Chapter Eight: Second Uncle

To barge into someone’s home, bully their wife, and even hand them a rope, demanding they tie themselves up before heading to the magistrate’s office? Are people here truly so brazen?

As Chu Yun reeled in confusion, fragments of memory left by the original owner suddenly surfaced in his mind. From these, he learned that the middle-aged man before him was Chen Ping, a constable at the Chu Family Town’s magistrate office, who had been a close friend of Chu Yun’s father before his death. Chen Ping had cared for Chu Yun deeply, raising him almost as his own son.

Normally, even with the government policy of assigning wives, someone as troublesome as the original Chu Yun would never have found a wife as lovely as Yang Liu’er. The truth was, Chen Ping had worked behind the scenes to make it happen.

Collecting himself, Chu Yun set the basket of food onto the battered table and looked at Chen Ping. “Second Uncle, what do you mean by this?”

The original owner had always called Chen Ping “Second Uncle,” so Chu Yun followed suit.

“Don’t call me Second Uncle, you little brat. I’m not your uncle! You’ve truly disappointed me,” Chen Ping snapped coldly.

He continued, “You little rascal, I went through so much trouble to find Liu’er for you—a gentle, diligent, and beautiful wife—so someone could look after you, and maybe give me less to worry about. Yet you, useless as ever, don’t even know how to cherish her. Yesterday, Liu’er married you, and you immediately took the coins she had and spent them. Today, you want to sell her to the Red Blossom House?”

“You dog, tie yourself up right now, or I’ll do it myself. No matter what, I’m hauling you off to jail today.”

His words came fast, his face twisted with disappointment and frustration.

Chu Yun held his tongue until Chen Ping had finished his tirade and fallen silent. Then he said, “Second Uncle, you’ve misunderstood me. Liu’er is so wonderful, how could I sell her to the Red Blossom House? Don’t listen to those rumors.”

As he spoke, he took out the dishes from the basket. “Look, I even brought Liu’er all sorts of delicious food from the Fragrant Ten Mile Inn.”

Yang Liu’er gazed at the sumptuous meal laid out on the table, unable to resist swallowing hard.

All her life, she’d rarely even tasted white rice, let alone such an abundance of dishes. She had never eaten like this—never even seen such food.

Chen Ping, seeing the feast, grew even angrier. “Where did you get the money for all this? You wretch, don’t tell me you’ve already taken payment from the Red Blossom House for selling Liu’er?”

Hearing this, Yang Liu’er realized Chu Yun could never afford so much food. She thought Chen Ping made perfect sense, and panic seized her.

She began to weep, sobbing, “I don’t want to go to the Red Blossom House, I don’t want to, I don’t want…”

Chen Ping hurriedly comforted her, “Liu’er, rest assured, I won’t let this brute do such a thing.”

He turned a cold gaze to Chu Yun. “Today, if anyone tries to take Liu’er to the Red Blossom House, I’ll make sure they pay with their life!”

Chu Yun quickly explained, “I didn’t go to the Red Blossom House, I haven’t sold Liu’er, and I never would…”

But before Chu Yun could finish, Chen Ping interrupted with a cold snort, “Then where did you get the food from the Fragrant Ten Mile Inn?”

Chu Yun said, “Second Uncle, please don’t be upset—let me explain.”

Chen Ping nodded. “Fine, speak. If you can’t make things clear today, don’t blame me for showing no mercy.”

Seeing Chen Ping calm down, Chu Yun poured him a glass of water. “Have a drink first, and listen while I explain.”

Chen Ping paused in surprise. Chu Yun had always called him Second Uncle, but never listened to him, and certainly never poured him water. This small gesture made him cool down a bit, and he waited quietly for Chu Yun’s explanation.

Chu Yun spoke in a measured tone, “Second Uncle, I know I’ve been a disgrace in the past, but people can change. I’ve realized my mistakes and I’m already changing. If I’ve wronged you, I hope you’ll forgive me and give me a chance to make amends.”

“Just now, after I cleaned the house, I went to the kitchen to cook for Liu’er, but found the rice jar completely empty. So I went out to find food…”

Chen Ping couldn’t help but interrupt, “You cleaned the house? You know how to clean?”

Chu Yun had never done any housework before. Whenever Chen Ping visited, he would find dust covering the battered furniture, chaos everywhere, barely a spot to step—forcing him to spend half the day cleaning up.

Chu Yun nodded and looked at Yang Liu’er. “I cleaned it. If you don’t believe me, ask Liu’er.”

Yang Liu’er softly replied, “Uncle Chen Ping, just before Chu Yun left, he really did clean the house. Then he checked the kitchen, and when he found nothing to eat, he left to get food.”

Chen Ping, surprised, stared at Chu Yun and sighed to himself—could this boy really be changing?

But soon he shook his head and asked coldly, “The food from the Fragrant Ten Mile Inn doesn’t come cheap. Where did you get the money for it? I see their signature dish, braised lamb, among them.”

Chu Yun replied, “I earned the money at the Fragrant Ten Mile Inn by treating the guests there. Since their customers are wealthy or noble, the consultation fees are generous enough to easily cover these dishes.”

Chen Ping was stunned.

Wealthy or noble, easily covered. Such cultured words coming from the mouth of the usually ignorant Chu Yun?

He could hardly believe it.

Yet as Chu Yun claimed to have treated people for money, Chen Ping snorted, “You little liar, couldn’t you find a better excuse? You’re not a doctor—how could you earn money treating guests? Tell the truth, where did you really get the money for this food?”