Chapter 76
Yu Ying's method was effective. Over the next few days, the sale of face cream steadily increased. Though it was only a few jars at a time, it signified that their efforts were not in vain.
Some customers were brought by the older women and elderly men, while others returned to repurchase after trying the samples and finding them satisfactory.
In short, business was good!
On the day before leaving the county seat, she and her sister-in-law strolled hand in hand through the streets, shopping and buying many things to take back home.
Seeing the close relationship between the sisters-in-law, Song Sanlang commented to his brother, “I feel like your wife has been more focused on business and her sister-in-law these days, rather than on you, her husband.”
Fu Zhen: ...
Coincidentally, he, as the husband, felt the same way.
Listening to the cheerful chatter of his wife and sister-in-law, Fu Zhen's lips curved into a faint smile, "Xing has been married to me for so long without much joy or relaxation. Seeing her so happy now, I too feel relieved."
Hearing this, Song Sanlang patted his shoulder and exclaimed, "Life is no longer as hard as it used to be. There's hope now."
Yes, there was hope now, and everything was moving in a positive direction.
Reflecting on this, Fu Zhen said to Song Sanlang, "You should settle down too, you’re already twenty-five or twenty-six."
Smiling, Song Sanlang nodded, "Alright, I'll do it until I've earned enough to marry, then settle down."
"By the time we meet again during the holidays, I hope you won’t be spending them alone."
At this, they shared a smile.
In Yu County.
It had been eighteen days since Yu Ying went to the county seat.
Fu Wei was counting the days.
After finishing his work, he clocked out.
Fu Wei always used the side door to enter and leave the government office.
Exiting the side door, he had to pass through a winding alley.
Aside from those turning in the night incense or delivering vegetables, few people used this route.
If Huo, the patrol officer, and the junior officers finished their shift at this time, they would often push Fu Wei through this side door.
But sometimes it didn't work out that way.
Fu Wei skillfully pushed his wheelchair up the small slope at the entrance, then turned and headed out.
In the alley, faint sounds of vendors shouting on the streets mingled with the slight creaking of the wheelchair's wheels against the ground.
Fu Wei seemed to detect some barely perceptible noises amidst these sounds, his eyes narrowing slightly as his index finger occasionally tapped the wheel he was pushing.
As he approached a turn, a cold, chilling wind blew towards him.
When the sack came down over his head, Fu Wei didn’t resist; instead, he let it cover him and used his hands to fend off the blows from a stick.
The stick landed on his hands with a thud, eliciting a muffled groan from Fu Wei as he tumbled from the wheelchair, shielding his head to avoid serious injury.
Several blows were aimed heavily at Fu Wei's arms, and on the fourth strike, Huo, the patrol officer, suddenly shouted, "What are you doing!?"
The stick abruptly stopped, and someone swiftly dashed past Fu Wei.
Only then did Fu Wei lift the sack off his head.
As he did so, Huo chased after the assailant, who had almost reached the turn but then slowly retreated.
Ahead of the assailant, four officers with sticks were closing in.
The man, wearing a ferocious-looking mask, glanced around and, in a moment of decision, crouched down, grabbed Fu Wei by the collar, and placed a dagger against his neck, speaking in a strange voice, "If you come any closer, I'll kill him!"
His hand trembled as he spoke these words.
Fu Wei noticed his trembling hand and the blunt dagger, and calmly smiled, "Using a disabled person like me as a hostage, and unable to escape – don't you think that's a bit of a miscalculation?"
"Stop laughing, don’t you laugh!" the man said angrily.
"Luo Dianshi! What are you doing, put the dagger down!" Huo, the patrol officer, commanded sternly.
As he spoke, the officers were startled, and even the man wearing the ferocious mask paused in surprise.
Then he angrily demanded, "Who is Luo Dianshi?!"
During his outburst, Fu Wei, sitting on the ground, suddenly grabbed the wrist of the man holding the dagger, pinching his vein with a covert force. The pain caused the man's grip to loosen, and the dagger instantly dropped to the ground.
Simultaneously, the officers saw Fu Wei, despite his disabled legs, grab the man's arm and expertly execute a shoulder throw, sending the man tumbling over his shoulder.
It wasn’t until the man in the mask hit the ground with a loud thud that Huo and the other officers came to their senses.
The man himself was in a state of shock.
In that moment, Fu Wei removed the man's mask.
As their eyes met, several staffs quickly pinned the man down, immobilizing him.
After his initial shock, Huo hurried forward to right the wheelchair and help Fu Wei back into it.
With the outcome decided, Luo Dianshi lay on the ground, his face ashen, offering no resistance.
He looked at Fu Wei, "You must be satisfied now. You don’t have to wait until you gain power to get rid of me. No, to send me to prison."
Fu Wei dusted the dirt off himself and asked, "Why do you think I would want to get rid of you once I gain power?"
Luo Dianshi laughed bitterly, "Considering how my brother treated your wife, and your rising status in the government office, it was only a matter of time before you gained influence. How could you tolerate my presence then?"
Fu Wei's smile faded, and he spoke indifferently, "I've always been clear about one thing: you are you, and your elder brother is your elder brother. I am solely focused on my own advancement and harbor no intentions of ousting anyone. I don't know where you got such an idea, but it's unjust to pin it on me."
Luo Dianshi, taken aback, responded incredulously, "You must be deceiving me. If you didn't want to get rid of me, why didn't you attend Mr. Sun's banquet?"
"What does Mr. Sun's banquet have to do with you, Luo Dianshi?"
Luo Dianshi quickly said, "Mr. Sun mentioned he arranged the banquet to reconcile you with him and me, to let bygones be bygones. Your absence implied you still held a grudge against me, didn't it?"
Fu Wei paused for a moment, then said, "Perhaps Mr. Sun didn't explain in detail, and then Mr. Qian appeared, so he never mentioned anything about Luo Dianshi. If you don’t believe me, Mr. Qian was there the whole time; you can ask him."
Luo Dianshi was stunned.
The officers were also taken by surprise.
Luo Dianshi muttered to himself, "What was all this for? I finally made it into the government office, secured the position of Dianshi, only to lose everything due to my elder brother's foolishness and my own folly. Ha, hahaha."
Luo Dianshi seemed to have lost his sanity.
Fu Wei shook his head and sighed, then said to the officers, "Put away the staffs."
The officers looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
At that moment, Huo, the senior officer, said, "Do as Mr. Fu says."
As an experienced officer, Huo’s words carried weight.
The younger officers withdrew their staffs, but Luo Dianshi made no attempt to get up, lying flat on the ground, staring blankly at the gray sky, his eyes devoid of any spark of life.
Fu Wei said, "I've hit you three times; you should have vented your anger by now, right?"
Everyone was startled, including Luo Dianshi, who came back to his senses and looked at Fu Wei, whose clothes and headwear were disheveled.
"You did that on purpose...?" Luo Dianshi asked suspiciously.
Fu Wei, feigning innocence, replied, "Who would willingly take a beating? I just didn't notice in time. I'm asking you, have you vented your anger?"
Luo Dianshi forced a smile, more pained than crying, "What anger to vent? What have I been doing these past half a month!"
In that half-month, he had blamed everyone – his elder brother for ruining years of his efforts, and himself for striving so long, only to be overshadowed by Fu Wei, who became an officer's assistant at the age of twenty-one or twenty-two.
Blaming everyone and everything, he had driven himself to madness.
After a long silence, Fu Wei said, "I came to this office to showcase my talents, not to target anyone. Let's put today's incident behind us..." He paused, then added, "Not entirely. You still owe me three strikes."
Luo Dianshi and the officers looked shocked.
Fu Wei addressed the officers, "You have relationships with Luo Dianshi, and some of you have benefited from his help. I know you don't want to see him imprisoned or leave the office. So, can we all keep today's incident to ourselves?"
The officers exchanged glances, then one stepped forward and said, "We will follow Mr. Fu's lead."
Previously, the officers had addressed him as "Young Master Fu," but now they called him "Mr. Fu."
Fu Wei extended his hand to Luo Dianshi and said, "I hope you cherish this hard-earned opportunity. If such an incident occurs again, I won't be so merciful."
Staring at the outstretched hand, dirtied with mud, Luo Dianshi was blank-minded and hesitantly extended his hand to grasp it.
The moment he grasped the hand, he felt its concealed strength. Without much effort from him, he was pulled to his feet.
After helping him up, Fu Wei placed his hand on the armrest and pressed his other hand against his arm, looking somewhat pale as if he had been injured.
Luo Dianshi, at a loss for words, just stood there blankly.
Fu Wei exhaled and then said, "I merely fell accidentally today; it has nothing to do with Luo Dianshi."
After speaking, he looked at Luo Dianshi and calmly stated, "Remember, you owe me three hits."
Then, turning to Huo, the patrol officer, he said, "My arm seems to be hurt; I would appreciate it if Officer Huo could escort me."
Officer Huo agreed, "Alright."
Looking at Luo Dianshi, he left a piece of advice, "Don't trust Mr. Sun too much; take care of yourself."
Saying this, he began to push the wheelchair out of the alley.
Luo Dianshi stood watching the departing wheelchair and the person in it, lost in thought.
It was only after they were out of sight that he asked the officers, "How did you come to be here?"
After a long silence, one of the officers explained, "Just a few days ago, our superior ordered us to intensify patrols inside and outside the county office after our shift."
Luo Dianshi chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I didn't even know about this..."
Thinking it over, the officers advised, "Luo Dianshi, don't look back. People need to look forward. Otherwise, you'll truly be ruined."
Another officer added, "I too was angry at Mr. Sun before, thinking Mr. Fu was arrogant and overbearing. But today, I've come to see clearly. I was prejudiced against Mr. Fu. In fact, now that I see, Mr. Fu is indeed a good person."
Someone else agreed, "I also think Mr. Fu is a good person."
After a few words, the officers assured, "Luo Dianshi, we will keep today's incident to ourselves. You can rest easy."
After speaking, they all departed, leaving Luo Dianshi standing alone in the empty alley.
Once Officer Huo had pushed the wheelchair far from the government office, he pondered before saying, "I think Luo Dianshi was used by Mr. Sun as a pawn."
Fu Wei responded, "I could see that, which is why I didn't hold it against him."
Officer Huo, after much thought, admitted, "I admire you for that."
Who would have thought that he, a man in his thirties or forties, would come to admire such a young man in his twenties.
The corners of Fu Wei's mouth curved slightly as he said, "As I mentioned today, I joined the government office to pursue my ambitions, not to engage in intrigue. I avoid it whenever possible."
Officer Huo sighed, "When I was young, I had similar ambitions, but after many years, here I am at this age."
"Ambition isn't limited by age. Besides, Officer Huo is still in his prime and has plenty of time."
Officer Huo chuckled, "Plenty of time to be an officer, you mean?"
Fu Wei gestured for him to stop.
The wheelchair stopped, and Fu Wei half-turned, looking up at Officer Huo, asking, "Do you think our superior will always stay in Yu County?"
Officer Huo, taken aback, then thinking of the current county magistrate's character, shook his head, "The superior isn’t content with just being a county magistrate."
Fu Wei smiled, "In that case, when the superior leaves Yu County, does Officer Huo want to continue being an officer in this small county forever, or hope to follow the superior to higher, more prosperous places?"
Fu Wei's question left Officer Huo dumbfounded.
Fu Wei gently smiled, "Think about it, Officer Huo."
Fu Wei turned his head back, looking forward, his smile fading when he saw someone standing at the west end of the alley.
Was this — daydreaming and hallucinations from his thoughts and dreams?
If it wasn’t a hallucination, then how could the smiling person ahead resemble Ah Ying so closely?
No, it wasn't a hallucination, nor was it a case of mistaken identity.
Because on that person's face were several “black spots,” and beside her stood Fu An and Fu Ning, the siblings.
However, in the next instant, the originally smiling face froze, the brows furrowed, and the expression turned serious as she looked at him.
Seeing the change in Yu Ying's expression, Fu Wei, before feeling any joy, hurriedly recalled if he had done anything inappropriate over the past eighteen days.
Otherwise, why would she wear such an expression?
Yu Ying, leading Fu Ning, approached and called out to the dazed Officer Huo.
The call to Officer Huo brought both back to reality.
Officer Huo, gathering his thoughts, looked in surprise at Mrs. Yu, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, and asked, “Mrs. Yu, have you just returned from the county seat?”
Yu Ying replied, “I just got back. Since Officer Huo has brought my second brother here, why not come in and sit for a while?”
Officer Huo shook his head, “No, my wife will think I’ve been out drinking if I'm late. She'll be upset again, so I'd better head back.”
Yu Ying nodded, “Thank you, Officer Huo, for bringing my brother home several times. Next time, please bring your wife to our home for a visit.”
Officer Huo agreed and then turned to leave.
After watching Officer Huo depart, Yu Ying looked down at Fu Wei and asked, “How did you end up like this, looking as if... you’ve been beaten?”
Pausing mid-sentence, she suddenly remembered incidents of him being bullied mentioned in novels and the dream she had on his first day at the office, her expression abruptly changing, “Were you actually beaten?”
Fu Wei, realizing the person before him was real and not just a figment of his imagination appearing in every corner of his home or in his dreams,
Felt a rush of joy and his handsome face broke into a bright, clear laugh.
The sight of Fu Wei’s laughter left Yu Ying and the siblings, Fu An and Fu Ning, completely astonished.
Even Fu An, somewhat anxiously, tugged at his aunt's sleeve, worrying, "Aunt, hasn't uncle been turned into a fool?"
Yu Ying: ……
She flicked Fu An's forehead and said, "Don't talk nonsense."
Yu Ying walked behind Fu Wei, pushing the plain palanquin, "Explain to me what happened after we get back."
Fu Wei took a deep breath, restraining his overly joyful expression, smiling with his eyes and replied, "Alright."
When they returned to the courtyard, the elder brother and his wife were still warming themselves by the fire in the main hall.
Yu Ying had only been back for half an hour, braving the cold wind for so long that she felt chilled to the bone. Yet, she had gone out to meet Fu Wei, only to find him with the yamen runner at the end of the alley.
She would have been happy to see him, but the usually neat and meticulous Fu Wei was now disheveled, his hair untidy, and his clothes stained with mud, looking like someone who had been mistreated.
Chapter 76
Yu Ying's method was effective. Over the next few days, the sale of face cream steadily increased. Though it was only a few jars at a time, it signified that their efforts were not in vain.
Some customers were brought by the older women and elderly men, while others returned to repurchase after trying the samples and finding them satisfactory.
In short, business was good!
On the day before leaving the county seat, she and her sister-in-law strolled hand in hand through the streets, shopping and buying many things to take back home.
Seeing the close relationship between the sisters-in-law, Song Sanlang commented to his brother, “I feel like your wife has been more focused on business and her sister-in-law these days, rather than on you, her husband.”
Fu Zhen: ...
Coincidentally, he, as the husband, felt the same way.
Listening to the cheerful chatter of his wife and sister-in-law, Fu Zhen's lips curved into a faint smile, "Xing has been married to me for so long without much joy or relaxation. Seeing her so happy now, I too feel relieved."
Hearing this, Song Sanlang patted his shoulder and exclaimed, "Life is no longer as hard as it used to be. There's hope now."
Yes, there was hope now, and everything was moving in a positive direction.
Reflecting on this, Fu Zhen said to Song Sanlang, "You should settle down too, you’re already twenty-five or twenty-six."
Smiling, Song Sanlang nodded, "Alright, I'll do it until I've earned enough to marry, then settle down."
"By the time we meet again during the holidays, I hope you won’t be spending them alone."
At this, they shared a smile.
In Yu County.
It had been eighteen days since Yu Ying went to the county seat.
Fu Wei was counting the days.
After finishing his work, he clocked out.
Fu Wei always used the side door to enter and leave the government office.
Exiting the side door, he had to pass through a winding alley.
Aside from those turning in the night incense or delivering vegetables, few people used this route.
If Huo, the patrol officer, and the junior officers finished their shift at this time, they would often push Fu Wei through this side door.
But sometimes it didn't work out that way.
Fu Wei skillfully pushed his wheelchair up the small slope at the entrance, then turned and headed out.
In the alley, faint sounds of vendors shouting on the streets mingled with the slight creaking of the wheelchair's wheels against the ground.
Fu Wei seemed to detect some barely perceptible noises amidst these sounds, his eyes narrowing slightly as his index finger occasionally tapped the wheel he was pushing.
As he approached a turn, a cold, chilling wind blew towards him.
When the sack came down over his head, Fu Wei didn’t resist; instead, he let it cover him and used his hands to fend off the blows from a stick.
The stick landed on his hands with a thud, eliciting a muffled groan from Fu Wei as he tumbled from the wheelchair, shielding his head to avoid serious injury.
Several blows were aimed heavily at Fu Wei's arms, and on the fourth strike, Huo, the patrol officer, suddenly shouted, "What are you doing!?"
The stick abruptly stopped, and someone swiftly dashed past Fu Wei.
Only then did Fu Wei lift the sack off his head.
As he did so, Huo chased after the assailant, who had almost reached the turn but then slowly retreated.
Ahead of the assailant, four officers with sticks were closing in.
The man, wearing a ferocious-looking mask, glanced around and, in a moment of decision, crouched down, grabbed Fu Wei by the collar, and placed a dagger against his neck, speaking in a strange voice, "If you come any closer, I'll kill him!"
His hand trembled as he spoke these words.
Fu Wei noticed his trembling hand and the blunt dagger, and calmly smiled, "Using a disabled person like me as a hostage, and unable to escape – don't you think that's a bit of a miscalculation?"
"Stop laughing, don’t you laugh!" the man said angrily.
"Luo Dianshi! What are you doing, put the dagger down!" Huo, the patrol officer, commanded sternly.
As he spoke, the officers were startled, and even the man wearing the ferocious mask paused in surprise.
Then he angrily demanded, "Who is Luo Dianshi?!"
During his outburst, Fu Wei, sitting on the ground, suddenly grabbed the wrist of the man holding the dagger, pinching his vein with a covert force. The pain caused the man's grip to loosen, and the dagger instantly dropped to the ground.
Simultaneously, the officers saw Fu Wei, despite his disabled legs, grab the man's arm and expertly execute a shoulder throw, sending the man tumbling over his shoulder.
It wasn’t until the man in the mask hit the ground with a loud thud that Huo and the other officers came to their senses.
The man himself was in a state of shock.
In that moment, Fu Wei removed the man's mask.
As their eyes met, several staffs quickly pinned the man down, immobilizing him.
After his initial shock, Huo hurried forward to right the wheelchair and help Fu Wei back into it.
With the outcome decided, Luo Dianshi lay on the ground, his face ashen, offering no resistance.
He looked at Fu Wei, "You must be satisfied now. You don’t have to wait until you gain power to get rid of me. No, to send me to prison."
Fu Wei dusted the dirt off himself and asked, "Why do you think I would want to get rid of you once I gain power?"
Luo Dianshi laughed bitterly, "Considering how my brother treated your wife, and your rising status in the government office, it was only a matter of time before you gained influence. How could you tolerate my presence then?"
Fu Wei's smile faded, and he spoke indifferently, "I've always been clear about one thing: you are you, and your elder brother is your elder brother. I am solely focused on my own advancement and harbor no intentions of ousting anyone. I don't know where you got such an idea, but it's unjust to pin it on me."
Luo Dianshi, taken aback, responded incredulously, "You must be deceiving me. If you didn't want to get rid of me, why didn't you attend Mr. Sun's banquet?"
"What does Mr. Sun's banquet have to do with you, Luo Dianshi?"
Luo Dianshi quickly said, "Mr. Sun mentioned he arranged the banquet to reconcile you with him and me, to let bygones be bygones. Your absence implied you still held a grudge against me, didn't it?"
Fu Wei paused for a moment, then said, "Perhaps Mr. Sun didn't explain in detail, and then Mr. Qian appeared, so he never mentioned anything about Luo Dianshi. If you don’t believe me, Mr. Qian was there the whole time; you can ask him."
Luo Dianshi was stunned.
The officers were also taken by surprise.
Luo Dianshi muttered to himself, "What was all this for? I finally made it into the government office, secured the position of Dianshi, only to lose everything due to my elder brother's foolishness and my own folly. Ha, hahaha."
Luo Dianshi seemed to have lost his sanity.
Fu Wei shook his head and sighed, then said to the officers, "Put away the staffs."
The officers looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
At that moment, Huo, the senior officer, said, "Do as Mr. Fu says."
As an experienced officer, Huo’s words carried weight.
The younger officers withdrew their staffs, but Luo Dianshi made no attempt to get up, lying flat on the ground, staring blankly at the gray sky, his eyes devoid of any spark of life.
Fu Wei said, "I've hit you three times; you should have vented your anger by now, right?"
Everyone was startled, including Luo Dianshi, who came back to his senses and looked at Fu Wei, whose clothes and headwear were disheveled.
"You did that on purpose...?" Luo Dianshi asked suspiciously.
Fu Wei, feigning innocence, replied, "Who would willingly take a beating? I just didn't notice in time. I'm asking you, have you vented your anger?"
Luo Dianshi forced a smile, more pained than crying, "What anger to vent? What have I been doing these past half a month!"
In that half-month, he had blamed everyone – his elder brother for ruining years of his efforts, and himself for striving so long, only to be overshadowed by Fu Wei, who became an officer's assistant at the age of twenty-one or twenty-two.
Blaming everyone and everything, he had driven himself to madness.
After a long silence, Fu Wei said, "I came to this office to showcase my talents, not to target anyone. Let's put today's incident behind us..." He paused, then added, "Not entirely. You still owe me three strikes."
Luo Dianshi and the officers looked shocked.
Fu Wei addressed the officers, "You have relationships with Luo Dianshi, and some of you have benefited from his help. I know you don't want to see him imprisoned or leave the office. So, can we all keep today's incident to ourselves?"
The officers exchanged glances, then one stepped forward and said, "We will follow Mr. Fu's lead."
Previously, the officers had addressed him as "Young Master Fu," but now they called him "Mr. Fu."
Fu Wei extended his hand to Luo Dianshi and said, "I hope you cherish this hard-earned opportunity. If such an incident occurs again, I won't be so merciful."
Staring at the outstretched hand, dirtied with mud, Luo Dianshi was blank-minded and hesitantly extended his hand to grasp it.
The moment he grasped the hand, he felt its concealed strength. Without much effort from him, he was pulled to his feet.
After helping him up, Fu Wei placed his hand on the armrest and pressed his other hand against his arm, looking somewhat pale as if he had been injured.
Luo Dianshi, at a loss for words, just stood there blankly.
Fu Wei exhaled and then said, "I merely fell accidentally today; it has nothing to do with Luo Dianshi."
After speaking, he looked at Luo Dianshi and calmly stated, "Remember, you owe me three hits."
Then, turning to Huo, the patrol officer, he said, "My arm seems to be hurt; I would appreciate it if Officer Huo could escort me."
Officer Huo agreed, "Alright."
Looking at Luo Dianshi, he left a piece of advice, "Don't trust Mr. Sun too much; take care of yourself."
Saying this, he began to push the wheelchair out of the alley.
Luo Dianshi stood watching the departing wheelchair and the person in it, lost in thought.
It was only after they were out of sight that he asked the officers, "How did you come to be here?"
After a long silence, one of the officers explained, "Just a few days ago, our superior ordered us to intensify patrols inside and outside the county office after our shift."
Luo Dianshi chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I didn't even know about this..."
Thinking it over, the officers advised, "Luo Dianshi, don't look back. People need to look forward. Otherwise, you'll truly be ruined."
Another officer added, "I too was angry at Mr. Sun before, thinking Mr. Fu was arrogant and overbearing. But today, I've come to see clearly. I was prejudiced against Mr. Fu. In fact, now that I see, Mr. Fu is indeed a good person."
Someone else agreed, "I also think Mr. Fu is a good person."
After a few words, the officers assured, "Luo Dianshi, we will keep today's incident to ourselves. You can rest easy."
After speaking, they all departed, leaving Luo Dianshi standing alone in the empty alley.
Once Officer Huo had pushed the wheelchair far from the government office, he pondered before saying, "I think Luo Dianshi was used by Mr. Sun as a pawn."
Fu Wei responded, "I could see that, which is why I didn't hold it against him."
Officer Huo, after much thought, admitted, "I admire you for that."
Who would have thought that he, a man in his thirties or forties, would come to admire such a young man in his twenties.
The corners of Fu Wei's mouth curved slightly as he said, "As I mentioned today, I joined the government office to pursue my ambitions, not to engage in intrigue. I avoid it whenever possible."
Officer Huo sighed, "When I was young, I had similar ambitions, but after many years, here I am at this age."
"Ambition isn't limited by age. Besides, Officer Huo is still in his prime and has plenty of time."
Officer Huo chuckled, "Plenty of time to be an officer, you mean?"
Fu Wei gestured for him to stop.
The wheelchair stopped, and Fu Wei half-turned, looking up at Officer Huo, asking, "Do you think our superior will always stay in Yu County?"
Officer Huo, taken aback, then thinking of the current county magistrate's character, shook his head, "The superior isn’t content with just being a county magistrate."
Fu Wei smiled, "In that case, when the superior leaves Yu County, does Officer Huo want to continue being an officer in this small county forever, or hope to follow the superior to higher, more prosperous places?"
Fu Wei's question left Officer Huo dumbfounded.
Fu Wei gently smiled, "Think about it, Officer Huo."
Fu Wei turned his head back, looking forward, his smile fading when he saw someone standing at the west end of the alley.
Was this — daydreaming and hallucinations from his thoughts and dreams?
If it wasn’t a hallucination, then how could the smiling person ahead resemble Ah Ying so closely?
No, it wasn't a hallucination, nor was it a case of mistaken identity.
Because on that person's face were several “black spots,” and beside her stood Fu An and Fu Ning, the siblings.
However, in the next instant, the originally smiling face froze, the brows furrowed, and the expression turned serious as she looked at him.
Seeing the change in Yu Ying's expression, Fu Wei, before feeling any joy, hurriedly recalled if he had done anything inappropriate over the past eighteen days.
Otherwise, why would she wear such an expression?
Yu Ying, leading Fu Ning, approached and called out to the dazed Officer Huo.
The call to Officer Huo brought both back to reality.
Officer Huo, gathering his thoughts, looked in surprise at Mrs. Yu, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, and asked, “Mrs. Yu, have you just returned from the county seat?”
Yu Ying replied, “I just got back. Since Officer Huo has brought my second brother here, why not come in and sit for a while?”
Officer Huo shook his head, “No, my wife will think I’ve been out drinking if I'm late. She'll be upset again, so I'd better head back.”
Yu Ying nodded, “Thank you, Officer Huo, for bringing my brother home several times. Next time, please bring your wife to our home for a visit.”
Officer Huo agreed and then turned to leave.
After watching Officer Huo depart, Yu Ying looked down at Fu Wei and asked, “How did you end up like this, looking as if... you’ve been beaten?”
Pausing mid-sentence, she suddenly remembered incidents of him being bullied mentioned in novels and the dream she had on his first day at the office, her expression abruptly changing, “Were you actually beaten?”
Fu Wei, realizing the person before him was real and not just a figment of his imagination appearing in every corner of his home or in his dreams,
Felt a rush of joy and his handsome face broke into a bright, clear laugh.
The sight of Fu Wei’s laughter left Yu Ying and the siblings, Fu An and Fu Ning, completely astonished.
Even Fu An, somewhat anxiously, tugged at his aunt's sleeve, worrying, "Aunt, hasn't uncle been turned into a fool?"
Yu Ying: ……
She flicked Fu An's forehead and said, "Don't talk nonsense."
Yu Ying walked behind Fu Wei, pushing the plain palanquin, "Explain to me what happened after we get back."
Fu Wei took a deep breath, restraining his overly joyful expression, smiling with his eyes and replied, "Alright."
When they returned to the courtyard, the elder brother and his wife were still warming themselves by the fire in the main hall.
Yu Ying had only been back for half an hour, braving the cold wind for so long that she felt chilled to the bone. Yet, she had gone out to meet Fu Wei, only to find him with the yamen runner at the end of the alley.
She would have been happy to see him, but the usually neat and meticulous Fu Wei was now disheveled, his hair untidy, and his clothes stained with mud, looking like someone who had been mistreated.
