Chapter 37 Stealing from My Ex-Husband
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Lin Xihe isn't not coming; she just hasn't gotten up yet.
She leaned against the pile of cushions, raising her toes high: "The Wen family's cooks are absolutely amazing!"
Qingwu: "Miss, you haven't cleaned your teeth yet."
Lin Xihe ignored her and pointed to the small, emerald-green cup: "What are these green dumplings called? They're quite chewy."
Qingwu had never seen such exquisite snacks before, so she had to urge her, "Miss, it's time to wash your face."
The hamster Linxihe puffed out its cheeks: smacking sounds.
The brunch came at just the right time, and Lin Xihe felt completely refreshed, thinking that helping Wen Zhixu find the bird was really worthwhile.
"Alright," she said, stuffing the last half of the porcelain cake into her mouth. "Ex-husband it is then."
The unpleasantness of the past few days was swallowed down one small snack after another.
Lin Xihe was so happy that, unsurprisingly, she ate until she was stuffed. She ate every last drop of the four-tiered food box.
"belch--"
.
Unable to find the annulment letter, Wen Zhixu was in a bad mood and immediately grabbed Wen Qi: "Where's the food box? Go and get it back."
Wen Qi was speechless for a moment. For the prestigious Wen family to chase after a food box they'd already given away, wouldn't that make them a laughingstock? When did the Second Young Master become so calculating? Wen Qi truly couldn't understand.
Before long, Wen Qi returned with a food box to report.
"how?"
Wen Qi shook his head: "Second Young Master, the servants in the Lin family are very strict about keeping secrets."
That means they couldn't find out anything. Wen Zhixu's original intention was to ask if the pastries were to his liking, so that if there were any particularly good ones, the chef could note them down and make them again in the future.
He reached into the food box and pulled out the inner drawers; all four drawers were empty.
That's quite common. Masters usually give the leftover snacks to the servants.
"I heard that you and that maid from Tinghe Pavilion are childhood sweethearts?"
These four words, like sparks, burned Wen Qi's skin, sending shivers down her spine and raising goosebumps on her arms: "...Yes."
"Spend more time with that maid in the future."
Wen Qi's face fell. "Second Young Master, if you wanted to find out Master He Xuan's preferences, why didn't you just ask him directly? Why go through all this trouble?"
For the sake of the young master, he would have to deal with Qingwu. However, he had already suffered a lot of scorn and ridicule over there today, and Wen Qi was still shaken, so he needed to rest for a couple of days.
Preface: "Shall we go out and make some moves now?"
"..."
Wen Zhixu put several letters from Lin Xihe into the cabinet. On the second shelf of the cabinet were the calligraphy left to him by his mentor, Xie Yan.
"She clearly promised to give me a shawl." Now he's back home, the money and the pastries have been given, but the promised return gift remains unheard. Could it be that what she said in the letter was just a perfunctory polite remark? How is that any different from someone who breaks their word?
But Lin Xihe had completely forgotten about that! She had long forgotten about her plan to "get revenge on her ex-husband," and the promised "surprise gift"? Forget about it!
As the sun approached its zenith, Wen Zhixu's most trusted confidants were waiting in the main hall of the Lin residence.
When the servants and maids heard that the Second Young Master Wen had actually sent someone to demand something, they were all surprised and discussed it among themselves.
Madam Min's face darkened: "Really?"
Wang Mama replied, "Second Madam, it was said by someone close to Young Master Wen that the eldest young lady had promised to give the second young master a shawl."
Min wondered, "Wen Zhixu didn't know about the message we sent out?"
Lin Xihe had an affair, cheating on Wen Zhixu. Instead of being disgusted, he openly demanded a robe?
Wen Qi didn't see Lin Xihe as expected, but instead met a concubine from the Lin family.
Madam Min sat casually, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye: "Why doesn't the Second Young Master come to the mansion for a chat in person?"
Wen Qi knew that Madam Min was no pushover, so he stood respectfully to the side and spoke with utmost care.
Madam Min finally lost her temper: "There are some things I shouldn't be saying. I've watched He'er grow up, and now she's having an affair with another man, sending letters by carrier pigeon... As her aunt, I really can't bear to keep the Second Young Master Wen in the dark."
Within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Wen Qi was exhausted from dealing with the situation, to the point that his scalp was tingling.
broken.
The Second Young Master's reputation is truly going to be ruined here today.
The "outsider" that Madam Min mentioned, isn't that her second son himself?
Seeing that Wen Qi still stood with his hands at his sides, showing no intention of taking his leave, Madam Min thought him foolish. Now that things had come to this, why didn't this fellow quickly report back to his master?
"Is there anything else you need?"
"Reporting to Second Madam, my young master has sent me to retrieve his belongings."
Madam Min was wary: "The money spent on previous repairs has already been repaid to the Wen family. I do not owe your family a single penny."
"It was Miss Lin who owed it."
"..."
In May, under the blazing sun, Madam Min, undeterred by the heat, avoided the shade of the corridor and took a shortcut straight to Tinghe Pavilion.
She wanted to see just what kind of grand gift Lin Xihe had prepared that was worth Wen Zhixu sending someone to demand.
For Wen Qidu, each second felt like an eternity. He strained his ears, trying to hear even the slightest sound. The clear sky was cloudless, and all around was deathly silent.
Until a terrifying scream pierced the air above the Lin residence.
Soon, the sound of scattered footsteps came from inside.
The concubine of the Lin family bumped into the screen in a disheveled state, then knocked over an old woman carrying a tray. Wen Qi saw her panicked and pale face.
"?" No, she went to get the things herself, and she scared herself out of her wits.
Immediately, Lin Xihe came running from the other end of the corridor, carrying a long, banner-like object in her hand.
As she drew closer, Wen Qi's mind began to buzz.
This master, who feared flies and insects, was clutching a snakeskin in his hand! The smooth scales gleamed with an eerie, cold light under the blazing sun.
"Oh, stepmother, don't go! You were just helping me carry my things!" A clear voice, tinged with confusion, rang out. "Wenqi, you're here?"
"What is Miss Lin holding...?"
Lin Xihe stretched out her arms, proudly displaying the snake molt: "Well, I didn't originally intend to give Wen Zhixu away. But since my stepmother insists that I take it out, it would be impolite not to."
She paused, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the curled-up Min Shi. Wen Qi suspected that Lin Xihe's next action was probably intentional. The young lady shuffled over to Min Shi: "Stepmother, look, did you see that? A snake molt, a big python's. Hiss... hiss..."
A snake's molted skin flashed past Min Shi's eyes. She lost the strength to scream, her body swayed, and her head smashed into the teapot that the little maid was protecting so tightly.
The scalding hot tea spilled.
Wen Qi returned to the Wen residence, trembling.
Seeing that he was carrying a cloth bag, Wen Zhixu smiled and said, "Lin Xihe gave it to me? At least she has a conscience."
Perhaps fearing that the second young master would be disappointed, Wen Qi quickly opened the bag, and Wen Zhixu's smile faltered: "Empty? What does she mean by that?"
Where's the promised cape? He'll wear any rag he can find, as long as it's not the three-foot-long white silk used for hanging! He'll wear it even in the sweltering heat of summer!
"Second Young Master, you've misunderstood. That's not a shawl." The master's expression turned from sunny to stormy, and Wen Qi cursed his bad luck. This job should have been done by Wen Ba. "That's... it's the skin of a python... a very long one."
Wen Zhixu, refusing to believe in superstitions, took out the painting from Lin Xihe's letter and examined it repeatedly.
The little figure in the painting that resembles him has a snake's shed skin wrapped around its neck?
He always yielded to her, but she wanted to strangle him?
"Second Young Master, the Second Madam of the Lin family fainted upon seeing this! Miss Lin is afraid that you won't be able to handle it either, so she doesn't dare to see you off."
"Her!" Go ahead and give it to him! If she dares to give it, he dares to accept it!
"This cloth bag was sewn by Miss Lin herself."
Wen Zhixu took it and examined it closely. Compared with the old bag that had previously contained the flower stamen stone, it was indeed newly made.
Seeing that his master's expression had softened slightly, Wen Qi pressed him with words he wanted to hear: "Miss Lin stayed up all night to sew this bag."
The truth is: how could a modern person know needlework? This cloth bag was made overnight by the old woman of the Lin family. As for her not sleeping all night, that's true; she was just busy counting silver.
The strange bear with black and white eye circles that was previously on the bag has disappeared, replaced by another bird.
Wen Zhixu recognized it at a glance—it was an owl.
He recalled that he had once used this bird to tease Lin Xihe, mocking her for being able to eat owl meat.
Now... this return gift has become a boomerang, piercing straight back at him.
When Wen Bafang returned from the Xie residence, he brought back the rubbings of inscriptions that Xie Yan had prepared for Wen Zhixu, and instructed him to copy them in his spare time.
He had barely stepped into the study when he felt the atmosphere suddenly turn cold. Wen Qi felt like he had seen a savior and quickly found an excuse to leave the study.
Wen Ba: "Second Young Master, in addition to the rubbings, Lord Xie has also prepared lampblack ink for you."
Before the preface could be read, his fingertips were slowly caressing the bag given to him by Lin Xihe.
These days, Wen Ba had grown closer to his master, and dared to approach and ask, "Second Young Master, is this an owl?"
Wen Zhixu recalled what Lin Xihe had said, and his facial features rose: "This is called an owl."
"?" What is an owl?
"Have you seen the embossed note I placed on my desk earlier?" Wen Zhixu knew that Wen Ba was illiterate, so he did not reveal the contents of the note.
Wen Ba suddenly remembered: "One of them was sent to the Lin residence."
"It's not the calligraphy I wrote, it's another one."
Another one? Wen Ba walked to the cabinet where his master kept his calligraphy and paintings: "I put it here."
Taking out the embossed paper and unfolding the words on it, Wen Zhixu suddenly felt as if two invisible hands were pressing on his heart.
This calligraphy was written by him specifically for Lin Xihe at her request.
"Did you send another piece of embossed stationery to the Lin residence?"
Wen Ba looked bewildered: "Ah, it was the Second Young Master who instructed me to deliver it."
"..."
This illiterate servant actually sent out the letter of annulment!
When all the confrontations and connections were aligned, forming a closed loop, Wen Zhixu finally glimpsed that crucial origin.
His playboy demeanor was merely a facade; beneath that exterior lay a sharp and intelligent mind. After a moment of quiet reflection, he realized: no wonder Lin Xihe always targeted him so much.
How did that truckload of aphrodisiacs arrive? It was shortly after Lin Xihe received the letter announcing the annulment of their engagement.
But why is she so calm? She hasn't revealed a single word yet?
Could it be that she...
He remained silent, his heart pounding so hard it throbbed in his chest and reached his ears, and her image flashed through his mind.
Just thinking about it made his breathing quicken.
“Second Young Master,” Wen Ba hurriedly tried to salvage the situation, “since you dislike Miss Lin and Miss Lin has no interest in you, why not take this opportunity to call off the engagement? Then both of you can live in peace.”
"Which eye of yours saw that she dislikes me?!"
Wen Ba handed over a question mark: ?
Wen Zhixu kicked out the personal servant.
He walked to the courtyard wall, intending to talk to Lin Xihe, but there was no opportunity at the moment.
Mo Hu struggled to crawl out of the dog path connecting the two prefectures.
The dog was carrying a soft cushion in its mouth, the stitches crooked, with the characters "卜卜" sewn in the middle. Wen Zhixu immediately recognized it as a product of Lin Xihe.
His breath was slightly hot: "Why did you steal her things?"
The dog tucked its tail between its legs, and Wen Zhixu knew he had guessed correctly.
"Don't run," he crouched down, his gaze level with the dog's, and forced a stiff smile. "Go to Lin Xihe's room and fetch something for me?"
"Woof!"
Mo Hu excitedly spun around: "I've got a errand to run!"
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