Xu Rong didn't take the "comic book" incident to heart, not because she was really that carefree, but because, as she told Xiao Xin, the drawing was terrible.
The dry, twisted lines are utterly uninteresting; let alone passionate or fiery, just a second glance will extinguish any initial enthusiasm.
It was fortunate that Madam Xu brought it to her as if it were a treasure.
Xu Rong therefore lost much of her awareness of reading inappropriate material. When she noticed that Xiao Xin was avoiding her afterward, she felt a little embarrassed: Seriously, this kind of writing style can actually provoke him?
Tsk, kid.
While feeling sentimental, she still cooperated with his avoidance, and took the opportunity to observe and think about Xiao Shan.
This wasn't difficult, because she didn't need to do anything special; Xiao Shan was simply taking the initiative to approach and interact with her.
It should be said that Xiao Shan had been doing this ever since she entered the house, but it wasn't obvious before. It seemed like she was trying to find allies and helpers, but it also seemed like she was really bored and wanted to talk to someone to relieve the depression of being locked up in the deep house.
Xu Rong could not satisfy her in either of these aspects.
As someone who would eventually leave, she had no social needs in the Xiao family. If someone approached her, she could keep them company and say a few words, but Xiao Shan found such conversations a bit tiring. She had many hidden thoughts—a natural expression of a true young girl, which was nothing unusual, and could even be considered a charming trait of a young girl, like Luo Yanfeng. But Xiao Shan was different from Luo Yanfeng; she always exuded a sense of melancholy, and her little thoughts revealed a gloomy and trivial feeling, which was not so upright.
This was probably half due to the oppression of Madam Xiao, and the other half due to the influence of Aunt Ruan. Xu Rong did not see Aunt Ruan often, but since they lived in the same mansion, he had a general understanding of her life. To be able to escape the devastation of her family's destruction and to raise herself to have such an air of wealth and privilege, Aunt Ruan could not be said to be unlucky, and she was satisfied with that. However, compared to her background, this luck was still somewhat lacking.
Aunt Ruan was the daughter of a Hanlin scholar, possessing an aura of nobility and refinement. She would never have become a concubine—which is why Lord Xiao had no choice but to use Lady Wei as a substitute. However, with the family in trouble, those former pride and arrogance had to be put aside.
Just because something can't be mentioned doesn't mean it's been forgotten.
It's only natural that Aunt Ruan transferred all her hopes to Xiao Shan, but there was probably a problem in its implementation: she was a concubine, and the effective experiences she had in life were not suitable for Xiao Shan to use; doing so would be inappropriate.
This example is somewhat similar to Lady Wei and Xiao Xin. Lady Wei could get by her whole life by being cautious and timid, but Xiao Xin could not. He was the second son of the Marquis's mansion, a man, and there were many things he could not avoid.
He has no big tree on his head, so when the wind and rain come, they won't go around him just because he's weak.
"—Second Sister-in-law?"
"Um?"
Hearing Xiao Shan's voice, Xu Rong snapped out of her reverie and realized she had been thinking too far ahead. But she couldn't be blamed; she and Xiao Shan just couldn't connect. She didn't have this problem with Luo Yanfeng, because Luo Yanfeng didn't need her response. He could chatter on and on, and she would just listen and occasionally respond.
"Second sister-in-law, is Aunt still blaming me?" Xiao Shan asked plaintively.
Xu Rong sighed. See, here we go again.
The person who can best counter Xiao Shan is Madam Xu. She always sheds tears faster than anyone else, and no one can defeat her in this area.
But Madam Xu probably didn't want to bring misfortune upon her—Ms. Xu had made her criteria for choosing a daughter-in-law clear long ago. If absolutely necessary, she could compromise on anything except the word "illegitimate."
In other words, no matter how you look at it, it's impossible for the Xiao and Xu families to form another marriage alliance.
"No, my mother is just worried that Zhang Ge'er is naughty and doesn't learn anything," she replied casually.
“Young Master Marquis—” Xiao Shanren perked up again, clutching her handkerchief as she said, “Actually, he’s a good person. He doesn’t need to work as hard as my second brother. In the future, as long as he can protect the family business, that will be enough.”
Xu Rong turned and glanced at her.
It seems to be getting more and more interesting.
She didn't reply, only humming in response.
Whether it's meaningful or not, the final meaning cannot be uttered by a young girl like Xiao Shan; at least it should be Aunt Ruan, or more accurately, Lord Xiao, who has the right to say it.
There's still no movement from the rear.
Xu Rong didn't know whether Lord Xiao was hesitant to speak up, or whether he might not agree but also might not oppose it. In any case, he probably hadn't thought it through yet, so he didn't step forward, but he also didn't stop Xiao Shan.
As long as it's not explicitly stated, it's not wrong for Xiao Shan to talk to her.
"Second Sister-in-law—"
Just as Xiao Shan was about to engage in awkward small talk, Hong Liu suddenly trotted in and said in a clear voice, "Second Madam, there's a card for you at the gatehouse. My brother brought it in."
After Hongliu's brother came with Xu Rong as part of her dowry, he didn't have any specific job and was left to roam freely in the outer courtyard. The fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy spent most of his time idling. He inherited the same skill as Hongliu: wandering around aimlessly, eavesdropping whenever he had a chance, and helping the servants of the Xiao family with some chores. He also managed to gain some popularity.
For trivial matters like sending messages, they could be delivered directly to Xu Rong without going through Madam Xiao.
Xu Rong was puzzled, wondering who had sent her the invitation, and reached out to take it.
The envelope was opened, revealing a piece of stationery with jasmine patterns pressed into the corner, emitting a faint fragrance. In contrast to the refined atmosphere of the stationery, the handwriting on it was much bolder and more unrestrained.
Respectfully yours, Sister Xu:
July 10th is my father's 50th birthday.
Not only were the characters large, but the meaning was also written in plain language, which suited Xu Rong's level of knowledge. He could finish reading it in just a few glances.
People really can't resist thinking about it. This invitation was sent to her by Luo Yanfeng, saying that Marquis Cheng'an would be holding a birthday banquet and inviting her to attend if she had time.
When Hongliu saw her raise her head, she said with a smile, "Is Second Madam going? The people from the Cheng'an Marquis's residence are waiting outside for a reply."
Xu Rong nodded and said, "Wait a moment, I'll write a reply."
After she finished organizing her dowry, she, who rarely used paper and pen and had no freshly ground ink, stood up and prepared to go to Xiao Xin's place to borrow some.
Xiao Shan stood up and asked casually, "Second Sister-in-law, has the Marquis of Cheng'an invited you to visit?"
Xu Rong said, "Hmm." Then he said to Bai Fu, "See the eldest young lady out."
Xiao Shan hadn't originally intended to leave, but after hearing this, she felt compelled to stay, and couldn't help but add, "His family isn't very polite, especially that second young lady—"
“Young lady, it’s not polite to talk about people behind their backs,” Xu Rong said with a smile.
"..." Xiao Shan quickly said, "That's not what I meant."
She couldn't quite put her finger on what it meant, so she wrung out the handkerchief twice and left dejectedly.
“This young lady has been acting a bit strange lately,” muttered the Red Pomegranate Kid.
Xu Rong chuckled, patted her head, went to the east side room, lifted the curtain, and said, "Second Young Master—"
She paused, because she saw Xiao Xin's hand tremble and then draw a straight line down.
She knew without getting close that the paper was ruined.
"What is it?" Xiao Xin asked in a deep voice without turning around.
Xu Rong paused for a moment: "—I'd like to borrow your pen and ink."
Xiao Xin didn't say anything, crumpled the paper, and then stood up to give her his seat.
The process seemed normal, the only problem was that when Xu Rong went in, she never made eye contact with him. After she sat down in his seat, she felt a burning sensation on the back of her head.
According to scientific research, a person's gaze has a magnetic field, so even a gaze from behind can be perceived, and she now feels enveloped by this "field".
...No way.
Several days have passed, and he still hasn't recovered.
If I had known she wasn't coming, I would have put in the effort to grind the ink, but at least I wouldn't have to be watched by the supervisor.
Her hand trembled, and she spilled a large blot of ink, ruining a sheet of paper.
She silently crumpled it up and tore off another piece of paper. This one was finally fine, except that the pressure while writing made her already poor handwriting even worse.
"you--"
Xu Rong turned her head in surprise, and subconsciously pulled hard, tearing the paper she had just written on in half with a whoosh.
She stared blankly at him: "..."
Xiao Xin walked to her side, casually grabbed a new piece of paper, looked at it in her hand, and reached for her pen. Xu Rong unconsciously tightened her grip, and Xiao Xin whispered, "Let go, give it to me."
“…Oh.” Xu Rong quickly let go.
Xiao Xin dipped his brush in ink again and quickly copied a version from the discarded paper, handing it to her.
Xu Rong pursed his lips, took it, and said, "Second Young Master, thank you."
As soon as she spoke, she realized that her voice was inexplicably dry.
"Are you going out?" Xiao Xin asked her.
His question broke the previous awkward silence, and everything returned to normal. Xu Rong breathed a sigh of relief and quickly nodded, "Yes, Miss Luo invited me. Second Young Master, you—" She thought for a moment and asked for his opinion, "It's almost August, and you're short on time, so you don't need to go, right?"
Xiao Xin nodded: "Mm."
Xu Rong stood up and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye—he seemed to be alright again, but she didn't dare to say anything more and tried to leave naturally.
...
The tenth day of the seventh month was just five days away. Xu Rong went to tell Madam Xiao in advance. Madam Xiao had also received the invitation, which came from the Cheng'an Marquis's residence. In this case, the invitation was usually sent out widely, and families of similar social standing would receive it. Whether or not to go was up to each family. If the relationship was not very good, the steward would usually just send a prepared gift.
Madam Xiao did not intend to go.
She had no interest in socializing with the Luo family, these newly rich relatives of the powerful.
But she didn't stop Xu Rong. Xu Rong's association with people of that level was none of her business, so she agreed without much objection.
Since Madam Xiao wasn't going, Marquis Xiao naturally wouldn't go either. Chang Shuyin was pregnant and it wasn't suitable for her to go out. Xu Rong originally thought that she would be going alone this time, so she relaxed and chose two gifts. On the day of the trip, she went to the second gate to catch her carriage.
Halfway there, Hongliu came running up to us.
"Second Grandma, my brother said—"
Xu Rong stopped and called to her, "No rush, take your time." Then she asked, "What's wrong? Don't you have a car? Let's go rent one outside."
Hongliu was the one who relayed these kinds of messages. Her brother was in the outer courtyard, which made it easier for him than for others. Early in the morning, she was the one who relayed the message to her brother to go to the carriage shed to ask for a carriage to go out.
Hongliu shook her head vigorously: "No, there is a carriage, but—" she gasped for breath, "the young master is also going out today. My brother saw his servant come to ask for a carriage and asked him. He also wants to go to the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence!"
The Marquis of Changxing's residence is not far from the capital. Xiao Lun usually travels by horseback. If he wants a carriage, it means he has other plans. That's why Brother Hongliu asked him a question.
I didn't expect to get this result.
Xu Rong was stunned for a moment.
Her first reaction was that this was definitely not Madam Xiao's arrangement. It was not appropriate for an elder brother-in-law and his sister-in-law to visit the same house together, let alone her and Xiao Lun. Madam Xiao would not be so careless.
She paid her respects to Madam Xiao every day, but Madam Xiao never mentioned it.
This could only be the work of Lord Xiao—a man with a keen sense for power, but completely clueless when it comes to matters of the inner quarters.
After all, the Marquis of Cheng'an's family was the Crown Prince's in-laws, and Lord Xiao wanted to get closer to the Crown Prince, so he was unwilling to let go of this opportunity.
It's not suitable for him to go in person since he holds military power. Xiao Lun is just a personal guard commander, so his visit won't be too conspicuous. If they're lucky, they might even see the Crown Prince arrive in person—of course, this is only if the Crown Prince has a deep affection for the Crown Princess, loves her family as much as he loves his wife, and is also available.
Leaving aside the subsequent events, Xu Rong is currently facing a pressing issue.
"Second Grandmother, shall we still go?" Bai Fu asked hesitantly.
Xu Rong replied without hesitation, "Go."
There's no need to consider this; it's Xiao Lun who wronged "her." Why should she give in to Xiao Lun? What a joke.
"Then I'll go and invite the Second Young Master." Bai Fu had received the answer and was about to turn around. This situation was easy to resolve; she could simply have Xiao Xin go with her.
They are husband and wife as one, and have no connection with Xiao Lun's side.
Xu Rong raised his hand and said, "Wait."
She had a bit of a headache, and that was the problem.
On the surface, after a few more days of transition, Xiao Xin was no longer in any danger.
But this "nothing" is based on an unspoken mutual avoidance, evasion, and perhaps even restraint.
The last emotion belongs exclusively to Xiao Xin.
"Second Madam?" Bai Fu called out to her in confusion. "Is Second Madam worried that Second Young Master's studies will be disrupted? Then we'll tell Miss Luo that we'll go and come back as soon as possible."
Xu Rong hesitated.
If only it were that simple.
Bai Fu gradually understood her meaning and said worriedly, "Second Madam, you don't mean you don't want to bring the Second Young Master, do you? That won't do. The Second Young Master may not say it, but he's actually bothered by it. I didn't have a chance to mention it last time, but I heard that the inkstone with the 'promotion to higher official rank' was chosen by the Heir Apparent, so he won't allow it to be placed here. Hong Liu, don't you think so?"
Hongliu nodded vigorously: "I heard an older sister say that the young master asked the second young master if the inkstone was good, and the second young master said that he couldn't find it and didn't know."
Xu Rong: "..."
So, she had an even bigger headache.
Whether to invite him or not is a question.
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