Happiness Consists in Contentment

Chapter 7 The Scholar’s Wife

Liu Fang: “Elder sister, what you said is a bit too much.”

“Oh, it’s okay, let’s us⎯⎯two unmarried girls not disturb them. Now, let’s go shopping. After a while, we have to go home. Don’t worry, Seventeenth elder sister won’t lose you.”

“Hehe, I really thank you.”

“No problem, no problem.” 

Anhe pulled Liu Fang, “Hey, look, there’s a fire attraction ahead, let’s go and see.”

“Hey, elder sister, don’t pull…”

“Hurry up, it’ll end after a while”

Liu Fang knew that in order to prevent wildfire during the Lantern Festival in the capital, all fire attractions have a time limit. This was the reason Anhe was this anxious.

Because of the large number of people and Anhe walking too fast, the female guard who followed behind couldn’t keep up with them, and only Anhe was left with Liu Fang.

The place where the common people gather to watch the fire attraction was guarded by the Imperial Army. A sea of people, Liu Fang was not tall, so all she can see was their head. Anhe dragged Liu Fang and squeezed around, but Liu Fang was swept away before Anhe knew it. Anhe didn’t notice it at all, instead, she squeezed forward. It wasn’t until after she finished watching the fire attraction that she realized that her younger sister was gone!

This time, she couldn’t care about how embarrassed she was in the crowd and hurriedly went to ask her family guards and the imperial guards to find her younger sister.

But with so many people, how can they find her?

She was so anxious that she almost cried: “It’s over. This time it’s really over. Mother will never let me go. Xiao-Anfang, you must not be in trouble. Otherwise, no need to mention if the Seventeenth elder sister can get married smoothly. Now, it’s a question of whether I can live well…”

As for Liu Fang, she was squeezed into a corner. Seeing that she couldn’t squeeze in, she simply backed out.

There happened to be a secluded alley next to it, and a teahouse in it. So she walked in and found a table at random to sit down at. She wanted to wait until there were fewer people outside before going back to meet her family.

After ordering a pot of tea, Liu Fang sat quietly and drank slowly.

There were a few tables with people in the teahouse, probably they were also overwhelmed by the crowd outside. At this moment, they were just like Liu Fang, sitting here quietly drinking tea and talking in a low voice.

Yang An took her sister out to see the lanterns, guessed lantern riddles at a booth, and won a pair of rabbit lanterns for his sister⎯⎯Yang Hui. Seeing that there were so many people on the street, he took his sister into the teahouse to rest.

He went in, sat down, and ordered a pot of tea and a plate of cakes for his sister to eat. When he turned around, he saw Liu Fang sitting at another table.

Liu Fang didn’t remember him at all, but Yang An still remembered Liu Fang.

He has a good memory, and he can’t help but remember the discussion of his classmates that days at the forest of steles of Anguo Temple

He felt a little strange. He heard the discussion among his classmates that day. She was obviously a young lady from a big family. How could she be alone in this humble little teahouse in this remote alley? There were no guards and maids to follow.

Yang An frowned slightly. Something must happen to her, right? Lost from family? Or separated from the servant?

However, this was only a momentary thought. No matter what, Yang An can’t be meddlesome and ask Liu Fang. He has no intention of dealing with any noble households.

Besides, he was a poor scholar. If he stepped forward to ask, the other person would treat him as a playboy and will give him a slap in the face.

Why should he humiliate himself?

Liu Fang didn’t know that someone was paying attention to her. Even if she did, she wouldn’t care.

The things she encountered when she went to offer incense were just trivial things for her. She will forget it as soon as she turned her head.

After all, the two of them were complete people from two different worlds, and there was absolutely no intersection in their daily life, and they have never imagined that there will be any intersection in the future.

At that time, when Anhe asked her if she had a crush on a certain scholar, she answered casually and then forgot about it.

She just appreciated this person more at the time, and she would never take it to heart.

Therefore, even if Yang An sat next to her after entering the door, she will not recognize him as the scholar in a blue robe at the foot of Anguo Temple that day.

Yang An also knew that Liu Fang wouldn’t recognize him, so he didn’t rush forward to start a conversation.

After all, ancient times were different from modern times. It’s normal for modern people to get together or something, and it doesn’t matter to chat up and flirt with girls at will, but in ancient times, serious people would not accept such casual contact. Especially big families.

This was completely different from those who pass by and asked for water or asking shelter in heavy rain.

In the eyes of the ancients, casual chatting was equivalent to being a hooligan, so a serious scholar like Yang An would not do such a thing.

The teahouse was very small, with seven or eight tables. Two private seats with kneeling seats on both sides and the rest were tables and stools.

The private seat was blocked by bamboo curtains, and only when you enter the door can you see who was sitting in the private seat.

Liu Fang was sitting in a private seat by the door, and Yang An was sitting at a table beside the private seat.

Yang An’s eyesight was excellent, and through the bamboo curtain, he recognized Liu Fang sitting inside.

Probably this was the first time in his life that he has really met a young lady from a noble family.

It’s not that Liu Fang gave him a special impression. If Anhe was here, he could also recognize her at a glance. It just his first experience with Liu Fang was particularly clear.

One person slowly sips the tea, the other person coaxes his sister to eat snacks, looks at the pair of rabbit lanterns, and then sips tea, each in peace.

It’s just this peace was broken by three drunken men hooking their shoulders on their backs.

“Shopkeeper, shopkeeper, hurry up, I want to book a room!”

The whole teahouse was quiet and turned to look at them.

These three were probably used to being dudes, and they even laughed and talked loudly, causing everyone to frown.

“Customer, it was unfortunate the teahouse is full. You can find another place.” 

The owner of the teahouse was a handsome middle-aged man with a calm demeanor. He walked out from the counter. In the face of the three dudes, his attitude was neither humble nor arrogant.

Liu Fang raised her eyebrows when she saw it.

The capital really was Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Such a character turned out to be the owner of a small and medium-sized teahouse in a secluded alley. Interesting.

[Wo hu cang long (卧虎藏龙) Refers to the hidden talents that have not been discovered, but also the hidden talents]

It’s just that the three dudes didn’t have eyesight, and one of them was very arrogant.

“Hey, you old man, you really don’t know how to lift things up. Do you know who I am? I belong to Prince Cheng Mansion. In the entire capital, except for the emperor, only the princes can compare with this master. Do you still have the nerve to chase people? Believe it or not, I can smash your little teahouse if I was unhappy?!”

Hey, from Prince Cheng Mansion? !

Liu Fang raised her eyebrows again, oh, that’s really interesting.

Madam Liu was the younger sister of Prince Cheng, a junzhu with different surnames from the royal family. Liu Fang followed her mother in and out of Prince Cheng Mansion since she was a child, but she has never seen this “Master”.

The teahouse owner smiled and said, “I’m sorry, I’m a native of the capital. I’ve met several young masters of Prince Cheng Mansion. I don’t know which one of Prince Cheng’s family you are.”

The self-proclaimed “Prince Cheng’s family” was stunned for a while before he blushed and said: “My father is the steward of Prince Cheng Mansion, what’s wrong? You want to climb up the Prince Cheng Mansion. Who do think you are!”

“Haha.” The teahouse owner just smiled lightly, “Your Excellency turned out to be a servant of Prince Cheng Mansion, I am disrespectful.”

“It’s good to know that you are disrespectful, why don’t you just let them get out?!

“If you want to show your prestige, please go elsewhere, we won’t entertain you!”

“You, what do you mean? Dare to look down on this master?

“Fine, I will just smash your teahouse, let’s see if you dare to look down on this master.”

After that, he turned his head and rushed into the private seat by the door, which happened to be where Liu Fang was sitting. The dude’s eyes lit up.

“Hey, there’s another beauty here?!”

Liu Fang frowned, looked at him lightly, and said calmly, “I advise you, you better get out of here.”

“Oh, I really learned something today. One by another didn’t put Prince Cheng Mansion in their eyes. This master tells you, although this master is only the son of the steward in Prince Cheng Mansion, my father is favored by Prince Cheng. Killing you all is like It’s like killing an ant. I can do whatever I want, what can you do to me?”

Liu Fang: “….’

Talking to a fool was really a waste of saliva.

“Today, this master will let you see. This master dares to do anything! Little beauty, come here, this master will take care of you.” 

After that the dude smiled slyly and rushed toward Liu Fang, trying to catch her.

Seeing this, Yang An frowned, stood up, and wanted to go in to help. The teahouse owner also walked over quickly, trying to stop it.

However, no one expected Liu Fang was sitting very calmly, watching the man rush towards her. She raised her hand and slapped him, directly knocking him out until lying on the ground, vomiting blood with a posterior molar.

The other two dudes who followed behind saw this, their faces turned pale with fright, and their legs became weak.

The others in the teahouse were also stunned. Yang An stood aside and watched the man fly out of the private seat and lay in front of him, while his sister Yang Hui also stared at the people in the private seat with wide eyes in disbelief and full of admiration.

Yang An: (⊙o⊙)! ! !

Yang Hui: It’s amazing!

Teahouse owner: …(⊙o⊙)! ! !

Are all girls so fierce now?

Liu Fang calmly poured a cup of tea, took a sip, and said leisurely from the private seat: “Kneel down honestly, if you dare to run…”

The last four words were very meaningful. Liu Fang opened the bamboo curtain to look at him lightly, and said coldly: “Tomorrow, you will collect the corpse of your father, the steward of the Prince Cheng Mansion.”

After many years, Liu Fang has long understood that the rules of honor and inferiority under the feudal system cannot be broken.

It’s not that she has abandoned the three concepts of equality in modern society, but she understands how to live in this environment, she was in the position of a young lady of Duke Mansion——a decent master, growing up with brocade clothes and jade food, and a loving family member. It was natural to have an attitude that matches her status, as well as the bottom line.

It was impossible and was not allowed to have a relationship like the one in the novel, where one treats a servant as close as a sister.

If she really acts like this, let’s not say whether others will find it weird, just this mode of getting along between master and servant was easy for the servants to blur their identities and positions, and make them lose their sense of proportion. It was not good for either of them.

Besides, the power of an individual was very small in the overall social environment, and she does not intend to challenge the entire society and become an enemy of the world.

That would make her appear arrogant and stupid, and at the same time, it might not be accepted by the public.

Of course, the most important thing was that she didn’t have the fearless spirit to challenge the sky and the earth. To put it bluntly, she didn’t want to toss but just wants to live this life in a low-key and stable way.