Chapter 35
The raindrops on the eaves are like curtains, and the rain and mist are lingering. The rain has not stopped completely yet.
When Ke Jie saw her father, she subconsciously opened her arms towards him. Even though Wang Shuhuai's heart was cold, he still had an extremely warm smile on his face. He was not used to showing his emotions, and even less used to blaming a woman.
Besides, she couldn't be blamed.
He took the child, and the child lay on his neck, murmured, calling daddy. Wang Shuhuai's lonely heart found a little comfort from his daughter's dependent sweet smile.
Xie Yunchu personally poured a cup of tea for Wang Shuhuai, sat aside fiddling with needlework, and watched the father and daughter play. Because of her deliberate guidance, the father and daughter got along more and more harmoniously. In his previous life, Wang Shuhuai was in a hurry, and even when he came to the backyard, he only glanced at his daughter quickly. He did not take the initiative to hold the child. Xie Yunchu was worried that he would dislike the child's crying and would not ask. As a result, the child and her father became very unfamiliar.
When she grew up, the little girl wore double buns, dressed in a proper dress, and stood in front of her father's knees with only respect.
Xie Yunchu invited him to eat some rice as usual, saying that his favorite steamed mandarin fish was on the stove today.
Wang Shuhuai suddenly recalled the day when Xie Yunyou came and Xie Yunchu cooked eagerly and excitedly.
He swallowed the tea, the bitterness covering his throat, and shook his head gently, "No need, I have something important to do in my study."
Xie Yunchu was used to it, and replied without any desire or expectation, "Then send the lunch box to the study later."
Wang Shuhuai remained silent, hugged his daughter for a while, and then left Chunjingtang.
The tall and graceful figure, carrying a sense of loneliness in his robe, was submerged in the rain and fog.
He returned to the study and stood under the eaves. His robe was slightly wet, and it shone with a jade-like sheen like clear frost.
He stood in the corridor for a while, and Minggui came over with a lunch box, smiling, and placed the meal on the table in the second room of the study.
Wang Shuhuai stood at the open window and glanced inside. They were all the dishes he usually ate. In fact, he was not picky about food. He would eat a few more pieces of whatever dish was placed in front of him. Over time, it became his favorite dish. Fortunately, Xie Yunchu was meticulous and remembered them all.
Wang Shuhuai brushed away his chaotic thoughts, calmly entered the study, finished his dinner alone, and went to the inner study to sort out books. He picked out the books that he would take to Jiangnan one by one, just as a way to digest his food, and returned to his desk to busy himself with official business. He was about to go south, and there were too many connections that needed to be cleared. He really had no time to think about Xie Yunchu's affairs.
Late at night, after seeing the child, Xie Yunchu returned to the dressing table to take off her hairpins and rings. Chunqi took out the jade hairpin and said, "Miss, do you want to try it?"
Xie Yunchu's gaze gradually moved from himself in the bronze mirror to the snow-white jade hairpin. The hairpin was crystal white, moist and lustrous. It was made of top-quality mutton-fat jade, with smooth lines. It must have been done in one go with the knife. It would take at least two days to make such a hairpin.
Was it really done by him?
Xie Yunchu had confiscated Wang Shuhuai's gifts and knew nothing about his craft. He disdained to lie and just took it as it was.
He has always been a gentle person. If You'er said something to him, he would just do it. As for whether he took it to heart or not, that is another matter.
In her previous life, she would have been so happy that she couldn't sleep at night. She would have put it in her hair like a treasure to show off her love. She might even pull his sleeve with sweet words and invite him to stay overnight. But now, it is difficult for her heart to be moved.
The present days and nights will never be able to bear the spring flowers and autumn moons of the past.
The menstrual period that came on the night of the 20th was almost over by the morning of the 25th. The sky was sunny that day and the weather was cooler than usual. Xie Yunchu removed the ice in the room, remembering that he had not visited Xiao Youran since returning to Beijing from the palace. His cousin was pregnant and might not be able to go out in the short term, so he packed a few small gifts, took his maids and servants with him, and got on the carriage to the Zhu family.
The Zhu family is also an old noble family. When the late emperor was alive, they had served the emperor well, so the royal princess was betrothed to Marquis Zhu. Princess Runan and her husband are very affectionate. They have only one son, Prince Zhu, and their two daughters have already married. Now, there are only four masters and a young lady living in the huge mansion. Compared with the crowded and narrow mansion of the Wang family, it is really spacious and comfortable.
Because Xiao Youran and her mother-in-law did not get along well, and the princess was notoriously two-faced, Xie Yunchu did not come often. Today, when he visited the mansion, he entered the main hall from the corner door and walked along the corridor to the backyard. It was dotted with rocks, gurgling water, and a porch for watching. He walked around a stretch of pink walls and green tiles, with flourishing flowers and colorful embroidery. It was simply a paradise on earth.
Xie Yunchu thought to herself that after the canal was dredged and she had saved up some money, she would buy a villa and decorate it so that she could go there to cool off in the summer.
The old woman led her to the upper room and met Princess Runan first.
Princess Runan smiled and asked her to sit down.
"Your cousin is lazy and pregnant, so she has to come to meet you. Don't mind her. I'll ask the maid to take you to visit her later."
Although his tone sounded friendly, his words were actually blaming Xiao Youran.
Xie Yunchu suddenly thought that although Jiang was harsh to her, at least she was straightforward, unlike Princess Runan who was treacherous. She would not be able to stand a mother-in-law like her.
Xie Yunchu replied, "It's only right that I didn't come to welcome her. I am a cousin to her two aunts, and there is no difference between me and my biological sisters. If my visit caused her to have a miscarriage, and it would affect the birth of the Marquis's offspring, wouldn't I be guilty? My cousin loves me so much that she does this."
Princess Runan's smile was somewhat forced. She felt annoyed that Xie Yunchu always protected her cousin, so she sent a maid to take her to see Xiao Youran.
As soon as I entered the house, I smelled the fragrance of medicine.
After walking around the screen, he saw Xiao Youran lying in front of the bed and vomiting. Xie Yunchu was very anxious.
"Is morning sickness this serious?"
He quickly went forward to help her.
After not seeing each other for such a short time, Xiao Youran had lost a lot of weight. Seeing her childhood sisters, she couldn't help but feel a little aggrieved. "Chu'er, you finally came to see me. I've been bored at home with nowhere to go. I've been waiting for you to come visit me from time to time."
The maid came forward to wipe her, and after she had tidied herself up, the two of them sat down to talk.
Xie Yunchu glanced at her cousin's useless appearance and laughed, "You, you can't sit still. If you have nothing to do, you can use your needlework to prepare some clothes for the child."
"I did want to, but that day I accidentally vomited all over the embroidery plate. After that, they never allowed me to touch needlework again." Xiao Youran felt much better after vomiting, and he became more energetic.
Xie Yunchu looked at her for a few times. Her eye sockets were sunken and her cheekbones were exposed. He felt pain in his heart. "Did you not eat enough or did you vomit too much? How did you become so thin?"
Xiao Youran's face froze for a moment, and he waved his hand to signal the maid to leave. He then pulled Xie Yunchu to his side, and the two of them sat side by side and talked in private.
"It was that bastard from my family. He took advantage of my pregnancy to go out and hang out, and was caught by my brother. You can tell me these men are simply too lewd to dare to do anything. With his ability, only I can tolerate him. He thinks he is so powerful."
Xie Yunchu looked slightly embarrassed when he heard this, and pulled her arm, "Say less."
Xiao Youran snorted a few times, still not satisfied, "I was just thinking of a way to deal with him."
Xie Yunchu fell into deep thought, she recalled Xiao Youran and Master Zhu in her previous life.
Prince Zhu was quite considerate and gentle to his wife, but he just couldn't change his bad habit of being a playboy. Xiao Youran couldn't do anything about him, so she scolded him day and night, and eventually Prince Zhu lost his patience. After Xiao Youran gave birth to a son, he completely indulged in brothels and didn't return home for half a month. Xiao Youran became sick because of this.
It was not until something happened later that Prince Zhu regretted his decision.
Xie Yunchu pondered for a while and said, "I do have an idea." Xie Yunchu whispered a few words.
Xiao Youran's expression brightened at first, but then he hesitated, "Is this... too cruel?"
Xie Yunchu spread his hands, "Can you continue to tolerate him like this? Or do you plan to divorce?"
Divorce is impossible as she has a daughter and is pregnant with another.
Although this marquis's mansion was not particularly prominent, at least all the property belonged to her children. If they divorced, would such a huge family business be taken advantage of by outsiders? Xiao Youran would not accept that.
Xiao Youran thought it over again and again and decided to do as Xie Yunchu said.
That night, when Prince Zhu returned home, he saw his wife sitting in front of the bed wiping her tears.
He was always good-natured, and hurried forward to comfort his wife, but was pushed away by Xiao Youran. Xiao Youran glared at her husband angrily, with three parts of coquetry, three parts of grievance, and four parts of anger, "Mother brought up the old matter again, and insisted that I take a concubine for you."
No matter what Zhu Shizi thought in his heart, he always spoke sweet words and showed his love. "Look at you crying like this. Don't worry, I will refuse mother's request right away."
After saying that, he turned and went out.
"Come back." Xiao Youran's face remained angry, and he pointed at Jin Wu in front of him, "Sit down, I have something to tell you."
Prince Zhu sat down as he was told, and even fanned his wife in a good-natured manner, looking humble and submissive.
Xiao Youran looked at her husband, who looked like a beautiful woman with a rotten heart, and suddenly she felt sad. Chu'er was right, all men were bad. If she wanted to make him feel at ease with her, she couldn't control him. So she gritted her teeth and made up her mind.
"You don't need mother to arrange anything for you. I will pick two maids to be your concubines. Before I give birth to a legitimate son, they will drink contraceptive soup. I will also give the original Qiu Er a name."
Zhu Shizi was shocked at first. This was not like his wife's behavior. But when he thought about the pressure his mother had put on his wife recently and how his wife was pregnant and had no time to care about him, he thought it was not strange. He was immediately overjoyed, but he showed hesitation on his face, "This is not appropriate..."
Xiao Youran looked at him with disdain, "If you don't want it, forget it."
Prince Zhu was anxious and immediately changed his tone, "Ran Ran, you are suddenly so nice to me, do you have any conditions?"
Xiao Youran said with a stern face, "Your mother has subsidized you with some property privately. Don't think I don't know. Just give all of this to me. In the future, you should put mother and son first in everything and never shake my position as your legal wife. Then I will follow you." Xiao Youran showed a bit of sadness, "I have come to terms with it now. Rather than restraining you and becoming your enemy, I'd rather follow you."
Seeing his wife like this, Prince Zhu felt a little guilty. He squatted in front of her and hugged her.
"Ran Ran, don't worry, you will always be the first in my heart, and no one can surpass you."
He didn't go anywhere that night. He handed over his private property to his wife and stayed with Xiao Youran.
While waiting for Master Zhu to wash up at night, Xiao Youran looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was sallow and she looked haggard. She was extremely thin.
With such an appearance, it is no wonder that her husband is disliked. She has exhausted herself beyond recognition, and the man is becoming more and more alienated from her. Both of them are hurt. Chu'er is right, she should be kind to herself.
Since you can't control it, don't bother yourself with it.
Xiao Youran just said that she needed to take her time to choose the candidate, and Master Zhu didn't care. His wife had made a promise and it would not change. Even if she changed, it didn't matter, as there would still be a place for him outside.
With his wife's permission, Prince Zhu became even more unrestrained. The next day was his day off, and he invited a few good friends to go to the pleasure boat for a drink as usual. When they were drunk, Prince Zhu danced with his sleeves fluttering in his clothes, and even boasted that he was a famous scholar of the Wei and Jin dynasties, and was a romantic and unrestrained person.
The pleasure boat docked in the middle of the night. Prince Zhu was helped ashore by his colleagues. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a young and beautiful girl with a flying bun and a colorful gauze dress strolling by the river. Her skin was as white as cream, her waist was as slender as a willow, and there seemed to be a faint white patch on her chest. This attire made her look very much like a dancer in a brothel. Prince Zhu's throat suddenly rolled, and he brushed his colleagues away and pounced on her.
Before he could hold her in his arms, the woman screamed in fear and fled in a hurry. Zhu Shizi chased after her. In the blink of an eye, a man in black rushed over from the long embankment behind him, grabbed Zhu Shizi's wrist, and poked his face to the ground, cursing, "Dirty thing, you dare to touch my fiancée?"
When Prince Zhu was almost sober, he realized that he had mistaken the person. He thought to himself that it was not good and begged for mercy, "Let's talk nicely. I recognized the wrong person. The girl looks a bit like my wife. I will just treat her as my wife..."
"Bah? Your wife accompanies you in prostitution?"
The man was so angry that he pulled the man up from the shore and threw him into the water. Zhu Shizi swallowed a large mouthful of dirty water and shouted for help, but before he could utter a word, he was pushed back into the water. He gulped down a few mouthfuls of river water and was enveloped by the despair of dying. He was in a state of panic and could only beg for mercy.
The first few colleagues either came back or got drunk, and no one was in charge of his affairs.
The man tried to cover it up, so Prince Zhu had no one to turn to for help.
Just when he thought he was about to drown, a familiar figure dropped from the sky. Xiao Huaijin held the man's arm from behind, speaking in a steady and calm tone.
"Good man, he knows he was wrong, I apologize to you on his behalf. Your fiancée is frightened, take her to rest quickly. He is an official, if someone dies, you will also be held responsible."
The man met Xiao Huaijin's calm eyes and slowly loosened his hand.
While Xiao Huaijin pulled Master Zhu out of the water and handed him over to the servant, he apologized to the other party.
The woman was so scared that she hid in the maid's arms and cried. The man stopped in front of his fiancée and looked at Master Zhu with anger.
"Since he is an official, if I go to the government office and file a complaint, will he no longer be an official?"
Zhu Shizi was still in shock. He was wet all over and his face was pale. The fear of escaping death made him unable to utter a word. The man was an old hand. He had just hit him a few times. It was painful but there was no visible injury. Zhu Shizi was groaning in pain. He glanced at his brother-in-law Xiao Huaijin in fear. Xiao Huaijin didn't even look at him. He just asked him in a calm voice, "What do you want?"
The other party sneered, "Five thousand taels of silver to buy this official's reputation."
Xiao Huaijin's expression remained unchanged.
Prince Zhu grumbled and spit, angrily cursing, "You are asking for too much."
The man spread his hands and said, "Then let's go to court."
Prince Zhu was speechless.
Xiao Huaijin was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Master Zhu. Master Zhu met Xiao Huaijin's cold and even somewhat disgusted look, and was so ashamed that he couldn't raise his head.
"Brother, I am sorry for what happened today. I have no way to defend myself. I just ask you to keep Ranran from knowing about this for her pregnancy. If she gets pregnant, the consequences will be unpredictable."
Xiao Huaijin said, "Of course I know, but where did the five thousand taels of silver come from? You are currently in the process of being transferred to another position. If something goes wrong, not only will you be expelled, but the Marquis's Mansion will become a laughing stock in the capital, and my sister will not be able to hold her head up in front of others."
Prince Zhu looked at the other party's fearless appearance and gritted his teeth in anger, "I'll find a way to raise money!"
It’s a pity that he just gave his private property to his wife last night. Where can he raise the money now?
I had to find two excuses to get some money from my mother, but what about the rest? After all, it was only five thousand taels.
A dull pain swept through his heart, and Prince Zhu regretted it so much that his intestines turned green. His wife had promised to give him a concubine, but he lost his mind for a moment and made a big mistake. It was too late to regret. The man did not trust his IOU and insisted that he give him another personal token. Prince Zhu was forced to give the other party a jade pendant that his grandfather had given him since he was a child. The two sides reached an agreement and then they stopped.
Xiao Huaijin acted as a guarantor for him and urged Prince Zhu to return and raise money as soon as possible so as not to implicate him.
Zhu was originally saved by Xiao Huaijin, and Xiao Huaijin begged him to keep it secret, which meant that Xiao Huaijin had a handle on him. How could Prince Zhu be careless? He just thought that if he was given a few days, he would be able to raise the money.
Xiao Huaijin ordered her confidant to send Master Zhu back home, and slowly turned her horse around and entered a shop. This shop was Xie Yunchu's dowry shop. Since she was the one who planned this matter and Xiao Youran was pregnant, she had to be in charge personally to clean up the mess for her cousin. Soon the man and the girl were brought in together. Xie Yunchu comforted them for a while and gave them silver to express his gratitude. The girl was a farmer from Xie Yunchu's farm, with a generous and straightforward personality. It was Uncle Lin who picked her for her. When the makeup on her face fell off, everyone recognized her. Xie Yunchu asked someone to send her back.
As for the man, he took the silver, thanked him, and left.
Xiao Huaijin stood in the corridor and looked at Xie Yunchu. The woman was as bright and charming as ever, with a kind heart and good judgment. Her planning and calculation, her ability to handle important matters and protect herself were truly admirable.
He held the jade pendant of Prince Zhu in his hand and asked Xie Yunchu,
"What are your plans next?"
Xie Yunchu bowed to his cousin and said with a smile, "I'll leave the jade pendant to you, and when you get the silver, give it all to Sister Youran. Sister will get something good and teach someone a lesson at the same time. It's killing two birds with one stone. I don't know how relieved you will feel."
There really is nothing better than this.
Xiao Huaijin nodded.
It was the same in the previous life of Prince Zhu. One time, he ran into a beautiful girl outside a brothel. He was drunk at the time and thought she was a brothel girl, so he hugged her. Coincidentally, the girl followed her fiancé out for a parade and mistakenly entered the brothel. The fiancé was wearing a black shirt and dressed like a warrior. Prince Zhu thought she was a brothel guard or something like that. As a result, something went wrong when he hugged her, and his penis was broken by the fiancé. The matter became a big deal. On one side was the Princess's Mansion, and on the other side was the General's Mansion. No one gave in to the other. The emperor's case was difficult to judge, and it was finally left unresolved. However, Xiao Youran became a different person from then on. His temper became more and more violent, and his health deteriorated.
Xie Yunchu couldn't bear to see the handkerchief handed over to him in trouble, so he set up this series of schemes to teach Master Zhu a lesson and also help Xiao Youran a lot.
Having helped Xiao Youran resolve a knot in her heart, Xie Yunchu was in a very good mood and in high spirits. Xiao Huaijin also sincerely admired his cousin's abilities, and the two of them had a very pleasant conversation.
However, at this moment, in a dark alley within an arrow's reach, Wang Shuhuai, dressed in a blue shirt, sat on his horse, staring at the scene in the shop expressionlessly.
When he went to visit his daughter last night, Xie Yunchu told him that she had something important tonight and needed to borrow someone from him. Wang Shuhuai never asked about her private affairs, and picked a shadow guard for her according to her request, but he was not very reassured, so after he finished his work, he followed her, only to see the cousins talking in the corridor.
His behavior was polite, but you could see that his wife's eyebrows were lit up and her smile was sincere and open.
He had never seen such a smile before.
He would not suspect that there was anything between the two of them. Xie Yunchu was not such a person, otherwise he would not have to greet him in advance. There must be something wrong. He did not care what it was. What he cared about was that his wife was so frank with outsiders, but gentle and indifferent with him.
He supported her, but she was not shaken; he gave her gifts, but she was indifferent.
He is caring and she is polite.
He is close, she is distant.
The crisp sound of horse hooves could not dispel the heaviness of the night, and he returned home alone in the vast mist and rain.
He did not allow himself to get caught up in these romantic affairs, and without saying a word, he returned to his desk and worked as usual.
It was hard to tell whether Wang Shuhuai was happy or angry on his face. Minggui couldn't guess it, nor did he want to guess it. This master was just busy with official duties, and not everything could please him. It was said that he was difficult to serve, but in fact he was easy to serve. Minggui didn't have to try to figure out his thoughts, but just followed the instructions and did what he was supposed to do.
Ginseng soup and clothes were delivered from the backyard as usual.
Minggui happily poured the ginseng soup onto the table, and then carried a pile of clothes to the inner room, mumbling to himself,
"Second Master, Madam searched the warehouse for all the good fabrics for your trip south. In the past half month, she made you 20 sets of clothes for spring, summer, autumn and winter. The embroiderers in the needlework room were not enough, so she went to the back porch to look for them. Finally, she has prepared a complete bag for you..."
Wang Shuhuai paused his pen, his cold eyes fixed on the food box containing ginseng soup, and he said nothing for a long time.
If he still doesn't understand, he is a fool.
She arranged for the kitchen to prepare meals for him every day, and ordered the sewing room to prepare clothes for all four seasons. She never complained to him about any unhappiness, and would never hesitate to support him when she needed him. On two days of every month, the couple would celebrate their marriage and have children.
The man is in charge of the outside affairs, while the woman is in charge of the inside affairs, and they each do their own part well.
Live in peace and respect each other.
I see.
Just like rice paper sinking into ink, all the ups and downs in Wang Shuhuai's heart were slowly smoothed out.
Minggui came out of the inner room with a smile on his face, cut off a section of the melted wick for him, glanced up at the wet sky and sighed, "Oh, today is the beginning of autumn."
The autumn rain came unexpectedly, the branches of flowers fell, the windows were not closed, and the raindrops hit the windows with the wind, making a whistling sound.
It gives the study a unique sense of tranquility.
Wang Shuhuai let the raindrops fall into his eyes, his pupils fixed on the void outside the window. The raw raindrops caressed his eyelids little by little and sank deep into his eyelids, stinging him for a moment. He didn't even blink, everything had returned to calm.
Isn’t this the married life he has always believed in?
His wife is virtuous and generous. She can stand by him through thick and thin and take care of household chores with ease. At home, she takes care of her husband and children and never loses her temper with him. She takes care of everything he eats, wears and uses.
As for him, he protected her from the wind and rain, sought her a royal decree, and provided a roof over her and her child.
They help each other and share the good and bad times.
What more could he ask for?
Treat each other with respect.
Good.
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