Chapter 39: Frivolous

The next day.

The two sisters rose early to dress and groom themselves.

They said they must not cause Chen Fan to lose face.

However, Chen Fan knew that no matter how they dressed up, as long as they were with him, the Chen family would never accept them.

After being meticulously adorned, the two sisters appeared even more stunning and captivating.

Seeing this, Chen Fan's heart instantly stirred with restlessness.

He intended to first converse with the two sisters about their life ideals and aspirations.

Yet, this time, the two sisters unexpectedly refused Chen Fan.

"Husband, this is the first time the two of us are attending Grandmother’s birthday celebration; we must go over early to receive the guests."

"If we arrive late, others will say we lack proper manners."

The sisters insisted firmly.

Ultimately, Chen Fan had no choice but to give up.

"Husband, we’ve learned all the new postures you taught us last time, and tonight we will surely serve you well."

Seeing Chen Fan's dejected expression, the two sisters added.

Hearing this, a smile immediately broke across the corner of Chen Fan's mouth.

He began to look forward to the descent of night.

Soon, the three of them set out.

The place where Chen Fan lived was not very far from the Chen family's residence.

Before long, they arrived at the Chen family courtyard.

Though called a large courtyard, it was actually just a few rooms with a yard outside.

Naturally, this dwelling could not compare to a luxurious mansion, but in the countryside, such a house could already be considered opulent.

When Chen Fan and his companions arrived, many of the fellow villagers had already gathered.

At this moment, Chen Fan's eldest uncle, Chen An, and eldest aunt, Jiang Hongying, were already standing at the entrance with beaming smiles, welcoming the guests who came to offer birthday greetings.

The reason they were so joyous was that they could reap a multitude of gifts by taking advantage of Grandmother's birthday banquet.

They had even issued orders to the tenant farmers of the Chen family that each household must send at least fifty catties of grain, or else the following year's land rent would be doubled.

When the eldest uncle and eldest aunt saw the three of them arrive, the smiles on their faces instantly vanished.

"Greetings, Eldest Uncle, Eldest Aunt."

Displaying impeccable etiquette, the sisters stepped forward and bowed.

Chen Fan, however, stood coldly to the side, showing not the slightest intention of paying respects.

"Hmph."

"Dressed up so seductively, looking for all the world like indecent women. What do you expect outsiders to think of our Chen family?"

The eldest uncle said with a look of displeasure.

Although these words were addressed to the two sisters, they were intentionally aimed at Chen Fan.

"Indeed, birds of a feather flock together; what kind of husband you have determines what kind of wife you'll be."

"I reckon you two have nothing to eat at home, so you've come here to freeload a meal!"

At this time, the eldest aunt also chimed in with a sarcastic and spiteful tone.

Hearing these remarks, the two sisters felt a deep sense of grievance.

Despite dressing up with such care, in the mouths of their eldest uncle and eldest aunt, they were branded as indecent women.

"What business is it of yours how my wife chooses to dress?"

Just as the two sisters felt too wronged to speak, Chen Fan stepped directly in front of them, facing the eldest uncle and eldest aunt head-on.

Looking at Chen Fan's back, the sisters felt a deep sense of security.

Hearing Chen Fan's retort, the eldest uncle and eldest aunt flared with anger, especially since there were still many guests around.

Being talked back to by a junior in front of so many guests made the two of them feel they had lost all their dignity.

Just as the pair wanted to open their mouths in a furious reprimand, Chen Fan spoke first.

"Eldest Uncle, are you perhaps quite familiar with indecent women? Word has it that when you were young, you frequently visited such improper places."

"Could it be that my eldest aunt is someone you found from one of those establishments?"

Chen Fan asked with a perfectly straight face.

At this moment, the surrounding people could not help but smile, not expecting Chen Fan to dredge up such ancient history.

Meanwhile, the two sisters also wore expressions of astonishment.

"You... stop spouting nonsense! When... when have I ever been to such a place?"

The eldest uncle immediately refuted.

Yet his tone carried a hint of a guilty conscience.

By now, the eldest aunt was so enraged that the fat on her face was trembling.

Whether out of shame turning into anger or genuine fury, she snapped.

"You... you're the indecent one! I... I'll fight you to the death!"

With that, the eldest aunt lunged toward Chen Fan like a mad cow.

Seeing this, a disdainful smile played at the corner of Chen Fan's mouth.

"What are you doing? Stop this instant!"

At that very moment, a slightly authoritative voice rang out from within.

Hearing this voice, the eldest aunt halted in her tracks, though her eyes still glared fiercely at Chen Fan with lingering fury.

Then, Chen Hao was seen supporting Grandmother as they walked out.

"What is going on here? Today is my seventieth birthday, and yet you act like this—aren't you afraid of making us a laughingstock?"

Grandmother said angrily.

"Mother, Chen Fan just now... he actually cursed us."

The eldest uncle and eldest aunt hurried forward to report.

The two originally wanted to voice what Chen Fan had just said, but as more and more onlookers gathered, they felt too embarrassed to utter it aloud.

"May I ask what I cursed you with? Could you please state it so everyone can judge fairly—was I cursing, or was I simply speaking the truth?"

Before Grandmother could speak, Chen Fan said with utter composure.

Hearing this, tension immediately washed over the faces of the eldest uncle and eldest aunt, leaving them at a loss for words.

For with Grandmother's appearance, the guests had now crowded around.

If they were to repeat Chen Fan's previous words in front of so many people, where would they hide their faces?

"Grandmother, you might not know this yet, but yesterday Chen Fan was selling some obscene and vulgar books on the street, which greatly displeased the County Magistrate. The magistrate even sent men to confiscate his books, and he nearly ended up thrown into a dungeon."

At this point, Chen Hao took the initiative to speak up.

Although yesterday's incident had caused quite a stir among scholars, it had caused barely a ripple among ordinary commoners.

In the countryside, the vast majority of people had never heard of the matter.

Naturally, they knew nothing of the ins and outs of the situation.

Upon hearing that Chen Fan had actually offended the County Magistrate and nearly been locked up, the guests standing closest to Chen Fan instinctively backed away.

They were terrified of being implicated by him.

In the perception of these people, the County Magistrate was the highest official imaginable, and offending him would surely bring a disastrous end.

Grandmother, along with the eldest uncle and eldest aunt, also wore furious expressions.

The Fan family incident had just passed, and they had only just breathed a sigh of relief, yet here was Chen Fan offending the magistrate all over again.

If the magistrate were to hold them accountable later, it might very well implicate their entire household!

"Chen Fan, you jinx! Do you have to ruin the Chen family and drive us to ruin before you're satisfied?"

"Chen Fan, why don't you hurry up and go offer your apologies to the County Magistrate? If you want to die, don't drag us down with you!"

"For the Chen family to be saddled with an ill-fated wretch like you is truly our bad luck for eight lifetimes."

...

Grandmother and the others pointed at Chen Fan, hurling angry reproaches.

The surrounding guests also began pointing fingers at Chen Fan.

Chen Fan had now become the target of universal condemnation.

Seeing this, Chen Hao was immensely satisfied; his goal was to humiliate Chen Fan utterly in front of everyone, and he cast a defiant, provoking look at Chen Fan.

Yet, Chen Fan's face showed not a trace of panic; instead, a smile surfaced.

Seeing this smile, Chen Hao inexplicably felt a sudden surge of tension.

"Chen Hao, why don't you mention how, at the Scholars' Assembly, you slapped your own face in front of the County Magistrate, the Director of the Imperial College, and numerous scholars to apologize to me?"

At this moment, Chen Fan chuckled.

As soon as these words left Chen Fan's mouth, the smile on Chen Hao's face instantly froze.

The people present, hearing this, immediately shifted their gazes directly onto Chen Hao.