Chapter 37 Conquering the Third Son

The poor old couple of the Fengs were still waiting for their new daughter-in-law. Their second son went to call her, but he was also missing now. They had been waiting until the evening when their eldest son returned home. Finally, they saw their mysterious daughter-in-law at dinner time. The old couple pretty much hadn't left the two chairs in the middle of the main hall for the whole day. Nianxin showed up, wearing a veil and an embroidered white dress, with only an ordinary pearl hairpin on her head. She came to the hall accompanied by Feng Qianchu. Master Feng had been furious, but he still had to suppress his rage because of his noble identity. He couldn't say any cursing words. However, Mrs. Feng didn't need to be so polite. "It's a universal rule that a good daughter-in-law should be from a decent family. I knew a whore who came from a brothel would be different. You didn't visit your parents-in-law until now, and when you finally came out, you even wear a veil to cover your face. It seems that you do know you have no face to meet people." "Mother, how can you scold my wife with these vulgar words? Besides, Nianxin is a nice girl. It's lucky for me to marry her," Feng Qianchu said. He would never allow his precious wife to be wronged. "You rebellious son! Do you still respect me as your mother?" Mrs. Feng was furious. They had been waiting for this daughter-in-law for a day, and now they couldn't even educate her for being rude. "Father, Mother, I accidentally caught a cold today, so I couldn't visit you earlier. I apologize for breaking the etiquette." Nianxin was soft and weak. Her eyes on top of the veil looked helpless. Tears were forming in them, but she acted strong and didn't cry. People couldn't help but found her pitiful. She bowed gently and was about to kneel. Feng Qianchu stopped her from kneeling and helped her up immediately. Seeing her pitiful look, he felt so sorry. Feng Qianchu thought his wife caught a cold because she was so tired last night. He blamed himself for indulging his own desire. This beautiful girl had a delicate body like water that needed to be treated gently. He immediately spoke for Nianxin. "I know you two want a grandson as soon as possible, so I worked a bit too hard last night and exhausted her. It's not her fault." He finished his words and thoughtfully asked Nianxin to sit down first. Nianxin blushed because of his words. Master Feng was calm, but Mrs. Feng's face turned red with embarrassment. This boorish man spoke without thinking. Now, this old couple really couldn't blame Nianxin for that reason. However, the atmosphere in the hall had been so awkward... Feng Qianwu had been absent-minded the whole time. He thought of the sexy scene in the room and couldn't stay focused. He thought Nianxin caught a cold in the bathtub, and he could hardly absolve himself of the blame. But he soon calmed down without saying a word. He saved everyone from the embarrassment by helping his mother sit on the dining table voluntarily. No matter how strange the atmosphere was, the family still gathered together to have a meal. However, Feng Qianmu didn't even show up. Servant girls and pageboys were sent to call him over but returned in vain. He was so drunk that he fell into the wine jar in his backyard. This noble son had been spoiled from a young age. Now he gave up on himself, and no one could help him. Mrs. Feng was so anxious that she couldn't eat. She was very concerned, so she went to visit her beloved little son. Before leaving, she gave Nianxin a stern glare, thinking it was all this jinx's fault. However, this didn't affect Nianxin's good mood. She now had a cold, and there were so many benefits. The eldest and second sons of the Fengs felt guilt for her. To avoid infecting the old couple with her sickness, she didn't need to visit them every morning and have meals with them. Moreover, she and Feng Qianchu slept in separate rooms for several days to prevent the spread of the cold. The eldest son of the Fengs felt so unbearable not sleeping together with her. However, he followed all her orders obediently when he saw his teary-eyed wife. Spring mornings had always been full of vigor, and everything looked hopeful and rejuvenated. This day, Feng Qianchu went to the camp very early. Nianxin had nothing to do after she got up. Therefore, she went to visit Feng Qianmu. This little young master had been spoiled since he was a child. He always got everything he wanted, and he had never been upset by any unkindness. Judging by his character, he was the easiest one to control among the three sons. Nianxin had set the bait, and she only needed to wait before catching the fish. In the private courtyard of the young master's house, many wine jars were on the stone table as many were all over the ground. The playboy who always spent time in brothels had long been gone. Now he was a drunk man who couldn't stop filling his stomach with alcohol. Feng Qianmu was sloppy, and he slept surrounded by wine jars at this moment. He kept yelling in his dream, "Nianxin... why... Nianxin... I like you... Don't marry my brother..." Nianxin didn't look down on him because of his messy look. She responded to Feng Qianmu casually and asked servants to clean him up. This drunk, sloppy man pushed away everyone who came close to him before. However, he stopped driving away others after he heard the voice of his sweetheart. Nianxin said, "If you don't get clean, I will never come to visit you again." Hearing her words, he no longer resisted. He was extremely obedient when people pushed him into the bathtub... The servant girls and pageboys worked for a long time. Finally, the man fell asleep on his bed after drinking up the soup that could help him digest alcohol. In the afternoon, a servant girl came to report that the third young master was awake. Nianxin walked into Feng Qianmu's room. The smell of alcohol was still there. A large amount of incense was covering it, but it still lingered in the air. Nianxin covered her mouth and nose, frowning, but she soon hid her true feelings. When she got used to it, she walked to the bed and sat down. Feng Qianmu was now sober on the bed. He opened his eyes and saw Nianxin in front of him. A trace of excitement showed up on his haggard face. "Nianxin, why are you here?" "I come to check on you. Why do you drink so much?" "Why am I drinking? Don't you know the reason?" "Don't mess up with yourself. I feel bad when I see you acting like this." "Nianxin, I love you. I love you so much. I have never loved a person so much in my life." "I am now your sister-in-law." "Why? Why did you choose my eldest brother but not me? In what way am I worse than him? It was me who fell in love with you first... Why... Why?" "Those days, I was angry with you, so I refused to see you when you came to the Dream Pavilion. Then the general came to apologize. He was your brother, so I had to meet him. However, he got drunk and pushed me on the bed... Then I lost my virginity..." Nianxin looked sad. "Fate doesn't bring us together. You should give up on me!" "Monster! I can't believe my righteous big brother did such a thing! You married him because of this?" "He was drunk, but he didn't mean it. You know... I worked in the brothel for some reason, but I refused to be contaminated by the evil influence. I made a living as a performer but not a prostitute. I think the virginity of a girl is the most important." "I can't believe that bastard did this to you. Nianxin, I don't care if you are a virgin or not. I love you." "Third Brother, but you and the general are brothers." "Don't call me Third Brother. Call me Mu." "I'm your sister-in-law now. We are over. Just forget about me." "No! How can I forget about you? Let's run away. We can find a place where no one knows us. We can start over." "What nonsense are you talking about? Do you want to abandon your family?" "Yes. I don't want my family anymore. I only want you." "My husband treats me very well. I will only be his wife in this life. Third Brother, don't think about it. If you say such words again, I will never come to see you." "Don't do that. Well, just tell me whether you love my brother or not. I want your true answer." "My husband and I are lifetime partners, which has nothing to do with love." "What about me?" "We have experienced great things together, but we can't be together in this life." "Then I won't make any trouble again. Nianxin, can you come to visit me more frequently?" "Okay. But I will not come here if you drink again." "Well, I will never touch alcohol as long as you come to see me." ... In the evening, Nianxin left Feng Qianmu's small courtyard before Feng Qianchu returned to the mansion. She thought his idea of eloping was so ridiculous. How could Feng Qianmu come up with such an idea? She finally entered the general's mansion, and she would not leave here easily. This little young master was so immature. It's unbelievable that he thought he could survive after leaving his family. However, he was indeed a useful piece for her game. After this day, Nianxin went to visit Feng Qianmu in her spare time every day after Feng Qianchu left home. The relationship between them was even much closer than it was before in the Dream Pavilion. This woman sometimes was innocent and sometimes was seductive. Feng Qianmu was in love with her more deeply after getting along with her day by day. He almost couldn't extricate himself from the affection. He felt that Nianxin also loved him. Feng Qianmu began to hate his eldest brother. He hated him for ruining his favorite woman, for holding her to sleep every night, and for calling her darling... … Time passed by slowly and quickly at the same time. A month passed in the blink of an eye. During this month, Nianxin's daily life was so wonderful. She always visited the old couple in her spare time. Whenever she served them hot tea or water, she always accidentally poured it on them. The old couple's wrinkled skin had been burned red for days. The flowers she picked for them attracted bees by accident and stung their faces. They couldn't meet anyone for a whole week. She cooked for them to show filial respect for the old couple. However, she always mistook the condiments. The most shocking situation was that she cooked croton nuts with other food—the two old men almost died of diarrhea. Of course, she would apologize sincerely every time she made a mistake. People felt pitiful when they saw her sincere attitude. Feng Qianchu treated her as his precious treasure. He was totally henpecked. Feng Qianwu tried not to show up recently, let alone paying attention to such trifles. As for the youngest son, Feng Qianmu, Nianxin was his darling, and he had forgotten about his parents since long ago. At first, the old couple still tried to educate Nianxin. They used all kinds of methods to teach her how to show filial respect for the elders. They wanted to show the dignity of parents-in-law. But now they just felt scared. This daughter-in-law was a peerless jinx! They wanted to live longer, so they stayed far away from her as possible as they could. The only rational one among the three brothers was the second son, Feng Qianwu. As a businessman, his temperament was relatively mature. Although he witnessed the stunning scene by the bathtub, he still kept a safe distance from Nianxin. However, the seed had been planted in his heart. How long could he stay calm?