Chapter 63: The Unexpected Guest

“Where to find… a straw rain cloak and hat, traveling light~ Let me wander freely, coarse sandals and begging bowl, going with fate~”

Second Young Master Fang, in excellent spirits, hummed a small tune as he made his way back to the Fang Residence.

It was just as dusk fell. Inside Fang Manor, things already seemed quite lively.

Before Fang Cun had returned, the main hall had often hosted just Master Fang and Madam Fang sitting quietly, staring at the grand feast laid out on their table. Solemn and cold. Only when Fang Cun was back did it gain energy. But today, the main hall was brightly lit with candles, filled with occasional laughter. When Fang Cun stepped inside, he saw Master Fang and Madam Fang seated on either side, feeding the Little Fox Girl.

The Little Fox Girl, clutching a sea bowl heaped with food larger than her head, spotted Fang Cun entering. With a “whoosh,” she put down the bowl, scurried to the side, grabbed a broom, and started sweeping the already spotless, dust-free tiled floor. She kept peeking at Fang Cun’s expression.

“Well, well, whose chicken coop got raided?”

Fang Cun glanced at the table, seeing a chaotic array of over a dozen bowls and plates. More than half contained chicken – boiled chicken, shredded chicken, crispy chicken, sesame chicken – piled high. The other dishes held child-friendly snacks like sesame twists, fried sweets, and candied fruits.

“She was eating nicely, and you frightened her again…”

Madam Fang gave Fang Cun an annoyed look, pulled the Little Fox Girl back, and said, “Don’t be scared. If he bullies you, I’ll give him a good beating!”

Fang Cun: “?”

Was his standing in the family this low now?

“Alright, alright,” Elder Fang addressed Fang Cun. “Sit down to eat. What you like is being kept warm in the kitchen…” He called some maidservants to help Fang Cun change his travel clothes, wash his hands, and wipe his face. Once settled, Fang Cun saw the Little Fox Girl had already been pulled back to the table by Madam Fang and Elder Fang. They were busy putting pieces of chicken onto her plate. She snuck another glance at Fang Cun, and only relaxed when she saw he wasn’t glaring at her. Then, with both small hands, she picked up a chicken wing and nibbled on it daintily.

“This isn’t bad…” Fang Cun thought.

A warm feeling rose in his chest. He smiled, picked up his chopsticks, and prepared for the family to begin eating.

But precisely at that moment, Old Steward Huang hurried in with a tense expression. “Master, Young Master! We have a guest!”

“What kind of guest shows up right at dinnertime?”

Fang Cun frowned, displeased by the interruption.

Then he heard Steward Huang quaver: “It’s… it’s the City Governor’s niece… from the Academy… Fairy Meng!”

“Meng Zhixue? What is she doing here?” Hearing the name, Fang Cun froze for a moment, utterly confused.

“The City Governor’s niece?…” Madam Fang paused, seeming to recall something. She nudged Elder Fang with her elbow. “Isn’t that the Miss Meng from the Meng family? The one that lady from the so-and-so family mentioned? How her character’s excellent, her appearance flawless… said she was the most outstanding young lady you could find in all of Willow Lake City?”

Elder Fang stared dazedly at his son, then hastily stood up. “Hurry! Invite her in!”

Mealtime was forgotten. The whole household hurried to the main hall to greet her. Madam Fang panicked, calling her maid to accompany her so she could change clothes and put on jewelry. “That heavy string of pearl beads the size of thumb-tips! Quick, bring it!” Elder Fang wiped his mouth clean, put on his formal outer robe, and told Steward Huang to lead him quickly to the Second Gate to welcome her. Yet he was fretful: Should the family patriarch personally receive a young lady from the inner chambers? But she did hold a formal visiting card and arrived openly… Was it seemly or not for him to go?

“Is all this necessary?” Fang Cun kept hold of his chopsticks for a long moment before setting them down reluctantly. He found the whole situation incredibly strange.

First, why on earth would Meng Zhixue seek out his home?

Second, why were his parents so terribly nervous?

…

“Uncle Fang, Auntie Fang, this junior, Zhixue, pays her respects. It is rather presumptuous of me to call without notice. Greetings…”

Meng Zhixue had indeed arrived. Not only that, but she was meticulously dressed. She wore pale, plain robes, with pearls adorning her hair. A maidservant accompanied her, her hair styled in two small topknots (like little buns). Meng Zhixue had even brought gifts – cakes and sweets! Her manner suggested she was genuinely here as a respectful junior visiting the Fang family. Upon seeing Elder Fang and Madam Fang, who had rushed to greet her, she curtsied lightly, offering a junior’s salute that flustered Madam Fang. She hurriedly went to help her up. “No need! No need…”

While helping her up, Madam Fang also discreetly scrutinized her. “My, such a lovely looking daughter…!”

Meng Zhixue wasn’t expecting such forthright praise. Her cheeks flushed instantly.

Elder Fang cleared his throat. “Enough of that! Quickly… ahem… please come in, Miss Meng, and sit down!”

The elderly couple warmly ushered Meng Zhixue into the main hall, urged her to sit, and maids promptly served tea. Meng Zhixue was all politeness. She insisted Madam Fang sit first before taking a seat herself in the lower guest position. With a brief glance towards Fang Cun, who stood near the door looking bewildered, she smiled softly. “Young Lady Meng has long admired the esteemed Fang family. Yet, as an unmarried woman, it felt improper to call. However, now that I share the same classroom with Second Young Master Fang… and together we ventured deep into the mountains to repel monsters and shield the people… a private friendship has blossomed. It is only because of this camaraderie that I presumed to visit today. I hope Uncle and Auntie will pardon my rudeness and sudden appearance.”

“Not at all! Not at all!” Elder Fang and Madam Fang flusteredly replied. “Miss Meng gracing our door brings us great happiness! Truly!”

Meng Zhixue took a small sip of tea. “This… it tastes like ‘Old Gentleman’s Eyebrow’ tea? Light, elegant, it truly is fine tea.”

Elder Fang and Madam Fang hurriedly said, “We insist – you must take a pound of it back with you!”

Then Meng Zhixue returned almost silently to slowly sipping her tea. Elder Fang and Madam found themselves suddenly at a loss for words.

The atmosphere in the hall grew colder, almost freezing solid.

Watching from the side, Fang Cun could barely take it anymore. He couldn’t help speaking up: “Does Miss Meng have important business for this visit?”

Meng Zhixue glanced at him, a serene smile playing on her lips. “Must there be important business for this junior to pay her respects to Uncle and Auntie?”

“Exactly! Exactly!” Elder Fang and Madam Fang both chimed in defensively. “What kind of way is that for our son to speak? Asking if it’s business matters as soon as a guest arrives…”

Fang Cun’s face showed pure frustration. “Our family happens to be right in the middle of having dinner…”

Madam Fang immediately shot him a fierce glare. Elder Fang also tried to intimidate Fang Cun from the side with a meaningful look.

However, with Fang Cun’s boorish remark hanging in the air, it was awkward to leave Miss Meng feeling uncomfortable. Elder Fang signaled Madam Fang with his eyes. She ventured softly: “If Miss Meng wouldn’t see it as beneath her… would she perhaps join us here in the hall for a simple dinner?”

She asked it without much confidence.

In the past, when Fang Chi was alive and the family flourished, even if the City Governor himself brought his niece over, having a meal at the Fang residence would have been nothing. But now? The Fangs knew their current situation well. In the last two months, no distinguished lord or wealthy family head had crossed their threshold. And Miss Meng wasn’t just the City Governor’s niece; even within the Academy she had a formidable reputation for talent – something Elder Fang and Madam Fang had heard!

That she visited was one matter.

Actually inviting her to share their humble meal? That was quite another.

Unexpectedly, Meng Zhixue seemed a little embarrassed. She gently put down her teacup and said, “If it isn’t too much trouble for Uncle and Auntie…”

Elder Fang and Madam Fang were overjoyed. “No trouble at all! None at all!”

At once, they issued a flurry of orders to the Fang household maids: quickly inform the kitchen! Prepare the best feast! Nothing ordinary! Bring out the delicacies the Fang family usually saved for special occasions! Serve them all up!

Throughout this flurry, Fang Cun found he had absolutely no opportunity to speak. Elder Fang and Madam Fang, whose arms seemed thoroughly twisted by outsiders, enthusiastically seated Meng Zhixue. Even the household steward and maids buzzed happily back and forth. Some made multiple trips to the kitchen, giving detailed instructions. Madam Fang’s maid actually took Miss Meng’s maidservant to sit in a side room.

Come dinnertime, the pattern repeated. Fang Cun felt completely ignored. Even the newly favored Little Fox Girl lost her status… But she was smarter than Fang Cun. She had no intention of suffering through dinner at the table. The moment she saw Meng Zhixue, probably recalling the terrifying sword aura when Meng Zhixue once flew towards the temple, she quickly wiped her mouth clean and slipped away to Fang Cun’s courtyard, broom in hand, to start another futile cleaning session.

Hmph. While I’m uncomfortable, you’re not exactly enjoying yourself either…

Fang Cun watched silently, a cold smirk hidden deep down.

Meng Zhixue might project a bright, polite exterior – smiling sweetly and acting all virtuous. But faced with Madam Fang’s intense kindness – urging her to try the ham from Jinling Prefecture, then their home-ground tofu, then rice porridge made from the premium spirit-grown grains of the southern fields (“Just try a bite?”), even her practiced smile showed strain under that bombardment of warmth! Trying just one bite of each recommended dish easily forced her to eat way more than her usual meager diet.

“Since Uncle and Auntie insist… this junior must respectfully try…”

“Uncle and Auntie surely have superior taste…”

“Oh… this junior usually eats very little…”

“But… I will try just one more bite…”

“Truly… I cannot eat another morsel…”

“…”

Fang Cun finished a bowl of rice by himself and nibbled politely on a few vegetables. Mostly, he just sat there with an apparently pleasant smile, enjoying the spectacle of Meng Zhixue struggling under the overwhelming hospitality of his parents. It was a genuinely entertaining show. His earlier displeasure at her untimely visit completely vanished.

Finally, the painful dinner ordeal ended. But then Elder Fang and Madam Fang tried to enthusiastically persuade her to have more tea! Meng Zhixue seemed honestly frightened this time. She managed a smile. “Tea isn’t necessary just now. There will be ample opportunity in the future. I happen to have some exceptionally fine tea harvested from the Cloudy Mist Mountains. I shall bring some on my next visit for Uncle and Auntie’s appraisal. But now… the hour grows late. May this niece perhaps have a few words with Second Young Master Fang? Then I must take my leave…”

“Speak? With him?” Elder Fang and Madam Fang exchanged meaningful glances. At once, they exclaimed: “Absolutely! Of course!”

“Please, after you, Second Young Master Fang…” Meng Zhixue fixed Fang Cun with a deep look, then smiled as she invited him: “Would you care to show me the garden of Fang Manor?”

“Alright, let’s go.” Fang Cun stood up and walked ahead. Suddenly, he couldn’t suppress a chuckle.

Meng Zhixue smiled politely as she bade farewell to Elder Fang and Madam Fang. The moment she turned around, her gaze locked onto Fang Cun’s retreating back, her lips pressed into a tight line.

“Oh dear, our Second Son certainly has his talents!” Elder Fang remarked to Madam Fang as they watched Fang Cun and Meng Zhixue walk one after the other into the garden. He looked at their retreating figures with deep satisfaction. “Only a few days in the Academy, and such a fine young lady comes calling right to our doorstep…”

Madam Fang watched them depart, her face radiant with joy. But then, as she spoke, her eyes suddenly reddened. “It’s only that useless eldest son… Busy with nothing but his cultivation, his tasks… busied himself until past thirty, then suddenly departed this world… and didn’t even leave us a single grandchild…”

“Why mention this now?” Elder Fang sighed softly. “It’s just… regrettable, you see. This Miss Meng from the Meng family is so distinguished at the Academy… and the City Governor’s niece besides. If we were back then? Matching her for our Cun’er wouldn’t be difficult, might even be considered generous. But now? Our Cun’er… matching her? That would be…”

“Pfui!” Madam Fang cut him off sharply. “Our Cun’er is plenty good enough for her!”

“Yes, yes! Plenty good enough! Plenty good enough!” Elder Fang conceded helplessly. Yet he still sighed with feeling. “Ah… but our Cun’er, he really resembles how I was when I was young…”

Madam Fang shot him a sideways glance, instantly deflating his romantic mood. “When you were young? Ha! You were just a cook! How could you possibly compare to my Cun’er? I merely let you sweet-talk me back then!”

Elder Fang dared not argue. Silently, he thought to himself: And what were you when you were young? You steamed buns!…