Chapter 46: What's Wrong with Having Depth?

Ba Wanqing let out a soft “oh” and then stood quietly to the side, saying nothing more. Over all these years, apart from that first attempt at friendly conversation, she had never reached out again. Even Ye Kun found himself helpless—this was all just a misunderstanding!

His brother’s wife-to-be clearly had strong opinions about him.

It had been a long time since Ye Kun had really looked at his future sister-in-law. As a child, she had always struck him as a pretty girl, and now, that impression had only deepened. She used to wear her hair in a long braid, but now it was pulled back into a ponytail, lending her beauty a hint of decisiveness and competence. The features of a young woman were slowly taking shape.

His younger brother truly had a sharp eye—if you want a good wife, best to choose early. Otherwise, when the coming-of-age ceremony arrives, where would you go searching for a bride? You’d be left a bachelor for sure.

Ba Wanqing felt uneasy under Ye Kun’s gaze and couldn’t help but say, “Ye Kun, how can you face your brother with a conscience?”

What the—!

He’d only glanced at her, and it was already being elevated to a betrayal of his brother? Was it really that serious?

And besides, wasn’t his future sister-in-law a bit too bold, calling him by his given name without any honorifics?

“What did you just call me?” It looked like he’d have to help his brother teach her some manners; otherwise, she’d surely bully him in the future. Poor brother, so easily bewitched by her looks.

In Ye Kun’s experience, those who start off gentle often reveal another side after marriage.

His father often said, “Before we married, your mother was the perfect woman—so perfect, I nearly felt unworthy of her. But after marriage, I realized it was all a façade, just a ploy to ‘catch’ me. So your mother’s pretty sneaky. Just look at how marriage has gone—no dignity left for a man at all.”

Ba Wanqing turned her face away, unwilling to lose face.

“Wanqing, honestly, it’s all just a misunderstanding between us. In the end, you’ll be my brother’s wife. You don’t want him caught in the middle, do you?” Ye Kun genuinely wished to clear things up now—if not, the misunderstanding would only deepen, and his brother would be torn between them.

“Hmph, you’re the most outstanding person in West Xi County. You don’t care to speak to people like us.”

See? The misunderstanding had run deep. It was truly vexing.

“Wanqing, it’s really not as you think. Those things were all accidents.”

“Just like your brother said—you explain everything away as an accident. You clearly have the ability, so why pretend to be clueless? Don’t you know that makes people dislike you? What will you do when you can’t find a wife?”

Ye Kun nearly coughed up blood. He had no such abilities, but everyone treated him as some prodigy. Didn’t they know how exhausting and stressful that was?

“Wanqing, you’re right. But since we’ll be family, I won’t hide anything from you…” Ye Kun could see that if he denied it again, all hope was lost.

It seemed he would have to shoulder this undeserved reputation for excellence.

“All right, all right, Wanqing, you’re absolutely right.” As Ye Kun conceded, Ba Wanqing’s gaze softened, and her tone became gentler. “That’s better. If you’re outstanding, you should let it show. That’s the only way to attract girls.”

Ye Kun was being lectured by a ten-year-old girl…

“What should you call me, then?”

“Big Brother,” Ba Wanqing said solemnly, finally acknowledging his status.

Having cleared up the misunderstanding, Ye Kun was quite pleased. Still, he was curious. “Wanqing, what do you like about my brother?”

“I don’t know. He just feels like someone I can trust for life.” Ba Wanqing herself had a few private thoughts—better to marry someone she had feelings for than be wed to a stranger at her coming-of-age ceremony. In that, she and Ye Qin thought much the same.

Ye Kun smiled and nodded. “My brother truly is a man you can rely on for life.”

“He’s a boy,” she corrected.

He laughed. “Well, that hardly matters. The two of you will have children together one day.”

At these words, Ba Wanqing’s cheeks flushed, but she still advised, “Brother, you should prepare early too. Otherwise, you’ll end up marrying a stranger, and that won’t make you happy.”

“Should I introduce you to a few girls?”

“Forget it, you wouldn’t be interested.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. Am I such a superficial man? Looks matter little; what matters is a shared pursuit in life. After all, I do have some depth.”

Just as Ye Kun finished, he sensed something strange behind him. Turning, he saw Wu Chi regarding him with a surprised look, mumbling, “Back in the day, I too thought of myself as a man of depth—and my wife still left me…”

Ye Kun was speechless.

Teacher, please just go back to sleep and stop undermining your student.

Just then, a commotion rose at the entrance to the Training Institute.

Feng Dian and Yuan Zhen had arrived, their fathers following behind.

The two poor boys both wore red faces.

“Teacher Wu, we’re not late, are we?” Yuan Xinzhou asked with a forced, apologetic smile.

Yuan Zhen was puzzled. When he’d gone home yesterday, his father hadn’t acted like this at all. But after stepping out for a while that night, his father returned home and insisted he participate.

Yuan Xinzhou had gone to the county magistrate’s house the night before, and the topic had turned to their children. He’d even criticized the Training Institute’s teachers for putting the children at risk.

But Ba Tai had simply replied, “My daughter will be going.”

Yuan Xinzhou and Feng Chi immediately understood—there was more to this than met the eye. So, upon returning home, they wasted no time in preparing their sons.

“Just in time,” Wu Chi replied, swaying as he sat up, looking as if he might fall over at any moment. This left both fathers anxious—was this really all right?

Still, seeing the magistrate’s daughter present, along with the bald one from the Ye family, they felt reassured. Surely nothing too serious could go wrong.

These two cowards were a disgrace!

They had hoped their sons would make them proud, but now, it seemed not making a spectacle of themselves was the best they could hope for.

“Father, my days are numbered. I only wish to spend them in happiness with you,” Feng Dian cried, clutching his father’s leg as tears streamed down his face. Both Ye Kun and Ba Wanqing stared in disbelief—it was the first time they’d seen these two boys cry.

Feng Chi responded with a swift kick—utterly ruthless, as if he weren’t his own son.

“Days are numbered? If anyone’s days are numbered, it’s me!” Feng Chi was furious. How could his son be so timid? How could he ever make something of himself? Even the girls were braver, and here he was, a boy, crying his eyes out.

Yuan Zhen had thought to plead his case, but seeing Feng Dian’s pitiful state, he decided against it—no need to invite more trouble.

“Teacher Wu, I’ll leave my boy in your hands.”

“Please take care of them…” Both fathers were deeply worried, but for the sake of their children’s growth, this was a trial they had to face.