Chapter 53: Paying Respects (11) Volume 1

  "Uh-huh!" Shen Ke's heart was filled with a mix of sourness, sweetness, and joy. He gently pulled Yao Cun Hui into his arms, nuzzling her hair with his chin, and said in a soft yet firm tone: "Hui'er, it will definitely happen! I won't let you wait too long!"

  Yao Cun Hui closed her eyes, her cheek tightly pressed against the collar of his shirt on his chest, and through the clothes came his strong heartbeat, one beat at a time, resonating in her heart, making her feel flustered.

  Shen Jia, Shen Jia. In the previous life, Yao Cun Hui missed you, but in this life, no matter how long it takes, I will wait for you! You will come back, definitely will!

  "When are you leaving? I want to see you off." Yao Cunhui said in a low voice.

  "Silly girl, what's there to send?" Shen Ke smiled faintly, but still said: "Next month on the sixteenth, starting from tomorrow, I'll be entering the capital's military camp."

  "I remember," Yao Cunhui raised her head from his chest, looked up at him with a sweet smile: "Have a smooth journey, take care! Don't worry about me, I can take good care of myself!"

  "I'll miss you!" Shen Ke gently stroked her face, and the two exchanged a smile, both feeling warmth in their hearts.

  Just as the two were about to leave, they suddenly heard a flurry of footsteps and the low, muffled voices of a man and woman talking and laughing coming from the other side of the fake mountain cave. The two exchanged a stiff glance, Shen Ke pulled Yao Cunhui into a roll, and the two hid in the recess, motionless.

  The sound of flirting and laughter came in waves, the woman's coy and charming calls, refusing yet welcoming, the man's wanton and unrestrained laughter, lewd words and phrases that never left their ears. The two began to pant heavily, the sounds of kissing and tongue entwining clearly entering the ears of Yao Cunhui and Shen Que.

  Adultery! I've encountered adultery! Yao Cunhui's face turned red like the sunset at the horizon, her face burning with shame, biting her lip and not daring to lift her head, secretly cursing in her heart. What kind of person is this, so bold as to do such a thing on her grandmother's birthday in the backyard?!

  She just happened to bump into her, and she was with Shen Ke together! Now, in front of Shen Ke, all her dignity was lost!

  Shen Gun raised an eyebrow, his expression unchanged, and listened intently to their conversation.

  "No, no, not here, not today!" The woman suddenly let out a suppressed cry, as if the man had done something.

  "It's okay! Don't worry, there's no one here..." The man panted heavily, his voice low and husky with suppressed desire.

  Shameless! Despicable!

  Yao Cunhui's face was burning with embarrassment, and she felt like she was going to die from shame.

  Fortunately, the woman did not know what she was muttering about, and the man finally regained a bit of clarity, no longer insisting on that shameful thing. They inevitably kissed and entwined, making a racket for a while, then whispered some words to each other before leaving one after another.

  Yao Cunhui let out a quiet sigh, feeling her legs go weak as she leaned against the fake mountain wall. She secretly raised her eyes to glance at Shen Que, and coincidentally met his ambiguous gaze. Yao Cunhui's face turned red, and in fright, she quickly shifted her gaze away, biting her lip without speaking.

  This bastard is probably not a decent person either!

  Yao Cunhui suddenly pushed Shen Ke away and was about to leave, but Shen Ke pulled her back with force and said softly: "Just now——"

  "What was that just now? I should get going!" Yao Cunhui lowered her head and interrupted him in a bad mood, having heard it she had heard it, everyone pretended not to hear it would be fine, but he actually dared to bring up "just now" with her!

  Shen Que couldn't help but smile wryly, "Listen to me finish speaking, that woman is your second uncle's concubine Mei Yu, and the man is Empress Dowager's younger brother Lu Zhong. Hui'er, I'm telling you this, just remember it in your heart."

  Yao Cunhui was shocked and suddenly raised her head, "You must have heard it wrong?"

  "No." Shen Que shook his head: "Hui'er, your maternal grandmother and eldest uncle and cousin are all trustworthy people, but you must be more careful with the second and third uncles' families."

  It seems that not only the Yao family, but every family has its own unspeakable secrets. The Yun family appears to be so prestigious on the surface, yet unexpectedly, they have such scandalous and corrupt affairs within. And among the three uncles, who knows how much scheming and infighting is going on.

  "I understand." Yao Cunhui nodded slightly. Second Uncle, Third Uncle, she vaguely remembered that these two uncles were not born to her paternal grandmother, but were illegitimate children, and had a poor relationship with her eldest uncle who was born to the legitimate wife, and also harbored some other thoughts, which wasn't unusual either.

  "I'll go out first, and it won't be too late for you to go later." Shen Qi said with a faint smile, glancing at her face.

  Yao Cunhui subconsciously raised her hand to touch, and as soon as she touched it, she felt a scorching heat. She couldn't help but feel annoyed and glared at Shen Que with hatred in her eyes. Shen Que smiled lowly and turned around to leave.

  Yao Cunhui stood there for a while, until her emotions had completely calmed down and the flush on her face had completely faded away. Only then did she slowly walk out of the fake mountain cave and head back to Yun Lao Taijun's courtyard.

  "Hui'er, why are you alone here?" Yao Cunhui raised her head to see Yun Jinzhong standing in front of her, his crimson embroidered arrow-sleeved robe accentuating his noble bearing.

  "Big brother!" Yao Cunhui hastily bowed slightly and smiled: "Zan'er is playing with a few young masters in the garden, I'm not at ease so I'll go take a look."

  Yunjing Zhong smiled and said: "Hui'er, you can rest assured to accompany your grandmother in the Yunfu, no one dares to bully Zan'er!"

  "I naturally know this principle, it's just that I'm used to it, and it's laughable for Big Brother to see!" Yao Cunhui smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

  Yun Jin Zhong was taken aback, his eyes slightly dimmed, and after a moment, he let out a soft sigh. He smiled and said, "You siblings have a deep bond, it's normal that you're worried. Alright, I'll instruct someone to keep a close eye on things. You can head back to your grandmother's side now! Today is her happy day, spend more time with her and show filial piety in front of her."

  "Thank you, Big Brother!" Yao Cunhui smiled gratefully. Although Old Lady Yun valued blood ties and family relationships, her descendants were not just Yao Cunhui's three siblings. If she wanted to win over the old lady's favor and truly care for them, it would take some effort. Yun Jinzhong wouldn't have spoken so bluntly if he didn't genuinely have their best interests at heart.

  Yao Cunhui was about to bid farewell to Yun Jinzhong, but unexpectedly Ma Qunfang appeared out of nowhere, calling out "Second Sister!" in a soft and delicate voice. Before Yao Cunhui could respond, she turned to Yun Jinzhong with her head bowed low and her body bent in a elegant greeting: "I've seen you, Young Master Yun!" Her face was full of shy modesty, her voice so sweet it seemed like honey was dripping from it.

  Yao Cunhui secretly rolled her eyes: She must be so eager!

  "Who is this?" Yun Jinzhong slightly furrowed his brow and returned the courtesy, looking at Yao Cunhui with puzzlement.

  Yao Cunhui's lips just moved, and Ma Qunfang hurriedly smiled and said: "I am Hui'er's cousin, called Ma Qunfang. I have also met Young Master Yun before."

  "As soon as he heard the surname 'Ma', Ma Yunjin understood who it was and immediately lost interest, nodding and smiling politely but distantly: "Guests are welcome! Hui'er, take good care of your cousin."

  Yun Jin Zhong said with a smile as he nodded at Yao Cun Hui, indicating that he was taking his leave, and then turned to depart.

  Ma Qunfang's heart suddenly tightened, and her feet hurriedly "Ah yo" sounded as she fell towards Yun Jinzhong.

  Yao Cunhui quickly moved forward to support her, using force to hold her up, and calmly separated Yun Jincheng from the outside. "Sister, what's wrong?" he asked with concern.

  Yun Jin Zhong suddenly came back to his senses, his face slightly cold with a hint of anger. Yao Cun Hui smiled at him: "Big brother, you go ahead and attend to your business, I'll escort my sister back!"

  Yunjing Zhong nodded slightly and left with a cold smile. Are all the people in the Ma family so good at seducing men?!

  Ma Qunfang gazed at the figure drifting away like a banished immortal, not even sparing her a glance. Her heart was both infatuated and distressed, and she stared blankly for a moment before being called back to reality by Yao Cunhui's repeated calls. With a distracted smile, she asked: "What did second sister-in-law say just now?"

  Yao Cun Hui was speechless, holding back her urge to cry and laugh at the same time. She said calmly: "Elder sister, your skirt is stained with a piece of dirt, hurry back and change into another one, if mother sees it, she'll scold you for being impolite! I still have to go see my great aunt, so I won't accompany you anymore!"

  Before Ma Qunfang could react, Yao Cunhui hurriedly left with her skirt lifted. Ma Qunfang opened her mouth to shout, but dejectedly closed it again, lowering her head to look at the dirty hem of her own skirt, seething with anger.

  It's not easy to catch the opportunity to see Yao Cunhui, I originally wanted to take advantage of it and follow her to meet Yun Lao Taigong, but unfortunately missed the chance again!

  Yao Cunhui returned to the hall, where the lively atmosphere continued. The crowd hadn't noticed how long she had been gone, and it wasn't until lunchtime that Old Lady Yun repeatedly called out for Yao Shizan. Yao Cunhui then hurriedly smiled and stepped forward to inform her that Young Master was playing in the garden, so the old lady sent a maid with her to bring Yao Shizan back.

  After lunch, Old Lady Yun took a nap as usual. The women also had to rest, some did and some didn't, they all dispersed. Yao Shizan was also feeling sleepy, so Old Lady Yun ordered Zhenzhu to take him to rest. Yao Cunjia and Yao Cunhui stayed in the ear room on Old Lady Yun's side to chat, while Cloud Sister and her sisters accompanied each other.

  Yun Lao Tai Jun woke up from her afternoon nap, then bathed and changed into a full set of longevity clothes, preparing for the birthday banquet in the afternoon.

  The formal birthday banquet was scheduled for the afternoon at the time of Shen, which is around four o'clock. At that moment, a grand feast opened in the mansion, with fine wines and delicacies flowing like water, and the guests clinking their cups together, laughing and chatting non-stop, amidst a lively atmosphere as vibrant as flowers on brocade.

  After the birthday banquet was over, guests departed one after another, and close relatives and friends stayed behind to drink and make merry till midnight.

  Yao Lao Ye and Madam Ma also went forward to bid farewell to Yun Lao Tai Jun.

  Seeing his children and grandchildren surrounding Old Lady Yun, with Yao Shi Zan still leaning against her, Old Man Yao felt a deep sense of comfort and joy, the smile on his face becoming even more sincere.

  "There are still some trivial matters at home, so I'll take my leave first. Another day when I'm free, I'll come to pay respects to my mother-in-law!" Mr. Yao led Madam Ma to kowtow and smile as he spoke to Old Lady Yun.

  Yao Cun Jia, Yao Cun Hui and Yao Shi Zan beside Yun Lao Tai Jun hastily stood up and slightly turned their bodies to show respect by avoiding the grand courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Yao.

  "Get up, no need for such a big ceremony at home! I know you're busy, so I won't stay long either," Cloud Old Lady said with a smile to Yao Old Master today because of her grandson and granddaughter's relationship. She also looked at Ma with a more favorable eye, saying: "You all go back now, be careful on the road! Jia'er, Hui'er, Zan'er will stay behind to keep me company for a few days, I'll send someone to escort them back later!"