Chapter 77: Neighbor

Chapter 77 Neighbor

Zhou Yan usually didn’t stay in Osmanthus Lane. There was a back door in the courtyard, and after seeing A Yuan and her daughter home, he would leave.

But today, after encountering Wei Xun, he worried their fake marriage would be found out, so he stayed the night.

In the morning, Aunt Hui made breakfast. A Man hadn’t woken up yet, leaving only the three of them at the table.

"What happened yesterday? Don’t keep me in the dark."

Aunt Hui treated A Yuan like her own daughter, and she was more anxious than anyone when something happened to her.

A Yuan had been distracted all night. Hearing Aunt Hui’s words, she looked up.

"Auntie, Wei Xun came for me..."

"Wei Xun? How did he find us?"

Aunt Hui was so shocked she almost leapt to her feet, but Zhou Yan held her back.

"Mom, don’t freak out. A Yuan’s no longer part of the Marquis’s household. Even if Wei Xun tries to take her, I won’t let him."

"I’m not worried about A Yuan—it’s A Man! What if Wei Xun finds out A Man is his daughter? Wouldn’t he try to take her?"

A Man was such a sweet, lovable child. If she were taken back to the Marquis’s household, they would never see her again.

Aunt Hui’s fear mirrored A Yuan’s deepest dread. A Man was her life—she could never bear to be separated from her.

"Why don’t you two make your marriage official at the registry? Once it’s official, even if Wei Xun tries to take her, you can take him to court."

After racking her brain, this was the only solution Aunt Hui could come up with. With no other choice, A Yuan finally gave in.

"But what if Brother Yan wants to marry someone else later?"

She couldn’t be so selfish as to burden Zhou Yan because of herself.

"His future plans don’t matter compared to you and A Man. It’s settled—A Yan, go write the marriage certificate and take it to the registry."

Aunt Hui put her foot down. Zhou Yan didn’t argue and immediately got up to fetch paper, ink, and brush before even finishing breakfast.

A Yuan watched them hurry about, unsure whether her decision was right or wrong.

......

The southbound ship was ready to sail, and Wei Xun was set to depart that day. Just as they were about to leave, Zhang Feng reported back.

"My lord, Zhou Yan went to the registry today."

"What for?"

Wei Xun fastened his belt as he replied.

Chang Yuan swallowed hard, not daring to look at his master’s face.

"He... went to file marriage papers."

"They weren’t married?" Wei Xun suddenly raised his head, his dark eyes blazing.

Chang Yuan shook his head. "Zhang Feng couldn’t enter the registry, so he doesn’t know the details. He only saw Zhou Yan carrying a marriage document inside."

"To the registry!"

Wei Xun couldn’t wait a second longer—he had to grab onto any shred of hope.

"But sir, the boat’s about to leave..." Chang Yuan called after him.

"Make it wait."

In the prefect’s backyard, Song Xiuming had just finished receiving Zhou Yan and was still stunned.

Earlier, when Zhou Yan had come to fetch his wife, Song Xiuming had assumed they were already married. Who would have guessed they were shacking up without a proper wedding?

Thinking of A Yuan's identity, Song Xiuming’s opinion of her tanked.

"Your Honor, the Wei heir from the House of Anning is here."

"The Wei heir? Wei Xun? What’s he doing here?"

After a moment of stunned silence, Song Xiuming hurriedly stood up. Though he and Wei Xun held the same fourth-rank position, Wei Xun had the backing of the Marquis of Anning's household and was a favorite of the emperor—way above a lowly prefect like him. Moreover, as the Vice Governor of the Capital Prefecture, Wei Xun might be here to bust him for something.

"Lord Wei, to what do we owe the visit?"

Song Xiuming greeted him with a smile, but Wei Xun, in a hurry, cut to the chase.

"Did Zhou Yan just submit wedding papers?"

"What?"

Song Xiuming hadn't expected Wei Xun to come for Zhou Yan. Suppressing his shock, he carefully replied, "Did Zhou Yan cross you somehow?"

After all, Zhou Yan had once served as an official in the capital before getting the boot—perhaps Wei Xun was involved.

In those brief moments, Song Xiuming’s head spun with theories.

Wei Xun naturally wouldn't reveal A Yuan's identity and simply said, "The woman he's marrying is a runaway servant from my household. She committed a crime and fled. I need you to scrap their marriage paperwork."

"A runaway servant? So that's how it is..."

Song Xiuming suddenly understood, though he couldn't fathom what kind of runaway would make Wei Xun step in himself.

Still, it wasn't his concern. No matter how much he respected Zhou Yan, he wouldn’t cross Wei Xun. He readily agreed, "Rest assured, Lord Wei. I’ll pretend I never got the wedding papers today and won’t interfere in your affairs. As for the runaway servant, does Lord Wei need this official's help to catch her?"

"No need," Wei Xun refused. "The crime she committed is grave—I must haul her in myself."

"I see... Then I wish you swift success in bringing her back."

Once the matter of the wedding papers was settled, Wei Xun didn't linger. After he left, Song Xiuming suddenly called his butler.

"Did you see Zhou’s wife that day?"

Lin Ma and A Yuan had been locked up on the butler's orders, so he had naturally seen them.

"Reporting to Your Honor, she’s a real looker."

"Figures..."

Song Xiuming stroked his smooth chin. His gut told him this matter wasn't simple—given Wei Xun's attitude, this woman wasn’t just some runaway.

"But what did Lady Xie do to piss off Lord Wei?" the butler asked.

Song Xiuming shook his head, "Not exactly, I was just curious... Wait, what did you say her surname was?"

"...Xie. The girl's last name is Xie, with the given name Yuan."

"Xie Yuan!"

That was the name of Xie Zheng's sister!

Song Xiuming sprang to his feet, "What are the odds! It's the same name as Xie Zheng's sister!"

"Sir?"

The butler didn't know about Song Xiuming's arrangement with Xie Zheng and was startled by his sudden agitation, thinking something bad had happened.

Song Xiuming said urgently, "Find out who this Xie woman is immediately!"

Even if she wasn't Xie's sister, he couldn't let this slip by.

"Yes."

......

Since encountering Wei Xun, A Yuan hadn't been back to Jinxiu Workshop for several days, afraid she might bump into him again.

But this time, Wei Xun stuck to his promise and never came looking for her again.

After staying cooped up at home for days, A Yuan was getting antsy. The embroidery workshop was thriving, and Auntie Qian and Su Mengyun couldn't keep up with the work.

Moreover, A Man was going stir-crazy inside, begging to go outside every day.

"Miss, look what this is?" Su Mengyun entered carrying a basket, holding it up to show A Yuan.

"What is it?"

A Yuan was changing A Man's clothes. The little girl had played so much she was all sweaty from playing, and A Yuan worried she might catch a chill.

Su Mengyun came in and first gave A Man's cheek a little pat before uncovering the cloth over the basket. "Our new neighbors next door gave us a puppy. I thought A Man would like it, so I accepted it."

"A puppy?"

A Yuan looked down to see a tiny yellow puppy curled up in the basket, its eyes still squinted shut.

A Man, seeing something smaller than herself for the first time, fell in love right away.

"Woof woof."

Having heard dogs bark before, A Man pointed at it and told her mom excitedly.

A Yuan couldn't help laughing, holding her and correcting, "This is a puppy, not 'woof woof.'"

"Woof woof!"

The little one was stubborn and wouldn't listen to her mother. But she was just a child, so A Yuan didn't push it.

"Take a plate of osmanthus cakes to the neighbors next door. Since they just moved in and gave us a puppy, we should return the favor."

Su Mengyun nodded, "I'll do that now," she said.