Free Web NovelChapter 27: Chapter 27: Tang Huayi
The second half of the letter was filled with the old drunkard’s praises for the eldest daughter of the Tang family.
Words like "heavenly beauty," "dignified and graceful," and "virtuous and gentle" were used again and again.
Yet even after Jiang Ran finished the entire letter, he found no mention of the old drunkard’s whereabouts.
He frowned slightly and carefully put the letter away.
He stood up and turned to see the butler, Sun Fu, standing in the long corridor.
Seeing Jiang Ran rise, he strode over.
"Sir, the Patriarch is waiting for you in the main hall."
Jiang Ran felt the urge to clarify that he was not their son-in-law...
But he figured it would be useless to argue the point with Sun Fu, so he simply nodded.
"Lead the way."
Sun Fu bowed and led Jiang Ran inside.
Outside the main hall, Lord Tang was pacing back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back, his face etched with worry.
Tang Huayi sat on the steps, her chin cupped in her hands, her eyes following Lord Tang’s pacing form.
After only a few moments, her eyelids grew heavy, and she started to doze off.
She was in the middle of a yawn when she saw Jiang Ran approaching and quickly leaped to her feet.
"Brother-in-law!!!"
The word made Jiang Ran’s skin crawl. He shot her a look and sighed.
"Don’t call me that... This is all my master’s doing. This whole thing is..."
He trailed off, glancing at Lord Tang.
He saw the man looking at him so earnestly that, for some reason, he couldn’t get the rest of the words out. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
"Did you finish it?"
Lord Tang broke the silence when Jiang Ran didn’t respond.
Jiang Ran nodded silently.
"I did..."
"Don’t blame your master, and don’t blame me."
Lord Tang glanced at Jiang Ran, knowing he must be feeling conflicted.
Even though marriages these days are still arranged by parents and decided by matchmakers...
But Lord Tang was no ordinary wealthy patriarch, and Jiang Ran was no ordinary commoner. Their situations couldn’t be treated so simply.
He walked over, patted him gently on the shoulder, and said,
"Ultimately, the decision in this matter is yours.
"If you are unwilling, we can only say that it is Shiqing’s unfortunate fate. We will not blame you in the slightest.
"Enough about that for now. You should go eat.
"You’ve traveled a long way, and you even made a trip to the Qinghe Gang. You must be exhausted. After you’ve eaten, get some rest.
"Try not to overthink it... Wait until tomorrow. Make your decision after you’ve met Shiqing."
Lord Tang seemed intent on not pressuring Jiang Ran. After saying his piece, he turned to leave.
Jiang Ran quickly asked,
"Lord Tang, where is my master now?"
"Your master left the Tang family half a month ago.
"His Excellency is as elusive as a Divine Dragon—one moment here, the next gone. He left without a word.
"If you wish, I can have my men look into it."
Jiang Ran frowned, though he wasn’t particularly surprised. ƒrēewebnovel.com
’If that old bastard were still here, he wouldn’t have bothered leaving me a letter.’
’He would have just said it to my face...’
’Of course, it’s also possible he knew I’d want to beat him, so he slipped away early.’
In the end, Jiang Ran gave a slight fist-and-palm salute.
"Then I’ll have to trouble you, Lord Tang."
"It’s a small matter."
Lord Tang gave a slight flick of his sleeve and departed.
That left only Tang Huayi, who grabbed Jiang Ran’s sleeve and started pulling him toward the main hall.
Jiang Ran quickly pulled his sleeve away.
"Miss Tang, this is improper..."
It wasn’t that he was some staunch follower of etiquette, but being here in the Tang residence made everything feel awkward.
He couldn’t help but feel a little on edge.
"Brother-in-law, why are you just like the others, always lecturing me?"
Tang Huayi pouted, a look of displeasure on her face.
Her smile was usually a little bewitching, but her pout was surprisingly cute.
Jiang Ran found himself amused.
"Well, isn’t that because you’re so mischievous?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Jiang Ran frowned.
They had only met twice. He shouldn’t be speaking so informally.
’Why did it sound like he’d known Tang Huayi for ages?’
’As if there was no distance between them at all?’
Tang Huayi rolled her eyes at him.
"What do you mean, mischievous? I happen to have great ambition, great determination, great perseverance, and... and great aspirations!"
"Right, right, right..."
Jiang Ran didn’t want to get bogged down in this topic.
He followed Tang Huayi into the main hall, where she pulled him down into a chair.
Tang Huayi sat down beside him, tilting her head as she studied him.
Jiang Ran felt a little awkward.
"It’s just the two of us here?"
"Yep. Well, there are some servants around. But if you’d like, I can send them all away, leaving just the two of us. Then you can do whatever you want with me."
Tang Huayi’s words were startlingly bold.
Jiang Ran’s expression darkened.
"You’re talking nonsense."
"Hee hee, I’ll stop teasing you. Father and Mother both feel they’ve wronged you, so they don’t really know what to say. Besides, your mind must be a mess right now, so they decided not to disturb you. They’re letting me keep you company for a while before I show you to your room to rest..."
She trailed off, then laughed again.
"Did your heart skip a beat for a second there?"
"...No."
"Liar."
Tang Huayi huffed.
"Even Mother says I’m beautiful. You’re a man. How could you not be the least bit tempted?"
’Jiang Ran couldn’t figure this girl out. He hadn’t even decided to become her brother-in-law, and even if he were, she shouldn’t be joking around like this, should she?’
What puzzled Jiang Ran even more, however, was that despite all this, he didn’t find her annoying in the least.
After a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Ran asked softly,
"This business between your sister and me... does she know about it?"
"Of course she knows."
Tang Huayi said nonchalantly.
"And she didn’t say anything?"
Jiang Ran pressed.
"Nope."
Tang Huayi said with a smile,
"She’s been waiting for many years."
"Many years?"
Jiang Ran was taken aback.
Tang Huayi nodded.
"She knows her own condition. She knew a day like this would come sooner or later.
"My father’s solution might seem strange and unorthodox, but in truth... it’s the best one possible.
"In the future, when you and my sister have a child, that child—boy or girl—will be the future Patriarch of the Tang family.
"It’s the only way to protect her."
At this, Tang Huayi paused and glanced at Jiang Ran again.
"Brother-in-law, you’re very handsome.
"You’re definitely worthy of my sister... but did you know that she’s even more beautiful?
"She’s like a goddess in human form. There’s absolutely no one in this world more beautiful than her.
"You probably feel uncomfortable that this marriage wasn’t your choice, and you might be thinking of calling it off. But I guarantee, once you see her, you won’t be able to go through with it."
"Oh?"
Jiang Ran glanced at Tang Huayi.
"Is there really someone that beautiful in this world?"
"There is!"
Tang Huayi nodded emphatically.
"So, if my sister really is that beautiful, you won’t call off the engagement, will you?
"She’s... had a very hard life."
’Jiang Ran considered this and found himself thinking that having such a beautiful wife might not be a bad thing at all.’
’But as soon as the thought appeared, his brow furrowed.’
’Something about this whole situation just felt... wrong.’
...
...
