The Demon Lords-Chapter 748 - 165: Re-Enter the Plate_2

So, you slept with her. What now? Did you think you could just have your fun and take no responsibility?

Every morning and evening, He Chu would wait at Head Constable Yan's doorstep. He wanted to press the issue, but he was too embarrassed. He couldn't bring himself to say anything. So, all he did was glare, glare, and keep glaring at Head Constable Yan!

Head Constable Yan, however, had thick skin and always just laughed it off.

Just as He Chu was about to grab his butcher's knife to have a more serious discussion, Head Constable Yan brazenly approached.

What does he want? He Chu wondered.

"I've come to borrow money from my brother-in-law," Yan announced, referring to He Chu.

"Borrow money? For what?" He Chu asked, surprised.

"To rent a carriage."

"Rent a carriage? Why?"

"To go home."

The He family, father and son, had been waiting so anxiously it felt like their heads would start smoking. Finally, they received a definite answer from the prospective son-in-law.

Even an uncomely bride must eventually meet her parents-in-law. It's a matter of etiquette, and etiquette cannot be disregarded! The He family might be of modest means, true, but they had their standards.

The son-in-law has no money? We'll lend it to him! Master He declared internally.

"Rent a large, decorated carriage drawn by three horses, complete with a coachman and a maidservant!" Master He ordered. "Even if it costs us a whole pig, rent it!"

He'd worked his whole life in that greasy shop, all for a day like this, a day he could stand tall, brimming with confidence!

But Head Constable Yan stopped him, saying such extravagance was wasteful and unnecessary.

Master He was not pleased. "What do you call wasteful? Your, Yan Xiaoliu's, reputation might be worthless, but our He family still has its dignity to uphold!"

Master He pointed directly at Head Constable Yan's face, spitting as he spoke, "I, this old man, just want to show those in-laws of ours! The He family might not be some grand, wealthy household, but if they dare bully my daughter, she has a family to come back to, a home where she'll be cherished and well cared for!"

When Master He said this, his words carried the weight of Mount Tai!

Of course, if he had known just which family these in-laws he was so eager to impress actually belonged to, one wonders if he would still have possessed such resounding confidence that day.

Head Constable Yan, quite shamelessly, said directly, "As for me, I've always spent my salary as it came. Any 'gifts' of silver from the shops? Well, 'enjoy wine today when you have it' – I truly have no savings. From now on, we'll have to live more carefully, and of course, my wife will manage the silver. But, you see, our family's starting with very little, right? So, this money for the grand carriage, Father-in-law, please save it for now. I might have to come begging for money from you later on."

These words nearly choked Master He speechless!

Direct Thief! I've never encountered such a shameless son-in-law!

However, in the end, the grand carriage became a small one, three horses were reduced to one, the maidservant was dismissed, and He Chu himself became the coachman. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Her older brother, He Chu, was personally escorting his own younger sister to her new husband's home. Actually, this also served the purpose of allowing him to assess Head Constable Yan's family situation. The bride's family always had to send someone to make it known: "You absolutely must not bully our girl!"

Head Constable Yan sat in the carriage, occasionally opening his mouth to eat the dried fruits and shelled peanuts his wife handed him.

He Chu, driving the carriage, glanced back from time to time. Seeing this scene, he felt a twinge of bitterness and said, "Sister, you're going to spoil him like this!"

You don't have to be a termagant like our late mother, but you should at least aim for the 'raising the serving tray to eyebrow level' kind of respect that scholars talk about, shouldn't you? he thought.

His sister, however, was unyielding. She retorted, "He's my man, and I'll spoil him if I want to! So what! Feeling jealous, are we? If you've got what it takes, then go find yourself a wife, and *I'll* get a sister-in-law. Then she can dote on you like this!"

Her words delighted Head Constable Yan. He couldn't help but lean over and plant a kiss on his wife's exquisitely delicate cheek.

SMACK!

SMACK!

One smack was the sound of the kiss; the other was He Chu, who, in a fit of pique, viciously whipped the horse pulling the carriage!

Actually, her brother, He Chu, did have someone he fancied. There were quite a few women who wanted to marry him, but he had turned down all the matchmakers. The one he had his eye on was the daughter of the registrar. Whenever he delivered pork to the Registrar's Mansion, she would make a point of waiting there to see him, and he, in turn, would find excuses to linger a little longer, just to watch her.

Normally, He Chu reeked of butchered pigs, but around his waist, he always wore a scented sachet embroidered by the young lady herself.

But some things could only be buried deep in the heart.

Matching social status. That damnable insistence on matching social status for marriage!

He Chu had once knelt before Master He, declaring his wish to join the army. He wanted to fight on the battlefield to win honor and bring glory to their ancestors. He wanted to earn the right to return and marry her!

But Master He had said, "If His Majesty issues a conscription order, if the Great Yan truly reaches that desperate point, I, your father, won't stop you. In fact, I'd even pawn our family belongings, go to the blacksmith in the city, have a blade forged for myself, and go with you! But it hasn't come to that yet, has it? I, your father, am old. This stall, this family... they still need you to support them."

Head Constable Yan, listening from inside the carriage as his wife recounted this, laughed and said, "That's nothing."

He Chu felt a surge of irritation for no apparent reason. He wanted to retort: 'What, should I be like you and have the girl throw herself at me, expenses and all?' But the one who had practically thrown herself at her man was his own sister, so he couldn't very well say that out loud! It was so infuriating!

All he could do was whip the horse again!

Nan'an County was not far from Yanjing City, so there was no need for a journey lasting days and nights. They had set off at noon that day, so by evening, they found an inn to rest. Setting off again the next morning, they arrived at the gates of Yanjing City by noon the following day.

Head Constable Yan produced a document he had obtained from the county registrar. He'd fabricated a pretext of being on official business, so he quickly passed through the city gates and entered Yanjing.

Yanjing City... it truly was enormous, He Chu observed. He drove the carriage with utmost care, daring neither to drive recklessly nor to bump into anyone.

"Where's your home?" He Chu asked.

But Head Constable Yan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked up at the sky and said,