Chapter 499: 499. Sheng Yue has arrived
Feng Ming’s face was filled with smiles. He had secretly loved Peng Wu ever since he was on Xingluo Island. At that time, although they didn’t know each other well, Peng Wu’s tenacious yet melancholic demeanor made him sympathetic to her. Hindered by their identities and situations, Feng Ming could only keep his feelings hidden and never mentioned them to anyone.
That day, when Feng Ming was invited to Peng Mansion, he heard Ji Xiaoshu asking about what kind of girl he liked and couldn’t help but think about pursuing Peng Wu. After many twists and turns, their identities no longer obstructed their relationship, and he could finally stand tall as a man.
Unfortunately, on that very day, Feng Ming heard Peng Wu say she would never marry again and the courage he had just mustered up dissipated.
However, matters of the heart can’t be easily let go. Feng Ming didn’t give up and was still thinking about what to do when the children’s ingenious plan came along.
After listening to Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu’s story, everyone praised their intelligence and sensibility. After all, Peng Wu’s situation was special, and if not handled well, unnecessary misunderstandings and contradictions could arise.
Ji Xiaoshu grinned and said, “Now it’s Feng Ming’s turn to tell us how he confessed his feelings to Peng Wu today!”
Feng Ming felt a bit awkward. Some words, he could say to Peng Wu, but it wasn’t appropriate to say them in front of everyone…
Gu Ling quickly came to Feng Ming’s rescue, tapping Ji Xiaoshu’s forehead, “Why are you asking about such things at your age? But you did well this time so I won’t make you write extra characters as a punishment. As a reward, you will write two more pages today.”
Ji Xiaoshu immediately forgot about Feng Ming and complained to the elders about Gu Ling, “Master, you all saw how my teacher bullies me right? My teacher’s wife spoils him too and never takes my side.”
The elders criticized Gu Ling one after another; rewarding someone with extra writing was not reasonable.
Old Mu slapped the table, “I’ll reward you with making a table tomorrow, would that make you happy?”
As a result, Gu Ling calmly nodded, “Fine. What kind of table do you want, Master?”
Old Mu: …
Ji Xiaoshu weakly said, “Teacher, can I not write today and help you make the table tomorrow instead?”
Gu Ling’s lips curved into a light smile as he nodded slightly, saying to Old Mu, “Master, since your disciple wants to make a table, let him do it. It’s a win-win situation.”
Old Mu and Ji Xiaoshu: …
Feng Ming: Thank you, Gu Ling!
After dinner, Feng Ming and Zhu Zan sat by the lake pavilion and drank together. After a while, Qi Yan also arrived, entering the pavilion with a smile and teasing Feng Ming, “You managed to settle your lifelong affair so quickly, and you didn’t give any hints beforehand.”
Feng Ming filled a cup for Qi Yan, “I have to thank everyone for their care, otherwise it wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.”
“I really envy you.” Zhu Zan said sincerely, “No matter where you are, you always know what you want and take action when you need to.”
“Your destiny will come too.” Feng Ming smiled and raised his cup, and the three of them clinked glasses together.
Peng Mansion.
Peng Qian and Lady Peng were shocked to learn of Peng Wu and Feng Ming’s engagement from Peng Wei, who had just returned home from visiting friends. They were subsequently overjoyed.
As parents, they felt guilty about their daughter Peng Wu’s past suffering and believed that they hadn’t protected her well. Although their grandson was adorable, they still wished they could go back to the past and give Peng Wu a smoother life. Now that they couldn’t start over, they sincerely hoped for their lovely daughter to find a good match and have someone to care for and accompany her. Peng Wei felt the same way.
However, fearing to put pressure on Peng Wu, the elders did not explicitly mention this matter, only subtly hinting at it once or twice.
They thought this would be a “difficult problem” that required careful handling, but who knew it would be solved so quickly!
In the eyes of Peng family elders, Feng Ming was simply perfect! He had known Peng Wu for a long time and had feelings for each other. He said he had liked Peng Wu for a long time and still refused to give up, so he must be sincere. Furthermore, his character and wisdom had been praised by Su Liang. Peng Wu agreed to him so quickly, which meant that Feng Ming was special in her heart. Feng Ming had no immediate family and didn’t need to worry about anyone’s opposition.
They hadn’t imagined it before, but now, the Peng family felt that Feng Ming was the best match for Peng Wu, without a doubt.
Madame Peng talked to Peng Wu overnight, asking about her thoughts.
Peng Wu had nodded during the day, so there was nothing to be shy or hide about at this moment. She candidly admitted that she thought Feng Ming was great and that the children also hoped she would open her heart and accept Feng Ming.
Seeing her daughter’s relaxed expression, Madame Peng couldn’t help but tear up and held Peng Wu’s hand, saying, “Your mother is truly happy for you. This is so wonderful, truly wonderful… We won’t be able to accompany you throughout your life, we only hope that for the rest of your life, you won’t have to suffer as much.”
Peng Wu nodded, “Mother, I understand. To be honest, during those years on Xingluo Island, Feng Ming was my only friend and the only person I trusted. I didn’t know he had feelings for me, but I once dreamt that he was the one who took us and the children away from Xingluo Island by boat…” As she spoke, Peng Wu sighed and then smiled, “But we couldn’t have escaped back then, as we couldn’t let the children take that risk. Now, it’s not too late.”
Madame Peng hugged Peng Wu, and more tears flowed. She decided to let Peng Wei choose a date for the marriage soon so that Peng Wu could have a grand wedding.
Peng Wu smiled, “He said today that he is willing to marry into our family.”
Madame Peng was momentarily stunned, but Peng Wu shook her head slightly, “Anyway, I don’t care much about that. I think it’s better for the man to marry the woman. After we get married, we can come back here to live.”
Originally, Peng Wu thought it would be fine to have a simple wedding, but after hearing Madame Peng’s words, she knew that her parents wanted to make it up to her, fearing she would suffer even the slightest grievance, the wedding couldn’t be casual.
With that in mind, Peng Wu felt that she would be fine with whatever the elders were happy with.
Madame Peng nodded and agreed with Peng Wu’s words, “That sounds good. Let’s do it your way.”
The date for Feng Ming and Peng Wu’s wedding was quickly set. Both of them were mature in age and temperament, had mutual intentions, and had nothing standing in their way.
Feng Ming was willing to marry into the family, but not marrying into the family was also fine. This way, he and Peng Wu would have their own little home, which would be more comfortable, just like his current brothers.
As one of the matchmakers, Zhengzheng generously said that he would give Feng Ming a mansion for the wedding. Money was the least of Wan Family’s concerns.
Actually, the Su Mansion was also not short of money. Su Liang told Feng Ming and Zhu Zan that if they needed anything for their future wedding, they should just ask. However, before Feng Ming could even ask, he received a generous gift from Zhengzheng.
Feng Ming wanted to refuse it, but Ji Xiaoshu advised him to accept, “Uncle Feng, don’t be so polite. We’re all family. I also want to experience what it feels like to have so much money that I can’t spend it all! It’s a pity my dad isn’t helping; he just likes to farm! We’ll probably be eating the sweet potatoes my dad planted by winter this year!”
Ji Yuebai went north again, taking his wife and youngest son with him, as if to set up a home in the north. Ji Yuebai asked Ji Xiaoshu if he wanted to go with them, but he declined. It wasn’t that he disliked his stepmother; he just felt a little redundant in that family, but seeing them happy and content, he was also happy for them.
Feng Ming nodded, “I’m looking forward to it.” To taste sweet potatoes personally planted by the former emperor of Yin Country would surely be extraordinary.
“Ah, this year is so busy! We also promised to go to Uncle Ersan’s Orange Garden to pick oranges in the autumn!” Ji Xiaoshu exclaimed, “It’s just right for Uncle Feng to accept Big Brother’s mansion as a gift.”
The reason it was just right was not only because Zhengzheng was rich but also because the Wan Family happened to have an unoccupied mansion not far from the current Peng Mansion. It wasn’t easy to buy a suitable mansion in the capital city these days, and no one lived there anyway.
Feng Ming felt that refusing any further would be disrespectful to the children, so he accepted with a nod.
As for the extra characters Gu Ling asked Ji Xiaoshu to write, there would be none, because they had agreed to make a table.
Joking aside, Gu Ling really gathered wood and tools that day and called his master and disciple, making a new table together—they were designing and building the space for Gu Xiaonuan, which needed furniture.
When he heard Gu Xiaonuan calling daddy, Gu Ling came back to the Yuanming Pavilion, carried a basket on his back, and Gu Xiaonuan sat in it, happily waving to Lao Mu and Ji Xiaoshu, “I’m here!”
Zhengzheng, who was busy cleaning wood shavings, looked up and laughed, “When I was little, did I also sit in a bamboo basket, with Master carrying me?”
When he said “little,” he was referring to just two or three years ago.
Gu Ling nodded, “Yes, that happened.” At that time, his identity was still Ning Jing, and Su Liang accompanied him to Pingbei City to take the Imperial Examination. On the way, they saved Zhengzheng and brought him along. One day, he went to the academy to meet Lin Shuzhi, and Zhengzheng clung to him, so he carried Zhengzheng in a basket with him.
Upon hearing this, Ji Xiaoshu immediately said, “Master never carried me in a basket, he’s biased!”
Gu Ling looked Ji Xiaoshu up and down, “Do you think you still fit in a basket?”
Ji Xiaoshu pouted defiantly, “As long as Master dares to carry, what am I afraid of?”
“Oh.” Gu Ling shook his head, “It’s not that I don’t dare, I just don’t want to.”
Ji Xiaoshu leaned his head on Zhengzheng’s shoulder, “Big Brother, see? Master obviously favors you more.”
Zhengzheng, who was already familiar with this kind of tactic, agreed, “I think so too. Don’t be sad, Xiaoshu, it’s okay, I’ll love you.”
Ji Xiaoshu: …I can’t say those things anymore. No one is taking it seriously. Big Brother is definitely a hidden villain with a gentle surface!
All together, the master and disciple made a beautiful new table.
Gu Ling placed Gu Xiaonuan on the table, and she bounced around happily.
Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu also climbed up and bounced around together, saying they wanted to test if the table was sturdy enough.
“I want to join too!” Yan Shiba rushed over.
Lao Mu coughed lightly, “Stop fooling around, be careful not to fall. Come down.” He finished speaking, held Gu Xiaonuan in his arms, and walked away.
“Big Brother, don’t fall.”
“Xiaoshu, don’t fall.”
No one cared about the little brothers, so they held each other and jumped down from the table together.
Su Liang called them from the second-floor window of Yuanming Pavilion, and they all rushed in, Yan Shiba following as well.
Gu Ling was left alone to wipe the new table clean, tidy it up, and move it to a well-ventilated and rain-sheltered spot to dry.
“Su Xiaoliang, with all the peace in the world now, you still don’t like going out. Are you pregnant again?” Yan Shiba asked as soon as she entered the room.
Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu immediately fixed their sparkling eyes on Su Liang’s belly upon hearing this.
Su Liang shook her head, “I’m not. But you can be.”
Yan Shiba sighed, slumping down in her chair like a bag of bones, “It’s not that I don’t want to, but I don’t have a man! Zhengzheng and Xiaoshu, you didn’t even think of finding me a partner, and I’m heartbroken.”
Ji Xiaoshu coughed lightly, “Well…mainly because Yan Auntie seems to like monk-type men, which isn’t easy to arrange!”
Yan Shiba burst into laughter, “Then I’ll go to Huguo Temple for a visit.”
“Don’t always mess with the monks,” Su Liang said, “If you really want to get married, you would have been shouting for the family to find you a partner.”
Yan Shiba smiled slyly, her expression lazy, “That’s true too. Seeing all of you paired up, I feel I must find someone good…not just good, but someone who would give you all an unexpected feeling when you learn of it. Otherwise, it’s so boring! If it’s boring, why get married in the first place? Why live?”
“As long as it’s beyond our imagination, there are endless possibilities. Just be happy,” Su Liang said. “I have something to do recently, and I don’t need to go out. When Sheng Yue arrives and settles the matter with him, we’ll watch Min Rou and Nangong Qian’s wedding and then return to Su Village.”
“Hasn’t Sheng Yue finished all the people who need to be killed? He should be here soon,” Yan Shiba said. The news sent a few days ago declared that the remnants on the “list” had been completely wiped out.
Speaking of Sheng Yue, he arrived.
Yan Shiba looked amused, “Today’s so boring. I’ll greet him! And I have something to ask! I’ll also take him to visit his good Master! Speaking of it, Sheng Yue and I are acquainted. He caught me back then, wounded me severely, locked me in the snow for such a long time, and even changed Nian Ruxue’s appearance to look like mine to deceive all of you. I haven’t settled this score with him yet!”
Su Liang had no objections, “You can settle the score, but make it clear that this is personal and has nothing to do with us.”
“Aren’t we a family?” Yan Shiba was unhappy.
Su Liang replied with a smile, “I’m afraid that when you meet him, you’ll fight and let him escape in the process, thinking we’re turning against him and wanting to kill him. It would become a disaster again.”
“I got it! I got it!” Yan Shiba disappeared as soon as she finished talking.
Zhengzheng suddenly thought, “Will Auntie Yan tell Sheng Yue that Little Sister is now the owner of the spatial magical treasure?”
Su Liang shook her head, “No, she won’t. We talked specifically about this before. Your Master will personally inform Sheng Yue.”
“Why?” Ji Xiaoshu was confused.
Su Liang smiled, “Your Master has been looking forward to seeing Sheng Yue’s wonderful expression when he finds out that another Transmigrator’s descendant can be recognized by the space. He’s been anticipating it for a long time.”
Zhengzheng chuckled, “I want to see it too!”
Ji Xiaoshu spoke, his voice melancholic, “Master indeed has the right to be proud. Although Master and Mistress didn’t let the spatial magical treasure recognize them, they are the parents of the owner of the magical treasure! So amazing!”
Zhengzheng asked, “Then, when the time comes, will Sheng Yue be so shocked that he’ll turn dark again?”
Su Liang nodded, “Even if he turns dark, it’s no big deal. Your Auntie Yan is just waiting to roll up her sleeves and properly teach him a lesson.”