Chapter 6 "Fine, we're husband and wife, I'll just go along with her this once..."

The words were like a pebble thrown into still water, creating barely perceptible ripples. Something flashed through Ji Jinghe's mind, and he couldn't help but ask, "When did you return yesterday?"

After thinking for a moment, Wang Jie replied, "It should be around 1-3 PM. If it rains heavily, the journey will be slow."

No wonder she said she got home late yesterday... but how did she get home without an umbrella?

She lived a life of luxury yet dressed plainly. But if that was the case, why did she complain about the food at home? Why was no one there to greet her yesterday, and why was no one to inform her the day before? Connecting these details, he couldn't help but feel suspicious, and even a strange sense of indebtedness lingered in his heart.

Once outside the palace gates, the two said their goodbyes and went home separately.

Ji Jinghe rode back, and compared to other days, he rode a little faster today.

Qingque was surprised that Ji Jinghe had returned home early. She hurriedly went to serve him, took the cloak that Ji Jinghe had taken off, and heard him say, "Who was the person who was responsible for conveying the message to the madam the other day? Yesterday I asked someone to provide the madam with a new horse, but why did no one go? Go down and find out the truth for me."

As I walked through the corridor, I encountered a maid carrying a food box walking towards the Half Acre Courtyard.

Ji Jinghe stopped walking, hesitated for only a moment, and then, as if possessed, called out to the person.

"Is this the meal for Madam?" he asked casually.

The maid paused, her face showing undisguised surprise at Ji Jinghe's inquiry, and stammered, "Yes...yes."

Ji Jinghe leaned down slightly to lift the lid, then leisurely raised his chin, glancing at the maid in front of him and saying unhurriedly, "I had no idea that our Marquis's mansion had fallen to the point of serving our master this kind of food? Or are you deceiving your superiors and embezzling money for yourselves?"

Ji Jinghe has always been focused on official business and almost never bothered with trivial matters in the mansion. Although he was aloof, he was at least gentle in his speech and never showed any harshness. But his tone now only made people feel fear and apprehension.

The maidservant hurriedly bowed her head, "The kitchen didn't know the young master had returned. If the young master doesn't like the food, I'll go tell the kitchen right away and ask them to make it again."

"So, when I'm around, the food is the best; when I'm not around, you just serve it half-heartedly, right?"

The maidservant kept her head down, feeling a chill run down her spine, unsure how to answer. She had never imagined that Ji Jinghe would care about the new madam's life or death, questioning her so harshly. She had been safe and sound for a month, so why had things gone wrong today?

She immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Young Master, please forgive me."

“Go back and redo it. Make it clear to the steward that if you dare to disobey your master again, you can go back to your country estate.”

His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, as if with each word he spoke, the atmosphere around him would freeze a little, and even the sounds would obediently fall silent.

After saying that, Ji Jinghe went straight to Banmu Courtyard. When he arrived at the door, he happened to hear complaints coming from inside the house.

"It's been so long and the food still hasn't arrived. I told them I'd go find it, but they wouldn't let me, saying the kitchen is a restricted area and no one is allowed to go in or out. They're just deliberately making things difficult for us."

It didn't sound like her voice; it must have been the voice of the maidservant beside her.

"The son-in-law is such a cheapskate! What's wrong with us paying for the kitchen ourselves? One or two people at a time... would you be happy if we let them starve to death?"

Hearing the commotion inside the door, Qingque cried out in alarm. Glancing at the increasingly grim face, she felt a growing chill in her heart.

Ji Jinghe's forehead twitched, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily. Just as he was about to raise his hand to push the door open, a strange thought arose in his mind, making him put his hand down again.

That day, she was eavesdropping in the same way...

A moment later, another voice came from inside the room.

"We'll deal with whatever comes our way. No matter how dissatisfied he is, I'll just take it as his agreement. Once this period is over and we have our own kitchen, we won't have to put up with this anymore."

Yu An chuckled, "I've been eating this for so many days, I've gotten used to it, at least I can eat it."

Baozhu: "It's not that it's inedible, but the food at the Ji family mansion is too good. So good that they dare to use servants' food to fool young ladies, and in the end, they get a reputation for being extravagant and wasteful."

"The saying goes, 'Rely on yourself, not others.' We're using our own money, what can he do..."

Hearing the knowing tone in Yu An's voice, Ji Jinghe found it hard to imagine what expression Yu An should have on her face.

She was always quiet and reserved in front of outsiders, even timid and submissive. Such forceful and casual words were really not something she would say.

Upon closer examination, however, it was still not unexpected.

She hadn't returned for a month, and she must have been subjected to contempt and mistreatment in the mansion for a month. With all sorts of things piling up, if it were anyone else, they would probably have tried to vent their anger or make a big scene to get justice for themselves.

She chose to distance herself and avoid entanglement. But in the end, wasn't it just letting her enemy live a better life while she herself suffered?

He reached out and pushed open the door, and the conversation abruptly stopped.

Yu An was leaning against the couch, still holding the same book from last night, while the maid sat opposite her mistress without any manners, her face still showing lingering anger.

This master and servant pair are quite a match; a pair like them can't possibly be bold enough to pull off a bold move.

Seeing Ji Jinghe suddenly burst through the door, Yu An knew something was wrong. He guessed that Ji Jinghe must have heard something outside the door. He suppressed his embarrassment and pretended to be calm, saying, "Why are you back so early, sir? Have you eaten yet?" As he spoke, he got off the bed and put on his shoes.

Baozhu wasn't stupid; after bowing, she slipped out. Qingque also nodded and left after putting down her cloak.

The two of them were left alone in the room, their eyes meeting, yet they had nothing to say to each other.

Yu An hung the official robes he had changed out of on the clothes rack and casually asked, "If you haven't eaten yet, sir, you can eat with me, but you'll have to wait a while. Baozhu should go out and urge him to eat."

"I told them to redo it," Ji Jinghe said casually as she helped him change into his casual clothes.

Yu An was stunned, not understanding what he meant. Ji Jinghe was not the kind of person who could be distracted by such trivial matters.

Ji Jinghe straightened his robe in front of the mirror, saw the blank face, and said, "Since you have married me, you are the master of the Ji family. No matter how I treat you, this will never change. If the servants are disrespectful or offend you, just deal with them directly. Letting them do as they please will only make things more difficult for you."

He spoke slowly and casually, as if he had already incorporated her into his life, his tone warm and familiar, as if they were already quite intimate. This sudden show of concern gave Yu'an a slight sense of unease.

"If anything happens in the future, just tell me, and I won't abandon you."

The rest of the words were like fleeting clouds, but this one sentence was deeply engraved in her heart, repeated several times, as if he had really said it to her many times.

Just then, a ray of setting sun shone through the window, landing squarely on Ji Jinghe, as if it were emanating from him, making him a sight to behold.

It seems that Ji's mother was right; Ji Jinghe may appear cold on the outside, but he is warm-hearted and not entirely heartless.

Just as the saying goes, "after the darkest hour comes the dawn," Yu An suddenly felt hopeful. It was this one sentence that made her inexplicably find Ji Jinghe somewhat endearing, no matter how cold and aloof he was.

During the meal, Yu An seized the opportunity to serve Ji Jinghe some food.

Ji Jinghe, who had been accustomed to eating and sleeping in silence since childhood, was at a loss as he looked at the food bubbling up from his plate. But when he looked up into those expectant eyes...

Fine, we're husband and wife, I'll just go along with her this once.

He picked up some with the tip of his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, swallowing it with difficulty. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Yu An's smile became more and more obvious.

Ji Jinghe: ...

They didn't talk much to each other. After dinner, they went about their own business. When it was time to go to bed, they tacitly washed up and went to bed on time.

Before going to bed, she took out the repaired sachet from her dressing case and handed it to Ji Jinghe.

"I noticed that you were missing a sachet, so I made one. Would you like to try it?"

The fragrance was conventional, neither gaudy nor overpowering, perfectly matching his taste, making it impossible for him to refuse.

Ji Jinghe reached out and took it, nodding.

Yu An was overjoyed and casually said, "The thirteenth is my father's birthday. He is used to keeping things simple, and it's enough for the family to sit down and have a meal together. I wonder if you have time to come with me?"

This is also a way of making up for not accompanying her on her homecoming visit.

Ji Jinghe lowered his eyes and glanced at the sachet in his hand again. Whether it was overthinking or something else, she felt that his expression suddenly turned colder. Just when she thought he would refuse, she heard him say "okay."

He agreed.

Ji Jinghe's care relieved most of her worries, so she slept exceptionally well and comfortably today. If Baozhu hadn't called her, she wouldn't have even known that Ji Jinghe had left the house.

“Miss, great news! The young master ordered us to repair the small kitchen. Before we could even start, someone had already begun.” Baozhu said excitedly. “Also, our allowance was delivered by the accountant this morning. The young master even punished the kitchen and the managers. I’m so happy!”

At first, Baozhu thought it was nothing, but after inquiring, she found out that they were all people who had made things difficult for them in the past, and she instantly became happy. It was rare to see heaven open its eyes and someone stand up for them.

Yu An: "Did they reveal anything else?"

Baozhu smiled and said, "Qingque just came over and said that the young master told the young lady to prepare the birthday banquet as usual, with the expenses as normal."

Last night at dinner, she was surprised by the girl's bright and cheerful appearance, which suggested that she had known all along and that her hardship had finally come to an end.

*

With Ji Jinghe's understanding, life at Banmu Courtyard improved day by day. This matter also reached Shen Qiulan's ears. Upon learning of her son's situation, her attitude towards Yu'an softened. She suspended Yu'an's morning greetings and told her to focus on handling the banquet matters.

Before they knew it, it was the thirteenth day. Ji Jinghe was too busy with official duties to go, so he told Yu An to go ahead first, and he would go to the Chu residence after he finished his shift.

When Chu Xingjian learned that Ji Jinghe was coming, he was so happy that he immediately ordered his men to dig out two jars of fine wine from the back garden.

"Today, my son-in-law and I should have a good drink and drink until we're completely drunk."

Knowing that his daughter and son-in-law had a good relationship made him very happy, especially seeing the smile on Yu'an's face, which made him even more gratified.

Chu Zhuo'an leaned close to Yu'an, shaking his head with feigned seriousness, and said, "Father really likes my brother-in-law too much. He wouldn't even take out the wine on New Year's Eve, but he brought out two jars today. I'm enjoying this blessing too..."

Yu An kneaded the pastries in her hands and laughed, "You little rascal, you dare not sneak a drink this time, or Dad will chase after you and beat you again. This time, no one will protect you."

Chu Zhuo'an was only twelve years old and not yet of drinking age. Last time, out of curiosity, he drank half a jar of wine that had been buried underground. He missed school the next day and was given a good scolding by Chu Xingjian.

No matter how much time has passed, the memories of home remain vivid in her mind, and now she is already married.

Dinner was prepared early, but Ji Jinghe was the only one missing. Yu An sent someone to call Ji Jinghe twice, but there was no response.

A note from the author:

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Someone crouched by the doorway, their lips twitching: Is this right?

Qingque: Even the young master gets scolded for being stingy one day (eating melon face)