Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 141 Backing You Up (Part 3)

A person's name, the shadow of a tree.

Absolute strength brings absolute deterrence.

Everyone immediately fell silent and looked at Old Master Shi.

As expected of a powerful grain merchant in Youzhou, Old Master Shi was extremely shrewd. He remained calm and chuckled, saying, "Please come with me to welcome our distinguished guests."

The wealthy families surrounded Old Master Shi as they went to greet him outside the Shi family's Wu Fort.

Spring is here, and the weather is warming up. Today is another beautiful day, with bright sunshine.

As usual, Miss Pei wore a simple cloth dress, her long hair braided into a plait, without any hairpins, jewelry, or gold or jade ornaments. Yet, she radiated a dazzling and compelling light.

The young man standing beside Miss Pei was nineteen years old. His skin was fairer than most, with thick, dark eyebrows and bright, intelligent black eyes. He was none other than Shi Yan, who had been expelled from his family last year.

Without even glancing at Shi Yan, Old Master Shi cupped his hands to Miss Pei, saying, "Miss Pei's personal visit to offer congratulations today brings great honor to the Shi family."

Pei Qinghe smiled and said, "Of course I have to come to Shi Li's wedding."

Old Master Shi said with a smile, "Please come in, Sixth Miss."

Pei Qinghe nodded slightly, stepped forward, and was surrounded by people as if she were a star, entering the Shi family's Wu Fortress. Shi Yan was right next to Pei Qinghe, and naturally became the focus of everyone's attention.

After entering the wedding hall, Old Master Shi invited Pei Qinghe to take a seat. Pei Qinghe exchanged a few polite words and sat down, then turned to Shi Yan and said, "Sit next to me."

Old Master Shi calmly continued, "Sixth Miss is a distinguished guest of the Shi family, and it is only right that she takes the seat of honor. Shi Yan has done nothing of merit or virtue, and he is only able to stand here thanks to Sixth Miss."

In other words, if it weren't for Miss Pei's sake, Shi Yan wouldn't have been able to enter the Shi family's gate at all.

Pei Qinghe raised an eyebrow and met Old Master Shi's gaze: "Shi Yan is now the head steward of the Pei family, in charge of money, grain, accounts, and the storeroom. No one but me can give him orders. Today, the Shi family is celebrating a happy occasion, and Shi Yan has come to congratulate his cousin. If he cannot sit, I will leave with him immediately."

They were ruthless and showed no mercy whatsoever.

Old Master Shi choked for a moment.

Everyone saw this and secretly sighed. Miss Pei hadn't come to offer congratulations at all; she had clearly come to support Shi Yan.

Pei Family Village now has over ten thousand people, and I've heard that their elite troops number over two thousand. Even Prefect Tang of Yan County has sent New Year's gifts to the Sixth Miss Pei. No matter how powerful the Shi family is, they must bow down before the strong and assertive Sixth Miss Pei.

Physician Lu chuckled and smoothed things over, saying, "Today is a joyous occasion as the Shi family and the Wang family become related through marriage. It is an honor for the Shi family that the Sixth Miss has come to offer her congratulations in person. Please invite Steward Shi to sit down."

Shi Li, dressed in a red wedding robe, quickly chimed in, "Cousin, please have a seat."

Shi Yan then sat down.

Zhan Fei found it amusing, and a hint of amusement crept into his expression.

Pei Qinghe looked over and said calmly, "What has made Young Master Zhan so happy?"

Zhan Fei had cursed the female demon countless times behind her back, but when Pei Qinghe glanced at him, he trembled inwardly. He no longer dared to utter any more words and replied with a smile, "On this joyous occasion, I, Zhan Fei, am also happy."

Pei Qinghe stared at Zhan Fei for a moment, until Zhan Fei felt a chill run down his spine and cold sweat poured down his back. Then he smiled slightly and said, "I thought Young Master Zhan was mocking Steward Shi. It turns out I misunderstood."

Zhan Fei resisted the urge to wipe his forehead with his sleeve and forced a smile.

Only the person who felt awkward knew it.

After recovering, Old Master Shi continued chatting and joking with everyone. When the auspicious hour arrived, the groom, Shi Li, led the wedding procession, accompanied by music and fanfare, to fetch his bride.

Inside the Shi family's Wu Fortress, a grand banquet was held.

The Wang family lived far away, so they sent the bride to them several days ago to await her marriage. The wedding procession returned two hours later. It was evening, the auspicious time for the wedding ceremony. The newlyweds bowed to heaven and earth and to their parents, and then bowed to each other before shyly but joyfully entering their bridal chamber.

Shi Yan didn't go to the new house to watch the excitement, but went to Old Master Shi's side instead.

Old Master Shi, mindful of the large number of people and the presence of Miss Pei, refrained from showing displeasure towards Shi Yan. He largely ignored her.

Shi Yan was proactive and helpful, greeting the guests and taking their seats. After the banquet, he arranged for people to see the guests off. Some guests were staying overnight at the Shi residence, and Shi Yan made the arrangements meticulously.

Pei Qinghe didn't leave either; she stayed in the same courtyard as before.

Pei Yan, who had been holding back for most of the day, was finally able to speak. She grinned and said, "Cousin Qinghe was really impressive today. With just one glance, Old Master Shi fell silent. And Zhan Fei could only force a smile."

Pei Yun was much more meticulous than Pei Yan, and said softly with a smile, "Today, congratulations are secondary; supporting Steward Shi is the primary concern."

Pei Qinghe showed no embarrassment at the teasing and replied frankly, "Shi Yan gave up his status as the young master of the Shi family to come and join our Pei family. For the past six months, he has been working diligently and tirelessly raising funds and supplies. He has both merits and hard work. I want to support him and let him stand in the Shi family with a brand new identity. Let all those who want to watch the show shut up."

Pei Yan felt a little jealous: "Qinghe is too good to him."

Pei Yun glanced speechlessly at the dim-witted Pei Yan.

Then, Pei Yan asked an even more thoughtless question: "You're not going to take Shi Yan as your son-in-law this year, are you?!"

Pei Qinghe was both amused and exasperated, and lightly slapped Pei Yan: "When did I say I wanted to take him as my son-in-law? Don't talk nonsense!"

Pei Yan breathed a sigh of relief and muttered, "That's good. I wasn't mentally prepared to have a brother-in-law yet."

Pei Yun, unable to bear it any longer, said, "Aren't you sleepy? Go to sleep."

After sending Pei Yan away, Pei Yun chuckled softly, "How many days do you plan to stay at the Shi family's house?"

Pei Qinghe casually said, "Shi Yan rarely comes back, so let's wait four or five days before leaving."

……

After midnight, the groom, Shi Li, entered the bridal chamber. The tender affection between the newlyweds needs no further elaboration.

Old Master Shi had drunk an unknown amount of wine and was in a very good mood, so he walked unsteadily.

A familiar hand supported Grandpa Shi: "Grandfather, please walk slowly."

Old Master Shi forcefully shook him off and sneered, "I haven't reached the point where I can't walk yet. There's no need for Steward Shi to worry about me."

Shi Yan, with the composure to let go of insults, continued to reach out to help him. After being shoved four times in a row, on the fifth time, the old master Shi, who stumbled, finally stopped pushing him away.

When they reached the door, Shi Yan tried to follow him inside, but Old Master Shi pushed him out, saying, "Go, go, go. Don't get in my way and upset me."

With a thud, the door closed.

Shi Yan smiled helplessly and said through the door, "Half a year has passed, is Grandfather still not over his anger?"

A cold snort came from inside the door.

Shi Yan sighed, “I know that my grandfather is angry with me. I am his blood relative, and blood is thicker than water. No matter what, that will never change.”

Another cold laugh came from inside the door.

Shi Yan stood there for a long time, but his grandfather didn't soften and open the door. He could only sigh and leave.

(End of this chapter)