Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 545

Chapter 545: A Cunning Mind

Just as Pei Yu entered the city gate, someone informed Pei Que of the news.

Fusheng caught his master’s official robes, hung them up, and followed him out of the Ministry of Public Works. “Master, should we prepare a carriage?”

“No need for a carriage,” Pei Que shook his head. “We’ll ride back.”

A carriage was too slow; Pei Que wanted to return before Pei Yu.

Fortunately, when Pei Que returned to the Pei Mansion, Pei Yu hadn’t returned yet.

He went straight to his own courtyard.

When Pei Que entered the house, An Zhi and Binglu were making socks.

Although children’s items could be bought, An Zhi had nothing to do at home, so she was making socks herself with the maids.

“You’re back so early today.” An Zhi put down the small socks she was holding and turned to ask Binglu to pour tea for Pei Que. “What’s wrong?”

“Pei Yu has arrived in the capital.” Pei Que took the hot tea, sipped, wetting his thin lips slightly, and said, “He’ll probably be here soon. I was worried you wouldn’t be able to handle it alone, so I came back early.”

Hearing the name Pei Yu, An Zhi’s smile faded. “What’s he coming here for? To beg the old master to take back his words?”

Pei Que shook his head. “You’ll know when he gets here. Whatever it is, I’ll go over later. Otherwise, if they say something that upsets you, it won’t be worth it.”

Pei Que was still thinking about how Pei Yu had given An Zhi flowers earlier. That little rascal never did anything good, just caused trouble.

An Zhi smiled faintly. “I’m not as impetuous as I used to be. I know Pei Yu perfectly well, so I won’t let him anger me.” She glanced at Pei Que, then added, “But it’s good you’re back. With you here, I can relax a lot.”

Pei Que responded with a “Yes,” but just then, someone came to report that Pei Yu had taken Pei Xue to the old master’s courtyard and that Pei Yu looked very unwell.

An Zhi and Pei Que went out together.

The weather was nice today, and some of the snow on the cobblestone path had melted. Pei Que held An Zhi’s hand, and the two walked slowly to the old master’s courtyard.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, An Zhi saw Pei Yu and his sister kneeling in the courtyard.

Pei Xue seemed unwilling, but Pei Yu’s forehead was already red and swollen, indicating that he had been exerting force.

An Zhi followed Pei Que to the front of Pei Yu and his sister. She glanced at the closed door and heard Pei Que speak.

“It’s cold. What are you kneeling for?” Pei Que’s gaze swept to Pei Yu’s knees; his trousers were already wet. “The old master won’t see you. Kneeling for a long time won’t do any good. Go back.”

Pei Yu didn’t look up. How could he go back?

Especially right now. In his eyes, Pei Que had come to swagger and bully him. If he went back now, he would be truly finished.

“Fourth Uncle!” Pei Yu kowtowed to Pei Que. “Please tell Grandfather that my sister and Mother were confused. I won’t let my sister go to the palace; she’ll stay home and practice Buddhism for the rest of her life! I beg you to tell Grandfather not to be angry anymore. I promise this will never happen again.”

“Practice Buddhism?” Pei Que repeated those four words, sneering, “Did you even ask Pei Xue if she wanted to?”

Pei Xue was still a budding child; naturally, she didn’t want to become a nun. But her brother’s arrival had frightened her. After an argument between her brother and mother, even her mother gave in.

By this point, Pei Xue was filled with fear and resentment. She suddenly stood up, shaking her head, and said, “I don’t want to!”

Because her legs were numb from kneeling, Pei Xue collapsed to the ground as soon as she stood up. “I don’t want to spend my life chanting Buddhist prayers! I’m still young, and how can you be so sure I won’t be favored? I’m so beautiful; the Emperor will definitely like me. Brother, you’re only thinking about your own future, but what about me? You only have me as your sister; how can you bear to see me grow old alone?”

Pei Yu turned to look at his sister, a sinister glint in his eyes. “If you had any brains at all, you wouldn’t have made this choice!”

An Zhi didn’t want to hear the siblings arguing. She stepped onto the stairs, intending to knock on the door to ask about the old master’s situation, but the door opened first, and the old master’s servant came out.

“The old master asked me to pass on a few words to you all. Now that the eldest son of the main branch has returned, please go back for now. We can all come together tomorrow to sign the documents. From now on, we’ll go our separate ways; the eldest son’s family will have no further connection with the Pei family,” the servant said. “The old master also said that the eldest son should think more about his family. A person can’t live alone. Please go back; there’s no need to kneel anymore.”

Having delivered the message, the servant didn’t give Pei Yu a chance to speak before turning and going into the house.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Pei Huaijin didn’t personally come out to say a word to Pei Yu.

After hearing the servant’s words, An Zhi saw that Pei Yu was still kneeling and wouldn’t get up. She turned to look at Pei Que, who was also looking at her. The two tacitly reached out and took each other’s hands, then went down the steps without looking back, leaving Fusheng waiting there.

By mid-afternoon, Fusheng returned with news that Pei Yu was still kneeling in the old master’s courtyard, while Pei Xue had stormed off in a huff.

An Zhi glanced at the sky outside the window and saw a few snowflakes drifting down. “It’s going to snow soon. If he keeps kneeling, he’ll get sick.”

Pei Que was cracking walnuts for An Zhi. “Let him kneel. When he can’t kneel anymore, someone will carry him out.”

“That’s true.” An Zhi grabbed a handful of walnuts and stuffed the biggest one into her mouth. “But, it’s not enough for Pei Yu to just kneel. The old master is so angry this time mainly because of my sister-in-law and Pei Xue. They need to apologize. But Pei Yu couldn’t convince them, so the old master will definitely not see him. But then again, no family wants their daughter to become a nun.”

Pei Que broke off a plate of walnut kernels, brushed the crumbs off his hands, and looked up to see An Zhi looking out the window. He raised an eyebrow. “Judging by the snow, it looks like Pei Yu is going to get sick.”

“So what if he gets sick?” An Zhi looked away and noticed Pei Que staring at her. She got angry. “What do you mean? What does Pei Yu’s illness have to do with me? Are you trying to test me by looking at me like that?”

As she spoke, An Zhi pinched Pei Que’s thigh, snorted, put down the walnut kernels, and turned her back to him. Pei Que glanced at Fusheng, and after Fusheng left, he quickly sat down next to An Zhi, pinching her hand against his arm. “Madam, you’ve misunderstood. I was just hoping Pei Yu would fall ill, so I was making a wish.”

An Zhi glanced at Pei Que. After being married for so long, she understood him better and better. People said Pei Que held grudges, and he truly did.

She turned around, slapped Pei Que’s hand away, and said firmly, “I’m telling you this seriously: Pei Yu and I are a thing of the past. Whether you’re serious or joking, I didn’t like what you just said. I’d rather Pei Yu just fall ill and die!”

Pei Que was indeed a little petty about Pei Yu, not because he didn’t trust An Zhi. He knew in his heart that An Zhi disliked Pei Yu, but he just wanted to hear her say it—a kind of vanity on his part.

“It was my fault; I was wrong.” Pei Que took An Zhi’s hand again. “You are the mother of my child and also my wife. We must be together for life. Don’t be angry, Madam. The tenant farmer caught two perch today. You like to eat them, right? Let’s cook them and have some together.”

Since An Zhi became pregnant, Pei Que had been preparing various dishes for her. The tenant farmers all knew that their young madam was pregnant, and as long as they brought her something she liked, the master would reward them handsomely. So everyone was trying their best to prepare delicious food for her.