Chapter 18 : Be careful, my lady. The carriage stool is too low, be careful not to fall

Huo Tan lifted his gaze to look at Cui Yunzhao.

The carriage was slightly dim, with only faint light streaming in through the windows.

The light cast delicate golden streaks on Cui Yunzhao’s pale cheeks, making her appear radiant.

Even without the most vibrant makeup, Huo Tan found Cui Yunzhao extremely beautiful.

She resembled a peony blooming in spring exquisite, flourishing, and enchanting, embodying the most beautiful image.

Huo Tan’s gaze followed the light on her cheeks and slowly fell to her lips. 

At this moment, he realized with some delay that Cui Yunzhao had rarely used bright red lipstick today. Her red lips were slightly curved, like flower petals resting on her lips, making it hard for anyone to look away.

It seemed that Cui Yunzhao also attached great importance to today’s return visit.

Huo Tan looked deeply at Cui Yunzhao and asked, “Are you afraid, my lady?”

Cui Yunzhao blinked.

Afraid?

No, she had thought she would have some indescribable complex emotions, whether joy or resentment, those feelings were intricate and unclear to her.

But she felt nothing even close to complex.

Right now, all she wanted was to change everything, to unearth the person who had harmed her, and then live comfortably.

Cui Yunzhao thought for a moment and said, “I’m not afraid rather, I’m a bit excited.”

Huo Tan chuckled lightly.

“You have a good sense of calm, my lady.”

“Since you’re not afraid, then I naturally am not afraid either.”

Huo Tan continued, “Your second uncle wants to gain a good reputation. There are only a few ways to do that, either by saying that I fell in love with you at first sight and used my power to marry you, or by claiming that my father and your father had an agreement to betroth us as children.”

“This way, both families’ reputations will look much better.”

Cui Yunzhao gave a slight smile, thinking that Huo Tan knew quite a lot about Cui Xu.

“I guess that your second uncle will choose the second option. He might even produce the tokens from back then, crying and telling me that he’s doing it for the Cui family’s reputation and for my own good.”

This was a tactic Cui Xu had used in her past life, which Cui Yunzhao knew very well.

If it weren’t for the recent gossip about their marriage in Bo Ling City, Cui Xu would probably be too lazy even to put on an act.

Now that Cui Xu was in charge of the Cui family, among his elder brother’s three children, one had already been married off to a lower-status family, while the other two, still young, were firmly under his control.

In the future, as long as Cui Yunting was rendered useless, the inheritance of the Cui family would still fall to his son.

This was truly a well-calculated plan.

In her previous life, Cui Yunzhao was well aware of these matters despite her inexperience, but in this life, she was not willing to make things too easy for her second uncle.

Cui Yunzhao looked at Huo Tan and asked, “My lord, do you care about reputation?”

Huo Tan suddenly smiled.

He pressed his thin lips together and had a carefree look on his face. “My lady, we haven’t known each other for long, but I don’t care about reputation at all.”

“In this day and age, reputation can’t be used to make a living.”

Cui Yunzhao squinted her eyes and smiled back, “That’s good.”

“Then I’ll know what to do.”

Huo Tan looked at Cui Yunzhao and asked, “You don’t like your second uncle?”

Cui Yunzhao nodded generously, “Indeed. If he dares to act, he should dare to face the consequences. He shouldn’t do something disgraceful and then try to gain a good reputation.”

“Where is there such a good thing?”

Huo Tan noticed that she was not disheartened but rather seemed eager. He laughed and said, “In that case, I’ll accompany you through this.”

As mentioned before, the marriage was somewhat mismatched, and the people of Bo Ling City were buzzing with discussions.

Thus, when their carriage emerged from Lotus Ouhua Lane, people recognized the driver, Uncle Ping, and word spread quickly. Curious onlookers gathered to see how this mismatched pair would handle their return visit.

Unfortunately, the carriage curtains were drawn, so the interior remained hidden.

Because of the excitement, even before the carriage arrived at Zhuangyuan Lane, Cui family members had already received the news.

When the carriage finally stopped in front of the Cui family’s red door, the second uncle and second aunt were already waiting at the entrance with smiles.

Although it was not proper for elders to wait for juniors, the second uncle was putting on a show today and naturally wanted to make it look good.

While the nearby families were trying not to be too obvious, Cui Yunzhao’s sharp eyes noticed that people were peeking out of their doors.

When the carriage came to a halt, Huo Tan turned to Cui Yunzhao and asked, “My lady, shall we get off?”

Cui Yunzhao nodded.

Huo Tan got out of the carriage directly and effortlessly. His tall and lithe figure landed firmly on the ground, and his imposing presence was truly impressive.

Although he was merely a youth not yet twenty, the decisive aura about him made him hard to underestimate.

Seeing this, the second master of the Cui family, Cui Xu, couldn’t help but feel displeased. Beside him, the second lady, He Lan Shi, dressed modestly and gently, covered her mouth with a handkerchief and frowned, trying hard not to step back.

He was truly a brutish man, with no sense of etiquette or decorum.

Huo Tan got out of the carriage and, without greeting them first, turned around and extended his hand towards the people inside the carriage.

“Be careful, my lady. The carriage stool is too low, be careful not to fall.” Before Cui Xu could speak, there was a quiet laugh from the alley.

Suppressing his displeasure, he took a step forward and smiled benevolently at the carriage.

“Jiao Jiao, you’ve returned early today.”

Cui Yunzhao lifted the carriage curtain, not looking at Cui Xu and his wife. Instead, she grasped Huo Tan’s strong, firm arm.

She carefully got out of the carriage and then stood obediently beside Huo Tan.

Once the couple was properly positioned, Cui Yunzhao led Huo Tan in greeting, “Greetings to Uncle and Aunt.”

This courteous demeanor left the eavesdropping servants somewhat disappointed, as they expected to see something more dramatic.

After all, the second miss of the Cui family was known for her virtue and grace, and even if she had grievances, she likely wouldn’t make a scene.

Cui Xu maintained his kind smile, watching the couple with satisfaction, while He Lan Shi stepped forward and took Cui Yunzhao’s hand.

“My dear, how have you been these past few days? I’ve been quite worried at home, unable to eat or sleep properly. Now that I see you two living harmoniously, I feel relieved.”

In terms of appearance, He Lan Shi seemed much more affable than Lin Xiu Gu. She had a kind and gentle face, and if someone were unfamiliar with her, they would consider the Cui family’s matriarch to be very kind-tempered.

But Cui Yunzhao knew He Lan Shi’s true nature well.

As He Lan Shi tightly gripped her hand, Cui Yunzhao tried to pull away but couldn’t. He Lan Shi’s thin, long fingers clamped onto Cui Yunzhao’s hand like a vise.

“Jiao Jiao, let’s hurry inside. The family is waiting for you.”

He Lan Shi exerted force, trying to pull Cui Yunzhao through the door. But Cui Yunzhao was no longer the person she once was.

In the past, she was young, shy, and accustomed to the teachings of the Cui family. She always kept to propriety and would reluctantly yield when He Lan Shi urged her.

He Lan Shi was used to treating her this way and never regarded her as significant.

However, today’s Cui Yunzhao stood her ground, unmoving.

He Lan Shi looked up in surprise and saw the faint smile on Cui Yunzhao’s face.

She seemed unchanged from before marriage, still maintaining the elegance of a Cui family daughter, but her words made He Lan Shi’s heart sink.

Her clear and melodious voice echoed through the alley, “Uncle, Aunt, my husband’s soldiers admire the Cui family’s reputation and wanted to come and personally congratulate us. After thinking it over, I decided to invite them to our home so that we can all enjoy a lively time together.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, the alley was filled with gasps.

He Lan Shi’s expression changed immediately. “What?”