Chapter 1758 – The Awkward Chat of the Three Brothers
“Honestly, Feng Gui isn’t exaggerating—Feng Jue has been really trying to avoid us for years.”
Wherever Feng Gui and Feng Jin showed up, this guy just didn’t appear. If he really couldn’t dodge us, he’d pull some ‘visiting friends’ stunt or just pretend to be sick to stay home. Feng Gui found it boring; how could the three brothers be at odds like this?
Feng Jin thought the same. What kind of obstacle couldn’t a couple of brothers overcome?
Besides, this was a chaotic era, and it was already lucky that the three of them had survived. Just look at other brothers out there—they’re basically saying goodbye to life! They’d crossed the bridge of life and death, so was there really any disagreement tougher than that?
Take the neighboring Cheng Cheng’s sons, for instance. His eldest son Cheng Xun hanged himself from that crooked tree, and Cheng Cheng followed suit after his defeat.
Then there’s Wei Ci’s elder brother Wei Ying, who supposedly treated him like both a brother and a father, but ended up choosing to die in battle.
Meng Heng and Nie Xun were doing okay now, both still alive, but they had faced each other on the battlefield, scheming to bring each other to ruin.
After seeing so many partings of life and death, what unresolved tension could there still be?
Hmph—
At the root of it all, it was Huang Song’s fault for swooping in and taking Feng Jue away right in front of him, and that delayed everything for more than a decade!
Thinking of this, Feng Jin’s disdain for Huang Song deepened. Unfortunately, Huang Song had sworn an alliance with Jiang Pengji, practically giving him a protective charm. Feng Jin couldn’t just act against him. Plus, with Feng Jue watching, if Feng Jin made a move, it would end even worse.
In the end, Feng Jin was still being cautious, which meant he had taken a lot of silent losses.
When Feng Gui arrived, the once staring contest between Feng Jin and Feng Jue became even more awkward. They probably hadn’t expected to be gathered here like this. Fortunately, they still had their wits about them, maintaining polite but stiff smiles as they awkwardly bowed to their eldest brother and sister-in-law.
Feng Gui cleared his throat, sounding equally uncomfortable.
“Wow, everyone seems to be here—” Not like the past few years when they didn’t gather at all. He honestly thought they’d never meet again, “Did you guys plan this or just happen to bump into each other? Why didn’t you bring anyone along? It’s such a lively day; it’d be dull alone!”
The Lantern Festival was meant to be spent with family, and it’d be pretty outrageous if these two left their wives and kids at home to enjoy themselves.
Heh, if it weren’t for the Feng family’s prestigious lineage and genome buff, would anyone believe their social skills were actually this bad?
Feng Gui chose a mat to sit on, and Feng Jin said, “Jingxian and my sister-in-law had an appointment, and I don’t like crowds, so I’m just waiting here.”
Feng Jue nodded in agreement, though his expression was a bit rigid.
“I see.” Feng Gui nodded. It seemed like the two younger brothers weren’t completely irredeemable. “I heard my sister-in-law has been swamped with government duties, so it’s rare to get some free time. The three younger sisters should enjoy themselves a bit! After all, we’re family; we shouldn’t let our relationships drift too far apart.”
This wasn’t just directed at Wei Jingxian and the other sisters-in-law, but also subtly hinted that his two younger brothers could finally resolve their childish disputes.
Oddly enough, while the three Feng brothers rarely interacted, their wives had become close friends.
However, Wei Jingxian was currently busy with official duties and didn’t have much free time, while Feng Gui’s wife and Feng Jue’s wife had been spending more time together.
Once Feng Jue spoke, the other two brothers just awkwardly chimed in.
What started off as a staring match between Feng Jin and Feng Jue turned into a standoff between all three brothers, filled with an air so awkward it could cause cringeworthy diseases. Feng Gui’s wife had managed a pleasant smile, but as the tension grew among the three, her expression slowly faded.
Finally, Feng Gui took on the elder brother role, asking Feng Jin about his recent work situation.
No matter how cringe-worthy the topic was, it was better than three people sitting in silence.
As the saying goes, the elder brother is like a father. When Feng Gui was younger, he looked out for his younger brothers’ studies; as adults, caring about their work was perfectly normal.
Feng Jin’s job was going quite smoothly; with Jiang Pengji away at the frontlines all these years, he had been living the good life. Without the chaotic ideas of his wife to contend with, he even found himself chuckling in his bed at night!
After discussing Feng Jin, Feng Gui wanted to check on the youngest brother.
Feng Jue was now a father of two, and he should rethink his life choices now, if only for his kids.
Even though staying home wouldn’t leave Feng Jue starving—after all, he was part of the direct Feng lineage—Feng Gui was ready to support his family.
Even if Feng Gui decided to stop funding him, Feng Jue was still wealthy with his own private resources. He could live a life of indulgence until he died, no problem!
But as a father of two, didn’t he want to set a better example than this lackluster life?
Feng Jue still acted like a stubborn pig, ignoring his elder brother’s advice while letting his words pass right through him.
Listening in, Feng Jin grew increasingly irritated. If not for his extraordinary self-restraint, he might have wanted to beat some sense into his brother’s skull!
What kind of nonsense had Huang Song filled his brother’s head with?
Huang Song was stuck in a hopeless situation, and Feng Jue still wanted to hang around that crooked tree?
The truth was—
Feng Gui sighed, “Today there are no outsiders. Why not share your thoughts, Jing Jue? Why do you prefer wasting time instead of picking yourself up?”
Feng Jue replied, “You’re not a fish, how could you know a fish’s joy? You’re not me, how can you understand what’s in my mind?”
Both Feng Gui and Feng Jin stared at him with a death glare: “…”
What a despairing younger brother, someone just needs to end it now!
Feng Jin suppressed his anger, “What plans could you possibly have? Are you going to follow Cheng Jing’s footsteps and become a teacher in the academy, nurturing the young?”
Even though Cheng Jing refused to take up an official post, he did so for his own sake and that of his fellow disciples from the Langya lineage.
Teaching in the academy wasn’t wasting time; he enriched his knowledge every day. Meanwhile, what about Feng Jue?
Feng Jin would prefer if his brother went to become a teacher, but then he thought about how his own children would someday attend the academy. If that fool, Feng Jue, ended up teaching them, that would really mislead the youth! Feng Jin was decent enough to not suggest something that unkind.
Faced with his two brothers’ “speak up or we’ll team up to beat you” threat, Feng Jue finally caved a little.
His eyes darkened, and a deep sigh escaped his lips, a clear sign of a long-winded speech about to start.
“There are some things you guys don’t know. About Liu Xi, I don’t dislike her; I’m just a bit confused.”
“What’s confusing you?”
Feng Jin didn’t buy his nonsense. This guy had been partying and hanging out with Huang Song, roaming around every nook and cranny of Xiangyang! Not to mention Wanzhou—they’d explored every corner. Feng Jin had never seen such a reckless warlord who simply didn’t care!
Confused?
He thought Feng Jue was just playing dumb.
“I’ve been wondering, is she Liu Xi or someone else?”
Both Feng Jin were ready to solve their brother’s existential crisis, but they didn’t even expect such a response.
“That’s it? Nothing more?”
Feng Jue shrugged, “That’s it! Nothing else!”
Feng Jin: “…”
Forget it, maybe he should just beg for a new sibling from their mother, because this one should be buried at the first opportunity!
