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Fei Yanchen waved his hand, signaling Fei Dong not to come over and assist him.
He walked steadily ahead, although a closer look revealed that each step seemed a bit heavier, and his breath was somewhat unstable.
He spoke, “How has everything been in the village during these days? Nothing unwanted happened, I hope.”
Fei Dong understood that when he referred to “the village,” he meant the Shen family.
During this period, Fei Yanchen had gone out on tasks accompanied by Fei Xi and their attendants, while Fei Dong had been left behind to oversee things deep within the mountains.
But he also had a task at hand – to protect the Shen family and gather some information along the way.
Seeing Fei Yanchen inquire about the Shen family, Fei Dong hesitated before speaking.
When he didn’t answer for a while, Fei Yanchen frowned and urged, “Speak your mind.”
Fei Dong glanced at Fei Yanchen, then bowed and said, “There hasn’t been any danger, but today, it seems that some young masters of the Shen family… along with Miss Shen, are engaging in a marital appraisal.”
Fei Yanchen halted in his steps, turning to Fei Dong and asking, “A marital appraisal? What do you mean?”
Fei Dong didn’t dare to stand straight and continued in his bowing posture, saying, “It’s said that both young masters Shen have reached the appropriate age for a marital appraisal, and Miss Shen is also partaking in the appraisal today.”
After Fei Dong’s words, silence fell, there was an eerie stillness, and he remained in his bowed position, not daring to rise.
As Fei Yanchen heard this news, his gaze turned in the direction of the village below, his eyes seemingly ablaze with fury.
With a swift flick of his sleeve, he turned and headed down the mountain, his steps somewhat unsteady.
Fei Xi hurried to catch up, saying, “Prince, what about your injuries?”
……
At this moment, chaos reigned in the Shen family courtyard.
Upon seeing Shen Yu’an come out, Mao Dafu began clamoring to marry her, and the Shen family members had already started using brooms to chase him away.
Mao Dafu hurriedly ran outside the Shen family gate, raising one hand in front of him and shouting, “Don’t lay a hand on me!”
The Shen family members did indeed stop their actions.
Mao Dafu took a breath, refusing to give up, and said, “Let me tell you, my family is quite wealthy. If you marry that girl to me, your whole family can live a good life.”
Onlookers found this amusing, wondering why Mao Dafu didn’t take a closer look around him.
The Shen family’s courtyard was even more spacious and well-lit than Mao Dafu’s. Did it seem like they needed to rely on selling their daughter to have a good life?
Only Mao Dafu, being an outsider, didn’t know much about the situation. By now, everyone in Longxian Village knew that the Shen family was far from lacking money.
That’s why they were all eagerly sending their daughters for the marital appraisal – they just wanted to bask in some glory!
Shen Yu’an listened to Mao Dafu’s nonsensical words and couldn’t help but chuckle.
A burst of laughter echoed from outside the Shen family’s courtyard.
However, that laughter had an inexplicable chill to it, carrying an undertone of mockery and threat.
All eyes turned toward the source of the laughter, where a man dressed in black strode forward.
The man exuded an air of elegance and nobility, his entire figure shrouded in a black cloak that draped from his neck to his feet.
Fei Yanchen’s every step was deliberate and slow, each footfall producing a faint sound.
However, that sound seemed to pierce through people’s hearts, leaving them barely daring to breathe.
The Shen family members standing by the courtyard gate caught sight of Fei Yanchen and exclaimed in delight, “Ah Chen, you’re back!”
Fei Yanchen nodded in acknowledgment, but his temperament soured considerably when he looked at the plump and self-important Mao Dafu.
His icy gaze fixed on Mao Dafu, Fei Yanchen remarked, “You’re not worthy of marrying her.”
As Fei Yanchen approached, Mao Dafu instinctively took a few steps back to the side.
The man before him exuded an air of aristocracy that he couldn’t afford to provoke.
But despite Fei Yanchen’s words, Mao Dafu couldn’t help but grumble reluctantly, “Why am I not worthy? They came from famine-stricken times, and marrying her would be her good fortune.”
Fei Yanchen cast a cold glance at him and turned to Fei Xi, who had followed him, saying, “Take him away, help him regain his senses.”
Fei Xi promptly complied, then hoisted the significantly larger Mao Dafu over his shoulder and departed.
The onlookers watched as Mao Dafu was dragged away, no one wanting to or daring to intervene.
Yet, the glances cast at Fei Yanchen held not only curiosity but also an added layer of fear.
Who was this man, casually dragging a grown person away like that?
No one knew where Mao Dafu had been taken.
The girls who had come to be appraised by Shen Dalang and Shen Erlang had all gone through the process, and the situation seemed to have concluded.
Shen Yu’an was slightly more attuned to the scent of blood, and she observed Fei Yanchen’s tightly wrapped cloak before finally lifting her gaze to his expression.
His lips had a tinge of paleness, and tiny beads of sweat had formed on his forehead, yet he stubbornly clung to his cloak, refusing to loosen it even a bit.
Fei Yanchen sensed Shen Yu’an’s gaze upon him, filled with a sense of resentment, as if he were a forsaken young groom.
Unaware of the accusatory look in Fei Yanchen’s eyes, Shen Yu’an’s thoughts were consumed by the lingering scent of blood in the air.
She waved a hand towards Fei Yanchen and called out, “Come here.”
Fei Yanchen was momentarily puzzled by Shen Yu’an’s gesture.
Her gesture now resembled how his younger sister used to wave to call little animals over back when they were at the border.
Fei Yanchen’s gaze dimmed slightly, but he still walked over.
Each step he took was deliberate, as if he were afraid of making any sudden movements.
There were many people standing outside the Shen family courtyard, including some young ladies who had just come out and hadn’t left yet.
They gazed at Fei Yanchen’s tall and upright figure, their carefully chosen watermelon-red handkerchiefs crumpled in their hands due to the tension.
One of the young ladies couldn’t tear her eyes away from Fei Yanchen and boldly asked, “Miss Shen, who is he from your family? Why isn’t he participating in the matchmaking today?”
It’s only natural that everyone is drawn to attractive appearances – such sentiments are quite common.
However, the young lady who had just spoken was someone the Shen family had initially held in high regard.
They thought she had a lively and cheerful personality, similar to Shen Yuan’s, and believed that if she were to marry into the Shen family, she would get along well with everyone.
Little did they expect that as soon as she stepped out of the Shen family’s gate, she would boldly question why certain men weren’t participating in the matchmaking.
This attitude made Song Shi, Zhao Shi, and others feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Even the other onlookers found the young lady audacious for openly asking about the identity of the man.
Nevertheless, the curiosity about Fei Yanchen’s identity was shared by those watching from outside as well.
The aura of nobility emanating from the mysterious man was undeniable, and it seemed like he had a close relationship with the Shen family. Some even began to suspect that the Shen family’s prosperity might be attributed to their connection with him.
Seeing this well-dressed man, people began to wonder if the Shen family’s wealth was somehow tied to their association with him.
Shen Yu’an smiled and responded to the girl who had asked the question, “Those who are participating in the matchmaking naturally belong to the Shen Family.”
Fei Yanchen, standing by Shen Yuan’s side, felt a sense of joy hearing her words.
After Shen Yu’an’s reply, she turned back into the courtyard, and Fei Yanchen followed closely behind her.
The young lady who had asked the question was taken aback by Shen Yu’an’s response, not expecting such a direct reply that left her somewhat speechless.
By the time she had processed the situation, Shen Yu’an and Fei Yanchen had already entered the courtyard and were out of sight.
With the matchmaking process concluded, Song Shi and the others exchanged a few words with the visitors at the gate before bidding them farewell with smiles.