FID – Chapter 558

  Chapter 558: You See He Knows His Way Around

  ”Grandma, Mom, don’t worry about my sister-in-law. As long as she stays with Big Brother, she will be soaked in honey. Except for sweetness, she will not feel tired.” Liu Yusheng shook the goose bumps off her hands.

  Her mischievousness made everyone in the family laugh, and even made Fu Yuzheng blush.

  Since she married Liu Zhixia, the care of the grandparents has not made her feel like an outsider at all. It was as if she was a girl who grew up in this family, just like their daughter.

  The elders’ care coupled with her husband’s pampering triggered a kind of happiness from the bottom of her heart that she couldn’t conceal, and this was revealed in her every frown and smile.

  It was most apparent after she conceived. There was a kind of gentleness exuding from the deepest part of her bones. From head to toe, she looked entirely different from the detached and slender person of the past.

  Feng Qingbai entered the door with Liu Zhixia, and what he heard was his little girl being naughty and teasing others.

  ”Nannan, you’re teasing your sister-in-law again,” Liu Zhixia reprimanded with a smile. He walked to his blushing wife and sat down beside her, extending his support.

  Feng Qingbai wasn’t far behind. Without hesitation, he almost sat down next to Liu Yusheng, covering her under his wings.

  Liu Yusheng replied proudly, “Brother, you really forgot your sister now that you’re married. Fortunately, I have someone to back me up, so you can’t scare me.”

  ”We’ll be going back to Yunzhou in two days, and your protection will be out of reach. Nannan, at this time, you’d better please your elder brother, and I will consider letting you go.”

  ”Oh, I’m so scared. Without Feng Qingbai, I still have my Sister-in-law to protect me. If you have the ability, you should face your wife first.” Liu Yusheng was confident.

  Seeing his wife frequently nodding in agreement with his sister’s words and protecting her with her own actions, Liu Zhixia could only raise his hand to beg for forgiveness.

  Even if no one was protecting her, how could he be willing to reprimand his precious sister?

  ”The list of this girl’s backers is getting longer.” Grandma Liu and the others laughed, watching Nannan bullying her brother.

  They didn’t know what kept Feng Qingbai busy in the past few days, so his visits to the Xinliu Manor suddenly decreased. Sometimes, they even couldn’t see him for an entire day.

  It was rare to see him come back with Zhixia today, so Grandpa Liu and Liu Dalin pulled him to a small table beside them, asked Liu Zhixia to join them, and the menfolk chatted about current affairs.

  This was only recently started by Grandpa Liu. He usually didn’t go out and stayed confined in the manor. When he was bored, he and Liu Dalin, two lousy chess players, regretted their moves and played for a long time. After playing games, they got bored and started to care about other things.

  Seeing this, Grandma Liu and the other ladies didn’t get involved and discussed what gifts to bring to the villagers on their return trip.

  Their trip to the capital was rare, so it must not be in vain.

  ”Axiu, Zhixia’s appointment came so suddenly. Did you use force behind our backs?” Grandpa Liu asked.

  He wasn’t entirely ignorant of things. How could battles in court be that easy?

  Zhixia, the new Number One Scholar, has been an academician of the Imperial Hanlin Academy for only a few months. If there was no one helping him from behind, it would have been impossible for him to get his turn as a prefectural magistrate.

  In terms of seniority, there were many others ahead of him who had beaten their brains out for the position.

  Feng Qingbai did not deny it. “It was a bit of effort, but with Zhixia’s ability, it is enough for him to sit in the prefectural magistrate’s position. If he lacked the ability, it would have been impossible for me to raise him up.”

  Even if he was one of his own, he would not give an important position to an incompetent person.

  It was a matter of state affairs, never to be taken lightly. This has been his principle since he came to power.

  It was for this reason he has been fighting with the Liu family, Prime Minister Zuo, and Qin Xiao for so many years, but they still haven’t completely suppressed him.

  Infighting could not shake the foundation of the country.

  ”With your actions, will someone behind the scenes be dissatisfied with you? You are the Regent. What are you supposed to do if your political opponents leverage this?” Liu Dalin frowned, worry appeared in his eyes.

  Of course he hoped that his son would be promoted step by step, but they couldn’t bring trouble to Axiu.

  As a family all they needed was stability.

  ”Father-in-law, don’t worry. When Zhixia argued with the Liu clan in the capital before, his composure and intelligence were enough to prove his ability, and it is no worse than that of a veteran of the dynasty. Furthermore, Yunzhou is his hometown. He is more familiar with the local customs and current events there than ordinary officials. The Xinghua Village Winery is owned by the Liu family. After Zhixia takes office, it would be easier to get support from the winery and push the entire Yunzhou economy to a higher level. This is something that others are incapable of achieving. Even if they have objections, they can’t say anything.”

  Feng Qingbai remained unperturbed. He gave various reasons one by one, earning frequent nods from Liu Dalin and Grandpa Liu. Even after he uttered ‘Father-in-law’, Liu Dalin turned a blind eye and let it go.

  Liu Zhixia inwardly snickered at the man’s wit in availing himself of every opportunity to establish his position in the family.

  Only Feng Qingbai could be so shameless and still appear calm and breezy on the surface, nobody else could in this world.

  ”Grandpa, Dad, it’s fine. Even though I’m a new official, it doesn’t mean I don’t know anything, and if I want to take this road, I must not be timid. Only after experiencing it will I know if I can do it,” Liu Zhixia said.

  If he couldn’t do it, he had to do it.

  He would never allow himself to fail.

  Liu Dalin glanced at him. “Axiu has paved the way for you. If you still can’t make achievements, don’t say you are a descendant of my family when you go out. Shame on you.”

  Liu Zhixia raised his forehead. “Understood, Dad.” Forget about the descendants of the Liu family. These words have almost become his father’s catchphrase.

  And it was also a mantra directed at him alone.

  Other people’s families encouraged their children to look forward to the future.

  However, look at his father. He would first dig a grave for him at the end of the road. If he ever walked unstably, he would be directly under the pit.

  There were three days left before their departure from the capital to return to Yunzhou and Xinghua Village. Liu Yusheng and Feng Qingbai didn’t have much time to stay together.

  The elders knew that the separation of the young lovers was bound to make them feel sad. Therefore, they chose to relax and just ignore the occasional lovey-dovey behavior between the two.

  In the middle of the night, a certain King broke into the boudoir of the girl’s courtyard again like a thief.

  In a corner outside the other courtyard, Liu Dalin gritted his teeth, his eyes spitting fire. “See, I knew this kid would not be safe. Don’t think I don’t know anything. This is not the first time! See that, he knows his way around…”

  ”Yeay, yeah, Axiu and our daughter have a sense of proportion in doing things, and will not do anything beyond their bounds. Besides, are you still worried that Axiu will not be responsible for our daughter? The dew is very heavy tonight, so hurry back. Let’s go to sleep.” Chen Xiulan yawned and dragged her husband who was so incensed that the top of his head was about to smoke. “Come on now. You are also a handful of years old, and you still come here to watch. Aren’t the mosquitoes biting you, huh? Soon, your face will be packed with bumps.”

  ”…” It would have been fine if Chen Xiulan hadn’t mentioned it but now that she did, his face started to itch. Not only were there swellings on his face, his legs and hands were also bitten. “Aren’t I mad because of that kid who doesn’t follow the rules? If word gets out that he climbed over the wall to our daughter in the middle of the night, won’t she lose her reputation?” 

  ”Apart from you, who else would squat here and watch? Who would know?”