Jiang Yuanfa sensed the coldness emanating from Xu Hongchuan. He thought Xu Hongchuan was displeased by the mention of "sister-in-law," and he glanced at Madam Chen with a look of complaint, as if saying she was too impatient. They needed to take things slowly, lest they offend him!
Rongyue, seizing on her in-laws' words, nodded and excused herself.
Xu Hongchuan, however, watched her graceful figure as it disappeared from his sight, his expression gradually darkening.
If she truly was Jiang Yuanfa's daughter-in-law, he wouldn't be able to take her away.
Xu Hongchuan finished the wine in his cup in one gulp. The clean taste filled his mouth. This was the finest autumn dew white, but it tasted a little off today.
She's already married, yet she still tries to seduce other men. What a slut!
But she was clearly a virgin. Giving him the drug shouldn't be because she wanted a man. Then what could it be?
Did she want to climb higher in society?
Or was this a setup by Jiang Yuanfa and his wife?
What family would send their daughter-in-law to their eldest son's bed?
Xu Hongchuan couldn't help but sneer slightly. His "father" only saw his own benefits and didn't care about anything else.
It wouldn't be impossible for him to do such a preposterous thing.
Having cleared up Rongyue's identity, he still had questions.
Xu Hongchuan didn't say much, just drank one cup after another.
Qi Yue, beside him, didn't know why his superior's mood had suddenly changed. He quietly reminded, "Boss, this wine is strong. Drink less."
Jiang Yuanfa eagerly poured more wine, adding, "Qi, sir, our Shandong autumn dew white is excellent wine, sweet to the taste. This jar is aged, and good wine doesn't make you drunk. It's rare that Xu appreciates it. A few more cups won't hurt."
Before long, three jars of wine were gone.
Jiang Yuanfa didn't dare to ask for his youngest son's forgiveness. Instead, he ingratiatingly said, "Xu if there's anything I can assist with, please don't hesitate to say so. I will do my utmost and will not fail your instructions."
Xu Hongchuan lazily glanced at Jiang Yuanfa and casually said, "This official does have something. My younger sister will be coming to Qingzhou soon. I want to find a female tutor to teach her to read and write."
This wasn't a lie. Xu Hongchuan did have such plans.
His younger sister, Qiao Lin, was from the same mother but different father. When his mother ran to her uncle's place with him, her uncle's family wasn't wealthy. There was also her cousin and cousin reading at home.
His mother didn't want to burden her uncle, so she followed her aunt's lead and became a concubine of a wealthy merchant named Qiao.
This merchant was a distant relative of Third Master Xu's wife. So, by chance, Third Master Xu saw his martial arts skills and was quite fond of his personality, so he took him in as a foster son and recommended him to the military.
His mother, Madam Xie, later gave birth to a daughter, his younger sister Qiao Lin.
When his mother passed away, Qiao Lin was only six years old. Because she was a concubine's daughter, the wife of the household naturally didn't want to take care of her. She only knew the few characters her mother had taught her when she was alive.
He asked his foster father, Third Master Xu, to take her in. He planned to find a tutor to teach her properly, which would be beneficial for her future marriage.
Finding a female tutor in Qingzhou Prefecture shouldn't be difficult. But that Qingzhou Prefecture was the old fox's territory. To be on the safe side, he planned to find one in a nearby county.
Jiang Yuanfa had just brought it up, and he was from Changle County. Finding a female tutor he knew would be convenient.
Jiang Yuanfa hesitated for a moment and said, "It's easy to find a tutor. There are many scholars in our area. But finding a female tutor—most women who understand poetry and literature come from scholarly families. Unmarried young ladies can't come out and teach people to read. I'll inquire whether any of the scholars or the gentlemen's wives know how to read and write and can be a female tutor."
At this moment, Chen Xuan suddenly smiled and said with a flattering tone, "Uncle, why bother looking for a female tutor? Doesn't our sister-in-law understand poetry and literature?"
Jiang Yuanfa was slightly taken aback. Indeed, his daughter-in-law had studied with her father since childhood.
Chen Xuan said to Xu Hongchuan, "Xu, you don't know, my sister-in-law's late father was a scholar and quite famous in our Changle County. There was a student in his school who passed the imperial examination last year. My sister-in-law not only understands poetry and literature, but also writes good calligraphy."
Xu Hongchuan's eyebrows slightly raised, appearing very interested.
Chen Xuan gave a look to Madam Chen, who was in a daze. Madam Chen understood and immediately smiled, saying, "That's right, Xuan is right. Isn't this ready-made? We're all family. We should help each other. This way, we can also save on the tuition."
Xu Hongchuan's eyes lit up again. The Jiang family, once again, was trying to push someone towards him. Interesting.
Xu Hongchuan didn't speak. Chen Xuan put down his chopsticks and stood up, saying, "I'll go get the calligraphy my sister-in-law wrote for you to see. Please wait a moment."
Chen Xuan rushed out of the banquet hall, and soon returned with several pieces of calligraphy. He respectfully handed them to Xu Hongchuan, saying, "Please take a look."
Xu Hongchuan took the paper and looked at it. It was indeed a beautiful Zanhua Small Script. The brushwork was ancient and solemn, yet it had a sense of agility and elegance.
Xu Hongchuan couldn't help but become lost in thought, vaguely remembering his mother's handwriting. It was also Zanhua Small Script. His maternal grandfather had praised his mother's calligraphy as Fairy Maidens Dance, Red Lotus Reflects in Water.
"Mm, good calligraphy."
Xu Hongchuan praised without hesitation. Chen Xuan's smile widened, "This junior doesn't dare to deceive you. My sister-in-law just said that she would be very happy to serve you."
Xu Hongchuan smiled slightly, "Oh?"
She had shyly fled earlier, not daring to look at him. Now she was sticking close. It was just a woman's tactic of feigning reluctance. She was so good at flirting with men at such a young age; she was indeed not an ordinary woman.