Chapter 44 V2 : Door to Humiliation (1/2)

She really was a good woman, in fact, it was not just her appearance.

“The way you’re dressed up, you look really good.” Shi Fengju smiled and complimented.

Sang Wan slightly looked up to see his expression on his face, no doubt it was like a light breeze under the clear moon, and her heart became somewhat disappointed. She wasn’t even a flower vase or a drawing! She thought quietly to herself.

But the way he was looking at her made her feel that way.

“Is that so?” Sang Wan spoke plainly.

“You, don’t get angry because of it; I didn’t have any other meanings behind that! I’m truly speaking from the bottom of my heart,” Shi Fengju sensed that she was slightly unhappy and felt that it was because of his abruptness and quickly added, “Yes yes, it was a praise, a praise!”

A wave of malice swept over Sang Wan and she spoke to him angrily, “More than your cousin?”

Shi Fengju was suddenly taken aback and was slightly confused as to what she meant.

Sang Wan immediately felt regretful for those words as they sounded much like jealousy and laughed to break the atmosphere, “I think my oldest brother and sister-in-law should be arriving anytime soon. Sorry to trouble Lord to entertain them on their arrival!”

“No need to say that, we’re a family!” Shi Fengju cited all of a sudden. Family? Shi Fengju was surprised by his own choice of words. Thinking that in a year or so, a family would soon become strangers, there was a strange feeling in his heart.

Looking up at Sang Wan, he saw that her head accessory near a side of her temple was slightly tilted and he moved closer to her before reaching his hand out.

“You——what are you doing?” Sang Wan’s body stiffened. She should have avoided his hand and shun to a side, however, she was unsure why she did not but instead remained seated without making any movements; maybe just her lower jaw moving a little.

“Your head ornament is a little slanted.” Shi Fengju said while gently helping her raise it a little.

The two were very close; so close that they could feel each other’s breathing. Their breathing went by turns as if they could hear each other’s heart beating.

The faint fragrance gradually traveled into Shi Fengju’s nose and he became lost in thought. His eyes drooped a little to look at the slightly spread lips that were cute. It was radiating a soft glow of attractiveness which replayed the scene of the surprisingly good kiss during the accident which they had. Shi Fengju could not help but force a lump down his throat.

Suddenly, his mind thought of Gu Fangzi which took him by surprise and he quickly backed away to his seat. Giving a light cough, he got up and smiled, “I——I’ll go and check if they’re here!” With that, he left hurriedly.

Just what was wrong with him!

Sang Wan might have sensed it herself as her eyes suddenly dimmed a little. She could not help but raised her hands to feel her cheeks which were burning hot.

In a rush for time, Sang Hong and his family arrived at Qingzhou City in a carriage a little past afternoon.

Looking out from the carriage, there were shops everywhere with shouts to promote their goods and the city was bustling with people as they squeezed their way forward.

“Qingzhou truly is a huge city. What a lively place this is!” Fang Shi could not help but lament before letting her two children gaze out from the carriage window.

“Of course! This place is a passage between the north and the south where merchants gather here and cross flow of goods are conducted here. It’d be amazing if this place isn’t bustling with people!” Sang Hong followed and lamented too.

“Master Sang, where should we head to?” Parking itself at a secluded corner, the coachman turned and asked.

“Oh, to the Shi household.” Sang Hong quickly answered.

“The Shi household? Which Shi household?” The coachman spoke a little impatiently. There were countless number of people under the sky surnamed Shi, so how could they answer with just that? The Sang family seemed sensible enough to not have responded so foolishly!

However, that was not the case because Sang Hong felt that since the Shi family had such a huge influence in Qingzhou, telling the coachman just that would have been enough. Before hiring the carriage, he had already understood that the coachman ran his business between the town and Qingzhou and thus concluded that he should be extremely familiar with the city.

But because of how commonly the family was dressed, the coachman had never thought that the Shi family they were actually visiting was the Shi family famed to be the richest in Qingzhou.

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As such, Sang Hong conveniently responded, “That is the richest Shi family in Qingzhou, the one located somewhere around the Qingxi Avenue…”

“You want to go to the house of the Shi family’s household, the one richest in Qingzhou?” The coachman’s eyes widened.

“Yes,” Sang Hong nodded embarrassedly with a smile.

“Oh, I understand then!” The coachman nodded. They might be relatives of one of the Shi household’s servants, and so the carriage continued on its route without a word.

The coachman drove the carriage away from the bustling area and turned into a quiet path which led to the Qingxi Avenue. Upon reaching the end, the carriage took another turn and followed the pebbled ground before arriving in front of a towering gate where on each side, left and right, sat two stone lions. The carriage halted and Sang Hong, together with Fang Shi, carried the children and the gifts down.

Looking at the broad gate and the mighty lions at the sides, the forest of pagoda trees, and the two large eaves doors with carvings; the sight in itself revealed an infinite amount of wealth. The doors were wide opened which exposed a giant marble carving surrounded by luxuriant trees and flowers. With a hand holding onto their children, the Sang family took their steps through the gate.

“The Shi family truly is the richest in Qingzhou. Just look at all these around us! No joke at all! That gate there, it may even be bigger than our house!” Fang Shi could not help but pulled on her skirt as she whispered softly.

That usual boldness and straightforwardness, upon seeing the wealth of the Shi family, was immediately kept within her and she became somewhat timid.