Chapter 8#
Giving Face but Not Wanting It Chapter Number: 7205309#
On New Year’s Eve, Rong Yu truly did not go to the front hall to celebrate with Rong Xiuyong, Bai Shi, and the others.
Mo Shu and Old Mammy Qin were both overjoyed—this was the first time their young master had spent the New Year with them. Old Mammy Qin even went personally to the kitchen to supervise the servants preparing the meal.
At noon, Mo Shu brought in a plate of braised dishes, containing duck tongues and duck legs, along with some vegetarian items like lotus root slices and potatoes.
“Young master, I took a little of everything. Please have a taste.”
This was braised according to the secret recipe Rong Yu had given yesterday, already modified several times to suit his taste. This was the third attempt.
The braised meat had a ruddy, glossy color, and a rich, tantalizing aroma wafted from it.
Rong Yu picked up a slice of lotus root and tasted it. It was numbing, spicy, crisp, and thoroughly infused with flavor. He then took a bite of the duck meat—tender and falling apart, savory with a numbing, spicy kick. His eyes lit up. “This one’s right.”
Mo Shu smiled. “Then you eat for now, young master. I’ll go tell the kitchen to braise more for tonight.”
Rong Yu added, “Braise extra duck intestines and duck necks.”
Mo Shu looked as if he wanted to say something but held back, his expression somewhat odd. Duck intestines and duck necks were only eaten by poor folk who couldn’t afford proper meals. His young master had always refused to eat anything that wasn’t expensive—why the sudden change of heart, developing a taste for such things?
But when the braised duck intestines were brought out, he took one bite and was immediately amazed. They were crisp and springy, chewy and deeply flavorful.
So he flattered Rong Yu while eating even more enthusiastically than his master.
As master and servant happily gnawed on duck necks, an uninvited guest arrived at Biying Pavilion.
A servant announced that the Second Young Master had come.
As soon as Rong Yue entered the hall, he caught the rich aroma and smiled. “What is Third Brother eating? It smells wonderful.”
Mo Shu straightened up and bowed.
Rong Yu, however, remained seated in place, as if utterly unaware, eating with great relish.
After a long moment, the smile on Rong Yue’s face grew stiff, barely maintained.
Rong Yu finished gnawing on a neck, licked his fingertips with absolutely no elegance whatsoever, and only then raised his head to look at Rong Yue, smiling brilliantly.
“Second Brother is here! Come, come try some—it’s delicious.” He greeted Rong Yue with great warmth and familiarity.
Rong Yue’s mouth twitched. Sometimes he truly couldn’t see through this third brother of his—he couldn’t tell whether Rong Yu genuinely hadn’t noticed him or was deliberately leaving him hanging.
In any case, he immediately put on a close, brotherly smile and sat down across from Rong Yu.
When he saw the food on the table, his gaze paused, his expression mirroring Mo Shu’s earlier subtle awkwardness, with an extra hint of disdain.
He politely declined: “No, thank you—I’ve just eaten.”
Rong Yu smiled and nodded, indicating understanding. If emotions could be scored, his mood right now would be a hundred out of a hundred.
In his past life, stuck in the hospital, it had been extremely difficult to get food from outside. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he’d last eaten duck goods—he’d been craving them terribly. Now, nothing could dampen the joy that food brought him.
Rong Yu buried his head in eating again, eyes watering from the spice but refusing to stop, humming a little tune happily as he ate. Mo Shu attended him nearby, continuously refilling his empty cup with milk.
Rong Yue waited for a long time without seeing any sign of him stopping, so he had to speak up on his own. “I heard you punished Chu Tan yesterday?”
Rong Yu spat out a bone. “Has Second Brother come to call me to account?”
“Of course not. I’m just worried about you.” Rong Yue put on a proper elder brother’s air. “If a servant is disobedient, just beat them and throw them out. Why trouble yourself to act personally? Your constitution is weak—if you keep getting angry over things like this, you’ll end up harming yourself.”
Rong Yu smiled, eyes curving like crescent moons. “Thank you, Second Brother. Second Brother dotes on me.”
“So where is Chu Tan now?”
Rong Yu didn’t answer. Mo Shu bowed and replied, “To answer the Second Young Master, Chu Tan is recovering from his injuries in the servants’ quarters. Our young master is kind-hearted and has already sent for a physician to see him.”
Rong Yue inwardly sneered—if your young master is kind-hearted, then there are no wicked people left in this world.
He said, “I brought some medicine for wounds. I’ll go see him in a bit. Father said that, after all, he is the son of an official, so we should still offer some reassurance.”
Just the son of a disgraced criminal—everyone keeps harping on that, do they take me for a fool?
That’s what Rong Yu thought, but on the surface he showed a docile smile. “Alright, whatever Second Brother says.”
His purpose for this visit had been achieved, and Rong Yue sighed with relief.
He continued, “I’ve also heard about Lu’e. You needn’t worry yourself over it. Mother said that given the chance, she will find you a well-matched lady from a prestigious family as your proper wife. Once your household has a mistress, there won’t be these filthy problems anymore.”
Rong Yu picked up a slice of lotus root and crunched it noisily. “Second Brother just said my constitution was weak—how is it that now you want me to take a wife? Besides, Second Brother hasn’t married yet. How could I, the younger brother, start a family first?”
Rong Yue smiled. “I’ve decided to participate in this year’s autumn examination. Right now, studying is the only thing that matters. A man of ambition sets his sights on the world—I must first establish myself and achieve great things before considering matters of romance.”
As he said this, his gaze burned with confidence, his spirit soaring, his entire being radiating grand ambition.
Rong Yu curled his lips in a faint smile. “Then I’ll offer my congratulations in advance on Second Brother’s success in the examination.”
Unfortunately, Rong Yue’s ambition of establishing himself and achieving greatness was destined never to come to pass. As the protagonist shou with four gongs, his ultimate fate was to be trapped in the harem by Wei Jingtan, spending nights of revelry and passion with the other three gongs.
But Rong Yue didn’t know his fate yet. His gaze was resolute and full of ambition, and when he looked at Rong Yu, who was buried in his food gnawing on duck necks, that gaze carried a hint of looking-down-from-above arrogance and pity.
In his eyes, this younger brother with his crippled legs was destined to be confined to the inner quarters, eating and drinking, wasting his life away.
Though they were brothers linked by blood, they were fated to be as different as clouds and mud.
Rong Yue looked around the room at the magnificent, lavish, and luxurious furnishings, and felt contempt in his heart. So what if he possessed vast wealth? He was just the son of a merchant woman. How could that compare to his own mother? And the child born of a merchant woman naturally couldn’t compare to him either.
Just a stupid, pleasure-seeking wastrel.
Rong Yue’s thoughts churned while his face remained smiling and chatty with Rong Yu. He thought his mask was flawless, but in truth, his every hypocritical gesture was seen through by Rong Yu.
But Rong Yu was in a perfectly wonderful mood right now, and he was happy to play along with Rong Yue’s act, smiling all the while.
Yet he still underestimated Rong Yue’s ability to ruin a mood.
“Father was frightfully angry yesterday—he didn’t even send anyone to call you for New Year’s Eve today. Third Brother, listen to Second Brother’s advice: go apologize to Father, soften your stance. Our family should still spend the New Year together in harmony.”
Rong Yu’s expression froze on the spot, his perfect hundred points plummeting straight down to zero in an instant.
His lips were still curved upward, but his eyes had turned icy cold.
“Does Second Brother think I’m in a good mood today and deliberately came to sour it?”
Rong Yue frowned. “Third Brother, why would you say that? As a son, you showed no respect to your father and even spoke recklessly about burning down the ancestral hall—that is filial impiety. Today is New Year’s Eve; there’s no reason for a family to eat separately. You really should go apologize and make amends to Father.”
With each word he spoke, Rong Yu’s mouth curved further downward. By the time he finished, there was not a trace of a smile left on Rong Yu’s face.
He stared at Rong Yue darkly. “It seems I’ve been too agreeable today, giving Second Brother the illusion that I can be manipulated at will. Since Second Brother is so filial, why not go kneel in the ancestral hall on my behalf, kowtow and apologize to Father on my behalf? That would truly be the way to act as an older brother.”
In short, in five words: giving face but not wanting it.
Rong Yue’s face immediately couldn’t maintain its composure. He opened his mouth to say something more.
Rong Yu had already said coldly, “Mo Shu, see the guest out.”
Rong Yue’s temper flared as well, and he rose with a sweep of his sleeves.
Just as he reached the door, he heard Rong Yu say, “Second Brother, go on back. No one in Biying Pavilion is receiving guests today.”
This meant he wasn’t allowed to see Chu Tan.
Rong Yue’s footsteps faltered, and he nearly cursed out loud. It had only been a few days—how had this Rong Yu become even more unpredictable? One moment he was all smiles and laughter, the next he was cold as ice. His face changed faster than flipping a book!
After Rong Yue left, Mo Shu said indignantly, “That Second Young Master really came just to make trouble. Can’t he even let people have peace during the New Year? With the master’s temper, he’s surely still angry right now. If you don’t go to him, the two sides can each have a good New Year without conflict. But if you go, it’ll just be another scolding, and nobody will be happy. And if the New Year goes badly, he’ll blame you for it again—he’s up to no good!”
Rong Yu looked at him with surprise. “You could tell all that?”
Mo Shu: “…”
“I’m not stupid.”
“You certainly aren’t stupid—he’s the one taking me for a fool.” Rong Yu wiped his hands. “Come on, let’s go see this Chu Tan that my dear Second Brother can’t stop thinking about.”
Chu Tan lived in a remote spot—the broken-down room at the far edge that none of the servants wanted to stay in.
When Rong Yu pushed the door open and entered, Chu Tan was lying motionless on the bed. The brazier on the floor was ice-cold, as if it had gone out long ago, leaving the room without a trace of warmth.
He waited a while, but Chu Tan didn’t move at all.
Mo Shu’s eyelid twitched. “Young master, he couldn’t have…”
Given it was New Year’s Eve, Mo Shu left out the inauspicious word that followed.
Rong Yu pressed his fingers together. “Go take a look.”
Mo Shu stepped forward. Seeing Chu Tan’s face flushed red and his breathing heavy, he first sighed with relief, then touched his forehead—burning hot.
“Young master, he’s got a fever.”
Rong Yu frowned. “Didn’t we call a physician yesterday?”
“Yes, we did!” Mo Shu said plaintively. “Yesterday you said you wanted to keep him by your side in the future, so I specially sent for a doctor from Bao’an Hall. I heard that physician came from outside the capital and has remarkable medical skills—in just half a month of practice, he’s already cured many difficult and complicated cases. His consultation fee is two taels of silver per visit.”
Rong Yu’s head ached listening to Mo Shu’s rambling. “Enough. Carry him to my room, and send for the physician again.”
Mo Shu was greatly alarmed. He opened his mouth, but didn’t dare defy Rong Yu, so he had no choice but to call for people to carry Chu Tan to the main room.
His heart was full of grievance and sorrow—surely the young master wasn’t planning to replace him right now, couldn’t wait to have Chu Tan attend to him?
Rong Yu had no idea what was going through Mo Shu’s mind. He had only one reason for bringing Chu Tan back: he wanted to oppose Rong Yue.
Did Rong Yue really think he had a good temper, coming to provoke him again and again?
If he couldn’t be happy, then nobody would be happy.
Didn’t Rong Yue want Chu Tan? Fine—he wouldn’t let him see him at all.
Though he didn’t know what Rong Yue’s purpose in getting close to Chu Tan was, it certainly wasn’t a losing proposition. He must want something.
In that case, he was determined to stick his oar in right in the middle.
Anyway, he was already a vicious cannon fodder character. He couldn’t escape being done in by the protagonists no matter what, so he might as well cause these people some real trouble.
【Author’s Note:】
Rong Yu (angry): If I can’t be happy, nobody gets to be happy!
Chu Tan (delighted): Oh ho, woke up and I’m sleeping in wifey’s bed.
Mo Shu (sobbing): I’m going to lose my job, wuwuwu