Chapter 107 Buy an official position
In the Wen family garden, after the host and the guest had tasted the snacks, Meng Qinghui, who was five or six months pregnant, personally took Chen Qi on a tour of their own garden.
Lord Wen was born in the Hanlin Academy and held the fifth rank of official. Naturally, his mansion was of a different specification and structure. Looking around, the flowers and trees in the garden were luxuriant, the rockery was thin and the water was water-rich, the pine wind and bamboo shadows were extremely neat and spacious, with a unique literary style.
Meng Qinghui didn't ask the maid to follow her, but personally led Chen Qi to see the mountains and rivers, explore rocks and walk through the forest. Her steps were flexible and her posture was agile. Instead, Chen Qi was afraid that she would accidentally fall and get hurt, so she carefully supported her all the way.
She had visited this garden thousands of times in the past three years, and today she visited it again with a new friend, and she found it somewhat interesting.
The two ladies joked and played all the way until sunset, when Meng finally let her go home.
She actually wanted to keep Chen Qi at home for dinner, but if she didn't let her go back, the maids sent by Mrs. Huang to take care of her would turn pale.
From then on, Meng invited Chen Qi two or three times in a row, either to drink tea or listen to music, and even made up an excuse for her to write a poem out of homesickness.
Seeing that her maids' faces were becoming increasingly stiff, Meng was afraid that they would write a letter to Madam Huang to complain, so she changed her plan and decided to go to Chen Qi's house to play instead.
When Chen Qi heard this for the first time, she hesitated, wondering whether she should prepare a grand ceremony to welcome her, the wife of an official.
Before she even asked, Meng Qinghui saw through her thoughts, grabbed her arms, and shook them, begging her.
"Good sister, please leave me a way to live!"
Chen Qi quickly agreed and told her not to wander around and be careful not to hurt the baby in her belly.
When Meng Qinghui arrived at Chen Qi's garden, it was like a fish entering the river or the sea, or a bird flying in the dense forest. He clapped his hands in admiration at everything and jumped for joy all the time.
Chen Qi had been taking good care of her, and was afraid that she would get tired, so after just one walk around, she took her to the back house for some tea and a short rest.
Unexpectedly, when Meng entered the back house, she saw Yujing and Xiujie playing the rope dance in the yard again. She had never seen such a fun game before, and she immediately rubbed her hands and was eager to try it.
Chen Qi would rather die than let Meng Qinghui, who was only five or six months pregnant, dance the rope dance with the children in her backyard.
She used all her years of coaxing skills to coax Yu Jing, and tried every possible way to deceive her. She swore again and again that after Yu Jing gave birth to the baby safely and recovered her health, she would dance with her for a full three hundred times.
Meng Qinghui then gave up in disappointment.
She felt much more at home at Shen Qi's house than at her own. From then on, she made two trips here every day, more diligent and punctual than her husband's visits to the government office.
Meng Qinghui had a great time at Shen Qi's house. Shen Qi also liked this new friend with a cheerful and sincere personality. Even Yu Jing and Xiu Jie'er liked her free and easy manner, and loved to listen to her tell all kinds of legendary and interesting stories about the capital.
Among the whole family, only Xie Yuduo was very annoyed.
After much difficulty, he managed to get Chen Qi to leave his hometown with him, build a new house, and become the head of the family. The good days that should have belonged to him, where fish could leap freely in the vast sea and birds could fly high in the sky, were snatched away by this new wife of an official.
Now, he was forced to leave the backyard early every day, handle affairs in the study on time, and could not go back until dark.
I am clearly at home, but I can't go and see what my wife is doing at any time.
He was unhappy.
On this day, because there were guests coming to the Wen family, Madam Meng was asked by her maid to go back home early to entertain the guests.
Xie Yuduo received the news and immediately went back to his room to find Chen Qi.
Seeing that he came back early, Chen Qi accompanied him to have dinner. While removing her makeup and combing her hair, she told him what she and Madam Meng had eaten, where they went shopping, and what they talked about recently.
"Today she said, thank you for the good food and tea you've had lately. Tomorrow she'll bring over a painting from her dowry to express her gratitude."
Xie Yuduo sat sideways on the couch against the wall, sneered, and spoke in a bad mood.
"If she really wants to thank me, she should come less often! Returning you to me properly is better than any worthless calligraphy or painting. Whenever she comes, I have to leave. I haven't seen you all day. You're clearly my wife, and yet it feels like she's abducted her."
Chen Qi looked through the mirror and saw that he was indeed unhappy, so she smiled and scolded him.
"Stingy Mr. Xie, you're jealous even of the friendships between the boudoirs. You always blamed me for being timid and terrified of seeing the wives of officials. But today we're having such a good time, and her husband is a fifth-rank official, and I'm not afraid. Let's see if you can still say that!"
Xie Yuduo looked at her appearance in the mirror and chuckled softly.
"If you want, I'll buy you an official position tomorrow and let you be an official's wife for once. What's the value?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qi opened her eyes wide and looked back at him.
"Can official positions be purchased with silver?"
Xie Yuduo nodded seriously.
"Yes. But a man of her husband's rank would require a great deal of silver."
He paused.
"As luck would have it, I almost have it."
After Chen Qi finished combing her hair, she stood up and walked over, sitting on her husband's lap, her black hair falling like clouds in his arms.
"Sir, where in the world is there anyone who seeks an official position like you? Not for the people, not for the emperor, but just to make his wife an official's wife. Bah, if I were an ordinary person, I wouldn't want an official like you."
Xie Yuduo smiled and rubbed the hair on the back of her waist.
"As long as you really want it, I will definitely make it happen for you. However, compared to being an official, I still prefer making money."
Chen Qi smiled and leaned over to kiss him.
"Just like making money, that's enough."
Having said that, she stood up to leave, but Xie Yuduo refused to let her go.
"not enough."
He pulled the person back into his arms and kissed her while talking.
"It's not enough. I like something else..."
…
The next morning, Xie Yuduo slept in for a rare time. Knowing that Meng Shi was busy and couldn't come today, and not wanting to leave, he simply stayed in the bedroom and watched the maids help Shen Qi get up.
Everyone has their own duties, washing, wiping their faces, combing their hair, getting dressed... After completing the whole process, the only thing left is to tie the ribbons on the skirt and put on the outermost brocade clothes.
A maid came over with a sash rack. Chen Qi picked out a jade-colored silk sash from the layers of sashes, stood in front of the mirror, and tried to put it around her waist.
"Ah, I really can't eat Sister Meng's snacks anymore. Look at this waist, it's simply..."
Xie Yuduo was staring at her in a trance, and when he heard this, his heart skipped a beat.
Could she be...
He stood up and walked over, ordered the maids to leave, took the sash from Chen Qi's hand, and looked her up and down.
Seeing him drive the maids away, Shen Qi laughed at him in a low voice.
"Second Master wants to help me tie it again. It's not the first time. Are you afraid that the maids will see it?"
Xie Yuduo shook his head, casually tucked the belt into his waist, and reached out to unbutton her clothes.
Shen Qi hurriedly held down his hand.
"do what?"
Xie Yuduo's words are concise and to the point.
"Take it off."
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