The wind is gentle and the fun is endless

He took the gift and entered the house. Huan Huan and Xu Qu bowed to Mr. Feng and Mrs. Feng. Mr. Feng's brows relaxed, and he stroked his beard and nodded with satisfaction. Mrs. Feng was smiling from ear to ear and said, "No need to be polite, no need to be polite. Sit down quickly."

Everyone sat down and drank a cup of tea. Then Mrs. Feng said she wanted to go to the kitchen. It turned out that Mrs. Feng had personally drawn up the menu early in the morning and prepared today's lunch with the cook.

Huanhuan and Xu Qu stayed in the house and talked. Master Feng politely asked Xu Qu whether his mother and sister were well, and what Huanhuan and Xu Qu had done recently. He then lectured them in the tone of an elder, saying that he hoped they would become a happy couple who respected each other as guests and treated each other as equals.

After a lecture, the new son-in-law made the scholar Mr. Feng very satisfied. Although this son-in-law from a wealthy family did not study or pursue fame, he was humble and polite when listening to his lecture, and his eyes were sincere, which made Mr. Feng feel that his son-in-law still respected him very much.

Mrs. Feng came back soon and invited everyone to the side room for dinner. Everyone stood up. Mrs. Feng and Mr. Feng walked in front, Feng Shunqing followed behind, supporting his pregnant wife, Mrs. Pei, and Xu Qu walked at the end.

Mrs. Feng was the first to return to the wing. She looked at the food on the table and nodded her head in satisfaction, but when her eyes fell on the chopsticks, she paused for a moment, thinking that something was missing in entertaining the son-in-law who was visiting for the first time. After a brief thought, Mrs. Feng asked the others to sit down first, and she went back to her bedroom to get the engraved silver chopsticks she had collected.

After Mr. Feng sat down, he looked at the empty seat on his right, which was obviously reserved for Mrs. Feng by the younger generation. He was happy today and wanted to invite his son-in-law, who was visiting for the first time, to sit next to him and accompany him with his son. So he pointed to the empty seat next to him and said to Xu Qu, "My dear son-in-law, come and sit next to me."

At this time, Xu Qu did not look at Master Feng, so he did not react. Master Feng thought he was embarrassed, so he said, "Don't be embarrassed. It's okay for your mother-in-law to sit opposite me. Come over here and sit down."

Huanhuan was a little depressed at this time, and said in a calm tone, "Father, your son-in-law has an ear disease and can't hear. He can only communicate with people by looking at the mouth shape."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Xu froze in place, with his hand that was about to greet Xu Qu hanging in the air; his brother Feng Shunqing, who had just helped his wife sit down and had not yet taken his hand off her arm, froze in place upon hearing this; his sister-in-law Pei Xiushan opened her eyes wide in surprise, covered her open mouth with both hands and let out a soft "ah"; Mrs. Feng had just stepped into the side room at this time, and the engraved silver chopsticks in her hand fell to the ground with a "clatter" upon hearing this.

As if sensing the strange atmosphere, Xu Qu looked around, and finally looked at Huan Huan, who nodded at Xu Qu and then slowly said, "Xu Qu ate poisonous food when he was eleven years old. Although he was saved after treatment, his ears were injured. After waking up, he could not hear. But this disease is acquired, so Xu Qu can read people's mouths and communicate with them by writing."

After saying that, he slowly called out to the family members who were standing there in a daze, "Okay, okay, Father, Mother, brother, and sister-in-law, let's eat." Out of courtesy, the Feng family put away their surprise and sat down. There was no previous joy and laughter, nor were there any polite exchanges of cups. The silent family finished this awkward meal with each of them having their own thoughts and no appetite.

After dinner, Mrs. Feng arranged for the newlyweds to rest in their original boudoir. Since Mrs. Pei, the young mistress of Mr. Feng, was pregnant, she was also arranged for her to go back to her room to rest. Mr. Feng, Mrs. Feng and Young Master Feng all returned to the hall at the same time, in tacit understanding.

In the hall, the three of them were silent at first. Mr. Feng sat in his chair in a daze, his hands on his knees, looking sad, totally unlike his previous energetic appearance. Mr. Feng sat in his seat with his head lowered, his hands clenched into fists, looking annoyed. Mrs. Feng kept frowning, holding a handkerchief tightly in her hand, wiping the wet corners of her eyes from time to time.

Soon, Mrs. Feng's low sobs broke the silence. Master Feng slammed his fist on the small square table next to the chair and said angrily, "No wonder Xu Qu didn't go to take the imperial examination. It turns out that he can't hear because of an ear disease. The Xu family concealed such a big thing. This is simply a marriage fraud."

Hearing her son's words, Mrs. Feng's sobs turned into sobs. She choked and sighed, "My dear daughter, I am sorry that I didn't care enough about you."

Mr. Feng was silent for a long while. When he heard what Mrs. Feng said, he raised his head and sighed. After a while, he said to his son Feng Shunqing, "When your little sister was eight years old, I transferred her to Weizhou in the south. I thought that this barren and barren land was full of smoke and no grass could grow. Your little sister was young and had just suffered a serious illness due to a cold. She was weak, so I sent your little sister to your grandparents to be raised. I only took your mother and you to take up the post."

Feng Shunqing said, "Yes, my son remembers."

Master Feng continued, "Who would have thought that this term would last for seven years? Your grandparents naturally treat your little sister very well, but your little sister is not with her parents after all, so I think she is not very comfortable. You will soon become a father, and you will understand in the future. Although your little sister has never mentioned it and never blamed us, as parents, we always feel regretful and guilty towards your little sister."

Feng Shunqing listened quietly, his fists still clenched tightly, and whispered, "It's all my fault that I didn't find out the situation of the Xu family well."

Mr. Feng shook his head and said, "We are not familiar with the Xu family's circle. The Xu family deliberately concealed the truth, so we can't find out the truth."

Mrs. Feng asked, "What should we do now? Should we divorce the Xu family?"

Mr. Feng replied, "Let's wait for Huanhuan to come out and ask her what she thinks before making a decision. There's no point in us sitting here doing nothing. Let's all go back to our rooms first."

Feng Shunqing returned to the room and found that his wife was not resting, but sitting waiting for him.

Feng Shunqing asked, "Why didn't Xiushan take a rest?"

Pei replied, "I am also worried about my younger sister and can't sleep. My husband, what is the result of the discussion between your parents-in-law and you?"

Feng Shunqing replied, "My mother wants to divorce, but my father said he wants to ask Huanhuan's opinion first."

Seeing Feng Shunqing frowning, Pei sighed and said, "I thought it was a good match, but who knew my brother-in-law has an ear disease and can't hear."

Feng Shunqing said ashamedly, "My father-in-law always praises me for being prudent, but I haven't even found out about my younger sister's future husband. As a brother, I really feel ashamed of my virtuous sister."

Pei said considerately, "This can't be said to be my husband's problem. Heyang and Shanghuai are not closely connected, so it's hard to find someone familiar to inquire about it. Moreover, the Xu family deliberately concealed it, and it is estimated that even Mr. Qi, who was invited by them to propose marriage, may not know about this situation. My husband doesn't have to think too much. I will find an opportunity to go back to my mother's house and see if I can find someone to carefully inquire about the situation of the Xu family. Even some tiny details may increase my sister's benefits in the Xu family."

Feng Shunqing hesitated and said, "You are about to give birth, and your mother's home is a long way away, is it possible?"

Pei said confidently, "Of course. My younger sister and I have always been like real sisters. Now, I should do my part in this matter."

In Huanhuan's boudoir, Huanhuan had not fallen asleep the whole time. She lay quietly on the bed with her eyes open, recalling in her mind all the things that happened in this house over the years. She also thought that after her nephew or niece was born, when he grew up, this house would probably be used by him, and her parents' home would no longer have a place for her married daughter.

There was a rustling sound on the couch beside him. It was Xu Qu who woke up after a short nap. Huanhuan poured Xu Qu a cup of tea like entertaining a guest. Xu Qu took a sip of the tea, and then he quietly looked around Huanhuan's boudoir. Although the room was small, it was bright and clean. There was a small bed in the room, a desk by the window, and a framed grape painting on the wall to the right of the desk. On one side of the painting were a few lines of small characters, with beautiful handwriting and a bit of free and easy style.

Xu Qu asked slowly, "Is this the Madam's boudoir?"

He slowly looked at Xu Qu and answered seriously, "Yes."

Xu Qu asked again, "Does Madam usually write or paint in her room?"

She said slowly, "Yes, but they are just simple and casual writing and drawing. I usually embroider in the house. Look, the embroidery frame over there is the one I often use." Then she pointed to the embroidery frame that had been put away and placed in a corner.

After that, Huanhuan thought for a while, and began to rummage through the boxes and cabinets to find a bunch of things, including framed calligraphy and paintings, and embroidery. Huanhuan showed these things to Xu Qu one by one, and while Xu Qu was looking at her, she introduced them to him.

"This is what I wrote when I was five years old. My father framed it to encourage me."

“This is a painting I collaborated with my brother on when I was seven.”

"This is the rose I embroidered when I was twelve years old under the guidance of my grandmother."

……

Xu Qu sometimes looked at Huanhuan seriously, and sometimes looked at Huanhuan's calligraphy, paintings and embroidery. Although he didn't say a word, he nodded frequently, and the approval on his face was beyond words and very sincere, which made Huanhuan very happy. She found that Xu Qu had this good point. Although he looked indifferent, after a few interactions, she found that he was actually polite and courteous to others, and he knew when to advance and retreat, which made people very willing to continue to interact with him.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiaoyu came to Huanhuan's room and asked Huanhuan to go to the front hall. Master Feng and the others had been waiting in the front hall for a long time.

Huanhuan and Xu Qu were led by Xiaoyu to the front hall, where they bowed to Mr. Feng and Mrs. Feng, and greeted Mr. Feng and Mrs. Pei.

Master Feng sighed imperceptibly and said slowly, "Little sister, according to the custom, you two should go to see the elders tomorrow, but suddenly the matter of your brother-in-law having an ear disease came up, so we have to think about everything carefully. Before your marriage, the Xu family never mentioned your brother-in-law's ear disease, and I didn't find out about it in advance, so you two got married without us knowing. Now that we know about your brother-in-law's ear disease, we are not afraid to say it in front of him. Little sister, if you have any concerns in your heart, we support you to divorce. If the Xu family disagrees, we are not afraid of a divorce letter. Our Feng family will always have a place for you."