Chapter 5
As it was getting dark, Dou Keling didn't dare to stay for long. He drank a cup of tea and left.
She was in a good mood on the way back, but when she arrived at her own yard, she ran into the third master Wang Shukuang coming out from his concubine's place drunk. Her good mood immediately went to hell. Without saying a word, she walked up to her husband, twisted his ear and went into the house. She drove the maid out to guard the door and pushed her husband into the inner room.
"You bastard, you cheated on me when I wasn't around."
That's not nice to hear.
Third Master Wang Shukuang put his hands on his waist and said with a stern face, "Hey, Dou Keling, she is the concubine my mother gave me. It's legitimate. How can it be called cheating?"
Dou Keling also knew that he was in the wrong, so he took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and threw it on his face, "Wipe it off quickly."
He sat down at the high table and poured himself some tea.
Wang Shukuang saw that his wife was in a good mood and had no intention of nagging her, so he came over and sat down opposite her.
"What's the happy event today?"
Dou Keling snorted disdainfully at her husband's chatterbox look, and didn't intend to keep him in suspense, so she said bluntly,
"My second sister-in-law is ill. I have been busy in the meeting room all day."
Wang Shukuang's expression brightened when he heard that, "Oh, congratulations." He naturally knew what his wife was thinking about, and he looked like "you finally got what you wanted."
Dou Keling rolled her eyes at him and happily spoke her heart out to her husband.
"I just went to Chunjing Hall and saw that Xie Yunchu was planning to take a break. I took the opportunity to put some people in there. When I come back, I will go to my mother and talk to her. Then we can work together. Even if it doesn't work out, I have my own confidants, so it won't be a loss. Xie wants to take all the benefits for herself, but that's not possible. She is very thoughtful and this won't last long."
Wang Shukuang felt that his wife's words were a bit harsh. "Instead of expecting her to give in, you might as well learn it yourself. If you do better than her, mother and father will naturally recognize you, and the whole family will respect you."
Having said that, Wang Shukuang knew that no one in the world was more prepared than his second sister-in-law. The most delicious fish he had ever eaten in his life was cooked by Xie Yunchu. Xie Yunchu knew the tastes of everyone in the mansion. If Xie Yunchu really fell ill, he would not be able to enjoy the delicious meal.
Wang Shukuang is a man who has an outstanding elder brother to support the family and a sensible younger brother to please his parents. He is the only one who is redundant and has no big ambitions. He just wants to live a life of drunkenness and dreams.
Dou Keling certainly didn't know what her husband was thinking. She felt that her husband was right. She had to manage the household affairs well and try to make some achievements so that the whole family could see that this family was not just about Xie Yunchuxing.
Chun Jing Tang.
After Dou Keling left, Xie Yunchu played with Ke Jie'er for a while. The child soon became sleepy, so Xie Yunchu told the wet nurse to take Ke Jie'er to sleep.
Nanny Lin came in to help her sleep, and then asked about Dou Keling.
"Girl, do you really want to hand over the household expenses to Third Grandma?"
Xie Yunchu lowered her eyes and said, "Yes, before I give birth to a legitimate son, I must be focused and healthy." This reason was enough to convince Nanny Lin, who really agreed. She watched Xie Yunchu grow up and knew that this girl could endure hardships. She said with a sour heart, "I'm glad you really think so."
"It's just that I'm worried that Third Madam may not be grateful to you."
Xie Yunchu sneered, "She really thinks that household expenses are so easy to manage. Just wait, I have a way to deal with it."
There is one good thing about being reborn. She knows the personalities of the people around her and what will happen in the future, so she can deal with them with ease.
After her mother-in-law gave instructions and Dou Keling also agreed to take care of the household chores, Xie Yun was in no hurry to get up the next day and slept until noon. She propped herself on the bed, looking at the bright sun outside, and was in a daze for a long time.
This was the first time she stayed in bed.
In her previous life, unless she was seriously ill, she would get up early before dawn to take care of the housework. On the one hand, she had to take care of Wang Shuhuai's daily life and diet. Sometimes she could not catch up with Wang Shuhuai when he went out, so she prepared a food box and asked the servant to deliver it to the yamen. On the other hand, she would go to order breakfast for her parents-in-law, and after everything was ready, she would go to the meeting room to take charge. She was a person who could not sit still and was always worried. At the end of the day, she was almost like a spinning top.
She served the whole family comfortably, but no one appreciated her kindness. Her parents-in-law thought she should do so, her brother and sister-in-law thought she was greedy for benefits, and Wang Shuhuai was busy with his future and state affairs and didn't care about these trivial matters at all.
Fortunately, I have the opportunity to start over.
Four big maids came in to help her change clothes and dress up. Chunqi was steady and took care of her room affairs, Xia An was lively and responsible for coordinating external affairs, Qiu Sui was quick and efficient in helping her deal with the various interpersonal relationships in the Wang family, and Dong Ning was introverted and didn't like to talk, so all the matters concerning Xie Yunchu's accounts were handed over to her.
Qiu Sui skillfully combed her hair. Chun Qi took out some spring clothes from the ear room and asked Xie Yunchu which one she wanted to wear.
Xie Yunchu took a casual look and saw that they were either jackets or long gowns with front opening, both of which were of a dignified and solemn style. "Change into that water red skirt."
She also asked Qiu Sui to bring out the jewelry box so that she could choose the items herself.
In her previous life, she never had the time to sit in front of the dressing table and dress herself up.
Soon Chunqi brought her clothes to change into. Perhaps because the skirt was a bit old, it was too tight on Xie Yunchu. Qiu Sui stood aside holding the white silk, glanced at Xie Yunchu's bulging chest, and said with a smile, "The girl's figure is getting better and better."
As he said this, he was going to help her bind her breasts as he did in the past.
Xie Yunchu held her skirt against her chest, glanced at the white silk, and suddenly recalled her wedding night with Wang Shuhuai.
Xie Yunchu was born beautiful and had an exceptional figure, but due to the strict discipline at home, she had always been low-key and cautious. Until her wedding night, facing her adored husband, Xie Yunchu had some thoughts. She showed off her beauty in a veiled manner, and her exquisite figure slowly unfolded along the light.
She clearly remembered Wang Shuhuai's quiet eyes glancing at her. He didn't say anything that night, but the next morning when she was helping him get dressed, she said, "Tie it up."
She stood before him, her face full of beauty, her rosy cheeks still showing the afterglow of last night. She stood on tiptoe to fasten his collar, and was so close that her full breasts almost touched him. Of course she knew what he meant, and her face turned red with shame. She was determined to please her husband, so she naturally took his words as an imperial decree.
Wang Shuhuai was afraid that she would think too much, so he deliberately explained, "There are many people in the palace and they are gossipy. You should bear with it." He meant that he was afraid that she would be seen by men.
What else could Xie Yunchu say? Instead, he felt sweet in his heart.
From then on, Xie Yunchu understood her husband's temperament and became more restrained towards herself.
Now, Xie Yunchu let out a long sigh, picked up the white silk and rubbed it in his hands, then threw it into the basket in the corner.
"No need for that anymore."
Chunqi and Qiusui looked at each other, both a little surprised, but then they thought that as both were women, who would want to live on silk and satin every day and feel suffocated? So they were happy to see it happen.
After Xie Yunchu finished dressing and had breakfast, she asked her maid to go to the yard to pick flowers. She then turned around and sat under the eaves to start arranging flowers.
She's going to try to slow down.
In the next few days, Xie Yunchu pretended to be sick and did not go to the upper room, nor did he care about the affairs in the meeting room.
The first two days were fine, but on the third day, Second Madam Jiang could no longer bear it.
The bird's nest porridge cooked by Xie Yunchu is moderately sweet, and adding ginseng can remove the faint taste of egg white. Xu Shiwei can't compare.
Xu Shiwei knew nothing about the incense mixed by Xie Yunchu.
…
Jiang found herself feeling uncomfortable when Xie Yunchu was not around.
The mother-in-law, who had never cared about Xie Yunchu, took the initiative to send people to inquire about Xie Yunchu's condition several times, and finally even threatened that
"If this doctor is not good, go see another one."
Xie Yunchu didn't even sneer.
Nanny Lin sent the person away with ease, and when she came back she complained to Xie Yunchu,
"Tsk, you served her so attentively before, but she was still picky. This time she met Fourth Madam, it's like a needle against a dough. She can't pick it up and has to be stuck in it."
After a while, Xia An got the news and told her with a smile, "Miss, it's very lively in the upper room. I heard that this morning, the mistress asked the fourth grandma to cook bird's nest porridge, but the fourth grandma got the wrong ginseng and was severely scolded. In the meeting room, the third grandma made two mistakes in the calculation and was secretly laughed at by the manager. The aunts all advised her to come and ask for your advice, but the third grandma refused. She probably didn't want to bow her head and didn't want to admit that she was not as good as you."
"Everyone was saying privately, 'Look, once Second Grandma gets sick, the family has lost its backbone and everything is in chaos.'"
Xia An learned the maid's words completely and looked funny. Xie Yunchu pursed his lips and drank the medicinal food by himself.
If they hadn't suffered a little, how would they know how good she was?
People may not be greedy for credit, but they cannot be stupid and let others take advantage of them.
Wang Shuhuai was busy for a few days and disappeared. He returned home in the evening of March 25th. As usual, he went to Ninghe Hall to pay his respects to his parents. When the second wife Jiang saw him, she wiped her tears and asked,
"Brother Huai, how is your wife?"
Her taste for food had been spoiled by Xie Yunchu, and she was somewhat concerned about Xie Yunchu.
He sent several waves of people to Chunjingtang, but they were all sent back, so he could only turn his attention to his son.
Xie Yunchu had a very good image in the past, so Wang Shuhuai didn't think his wife did it on purpose. He thought for a moment and then said,
"She is taking good care of herself so that she can have more children."
These words stopped Jiang's tears.
Offspring are the most important.
Although Jiang was acting like a spoiled child, she did not dare to show off in front of her eldest son and held back the rest of her words.
After a while, Dou Keling came in and said that dinner was ready and invited her parents-in-law to have dinner. Wang Shuhuai was there too, so the second master simply asked him to eat with them.
The whole family sat in the main room of Ninghe Hall, divided into two tables. The second wife Jiang and the second master sat at one table with Wang Shuhuai and his three brothers, and Dou Keling and Xu Shiwei sat at another table with their children.
In the past, when Xie Yunchu was in charge, if the master was not here, she would send someone to deliver a dish. But today she was not here, and no one thought of her.
The third master Wang Shukuang put down his chopsticks after taking a few bites. Jiang Shi was not in the mood to eat either. Seeing that her son was not eating, she asked,
"What's wrong with you?"
Wang Shukuang glanced at Xie Yunchu's original position. He was embarrassed to say that he was thinking about the fish, so he responded casually, "My son drank some wine at noon, which hurt his spleen and stomach. He is not hungry now."
Before he finished speaking, the second master stomped over and said, "I told you to be lazy and not as good as your elder brother. You can't let your younger brother outdo you."
The fourth master, Wang Shutong, studied very hard.
But Wang Shutong smiled bitterly when he heard this. He thought that his diligence was all fake. He was not a good student at all. He was just introverted and usually spoke less than Wang Shuhuai. He just ate without saying a word.
Wang Shukuang was bored and just buried his head in eating.
Wang Shuhuai was disliked their noise and regretted staying for dinner.
After the meal, Wang Shuhuai accompanied his father to drink tea. The second master didn't see Xie Yunchu today, and couldn't taste the crystal sashimi made by his daughter-in-law. He felt a little uncomfortable, "The crystal sashimi made by the chef is not as good as your daughter-in-law's."
Wang Shuhuai was a little speechless, "Really?"
The second master spoke with great enthusiasm, leaning forward to analyze for him, "Your wife is very skillful, the crystal minced meat is tender and smooth, and very chewy, which goes perfectly with the spicy Xifenglie."
Wang Shuhuai had too many things on his mind and had no time to care about eating, but when his father reminded him, he felt that it was indeed not as good as before.
It’s just a little food, is it necessary to worry so much about it?
There are so many cooks in the mansion, there must be someone better than Xie Yunchu, so he said,
"If you don't like the cooks in your house, I will find you a few more."
There is no reason for a lady in charge to spend all day in the kitchen.
The second master looked at his son with a calm expression and smiled without saying anything.
After a while, Wang Shuhuai left Ninghe Hall, and the third master Wang Shukuang followed him out and asked anxiously,
"Brother, is sister-in-law seriously ill?"
Wang Shuhuai stood in the corridor and looked at him. His cheeks were as clear as jade under the light, but there was a hint of coldness in his eyes. He didn't think that his brother-in-law should ask about his sister-in-law's affairs. "What's the matter?" he asked in a cold tone.
Third Master Wang Shukuang knew that he had overstepped his bounds, but he could not help himself and said with a bitter face, "I love the sweet and sour carp made by my sister-in-law the most. I am greedy now."
Such a small matter was not worth his eager pursuit. Wang Shuhuai became even colder.
"You mean I should tell her to do it for you?"
What do they think of Xie Yunchu?
At this moment, I suddenly wondered if Xie Yunchu had spoiled these people.
Third Master Wang Shukuang was so scared that he broke out in a sweat. He was annoyed at his own words and waved his hands repeatedly, "How could that be possible? I just care about my sister-in-law and hope she gets better soon."
Wang Shuhuai didn't even look at him and turned away.
Passing by Chunjing Hall, he had no intention of going in. Thinking of what had just happened, he was still annoyed, so he walked through the moon-shaped door and saw Nanny Lin holding a brocade box and preparing to enter the house. He stopped under the eaves. Nanny Lin saw at a glance that Wang Shuhuai had something to say, so she immediately handed the brocade box to the little maid and trotted over to pay her respects.
"Greetings to the Second Master."
Wang Shuhuai glanced towards the main courtyard. The light shone through the screen window, and the beauty seemed to be painting by the window. He asked, "How is Madam?"
Nanny Lin carefully examined the host's expression and was unsure of what he meant.
Is this a request to stay overnight, or is this a deliberate expression of concern?
If he says yes, he will have to go back to the upper room to serve his parents-in-law. If he says no, he may have to delay having children.
Nanny Lin's reply was ambiguous, "It looks fine on the surface, but I don't know what's going on inside. Second Master, why don't you go in and have a cup of tea?" This meant that she wanted him to ask Xie Yunchu in person.
Wang Shuhuai still had official duties. In the past, whenever he was in the mansion, Xie Yunchu would personally make some ginseng soup to come and visit him, and would also take the opportunity to ask about his court affairs. He would also pick out some simple things to tell her to reassure her.
Husband and wife always discuss things.
Wang Shuhuai said succinctly, "Tell Madam to continue recuperating and not to rush to the upper room."
After giving the instructions, he went straight back to the study.
Nanny Lin's mouth was as big as a duck egg. This was the first time ever that this had happened. She happily went in to tell Xie Yunchu.
Xie Yunchu was painting, his expression calm.
Nanny Lin looked at her master who was motionless and said anxiously, "Young lady, your son-in-law is supporting you. It's rude not to return the favor. Do you want to go to the study and take a look?"
Xie Yunchu paused, thinking back to this day in his previous life.
On March 15th of the previous life, Wang Shuhuai stayed at Chunjingtang on his mother's orders, but he had no intention of moving back. Ten days later, Xie Yunchu waited until today to test him and wanted him to move back.
At that time, Wang Shuhuai was busy competing with the eldest princess for a position in the Ministry of Revenue and had no intention of having sex, so he started to discuss it with her.
"Madam, the court affairs have been busy recently. It is not easy to gain a foothold in the six ministries. You must spend more time than others. How about I go back to the backyard on the first and fifteenth day of every month?"
"This way, I won't have to disturb your sleep." He said gently.
Xie Yunchu was a woman who knew the big picture. She deeply understood how much pressure the eldest princess had put on Wang Shuhuai. The future of the second house, the honor and disgrace of her and her children all depended on him alone. She only loved her husband more in her heart and did not feel wronged at all. She agreed without saying a word.
She thought that things would get better once her husband's career picked up, but she didn't expect that Wang Shuhuai would never stop. He was like a sharp wild horse, galloping all the way in the court. At first, he could come to her room twice a month, but later it was only fifteen times a month, and after that... it became difficult to see him.
At that time, life was hard living alone in an empty house, but now I have come to terms with it.
A husband who can bring honor to her without her having to serve him is simply perfect.
Xie Yunchu smiled at Nanny Lin, "Nanny, the Second Master has been looking for a position in the six ministries recently, so he probably has no time to take care of me."
Nanny Lin also knew about the lawsuit between the eldest princess and the second wife, and she sighed and shook her head.
Despite this, Xie Yunchu still asked Qiu Sui to cook a bowl of ginseng soup and send it to the study.
After being busy for half the night, Wang Shuhuai looked up from the heavy paperwork, his eyes were fixed on the bowl of ginseng soup. If he remembered correctly, Xie Yunchu had never come to the study since he was rejected that night. And judging from the nanny's tone, she was not so sick that she could not go out.
He reached out to pick up the porcelain bowl and slowly drank the ginseng soup.
After finishing the bowl, his deep and cold eyes stared quietly at the bottom of the bowl with some residue.
Originally he just noticed it but didn't think about it too much, but today he was sure that this was not Xie Yunchu's skill.
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