Chapter 27 If she's unwilling to serve, then let's find someone to take her place...
This trip was earlier than usual for court. If Baozhu hadn't woken Yu'an up, she would have almost fallen asleep. When she hurriedly got ready and rushed to the door, sure enough, she was the only one missing.
Because of what happened with the Lin family last time, Shen Qiulan and Yu'an have completely fallen out. They haven't seen each other for nearly a month, and the relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law remains unchanged.
Shen Qiulan glanced lazily at the person who arrived late, and couldn't help but look down on him: "Making so many people wait for you is just too much."
Yu An bowed to her and Ji Jinghe, saying, "Daughter-in-law went to bed late last night and got up a little late."
I went to bed too late last night, and now I'm forcing myself to get up. My head is throbbing, like it's wrapped in a wet towel. Everything feels heavy and dizzy, and I don't have the energy to deal with anything.
Seeing the atmosphere turn cold, Ji Shu had no choice but to speak up for Yu An: "Sister-in-law, you're probably late with the accounting again. Luckily, my brother didn't want to leave, so you made it in time. Hurry up and say a few kind words to my brother."
Yu An had nothing to say. When talking to others, Ji Jinghe was the one who needed the least worry when he went on a long trip.
Knowing all about his past actions, she couldn't bring herself to say anything honestly, but given the pressure, she could only bite the bullet and say, "Sir, please be careful on your way home."
A lukewarm expression of concern sounded perfunctory. Ji Jinghe looked at her, the words churning in his throat, but he swallowed them back down.
Shen Qiulan felt sorry for her son for marrying such a woman, and thinking that it was not appropriate to say anything discouraging today, she swallowed her dissatisfaction and said: "My son has suffered. The journey is long, so please take good care of yourself and focus on your health. I am here at home, so nothing will happen."
"Mother, don't worry, your son will be careful."
Ji Shu: "Brother, if you go to Yuzhou and see anything fun, be sure to buy some for me."
Shen Qiulan scolded, "How old are you? Still playing around? Your brother has important business to attend to when he went out..."
Ji Jinghe smiled and said, "Mother, you don't need to blame Shu'er. She has always loved those little trinkets. I'll just have Qingque go out and buy some."
Shen Qiulan sighed and waved her hand: "Never mind, these are all minor matters. Your safe return is more important than anything else."
Her son was depressed and her daughter-in-law was useless. What could she do? She shouldn't have agreed to the marriage in the first place; it was ridiculous!
It was getting late, so Ji Jinghe performed his farewell ceremony. Before leaving, he took one last look at Yu An, then mounted his horse and rode away.
The horses' hooves pounded as they disappeared into the dark, bustling streets.
Shen Qiulan breathed a sigh of relief, then turned her gaze to Yu An: "Come with me."
After uttering those words, she turned and left. Seeing this, Ji Shu sensed something was wrong and immediately cast a pitiful look at Yu An: "Be careful, she's angry. Don't go looking for trouble."
As the saying goes, an outsider's perspective is clearer. After spending time together, Ji Shu gradually changed her opinion of her sister-in-law. Although she still felt awkward at times, it was much better than before.
Who doesn't want their brother and sister-in-law to be loving and their family to be harmonious?
Yu An glanced at her, nodded slightly, and left, following Shen Qiulan's direction to Wanfang Courtyard.
Even without Ji Shu's reminder, she knew that Shen Qiulan had been holding back for almost a month, and today she finally found an excuse to give her a good scolding.
As soon as I stepped into the gate of Wanfang Courtyard, I heard a loud "bang" from the main hall.
Baozhu gasped, "Miss, should we go find the old lady? I'm scared..."
Yu An: "It's okay, she won't hit me."
She might get a couple of scoldings, but she'd listen.
Yu An: "Since you can't get in anyway, you might as well go back first."
Baozhu escorted the person to the door, her eyes filled with worry. Even through the curtain, she could feel the oppressive atmosphere inside. In this situation, she was truly afraid that Shen Qiulan would say something even more hurtful, causing Yu'an to suffer further injustice.
Yu An patted her hand and went straight in, lifting the curtain.
She was still half asleep and felt terrible. She wanted to finish quickly and go back to sleep.
Shen Qiulan, sitting at the head of the table, didn't even lift her eyelids when she heard her go in, let alone say a word to ask her to sit down first.
"Don't you know Jinghe is going to Yuzhou?" she asked.
Yu An replied frankly, "I know."
"Know?"
Shen Qiulan scoffed, her voice trembling slightly with extreme anger, "So you know, and you just give me that perfunctory response? Compared to other daughters-in-law, what have you done well? Your husband goes out, you get up late, and you don't prepare anything. Are you saying you'd be satisfied if you let him go hungry and suffer on the way?"
Knowing that Shen Qiulan was angry, Yu'an pretended to be quiet. No matter what anger she was feeling, she listened obediently and didn't say a word.
Seeing that she remained silent, Shen Qiulan became even angrier and slammed her hand on the table twice: "Speak!"
Yu'an said helplessly, "I think if I'm busy preparing things, they might not suit the master's taste. It would be better to have the servants continue to serve him as usual."
"So, you've been married into the Ji family for several months now, and you don't even understand what your husband needs?" Shen Qiulan frowned. "When you sent your brother away, did you ever think about whether he could use the things you gave him before he left? In the end, it's just a matter of whether you put your heart into it or not."
She was talking non-stop on her end, but Yu'an seemed completely oblivious, listening absentmindedly as if nothing could be heard.
In her youth, she was straightforward, and even now, as she's aged and become thinner and more even-tempered, she can't stand this feigned dullness and wants to scold her again.
But seeing her accepting the beatings and scoldings, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.
She's such a grown woman, are you suggesting she lay a hand on her daughter-in-law? If word gets out, people will say she beat her daughter-in-law.
Shen Qiulan let out a long breath and calmed down for a while, until the anger surging in her heart subsided. Then she said, "I never knew about your relationship with Jinghe from the beginning, and I still don't know. Anyway... it was a mutually beneficial arrangement back then, and our family doesn't owe you anything. But since you're a wife, you should act like one."
Even if it's just an act.
“Jinghe protects you in every way, and I have nothing to say about it. He brought this upon himself and deserves it! But you, can you also pay a little attention and put my mind at ease as his mother?”
Shen Qiulan rested one hand on the armrest of the chair. "If he doesn't listen to me, then he'll listen to you. You're his wife. When he comes back this month, go and tell him about taking a concubine."
This is her duty as a wife. If she is unwilling to serve, then someone else should take her place.
Yu An: "I wonder which family's young lady she is."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qiulan let out another cold laugh.
She answered so quickly, she was hoping someone would come and serve her instead.
Shen Qiulan said irritably, "It's not just anyone, it's your aunt's niece. Jinghe will know when he comes back. You should prepare well this month, because she will be staying at your residence next month. Make sure you have everything ready, understand?"
She meant that everything prepared for taking a concubine should be prepared at the same time.
Yu An understood and readily agreed.
After Shen Qiulan let her leave, Yu'an saw Baozhu at the entrance of Wanfang Courtyard.
She couldn't bear to leave.
Seeing that her complexion was alright, Baozhu felt a little relieved. "Madam didn't say anything, did she?"
Yu An chuckled softly: "What can I say?"
Seemingly nothing was wrong, but after Yu'an went back to sleep for a while, she felt unwell all over, whether because she hadn't slept well or for some other reason.
Sitting at his desk, he opened the ledger, set up the abacus, and spent half an hour reading just one page.
Ji Shu arrived in the afternoon, and her spirits improved slightly.
Ji Shu wandered around her room, then picked up the bamboo basket that Yu An had placed on the small table on the couch, and examined it for a while. "This bamboo basket of yours is small and exquisite. Did you weave it yourself?"
The small bamboo baskets sold in the shops of the capital for holding needles and thread all look the same, and they seem lifeless at first glance, unlike her clever and quirky nature.
After spending a few hours with her, Baozhu figured out the true nature of this young lady and then reminded her, "That was left by the young lady's mother; it can only be found in Jiangling."
Ji Shu reluctantly put it down, cleared her throat and said, "I was just asking casually. Look how anxious you are. I don't need everything."
Baozhu pouted: "I'm just scared."
Her daughter is shy, so she's afraid that if Ji Shu asks, she probably won't refuse.
After finishing her tea, Ji Shu began to admire her sachet with great concentration. The brightly colored silk threads were tightly wrapped around it, and the branches, leaves and petals were lifelike. It was a rare and exquisite item that pleased her greatly.
While Yu'an was sitting aside doing accounts, he took out a gold hairpin from his sleeve and placed it in front of her.
Yu An looked up and saw that she had unconsciously turned her face away. Even though she was smiling, her tone was still firm: "This is for you. Just take it. Consider it payment. Don't be offended..."
He hadn't made the sachet for her money, but now that she had accepted it, he felt she had ulterior motives. Just as he was about to refuse, Baozhu, who was standing to the side, took it first: "Thank you, Miss, for being so generous. My young lady will definitely look beautiful wearing it."
Ji Shu looked up and smiled, her face full of satisfaction.
Yu An frowned, and Bao Zhu quickly waved to Ji Shu as soon as Ji Shu turned her back.
She said she needed money, but what was this money compared to the wealth and status of the Ji family? This money was clean; she had earned it stitch by stitch.
Ji Shu swung the sachet in her hand and said half-jokingly, "I am one of only two people in the capital who have obtained your embroidery. The first one is the Imperial Concubine. If you don't mind the trouble, you can make it and sell it. It would cost at least twenty taels of silver."
Twenty taels!?
Baozhu stared in disbelief: "Is what you say true, Miss?"
Ji Shu: "Of course."
“If you want to sell it, I can help you with the process. You get eight percent of the profit, and I get two percent. If you sell it through me, it will be worth more than twenty taels.”
Yu An fell into deep thought, and the idea of buying and selling a business came to mind. It might be worth it to save money.
Seeing that Yu'an didn't speak, Baozhu didn't take it to heart. She also had some things to attend to, so she left temporarily, leaving only Ji Shu and Yu'an in the room.
Whether out of guilt or something else, Ji Shu sneakily approached Yu An, watching her calculate on the abacus. This reminded her of when she had just married into the family; both times she was also checking accounts, but the two were worlds apart.
"Hey, my brother's jealous, you know?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: The Future—
Ji Shu/Baozhu/Qingque: This place will fall apart without me... [helpless]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
