Chapter 1761 – Feng You Settles Down
“What an embarrassing mix-up!” At this moment, Feng Jue’s strong desire to survive kicked in.
He nearly pounded his chest to explain to his two brothers that he harbored no romantic feelings for Jiang Pengji whatsoever.
Let’s not kid ourselves, even in his dreams, Feng Jue only saw Jiang as a ruler and a dear friend, right?
Whether in dreams or in reality, both Jiang and Lord Lan Ting were respected figures he admired; he’d never tarnish that with trivial romantic notions. Even if his dreams were fragmented, Feng Jue could tell that in them he regarded Jiang as his only true friend, almost a deity. He was too busy worshipping to entertain any mundane delusions!
No man would dare to think about getting all lovey-dovey with her, have kids, you know!
With this firm conviction, Feng Jue managed to hold his two brothers at bay.
Feng Jin declared, “In the future, if the chance arises, I’ll introduce you to the Lord. Don’t let me down!”
“Today’s a rare gathering, and it’s so lively outside. Let’s not talk about serious matters.” Noticing Feng Jue’s dismal expression, Feng Gui seized the chance to change the subject, “Hua Yu, I just saw Changsheng and the Feng Zishi kid downstairs, are you aware?”
His younger brother was an introverted and brooding bro-con, not to mention a bit obsessed with girls.
Changsheng had been raised by Feng Jin, and he hadn’t shown much warmth to their legitimate children.
Time flies, and now the kid was about to settle down!
Now it was Feng Jin’s turn to sulk. “Once girls grow up, they can’t be kept! They’re already engaged, let them be.”
Feng Gui chuckled, “Feng Zishi may not be much, but his only son is quite excellent.”
While the family background was slightly lacking, if he treated Changsheng well, the elders had no grounds for complaint.
Aside from the direct line of succession, the Feng family valued character, looks, and talent more highly than status.
Feng Jin seemed to think of something, a smile creeping onto his lips. “That’s true.”
Feng Jue said, “Elder brother might not know, but the Feng Zishi kid is indeed interesting and quite fitting for our younger brother.”
Feng Gui: “…”
It’s good that younger brother kept quiet, but once he spoke, he was done for.
What kind of upright gentleman could satisfy the troublesome little Feng Jue’s tastes?
Feng Jue added, “Just now, that kid made a promise to Changsheng. If Feng Zishi finds out, he might just blow a gasket.”
Feng Gui queried further, “What promise?”
Feng Jue explained, “Changsheng and her friend were chatting, and the Feng kid said, ‘When we have kids in the future, boys will take the father’s surname while girls will take the mother’s surname.’ In this day and age, aside from those with female heads of households or situations involving adoption, who else does that?”
Even if it meant giving a daughter the mother’s surname, outsiders would gossip about Feng Yi perhaps being too ambitious.
Feng Jin exclaimed, “What a bunch of audacious kids! Sure, times have changed and interactions between men and women aren’t shocking anymore, but discussing these things before they even marry? They clearly have no shame! Changsheng must have picked up on that dual-surname talk and mentioned she wanted to maintain an independent household when she marries Rong Li, later saying living as a single-head of household isn’t fun, and so Rong Li promised their daughter would take the mother’s surname…”
The key issue was that he hadn’t even married off his daughter yet, and these two rascals were already plotting about children and surnames…
Feng Jin couldn’t help but reflect on where he went wrong in his parenting, how did he end up with such a bold daughter?
Feng Gui chuckled, “Kids say the darndest things.”
Clearly, he didn’t take the matter seriously and instead found it amusing.
Little did he know, those two youngsters were quite serious!
Feng Yi, being a loyal brother, couldn’t let that unfortunate Sun Lan tackle things alone; he felt compelled to support him.
As a student of the Golden Scales Academy, Feng Yi didn’t share the outside world’s disdain for women or their obsession with traditional lineage.
After all, their upbringing was relatively sheltered, with the academy shielding them from external ideologies.
What the Golden Scales Academy taught, they absorbed wholeheartedly.
Just then, when Changsheng teased him, he went along with the joke.
However, some reality checks had to be mentioned first.
Their branch of the family struggled with offspring, and if in the future they only had a daughter, who knows, she might have to switch back to the ‘Feng’ surname.
Feng Yi was young, but his mindset was mature, and the promise he made was something he could deliver.
Changsheng laughed and pounced on him, saying, “So I’ve hit the jackpot!”
Feng Yi caught her, “How so?”
Changsheng responded, “Having great taste as a child, I picked the ultimate gem out of millions!”
While her peers from noble backgrounds were being blindly married off, she was fortunate enough to see Feng Yi daily, except for those two years he was off with the army. If she didn’t secure him early on, who knows how much competition she’d face for Feng Yi now?
Feng Yi replied, “That makes me the luckiest.”
After the two youngsters had their mushy moment, Feng Yi was met with his father’s grim face.
“You unfilial son!”
Feng Zhen looked furious, having run into Feng Jin and overheard that his son had promised his daughter away — what a headache!
Feng Yi dodged away from his father’s wrath.
“Why is father so angry?”
Feng Zhen demanded to know if what Feng Jin said was true, and Feng Yi nodded without hesitation.
Feng Zhen gritted his teeth, “You’ve really outdone yourself!”
Feng Yi didn’t respond.
Feng Zhen continued, “Aren’t you afraid people will say you’re shamed into marrying into another family?”
“Their mouths are on their faces; how can you manage all that?” Feng Yi replied, “Or… do you disapprove, father?”
No one knew that as a future censor, he wouldn’t even bother attacking anyone in public discourse; who’d dare to talk smack behind his back?
Feng Zhen was rendered speechless.
He wasn’t stuck in the old ways. If he had a grandchild, having the daughter take the mother’s surname wasn’t entirely unacceptable.
After all, the Feng family was quite prestigious; if the child took the surname Feng, their future marriage prospects would look stronger.
The real issue was…
“What if there’s only one daughter?”
Feng Zhen wasn’t in great health, and Feng Yi was also weak, so who knows how tough things would be when it comes to having children.
Feng Yi chuckled, “Changsheng isn’t unreasonable; if there’s only one daughter, she’ll just change the surname back.”
Feng Zhen: “…”
What are these young people thinking these days?
Feng Yi added, “If father is truly worried about future family lineage, perhaps it would be better to have another child with mother while you’re still young.”
Feng Zhen’s face darkened as he felt like smashing his son.
Is this what it’s like to tease your dad?
Given his frail body, having children wasn’t that simple, and he couldn’t just have Feng Yi as his only legacy!
As the father-son pair exchanged barbs, an urgent commotion outside suddenly caught their attention. It turned out to be Wan Xiuer’s maidservant.
“Sir Young Master, it’s bad! The lady has fainted!”
Moreover, they found some brownish stains beneath Wan Xiuer, but according to the timing, it was still too early for her monthly cycle!
What?!
Father and son quickly abandoned all else and rushed to call for a physician.
The physician’s expression turned grave as he checked her pulse for a long time before shaking his head and switching hands, sending shivers down Feng Zhen and his son’s spines.
After what felt like an eternity…
Just when Feng Zhen was sweating bullets, the physician finally withdrew his hand and asked the maidservant how Wan Xiuer’s monthly situation was.
After a long pause…
“The pulse is too weak to read, but based on years of experience, it could be a sign of pregnancy.”
