Chapter 413 Lost?

Chapter 413: Lost?

"Mother, you... why are you back so late?" She'd come over the wall again.

Meng Xi stared, stunned, as Lady Yu vaulted over the wall.

Thanks to Luo Panpan's heartfelt words earlier that day, he'd tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He'd finally slipped out into the dark to sit in the courtyard and enjoy the cool air, without lighting the oil lamp to avoid attracting mosquitoes.

Lady Yu, usually so nimble, froze mid-step. "Xi Geer, why are you still up this late?"

"I can't sleep." Meng Xi couldn't help telling Lady Yu about the sisters he'd seen going at each other on the street the day before, though he kept Luo Panpan's words to himself.

"Mother, how could there be such an older sister?" Meng Xi asked, both puzzled and hurt. He was a sensitive kid.

Lady Yu gently stroked his loosely tied hair, her voice so gentle it practically oozed warmth. "The world is full of all kinds of people. Xi Geer, just take care of yourself. Don't ever assume people genuinely love you or care about you deep down."

Meng Xi looked like he only half got it. "But... Panpan is very good to me, and Mother is good to me too, and... Third Brother also takes me out to eat delicious things." He didn't want Third Brother to be like that awful sister. Meng Xi shuddered, picturing Meng Wan's face on that awful sister from yesterday, and goosebumps broke out all over his skin.

Lady Yu glanced at him and sighed softly. "Our Xi Geer is just too soft-hearted."

---

Xu Yun's old lady was turning seventy—a rare milestone, for sure. The Xu family threw a huge party, and every big-name family in Lin'an showed up. Xu Yun was sharp and good at playing the game, so even the great families gave him some face. Meng Wan had also received an invitation, delivered personally by Lady Xu. Since Xu Yun had gone out of his way for Meng Wan ever since he got to Lin'an, it was only right that he go.

"Let Xi Geer tag along with you to see how the other half lives. We're a small, humble family. If your dad and I went, we'd just be dead weight." Lady Yu said with understanding.

The Xu family had handled things properly, sending invitations to the entire Meng household. Meng's dad was floored by the invitation, only then realizing Meng Wan's "little business" might not be so little after all—even the Prefect's Lady had come calling personally. He and Meng Sheng were out during the day, and just hearing their eldest daughter-in-law describe it had them nervous and scared.

Since when was the Prefect's family so easy to cozy up to? They'd rather stay home and eat braised pork than go to some fancy mansion for abalone and bear paw. They therefore wholeheartedly agreed with Lady Yu's suggestion.

Meng Wan had always acted easygoing around the Meng family, so he didn't refuse when Lady Yu made the suggestion. "Very well. Xi Geer, come with me."

Xi Geer had barely come by to see Meng Wan these past few days, even though they lived right across from each other. During the day, he spent more time out with Luo Panpan, or had the other boy over to keep him company at home.

"Third Brother, is it all right for me to go with you like this?" He'd gone back to being all awkward and formal, like when he first met Meng Wan, head down, tugging at his clothes.

Regular folks made their summer clothes out of hemp—cool and breathable. Lady Yu treated Xi Geer well—she wore hemp at home herself but had a plain, light gauze outfit made for him, the best summer fabric you'd find in a middle-class home. But next to Meng Wan's silk brocade gauze, which he changed into fresh every day, it still didn't measure up.

Meng Wan's gauze robe was sheer and breathable, light and silky—looked super comfortable. Even without any other accessories, that one robe alone was worth more than their family spent in half a year.

Meng Wan gave him a once-over, then went inside and came back with a gold hairpin. He motioned for Meng Xi to duck his head, and as he pinned it in, said, "My clothes'd be way too big on you. Let's go grab something off the rack."

Meng Xi was a head shorter, barely five foot something. Leading him around felt like babysitting.

Feeling the pretty gold butterfly hairpin in his hair, Meng Xi's heart warmed a little more toward Meng Wan. He beamed and said, "Thanks, Third Brother."

At the clothing shop, Meng Wan bought Meng Xi a lotus-pink outfit off the rack. After he changed, they headed straight to the Xu place.

Xu Yun was with an important guest, but he didn't look happy. "Brother Luo, this is the last time. Don't put me in a spot like this again."

The Luo family's new clan head was Luo Zhan's second uncle. Back in the day, they wouldn't have given a fourth-rank prefect the time of day, but times had changed and they'd lost their clout. Uncle Luo said, forcing a polite tone, "The item is on the table, Lord Xu. We'll still be crossing paths in Lin'an, so let's keep things civil. The Luo family has no intention of giving offense."

With that, he slipped out without a sound. Xu Yun picked up the red cloth bundle on the table and let out a long sigh. What a damn mess. He didn't want to piss off the higher-ups or the lower ones, but in his position, staying out of it wasn't an option.

He pushed the door open and stepped onto the covered walkway, where his wife was just leading Song Tingzhou's husband toward the main courtyard.

"Meng Fulang, with so many guests today, please forgive us if we don't host you properly." Lady Xu said, all politeness.

Meng Wan nodded slightly and smiled. "Lady Wang is too kind. It's already too much trouble for you to come greet me yourself." He glanced at Lady Xu's face, saw the tiredness there, and figured the Xu household was slammed today. He said no more, only adding, "I'll take my younger brother to offer congratulations to the old lady. Please, don't let me keep you from your duties."

Meng Xi watched as Meng Wan moved through the crowd with ease, greeting the aristocratic ladies and officials' wives who approached him. His heart felt like it held a rabbit, thumping nervously. Those ladies and madams were dressed in silks and satins, adorned with pearls and jade, speaking in soft, gentle voices, walking with a swaying grace like willows in the breeze—utterly different from the neighbors he usually dealt with.

He stayed close behind Meng Wan, fingers nervously twisting the hem of his clothes, terrified of doing something wrong and embarrassing his third brother. But Meng Wan handled the scene with practiced ease, gliding through like a fish in water, as if he were a different person.

Meng Xi sat in his seat, dazed. The sense of wrongness he'd felt about Meng Wan before grew even stronger.

"Xi Geer! You came too?" Luo Panpan's delighted voice rang out.

"Panpan!" A surprised smile bloomed on Meng Xi's face. He didn't control his volume, drawing sidelong glances from the ladies and husbands at his table—this table seated Lin'an's most elite circle, mostly family members of officials.

Meng Xi lowered his head and mumbled, "Third Brother..."

Meng Wan gave him a reassuring look. "See a friend? Go on, then."

Luo Panpan's family wasn't part of the Luo main line and had no significant background, so they'd been seated at the tables under the eaves.

"Xi Geer, you look so nice in that outfit today! Oh, and that hairpin is gorgeous too!" It was a treasure Luo Panpan had never touched in his life; he'd only seen similar ones on the heads of the main branch's wives and husbands.

Meng Xi lowered his head and let him touch it freely. From this angle, he couldn't see the twisted, envious expression on his good friend's face.

The Xu family's banquet was run properly and conventionally—perhaps also because Meng Wan no longer dared to flaunt his wealth. The elderly lady, being near the end of her life, didn't come out to receive guests. Hosting outside were Lady Xu and her daughter-in-law and son-in-law.

"Meng Fulang." A lady seated not far from Meng Wan—only two tables between them, though one was inside and one outside—raised her wine cup, left her seat under the eaves, and stood beside Meng Wan, performing a stiff bow.

Meng Wan's eyes held a hint of confusion. He turned slightly to ask Lady Xu beside him, "Lady Wang, this is..."

Lady Xu quickly introduced her. "This is Bai, the Luo family's daughter-in-law. Her father once served as Assistant Prefect of Lin'an Prefecture, but has since been transferred elsewhere."

"Oh." Meng Wan showed a look of sudden understanding and finally deigned to rise and acknowledge Bai Fuling, who had been left standing with an ugly expression. "Lady Bai, is it? I've heard much about you."

Bai Fuling was a pampered eldest daughter of the Bai family. Whether before marriage or after, she had always been the center of attention. Never in her life had she been subjected to such cold treatment, left standing ignored.

Her face couldn't maintain its composure, and her expression turned sour. Harsh words were on the tip of her tongue, but she forced them back down, choking on them painfully. "Meng Fulang reminds me very much of an old acquaintance of mine. Why don't we speak somewhere more private?"

Bai Fuling wasn't suited to be a negotiator, but she was currently the only one in the Luo family who could plausibly approach and persuade Meng Wan. The Luo family had sent countless invitations under various pretexts, and every single one had been refused by Meng Wan without exception.

Meng Wan was too cautious, and he always had experts following and protecting him. The Luo family couldn't find an opportunity to make a move. Even after being acknowledged back into the Meng family, he remained protected like an impenetrable fortress.

"Lady Bai must be joking. I arrived in Lin'an not long ago; I doubt I share any connection with your old acquaintance."

The moment Meng Wan finished speaking, Bai Fuling couldn't hold back. "So you're refusing to come?" Her brows arched, displeasure written all over her face, and she instinctively wanted to expose Meng Wan's lowly origins in public.

"Miss, don't." The elderly maid beside her, Mama Li, pressed firmly on Bai Fuling's hand. "You must not act on impulse. We can't afford to offend them now." Her voice was very low, and she didn't dare raise her head to look at Meng Wan.

Back then, Meng Wan had been brought into the Luo family as part of Bai Fuling's dowry. At the time, he was just a timid, easily manipulated page—specifically chosen by Lady Bai to secure her daughter's position. Unfortunately, the problem was that he was too beautiful. He caught Luo Zhan's eye almost as soon as he entered the household.

It was one thing for the matriarch to offer a concubine to her son-in-law, but quite another when the man himself took a liking to someone. Besides, Bai Fuling had just been married; the young couple should have been in their honeymoon period. Luo Zhan had regretted the words the moment they slipped out, while Bai Fuling had wanted to kill Meng Wan on the spot.

It was all karma. If only they'd known, they could have sent him back to the Bai family and married him off. Mama Li had been startled by the murderous intent in Bai Fuling's eyes. Fearing that keeping Meng Wan close would turn him into an obsession in her mistress's heart, she'd had him sent far away.

Lady Xu stepped in to smooth things over. "Lady Bai, don't take offense. Meng Fulang told us as soon as he arrived that he can't hold his liquor. How about I drink this cup in his stead?"

She framed the conflict between the two as a matter of toasting, giving Bai Fuling an out. Otherwise, what advantage could she possibly gain against Meng Wan in this situation?

Bai Fuling's toast went undelivered. Lady Xu's words sounded pleasant enough, but she made no move to actually drink a cup herself. In the old days, she would have. But now...

Meng Wan sat back down with an enigmatic smile, picked up his own cup, raised his pale wrist, and took a light sip of tea, his gaze fixed on Bai Fuling. It wasn't a particularly polite look—and to Bai Fuling, it seemed positively mocking.

He was livid, his gaze cold enough to freeze instantly. Seeing this, Auntie Li quickly pulled her away, and the two didn't linger long at the banquet before hastily taking their leave.

Meng Wan lowered his head and took another sip of tea. The fear of being beaten to death when he woke up in the Luo household had long faded from his memory, but the helplessness of having his life decided by a single word still lingered.

As for Bai Fuling, even without the imperial decree from above, he would have his revenge on her.

The dishes at the Xu family banquet were some of the best Meng Wan had ever tasted. Among the cold dishes, the crystal trotter and jellyfish salad suited his taste best. The honey-glazed roast suckling pig was lean overall, and Meng Wan went back for a few more pieces.

Meng Xi was a bit stiff, only grabbing what was right in front of him. Meng Wan wasn't about to play host to him; his care for others was all surface-level, and he'd never really wait on anyone who wasn't family.

The vermilion table was covered in a moon-white brocade cloth with dark embroidered lotus vines, tassels hanging off the edges and swaying in the breeze. Meng Xi carefully placed his chopsticks back on the chopstick rest, saying, "Third Brother, I'm finished."

Meng Wan used his specially crafted small spoon to eat—Chu Ci had just made it for him, easier to use than a bracelet. He scooped up a saucy piece of crystal trotter with the spoon, waited a beat, and replied, "Go ahead."

Beside the table sat a small silver spittoon and a finger-citron-shaped incense box, but Meng Xi had no clue how to use those things. He wiped his mouth with his own handkerchief and immediately went off to find Luo Panpan, as if the air there was choking him.

Meng Wan paused mid-motion while ladling soup, and he clearly saw a faint pink tint at the bottom of the pure white jade spoon. He sneered inwardly, calmly set down his utensils, then casually rinsed his spoon in the silver spittoon, wiped it with a clean white silk handkerchief, discarded the cloth, and put the spoon away. "Everyone, enjoy your meal. I'm done."

He left his seat and walked to a quiet spot under the eaves where few people gathered. Someone came looking for him.

"Third Brother Meng." A shy, timid young man approached Meng Wan, a hint of urgency on his face. "Just now, Xi Ge'er and I went to wash our hands, and after coming out, he suddenly disappeared."

Meng Xi had a young attendant serving him—not someone bought from a broker, but a poor relative of the Meng family who had given their child to the household. That attendant was somewhat clumsy and not particularly sharp, but sufficient for fetching tea and water by Meng Xi's side.

"Disappeared? How could a grown person just vanish?"

Meng Wan followed Luo Panpan toward the back courtyard, and Luo Panpan explained, "There were too many people in the front yard. Xi Ge'er felt embarrassed, so we asked a Xu household servant and went to the back courtyard's washroom. I was waiting outside for him, but when he didn't come out for a long time, I went in to look—he wasn't there at all. I searched around and asked several passing cleaning maids, but none had noticed a young man in lotus-pink clothing."

"The Xu estate is large; he might have simply gotten lost. Xi Ge'er is old enough to find his own way back. Why don't you go wait at the banquet for now?" Meng Wan said gently.

Luo Panpan suddenly grew angry. "Xi Ge'er is your own brother! How can you not be the least bit worried that he's lost? You're truly..." The word "cold-blooded" died on his lips, because Meng Wan's expression had turned cold, his eyes carrying a detached, all-seeing indifference that made Luo Panpan instinctively shut his mouth.

"Go on." Meng Wan said flatly.

Luo Panpan lowered his head, trembling with fear, and replied, "Y-yes."