Chapter 158 Do You Suspect Me of Having an Affair with My Cousin?
When she arrived outside the farm, she saw Ruan Qingyan with Ruan Yi and several servants standing under thatched eaves to take shelter from the rain. His coir raincoat and bamboo hat had been untied and leaned against the earthen wall to dry. His mourning dress was covered with a white open-fronted robe because he was going out. His open-fronted robe was wet a few pieces, but he didn’t look embarrassed. However, he had a kind of aboveboard and unruly demeanor.
“Cousin, what are you doing here?” Seeing Qiu Yelan coming out, Ruan Yi and others hurriedly held up their umbrellas and took refuge outside the eaves.
Ruan Qingyan looked at her look and said, “I heard that the heavy rain has cut off the way back to the city. You have to stay here for a few days. I can’t rest assured. So I come and have a look.”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry.” Qiu Yelan’s heart warmed up and said with a smile, “But cousin, why do you come here in person? You have to make a detour in such a heavy rain.”
“If I didn’t come here myself, that man over there would be happy.” Ruan Qingyan suddenly looked behind her and said lightly.
Qiu Yelan was stunned. She turned her head and saw that Jiang Yashuang in dark purple robe stepped out the door happily. He went up to him and greeted him with a smile, “Brother Ruan, I haven’t seen you for a long time. I really miss you. Since you have come to visit your sister today, why don’t you go to the farm and have a talk?”
The door of the farm was guarded by a servant. Although it would be some distance away, some words were not appropriate to say. Ruan Qingyan said faintly, “I am still in the period of mourning, so it is inconvenient to enter. I will say a few words to my cousin and then go.”
Jiang Yashuang chuckled and said, “It might have been a little fastidious in the past. But now, the mourning hall of the Duchess of Huainan has been set up in it. Chu Weixian, of course, they have not yet put on their mourning dress. Our family members have changed into plain and clean color robes to show respect for the Duchess of Huainan… It is okay if you don’t go to the hall.”
He added, “It’s not easy to walk back and forth to the city in these two days. You can go in and take a bath. Change your clothes. You can relax when you go back. Otherwise, it will be bad for your health to take a long way around in wet clothes.”
Qiu Yelan did not know that Jiang Yashuang took Ruan Qingyan as a romantic rival and asked him out to fight one-on-one, thinking that they were still one to please the other. She looked at the mud-stained cloak of Ruan Qingyan, and she found it hard to wear it back like this, saying, “Cousin, what he said…”
“General Jiang, I have something to ask my cousin alone. Would you please excuse me for a moment?” Ruan Qingyan glared at him, unceremoniously rejected Jiang Yashuang’s proposal and signaled Qiu Yelan to follow him towards the wasteland.
Qiu Yelan hurriedly followed him obediently. She walked a few steps but saw that Jiang Yashuang also wanted to follow. She was afraid that Ruan Qingyan would be angry and hurriedly said, “You go back first.”
Jiang Yashuang seldom did not listen to her, but he still followed her leisurely, “My sister said that the road is slippery on a rainy day. She is afraid it will be bad for you to go out of the manor alone. Let me come and watch it.”
“I can take care of my cousin.” Ruan Qingyan stood still and said with a straight face, “You don’t have to worry about it.”
“Now the Commandery Princess Ningyi is visiting our family’s farm. We should keep an eye on her.” Jiang Yashuang was still smiling, but his eyes were sharp, “Moreover, it may not be safe in the wasteland. Lanlan, don’t you think so?”
At this time, the three people walked a few steps away from the door of the farm. It was estimated that the servants could not hear them. Jiang Yashuang immediately changed his name.
Ruan Qingyan’s face also darkened, “Don’t get in the way. I don’t have time to mess with you today.”
Jiang Yashuang lightly smiled, “So Brother Ruan, are you in trouble? Why don’t you say it and we study it together? Maybe I can help you.”
“It’s none of your business.” Ruan Qingyan said coldly, “Are you leaving? If you don’t leave, don’t think I can’t fight with you in front of your family’s farm.”
Jiang Yashuang squinted his eyes and said, “I have met you more than once or twice in private. When have I ever relied on my family?”
Qiu Yelan was stunned. It was only now that she woke up from a dream. She was shocked and said, “What’s the matter with you?”
She knew that Ruan Qingyan’s attitude towards Jiang Yashuang had never been very good, but Jiang Yashuang’s attitude towards Ruan Qingyan was very restrained. He occasionally said a few words of jealousy, which was also a time of teasing. Qiu Yelan didn’t take it seriously at all.
Now the two people quarreled in front of her. Qiu Yelan suddenly felt unprepared.
“Send him back to the farm. Don’t get in the way of our conversation!” Ruan Qingyan ordered in a cold voice.
Without waiting for Qiu Yelan to do so, Jiang Yashuang also looked at her with a faint smile, “Lanlan, are you sure you don’t want me to be with you? Master Qiu said… Right? Although your cousin is good, the enemy is in the light and I am in the dark. If I were here, you could rest assured to talk, right?”
Qiu Yelan looked at him suspiciously, “Why do you do this to my cousin today?”
Jiang Yashuang choked. I used to accommodate him because I regarded him as my brother-in-law, but now I regarded him as a rival in love. How could I continue to accommodate him? In particular, Ruan Qingyan knew clearly that you were living on my farm, but he came here in the rain, which made it clear that he deliberately flattered you… If I still let him do whatever he wanted, what would it be?
But he couldn’t say this directly to Qiu Yelan, so he had to say, “I’m worried about you.”
“Don’t talk to my cousin like that.” She had a twitch at the corner of her mouth. She always felt that he was now very hostile to Ruan Qingyan, which had never been seen before. She was about to persuade him to make amends for Ruan Qingyan. She did not expect that Ruan Qingyan frowned and asked, “Have you met Qiu Feng?”
“Yes, he said just now that he saw the Concubine Mo been murdered with his own eyes last night.” Qiu Yelan deliberately lowered her voice, because she was so worried that many people were around, but she still didn’t dare to mention Tianya, “Xiaran is going to send someone to the city to tell you.”
Ruan Qingyan mused, “How did he know you were here?”
“I met him on Jinxiu Slope yesterday.” Qiu Yelan said, “Last night, many people from the farm were sent to the Mansion of Duke of Huainan to look for someone. Maybe he heard what the servant said…”
Ruan Qingyan said suspiciously, “Yesterday? Jinxiu Slope? How did you meet?”
At this time a gust of wind blowing with cold rain, Qiu Yelan couldn’t help shuddering.
Jiang Yashuang said with a sullen face, “Go into the farm and talk. Even if you don’t feel uncomfortable wearing wet clothes, you have to think about that Lanlan might catch a cold.”
Ruan Qingyan glanced at him and waved to Ruan Yi. He shook a cloak from the burden on his back and was about to put it over Qiu Yelan’s shoulder. Seeing this, Jiang Yashuang who had been strong enough to endure couldn’t help being furious. He stepped forward and stopped him, asking with a livid face, “What do you mean?”
“This cloak belongs to my big sister.” Ruan Qingyan frowned and said, “What are you doing?”
“I should tie it for her.” Jiang Yashuang’s eyes were cold, “I know Lanlan treats you like a brother, but after all you are just cousins. All the people on the farm behind us looked at us. If you tie her cloak for her in front of me. What do you want others to think?” He gritted his teeth, “I’ve made concessions to you again and again, so don’t go too far.”
“Do you suspect me of having an affair with my cousin?” Qiu Yelan wondered why he stopped him before. How could she not understand after hearing these words? She couldn’t help turning white with anger, “You guys are really brother and sister. Yesterday on the Jinxiu Slope, Qiu Feng accidentally offended Zhuang Man. I just called ‘Brother’ and asked Zhuang Man for a favor. Your sister then instructed He Shuijin to set me up. I put up with it. I can’t believe that even you can’t tolerate my cousin. We’re not married yet, and you’re getting paranoid. Can we still get along after that?”
Jiang Yashuang was shocked, “My sister asked sister He to set you up?” He could not help complaining secretly. Jiang Qizheng only reminded him that Qiu Yelan knew a person named “He Feng” before, but did not tell him that she had asked He Shuijin to set Qiu Yelan up.
Well, he was suspected yesterday. He was suspected again today. With his knowledge of Qiu Yelan, it would be strange if she didn’t get angry.
He hadn’t had time to apologize. Ruan Qingyan’s face had completely sunk, “How rascal you are! At that time, I didn’t know who climbed over the wall to seduce my cousin. Why do you dislike her now? What do you take my cousin for? Do you think she has no parents to support and easy to bully?”
Jiang Yashuang didn’t have time to get angry with him at this time and hurriedly explained, “I don’t know what happened on the Jinxiu Slope.”
“In short, in the eyes of your family, I don’t obey the rules and the way of a woman!” Qiu Yelan sneered and said, “I finally understand why my cousin has always asked me to be courteous and well-behaved.”
“I don’t mean to doubt you. I just think he’s too kind to you.” Jiang Yashuang had no choice but to tell the truth, “He is not like your cousin. I just think he’s hitting on you.”
Qiu Yelan said coldly, “I know how good he is to me! Besides, if he were hitting on me, I don’t know how many times I would be tricked. Do you still need to doubt it?”
Jiang Yashuang also wanted to explain, but Ruan Qingyan was already telling Su He who followed Qiu Yelan, “Go in and ask Chunran and others to pack up the Commandery Princess’s things. Tell Chunfu Princess that I bought a yard in a village three miles away. Now I want to take the Commandery Princess to live there, so as not to continue to disturb the Jiang family… And also tell Chunfu Princess that I can discipline my own cousin. Whether she knows Qiu Feng or He Feng, I don’t think there is any need for her Highness to worry about it.”
He looked at Jiang Yashuang who was turning pale, “After all, you’re not married yet, aren’t you?”
“I…” Jiang Yashuang just opened his mouth but was interrupted by Qiu Yelan, “That’s enough! I don’t want to hear anything now!”
Knowing that she was angry now, Jiang Yashuang was silent and forced to restrain his irritable mood, “Then I’ll see you off.”
After a while, he watched Ruan Qingyan and his party entering the village, but he was stopped outside. His eyes changed for a while, and then turned away in silence.
On the way back to the farm, Jiang Tan wanted to say a few words of relief, but he said nothing because his face was too gloomy.
Just as they were approaching the farm’s gate, behind a big willow tree by the side of the road suddenly appeared a man in brocade robe who was about the same age as Jiang Yashuang.
This young man had long eyebrows and bright eyes. His complexion was clear as jade. His black hair was loosely draped down, and he only wore a gold ring at the back of his head. His skirt was half-loose and looked dissolute. He had neither an umbrella nor a hat, just let rainwater wet his robe with two pots of wine in his hand. As soon as he came out, he immediately threw one of the pots of wine at Jiang Yashuang and said with a smile, “As soon as I come here, I see that you are out of your mind… Don’t tell me the reason. Drink it first.”
When Jiang Yashuang saw the young man, his eased a little. He caught the kettle and weighed it, but said with a wry smile, “What else can I say after drying this pot of wine?”
“That’s right. You are a terrible drinker.” The young man in brocade robe opened his pot of wine. He took a big sip of wine and said, “Your eighth brother’s specialty is to get others drunk and cook raw rice to ripe rice. It seems that you can only rely on your nephew to inherit it. It’s hopeless to count on you.”
“Bicheng, when did you come here?” Jiang Yashuang sighed and did not answer the teasing remark, saying, “Didn’t you say that you had to take part in the provincial examination before you came back?”
The young man was Ou Bicheng in brocade robe, saying, “I think so, but the place in the Beijiang is so boring that there is nothing to talk about except hunting… My father’s subordinates sent several beauties to him at the end of last year. You know my mother’s temper. There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the backyard all day long… How can I go on with my studies? I just took advantage of my aunt’s birthday to come back and relax!”
He looked at the Jiang Tan who stood behind Jiang Yashuang and did not stop moving his mouth. He came forward and took Jiang Yashuang by the shoulder, “I just came back, but I heard that you had been bullied? Tell me. What’s going on? Do you need me to save face for you?”
Jiang Yashuang squinted his eyes. With a flick of his finger, an invisible breath opened his hand. He seemed to be smiling, “You only went to the Beijiang. Have you learned to act as a hero? Do you forget who always stood out for you when you were a kid? How dare you pretend to be my older brother?”
“Ha-ha… Don’t care about these details.” Ou Bicheng smiled and tried to muddle through, “Seriously, I have to go back to take the provincial examination in July at the latest. Aunt Zhuang gave me the errands this time. Let me take her place and see what kind of beauty your sweetheart looks like. She can fascinate you so much that more than half of the words you praised her in the letter you wrote to them.”
Before he had finished his words, he saw Jiang Yashuang’s face which was a little better before became expressionless again.