Chapter 205: Mid-Autumn Festival

Meng Wan smiled faintly, calmly setting down the plate of mooncakes. "I guess I'm just not worldly enough. I never realized the Vice-Prefect's residence had such strict rules—that a mere concubine would command such a grand display."

Yue Hong was furious. Servants like her always hoped their masters would rise in status. Their master's husband was gentle-natured, so the two concubines began vying for face and favor.

Concubine Lan, being older, was less favored than the younger Concubine Fang. Now that she was pregnant again, she was determined to outshine Concubine Fang. Seeing Concubine Fang eating bird's nest in the courtyard early in the morning, Concubine Lan thought, why shouldn't she have some too?

"You little brat, how dare you speak like that! Our Concubine Lan is the concubine of the Vice-Prefect. The Vice-Prefect could crush your husband's family with a flick of his finger!"

Meng Wan could barely hold back his laughter. He stared in amazement at this young girl, utterly baffled as to where she found such audacity. Even if he were just a merchant's husband, being able to come to the Vice-Prefect's house meant he had some standing. He might not be favored by the Vice-Prefect and his husband, but he certainly wouldn't fear a concubine's maid, would he?

"Yue Hong! What nonsense are you spouting!" Du Fulang had been properly entertaining Meng Wan when his mother-in-law suddenly called him away with some urgent matter. He had to apologize to Meng Wan and go with his son to pay respects to his mother-in-law.

But it turned out to be the same old story—she told him to take good care of Concubine Lan, who was pregnant. This was clearly meant to keep him from stirring up trouble! If he were that kind of person, he wouldn't have let both concubines bear children safely.

Du Fulang had endured much since marrying into the Du family, suffered hardships, and even had a son. Yet, even after all that, he was still being warned by his mother-in-law. Frustrated, he explained that Assistant Prefect Song's husband was visiting, and only then was he allowed to leave.

But as he approached the small courtyard where the kitchen was, he heard the maid's rude words. Furious and scared, he slapped the woman in the ginger-yellow skirt standing beside him before she could react.

"How dare you strike me!" she cried in disbelief. She lightly cradled her small baby bump—this was clearly Concubine Lan, Yue Hong's mistress.

"Should a husband need permission to strike a concubine?" Meng Wan asked from the side, puzzled.

"Who do you think you are?" Concubine Lan received another slap. She had never suffered such humiliation since entering the Du residence. Tears streamed down her face. "The old madam just told you to treat me well, and you slap me in public! I... I will go and complain to her!"

She ran off crying, and Yue Hong moved to follow. Du Fulang commanded, "Seize this maid! Bring a few servants to this courtyard and beat her!"

After giving the order, Du Fulang immediately apologized to Meng Wan. "Meng Fulang, I am truly sorry. The concubine and maids in my household have no manners. I'm sorry you had to see that. Another day, my husband and I will personally visit to apologize."

Meng Wan leisurely wrapped the cooled mooncakes in oil paper. "No need to come and apologize. It has nothing to do with you anyway. It's a minor matter—don't take it to heart. But since I have been here for a long time, it would be impolite not to pay respects to the old madam. I will go now and greet her."

When Meng Wan was agreeable, he was genuinely agreeable. But being scolded for no reason—he wasn't about to let it slide.

What he said to Du's old madam, nobody knew. In any case, the pregnant Concubine Lan was confined to her small courtyard and forbidden to wander about. Yue Hong, loyal to Concubine Lan, was confined along with her.

When he returned home, he told Song Tingzhou about the incident as a joke, but it unexpectedly put him on guard.

Song Tingzhou thought to himself: In Heshan, his darling Wan'er was practically known to everyone, treated like a local celebrity, which had made him forget how many people once desired his beauty.

"Tomorrow, go to the government office."

Meng Wan: "?"

He asked, puzzled, "What would I do at the government office? Can't Xue Sheng or Tang Jinshuang handle any procedures?"

"Ahem," Song Tingzhou feigned seriousness as he said something quite absurd. "I noticed the Judge handling criminal cases leaves the office every day. His wife often waits for him at the entrance, sometimes bringing him snacks..."

Meng Wan could only agree readily, seeing his husband's serious face.

Fine, he'd go pick him up. Song Tingzhou had done it plenty of times anyway; he was used to it.

The next day, before leaving, Song Tingzhou even specified the clothes Meng Wan should wear, of course in that casual tone: "That vermillion silk robe you wore at our housewarming banquet seems nice."

Meng Wan, still in bed, couldn't hold back and threw a pillow out from behind the curtains.

Song Tingzhou caught it steadily. "Wan'er looks good in anything. I spoke too much. Don't be angry."

After Song Tingzhou finally left, Meng Wan tossed and turned in bed, then got up, found the vermillion gauze robe, and hung it by the screen. In the afternoon, he changed into it and went to the government office entrance to pick up Song Tingzhou.

Observing from the entrance for a while, he saw a young woman, perhaps only sixteen or seventeen, who seemed newly married. She was pretty, dressed in a light blue cotton ruqun with embroidered flowers, a vegetable basket on her left arm.

Although it was the Mid-Autumn Festival, it was still hot in Lingnan. In the north, they would be wearing long-sleeved jackets, but here it was still steaming hot like a steamer.

Two weeping willows flanked the government office entrance, each casting a small patch of shade. As it happened, Meng Wan and that young woman each stood under one.

Meng Wan himself was striking, and wearing a thin vermillion jacket only added to his presence.

He was twenty-five now. Time had not diminished his looks; instead, it had transformed him from a beautiful, well-formed bud into a blazing, beautiful flower. Dazzling and gorgeous, his face under the red robe was breathtakingly stunning.

The young woman glanced over casually, then froze in awe.

She was too young, lacking self-control, her gaze so direct that it was impossible to pretend not to notice. Meng Wan turned sideways to look at her and smiled. "Waiting for someone?"

The woman put down her basket, brushed the wrinkles from her sleeves, and stammered, "Ah... yes, I... I'm waiting for someone."

Seeing that Meng Wan didn't continue speaking but kept looking towards the building, a flicker of disappointment crossed her face.

At around 2:30 PM, officials and clerks began to leave the government office one after another. Because of the Mid-Autumn Festival, they only needed to work half a day. Among them, some recognized the young woman and called out to her as they passed. But most were sneaking glances at Meng Wan.

"Husband," Meng Wan called out as he saw Song Tingzhou walking unhurriedly out, with four or five men talking to him.

The officials and clerks who had already left slowed down when they heard Meng Wan's address, all curious to see whose husband he was.

Song Tingzhou immediately spotted Meng Wan smiling at him under the tree, and his pace quickened, but soon returned to normal. When his colleagues inquired, he nonchalantly introduced, "This is my husband, we've been married for eight years."

"Lord Song is truly blessed!"

"Your husband is stunning—a match made in heaven!"

Vice-Prefect Du was a bit stunned. No wonder his concubine had been jealous and misunderstood that day. Lord Song's husband was likely unmatched in all of Xiwu Prefecture.

Song Tingzhou walked up to Meng Wan and casually took his hand. "My husband is fond of running small businesses. If you see him in the city, I'd appreciate it if you could extend him some courtesy as a favor to me, a colleague. I'll definitely host a feast to thank you."

Whatever they thought privately, the officials present all offered polite words: "Of course, of course. Lord Song is too kind."

Meng Wan remained silent throughout. As they passed under another willow tree, he asked the woman who had just picked up her husband, "May I ask if your maiden name is Tang?"

The Judge was also a young man, a juren scholar. According to Song Tingzhou, his family were local gentry.

He looked at Meng Wan in surprise, about to say something, but his usually gentle newlywed wife suddenly shouted in denial, "No! My surname is not Tang!"

Meng Wan had only been a little suspicious, but her reaction made him even more suspicious.

He went home with Song Tingzhou, feeling puzzled. On the way, Song Tingzhou had expected him to tease him, but instead Meng Wan suddenly asked, "Don't you think the Judge's wife looks a bit like Tang Jinshuang?"

People usually just comment on similarities in passing, hardly ever thinking they could be long-lost relatives. But with Tang Jinshuang, it was different—he and He Niang and others truly had missing family members, all of them young.

If the Judge's wife was sixteen, then three or four years ago she'd be twelve or thirteen—exactly the age of those children who were taken.

But if she was one of those kids, how could she have gotten married so easily?

He hadn't lied to Tang Jinshuang when he promised to help find them. Song Tingzhou had people search every dark alley in Xiwu, but they didn't find a single child. Had he been looking in the wrong place? Or had those children found another way out, been rescued, and Brother Hei and Chen Chong were just feeding He Niang and the others false info to trap them?

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Once home, he left Song Tingzhou and headed straight to Tang Jinshuang's room.

Song Tingzhou just shook his head with a wry smile, changed into casual clothes, and went to Chang Jinhua's courtyard to play with A Yan.

"Don't get your hopes up. It's just a guess. If it's not true, I don't want you to be crushed," Meng Wan advised the visibly agitated Tang Jinshuang.

Tang Jinshuang was speechless, trembling as she took Meng Wan's hand, tears streaming uncontrollably. After a long while, she finally managed to say, "I... I know."

Meng Wan patted her on the shoulder. "Alright, go wash your face quickly; we'll sit down to eat with Huang Ye, Xue Sheng, and the others soon."

Today was Mid-Autumn Festival, and Chang Jinhua was cooking personally, with Meng Wan, Huang Ye, and the kitchen maid assisting. Simple but fragrant home-cooked dishes were brought to the table one after another.

Song Tingzhou fastened a bib around A Yan's neck to catch his drool.

"Daddy?" A Yan tugged at the bib under his chin. "Why is this bib so huge?" It was much larger than the one he usually wore, covering even his belly and thighs.

Chu Ci, sitting nearby, looked over, wiped the drool off A Yan's chin with his own handkerchief, and gestured simply.

A Yan got it. "Ooh, Grandma made so many yummy things today! A Yan will eat slowly!"

Song Tingzhou asked, surprised, "You can understand your brother's gestures?"

A Yan was very smug. "A Yan is clever!"

"Of course A Yan is clever. Here, try half of this fruit-filled mooncake Daddy made?" Meng Wan brought out two plates of mooncakes. One plate had the nut-filled and five-nut-filled mooncakes that Chang Jinhua liked, and the other had the date-paste and fruit-filled ones that A Yan and Chu Ci liked. He and Song Tingzhou weren't picky about either.

A Yan clapped so hard his little hands turned red. "Time to eat mooncakes!"

Meng Wan placed the mooncake beside him. "Now remember, you can't eat it yet."

A Yan nodded obediently. "A Yan knows. We have to wait for Grandma to come eat with us."

Meng Wan stroked his head, smiling warmly. "Good boy, A Yan."

They ate at the stone table in the courtyard, with dishes covering the entire table. Only after Chang Jinhua sat down did they begin to eat.

Chang Jinhua gave Chu Ci and A Yan each a piece of the tender braised pork elbow. "Try Grandma's cooking—see if it's good."

A Yan ate without lifting his head, mumbling, "Yummy yummy."

Chu Ci quietly refilled his rice several times.

Everyone ate until they were full and content. The servants weren't attending them; instead, they had two tables of their own. Meng Wan asked Song Tingzhou to move a few bamboo chairs into the courtyard, and everyone sat drinking tea and admiring the moon.

Once Meng Wan had recovered from his meal, he rubbed A Yan's fluffy head in his arms. "Daddy has something nice for you and your brother—one each. Do you want it?"

Chu Ci sat silently, pointing at himself. "There's one for me too?"

Meng Wan, too lazy to move after eating, sent Song Tingzhou to fetch the items from the room. After a while, Song Tingzhou returned with two small huanghuali wood boxes, each slightly larger than an adult's fist. Chu Ci could hold his, but A Yan's had to be placed on the table for him.

A Yan excitedly jumped out of Meng Wan's arms and had Song Tingzhou open the box, revealing a milky-white jade bracelet, smooth and glossy like solidified lard.

"So beautiful!"

Chu Ci opened his own box and found an identical bracelet, but two sizes larger.

Song Tingzhou slipped the bracelet onto A Yan first, then, seeing Chu Ci not moving, helped him put his on too.

Seeing how much they liked them, Meng Wan was delighted. "This material was gifted by a noble. I was planning to give it to you on A Yan's birthday, but it's been so annoyingly hot recently. Wear them to stay entertained."

"So comfortable~" A Yan, who already loved showing off, adored the bracelet and couldn't stop looking at it.

"Xiao Ci, do you like it?" Meng Wan asked Chu Ci.

Chu Ci didn't answer for a long time. Only when Meng Wan asked again did he touch the cool, smooth mutton-fat jade bracelet on his left wrist and nod firmly.

When he looked up, his eyes were red. Meng Wan added emotionally, "As long as you like it. You may not be my flesh and blood, but you're in my heart."

Chu Ci, who had been holding back tears, finally broke down. He leaned into Meng Wan and wept silently.

Meng Wan patted his shoulder to comfort him. "There, there. You're a little man now."