treating a young ge'er like a slave is one thing, but how did you raise your elder ge'er to be so lacking in propriety? Yesterday he blocked my way and said some frivolous things, and I held back and didn't hold it against him. Today, when Xige'er brought me back to visit, he—an unmarried ge'er—didn't keep his distance, but instead dressed himself up so ostentatiously. What would people think if word got out? You are Xige'er's maternal family, and there are things I shouldn't say too harshly, but I am a scholar after all. You may have no sense of shame, but I still have a reputation to keep."
No one had expected a mere scholar to be so devastating when shaming someone. Li Qiaozhen's face flushed red and white with anger, her lips trembling for a long while before she managed to squeeze out, "How can you, as a son-in-law, speak to your parents-in-law like this?"
That was just her having no argument left, so she could only nitpick at his manners.
Wen Shishan's face had gone yellow with rage as well, and he roared, "This is utterly outrageous!"
Yan Feng'an sneered, "Thanks to you all today, I'm afraid I'll have to keep being outrageous. If I don't spell some things out, you'll go on thinking I, Yan Feng'an, am some useless pushover. Having a bit of cleverness isn't a bad thing, but don't take everyone else for fools." He looked at the bewildered Wen Liu and said, "When I had my accident, you panicked and hid away, wanting to break off the engagement, and even used force to pressure Xiaoxi into marrying in my place. Now that you see I've recovered, you come fawning back. What scheme are you plotting? Do you think I can't see through it?"
After waiting all this time only to receive this outcome, Wen Liu was both anxious and furious. He stepped forward, grabbed Yan Feng'an's sleeve, and protested, "An-lang, let me explain—it's not like that, it's really not like that… It's all my parents' fault, it's their fault…"
Yan Feng'an brushed his hand away. "If a child is raised without instruction, it is the father's fault. Your parents never taught you to be an honest, down-to-earth person—they only knew how to coax you into selling your looks, climbing high branches, and taking advantage of others. They raised you into what you are now, so of course it's their fault. And there's no need to rush to pledge your loyalty to me. The past is the past. From now on, I acknowledge only Wen Xi as my husband. There is no longer any affection between you and me."
Wen Liu broke down. "How can you say that about me!"
With the whole family's face stripped off and trampled underfoot, Wen Shishan's chest ached with fury. If it had been anyone else, he would have slapped them long ago.
Wen Xi, whom he usually vented his anger on, was protected behind Yan Feng'an, so he could only roar at Li Qiaozhen, "Is this woman a fool or what? Why haven't you locked this disgraceful thing up in his room?"
Li Qiaozhen stepped forward with a dark face and pulled Wen Liu further away. Wen Liu trembled all over—all his hopes and schemes had come to nothing. Being humiliated like this by Yan Feng'an made the hatred in his heart surge, and he was so enraged he wanted to pull the jade hairpin from his head and stab Yan Feng'an to death on the spot.
Fortunately, he hadn't completely lost his reason, and could only curse the two of them bitterly in his heart.
Yan Feng'an hadn't come this time specifically to trade verbal barbs with them. He pulled a piece of paper from his robe and laid it on the stone table. "Enough idle talk—it's time for business. This is the IOU Wen Liu wrote when he borrowed money from me. It's been so long—isn't it about time your family repaid it?"
Having been humiliated by Yan Feng'an, Wen Shishan had originally only been angry, but upon seeing that IOU, he truly panicked.
"What IOU? I know nothing about it! Are you trying to swindle us?"
Yan Feng'an gave a cold smile. "Whether it's a swindle or not, you'll know once you look at it yourself."
With trembling hands, Wen Shishan picked up the IOU and looked. Sure enough, at the bottom was Wen Liu's name, with a fingerprint pressed beside it. He looked at Wen Liu in disbelief, glaring furiously. "When did you borrow money from him? Why didn't I know about this?"
Wen Liu had actually forgotten all about the matter—it was only upon seeing the IOU that he remembered.
Back in March this year, a classmate of his from town had invited him to a small spring banquet in the county seat. The banquet was being hosted by the young ge'er of Squire Liu's family, and quite a few scholars and sons of wealthy families would be attending.
At that time, although Wen Liu was not yet betrothed to Yan Feng'an, the two had already taken a liking to each other. Wen Liu knew all too well the nature of these young dandies, and had no intention of climbing to some higher branch.
Still, such a banquet was a rare opportunity for a country ge'er like him. Even if not to seek a good husband, it would be worthwhile just to broaden his horizons and make some useful connections.
His father was too short-sighted. Even though Wen Liu had already explained the benefits of attending, the stingy man would only agree to give him one tael of silver to prepare his outfit.
Whether one tael of silver was much or little depended on what you compared it to. For country folk, it was indeed a considerable sum, but compared to the young ge'er of the Liu family, it probably wouldn't even be enough to buy a rag from their household.
Wen Liu had wanted to dress himself up properly and make a grand entrance that would dazzle everyone, showing off his refinement. How could such a paltry sum buy him what he wanted?
Left with no other choice, he had gone to Yan Feng'an to pour out his troubles and beg for his help.
After hearing him out, Yan Feng'an went home and, by some means or another, brought him ten taels of silver the very next day.
Those ten taels of silver had resolved Wen Liu's urgent need. Seeing Yan Feng'an so generous, Wen Liu became even more determined to marry him. To win Yan Feng'an's deeper affection, he had even voluntarily written the IOU, saying that once his hands were less tight, he would certainly repay the money.
The words sounded nice, but in truth Wen Liu had never intended to actually repay it. Ten taels of silver was an enormous sum for a ge'er without any earning skills. He was entirely dependent on his parents—where would he ever find so much silver to repay a debt?
Given his relationship with Yan Feng'an, even with an IOU, the man would never come knocking to collect the debt. He had already set his heart on Yan Feng'an, thinking that sooner or later he would marry him anyway. With a relationship like theirs, why would the money be divided into yours and mine? And so Wen Liu hadn't taken the IOU seriously at all.
Who could have imagined that this thing he had long cast from his mind would now be laid out so blatantly before his parents?
Wen Liu's hands were shaking as he demanded in a trembling voice, "You clearly said I didn't need to repay it."
That self-righteous tone made Yan Feng'an's blood boil.
Sure enough, people who aren't your own family don't know how to feel heartache. His father and brothers worked hard to earn money supporting such a big household, and his mother and sisters-in-law, in order to pay for his schooling, would sooner split one coin into two. Yet the person who had taken over his body treated silver like stones—indulging in pleasure for himself, and even bringing outsiders along to spend their family's money.
If that person had earned the money himself to spend on the ge'er outside, Yan Feng'an would never have brought up this IOU today. But the money had been coaxed out of his parents' hands—why shouldn't it be taken back?
"What do you mean, no need to repay it? The IOU is written out clearly and plainly. Are you trying to renege on the debt?"
Li Qiaozhen was burning with anxiety and asked, unwilling to give up: "Did you really borrow his silver?"
Wen Liu hadn't expected Yan Feng'an to be so heartless. Furious and frantic, he roared: "So what if I borrowed it? You're a scholar reeking of money—money this, money that. You even want back what you've already given away. What kind of man are you? You say my family's conduct is improper—is the Yan family's conduct so upright then? You're just a xiucai, is that so impressive? What gives you the right to come to our house and bully people?"
His chest heaved as he panted. If Li Qiaozhen hadn't been holding him back tightly, his trembling finger would have jabbed right into Yan Feng'an's face.
Wen Shishan stood to the side with a dark face, digesting the matter of the ten taels of silver while chiming in: "It wasn't enough for you to marry our little ge'er into your family to serve you—now you come to bully our eldest son too? You've wasted so much of his time, taken so many liberties with him, and you still have the nerve to demand money back? Shameless, absolutely shameless."
Safe within his own courtyard where no one could hear, Wen Shishan let loose every ugly word he could think of.
Li Qiaozhen also drove them out with unreasonable clamor: "Our humble home truly can't house a great Buddha like you. The two of you, get out of here right now!"
Faced with the roaring accusations of the whole family, Yan Feng'an merely rose and calmly straightened his robes. "That's exactly what I mean when I say a crooked beam makes a crooked house. The eldest son behaves improperly, and the father's mind is just as filthy. Throughout my association with Wen Liu, I always let affection begin with feeling and end with propriety—I never did anything out of line. I, Yan Feng'an, stand upright and sit straight. My character and integrity cannot be smeared by a few words from the likes of you."
Wen Liu knew well the principle that what is easily obtained is never cherished, and had always maintained restraint in his dealings with Yan Feng'an, never crossing the line. Although the person occupying Wen Liu's body had entertained some ideas, since the other party was unwilling—and given the constraints of the era—nothing had been forced.
Though the two bore the titles of betrothed couple, their relationship had remained entirely chaste.
And fortunately so—otherwise who knows how disgusted Yan Feng'an would have felt inside.
Such pompous, self-righteous words were laughable. Wen Liu sneered: "Nothing but a dog dressed in human clothing. What integrity could you possibly have? It was a matter of mutual willingness—did you think you were doing business with me? In all the world I've never seen a man as stingy as you. Back then you gave me the money to save face and play the generous one, and now you want it back. Don't you find yourself ridiculous?"
Wen Xi, who had been quietly listening to the two sides argue, went from fear to shock to numbness. Hearing Wen Liu's shameless sophistry, he found him utterly disgraceful.
Unable to bear seeing Yan Feng'an face the accusations of these three people alone, he hid behind him, clutching at Yan Feng'an's clothing, and looked at the men who had once filled him with endless terror and fear. "Debts must be repaid—what's so funny about that?"