Uncle Yan had thick brows and large eyes, with a long, lean face that carried a hint of authority even when he wasn't angry. When he fixed you with that sharp gaze, it made your breathing quicken, as though a thousand-kilogram boulder were pressing down on your chest, leaving you suffocating.
Even as his son, Yan Xiangma found it equally difficult to withstand such thunderous might.
He lowered his head and toyed with the soup spoon in his hand, avoiding his father's scrutinizing gaze as he said, "He's the one Xiao Xin saved at the Beast-Faced Pavilion last time when she was attacked. The doctor who treated him was also arranged by our family after we gave them a word. I had someone investigate him. That man's name is Li Mu Yang, and he's Xiao Xin's classmate. Xiao Xin is kindhearted and feels she owes him, so she wanted to help him catch up on his studies."
"A hero saving a beauty?" Uncle Yan's expression darkened further. "Have you found out everything about his background and origins?"
"His identity is clean. His family has lived in Jiangnan City for more than a decade. There's no way he's a planted operative arranged by some other family. Xiao Xin hadn't even arrived in Jiangnan City more than ten years ago. The Cui Family hadn't even planned to send her to Jiangnan City then." Yan Xiangma spoke up.
"We mustn't be careless." Uncle Yan's gaze softened considerably as he looked at his son, Yan Xiangma. "The Cui Family's daughter has come of age. I'm only afraid that some people with ulterior motives will deliberately approach her. If we fail to handle it properly, it will bring another calamity of monstrous proportions. Tiandu hasn't been peaceful lately either. The Cui Family wants to form an alliance with the Song Family, and Xiao Xin grew up with Song Tingyun, the one known as the 'Song Family's Jade,' as childhood sweethearts. So both families intend to bring the two of them together. Now that Xiao Xin is returning to the capital, I'm afraid this matter will soon be put on the agenda. At a time like this, absolutely no other complications can arise."
"Xiao Xin is going to get engaged to Song Tingyun?" Cui Xinci asked in astonishment. "How did I not hear a word about something this important?"
"They're still discussing it in secret. Whether they can reach an agreement will depend on whether the two old masters give their approval. The Song Family's old patriarch, who once dominated the winds and clouds, is over a hundred years old. His old illness flared up recently, and they say his condition is extremely poor. Whether he'll survive this winter is still unknown. Under these circumstances, the Song Family also needs a powerful ally to help them weather the decline in clan prestige brought about by the old patriarch's fall. The Song Family is probably even more invested in this marriage."
"Song Tingyun is known as the 'Song Family's Jade.' His looks and bearing are beyond reproach. On top of that, he's the youngest expert of his generation to enter the Idle Cloud Realm, and one of the young people most valued by the empire. If Xiao Xin truly marries him, she won't exactly be settling." Cui Xinci wore a face full of smiles. She was delighted that her niece had found such a wonderful destination in life. "Still, shouldn't something like this be discussed with Xiao Xin? Xiao Xin is gentle on the outside but strong-willed within, and stubborn by nature. If she already has someone she likes, I'm afraid even her brother and sister-in-law won't be able to force her."
Uncle Yan looked at his beloved wife, a rare smile appearing on his face. "That's a matter for your Cui Family. As an outsider, I can't decide it. Why don't you go ask her?"
"If even you can't decide it, do you think I can? A married daughter is like water spilled from a married-off daughter. As a member of the Cui Family, I'm probably not as important in their eyes as you, an outsider. After all, you're the lord of Jiangnan City. They have to take your dignity into consideration."
Uncle Yan knew his wife's straightforward nature. He smiled and shook his head. "Xiao Xin's matter still needs to be handled properly. Even the tiniest spark must be snuffed out in time. Otherwise, once sparks set the prairie ablaze, I'm afraid we'll be powerless to do anything."
"Father, rest assured. I'll handle it properly," Yan Xiangma replied respectfully.
Uncle Yan nodded. "Take your time eating. I'm going to work."
With that, he pushed aside the wooden chair, stood up, and walked outside.
Yan Xiangma saw his father out. When he returned, his mother was sitting in the main hall, brewing tea.
When Cui Xinci saw Yan Xiangma return, she asked, "Xiangma, did you take care of what I told you?"
"Mom, I was just about to tell you about that." Yan Xiangma wore a bitter smile. "That kid refused."
"Refused?" Cui Xinci was greatly shocked. "That box of pearls is priceless—enough for them to live in silk and fine food for the rest of their lives. And there's the admission letter from Jiangnan University. How could a useless student from a poor, ugly family still not be satisfied? What does he want?"
"Mom, he's not useless—"
"What? If he's not useless, does that mean he can make outrageous demands?" Cui Xinci was furious. She treated people with sincerity, and the terms she offered were generous. Yet she had never expected to run into someone bold enough to extort her. Wasn't that like lighting a lamp in a toilet—looking for death?
Yan Xiangma curled his lips. "Mom, if I told you he was doing it for true love, would you believe me?"
"True love?" Cui Xinci rolled the unfamiliar phrase around in her mouth. From childhood to adulthood, no one had ever mentioned words like "true love" in front of her.
"True love." Yan Xiangma nodded seriously. "Honestly, even I was moved by him. Why don't we just betroth my cousin to him? I believe he would treat her sincerely—"
Smack—
Cui Xinci slapped her son's head and said angrily, "At a time like this, you still have the leisure to joke? I originally had you step in to resolve this because I wanted to form a good bond with that child. No matter what, he did save our Xiao Xin. Our Cui Family owes him a favor. If he wanted money, we would give him money. If he wanted a future, we could grant him one—but Xiao Xin is absolutely out of the question."
"Didn't you hear what your father just said? He's a child from an ordinary family. How could he contend with the Cui Family? With the Song Family? Wouldn't that be courting death? If we forcibly tried to bring him and Xiao Xin together, we wouldn't be helping him—we'd be harming him. Xiangma, hurry and find a way to resolve this. If your father personally steps in, the consequences will be far too serious."
"Mom—" Yan Xiangma rubbed the head his mother had smacked and asked in puzzlement, "He's just a poor nobody. Do you really need to take this so seriously?"
"An ordinary family's child is still someone's child." Cui Xinci sighed softly. "Children of that age don't know the height of the heavens or the breadth of the earth. They want to reach out and pluck the moon—but that's not courage. It's foolishness. Go. Handle it gently. I don't want him to resent us, and I don't want Xiao Xin to be hurt."
"Mom, that Li Mu Yang—" Yan Xiangma looked as though he wanted to speak but hesitated.
"What about Li Mu Yang?"
"He's really dark." Yan Xiangma laughed. "Standing with my cousin, he's like a coal ball fallen into a field of snow."
Smack—
Yan Xiangma took another slap to the head.
Li Mu Yang had no idea he had become a topic of conversation at the Yan Family's breakfast table, much less that he had somehow become entangled with a massive marriage alliance between great clans in Tiandu.
He was simply happy because Cui Xiaoxin had come, and sweetly delighted by the simple exchange of glances between them.
This was a field he had never set foot in before, a fluttering, heart-quickening emotion he had never experienced with his younger sister, Li Sinian.
Love was sugar, sweet enough to ache.
Li Mu Yang's current mood was both sweet and sorrowful.
By the time Cui Xiaoxin arrived, Li Mu Yang had already eaten breakfast and finished two sets of second-year senior-high exam papers.
When he saw Cui Xiaoxin approach, Li Mu Yang hurried out to greet her and said with a smile, "Have you eaten breakfast? Would you like something to drink?"
See? A man with no experience in love had thoughts that jumped all over the place like this.
"A cup of tea will be fine." Cui Xiaoxin nodded.
"Have a seat." Li Mu Yang invited Cui Xiaoxin to sit down, then ran inside to pour the tea himself.
Cui Xiaoxin pointed at the Lapis Lazuli table they used for studying and asked, "What happened to the table?"
"Oh, my dad accidentally knocked it over while practicing his martial arts yesterday—so it ended up like this." Li Mu Yang guessed that Cui Xiaoxin might ask, so he had prepared the answer in advance. See how clever he had become?
"Oh." Cui Xiaoxin nodded. "Does Uncle Li practice swordsmanship?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Otherwise, how could the cut surface of this table be so neat?"
"..."
Fortunately, Cui Xiaoxin wasn't a gossip and didn't waste too much thought on the table. She checked the two exam papers Li Mu Yang had done that morning and said, "As long as you were able to answer a question, you were usually correct. So let's go over the questions you couldn't answer. For example, this one—what part do you still not understand?"
"I have no idea how to solve this problem at all. I don't even know where to begin."
"That is because you weren't paying attention in class. This problem looks completely bewildering, and the several formulas provided don't seem related in the slightest. However, there is one method that can help. You only need to apply it, and you'll be able to arrive at the answer very easily—"
Time always flew when Li Mu Yang was with Cui Xiaoxin.
By the time the sky darkened, Li Mu Yang's parents had finished work and returned home, and Li Sinian had also come home from school with her backpack.
As usual, Cui Xiaoxin rose to take her leave.
Li Mu Yang couldn't persuade her to stay, so he got up to see her out.
"Are you coming tomorrow?" Li Mu Yang asked.
"I am." Cui Xiaoxin gently brushed aside the hair over her brow, revealing her crystalline left ear. "Every day until the night before the exams."
"Thank you." Li Mu Yang's face was full of gratitude. He knew that since Yan Xiangma had come knocking, Cui Xiaoxin must also be under pressure at home. Yet she had never mentioned a word of it to him, continuing to come and tutor him as steadfastly as ever.
She was truly the sort of woman who made it easy for people to fall in love with her.
Cui Xiaoxin thought for a moment, then took a Brocade Pouch from her bosom.
"This is for you." Cui Xiaoxin smiled as she handed over the Brocade Pouch.
"What is it?" Li Mu Yang asked.
"I asked for two." Cui Xiaoxin's face flushed crimson. Beneath the hazy moonlight, she looked as delicate as a camellia swaying in the wind. "They say it can bless us with good exam results."
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