Volume 1: Mission in Danger Chapter 57 Encounter
Wu Chengjian hasn't been to Ye's house for a year or two.
Wu and Ye were once allies, but since the death of Pan Zhenchen of Yuehai Jinao six years ago, the relationship between the two families has been getting worse.
Wu Guoying prefers to build a solid foundation step by step, while Ye Dalin likes to make quick money, so in the past ten years or so, the Ye family's influence has always been suppressed by the Wu family. Although Ye Dalin is always polite to Wu Guoying in front of Pan Zhenchen, it has never been a secret that the Ye family has always looked down on the Wu family.
But after Wu Chengjun took over Yihehang, the Wu family began to make great progress, and in recent years, it has surpassed the Ye family. The Ye family shamelessly approached and proposed a marriage. Wu Guoying was a nostalgic person and thought that more allies were better than more enemies, so he agreed.
Because of this matter, Wu Chengjian had been angry with Wu Guoying many times. After he couldn't persuade Wu Guoying, he used to go to the Ye family for birthday banquets during the New Year, but in the past two years, he has not come.
Looking at it now, the house is still the same house, but with many Western scenery added.
"Oh my, old brother, why are you here? If you need anything, just call me, Dalin, I'll be right over!"
Ye Dalin and Ye Zhong walked out quickly.
Wu Guoying was carried over on a recliner. He was trying to stand up by holding the handrail. Wu Chengjian supported his left armpit, and Ye Dalin trotted over and supported his right armpit.
Wu Guoying smiled bitterly and said, "I'm not much older than you, but when I got sick, it felt like we were two generations apart."
Ye Dalin said, "Brother, you ruined your health when you were young. I told you several times not to stay up all night with the lights on and not to brave the wind and rain in autumn and winter, but you never listened. Look at it now! Fortunately, Chengjun and Chengjian are both promising. The Wu family has a successor, so there is no need to worry."
Wu Chengjian laughed when he heard this and said, "My elder brother is naturally promising, and I am just a second-generation rich kid. My father-in-law really loves me and speaks for me."
Ye Dalin's smile froze suddenly, especially when he heard the word "father-in-law", it was like he had eaten a fly. After taking refuge with Mr. Cai, his mood improved, but the marriage of Miss Ye Er and Wu Chengjian has become a new worry for him these days. Although his daughter who has not yet married does not need to be convicted by the Wu family, whether it is widowhood (if Wu Chengjian commits suicide due to the bankruptcy of his family) or the cancellation of the engagement, it is not a good thing to hear, and it will be difficult to find a good marriage in the future.
Wu Chengjian knew Ye Dalin's thoughts very well. When they were at home, he was even reluctant to call him "Uncle", but at this moment, he was calling his father-in-law with great joy and a smile on his face. He was deliberately trying to disgust the other party.
Wu Guoying glared at Wu Chengjun and said, "You should learn less of those Beijing dialect nonsense."
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "Yes, yes. But my father-in-law has always loved me, so I won't be surprised."
Ye Dalin had never been in a good mood towards Wu Chengjian in the past, but today he had made up his mind to send the father and son away with nice words, so he tried his best to be patient.
He accompanied the Wu family father and son to the study, just as Ye Youyu came out after tidying up the study.
Wu Chengjian felt his eyes brighten. A beautiful young lady who seemed familiar to him, with such appearance, figure and demeanor. He had traveled all over the capital, Jiangnan and Guangzhou, but had never seen anyone comparable to her. The four most beautiful courtesans in Shenxianzhou seemed more worldly than her. The several stunning concubines in the Supervisor's Mansion seemed vulgar in comparison. How could such a great beauty appear here?
Judging from her cloth clothes and hair accessories, she was still a young girl, but she didn't look like a maid or a lady. Her facial features looked familiar, but she was so beautiful, how could I not remember her if I knew her? Wu Chengjian was a little dazed for a moment.
The girl was already blessed and said, "Youyu has met Uncle Wu and brother-in-law."
Wu and Ye were close friends, so it was not a violation of family etiquette for them to meet on a narrow road at this time. Wu Guoying raised her hand to help him up, and Wu Chengjian took the opportunity to help Ye Youyu up on behalf of his father, and said, "It turned out to be Youyu! I've been at a loss for a year or two. How could I have thought that you would become such a beauty? They say that girls change a lot when they grow up, but not as much as you do."
Actually, Ye Youyu was not ugly before, but she knew that her sisters were jealous, so for the sake of self-protection, she knew when to hide her overly outstanding appearance since she was a child. However, her body , and she can no longer hide it, so she simply stopped covering it up.
Ye Youyu stood up without waiting for Wu Chengjian to touch her arm, raising her arm parallel to Wu Chengjian's wrist. It looked like she was being helped up by Wu Chengjian, but in fact, he didn't even touch her. She said, "Thank you, brother-in-law."
Their eyes met for an instant, and Wu Chengjian actually felt that he could not see through this girl.
This is really interesting.
Ye Dalin shouted, "What's going on! You're so slow!" He thought that with Ye Youyu's past efficiency, he should have cleaned up the study room long ago, so why is he still here?
Ye Youyu knew that his father was not happy that he had bumped into the Wu father and son here, so he quickly bowed to Wu Guoying again, said goodbye and left.
She turned to the backyard and entered a small courtyard where Ye Dalin's two concubines and two daughters lived. Ye Youyu entered the room in the middle - there were two beds, one large and one small. A middle-aged woman was sitting on the small bed that belonged to Ye Youyu, folding clothes. When she saw Ye Youyu, she said, "Yu'er, you're back so early today. Aren't you staying in the study with your father?"
This is Ye Dalin's concubine Xu. Xu's family was originally a scholarly family, but her ancestors were implicated in a literary inquisition and fell into a lowly profession. She wandered around Guangdong selling her clothes and met Ye Dalin by chance. The latter was struck by her beauty and took her as his mistress. Later, she accidentally became pregnant, and the news leaked out during her pregnancy. Ye Dalin's wife, Ma, made a big fuss because Xu was pregnant. Ma wanted to drive her away, but she didn't want to let this "slut" stay outside to seduce her husband, so she simply cleared out a room in her home and kept her as a concubine.
Xu was controlled in every way under Ma's watchful eyes and suffered all kinds of torture. She was not able to take good care of herself during the confinement period, so her complexion faded after giving birth. She gave birth to a daughter, and Ye Dalin rarely came to see her. She had been subjected to severe hardships over the years. If she had not had a daughter to rely on, she would probably not have lived to this day.
At this time, Xu saw Ye Youyu and saw that she looked serious, so she asked what was wrong.
This courtyard was remote and dilapidated. Two pairs of mother and daughter slept in the two main rooms, and a servant girl slept in the side room. The door panels were naturally not soundproof. Ye Youyu went out first and walked around. Seeing that the concubine, mother and daughter, and the servant girl were not in the other room, he returned to the room and said, "It's late at night, why are they not here?"
Xu said, "She was called by the Madam, probably to do some work."
Ye Youyu then said, "Mr. Wu from Yihe Bank is here."
"Mr. Wu...ah!" Mrs. Xu said, "Is he the second young lady's future father-in-law?"
"Yes. The second brother-in-law is here too."
"Why did I hear that the Wu family is in a bad situation and seems to be going bankrupt?"
Ye Youyu said, "Mother, you never like to ask about outside affairs. If even you know about it, it means it has spread all over Xiguan."
Xu said, "If the situation of the Wu family is really bad, then what are you doing here this time? Are you here to ask the master for help?"
Because Ye Youyu was clever and smart since she was young, she gradually gained some favor from Ye Dalin and was able to walk around the study and the side hall. She was clever and good at talking, and before she was fourteen, Ye Dalin liked to show off by his side. She had seen many guests and heard many things about them. At this time, he shook his head: "I don't know, maybe."
Xu said, "Recently, I've heard that the Madam is very unhappy with this marriage and thinks that the Third Young Master of the Wu family is a prodigal. Now I'm afraid that the Master... will probably cancel this marriage."
Ye Youyu said, "This marriage has been arranged for a year or two. When the Wu family was at its peak, why didn't I hear my wife complain about her future brother-in-law being a spendthrift? Even my second sister often boasted about how wealthy the Wu family was and how romantic her husband was. Now that the situation has changed, her tone has also changed."
Xu had long since become indifferent to worldly affairs. She smiled and said, "Since ancient times, the situation has always been stronger than people. What can we do? Besides, although I only heard about the Wu family's defeat in recent days, I have heard that the third young master is a playboy for a long time. Although it is not good to add insult to injury when someone is in trouble, I am afraid that the third young master of the Wu family is not a good match. These recent events are bad things for the Wu family, but they may be good things for your second sister."
Ye Youyu nodded: "It's indeed a good thing." But she thought in her heart: "It's not Yu Erjie, it's Yu him."
When Mrs. Xu said this, she sighed again: "In fact, the Wu family is a good family, and Mr. Wu is also a good man. It's just a pity ."
The Wu and Ye families were close friends, so whenever they encountered a happy event or got some new produce, they would often think of each other, and often some gifts would be sent to the Ye family's inner house. In the past, they were sent in the name of Old Lady Wu, and later on, it was sent in the name of Cai Qiaozhu, so Xu had some contact with the Wu family.
In the Ye residence, the relatives and friends of the Ye family inevitably have different views on the concubines in the inner house. Xu was not favored, so those relatives and friends deliberately ignored her, which was considered good. Some people even looked at Ma's face and deliberately said a few unpleasant words to Xu. Only the people of the Wu family behaved according to the etiquette to each room when they came to give gifts. Therefore, Xu felt that the people of the Wu family were well-educated and Mr. Wu was a good person.
Ye Youyu pondered for a moment, then suddenly whispered, "That future second brother-in-law is not the person the rumors say he is."
Xu was a little stunned, thinking she had heard wrongly: "What did you say?"
"I said, he is not that kind of person." Ye Youyu said, "I have seen him five times..."
My mind flashed, and I remembered many things...
Xu was a little surprised: "You... actually met him five times? And you still remember everything?"
"Of course I remember him. Anyone who has seen him would find it hard to forget him." Ye Youyu said.
