The Fearless Husband - Chapter 21

Chapter 21 — Fang Shu Is in a Hurry, and by Noon…

Fang Shu’s one careless remark struck little Liang Mo right in the heart, leaving the child visibly wounded. Yu Qinglong, holding his bowl, was this close to smacking him.

Honestly—eating the breakfast cooked by the boy’s mother, having his back treated by the boy’s grandfather, and before even stepping out the door, upsetting their little master? Fang Shu truly had no sense of decency.

And worst of all, he didn’t even stop to think before speaking—just looked straight at him while doing it!

Yu Qinglong shot the unreliable scholar a sharp, silent warning look before turning to gently console Liang Mo.
“Mo’er, when you grow up, you’ll marry a girl who’s prettier and kinder, and you’ll have a good life—just like your father and mother. Don’t listen to your Uncle Fang’s nonsense.”

Liang Mo gave a soft “Mm,” no longer quite as sad, though when he glanced at Fang Shu again, his eyes held a flicker of resentment. He even let out a tiny, disgruntled hum.

He had thought this Uncle Fang was a good person—he’d brought him candy and helped his Uncle Qinglong! But now it seemed this man had only come to steal his Uncle Qinglong away to that so-called “husband.”

The little boy glared at the scholar, then silently continued eating his meal.

Fang Shu felt bad after saying it, but what was done was done. Words, once spoken, were like water spilled—no taking them back.

And to make matters worse, when he looked up, Doctor Mo was gazing at him with an expression that clearly said, “I knew that’s what you were after, you rascal.” His face burned with embarrassment. So he hurriedly finished eating, stood, and bowed deeply.

“Many thanks, Doctor Mo, for your treatment—and for your hospitality. But I have matters to attend to at home, so I won’t stay any longer. I’ll come pay my respects again another day.”

Doctor Mo nodded. “Go on, then. Don’t rush into things—take your time, step by step. That’s the proper way.”

Fang Shu bowed again and left with measured steps.

A moment later, Doctor Mo suddenly remembered something and asked, “Did Master Fang take the medicine bottle with him?”

Yu Qinglong said, “I don’t think so.”

“Go check,” said Doctor Mo. “If he really left it, you’d best take it after him. The weather’s warm—leave it too long, and it’ll lose its potency.”

Yu Qinglong had just finished eating anyway, so he found the medicine bottle and ran out.

From the kitchen, Mo Xiaoning asked, “Father, is it proper for an unmarried man and an unmarried ge’er to meet alone like that? Won’t it hurt Long Ge’er’s reputation?”

Doctor Mo replied calmly, “If he can’t endure even a little gossip, he’ll never make it as a physician. It’s fine.”

Mo Xiaoning nodded, reassured, and said no more.

Fang Shu, with those long legs of his, had already covered quite a distance by the time Yu Qinglong caught up. He called, “Master Fang!”

Fang Shu turned immediately. “Long Ge’er—do you need something?”

Yu Qinglong hesitated a little. He’d heard plenty of people call him that before, but somehow, coming from this man’s mouth, it sounded… different. Too familiar. Too intimate.

He frowned lightly and held out the medicine. “My master made this for you. He said it’ll spoil if it sits too long in the heat, so take it soon.”

Fang Shu accepted it. “Did he say how much I should take each day?”

That… Yu Qinglong actually didn’t know.

“My master didn’t mention it. You should go ask him,” he suggested.

“Good idea,” said Fang Shu, turning back toward Doctor Mo’s house.

But his pace slowed noticeably—so much that Yu Qinglong, following a few meters behind, realized he was practically strolling.

He clicked his tongue. This guy isn’t hurrying to ask anything—he’s taking a damn walk!

With an exasperated “tsk,” Yu Qinglong took a few long strides, overtook him, and headed quickly for the doctor’s house.

Seeing that, Fang Shu hurried to keep up—but still kept a careful distance. “Long Ge’er, wait a bit! I still have something to ask.”

“What is it?”

“I was wondering… if my parents agree today to let you keep studying medicine, could the one-month waiting period start from today?”

“Why so impatient?” Yu Qinglong shot him a suspicious look. “You’re not planning to kidnap me and sell me, are you?”

Fang Shu nearly choked. “Of course not! Don’t joke like that. I just—just want you to come to my home sooner. I have so many interesting things I’d like to show you.”

Well, it was hard to stay mad when someone offered to share something in good faith. Yu Qinglong said, “Suit yourself.”

Fang Shu brightened immediately, went back to ask about the dosage, and then finally left for real—looking positively gleeful.

Even his retreating figure seemed to spell out the word “happy.”

After he left, Yu Qinglong asked Doctor Mo, “Master, does Scholar Fang’s family really have lots of interesting things? He seems to like wooden toys and stone ornaments a lot.”

Doctor Mo nodded. “That’s right. He’s intelligent, perceptive—quite gifted, actually—but he’s never been fond of studying. Always preferred tinkering with wood and stone. When he was a child, his mother used to thrash him regularly for it. But one can’t fight their nature. Still, his craftsmanship is nowhere near as fine as yours.”

He had visited the Fang family a few times in years past. Fang Shu’s room was full of odd little trinkets—most of them strange-looking decorations. To Doctor Mo’s eyes, not one was particularly impressive.

Unlike Yu Qinglong’s work, which was either practical or beautiful—or both.

As for Fang Shu’s? Well… let’s just say his mother’s temper suffered greatly for it. Every year, she needed medicine to soothe her nerves.

But such things were best left unsaid, so Doctor Mo only thought it privately.

Still, his words had the unintended effect of piquing Yu Qinglong’s curiosity. Life in this village was unbearably dull—no theatre, no festivals, no entertainment at all. Day in and day out, it was just work, eat, sleep, repeat.

That afternoon, Matchmaker Zhou returned as promised. Yu Dayou and Zhou Yuehua had deliberately set time aside to wait.

After hearing Yu Qinglong’s wishes, they told her plainly: they were willing for him to marry into the Fang family, but only if he could continue his medical studies under Doctor Mo. If the Fangs agreed, then one month later they could make the formal proposal.

In the meantime, both families were to keep silent. The month would give everyone time to think carefully. If either side reconsidered, they could simply pretend the matter had never occurred.

Matchmaker Zhou was taken aback. “Brothers Zhou, are you sure about this? You know how rare such a good match is!”

Zhou Yuehua replied firmly, “We’re sure. Please relay our words to the Fang family just as they are.”

This condition was as much to protect the Fangs as to protect Yu Qinglong.

The social gap between the two families was too wide. If the Fang family changed their mind after word spread, Yu Qinglong would be the one left humiliated. Better to let everyone think things over properly first.

And if, after a month, the Fangs still wished to proceed, then their sincerity would be proven.

Matchmaker Zhou, seeing their resolve, agreed and left. But instead of heading straight to the Fang household, she detoured to a temple near Shangxi Village.

Inside, Madam Fang Wu was waiting. “Did they really say that?” she asked after hearing the report.

“As true as the gods above,” said Matchmaker Zhou. “I even asked several times to be sure. That Yu family ge’er may be young, but his family clearly cherishes him. What do you think?”

“I’ll still need to discuss the medicine matter with my husband,” said Madam Fang Wu thoughtfully. “But the Yu family seems reasonable enough.”

The two women were old acquaintances and on good terms, so she spoke frankly. “Honestly, what caught my eye first was the boy’s strong build. You’ve seen him twice—what do you think?”

“Do you want the truth?”

“Of course. If I wanted pretty lies, I wouldn’t have asked you.”

“Well then,” said Matchmaker Zhou, “to tell the truth—I can’t quite read him. He’s not like any ge’er I’ve met before. Your son, handsome young scholar that he is, has plenty of admirers, but this Yu Qinglong… he doesn’t seem eager about the match at all.”

“Could he be pretending?”

“I don’t think so,” the matchmaker said. “At first I doubted it, but now I believe you—your son clearly wants this more than the ge’er does.”

Madam Fang Wu was speechless. Starving himself already—what more proof do I need?

But why didn’t Yu Qinglong want to marry her son?

She couldn’t make sense of it. Still, if the only obstacle was his desire to continue studying medicine, that wasn’t such a big issue. She decided that if her husband agreed, she’d consent to the Yu family’s request—it would put an end to her son’s dramatics and her headaches both.

Two days later.

Rumors began spreading through Shangxi Village.

Someone claimed they had seen Yu Qinglong walking with a tall, thin man on the west side of the village road—alone together for quite some time before returning side by side.

When one villager spotted Zhou Jian’er, she called out, “Hey, Sister-in-law Qing, you know who your brother-in-law was seen with?”

Zhou Jian’er smiled. “Of course. It was Scholar Fang from the neighboring village. He visited Doctor Mo for his back and forgot his medicine. The old doctor sent my brother-in-law to deliver it. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, nothing,” said the woman. “So it was Scholar Fang—no wonder. That’s fine, then.”

Zhou Jian’er inwardly rolled her eyes. She knew exactly what they were fishing for—hoping to stir up gossip and throw dirt on her brother-in-law’s name. But she’d give them nothing to chew on.

Once people heard the man was Scholar Fang, they stopped believing there could be any impropriety between them.

After all, that was Scholar Fang—young, handsome, and learned. Everyone for miles around envied the Fang family for having such a son. With so many families vying for his attention, how could he possibly fancy Yu Qinglong? The idea was ridiculous.

No one thought there could be anything between them.

No one—except a few.

Hu Bo, who hadn’t dared show his face near Yu Qinglong since being warned off, was one of them.

But the more he thought about it, the more it festered inside him. Finally, he caught Yu Qingcai one day and pulled him aside. “Cai Ge’er, you don’t really believe those rumors are false, do you? I’ve seen them myself—more than once! Yu Qinglong and that Fang scholar, together. Everyone says he was delivering medicine, but I swear that shameless little fox was flirting with him.”

Yu Qingcai had heard of Fang Shu but, like most, considered him far above their reach. Yet now… if even someone like Yu Qinglong dared dream of him—

“You really saw them more than once?”

“Would I lie to you? I swear it’s true. That Yu Qinglong used to cower like a rat, afraid of his own shadow. Now he’s grown bolder, all thanks to knowing that scholar. Probably thinks that once he becomes a scholar’s husband, he can look down on us all. Otherwise, why would he have dared fight your brother that day?”

At the mention of his brother, Yu Qingcai’s face darkened. He hadn’t forgotten that brawl. And thinking back, that had been the first time Yu Qinglong had ever dared talk back.

Could it really have something to do with Scholar Fang?

Hu Bo pressed on. “You should tell your family to stop this before it’s too late. If he really marries the scholar, your whole clan will have to bow their heads to him.”

Yu Qingcai frowned. “Even if that’s true, what can my family do? Grandmother won’t let anyone interfere with his business now—everything has to serve my elder brother’s studies first.”

At that, Hu Bo perked up. “Your cousin… he hasn’t come back recently, has he?”

“No,” said Yu Qingcai. “He only came back once for that Li family incident, then left again. Probably won’t return until next month.”

Hu Bo gave a disappointed “Oh.” That failed marriage had been a sore spot for him, too. If not for Yu Qinglong’s meddling, he might’ve had the chance to see Yu Qingxi again. Now he’d have to wait weeks.

The more he thought about it, the more his resentment burned. “That Yu Qinglong is nothing but bad luck,” he muttered. “Anyway, think on what I said. If anyone from your family’s going to marry into the Fang household, it should be you, not him. You’re better-looking, better with your hands—much more suited to a scholar’s home.”

Yu Qingcai’s cheeks flushed. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“I’m not,” Hu Bo said smoothly. “You know I’m right. I’ve been pretending to be friendly with him for years, just to feed you information. Have I ever lied to you once?”

“Well… no,” Yu Qingcai admitted.

Still, the idea stuck in his mind. Who wouldn’t want someone tall, handsome, and clever like Fang Shu? He’d been too flustered during that fight to take a good look, but afterward he’d heard plenty of whispers describing the scholar’s good looks.

Once, the idea would’ve seemed laughable. But now, with his cousin studying well and even becoming a tongsheng (a registered student), perhaps one day he could pass the xiucai exam too. Then they’d be the relatives of a scholar—a respectable match indeed.

Hu Bo saw his dazed expression and smiled slyly. “So you agree with me, huh?”

“No,” Yu Qingcai said quickly, though his voice was shaky. “Stop saying nonsense. I’m heading home.”

He was going to ask his brother what had happened with that earlier scheme to “teach Yu Qinglong a lesson.” It had been days, and still nothing had happened.

Because one thing Hu Bo was right about—no way could they let Yu Qinglong have anything to do with the Fang family. Otherwise, their whole family really would end up bowing their heads.