It was already past noon when Nie Yannian finally strolled into the Drunken Moon Pavilion.
"Father, why are you only coming now? Young Master Meng waited for you for ages. Thinking you weren't coming, he went back." Nie Qingqing no longer wore a smile across her face; instead, she complained.
"So what if he went back? You're unhappy about that? If I weren't earning dowry money for you, would I have to be out before the sun was up?" Nie Yannian snapped.
"You make it sound like I forced you." Nie Qingqing was equally annoyed.
"The gelding boy came to borrow money again, didn't he? He's really mastered living off a woman!" Nie Yannian pointed at Nie Qingqing. "Don't give him any money. He's the sort who climbs higher once you give him a pole. If you lend it to him, he'll latch onto you for good!"
"Not this time." Hearing this, Nie Qingqing broke into a smile. "He said he and Uncle Zhang rendered merit outside the city yesterday and won you some face, so he wanted to invite you for drinks."
"Won me face? A merit as tiny as sesame seeds and mung beans—he just wants to borrow money from me!" Nie Yannian said, looking as though he had seen through everything.
"Father, you really are judging people through a crack in the door." Supporting Nie Yannian up to the second floor, Nie Qingqing said, "I heard him say that he and the Gong Family Brothers joined forces to kill an Eighth Rank Demon Monk, supposedly the second-in-command among that group. Young Master Meng has a modest nature and didn't go into detail, but I reckon he saved the Gong Family Brothers and killed someone besides."
Hearing this, Nie Yannian paused in surprise. He no longer called Meng