My Fulang is a Delicate Flower Chapter 18 Part 1

Chapter 18  

Ji Taoyu was wrapped in a layer of quilt, sitting on the bed, gently rolling a peeled boiled egg over his eyes in front of a bronze mirror.  

His heart was beating a little too fast, his emotions still unsettled, and he couldn’t help the occasional sniffle.  

Huang Manjing sat at the end of the bed peeling another egg, while Ji Yangzong paced back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back, his brows tightly furrowed. The room was quiet, yet the silence spoke louder than words.  

Ji Yangzong was seething with anger. He had long wanted to curse the ancestors of the You family for eighteen generations, but seeing his ger in such a state, he feared speaking would only upset him further.  

His gaze fell on a long black cloak hanging on the clothes rack, unfamiliar and unlike anything his ger would own.  

He was about to ask if Ji Taoyu had gone to see his grandfather, but before he could speak, his wife scolded him.  

"Stop pacing around like that, you’re making me dizzy."  

Huang Manjing finished peeling the egg, blew on it lightly, then went over to help Ji Taoyu roll it over his eyes, which were so red they looked like they might bleed. Her heart ached for him, and she couldn’t help but resent Ji Yangzong even more.  

Now wasn’t the time to say they never should have agreed to this marriage, so she could only vent her frustration by scolding Ji Yangzong over trivial matters.  

Ji Yangzong knew his wife was angry and didn’t argue back.  

He stepped forward, looking at Ji Taoyu’s pale face and bloodshot eyes, and said gently, "Your father will definitely get justice for you. That You Erlang is utterly shameless."  

"I’m not sad anymore."  

Ji Taoyu sniffled, trying to sound firm, but his voice still came out weak and trembling.  

Ji Yangzong didn’t reply, sighing quietly. This pitiful appearance hardly made his claim of not being sad convincing.  

Ji Taoyu knew his father didn’t believe him. He set the egg aside and took Ji Yangzong’s hand. "Dad, don’t go looking for trouble with the You family."  

"You’re still thinking about them? Those ungrateful white eyed wolves have completely forgotten about our family."  

"I’m not speaking up for them."  

Ji Taoyu said, "The Ji and You families have been rooted in this village for so many years. If you go and make a scene, people will laugh at us, but more importantly, both families will still have to live here afterward."  

"He… he’s attached himself to the Assistant Prefect now."  

Ji Yangzong’s hand froze, and a chill ran down his spine.  

He immediately understood Ji Taoyu’s meaning.  

His chest tightened with frustration, no wonder he’d been feeling uneasy lately. Something big was indeed happening.  

"Back then, his mother came to our house with such a pitiful act, saying that woman surnamed Wang from the ditch was gossiping about her everywhere, ruining her reputation. I thought that after marrying into the You family, she had served her husband dutifully and raised her children well, so it must’ve been Wang Juyan exaggerating and slandering her. But no, she was never innocent. Now You Lingxiao has learned to fawn on those above and trample those below, playing both sides."  

Ji Yangzong spoke with deep regret. A single misjudgment had nearly cost his ger his entire future.  

"All these years, that mother and son acted meek and pitiable in front of our family, pretending to be humble and respectful. Now that they’ve risen in the world, their true colors show in an instant."  

Even at his age, Ji Yangzong couldn’t help but marvel at human nature once again.  

Now the situation was thorny. Though he held the You family’s betrothal token, if things truly escalated, he might not gain much from it. The You family was cunning, they’d already attached themselves to the Assistant Prefect.  

Back when You Lingxiao passed the provincial exam, Ji Yangzong had even mentioned him to the Assistant Prefect. But to avoid suspicion since You Lingxiao was his future son-in-law, he hadn’t pushed for a recommendation.  

He hadn’t bothered much with it, never imagining You Lingxiao had secretly been in contact with the Xue family all along, and hiding it from him. If Ji Taoyu hadn’t run into him in the city today, who would’ve known his ambitions had grown so large?  

This Assistant Prefect Xue was no pushover. If he intended for his daughter to marry You Lingxiao, he wouldn’t be ignorant of whether You Lingxiao was already betrothed.  

It was this realization that sent a chill down Ji Yangzong’s spine.  

How could commoners contend with officials?  

If he made a scene now, he’d offend the Assistant Prefect, and in the future, he’d inevitably face petty retaliation, he might even lose his position as village head.  

If the Ji family consisted only of his own family, he might have fought the You family for the sake of pride. But the Ji family had several other branches. It hadn’t been easy to wrest the position of village head from the You family back then, it wasn’t his achievement alone but the result of the entire Ji clan’s efforts.  

How could he disregard the entire Ji clan just for the sake of his own family?  

Ji Yangzong hadn’t expected things to turn out like this. His heart was heavy with bitterness. "Xiao Taozi, your father has no power, I’ve wronged you."  

"Dad, what are you saying? I don’t feel wronged at all. It’s better to learn his true nature now than to regret it after stepping into that family."  

Ji Yangzong’s eyes turned cold as he looked at his ger’s reddened eyes. Though he was filled with resentment and wanted to make the You family suffer, he couldn’t sacrifice his only child for the sake of the clan’s interests, nor could he ruin the clan for the sake of his own pride.  

"Since things have come to this, we can only follow the You family’s wishes. We… will cancel the betrothal!"  

Ji Taoyu and Huang Manjing looked up at Ji Yangzong in shock.