"Bring the Jiang family to me!"
At Madam Xiao's command, Sister Jiang, who had just left, was dragged back.
She had a shrewd and capable appearance, with high cheekbones and a broad face. She was impeccably dressed and knelt down by the door: "This servant greets Madam."
Madam Xiao immediately asked her, "This morning when the people from the North Courtyard went to fetch food, what nonsense did you spout?"
The North Courtyard is the small courtyard where the new house is located. Because it is remote and has been idle for many years, it has not even been given a proper name. People just call it by its location.
"Reporting to Madam—"
Sister-in-law Jiang couldn't help but glance in the direction of Xu Rong and Xiao Xin. She had bumped into them when she came earlier, but left after a moment of surprise. Who knew that the fire would burn her? Let's not talk about the second young master. This newly married second mistress is nothing more than a fallen phoenix. Whether Madam Xiao likes her or not is something the servants know all too well.
Once you understand, there's nothing to be afraid of.
Sister-in-law Jiang deftly declined, saying, "When the various households come to collect their meals and snacks, I simply follow the kitchen's usual procedures. Occasionally, in the midst of a rush, I might make a mistake or two, but as for offending my master, I wouldn't dare even if I were out of my mind."
"You clearly said it, I heard it clearly!" Xin Cheng exclaimed impatiently. With Xu Rongming in charge, she wasn't afraid and repeated everything he said in detail.
"—The masters in the manor all eat like this, and if we don't want to, we're considered difficult to please, isn't that what you said?" Xin Cheng asked directly to Sister Jiang's face.
She also had her own pressures. She was the one who went back to relay the message, and if she lost the confrontation, she would be the one to bear the brunt of the blame.
Sister-in-law Jiang was stunned and speechless.
She knew that the bride had probably complained about her about the shrimp cake incident, so she had already laid a trap when she opened her mouth, saying that she had "mistakenly done one or two things by chance." But she did not expect that Xu Rong would bypass it and seize on a casual remark she made to dismiss or even mock someone, and then ingeniously make such an article!
"Madam, this servant didn't, didn't—"
That pause and hesitation, and it was too late.
Madam Xiao was not one to argue with servants, and immediately ordered, "Release the Jiang family from their jobs and drag them out—"
Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she looked at Xu Rong.
She realized what was going on.
She shouldn't have called people over; by not questioning them, there would be more room for maneuver. She could have directly reprimanded Xu Rong for talking nonsense; as his mother-in-law, she had the confidence to do so.
Xu Rong smiled slightly. It seemed that Madam Xiao was not her adoptive mother, Madam Xu, after all, and was not so easily fooled.
But that's enough.
Sure enough, after staring at her for a moment, Madam Xiao slowly finished speaking: "Give her twenty strokes of the cane."
Those who are inefficient and cause her to lose face should be punished.
"Madam, please have mercy! I didn't mean it—"
Amidst her piercing screams, Sister-in-law Jiang was dragged away.
Madam Xiao reached for the teacup, then turned her gaze back to Xu Rong.
There was definitely a bit of self-serving cleverness involved; I hadn't noticed it before.
"Mrs."
A maid came to report from outside the door. Perhaps because of the lingering sound of Sister-in-law Jiang's voice, the maid's tone was cautious. "The Marquis sent me to say that it is late today and the Marquis has something to do and needs to go out. It would be better to postpone the tea ceremony for the newlyweds until tomorrow."
Madam Xiao's finger paused on the teacup lid: "What is it? It's Erlang's wedding. Didn't the Marquis ask for leave from the yamen these past two days?"
The maid replied cautiously, "It seems they are going to visit someone who came to the capital from the old capital. The Marquis did not say the details, and I dared not ask."
Madam Xiao frowned: "I understand, go ahead!"
The maidservant quickly retreated.
"Go—" Madam Xiao was about to instruct a head maidservant, but stopped after saying two words. She glanced at Xu Rong and Xiao Xin and said indifferently, "Did you all hear that? You're all grown up, making a fuss over a little misunderstanding and ruining the Marquis's time. Alright, go ahead, we'll talk about the tea ceremony tomorrow."
They then sent the two away.
**
As Xu Rong stepped out of the courtyard, he heard Sister Jiang's cries of pain.
She was pulled to the ground not far away, and before she had finished receiving the twenty strokes of the cane, some people who had heard the commotion had already come to watch.
Xu Rong didn't want to look any longer, but Xiao Xin stopped in his tracks.
He watched the board rise and fall, his face expressionless.
Xu Rong understood. The bowl of noodles that Madam Wei had personally cooked a few months ago, and the plate of leftover shrimp cakes that she brought this morning—though only a glimpse into the bigger picture—already revealed how many hidden losses, or even overt losses, this mother and son had suffered in the past.
She moved slightly behind Xiao Xin. While she understood, it didn't mean she could bear to witness such corporal punishment.
Xiao Xin turned around: "Let's go."
His turn was a bit sudden, and Xu Rong subconsciously asked, "Second Young Master, aren't you going to watch anymore?"
Xiao Xin: "I'm not watching anymore, there's nothing interesting here."
Seeing Xu Rong follow him to his side, looking relieved, he thought to himself, "So she's actually quite timid."
That tattletale girl of hers was covering her eyes but still peeking through her fingers.
Xu Rong was unaware that she was being secretly criticized. After leaving the scene of the beating, she had some peace and quiet and couldn't help but think about it again.
Madam Xiao's reaction was quite interesting. She suspected that Madam Xiao was in a hurry to find out the whereabouts of Marquis Xiao, so she released them after scolding them for a few words.
But upon further reflection, it seemed unlikely—wasn't that too much of a surveillance? They're an old married couple; was it really necessary to treat them like thieves?
After thinking for a while without finding a solution, Xu Rong arrived at the small courtyard ahead and gave up trying to figure it out. After all that trouble, she hadn't come away empty-handed: her back was even more sore.
After entering the courtyard, Xu Rong leaned back on the heated kang bed in the warm room and said, "Who's free? Give me a massage for my back and legs."
Hongliu immediately volunteered excitedly: "Me! Girl, I'll do it."
She and Qingzao were both young, so Xu Rong usually didn't assign them heavy or complicated tasks. The two understood this and loved to show off in such small matters.
The kang (heated brick bed) beneath her was warm and cozy, and a beauty's mallet wrapped in red brocade gently tapped her back and waist. Xu Rong stretched out comfortably, then grabbed a cushion and rested her head on it.
In the morning, she wasn't sleepy, but the atmosphere was so hypnotic that her eyelids drooped and her eyes became hazy. She could hear Bai Fu moving quietly in the outer bedroom, seemingly packing some bundles and other items she had brought...
Then she fell asleep.
She was woken up by Bai Fu: "Miss, it's time for you to get up and have your meal."
"……Um?"
Xu Rong sat up, still wrapped in the quilt—the quilt must have been brought to her by the maids. She was dazed and confused for a moment, then looked out the window at the bright daylight, rubbed her face, and finally realized, "I know. Have they invited the Second Young Master yet?"
As soon as Xiao Xin returned, he parted ways with her and went into the east side room.
Bai Fu said, "I'll go after you've finished getting ready, Miss."
As Xu Rong got off the kang (a heated brick bed), he glanced at her and asked, "What's wrong?"
She sensed a hint of reluctance in Bai Fu's tone, which was unusual.
Bai Fu didn't say anything at first, but straightened her clothes. After a while, she said sullenly, "The second young master is not considerate of the young lady at all."
Xu Rong asked in surprise, "What?"
She only slept for a while, where did this talk come from?
"The kitchen brought lunch. I saw that the young lady was still asleep, so I went to tell the second young master that the young lady was tired and asked him to wait a while, or if the second young master was hungry, he could eat first and leave some for the young lady."
Xu Rong nodded, which sounded reasonable: "What did the Second Young Master say?"
"The second young master asked me why the young lady sleeps during the day."
Xu Rong burst out laughing.
She was certain that Xiao Xin would say such things.
Bai Fu was anxious. She was squatting at Xu Rong's feet, straightening her slightly wrinkled skirt, and looked up: "Why is Miss still smiling? Why does Miss look tired? Doesn't the Second Young Master know? He didn't ask about Miss at all, didn't even come to see Miss, and just turned around and went back."
Xiao Xin indeed had no idea.
After all, he didn't do anything.
Xu Rong laughed and pulled her up: "I was sleeping, what's there to see? You just said the kitchen sent over lunch?"
"Well, the girl was sleeping, so I didn't rush to have Xin Cheng get lunch. But the kitchen sent someone to deliver it on its own." Bai Fu's attention was diverted, and she continued, "I checked it carefully, and there's nothing wrong this time."
Xu Rong nodded: "They reacted quite quickly."
Making an example of someone is so effective; it seems that the servants trained by Madam Xiao are of high quality.
"Alright, set out the food and go invite the second young master over."
The meal was eaten in silence. Xiao Xin did not ask her about the daytime nap in person. In fact, he did not even say a word. After finishing a large bowl of rice without raising his head, he went back to the east side room.
The whole process was as busy as a military march.
A little while later, Xin Cheng came in carrying a small white porcelain teapot and exclaimed in surprise, "Second Young Master is so diligent! I heard him reading aloud over there again."
Xu Rong was moved by this and said, "Where there's a will, there's a way."
She was in the same situation when she was in school. The only difference was that after meals, she had to do chores like collecting bowls and wiping tables in the cafeteria in exchange for a monthly stipend of three hundred yuan. However, she was all alone and didn't have as many family worries as Xiao Xin, so she could be more carefree.
After a while, she slowly finished her meal, drank a couple of sips of tea, and then took a couple of laps around the courtyard as post-meal exercise.
Through the window, one could see Xiao Xin's figure bent over his desk. He was holding a book, seemingly reciting it. His eyes were closed and his lips were moving. After reciting for a while, he would open his eyes to look at the book, and then close them again to continue.
During the two laps Xu Rong walked, he never once looked out the window.
Xu Rong: "..."
With that kind of focus and self-discipline, it feels like she's destined for victory.
With intelligence and a willingness to work hard, becoming the top scholar in the imperial examination shouldn't be difficult.
Xu Rong sighed, realizing how important it is to choose the right partners. It's wonderful to live like this, watching others strive and struggle while I do nothing.
A sudden gust of cold wind swept through the courtyard, causing the red ribbon tied to the withered tree by the door to tremble.
Xu Rong shivered as well. Bai Fu came out of the main room with a cloak in her hand and quickened her pace to catch up with her. "It's still cold. Why didn't you put on a coat before coming out, Miss?"
Xu Rong took the cloak and put it on, then turned to look at the withered tree: "This tree is no good. When the weather gets warmer, we'll buy another one and plant it in its place."
Bai Fu nodded: "What kind of tree does the young lady like? I remember to tell the outsiders, and then I'll ask Hong Liu's father to arrange it."
Xu Rong thought for a moment: "An osmanthus tree, then."
This is the same tree that was planted at the entrance of the courtyard when she was at the Marquis of Ji'an's residence. It's fragrant and a good omen.
To win the moon palace and pluck the laurel.
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