Chapter 9 "He truly loved Xu Jingshu, even this..."

Before Yu An could speak again, Ji Jinghe got up and left.

A sense of emptiness settled in her heart. Yu'an propped herself up and sat up, then saw Baozhu and her maids file in, placing the prepared dishes on the table one by one.

Ji Jinghe said no more, and naturally sat down at the table to wait for the meal.

Yu An reached for the jade hairpin in her hair, took it off, placed it on the dressing table, and then went out with Ji Jinghe.

She already had no appetite, and since she had been forced to come, she was even less inclined to eat. Holding her bowl and chopsticks, looking at the food in front of her, Xu Jingshu's words and actions inevitably kept replaying in her mind.

He should be with Xu Jingshu, why is he back so early...?

She raised her hand and rubbed her aching head, trying to ease her worries.

Seeing that she hadn't touched her chopsticks, Ji Jinghe put them down and asked, "Why did you go to the City God Temple today? Did you go out to have fun?"

Yu'an didn't need to think too much to understand his thoughts, and for some reason, she replied in a suggestive tone, "In short, it has nothing to do with you, sir. I didn't go there to inquire about your whereabouts."

With just one sentence, Ji Jinghe was rendered speechless, making him appear as a suspicious and petty person.

He put down his chopsticks and scoffed, "What's wrong with you today? Where did this temper come from? There's a limit to jealousy. You dare to be jealous of anyone?"

Yu An looked up at him, her dark eyes slightly angry, filled with a chill that went straight to her heart, and even with a hint of incredulous doubt.

It turns out he knew everything, he was aware of everything.

He truly loves Xu Jingshu; he can even say things like that, making her feel she has no right to even touch him.

"What do you think I should do, sir? Is ignoring it all I should do?" Yu An said, suppressing her grievances, clutching her sleeves tightly, afraid that she would lose her composure at any moment.

Ji Jinghe: "A virtuous woman is obedient to her parents-in-law, harmonious with her husband, serves the ancestral temple, and raises her children and grandchildren. Even if I were to take a concubine in the future, she must still fulfill her duties to be considered virtuous."

After the words were spoken, there was a moment of silence in the air.

Yu An nodded: "I understand."

The meal was not very good. Yu An ate a few bites, and Ji Jinghe also ate much less than usual. After finishing their meal, they got up and left.

Before going to bed, Qingque came over to take Ji Jinghe's clothes, saying that he had stayed in the study and wouldn't be coming back today.

Without Ji Jinghe, Yu An had much more free time, but her mind kept replaying the events of the day over and over again. No matter how she tried to convince herself, she couldn't stop thinking about them, so much so that when she woke up in the morning, her mind felt heavy.

As usual, she was checking accounts. When the calculations got too complicated, she sat down at the embroidery frame next to her and did some needlework to rest.

Later that evening, Shen Qiulan sent someone to summon her to check the account books at a set time.

Shen Qiulan: "Have you been living comfortably lately?"

Yu An nodded: "It's fine, thank you for your concern, Mother-in-law."

Shen Qiulan picked up the ledger and flipped through it. Looking at the meticulous handwriting, she said with satisfaction, "You really are a meticulous person. You've done a good job. How are the banquet preparations going?"

"Three versions of the menu have been prepared. After my daughter-in-law checks them, they will be sent to you for your review. As for the remaining ingredients and supplies, most of them have been prepared. They will definitely be ready three days before the banquet. Mother-in-law, please rest assured."

At first, Shen Qiulan was a little worried about entrusting the matter to her, but now it seems that she was overthinking it.

“It’s good to be prepared. You’ve had a tough time these past few days. Once this is over, you don’t need to worry about the ledgers anymore. Get some rest.” Shen Qiulan gently skimmed the foam off her tea with the lid, casually mentioning, “Besides this matter, you all need to take good care of your own affairs.”

"To be honest, you and Jinghe haven't done what you should have done yet. Our Ji family is a large and wealthy family. Ji Jinghe is twenty-two years old this year. In other families, the children would already be running around on the ground. You two need to hurry up."

On their wedding night, he wasn't there. Even though they slept together every day for a while, Ji Jinghe didn't seem to have any interest in her.

Now that I think about it again, Ji Jinghe's heart is with someone else, so it's probably impossible for him to consummate their marriage...

It was inappropriate to say such things to Shen Qiulan, so Yu'an could only grit his teeth and remain silent, obediently listening to the reprimand.

"You need to hurry up with the child. There's no shortage of people to raise it, so just focus on having the baby. If it doesn't work, go see a doctor and take medicine as soon as possible, or try to find a concubine."

Shen Qiulan secretly glanced at Yu An's expression and said, "Your Aunt Lin will be bringing her daughter to this birthday banquet. They are cousins, so you should treat them well. Who knows, they might become family in the future. The sooner you get to know each other, the fewer conflicts you will have in the future."

Aunt Lin was a cousin of Shen Qiulan's family, and she was also the person Ji Shu mentioned that Yu An overheard at the door that day.

"While Jinghe is home these few days, you should talk to him in advance and tell him to start looking for someone sooner," Shen Qiulan said, raising her voice when she saw Yu'an remain silent.

Did you hear that?

Yu'an felt as if her chest was stuffed with cotton, and she couldn't agree no matter what. She had thought it would take a long time, but instead, you put the matter of taking a concubine on the agenda immediately.

“I’m afraid I can’t make the decision on this matter. If the master is to take a concubine, he has to be happy with it. If I speak up rashly, he probably won’t listen.”

Having all been daughters-in-law, Shen Qiulan naturally understood what Yu An meant.

The sound of the teacup hitting the table was neither too loud nor too soft. All that could be heard was Shen Qiulan saying, "A wife should be virtuous, especially since she has only just married into this family..."

These words reminded Yu'an of what Ji Jinghe had said yesterday. They were all the same, constantly telling her that she shouldn't be jealous or resentful. But who had ever thought about her feelings?

Yu An raised her head and mustered her courage to say, "I have never interfered in the affairs of the master. If your mother-in-law is interested in any girl, she should tell the master directly instead of me. If the master agrees, I have nothing to say."

“After all, I don’t know what the master is thinking. If I bring people in directly, the master won’t know and might mistakenly think it was my idea, which would be bad,” Yu’an said. “The master’s mother is his mother, so her words are more effective than mine.”

After this conversation, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law parted on bad terms.

Shen Qiulan didn't want to see Yu'an, so Yu'an was left to her own devices, spending her days hiding in her half-acre courtyard and busy with her own affairs.

During the Dragon Boat Festival in May, the Imperial Concubine visited her family and said she would collect the best embroidery in the capital. Yu'an had started preparing before her marriage, and as the day drew closer, she became more and more engrossed in her work, spending almost all her time sitting in front of the embroidery frame.

Ji Jinghe stayed in the study every day, and before they knew it, three days had passed without the couple seeing each other.

The small kitchen in the courtyard was completed in three days, and Baozhu no longer had to beg for food because of others' opinions. As a result, the girl was so happy that she stayed in the kitchen every day, either developing new dishes or making snacks. She and the servants in the courtyard lived a very happy life.

But she didn't forget her daughter either. Based on her careful observation over the past few days, she had roughly guessed what was going on. Since she couldn't help, she could only try to ease her daughter's burden.

When they ran out of silk thread, Baozhu took Yu'an out for a stroll.

Unexpectedly, I ran into Xu Jingshu at the bookstore.

In contrast, the other person seemed more surprised, clearly not expecting to meet her here.

Xu Jingshu was dressed in plain clothes as usual, with only a simple white jade hairpin and earrings.

Perhaps it was the lighting, but her complexion looked much rosier, unlike the haggard look she had on the other day.

"Miss Chu, you've also come here to buy paper and ink?" Xu Jingshu asked with a faint smile.

Yu An smiled but didn't say anything. When she lowered her eyes, she saw the sandalwood bead again.

Xu Jingshu remained true to her scholarly demeanor, glancing at the papers in Baozhu's arms, and casually remarked, "Miss Chu likes watermarked paper?"

Smooth Xuan paper is typically used for practicing calligraphy, but Baozhu had a roll of smooth Xuan paper in her bosom with a small stack of water-patterned paper on top of it.

Ji Jinghe disliked these fancy things, so she could only use them herself. Watermarked paper was expensive, but she didn't expect that Yu An also cared about money and only bought some.

Yu An didn't care that she had seen through her thoughts: "I'm just an ordinary person. I can't tell which paper is good for writing on. I just bought it because it had a pattern on it."

Yu An didn't want to owe anyone anything, so she went along with it and said, "That day at the City God Temple, it was indeed my younger brother who was abrupt and broke Miss Xu's orchid. We haven't formally apologized yet, so why don't we take this opportunity to send Miss Xu some paper and ink as an apology?"

"It's alright, there's no need for apologies, Miss Chu, you're overthinking it." Xu Jingshu smiled and said, "Jinghe likes tung oil ink, it's from an old bookstore in the east of the city, you might as well buy some to take home."

Yu An pursed her lips. "Thank you for reminding me, Miss Xu. Let's talk about it next time."

She was unwilling to talk to him much, which Xu Jingshu could tell. After the two bowed, Yu An got into the carriage and left.

Watching the carriage disappear into the distance, Xu Jingshu pulled her cloak tighter, closed her eyes, and the smile that had been on her face was gone.

The maidservant pouted and said, "Why did you tell her about the young marquis's preferences? You can just tell them to find out for themselves."

She curled the corners of her lips, her eyes devoid of any warmth. "What harm is there in telling the truth? With the Xu family's connections, even if she puts the best things in the world in front of Jinghe, what can she do..."

"If that's the case, why are you still paying attention to them?" the maid asked, puzzled.

Xu Jingshu rubbed the dust off her fingertips and said calmly, "Maybe... I pity her. Besides, it's best not to arouse his suspicion."

This is merely a trial balloon. The more she shows in front of Yu An, the more flaws she will reveal. What she needs to do is remain calm and proceed slowly.

"Young Master and the Magistrate are like brothers, how could he possibly think of anything involving the young lady..."

Xu Jingshu recalled the pot of orchids that had been smashed, her eyes filled with a kind of determination, and she only said, "It's up to people to make things happen."

"Afterwards, go back and send a message to the Ji family, saying that the orchids from that day came from Jiuwan Mountain."

*

"I don't think that Miss Xu is easy to get along with. Since you don't like her, don't take it to heart. Just avoid seeing her in the future," Baozhu comforted her.

Yu An nodded, telling Bao Zhu to rest assured.

After buying the silk thread, it was already late. On my way back to my residence, heading towards Banmu Courtyard, I happened to pass by Ji Jinghe's study. A window was open; he must have returned.

"That...that's the orchid you gave to the young master, miss..."

Yu An looked up and saw a man who had just come out of the study, carrying the pot of orchids she had given him. Perhaps he had also seen her, because he walked towards her openly.

Zhang Yanche: "Sister-in-law."

Yu An didn't recognize him, but she could guess that he was probably Ji Jinghe's colleague in the court, so she nodded slightly in greeting.

This was Zhang Yanche's first time meeting Yu An. He liked her peaceful and kind nature, and found himself becoming more talkative without realizing it.

"Madam, have you just returned from your trip?"

Looking at the orchid in his arms, Yu'an's heart was in her throat. She forced a smile and asked, "Why did you bring out a pot of orchids?"

Zhang Yanche didn't seem to mind and laughed, "Brother Ji didn't want it anymore, so I just took it. This flower is really well-maintained..."

A note from the author:

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①“A compliant woman is compliant to her parents-in-law and harmonious with her husband.” (The Book of Rites, Inner Rules)

Just kidding! The male lead is being stubborn, but he'll be proven wrong later. Don't be angry, don't drop the story, it's always 1v1! [purple heart]