Chapter 257: Bestowing Wealth and Honor

Time passed, and it was already afternoon.

Dong Yong was busy arranging his father's funeral.

The money Dong Fu gave, while not enough for a lavish funeral, was sufficient to buy a decent coffin and to ask a feng shui master to select an auspicious burial site and time.

Fortunately, it was midwinter, so the corpse would not easily rot, giving him some time to prepare.

Just as the feng shui master, having chosen the grave and set the hour, was sent out of the village, Dong Yong was about to turn back when his gaze was caught by two figures approaching in the distance.

He paused his steps, examined them closely, then his face showed a hint of surprise as he went forward to meet them.

Only when they drew near did Dong Yong stop, clasping his hands toward one of them in a salute, his tone carrying a hint of warmth amid his fatigue:

"Brother Yu, why would you come to this remote place in the dead of winter?"

His gaze then fell on the woman beside Yu Lin, and he asked, "Who is this...?"

Yu Lin gave a slight smile, his expression natural:

"I went out to handle some matters, and now I'm back, so I stopped by to see how you're doing."

He stepped aside to introduce her, saying, "This is... you can call her Qimei, Brother Dong. She's a respectable young woman I met on the road."

As he spoke, he turned to the Seventh Fairy Maiden and said, "Qimei, this is Brother Dong Yong, whom I've often mentioned to you—he is deeply filial and a trustworthy man."

The Seventh Fairy Maiden immediately obliged, lowering her body slightly and speaking softly:

"I, the humble girl, have greeted Brother Dong."

Dong Yong quickly waved his hands, looking a bit uneasy: "No need for formalities, no need for formalities."

He glanced around at the howling cold wind and said, "Standing here at the village gate to talk isn't ideal—it's freezing. Come, if you don't mind, let's go inside my house to talk."

He immediately turned and led the two toward the village, with Yu Lin and the Seventh Fairy Maiden following behind.

However, before they reached Dong Yong's low earthen house, a sudden change occurred!

With a "whoosh," a tightly packed snowball flew out from behind a low wall nearby, aimed straight at the Seventh Fairy Maiden!

The Seventh Fairy Maiden's eyes twitched as she prepared to dodge or deflect it silently, but Dong Yong reacted instantly, almost reflexively stepping to the side to block her completely.

"Pop!"

The snowball burst on his thick coarse-padded coat, scattering cold snow fragments.

Dong Yong's face darkened; he immediately turned toward where the snowball came from and shouted angrily, "Dong Liu! What are you doing? That's completely out of line!"

From behind the wall protruded the red-nosed head of an eight- or nine-year-old boy—none other than the village's notorious troublemaker, Dong Liu.

He made a big grimace toward the Seventh Fairy Maiden and shouted:

"Heh heh heh! Ugly freak! Ugly freak! You scared me with your ugliness, so I threw it at you! Heh heh heh!"

His attitude was thoroughly rude and mischievous.

Dong Yong's face flushed with anger as he stepped forward, intending to grab him and give him a good scolding.

But Dong Liu was slippery; with a "whoosh" he pulled his head back, accompanied by a string of gleeful laughter, and darted away in a flash.

Unable to catch him, Dong Yong helplessly stopped, turned to the Seventh Fairy Maiden, and wore an apologetic expression:

"Sorry, sorry! Qimei, the village children are mischievous and lack discipline."

"He... he's talking nonsense; please don't take it to heart."

The Seventh Fairy Maiden looked at the snow still on Dong Yong's chest, at his sincere apology and lingering anger, and gave a light smile, showing she didn't mind at all:

"Brother Dong, you're overthinking it—I'm fine."

"I've long been used to it; it's nothing."

She said lightly, "It's just a brat being mischievous; let him talk if he wants—could it possibly make me miss a meal?"

Her smile was bright, as if she truly didn't care at all.

However, in Yu Lin's keen perception, the fleeing Dong Liu, having just turned a corner, went "thud" and fell flat on his face in a textbook dog-eat-shit manner—literally, who knows whose waste it was.

From afar came his wailing cries and the sound of him vomiting.

Yu Lin twitched the corner of his mouth without changing expression, his gaze falling on Dong Yong and the Seventh Fairy Maiden, who seemed to be chatting happily, and he thought to himself:

"Indeed, those who live long—no matter how simple they appear—are never truly simple; it all depends on whether one wants to use their brain."

He shook his head and kept pace with the two.

Upon entering the courtyard, one could see the coffin placed in the middle of the house.

"My father didn't make it through; he passed away a few days ago." Dong Yong explained to Yu Lin, his voice tinged with sorrow.

"My condolences." Even before coming here, Yu Lin had already learned of Old Man Dong's passing, and he patted Dong Yong on the shoulder.

Dong Yong seemed unwilling to linger too long in grief, especially with guests present.

He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and said, "It's cold outside; please come in and sit. I'll go get you some hot water to warm up."

Having said that, he turned and walked toward the kitchen.

The Seventh Fairy Maiden quietly came up beside Yu Lin, watching Dong Yong's retreating back, and spoke in a voice only the two could hear:

"This person... is not bad."

Upon hearing that, Yu Lin raised an eyebrow slightly, teasing in a low voice, "How so? Seventh Princess, are you... taking a liking to him?"

The Seventh Fairy Maiden shook her head, her tone a touch annoyed: "Don't talk nonsense."

"I just think he's a decent person—at least he never judges by appearance, and his heart is kind."

She was referring to how Dong Yong had unhesitatingly blocked the snowball for her earlier.

Seeing her sincere expression, Yu Lin dropped the teasing and asked, "Then, Seventh Princess, what are your plans afterward?"

The Seventh Fairy Maiden glanced around Dong Yong's barely furnished home, her gaze lingering for a moment on the coffin, and said softly:

"He just protected me once; though it was a small thing, it's rare. I... will give him a bounty of wealth and honor as repayment."

She paused, then added:

"I know a little about weaving."

Yu Lin understood clearly; this "knowing a little" was probably a skill astonishing enough to shock the world.

He was still wearing the brocade robe personally woven by the Seventh Fairy Maiden!

He asked again: "Is the Seventh Princess planning... to stay here?"

The Seventh Fairy Maiden nodded calmly: "Naturally, for me, it's not that I care so much about where I live."

"I understand." Yu Lin nodded and asked no further.

Although he already knew the outcome of this marriage, personally witnessing how Dong Yong won the fairy maiden's heart also gave him a bit of interest in watching the spectacle..........

Just then, an unusual commotion came from outside the courtyard——the hoofbeats were steady and rhythmic, certainly not from an ordinary animal.

A faint aura carrying dragon energy and imperial majesty approached from afar, interrupting Yu Lin's thoughts.

He did not continue pondering, but turned his gaze toward the outside.

Only a carriage drawn by a Dragon Horse was seen steadily stopping outside the low fence gate of Dong Yong's home.

The carriage curtain was lifted by a slender hand, revealing a face with an inquisitive expression——Liu Zhuang.

"Is Chi Xiao at the master's place?"