Chapter 173 Sudden Event
"What's wrong?"
Xie Jingyuan squatted down, wanting to reach out to help Jiang Zao, but she dodged him.
He frowned in confusion and turned to look at the pictures in the peephole.
In the picture, a blonde, blue-eyed foreign woman is wearing a blue cloth dress with a flared hem and a very slender waist.
She held an exquisite parasol in her hand and wore a short-sleeved blouse.
The neckline of the short dress was slightly low, revealing half of the woman's chest and her entire arm.
Xie Jingyuan looked at it, his brow furrowing slightly.
Jiang Zao said uneasily, "It's really... immoral."
Xie Jingyuan's eyes darkened, and he withdrew his outstretched hand.
The Western paintings he collected were mostly Western landscapes and architecture. Occasionally there were a few portraits, but they were mostly about clothing and objects.
Xie Jingyuan was surprised that Jiang Zao had never seen anything like this before, and was even frightened by it.
Jiang Zao lay on the ground, her eyes slightly red with shock. She suddenly felt immense regret for her decision to marry the rude merchant.
"you……"
Seeing that Jiang Zao was avoiding him, Xie Jingyuan said, "It's getting late today, you should rest early, I'll go to the side room."
After saying that, he stood up and sighed softly.
Although she came from an official family, this woman from a humble background was truly...
Xie Jingyuan pinched his brow and went to rest.
The maids and servants of Zhiyun Pavilion dared not speak out of turn, and naturally, no one in the Xie family knew what had happened to the young couple on their wedding night.
The next day, during the audience ceremony, Shen Yuanzhu noticed that Jiang Zao had faint dark circles under her eyes and showed no joy on her face.
She looked up at Xie Jingyuan, who had a smile on his face, as if he was very satisfied with his new wife.
As soon as Xie San Niang saw Jiang Zao, she hurriedly said, "Good girl, come here and let your mother take a look."
Her voice was hoarse, and when she spoke, her chest made a hoarse sound like a bellows. Coupled with her sunken cheeks and unusually bright eyes, Jiang Zao felt a sense of fear.
Unable to resist, she leaned back slightly, but ended up pressing her palm against Xie Jingyuan's.
Xie Jingyuan said gently, "Go and let Mother see her."
Jiang Zao had no choice but to suppress her fear and walk towards Xie San Niang.
"What a pretty girl."
Xie San Niang held Jiang Zao's hand and gently stroked it, looking at her eyes with undisguised joy.
The daughter of an official is indeed well-educated and reasonable.
"This is for you."
Xie San Niang took off a gold mandarin duck cloisonné bracelet from her hand and solemnly put it on Jiang Zao's wrist.
"Spend more time with me these next few days. My days are numbered, and I want to see you a little longer."
A rough, withered hand gripped Jiang Zao's wrist. Although Xie San Niang was seriously ill, she was not weak. Her grip was quite strong, making Jiang Zao's eyes redden.
She turned to look at Xie Jingyuan, who smiled and nodded: "Mother likes you. I'll stay with you at Suxuezhai for the next two days to spend more time with Mother."
Jiang Zao nodded blankly and agreed.
Xie San Niang was unwell, and Xie Boyu and Xie Chengzhi remained silent.
Xie Xuchuan was sent by Xie Boyu to the dyeing garden to experiment with dyeing formulas that the Xie family had previously collected from other places.
Despite the seemingly joyous occasion, the Xie family was rather quiet.
Although Xie Jingyuan was genuinely filial to Xie Sanniang, he was, after all, a man, and many things were inconvenient for him to do.
Now that Xie San Niang is still seriously ill, the task of taking care of her has fallen from Hua Nan Zhi to Jiang Zao.
Jiang was young and had never done such work before. After serving Xie San Niang for two or three days, she couldn't help but cry to her own mother when she returned home.
"Mother, I have nightmares every day. In my dreams, my mother-in-law's face is a terrifying bluish-green, and there are endless handkerchiefs to wash and medicine dregs to empty..."
Although the Xie family had servants, as a new bride, she still had many things to do by herself.
Zhou He stroked Jiang Zao's hair with heartache: "Just bear with it a little longer, these hard times won't last much longer."
She whispered these words in Jiang Zao's ear with her head down, not daring to let Xie Jingyuan, who was in the outer room, hear them.
Zhou He wiped away her tears: "Let's not talk about that for now. Why don't you tell me how your son-in-law treats you?"
"he……"
Jiang Zao shook her head slightly after uttering just one word.
How did Xie Jingyuan treat her?
It should be good, right?
They always spoke softly to her, and no one in the Xie family made things difficult for her. Her food, clothing, and daily necessities were a hundred times better than before. Perhaps... this is what good is?
Jiang Zao nodded timidly, and Zhou He was relieved to see this.
After their wedding, Xie San Niang's health deteriorated day by day. The Xie family was prepared for this, and even Xie Boyu, suppressing his grief, personally arranged for a coffin to be made.
Even someone like Xie Chengzhi has been quiet these past few days and hasn't caused any trouble.
As always, Shen Yuanzhu and Xie Qi continued their relationship. Ever since they consummated their marriage, Xie Qi had been clinging to her every day, wishing he could stick to Shen Yuanzhu at all times, or hang himself around her waist.
Today, Shen Yuanzhu was sitting in the courtyard enjoying the cool air, and Xie Qi was lying beside her, staring at her intently.
Annoyed by his stares, Shen Yuanzhu pushed his head away, but a moment later, Xie Qi slowly leaned in again.
The two of them could repeat such a boring and childish game all day long.
They were dozing off in the courtyard when they suddenly heard a commotion outside.
Luo, holding a round fan, was suddenly awakened.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?"
Ling'er ran in: "It looks like... the eldest young master."
Xie Xuchuan?
Luo turned to look at Shen Yuanzhu and asked, "Do you know what happened?"
"I don't know. I only heard from the maids in the outer courtyard that the young master came back looking disheveled."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yuanzhu immediately opened her eyes: "Go and take a look?"
Xie Qi held the person in his arms, unwilling but not daring to say anything.
He was afraid of upsetting her and being kicked to sleep on the small couch at night.
How could he possibly "flip through the booklet" with Yuanzhu every day after sleeping on the small couch?
Reluctantly, Xie Qi also stood up and went to watch the excitement with Shen Yuanzhu.
Xie Xuchuan stumbled and fell all the way to Xuanji Courtyard. Whether out of panic or something else, he tripped and fell into the courtyard...
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