Just then, Su Peng's voice rang out behind her, "Yan'er, where did you go? I've been looking for you everywhere."
Caiyan was startled, but quickly regained her composure, slowly turned around and curtsied to Su Peng, "What business does my son-in-law have with me?"
Su Peng approached, his gaze falling on her face, which still retained a faint blush.
She said gently, "Yan'er, you can't go to Tingxue Pavilion anymore. Your mother has decided to make Kuihua a concubine, and she will live in Tingxue Pavilion from now on."
Caiyan thought that Kuihua had become Su Zhengxing's concubine.
She said, "It's alright. In the dead of winter, I don't want to go to Tingxue Pavilion and freeze. Besides, no wall is completely leak-proof. If the young mistress finds out, she will be angry with me again. Aunt Kuihua will be an elder from now on, so naturally we should take care of her."
Su Peng's brow twitched slightly. He looked around and, seeing that no one was coming, reached out and took Caiyan's small hand in his.
"Yan'er, you've misunderstood. Mother gave me the sunflower. But don't worry, Yan'er, once I make money in the future, I will definitely help you become a concubine."
Caiyan glanced at the other end of the corridor and, not seeing Zhao Wu's figure, her tense nerves relaxed.
She quickly withdrew her hand, took a step back, and curtsied. "This servant congratulates you, young master. Making money is a big deal, this servant's matter is small. Young master, please think about what to do next."
"What else can we do? We'll hire someone else to help once the snow stops." Su Peng looked up at the sky.
He grew up in Beijing, where heavy snow like this was common in winter.
Often, a single snowfall can last for three to five days, or even half a month.
Su Peng wasn't sure if he would be able to set up his stall normally this winter.
He glanced at the scattered snowflakes on Caiyan's head and asked, "Oh! By the way, where did you go just now? I thought you went to the front gate to shovel snow, but when I went out, I didn't see a single person."
Instead of answering, Caiyan asked, "Did Master just come back from outside?"
“I was talking to my mother in the east courtyard. After she told me about the sunflower, I went out to find you so that you wouldn’t feel too surprised.” Su Peng gently reached out to brush the snowflakes off Caiyan’s headscarf.
The headscarf is a long scarf that wraps around the neck from the head and is placed in front of the chest, barely covering the torn buttons on the chest.
Caiyan quickly covered the scarf hanging in front of her chest and took a step back, saying, "I feel a bit chilly today, and my head hurts a little. I was worried that the young mistress would scold me for being lazy in the courtyard, so I took a nap in Tingxue Pavilion."
"If there's nothing else, sir, I'll go to the kitchen to help prepare lunch."
Watching the little girl's departing figure, Su Peng thought to himself, "They say women are prone to jealousy, but this girl is quite good. She knows when to advance and retreat, and is more magnanimous than her mistress."
As soon as Caiyan left, Zhao Wu grabbed a broom and a shovel and headed to the backyard.
This was Zhao Wu's second time entering the backyard. Although the Su residence was dilapidated, it was large in size. He did not know the exact location of Tingxue Pavilion.
Just as I was about to go to the kitchen to ask Sunflower for directions, I saw Su Peng walking under the eaves.
Zhao Wu took a few quick steps and shouted loudly, "Young Master, please wait!"
Su Peng slowly turned around and, seeing the tools in Zhao Wu's hand, guessed what he was going to do.
Before Zhao Wu could even ask, he pointed in the direction of Tingxue Pavilion and said, "Go through the corridor, then follow the path inwards."
Looking around, all I could see was a patch of dry reeds covered with a thick layer of snow, and there was no path in sight.
After finishing his sentence, Su Peng strode towards the courtyard. He hadn't had a chance to tell Jiang Jiaojiao about the sunflower yet, so he had to hurry over and inform her.
Just now, Mother said that she was afraid things might change if she waited too long, so she asked Sunflower to serve tea to the mistress at lunch today and urged him to go back to his room to tell Jiang Jiaojiao.
Hearing footsteps outside, Jiang Jiaojiao called out, "Caiyan, where have you been all this time?"
"Jiao'er, it's me. Caiyan is helping with the cooking in the kitchen." Su Peng lifted the curtain and walked in.
Jiang Jiaojiao sat at the table looking tired. Su Peng walked behind her and squeezed her shoulders with both hands.
Jiang Jiaojiao was already familiar with Su Peng's every move; he was always eager to please her without any ulterior motives.
She said calmly, "Don't mention money to me."
"No, let's not talk about money. This time, I want to talk to you about something else." Su Peng massaged her gently.
"Jiao'er, my Su family has nothing, and it's really unfair to you that you've married into this family. But as long as we are of one mind, our lives will definitely get better and better."
If Jiang Jiaojiao weren't a person who wasn't naturally emotional, Su Peng's words would surely have moved her to tears.
Jiang Jiao remained silent, waiting quietly for him to continue.
Su Peng continued without stopping, "The manor can't afford servants, so Mother sent Sunflower to serve us."
Jiang Jiaojiao's mind immediately went into overdrive. Could that old hag really be so kind?!
Absolutely impossible.
She slapped away the large hand on her shoulder and stood up abruptly. "Stop talking. Is it your mother who wants me to give Sunflower her monthly allowance?"
Jiang Jiaojiao pointed to the door and said, "Go to the east courtyard and tell that 'fortune teller' mother that I, Jiang Jiaojiao, will not be a sucker."
Seeing Jiang Jiaojiao's flustered state, Su Peng said unhurriedly:
"It's not what you think. You can't refuse this. My mother gave me Sunflower as a concubine. She'll be coming over to serve tea to the mistress in a bit. You'd better be generous."
"Does your mother think she's the Empress? She even bestowed concubines upon you. I've only been married for less than three months, and you've been bringing people into the courtyard one after another. Su Peng, how could you do this to me?"
Jiang Jiaojiao went from being furious to screaming hysterically, and finally cried heartbrokenly.
Su Peng wasn't buying it, and remained calm and composed:
“My lady, you were born into a wealthy family. Which family doesn’t have three wives and four concubines in the backyard? Besides, you are familiar with the character of the people your elders gave you. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Jiang Jiaojiao's bloodshot eyes widened: "Fine, then why don't you leave your mother to your father? Your father doesn't have a single concubine in his backyard, so she's perfect for him!"
"Stop talking nonsense. My father is old enough that he doesn't need to take a concubine."
"Who said that? My father just took a concubine, so why is your father impotent?" Jiang Jiaojiao was so angry that she spoke recklessly.
“Your father’s salary is higher than mine, so of course he can afford it. Your mother is very generous; she personally helped your father get the concubine.”
Su Peng seemed to have found a reason to refute.
He added, "Didn't your aunt teach you that the husband is the head of the household when you got married?"
"No, you just took Caiyan in, and now you're taking in Sunflower. I haven't even given birth to a legitimate son yet. Once I have a legitimate son, you can take as many as you want."
Jiang Jiaojiao grasped the key point and decided to use delaying tactics.
She was certain that Madam Qin wouldn't be willing to spend money on Su Peng taking a concubine. She figured she'd be careful with her money, and perhaps in a year or two, Kuihua would be married.
Su Peng had no intention of arguing with her, and lied to her, saying, "My lady is overthinking it. Before you give birth to a legitimate son, neither Kuihua nor Caiyan can get pregnant. Mother will give them a contraceptive soup."
Seeing that Jiang Jiaojiao was only wiping away her tears, he softened his tone a bit, "My wife knows that I am weak and I don't often need them to serve me. They are just decorations."
Jiang Jiaojiao knew that nothing she said would make a difference, so she simply turned around and threw herself onto the bed, sobbing.
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