Chapter 5, Spicy Snails and Drinking Flower Wine

Thinking of this, Shen Yong felt somewhat dispirited. Looking at the sky, he noticed that the time seemed to be about right, so he reached out and patted Fang Yishao, saying, "Sigh, it's time. Let's go back and get some sleep."

Is it cold outside? Shen Yong asked

Hmm. Fang Yi nodded slightly.

Shen Yong was taken aback for a moment, then continued to suck on the snail, albeit at a slightly slower pace, and said, "Is your mother unhappy?"

Fang Yi looked at Shen Yong with some surprise and said, "You are quite understanding, aren't you"

But I cannot marry her, Shen Yong said, a man of stature and reputation, who would marry a girl like that? Isn't it just for fun on ordinary days?

My leg has gone numb, Fang Yishao said

As soon as Shen Yong finished speaking, Fang Yi took a ladle and swung a rolling pin at him

A spoonful of the way, "The surface is hard and tough, while inside it is all soft flesh, shrinking all its life and afraid to meet others. Once dragged out of its shell, it will have to pull out its intestines."

When Fang was pulled up by Shen Yong, he stomped his foot vigorously, and immediately felt a severe numbness in his leg, with a sharp pain shooting through his foot as soon as it touched the ground

After hearing this, Shen Yong suddenly felt a bit awkward. Finally, he pouted and said softly, "I was asking why your father was attracted to your mother."

Shen Yong lowered his head and noticed that the cushion under Fang was slightly thinner. She was not overweight, and there probably wasn't much flesh above her knees, so he reached out and pulled the cushion from beneath his own knees for her, saying, "This one is for you as well"

Um. Shen Yong ate the snails one by one, feeling both spicy and exhilarating.

After a while, Fang Yishao reached out and tugged at Shen Yong's sleeve.

Fang turned to him and said, "I hate it most when men visit prostitutes!"

Fang took a spoonful of the smilingly eaten snail meat that had been picked out and said, "Now it's good."

Shen Yong was also a bit tempted, took a sip of the wine, and found it to be excellent Huadiao, nodding in satisfaction. He then picked up a snail and took a bite... It was so spicy that it made his nose tingle, and he felt his tongue and cheeks go numb, with his mouth open, as if breathing fire from the scorching heat of the spice

Shen Yong raised his eyebrows and said, "Then I want to go to Piaoxiang Courtyard to see Qing'er tomorrow... Oh dear..."

Shen Yong tilted his head to look at Fang Yishao and said, "How come you little girl are not afraid of me at all?"

Fang nodded with a smile, and the two of them finished a large bowl of snails in one evening, also drinking two pots of wine, and then they fell asleep with their heads leaning against each other

Fang Yi continued to rest on Shen Yong's shoulder and said, "Lower it down."

Fang Yishao continued to lean against him to rest, huffily saying, "You are not allowed to go to the Fragrant Pavilion!"

Not long after, Fang Yishao ran in holding a food box, closed the door, and burrowed into the quilt, saying, "I'm freezing to death"

"Why are you carrying a rolling pin with you?" Shen Yong stared wide-eyed at the imposing Fang Yishao, covering his shoulder that had been hurt from the slap, "Didn’t you just say you wouldn’t hit me?!"

"Is it delicious?" Fang Yishao asked with a smile

Why is that?" Shen Yong asked, feeling somewhat puzzled—wasn't Old Master Fang a well-known wealthy man? Oh right, he must have been poor when he was young

"You wait in your room first." Fang Yishao turned and went to the kitchen. Shen Yong thought for a moment, estimating that he would soon have some wine to drink. Feeling pleased, he returned to his room, washed up, and then snuggled into bed to wait.

Fang squinted his eyes, reached out to poke Shen Yong's nose, and asked, "Do you want to sleep with your mother-in-law's sister?"

Fang shrugged and said, "Having three wives and four concubines is your business; if you marry one more, I will leave."

No. Fang Yishao shook his head and said, "If you go to solicit prostitution, I will kill you."

"I don't know, I just saw a large jar in the kitchen," Fang Yishao said, "I grabbed a handful to cook." As he spoke, he took out a wine jug, poured two cups of wine, handed one to Shen Yong, and kept one for himself. ... He reached for the chopsticks to pick up the snails ... ... After slurping a snail, he took a sip of wine, Fang Yishao stuck out his tongue, "Refreshing"

Fang raised an eyebrow and nodded, saying, "Hmm, this move is quite ruthless. I also tend to feel stifled, but my knee hurts."

After kneeling for a while, Shen Yong noticed that Fang Yishao was no longer leaning against him and seemed a bit angry, so he asked casually, "Ah, is your mother really a girl from the building?"

"No way." Fang Yishao said, "How can I let you kneel on the floor? We are both being punished the same way."

Fang Yishao smiled after listening and decided to honor her father-in-law well in the future

"Oh, why are you being so verbose?" Shen Yong rolled his eyes and said, "If I ask you to support, then just support, no need for so much nonsense."

Shen Yong thought for a moment and said, "I am not too hungry, but I do want to drink some alcohol"

Inside the ancestral hall

Shen Yibo walked over and saw several red marks scattered on the white cotton bed sheet. The elderly couple exchanged a glance, their eyes crinkling with laughter, completely unprepared for the pungent smell that wafted up when they leaned in to sniff it.

Shen Yong looked up and saw, "Hey, why are you glaring at me? I'm here kneeling with you. I just got beaten up a moment ago."

"Hmm, it's raining." Fang Yishao lay on the pillow, placed the food box on the bedside, and opened it. Shen Yong leaned over to take a look... A sneeze... Unable to hold back a sneeze, he asked, "What is so spicy?"

"Dying from illness, one naturally dies early when one falls ill, but one is quite happy before death"

My mother said, if ten men come to play with you, and only one of them is serious, then choose that serious one, regardless of how poor his conditions may be, at least his heart is genuine

Fang Yishao said lightly, "My mother was a courtesan in her youth. Many officials and wealthy men were enamored with her, but she refused to leave. Eventually, she ended up with my father, that poor wretch"

"Wow, how can you say such things? Don't you have any shame?" Shen Yong looked at him, "Women should not speak carelessly."

Hmm. Fang Yishao nodded.

"Snails?" Upon seeing it, Shen Yong noticed that the black snails were paired with red pickled peppers, creating a visually appealing contrast of red and black. They had a particularly spicy aroma, prompting him to ask, "Where did this come from?"

Fang Yishao glanced at the cushion, smiled with a raised corner of his mouth, reached out to take it, supported Shen Yong's shoulder to stand up, and placed it on the cushion where he had originally knelt. Kneeling down again felt much softer. Fang Yishao looked at Shen Yong with a smile, "Husband, you are truly kind."

Fang Yishao smiled and said, "My lord, you are truly foolish"

"Alright." Fang Yishao continued to smile at him, and Shen Yong felt that this girl really had some issues

Shen Yong instinctively twitched the corner of his mouth, feeling somewhat awkward, and the thought of going to the Fragrant Pavilion had already faded away

Fang Yi knelt on the cushion, feeling a soreness in his back and waist. He reached out to rub his lower back and cast a glance at Shen Yong beside him, seemingly displeased

Shen Yong touched his nose and asked, "Did your father remarry later?"

Fang shook her head and said, "She is very happy every day; when she is not happy, she eats this spicy snail."

Fang Yishao slightly frowned and said, "The dog does not have the final say!"

"Because I am not afraid of pain, but I am afraid of being bored," Shen Yong said nonchalantly, "My father is just looking for a way to vent his frustration."

Shen Yong smiled and said, "It is not a problem for a man to enjoy drinking; the key is to know one's own capacity for alcohol"

Shen Yong wrinkled his nose and said, "Forget it, after all, I am just going to drink flower wine, I have never truly engaged in prostitution."

I will see if there is a chance to have a grandchild. " Grandma Shen chuckled as she lifted the quilt, " Oh dear, look! "

"Sigh, what are you doing? Coming to look at the bed so early in the morning?" Shen Yibo frowned as he looked at his old partner.

Fang cast him a sidelong glance and said, "Who cares about your main wife or not? If you dare to find a second one, I will dare to find a second one too"

Shen Yong chuckled dryly, "What does kneeling for just two hours count for? In the past, I would kneel for an entire day."

"So do you like having multiple wives?" Shen Yong asked

Shen Yong ate for a while longer and asked, "Sigh, didn't you tell me before that you would hit your father if he visited a prostitute? If he is so devoted to your mother, why does he still go to drink with other women?"

Are you serious?" Shen Yong was astonished

She said that in this lifetime, she is just like this snail. Fang Yishao took a needle and helped Shen Yong pick out the snail meat that could not be sucked out because the tail was not cut open.

Fang Yishao paused for a moment, picking up the pickled chili from the bowl, and said, "He used to enjoy drinking flower wine before my mother passed away, but after her death, he only drank in silence"

Fang raised an eyebrow and looked at Shen Yong, asking, "Haven't you also taken a liking to Qing'er from the Fragrant Pavilion?"

"What is wrong with you again?" Shen Yong looked at him

The consequence for Fang Yishao and his companion was that both were punished by Shen Yibo to kneel in the ancestral hall for two hours. This was not due to Shen Yong's lack of progress or Fang Yishao's disregard for propriety, but rather because a servant had just reported that in Chef Jia's restaurant, a dozen customers had gotten into a fight over a dish prepared for the young mistress, injuring three people and damaging several tables and chairs, resulting in a demand for compensation of fifteen taels of silver. A waiter from the restaurant had just come to the government office to collect the debt, stating that if they did not pay, it would be acceptable for the young mistress to work as a cook, earning one tael a day, while the young master would wash the dishes.

"The combination of images and text is quite enjoyable." Shen Yong nodded

A spoonful of smiles, "Spicy snail, a big bowl filled to the brim with snails, the broth is red while the snails are black, plump pickled peppers round and full, each bite is spicy and flavorful."

He shrugged his shoulders and said, "There is no chance now, he thinks my mother is dying."

Fang raised her face to look at him and said, "In any case, if you want to take a concubine, you should first divorce me; I will remarry someone else"

Shen Yong frowned, "Don't talk nonsense, Qing'er is quite fond of me."

Fang Yishao looked at him and said, "My mother is a prostitute"

"Did you not cause a scene after drinking too much before..." Fang Yishao paused slightly at this point, then turned to look at Shen Yong, "Oh... I understand now, you are just pretending to be crazy under the influence of alcohol"

The next morning, the two of them hurried to the restaurant to "accept their punishment". Shen's mother quietly took Shen Yibo into their room and approached the bedside.

Shen Yong chuckled, "I will show you when I have time."

Fang Yi smiled broadly and immediately poured him a drink

Shen Yong sighed and said, "Let me tell you... don't say that I am a good person anymore, even the dogs in Dongxiang Mansion know that I am not a good person."

"Then how did your father come to notice your mother?" Shen Yong asked curiously

"Your father is quite strange." Shen Yong shook his head and asked, "How did your mother die?"

After listening, Shen Yibo agreed and asked Yi Shao to cook for half a month, while Shen Yong would wash the dishes, and they were not allowed to cause any more trouble. Shen Yibo also asked Fang Yi Shao to prepare all the dishes that had caused the incident for dinner, so he could taste them. As a result, he ended up overeating and went for a walk with his spouse to help digest.

Fang Yi leaned contentedly against his shoulder, thought for a moment, and smiled, saying, "My husband, I will not hit you anymore in the future"

Are you hungry? Fang Yishao asked him

Shen Yong curled the corner of his mouth and said, "You remember this, if I get drunk and go crazy again in the future, don't expose me, okay"

"What did you say?" Fang Yishao glared back fiercely... Shen Yong felt a bit of pain in the places he had just been hit, and with a helpless sigh, he said, "Sigh, forget it, you can lean on it."

Shen Yong took another sip of wine, turned his face to seriously pick a snail with a spoon, and asked, "Aren't you happy either?"

Shen Yong took a bite of the pickled chili that Fang had spooned to his mouth, and it made him gasp, "It's so spicy, so spicy... Your father deserves to suffer. Your mother didn't cherish him while she was alive, and now after her death, he wants to cling to life desperately."

Shen Yong stared at her, and saw Fang Yishao glancing sideways at her shoulder. After a while, Shen Yong finally asked, "What do you want to do?"

After hearing this, Shen Yong felt somewhat puzzled... Wasn't Old Master Fang living well? However, it seems he hasn't remarried; it is likely that Fang Yishao was referring to his father missing his mother so much that his heart has died, and thus he refuses to remarry

Shen Yong was puzzled, when Fang Yishao said, "My father also said that my mother played around with all the men, but only with him did she get serious, so naturally he has to marry her."

"How does this compare?" Shen Yong asked with a smile, "Is it that spicy too?"

Fang Yi chuckled and said, "Having three wives and four concubines is different from soliciting prostitutes"

Fang Yishao glanced at the rows of ancestral tablets enshrined in the Shen family ancestral hall and said, "That Qing'er also does not think highly of you"

Shen Yong frowned and said, "Which man does not have three wives and four concubines?"

Shen Yong was taken aback, somewhat at a loss, as if he had heard that Old Master Fang had lost his wife early in life... He did not expect that the mother of this talented young woman from the Fang family was actually a courtesan. After pondering for a long time, Shen Yong asked, "What does this have to do with me visiting a brothel?"

My mother loves to eat this the most said Fang Yishao with a smile

"You deserve to be beaten." Fang Yishao muttered softly, seeing Shen Yong kneeling there effortlessly, he asked, "Hey, aren't you tired?"

Why? Fang Yishao asked, "You made a mistake, isn't it enough to just give a beating? Why kneel in front of the ancestral hall?"

Shen Yong glanced at the ancestral hall and said, "Enough, don't worry. Didn't you see? Our Shen family members are all upright gentlemen, each only marrying one wife. I estimate that I won't have the chance to marry a second one before my father passes away; otherwise, I would definitely die before him"

"Why are you being unreasonable?" Shen Yong said angrily, "After I, Shen Yong, got married, I no longer dared to visit the Fragrant Pavilion. How embarrassing would it be if this got out?"

Why? Shen Yongdao said, "Which man with money and status in Dongxiang Mansion hasn't been there?"

... ...

"Why are you leaving?" Shen Yong asked in confusion, "Aren't you the legitimate wife? Shouldn't the legitimate wife be the one to drive away the concubine?"

So I said, you don't need to be afraid if I go to the Fragrant Pavilion