Xu Rong's expression also turned serious.
Both of them walked into the courtyard with serious faces. The maids who had crowded around the courtyard, eager to greet and congratulate them, were speechless.
They stared at each other, bewildered, as the others entered the house.
Xu Rong still harbored a sliver of hope. Perhaps Xiao Xin wouldn't necessarily confront her, perhaps she was just being delusional, or perhaps—
The curtain fell, and Xiao Xin turned his head in the east side room.
His cheeks flushed slightly, and his eyes, sparkling as if inlaid with two stars, gazed at her. His thin lips moved slightly, but before he uttered a word, he gave her a smile, as if to test the waters, yet also with a hint of ingratiation.
It's not serious at all.
Pink bubbles popped up.
Xu Rong immediately sensed something was wrong and wanted to escape.
She had sensed Xiao Xin's thoughts for quite some time, but when the moment actually arrived, she felt it wouldn't work; it was too fast, and she hadn't figured out how to handle it at all.
She hesitated to reject him directly, afraid of hurting his feelings;
She couldn't accept it either. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with him; the problem lay with her. She had never thought about forming a family with anyone. She didn't know what that would be like. She lacked the imagination for family and couldn't enter into such an intimate relationship.
She is alone, always alone, and only being alone makes her feel safe.
"I--"
As he spoke, Xu Rong hardened her heart. Since stalling hadn't solved the problem, she had no choice but to speak frankly, whether she wanted to or not.
Delaying it any longer will only drag him deeper into trouble.
"Second Young Master, Second Madam!" A maid suddenly called from outside.
Disturbed, Xiao Xin looked away slightly. Xu Rong, feeling as if granted a pardon, quickly lifted the curtain and went out: "What's wrong?"
It was Cai Die who came to speak. She usually didn't come directly to Xu Rong, but whenever she did, it meant something was wrong: "Grandma, something bad has happened. Brother Xiao Yue just brought me a message and asked me to pass it on to you, saying that something has happened at the bookstore."
Xu Rong raised an eyebrow: "What is it?"
She heard footsteps behind her; it was Xiao Xin who came out and stood behind her. Her back instantly went numb again.
...I just feel timid.
Cai Die also saw Xiao Xin come out, and lowered her voice: "Brother Xiao Yue said that Aunt Wei's younger brother came to the shop and asked for money and account books. Brother Xiao Yue refused to give them to him. He said that the shop belonged to the second young master, and as his uncle, he could make half the decision. He scolded Brother Xiao Yue for not respecting him and even wanted to beat him. Brother Xiao Yue was in a dilemma and did not know how to deal with it, so he could only report it back to the manor."
"Aunt Wei's younger brother? Didn't he leave the capital?" Xu Rong was a little surprised.
That Wei Daxiong was clearly not a good person. Xiao Xin and Wei Shi had discussed it beforehand, and a few days ago they gave him some money and sent him away. Wei Daxiong didn't want to leave at the time, but Wei Shi was adamant, and Xiao Xin wouldn't argue with him. Seeing that there was no hope of staying, and looking at the money in his hand, Wei Daxiong muttered that Wei Shi had no family ties and didn't recognize people after becoming rich, but he still left.
Xiao Xin was waiting for the results at that time and had nothing to do. Fearing that he would become restless, he personally led people to escort him out of the capital.
Unexpectedly, he came back again, and somehow found out about the bookstore, so he went there and acted like an uncle.
The blush on Xiao Xin's face faded, replaced by a slight anger: "I'll go take a look."
Xu Rong hesitated for a moment: "Second Young Master, let me go with you."
They spoke nothing on the way. When they arrived, they found that there was nothing wrong with the outside of the shop, and the storefront was still relatively tidy. One of the hired shop assistants breathed a sigh of relief when he saw them: "Second Young Master, Second Madam, Master Wei is in the tea room inside, being accompanied by the manager."
Leading them inside, he muttered to himself all the way. It turned out that Wei Daxiong had started making a big fuss, and Xiao Yue couldn't let him ruin the business. After arguing with him a few times, he softened and invited him in to apologize and have tea. He coaxed him to talk, and then found out that he couldn't read at all. When Wei Daxiong asked to see the accounts, Xiao Yue just grabbed a book with words and gave it to him.
When Xiao Xin went in, Wei Daxiong was still pretending to watch.
Hearing Xiao Yue bow and call out, "Second Young Master, Second Madam."
He turned his head and grinned, "Oh, my nephew."
Xiao Xin had no intention of acknowledging the uncle who had caused his birth mother's lifelong tragedy. He spoke in a deep voice, "Didn't your aunt give you one hundred taels of silver to go back to your hometown and buy land?"
"I've spent it all." Wei Daxiong said without a trace of shame.
The guide was startled and blurted out in a low voice, "It's only been a few days..."
“My sister married a marquis of the current dynasty, and my eldest nephew just passed the provincial examination and became a scholar. What’s wrong with me spending a hundred taels of silver?” Wei Daxiong said confidently. “If my parents hadn’t stopped me, I would have gone to the capital to enjoy a life of luxury long ago.”
The waiter couldn't argue with him, so he had to shut up. Even Xiao Yue, standing to the side, didn't know what to say.
Wei Daxiong took another sip of tea with relish. Seeing that the teacup was empty, he instructed Xiao Yue, "Don't you have any sense? Pour some more tea."
This time, Xiao Yue ignored him and just looked at Xiao Xin, waiting for him to speak.
"Kick him out," Xiao Xin said. "This shop has nothing to do with him. If he comes to bother us again, we'll treat it as causing trouble and report it to the Shuntian Prefecture government."
Xiao Yue paused for a moment, then replied, "Yes." He stepped forward, grabbed Wei Daxiong's fake ledger, and waved his hand, saying, "Please, go ahead."
Wei Daxiong was stunned. He had been coaxed by Xiao Yue for quite a while and felt rather good about himself. Now he was completely embarrassed and jumped up, saying, "Nephew, how can your heart be harder than your mother's? I am your own uncle—"
Xiao Xin glanced at Xiao Yue: "Are you waiting for me to do it myself?"
He was by nature aloof and cold, something Xiao Yue had long heard of, but this was the first time he had witnessed it firsthand. Not daring to be negligent, he quickly replied, "Yes!"
He called to another man, and they dragged Wei Daxiong outside.
Wei Daxiong kicked and waved his hands, but his body was so weak from all the abuse he had taken at home that he couldn't resist at all. He shouted angrily all the way, "You heartless and ungrateful brat! You want to climb the social ladder, you only recognize those from noble families, not your own uncle! You wait, I'll go to the yamen and sue you!"
They had already gone outside, and several scholars who were reading in the shop looked over in surprise.
Xu Rong felt that this would have a bad influence. Xiao Xin had reached this point and it was time for him to pay attention to his reputation. She tried to say something to smooth things over, but Xiao Xin grabbed her arm and stopped her. He coldly let Wei Daxiong shout outside the door before saying, "Send him to the yamen now and let him file a complaint."
"..."
Wei Daxiong immediately shut his mouth. As someone who always caused trouble, he instinctively feared the authorities and would never actually file a complaint.
"You, you just wait." He broke free from Xiao Yue and the waiter's grasp, threw down a harsh remark, and ran away.
Xu Rong beckoned to Hongliu's brother: "Follow him and see where he stays and what he does. He should be out of money. Once he's spent it all and has nowhere to stay, step in, scare him, give him some money, and tell him to go back to his hometown."
These blood relatives are the hardest to deal with. Giving them money directly is a bottomless pit, and you can't just beat them up right away. You can only scare them and deflate their spirits first.
Brother Hongliu took the purse she gave him, nodded in agreement, and after she finished giving her instructions, he quickly followed Wei Daxiong's figure in the crowd.
Xu Rong followed Xiao Xin back to the mansion.
The good thing is that Wei Daxiong's commotion ruined the atmosphere, so Xiao Xin was in no mood to talk to her today. The next day, he had to pay his respects to the prefect, attend the Deer Cry Banquet held for the new graduates, and have a reunion with his classmates. He was several times busier than after passing the county-level imperial examination. Even Lord Xiao would find it difficult to have a word with him.
Xu Rong couldn't participate in any of these things, but she could directly feel the changes in status that Xiao Xin brought about after passing the imperial examination, even while she was in the mansion.
In the past, her little courtyard was deserted. The only person in the Xiao family who was not doing well was Cai Die. After the announcement of the successful candidate in the provincial examination, several people tried to get in to serve her by asking for favors. There were also many servants who wanted to serve Xiao Xin, just like the youngest son of the head steward that day. However, he was often out socializing outside the mansion, so people couldn't get close to him and instead all came to Xu Rong's place.
The fickle nature of human relationships made Madam Xiao feel uneasy, and she gave her a few words of advice when she paid her respects.
Xu Rong didn't care. In fact, she was no longer interested in anything about the Xiao family. She sensed in her heart that her time to leave was approaching.
Xiao Xin didn't wait until after the provincial examination next year to confront her, because he knew his own limitations. He had already achieved first place in the provincial examination, which had a 1 in 30 chance, and as long as he didn't take the provincial examination blindly, he could be listed on the imperial list. Similarly, she should start preparing now.
Thinking of this, Xu Rong suddenly had another idea: instead of waiting for Xiao Xin to confess his feelings and make things difficult for both of them, she only needed to pack up her dowry and make it look like she was about to leave, and he would naturally know her answer.
As for the mysteries surrounding the Xiao family, let them rot in this decaying mansion. Lord Xiao, Madam Xiao, Xiao Lun, Chang Shuyin, Aunt Ruan, and Xiao Shan—none of them lived happily or as they wished. Their wealth was shrouded in a mess of trivialities. The original young girl, Xu Rong, never truly married into the family and left cleanly, which might actually be a good thing.
Hopefully, she has now been reborn into a better family.
Once she made up her mind, Xu Rong actually dug out the dowry list and started thinking about how to transfer it.
Leaving aside Xiao Xin's situation—Xu Rong tried her best to ignore her helplessness in the face of him. Doing this now was like running away. The Xiao family would not sit idly by and let Xiao Xin divorce her. The best solution was for Xiao Xin to take up a post in another region. She could go with him under the pretext of accompanying him, bringing her dowry. After arriving in another region, she could take the divorce papers and leave. By then, Lord Xiao and Madam Xiao would be too far away to intervene. By the time they realized what was going on and wanted to get involved, it would already be over.
If Xiao Xin doesn't take up a post outside the capital—which is actually more likely, as he only needs to pass the imperial examination with top honors to enter the Hanlin Academy directly—it will be more difficult to accomplish this in the capital. But it's not too difficult. Xiao Xin is no longer the young man who was forced to marry by Madam Xiao. He has earned his voice through his own efforts. If he insists, Marquis Xiao will have to take it seriously.
...
Xiao Xin was busy and before he knew it, half a month had passed, and it was now mid-September.
He finally had some free time.
They finally discovered Xu Rong's hint.
Xu Rong breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't be any more obvious. Even Bai Fu was asking her curiously, "What is Grandma planning to do?" Xu Rong didn't want the maid to know until things were settled.
Xiao Xin remained silent for several days.
Apart from Bai Fu, the other maids didn't think anything was wrong. The manor was always full of trouble. Because of Lin Ding, who was still missing in Annam, Madam Xiao had another big fight with Marquis Xiao. Even Xiao Lun couldn't calm things down. Chang Shuyin was also dragged into it and suffered.
“The eldest madam is so clueless. I don’t know what she’s thinking. She’s asking the madam for the eldest son again at this time. Isn’t she just asking for a scolding?” Hongliu shook her head sternly.
"What a mess." Xin Cheng chatted while cracking sunflower seeds. "It's better here. Luckily, our grandma married the second young master."
Early in the morning, Xu Rong was on her way to pay her respects to Xiao Xin when she overheard what was happening.
In the past, Xu Rong would have readily agreed, perhaps praising Xiao Xin for remaining untainted by the mud and for his upright character and excellent morals. But now, feeling guilty, she not only dared not speak but also could not bear to hear such words, and silently left.
“Actually,” Xiao Xin suddenly spoke as the autumn wind grew cooler, his voice as chilly as the autumn wind, “I’m no different from them.”
Xu Rong hesitated, not quite understanding, but still turned to look at him.
Xiao Xin met her gaze, his eyes deep and dark: "I understand what you mean, you don't need to pack anymore."
"..." Xu Rong pondered cautiously for a moment. Had he recovered? Was he going to give up?
"Second Young Master, it's good that you understand—" She immediately relaxed.
"It's no use cleaning it up."
Xiao Xin cut her off, gave her a second sentence, and then strode forward expressionlessly.
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