Chapter 7 Chapter 7 She is well-behaved and saves trouble.

Fang Zhongyue added some soup and placed it in front of Wei Ruzhuo, then lowered his head and introduced his name.

Wei Ruzhuo repeated her name and said after a while, "Not bad."

Zhu Yinluan clenched the silver chopsticks so tightly that his knuckles turned white, but he still didn't notice it and just lowered his head to eat.

Mingya felt sorry for Zhu Yinluan, and said as he walked forward to serve her the food, "The doctor told you that since you are not feeling well, you should eat less cold dishes to be careful not to hurt your stomach." After that, he took away the pickled cucumber in front of Zhu Yinluan.

Wei Ruzhuo then looked at her, "Are you sick?"

"It's just that I caught a cold after it rained a few days ago. It's nothing serious." She ate slowly and spoke slowly.

When mentioning that rainy night, Zhu Yinluan began to pay attention to his reaction again.

He looked like there was nothing wrong with him, but his words suddenly showed concern for her, "If you are not feeling well, then you should rest more and let the servants take care of the housework."

"Thank you for your concern, my husband. I know everything." The man's voice was so gentle that she felt a little aggrieved and uncomfortable.

"Um."

After that, he didn't ask any more questions in detail, such as what was wrong with him or what medicine he was taking.

There was only the sound of eating at the table. Zhu Yinluan didn't eat much, but Wei Ruzhuo ate with relish.

After dinner, Wei Ruzhuo showed no sign of leaving. Zhu Yinluan brought the maid to prepare hot water and clothes for him.

During this period, Fang Zhongyue was also helping.

After Wei Ruzhuo entered the bathroom, Jiaohui came up with the boiled medicine for Zhu Yinluan to drink.

As Mingya added candied fruit to her, she whispered, "Young lady shouldn't let her serve in the inner room."

This woman seems to be well-behaved, but in fact she is very good at taking advantage of every opportunity.

Zhu Yinluan smelled the bitter and rich medicine soup even with candied fruit, "..."

Her mother-in-law had already said that, and if she tried to obstruct him, she would probably be scolded again. More importantly, Wei Ruzhuo did not reject Fang Zhongyue's approach. Not only that, he was even a little curious about her and asked her name.

What can she do?

Thinking of this, Zhu Yinluan felt bitter in her heart, but she said nothing. Without waiting for the candied fruit in the medicine to dissolve, she picked it up and drank it all in one gulp, letting the bitterness spread in her mouth.

“…”

Wei Ruzhuo looked at the little maid serving him.

Her eyebrows and eyes are indeed very similar to Zhu Chentan. They look alike at first glance, and even more so upon closer inspection.

Zhu Chentan was pretty and lively, but the little maid in front of him was well-behaved and polite. She gave him the feeling that she was more like his wife Zhu Yinluan.

Thinking of her pale face just now, Wei Ruzhuo wondered if she knew something?

But if you knew...

Even if she knew, what could she do?

Zhu Yinluan's temperament is as calm as a pool of stagnant water. Even if a strong wind passes by, it will not cause any waves.

Wei Ruzhuo didn't take it to heart and decided to have someone send her some pearl and jade jewelry after some time. Zhu Yinluan didn't need much effort to coax her.

She is well-behaved and trouble-free.

Wei Ruzhuo asked the little maid in front of him a few more questions.

It's about family background.

Then he discovered that when the maid in front of him spoke, she didn't sound like Zhu Yinluan, but more like Zhu Chentan, and the tone of her voice was somewhat similar.

But what aroused Wei Ruzhuo's doubt was not this, but, "Is there anyone in your family working in the Marquis' Mansion?"

"The Shen family?"

Although there is more than one marquis in the capital, when it comes to noble families, the Shen family is the most eye-catching.

"Yes." Fang Zhongyue said.

"Since someone from your family works for the Shen family in the Marquis' Mansion, why didn't you follow them in?"

"The Shen family is strict with its servants, and it's not easy to get in. I have two younger brothers to take care of at home, and I can't let my mother be busy alone, so I have to find another job."

Wei Ruzhuo didn't suspect anything, he just nodded, "Well, you are a filial son."

This makes him more like his wife Zhu Yinluan.

Zhu Yinluan was bathing on the other side. When she came out after washing up, Wei Ruzhuo had not finished yet when she entered the bathroom.

Seeing her looking at the bathroom, Mingya explained that she didn't hear any noise.

Zhu Yinluan lowered his eyes and ordered people to add incense and make the bed.

After a while, Wei Ruzhuo also came out.

After the candles were turned off tonight, the wind and rain started to blow again.

With Wei Ruzhuo by her side, Zhu Yinluan didn't feel sleepy at all.

I don't know if he rested.

The rain was getting heavier. Zhu Yinluan had a cold constitution and the medicine she took was hot in nature. She had trouble falling asleep and tossed and turned several times.

Wei Ruzhuo beside her felt her moving, turned around and asked her, "What's wrong?"

Zhu Yinluan wasn't sure if she was being too concerned and extremely sensitive.

She felt that Wei Ruzhuo's words were not a sign of comfort, but rather impatience because she had disturbed him.

"It's okay." She still didn't speak.

After she got married, she worked hard for several years and finally earned a peaceful life. She didn't want any troubles.

Maybe I am really too sensitive because I am sick?

As she was comforting herself, she suddenly heard Wei Ruzhuo beside her ask, "How much is the monthly salary of the maids in the courtyard?"

Zhu Yinluan raised her eyes in the darkness. She wanted to ask back, but was afraid that Wei Ruzhuo would be angry, so she gave him a number truthfully.

Wei Ruzhuo continued, "Please give more to the little maids who came today."

"Why?" she couldn't help but ask.

Because she asked the question too quickly, she was worried that Wei Ruzhuo would notice that she cared too much and get angry. After all, Wei Ruzhuo didn't like her like this.

But Wei Ruzhuo didn't seem to notice that something was wrong with her. He said, "The maid's life story is pitiful. Her father broke his leg, her mother is old and frail, and she has two younger brothers to support."

Fang Zhongyue actually told him so much, so he took a bath so late today because he wanted to listen to her talking in there.

It's not that Zhu Yinluan is unsympathetic. The little maids who come to work in a wealthy family all have pitiful life stories and their families all have children to support. If one is rich and powerful and has no worries about food and clothing, who would come here to be a servant? Even if one is a servant in a wealthy family, he is still a slave after all.

What's more, when she asked about the little maid today, she didn't explain to her in detail the difficulties of her family. Why did she turn around and tell Wei Ruzhuo about it?

"What's wrong? Are you in trouble?" Wei Ruzhuo didn't hear her speak for a long time.

"No." A low voice came from the person beside him, and Wei Ruzhuo was not surprised at all.

Look, this is Zhu Yinluan, who accepts everything that comes her way.

She won't say no.

"Well, I'll leave this matter to you to arrange," he said.

After a while, Wei Ruzhuo was almost drowsy. He had been busy with the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue these days. There were too many officials, all crowded in the office, and he had not had a good rest. The little maid massaged his arm, and he felt very comfortable at the moment.

Just when he was about to fall asleep, the person next to him turned over and asked him a question.

"Did my husband take away the fabric I left at home when he got the book on that rainy night when he returned home?"

Wei Ruzhuo opened his eyes instantly. He was surprised by Zhu Yinluan's sudden questioning about the past few days.

She is still asking herself whether she had been suspicious before.

But judging from her tone, it was still gentle and weak, and she didn't mean to question him.

On second thought, Zhu Yinluan has never lost her temper in all these years, so why would she question him with a red face?

But her question still surprised Wei Ruzhuo.

Then he realized that his first reaction was not anger, but curiosity and guilt.

"What's wrong?" He didn't answer directly, but just asked the same question.

The couple in the darkness were testing each other.

Zhu Yinluan clutched the quilt tightly and chose her words. She was very nervous in this game of questioning, but fortunately in the dark, she was not discovered by the man.

Under the cover of illness, her voice was softer than usual, and a little quiet. If it wasn't late at night, Wei Ruzhuo might not have heard her clearly. "That was a gift prepared for my sister. I lost it for no reason. I want to ask my husband."

Even though she pondered for a long time in her heart, she would still subconsciously put her situation down, "I didn't doubt my husband's intention, but Jiaohui beside me saw the material being taken away by my husband, so I wanted to ask."

Her explanation made Wei Ruzhuo feel dull.

I thought Zhu Yinluan was going to make trouble with him, no, she was going to question him.

But her words could not even be considered as questions, they were just cautious inquiries.

She was always so boring.

"I had someone take it away from me."

"Oh." She didn't even ask him what he did with it.

Wei Ruzhuo waited for a while, but she still didn't speak.

Fearing that she would just make up stories again, I simply told her, "When I came back that day, I met your eldest sister's maid, and she told me that you didn't bring any gifts when you went to visit her. I saw you put it on the table, so I sent someone to take it away. However, this gift was sent by Lord Luo, and it is just a token of your condolences as a younger sister."

He lied. It was not a chance meeting, but Zhu Chentan's maid came to him to ask about Luo Xuan's whereabouts.

The little maidservant said how wronged Zhu Chentan was, and recalled how good he had been in the past. It was a pity that the man from the Luo family fell in love with the girl from the Zhu family, so they had to marry her off, which caused the two of them to miss their fate. She cried and was upset.

The two of them had missed out on their love for each other for many years, and his heart was filled with turmoil. He found an excuse to come back and used the fabric to give her some of her favorite things.

Moreover, even if it was given through Luo Xuan using Zhu Yinluan's name, he and Zhu Chentan had discussed marriage before, so how could it not be criticized?

Despite such a loophole, Zhu Yinluan believed it.

She apologized to him and said she shouldn't have asked.

Wei Ruzhuo took the opportunity to raise his voice, turned over, and said impatiently, "Now that you have learned everything, you can rest early if you are satisfied."

But he didn't know that the loneliness on Zhu Yinluan's face was so obvious in the darkness.

Zhu Yinluan didn't sleep well that night.

Yesterday's conversation was not pleasant, and Wei Ruzhuo had nothing to say to her in the morning. He didn't say a word, and Zhu Yinluan was not feeling well and had no intention of talking either.

After washing up and having breakfast, she followed him to pay her respects to Pang Shi.

Pang Shi was very happy to see Wei Ruzhuo, and said that the imperial physician had brought her back to health. She took a medicinal bath yesterday and did not have a headache despite the wind and rain, and slept soundly.

She then asked Wei Ruzhuo if he had finished his work. When she heard Wei Ruzhuo say that he was almost done, she was relieved and told him to come home more often. No matter how busy he was, he should not be away all day.

This sentence is very profound, and every word between the lines refers to offspring.

Wei Ruzhuo paused for a moment and said that he had made his mother worry.

Zhu Yinluan's heart sank to the bottom.

After coming out of Tingyu Pavilion, Wei Ruzhuo left with the servant.

A few days later, Wei Ruzhuo did come back earlier, and the two of them still spoke very little.

On the contrary, Fang Zhongyue was much closer to him. He would ask her to serve him when he was bathing, because that little maid would help him massage his shoulder bones and forehead.

Zhu Yinluan felt very uncomfortable, but she had to appear magnanimous because Pang Shi had someone keep an eye on this side.

She became more and more silent because she was in a bad mood and her health was recovering very slowly.

On her birthday, as usual, Wei Ruzhuo said nothing when he woke up in the morning. Zhu Yinluan knew that he really couldn't remember it, or rather, he didn't take it to heart.

Wei Ruzhuo had breakfast and left. Zhu Yinluan felt bored, so she took Mingya out under the pretext of inspecting the shop.

Mingya comforted her all the way.

Zhu Yinluan just smiled, but it was a bitter smile, and the sadness in her eyes could not be dispelled.

"Miss, I heard that a troupe of actors has come to the capital. Why don't you go and take a look?"

"Don't you like to listen to opera?"

I didn't want to go at first, but I went anyway because of Mingya's enthusiasm.

But who knew that the troupe was so popular that one had to queue up in advance. Mingya prayed to others that today was her daughter's birthday and they only wanted to lend a seat to the troupe for one play. It didn't matter what play it was, as long as it was fun.

The people rehearsing the play said no, and Zhu Yinluan was about to pull Mingya away when suddenly a person ran out from inside. The people rehearsing the play hurriedly stood up and respectfully called the troupe owner.

The troupe owner greeted Zhu Yinluan cheerfully and said, "I am free some time, what play would you like to watch today?"