Two chapters today — I have to go out this afternoon and don't know when I'll be back tonight. Don't wait up.
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The Yang Family.
Word that the two young masters had been the first to return spread quickly. The pair of golden feather eagles that had flown back to the clan was all the proof anyone needed.
A man and a woman were racing toward the Dragon Transformation Pool at full speed.
Both wore expressions of nervous anticipation laced with guilt and heartache.
The middle-aged man held himself together, putting on a calm front — only the faint trembling of his sturdy frame gave him away, and his neatly composed face even carried a trace of joy.
The woman, on the other hand, was dabbing at the corners of her eyes as she ran, crying silently like a rain-kissed pear blossom. Tears scattered across the ground behind her, and the rims of her eyes were bright red.
After a while, the man couldn't take it anymore and said in a muffled voice, "Suzhu, what are you blubbering for? Our son is back — we should be happy!"
Dong Suzhu kept wiping her tears and, before she could even speak, choked up. Between sobs she managed: "I… I just can't help it… You… you think I want to cry? These tears… they just burst out on their own, waaah… It's so annoying."
Yang Yingfeng was utterly speechless. "If our son sees you like this, he'll probably think I've been bullying you at home."
Dong Suzhu immediately turned pitiful. "Oh, so you haven't been bullying me? Then why don't you explain to me what was going on with that vixen last time? Why did she keep calling you 'Big Brother Yang, Big Brother Yang' — and in such a sweet, affectionate tone, no less! Hmph…"
She was sharp-tongued as ever — the tears had apparently stopped flowing too, and there was nothing left of the incoherent mess she'd been just moments ago.
Fourth Master Yang's face went crimson with embarrassment. After stammering for a good while, he mumbled gloomily, "It was an accident. Last time was just an accident…"
Dong Suzhu was relentless, putting on her most pathetic look. "I married into your Yang family when I was eighteen. I've been with you for nearly twenty years, and in all that time I haven't enjoyed a single perk from your family. If anything, I've suffered plenty. And now, at my age, I still have to worry about some other vixen luring my husband away. If I'd known it would come to this… I never would have come to Zhongdu for that ridiculous succession battle, and I never would have ended up with a heartless man like you… waaah…"
As she spoke, she dabbed at the corners of her eyes while secretly watching Yang Yingfeng's reaction.
Cold sweat broke out on Fourth Master Yang's forehead. Although Dong Suzhu was no longer young — having long since reached the age where she should be considered a matron — no one knew how she managed it, but she still looked no different from a girl of sixteen. The long years seemed to have left absolutely no trace on her face.
Not only did Dong Suzhu look young, but her temperament was youthful too. She would often say things only a young girl would say and get herself into situations that left people not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
This sort of embarrassing scene happened often when the couple went out together.
People who didn't know them would come up and bow respectfully: "Greetings, Fourth Master Yang! Greetings, Miss Yang…"
Yang Yingfeng would always ask in confusion, "Who is Miss Yang?"
And they would politely reply, "Isn't this your daughter, Fourth Master? Truly, dragons beget dragons and phoenixes beget phoenixes. She's worthy of being your child — Miss Yang is breathtakingly beautiful, one of a kind…"
They would heap on the flattery until Fourth Master Yang's face turned dark.
Dong Suzhu, on the other hand, would smile brightly, link her arm through Yang Yingfeng's, and nod along happily, clearly relishing every word — as if she couldn't get enough of the compliments.
After enough of these encounters, Fourth Master Yang had learned his lesson. Whenever he visited someone he wasn't familiar with, he would introduce himself before the hosts could even open their mouths, declaring with imposing authority, "I am Yang Yingfeng, and this is my wife, Dong Suzhu!"
The hosts would be taken aback, thinking that this Fourth Master Yang was a peculiar sort — as though he were afraid the whole world wouldn't know he'd married far below his age, going out of his way to introduce himself like that to everyone he met.
Perhaps the Yang family's temperament was just that eccentric.
The minds of direct-line heirs from great families truly were beyond ordinary people's comprehension.
The incident Dong Suzhu kept bringing up had actually happened three years ago, and the woman who'd been fond of Yang Yingfeng had long since vanished without a trace. Yet Dong Suzhu refused to let it go, dragging it out every time she was feeling down.
And the worst part was that Fourth Master Yang was a dull, honest man who actually fell for it every time!
Even though he had done nothing wrong — the woman had simply been attracted to his impressive bearing — the moment Dong Suzhu brought it up, Fourth Master Yang would become as meek as a grandson, apologizing profusely and looking utterly mortified.
Fourth Master Yang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve while nervously explaining.
He had probably explained this countless times already…
Dong Suzhu sniffled, her face streaked with tears. "You're not lying to me?"
Fourth Master Yang declared with firm conviction, his expression earnest, "I would never lie to you. Not in this lifetime!"
Dong Suzhu immediately broke into a smile through her tears.
Fourth Master Yang broke into a wide grin, smiling with simple honesty — rather similar to Yang Kai's smile, but without the roguish edge and cunning.
Then a thought suddenly struck him, and he hurriedly pressed, "You won't tell our son about this, will you?"
"Umm… that depends on how you behave from now on. If I'm ever unhappy, I might just go have a chat with our son. You know how it is — one thing leads to another, and who knows what might come up in conversation."
Fourth Master Yang felt a wave of dread. If his lofty image in his son's mind were to crumble… that would be an absolute disaster.
Speaking of their son, Dong Suzhu's expression grew more serious, and she murmured, "All these years away… I wonder if our boy has brought home a wife for us."
"Probably not. I heard from Tu Feng that he came back alone. But Tu Feng did mention that there seemed to be some women who were fond of him."