Mr. Warner, Your Wife is Running Away Again!-Chapter 565: The Warlord’s Lady

Rivia Historic Town.

An elegantly designed mansion reflecting the Jin architectural style stands at the town’s center. A sign hanging high on the mansion reads "The Yates Family Compound" in four characters.

Audrey Sutton, who can be considered a little host here, began introducing everyone: "This historic town was invested and built by my dad. The Yates Family Compound was originally in Fosburg, my mom’s hometown. It was destroyed by a flood and had to be relocated. My mom was really reluctant to part with it, so my dad had people draw the blueprints and built an exact replica here according to the original mansion."

Hazel Yates chuckled and pointed at a pine tree by the door, saying: "This tree was uprooted from there too. It has a history of over a hundred years."

Flora Lane couldn’t help but marvel: "I might not even be worth as much as this tree."

The Yates Family Compound is now completely open to the public, firstly for selling products, and secondly to showcase the Yates family’s legacy in handcrafted embroidery, along with some traditional crafts that people are gradually forgetting.

Stepping through the compound’s gate reveals a whole new world inside.

In the courtyard, workers are busily engaged in their tasks in an orderly manner. There aren’t many modern tools; even the looms used for weaving are the most traditional kind.

Coming here, one can’t help but slow down and find peace in their heart. It’s not an exaggeration to call it a retreat from the world.

Not everything in the store is cheongsams; there are also many outfits styled after various historical periods, almost like entering a history museum.

Audrey Sutton, like a little tour guide, explained: "Most of the clothes here are just for display. Every stitch is handmade, so sometimes a single outfit can take several months or even years to complete."

Hazel Yates added with a laugh: "It mainly depends on the complexity of the embroidery."

Phoebe King chimed in admiringly: "Mom, your skills are incredible."

Hazel Yates replied: "Shall I teach you sometime? I’ve been looking for someone to inherit this craft!"

Phoebe King quickly waved her hands: "Mom, all of this requires meticulous work. I’m not cut out for it; I even struggle to thread a needle."

Hazel Yates was only joking, and after a few more steps, she pointed to a room and said: "This is the Cheongsam Gallery. Come in and pick one."

Flora Lane walked in, picked up a piece, peeked at the price tag, and whispered to Seraphina Vaughn, wide-eyed with amazement: "My goodness, half a year’s salary."

Seraphina Vaughn commented: "It’s very exquisite and definitely not like the mass-market designs you see everywhere. It’s worth the price."

Flora Lane mused: "If I had known, I wouldn’t have gone to college. Learning this craft here would be a dream come true for getting rich."

Seraphina Vaughn replied: "It’s not too late to come now, but with your patience, I doubt you could even manage a single knot."

"Who are you underestimating!"

The women spent over three hours in the Cheongsam Gallery. The younger ones chose more simple designs, as the evening’s main attraction was Hazel Yates, and they didn’t want to steal the spotlight.

Hazel Yates truly didn’t look her age. Her appearance and figure suggested she was no older than thirty.

Wearing the cheongsam, she looked like a warlord’s wife who had stepped out of a period drama, exuding grace and elegance.

Audrey Sutton wasn’t surprised, understanding why her father had so many rivals in his youth.

At 7:30 p.m., the Ephemera Bar was operating as usual.

The agreed meeting time was 7:00 p.m., and the men had all arrived at the bar on time, standing by the door eagerly awaiting their wives.

Stephen Sutton, standing beside Shane Warner, couldn’t help but complain: "Every time, it takes at least half an hour to get out the door."

Shane Warner laughed: "Same here, but she knows she’s slow, so she prepares in advance when there are arrangements."

As they spoke, a group of "warlord’s wives" walked into the bar.

One might not be enough to capture attention, but a group of women in cheongsams, each of them stunning, naturally became the center of attention.

Samuel Sutton frowned as he approached: "This is what you’ve been up to all afternoon? Performing The Flowers of War?"

Hazel Yates glared at him: "Don’t speak nonsense if you don’t understand."

Shane Warner and Stephen Sutton, wearing similar expressions with slight frowns, clearly weren’t very pleased with their attire.

Audrey Sutton, smiling brightly, walked over to Shane Warner and asked him: "Does it look good?"

Shane Warner didn’t answer, nor did he criticize her. He just tightened the small coat on Audrey Sutton: "Are you cold?"

Audrey Sutton shook her head: "We came by car, and it’s long-sleeved inside, so it’s not cold at all. I just picked a little coat to cover my stomach."

Seeing the high slits of the skirt, Shane Warner, despite knowing it was a feature of the cheongsam, felt uneasy thinking about the many men around that evening who might catch sight of her.

Scott Sutton approached, smiling: "Don’t stand at the door, we’ve saved seats inside, and they’ve already had one round of drinks."

Initially, it was just their family, but eventually, as they played, Norman Sutton invited a bunch of his friends; they also bumped into a few of Stephen Sutton’s teachers having a gathering here; Mor originally came because Flora Lane was here, but then Faye Xavier showed up, bringing along a pretty girl to join the fun.

Despite being pregnant, Phoebe King couldn’t hide her nightclub queen persona. To ensure Hazel Yates enjoyed herself, their group of women in cheongsams mingled in the dance floor.

Audrey Sutton also dragged Shane Warner into the crowd, though didn’t dare to dance wildly. She just held Shane Warner’s hands, swaying to the music’s rhythm. She was cautious, being pregnant and anxious about anything unexpected happening.

Shane Warner, watching her bob about, displayed a cold demeanor, clearly not keen on joining in yet unwilling to leave her alone.

"Are you tired of swaying?"

Audrey Sutton looked up and asked: "You don’t want to play with me?"

Shane Warner: "I don’t want to sway with you here."

Audrey Sutton: "So what did you usually do at bars before? Just drink?"

Shane Warner: "What else?"

Audrey Sutton chuckled: "... Not hit on girls?"

Shane Warner glared at her. Audrey Sutton amended her question: "So did no girls hit on you?"

Shane Warner responded with a question: "What do you think?"

Audrey Sutton pouted: "I think not, your face is so stern, who would dare hit on you!"

With that, not giving Shane Warner a chance to get upset, Audrey Sutton let go of his hand and said: "Sister Phoebe and the others are over at the bar, I’m going to hang out with them. You go do your thing."

Shane Warner: "Don’t drink anything recklessly."

Audrey Sutton: "Got it! Do you think I’m a three-year-old?"

Having said that, Audrey Sutton let go of Shane Warner’s hand and headed towards Phoebe King. Shane Warner, still uneasy, followed behind her, watching her join her friends. As he turned to head back to their table, he spotted a familiar face...