Top Scholar

Chapter 522 Brother-in-law and Brother-in-law (Seeking monthly votes)

Su Lu and his uncle declined several times, but in the end they accepted the land deed... Eunuchs are the most sensitive and suspicious people. If he insisted on refusing today, Zhang Yong would take it as disdain, which would not only quickly cool their relationship, but could even lead to the breakdown of their alliance.

Isn't this also a test from Eunuch Zhang? Does he really think a smiling tiger won't eat people?

Seeing that they had accepted the land deed, Zhang Yong was very happy, and his smile was relaxed.

"I won't bother you now that things are settled at home. We'll have your housewarming party another day when you're all settled in."

"Alright then, I won't stand on ceremony with you, Uncle." Su Lu then saw Zhang Yong out.

Halfway there, he hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"What's wrong? Are you too embarrassed to say?" Zhang Yong asked proactively.

"I have something to ask you for a favor, Uncle," Su Lu said with a rare, shy smile.

“I know that Eunuch Gu has been watching my every move. But... when my wife, my brother and sister-in-law, and I are having private conversations in the room, could you please do me a favor and not keep an eye on us all the time? I don’t have any children yet.”

Zhang Yong was taken aback for a moment, then laughed heartily, "No problem, no problem, leave it to us. I'll go back and talk to Gu Dayong. We can't let it affect my nephew's performance."

Su Lu gave a helpless, awkward smile, thinking to himself that the old eunuch was quite knowledgeable.

Zhang Yong patted him on the shoulder and comforted him with a smile, "But then again, Gu Dayong is keeping an eye on you to protect you. You're the Emperor's precious darling now; even if a single hair on your head falls, the Western Depot can't afford to take the blame!"

"I understand, I understand. I just want a little breathing space in the inner room." Su Lu nodded understandingly.

~~
After seeing Zhang Yong off, Su Lu heard that her aunt had already arranged the living quarters in the inner courtyard.

The third inner courtyard was originally divided into three side courtyards: left, middle, and right. My aunt arranged for him to live in the middle side courtyard, my eldest brother and his wife in the left courtyard, and my second brother and his wife in the right courtyard.

"Isn't this inappropriate?" Su Lu hurriedly said, "There should be a proper order of seniority."

“Yes, I’ve talked to Auntie for a long time, but she won’t listen,” Huang E said softly.

“This house is called the Zhuangyuan Mansion, and it was bestowed upon you by the Emperor,” the eldest aunt waved her hand, determined, and said, “This is the only way to distribute it properly.”

“Exactly,” Su Man laughed heartily without any reservations, “I’m already used to being around you, it’s uncomfortable for me to be in the middle.”

"You've already become Zihe's godfather, why would you care about this?" The eldest sister-in-law chuckled, and walked into the left courtyard with her eldest brother, as if afraid he would snatch it away.

"Let's go in and tidy up too." Su Tai then followed She Yunlu into the courtyard on the right.

Su Lu had no choice but to accept the arrangement, apologized to his uncle and aunt, and followed Huang E into the main courtyard. As soon as the courtyard gate closed, the young couple embraced tightly…

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, especially after passing the imperial examination with flying colors; surely it won't be long before the drought is relieved.
~~
Watching the three courtyard gates close one after another, the uncle couldn't help but shake his head. "These young people nowadays don't even pay attention to the time. Back then, we wouldn't talk until it was dark..."

"Don't say so much, come with me." The eldest aunt's face turned cold, and she pulled him back to the second courtyard, slamming the door shut.

"Take off your pants!" the aunt ordered.

"What are you doing?" The uncle felt a pang of guilt. "In broad daylight? A person can't, and shouldn't, do this..."

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up!" His aunt said, personally unbuckling his belt. "I need to check if that thing is still there!"

"Hey, I thought you were up to something!" The uncle grabbed his belt with one hand and pointed at his beard with the other, saying, "Look at this thick beard, doesn't it make you look like a eunuch?"

"Oh, right." His aunt reached out and tugged at his beard. "It's not a sticker, is it?"

"You try it..." the uncle said, leaning forward. "Ouch, be gentle! I can't take this much pressure from you!"

"You said in your letter that you live in the palace all day long. I thought that meant you were a eunuch!" The eldest aunt breathed a sigh of relief, then complained, "Even though it doesn't matter whether you have that thing or not, nobody wants their husband to be a eunuch!"

"What do you mean there's no difference?! I'm feeling great!" Unable to resist the provocation, the uncle, disregarding day and night, grabbed his aunt and tossed her onto the bed...

"You bitch, just wait till I get my hands on you?!"

"Come on, stop being so stubborn..."

~~
East Wing

The situation has reversed; Su Man has been pushed down by Athena Chu.

"My lady, isn't it a bit early? It's only noon." The scholar felt like he had been pounced on by a hungry wolf, and his heart was filled with unease.

"No, we have to hurry! Look, the second brother's baby is almost born, aren't you, as the eldest brother, worried?" Zhu Yin's breathing became heavy.

The couple spent the longest time apart. The second and third sons and their spouses separated in Nanjing at the end of the year, but Zhu Yin was forced to separate from her beloved senior brother less than ten days after her marriage.

It's been more than half a year since we parted ways...

"There's no rush!" The Confucian scholar Su Man still tried to argue.

"I don't care what you say!" But his wife wouldn't listen to anything he was saying.
The inner west courtyard was quiet.

She Yunluo sat on the edge of the bed, while Su Tai lay beside her, stroking her pregnant belly and chuckling:
"What a round belly! It looks like a big steamed bun."

"Are your steamed buns this big?" She Yunlu rolled her eyes at him. After being apart for so long, all he did upon seeing her was stare at her stomach, without even asking if she was hungry.
"Wow, it can move! It's really strong!" Su Tai was completely oblivious, preoccupied with the novelty of the scene.

"That's kicking you, you heartless father!" She Yunlu snorted, grabbing his hand and biting it hard. "You stinking man, you've been leaving us, mother and child, for so long!"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch." Su Tai didn't dare to struggle or exert any force, for fear of breaking her teeth.

"You know it hurts, yet you don't prepare any food for me? Do you want to starve me to death?" She Yunluo said irritably.

"Hehe, I've been prepared for a while." Su Tai grinned and magically produced a food box from behind him.

She Yunluo opened the package and found the braised pork and lion's head meatballs still warm. Her anger instantly vanished, replaced by a beaming smile. "Atai, you're so kind..."

"Hehe..." Su Tai chuckled, secretly relieved that his father had told him that pregnant women's emotions are unstable and that he should be more tolerant of them.

Also, you have to always have something delicious to eat on hand...

~~
Datong Bridge.

In a private room of a restaurant on the street, Su Youcai was sitting opposite his brother-in-law, Wang Chaohan.

The two looked at each other in silence for a moment, and could only drink in silence.

After a few rounds of drinks, Su Youcai looked at his brother-in-law and said with emotion, "The first time I saw you, you were just a little kid nestled in your mother's and sister's arms. Look at you now, you've grown into such a robust man!"

"What kind of talk is that, brother-in-law? My two nephews are already so big, how could I not grow up?" Wang Chaohan said with a wry smile.

"Hehe, of course!" Su Youcai's eyebrows and eyes were full of smugness. "How about it, Naiping? Your two nephews aren't bad at all, are they?"

"That's really impressive!" Wang Chaohan gave a thumbs up with both hands. "Last year, the two brothers both passed the imperial examination with top honors, and my family knew about it! All three of us brothers said, 'No wonder they're my sister's children, they're both smart and good at fighting!'"

"So it has nothing to do with me?" Su Youcai said irritably.

"Yes, yes, of course," Wang Chaohan nodded hurriedly. "But luckily you two brothers came with me..."

"You son of a bitch!" Su Youcai cursed, raising his hand to slap him.

"Brother-in-law wouldn't dare..." Wang Chaohan's subconscious dodging posture was very practiced, as if he had returned to the old days.

“I haven’t heard that sentence in twenty years…” Su Youcai’s gaze softened as he sighed, “Back then, when your sister and I went on dates, we always used you as a shield.”

"I thought you were taking me out to buy some good food, but it turns out you two did it for this." Wang Chaohan said angrily, "After you're done, you buy me a candied hawthorn and I have to call you brother-in-law."

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter, but then they hugged each other and cried.

"Brother-in-law, I'm so sorry. I left your sister behind on the way..." Su Youcai cried with snot and tears streaming down his face. Even in front of his own family, he had to suppress his emotions.

"Brother-in-law, as long as you've done right by my sister, that's enough. You haven't looked for anyone yet, have you?" Wang Chaohan said, snot bubbling from his nose.

“I just remarried last year…” Su Youcai said with shame.

“Uh…” Wang Chaohan hesitated for a long time before saying, “Alright, my nephews have all grown up, so it’s good that I’ve done right by my sister.”

"Thank you." Su Youcai nodded, then sighed, "Your sister died of a cold when Qiu-ge was two years old. I had planned never to remarry. But, alas..."

"I understand." Wang Chaohan patted Su Youcai on the shoulder and said, "My father remarried twice after my mother passed away."

"..." Su Youcai's expression darkened upon hearing this. "Your master's wife is gone too?"

“Yes, it was the illness I contracted on the way to visit relatives in Taipingyi. The journey was really too arduous.” Wang Chaohan nodded sadly and said, “After returning, my health was not good, and I passed away five or six years later.”

“Before my mother passed away, she begged my father to reconcile with you, and my father agreed,” he said, wiping away a tear. “But before he could even write to you to come to the funeral, you sent someone to announce the death, which devastated my father so much that his hair turned white overnight, and he forbade us to mention you again.”

Su Youcai remained silent for a long time after hearing this, before asking in a low voice, "Teacher, is the knot in your heart still untied?"

Wang Chaohan looked up at him and asked in return, "Brother-in-law, don't you feel anything at all?"

Su Youcai shook his head dejectedly and said, "Of course I blamed my father-in-law for being heartless, but the more I see myself clearly, the more I realize that what my father-in-law said was not wrong. It's just that we were too young back then and didn't know that in this world, difficulties that can be overcome by hard work are not real difficulties."

"Damn, that makes so much sense." Wang Chaohan's eyes widened. "Brother-in-law, I've always felt that you're more knowledgeable than my father."

"So your studies are useless?" Su Youcai chuckled dryly.

"Fortunately, none of my three brothers were good at studying. No matter how hard we tried, none of us passed the imperial examination. So we had to give up literature and go into martial arts." Wang Chaohan laughed. "Our eldest brother doesn't laugh at our second brother. It's just that our father is so angry that his liver hurts. He thinks we've disgraced the family and made him ashamed to face our ancestors."

Then he revealed his father's past: "Last year, my three brothers and I all advised him to swallow his pride and make up with my brother-in-law as soon as possible, but he stubbornly refused. As a result, the following year, both of his grandsons became top scholars in the imperial examinations! Now he's filled with regret, but he can't bring himself to do it. He's really caught in a dilemma..."

P.S. This is a post to be edited later. Please vote with monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)