The aunt and nephew exchanged glances, in which they saw each other’s helplessness and wry smiles.
"What’s the matter?" Sang Hong looked around with some puzzlement and chuckled, "Don’t worry, this is great news. Uncle and Auntie will definitely be happy to hear it. They won’t make things difficult or mock us!" not being troublesome or scornful.
"Sit down!" Mrs. Fang pressed him down forcefully and glared at him, "Use your brain to think! Now that your younger brother has become Xie Yuan, he’s considered somebody in Yangliu Town. Who knows how many people will try to cozy up to him, offering fields and such! Knowing Uncle and Auntie’s temper, using your brother’s name, there’s nothing they wouldn’t dare to do! Do you want to get your brother killed?"
Sang Hong’s face changed, and he broke out in a cold sweat, "This, maybe—it won’t be like that..."
"Do you really believe that in your heart? Hmph, they dare to covet Miss Wan, let alone your brother!" Mrs. Fang sneered coldly.
Sang Hong’s heart sank, and his palms turned ice cold. He knew his wife was right; with Uncle and Auntie’s characters, it was entirely possible. Besides, they were elders, and we are the juniors, not even allowed to speak a word of dissent, otherwise, it would be considered "disrespectful and unfilial!" If father and mother were still here, they could suppress Uncle and Auntie a bit, as they couldn’t go against the principle of "filial piety and fraternal duty," but father and mother are gone!
"Sister-in-law is right. I hurried back before the messenger went to the government office to report the good news, precisely because of this issue." Sang Yufei sighed softly, "It’s not that I resent Uncle and Auntie, it’s just that their actions make it impossible to respect them!"
Mrs. Fang glanced at Sang Yufei and thought to herself that Xie Yuangong spoke with such elegance! Those things that couple did not just make it impossible for people to respect them; it made her want to slap them across their faces!
"But in at most a couple of days, the messenger reporting the good news will arrive. We can’t keep it from them at all!" Sang Hong couldn’t help but frown. For the sake of his brother’s future and reputation, he could disregard anything else, and the uncle and aunt had to step aside.
"I have an idea we might try; at least, it could shut them up..." Sang Yufei said, unfolding his plan in detail to his brother and sister-in-law.
Though Sang Hong’s face still seemed hesitant, Mrs. Fang covered her mouth and laughed heartily, "I think it’s good, let’s do it that way! When the time comes, let them be unable to utter a single word!" She then sighed, "But with their shamelessness, they might just thicken their faces and continue their unashamed fawning!"
"We can only take it one step at a time!" Sang Yufei sighed softly.
An unreliable elder is enough to send him, who has just started making his way, over the cliff.
Once they had agreed on a plan, Sang Yufei changed into a faded indigo blue old robe and went to knock on Sang Pingliang’s door.
Mrs. Li peeked through the crack of the door and deliberately asked loudly, "Who is it?"
"Auntie, it’s me!" Sang Yufei raised his voice and responded with a smile.
It took a good while before the door creaked lazily open. Mrs. Li, with her legs crossed and leaning against the door, one hand on her hip and the other propping the door frame, glanced at Sang Yufei and said with a smirk, "Oh, it’s Xiaofei back, eh? How was it? Hangzhou must be prosperous and fun, right?"
"It’s okay!" Sang Yufei replied with an honest and straightforward smile, then added, "Auntie, we’ve run out of flour at home, and sister-in-law sent me to borrow some."
Mrs. Li was never one to lend things to others. Upon hearing this, her face turned sour, and she sneered, "Where would our family have flour? We don’t have any!" She continued with a mix of sarcasm and mocking laughter, "I say, your sister-in-law is really cold-hearted, isn’t she? Just look, failing the exams and she can’t even be bothered to make you noodles, sending a ’scholar’ like you to fetch flour, my, how disgraceful! Your sister-in-law is far too petty! It’s only your first time taking the rural examination anyway, you’re still young—there will be plenty of opportunities, right?"
"Auntie, brother’s house truly has run out of flour. Sister-in-law said you just bought flour in town yesterday. Are you lending it or not? It’s not like we won’t return it to you!" Sang Yufei was growing impatient and spoke without courtesy.
"What’s with that attitude of yours! Who are you talking to! What if I just don’t lend to you, what then? Are you planning to outright steal it?" Mrs. Li’s voice suddenly rose in a shrill tone.
Hearing this inside the house, Sang Pingliang couldn’t help but get angry and came rushing out, unleashing a torrent of abuse at Sang Yufei, "You worthless thing, rebelling now, are you? Daring to speak to your auntie like that! So you fail the exams and come to our house to throw a fit! With your sort of character, you should take a look at yourself in the piss pot before dreaming of passing the exams! You’d better give up now and come back to farming honestly! Save the money, lest you end up unable to eat in the future!"