"Wife, I want to eat meat” 《娘子，我要吃肉》Chapter 26

Wang Yun Feng and Han Yi Fan were not familiar with each other, one of them was an official of the Zhao imperial court, the other was an elder of the Zhao paternal grandmother’s family.

However, one in bureaucracy, one in the Jianghu, the people do not fight the officials does not fit them at all, in contrast, Han Yi Fan’s impact in the imperial court was clearly greater than an imperial censor, and he personally looked down upon Wang Yun Feng considerably. To Wang Yun Feng, a wife is his beloved, Han Yi Fan believed a wife is a chess piece on his chessboard, he would only control her, he would not lose his rationality for unreal love.

These two people’s approach to the nature of affections were different, making their conversations quite unpleasant.

After the two had gone through the motions, Wang Yun Feng got straight to the point: 

“Excuse me Lord Han, is my wife self-cultivating at your home?”

Han Yi Fan coldly said: “Shouldn’t the wife of a senior official Imperial Censor be socialising in the rear court of bureaucracy, rushing about for the future of her husband? If you ask me if my wife is here, I actually would reply, as to your wife, what business is that of mine.”

“I have information, after she fell off a cliff she came to Xian Yun manor. She is a daughter of the Xia family, as the Zhao paternal grandmother’s family, you would naturally provide her a place to stay in your home. Please Lord Han invite her out, I need to take her home.” An unyielding tone, and an overbearing attitude with undeniable evidence, making people feel entirely unwell. Han Yi Fan suddenly took two drags of his pipe, smiling yet not smiling he said: “You apparently am very confident with yourself, you think from a few words, I will let you take away my guest?” This could be considered as indirectly answering the question just now.

Wang Yun Feng expression was cold, beckoning Juan Shu to offer a list of gifts: “My family’s mistress has been harmed by villains, it has caused Lord Han a lot of trouble, please kindly accept this very small gift.

Han Yi Fan laughed, not looking at the gift lift at all, softly: “Lord Wang apparently you’ve misunderstood, I really do not want to stop you from seeing each other. Only, as the former owner of Xian Yun manor, I feel Lady Xia is much more useful at the manor than returning with you to Wang residence.”

Wang Yun Feng did not bat an eyelid.

Han Yi Fan continued: “Lord Wang does not seem to be aware of the changes in Lady Xia over these years. She has already turned over a new leaf long ago, she is no longer a woman of an influential family who stays in the bedroom and looks at men as the sky, rather than locking her up at home every day worrying about what this should be given to who, how much to give, how much she should smile, watch a few plays, trifle things like what tea to drink, why not let her spread her wings and travel, exert a bit of effort on behalf of Dayan’s landscape. Lord Wang doesn’t know, these several years, the glorious achievements of Lady Xia abroad, she really is a hero amongst women, a match for men. 

Occasionally coming ashore, when she travelled around the Jianghu she would also help me with many things behind the scene, apart from being a hero amongst women, she is also a very rare great general.”

Apparently Wang Yun Feng had never seriously pondered over why Xia Ling Mei was truly willing to drift about at sea for these seven years than come home. He knew she was outstanding in martial arts, and knew she was brave and scheming, what more he knew of her daring and competitive temper, but, even if she was more outstanding in martial arts, even greater abilities and wisdom, in the end she was still a woman, how could she gain the sincere admiration of that group of bloodthirsty men on the battlefield?

He had always thought, she was avoiding his infatuation, by no means blaming herself treating the sailors as brothers, shed blood not tear.

Smoke rising, Han Yi Fan expression was somewhat secretive, like a bloodthirsty devil’s bloody mouth wide open like a sacrificial bowl: “Right, she also has a nickname that has been spread around for a long time, when she was abroad it could strike terror in the pirates, children would weep.” He leaned closer, looking Wang Yun Feng in the face: “the pirates call her the sea witch.”

Wang Yun Feng only felt a cold air rise from the soles of his feet, sliding along the calf of his legs directly rising up, making him shiver coldly by surprise.

“This sort of girl, how can she follow you back to the depths of the home and act sentimental with you, what’s more let’s not talk about those treacherous minded and offering false friendships upper-class women pretending to be polite and compliant.”

Wang Yun Feng’s fist tightened under his sleeve: “Xia Ling Mei is very good at things she does, she has also received the teachings of the influential families since she was young, she never does anything wrong, even if the pirates are scared of her, when she returns to Beiding City, her temper will naturally dissipate, properly take on the traditional role of a good wife.”

“Stubborn.” Han Yi Fan criticised him, “you can even speak of ignorantly burying a precious pearl.”

Wang Yun Feng was angrier. As the other person was a relative in a roundabout way, he had originally decided to have a nice discussion, in the end the other person had approached with severity. An outsider, how can he interfere with the personal matters of a husband and wife!

“She’s a precious pearl, but she’s still a pearl which is enclosed in my Wang Yun Feng’s mouth and drawn in my heart, what business is it of yours!”

Han Yi Fan blinked blankly, he could have never imagined the majestic and grim faced imperial censor Lord Wang would actually blurt out such words of love, he had thought of him still as an immature boy. Again thinking of that crying like a child Zhuang Sheng, having a second thought he seemed to have thought of something, profoundly he said: “Lady Xia is in the rear courtyard, if you really can persuade her to go with you, I will naturally send people to accompany you two on your journey back.” Having spoken, he called for a guard to take Wang Yun Feng to Xia Ling Mei’s courtyard.

Xia Ling Mei had been bothered by Zhuang Sheng for half the night, she was sleepy and tired, she went to take a bath. The small leopard Xia Fen became the emissary protecting the flower, guarding in the middle of the courtyard, his pair of big eyes looking everywhere with great attention. He grew up on a ship, all year round the sea was misty at night, howling winds and torrential rain rolling up ocean waves, everywhere there were submerged rocks and sharks emerging from the sea, over time, Xia Fen had also learned the ability to look for things at night with the sailors, furthermore taking the place of guarding Xia Ling Mei was something he did every day, not thinking it was troublesome but rather believing it was right.

When Wang Yun Feng was only five or six li away, Xia Fen had already climbed up the courtyard wall, from above watching attentively that shadow which was coming closer and closer.

He naturally knew who it was. He still didn’t make a noise, only waiting for the other person to enter, suddenly jumping down onto the other person’s shoulders, clutching Wang Yun Feng’s ear wanting to bite down. The guard who had lead Wang Yun Feng here was exceptional in martial arts, with extremely quick skills he grabbed one of his arms wanting to pull him off.

Xia Fen was short and small, turning around under the guard’s armpit he struggled free, rumbling around the back and rolling to the front. Crouching on both legs, one hand touching the ground, the other hand secretly touching the back of his waist where he unexpectedly held the handle of a knife.

Wang Yun Feng returned to his senses, borrowing the weak light of the lantern he saw clearly the child in front of him, momentarily not knowing what expression to use to face him.

Quite a while after, he only hoarsely asked a sentence: “Is your mother here?”

Xia Fen wrinkled his nose, not hesitating at all in replying: “She’s not here.”

Wang Yun Feng looked towards the door of the courtyard, probably only seeing the little ray 

of light through the crack in the door.

Xia Fen saw his expression, standing up to block the other person’s line of sight.

Wang Yun Feng stepped to the left and he jumped to the left, Wang Yun Feng stepped to the right and he jumped to the right, looking exactly like a small leopard pouncing on a butterfly, only missing the swinging of his tail twice to reveal his childishness. Wang Yun Feng was interest rose, complex feelings within his heart, a bit of pain and tenderness 

showing in his eyes.

The small leopard was extremely sensitive, feeling something wrong with the atmosphere, immediately he stopped, his whole body bending forward prepared to rip apart the other person at any moment.

The adult and child stood together, anyone could see the little similarities of facial features. For example those pairs of pitch-black eyes, when confronting others, the pupils were a little bit lighter than the darkness of the underworld, resembling the white membrane of a black pearl, less mysterious and more cold and alienating; again for example their broad forehead, when their eyebrows locked together, the same serious expression carved deeply into the bones, extremely looking like the Wang family.

Wang Yun Feng with interest compared Xia Fen’s appearance with his own as a child, looking more and more he felt that apart from the other’s somewhat untameable wildness, extremely different from his own cultured and refined, their appearance was sixty, seventy percent the same, guessing in the dark it was eighty, ninety percent.

Xia Fen, maybe he really was his Wang Yun Feng’s child!

This news, when Xia Ling Mei had fallen off the cliff, at the alarmed cry of Xia Fen `mother`, it had always lingered in his mind. Happy, nervous, hesitant, restless, anxious, afraid and so such emotions nearly drowned him entirely as he was looking for her, this made his plans to win back Xia Ling Mei even more resolute.

Their child, this was simply the greatest gift the heavens have given Wang Yun Feng.

The small leopard on high alert became aware of the changes in the other person’s expression, subconsciously taking two steps back, again thinking it was wrong, he bared his teeth once more snarling twice towards the other person.

“Fen Er.” Unknowingly, Xia Ling Mei had already walked out of the house, long wet hair loosely draping over her shoulders, lazily leaning on the side of the door, beckoning Xia Fen over: “Return to your room, you should rest.”

Xia Fen like a wild animal scuttled in front of Xia Ling Mei, her hand patting him on his back: “Apart from when you’re practicing martial arts, normally don’t make yourself into a wild leopard.”

Xia Fen simply didn’t care about that, holding onto Xia Ling Mei’s clothes and swinging it to and fro: “I don’t like him.” Finger pointing at Wang Yun Feng.

Xia Ling Mei nodded indifferently: “I also don’t like him.”

“Ling Mei!” Wang Yun Feng approached the mother and son, he couldn’t help sweeping over the other person from top to bottom with his eyes once: “Are you injured?”

Xia Ling Mei gently said: “No, gentleman Zhuang Sheng saved me, I’m not injured in the slightest.”

Wang Yun Feng frowned, the thought in his head was unpleasant: “You blame me?”

Xia Ling Mei smiling: “What can I blame you for? You are a scholar, I am a martial artist, is it possible for me to still count on you to save me when I was falling off the cliff? I’m not demanding of people, further my temper is no longer rude and unreasonable, not understanding logic as before, I don’t blame you.” She lowered her head half way, lightly saying: “I’m used to it already, when I needed you the most, you’re not by my side.”

“Ling Mei.” Wang Yun Feng found it painful to understand, he couldn’t help holding onto her wrist, hesitating as he said: “Sorry.”

Xia Ling Mei let him hold her, the two people, Xia Ling Mei having just bathed was entirely from head to toe nice and warm, Wang Yun Feng had arrived looking for her after making a long and difficult journey worried for her safety, his body emitted the heavy night air, the ice-cold had long ago seeped into his bones.

One fierily warm, the other cold as ice.

“You don’t need to blame yourself, really.” Xia Ling Mei eased his anxiety, “that instant as I fell off the cliff I suddenly thought it through, I lead a wandering existence, it’s hard to be sincere with people, even more it’s difficult to have complete faith in any man. I always encounter danger easily, and I’m also used to the days of wandering at the edge of blades, I like being free and at leisure with no care.” She looked down, “You’re different, you’re formidable in the imperial court, your family is at Beiding city, your responsibility is the common people of Dayan. Your life shouldn’t be wasted on only me alone, I can’t bear the responsibility, I also cannot give up my days of leisure and follow you to socialise amongst the large and influential families…”

“Ling Mei,” Wang Yun Feng was terrified, undoubtedly a few days ago she had with great difficulty started to believe in him, they definitely already started to try and open their hearts, how has the heaven and earth changed in a split second?

Xia Ling Mei struggled to get her hand free, Wang Yun Feng panicked, he couldn’t help using both hands to firmly grab her.

“Let go!” She said.