Chapter 135 Men are just shameless.

Ji Shu took Chunzhi's hand and said solemnly, "After a woman gets married, her situation becomes even more difficult. She has to serve her parents-in-law, serve her husband, and manage the household. If I hadn't met someone I truly loved, I would have wanted to keep you and Lian'er by my side for the rest of my life."

"Madam!" Chunzhi called softly.

“You are different from Lian’er. She is smarter and more resourceful than you. Even in a difficult situation, she can find a place for herself. But you…”

Ji Shu sighed softly and stroked her head: "I'll feel more at ease if I prepare more dowry for you."

Chunzhi said in a low voice, "This servant does not want to get married. I only want to stay by your side for the rest of my life."

Upon hearing this, Ji Shu chuckled, patted her hand, and said with a smile, "Alright, alright, then stay by my side for life. Anyway, men aren't all good people."

As she spoke, she leaned back slightly, casually lifted the curtain, and looked out the window.

Her tone softened as she said, "Men are such a creature; the more you ignore them, the more they want to come to you. But the more you care about them, the less they care."

Chunzhi immediately understood that the lady was referring to the Marquis. He hadn't been seen last night, but after learning that the lady wasn't in the manor, he immediately came after her. Wasn't that just a "scoundrel"?

Pei Yanzhi, standing outside the carriage, turned ashen-faced upon hearing this. He had only intended to come in and talk to him, but as soon as he stepped onto the carriage, he was met with these outrageous remarks.

He was absolutely furious!

With a wave of his hand, he lifted the curtain and bowed as he went inside. Seeing that he looked unwell, Chunzhi quickly stepped out and sat down with the coachman as the carriage came to a complete stop.

Ji Shu noticed the movement, opened her eyes and saw him sitting beside her. She knew that he had probably heard most of what she had said, but she pretended not to know and closed her eyes again.

Pei Yanzhi was even more furious when he saw that she remained so calm after saying those words. He grabbed her hand and bit it.

"hiss--"

She winced in pain and quickly pulled her hand back, asking angrily, "What are you doing!"

Pei Yanzhi noticed the faint mark on the back of her hand. He was surprised by how tender her skin was. He took a small bite, and the area became red and swollen.

Reluctantly, he didn't dare to say anything more, but instead half-embraced her in his arms and whispered, "You insulted me like that, and I'm not even allowed to punish you? Are you that domineering?"

Ji Shu raised an eyebrow and asked in return, "Then what did I say to you? Did I specifically name you and say that I was insulting you?"

Pei Yanzhi knew he couldn't argue with her, and didn't want to hear anything even more unpleasant from her. He sighed inwardly, "The ancients were right: only petty women and petty men are difficult to deal with."

He lowered his head, turned her cheek, and leaned down to kiss her red and tender lips. As she opened her mouth, he took the opportunity to thrust inside and suck her tongue hard.

Now, she couldn't say anything else; this little mouth was still best suited for this kind of thing.

Ji Shu never expected that he would do such a thing to her in the carriage when they were almost at the mansion. It was utterly shameless!

Furious, her face flushed red, she even felt something stirring amidst the jolting of the carriage. Pei Yanzhi's kiss deepened, the wet sounds particularly clear in the cramped carriage.

Until the driver let out a heavy "Whoa!"

After the carriage came to a stop, Pei Yanzhi released her, smoothed out the wrinkles on her clothes, and got off the carriage first.

Ji Shu looked at herself in the mirror. The person in the mirror had rosy cheeks, eyes filled with tears, and an alluring charm emanated from her entire being.

Not daring to look any longer, I hurriedly got off the train, holding onto the carriage.

Upon returning to Wenxin Pavilion, Granny Zhou came to report, "Madam, Shutong from Fushou Garden has arrived?"

Ji Shu paused slightly as she flipped through the account books, and said, "Please invite her in."

After Shutong entered, she first bowed and then said, "Madam, the old lady invites you and Lord Jun to have dinner together."

Ji Shu glanced at her indifferently, "Okay, I understand, I'll go in a bit."

Shutong delivered the message and then left.

Just then, Lian'er returned from Nanshun Street. In a few more days, Qiu Yineng would be able to open for business. A few days ago, she went missing, and Chang Wu had no heart to manage the shop. For several days, he was unable to continue the renovation and the business was at a standstill.

Every month, Madam Rui would send the detailed accounts of Qiu Yi Nong from Chongzhou by express courier. After carefully checking them, she was quite surprised. Nowadays, one tael of silver was enough for an ordinary family to spend for two or three months, but these accounts showed that...

After sharing profits with Madam Rui, there was still a staggering 30,000 taels left after two months—a sum that ordinary people wouldn't even dare to dream of.

These are just the profits from her partnership with Madam Rui. Of the shops she runs independently, 40% is to be given to Pei Yanzhi, but he is unaware of her partnership with Madam Rui.

After the initial shock, Ji Shu's mind became even clearer. Knowing that it was always wise to be cautious, she instructed Chunzhi, "Take good care of this ledger and make sure no one else knows about it."

Chunzhi nodded hurriedly, "This servant will go and get it ready right away."

It was assumed that Pei Yanzhi had also received the news, and after leaving his study, he went directly to the West Garden to find her and go to Fushou Garden together.

After they finished getting ready, the two left.

At Fushou Garden, the second son and Pei Xingjian were both seated.

The old lady hadn't seen her grandson for a long time, so she looked him over from head to toe. She noticed that although his complexion had darkened considerably, his spirits were much better than before, and he appeared even more masculine.

Knowing that they must have gained a lot of experience during this time, and that this is how the sons of the Pei family should be, he nodded in satisfaction.

The old lady said, "You haven't been home these days, so you probably don't know, but your father remarried the other day. When they arrive, you should offer them a cup of tea and address them as 'Mother.'"

Pei Xingjian lowered his eyes, fiddling with the teacup in his hand.

Madam Song chuckled lightly, holding her fan. "Mother, have you forgotten that Madam Ji is a year younger than Xingjian? How can you possibly call her 'Mother'?"

Madam Pei's face darkened, and she said coldly, "Why can't I call her that? Since she has married into the Pei family, she is Xingjian's elder. Besides, when Empress Dowager Song married into Hanzhong, wasn't the current emperor six or seven years older than her? Why didn't anyone say it was inappropriate then?"

The cold questioning made Song Shi feel a little embarrassed, but Pei Song saw that the atmosphere at the table was not right and smoothed things over by saying, "It's not a big deal. If Xingjian can't bring himself to call you that, he can just call you Madam."

Just as Madam Pei was about to speak again, Shutong's voice came from the doorway, indicating that Marquis Yan and his wife had arrived.

That's why he didn't say anything.

Pei Yanzhi was in front, and Ji Shu was behind, so they couldn't see the expressions inside. However, Chunzhi mentioned it, lowering her voice so that only the two of them could hear: "Madam, the young master is also here."

Ji Shu was stunned upon hearing this, but quickly regained her composure.

The two lowered their eyes and bowed respectfully: "Mother!"

Seeing the perfect couple, Madam Pei nodded in satisfaction and turned to Ji Shu, saying, "Shu'er, you two have not yet met Xingjian since your marriage."

"Xingjian, come and greet your mother!"