Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Wen Shuse probably understood the painstaking efforts of Madam Xie. Why did she want to change the groom to Xie San regardless of her reputation? She was hoping that the madam's reputation could save this prodigal man.
It's a pity that I ruined it myself...
Wen Shuse rarely felt a trace of guilt, but he was confused. Everyone in Fengcheng knew that Xie Shao was the only son of the second branch of the Xie family, with no brothers or sisters. The girl who came today must be a lady from the first branch, so why did she come to Xie Shao to ask for money?
Uncle Xie is the deputy commander of Zhonghe and was promoted by Prince Jing. Logically, he should not be short of money.
No matter how confused she was, the money was not hers, so it was not her turn to worry about it. She then buried her head in picking out the longan pulp from the crumbs.
The girl got what she wanted, and followed Nanny Fang with a clattering footstep. She was so happy that she could get a silver note worth 1,000 taels. But before she could leave, someone suddenly called her from behind, "Wait."
The girl turned around, looking a little flustered, "Third brother, is there anything else?"
Wen Shuse was also quite surprised, thinking that he had finally discovered what was wrong, which was really cause for celebration.
Xie Shao drank a lot of wine today, and his mind was pulled from time to time, unable to concentrate. He tried hard to suppress the dizziness in his mind and said, "Come here."
The girl didn't understand what was going on, so she walked back nervously and walked to his side. Before she could ask him anything, Xie Shao raised his hand towards Wen Shuse and called the girl, "Your third sister-in-law, I greet you."
The girl was stunned.
After the news came out today, everyone in the mansion knew that the person who came in was the second wife of the Wen family. How could someone who came in with evil intentions be worthy of being her third sister-in-law.
The girl was stubborn and turned her head away without saying a word.
Seeing that she didn't move, Xie Shao lost his patience due to the headache caused by the drunkenness. He stared at the girl and urged, "Greetings."
The girl hesitated for a while, perhaps her self-esteem could not resist the charm of the 1,000 taels of silver. She lowered her head and called out reluctantly, "Third sister-in-law."
Given the terrible beginning between the two of them, to be able to have the harmonious situation now is truly a blessing from the gods.
Nanny Fang stepped forward and explained to Wen Shuse with a smile, "This is the eldest lady of the Xie family. The third grandmother just came in yesterday and hasn't seen her yet."
Wen Shuse really didn't expect this result. He looked at Xie Shao who was sitting there, and then looked at the girl who was lowering her head. How should he respond?
Since people called her the third sister-in-law, she should have given her a gift and some money, but she had always been extravagant with money, spending whatever she had, and her wallet was really short.
Besides, she already had the one thousand taels from Xie San, and if she were to take out more than ten or twenty taels, wouldn't that be even more embarrassing? It would be better not to give it.
It was a token of my heart anyway. She glanced at the half of the longan left on the table and handed it to Aunt Fang. "Madam, this is your first time here. Try this longan. It's very sweet."
Nanny Fang took it with a smile, "I will go and wrap it for you right away."
Madam Xie stood there in silence, thinking that she was finally done. Just as she was about to turn her toes to the outside, Xie Shao called her back, "Don't you want to thank me?"
This time, Mrs. Xie couldn't help herself and looked up in astonishment. Her innocent big eyes were full of protest. What kind of etiquette was this?
Seeing Xie Shao staring at her intently, as if he would not let her go until she thanked him, she usually thought that this third brother was unremarkable and generous, as if he could satisfy any request. But when he looked at people so seriously, she always felt uneasy. In the end, she bit her lip and pinched her palm before she said those words against her will, "Thank you, third sister-in-law."
Wen Shu smiled politely and waved his hand at her, "No need to be so polite."
This time no one stopped her. The lady walked very quickly and soon disappeared.
There was only a newlywed couple left in the room.
Where were we talking about before? Xie Shao shook his head, and for a long time he was unable to connect his thoughts. Forget it, let's talk about it tomorrow. He stretched his legs and stood up. As a drunk, his limbs were not under the control of his brain. He took two steps and his toes hit the table. He was pushed forward. He thought it was not good, but fortunately there was someone in front of him.
But the man did not lend him a helping hand as he wished, and his forehead hit the round stool hard.
Xie Shao:.......
The head was knocked so hard that stars appeared in his eyes and his blood was surging violently. Didn't she see it? Or was it because she didn't have hands and didn't know how to help!
Wen Shuse saw him bump into the stool with her own eyes. There was a loud thump, which was painful to hear. She was not unmoved, so she raised her voice to help him call, "Grandma Fang..."
"He's not dead, no need to scream."
Xie Shao climbed up by himself using the round stool. He was so angry that his eyebrows were twitching. He was so unlucky to meet Wen Er.
After this knock, his mind became much clearer, and he finally remembered why he came here. He endured the splitting headache and explained to her, "Whether I, Xie Shao, like you or not is one thing, but as the third grandmother of the Xie family, I will show you the respect you deserve."
Wen Shuse stared at his swollen forehead, not daring to move.
So Xie Shao gave her a warning, "Don't cry in the future." Don't cry in front of him, don't let the ancestors know, if something happens to the ancestors, he will never forgive her.
After saying this, he turned and walked away, raising his arms slightly and pulling up his wide sleeves.
The jet-black hair from under the jade crown spread out on his back. He walked with steady steps, his posture was like a pine tree, his head held high and his chest puffed out. The masculinity of the man emanated like a wild animal, and he was simply charming.
After the people left, Aunt Qing and Xiangyun came over. Seeing Wen Shuse standing there motionless, they called her, "Madam?"
"Ah?" Wen Shuse turned around.
Yun Xiang leaned forward, looking very excited, "Madam, I think the Third Young Master is not as bad as people say. Just based on the fact that he supports you, he can be considered a good man."
She didn't know if he was a good person or not. At this moment, Wen Shuse's mind was filled with his words, "Don't cry anymore."
She also read a lot of the storybooks Ming Wanrou bought. The most touching part was the scene in which the man held the young lady in his arms and told her domineeringly, "Don't cry." Ming Wanrou laughed at her, saying that she was a lady from a wealthy family, so why did she like such a barbaric man. But she felt that Ming Wanrou didn't understand how the domineering charm of the words "Don't cry" captured the heart of the delicate girl.
After this, Aunt Qing also changed her opinion of this cheap son-in-law, "Madam, why don't you discuss the matter of returning home with him tomorrow? If the Third Young Master is willing to return to the Wen Family with you, the old lady will naturally feel relieved when she sees him."
Yes, you have to go back to the door.
This question has troubled Wen Shuse for a day. It is indeed as Aunt Qing said. The son-in-law is returning with the bride. Doesn't it mean that the two are very loving? The rumors will be dispelled.
Xie Shao tonight was indeed different from the one she knew before. He spoke the truth after drinking and his character was revealed. Perhaps this was his true character.
People can make a good or bad conclusion about a person based on their first impression, and can also change their opinion of him or her overnight because of a single sentence.
The red candles from the wedding night have been removed and replaced with oil lamps in the house. The joy has faded, but the people are trapped inside forever.
Thinking back to the time when he released Qiuying this morning and hadn't received any news yet, and not knowing how his grandmother was doing, Wen Shuse nodded, "Okay, I'll go give it a try."
—
You have to have the right attitude when asking for help. The next morning, Wen Shuse went to the kitchen with Aunt Qing and Xiangyun to make rice cakes together.
This rice cake is no ordinary rice cake. It is the secret recipe that Master Wen got from the owner of the famous Bailou in Fengcheng after he went to great lengths and spent half the night drinking.
After finally making a basket, he excitedly carried the food box to the door of the west wing, but Nanny Fang said that the person had already left.
After waiting for a whole day and making basket after basket of rice cakes, there was still no sign of him. In the evening, Xiangyun came in quickly from outside, and his voice came before he arrived, "Madam, madam, the young master is back..."
Wen Shuse was lying in the recliner and instantly perked up. He stood up and adjusted the hairpin on his head, took the food box from Aunt Qing, and hurried out to stop someone.
When I reached the hall, I soon saw two figures walking towards me from the opposite corridor.
The setting sun shone through the tiles, birds were singing, the man in front was wearing a purple casual suit, holding a bow and arrow, looking free and easy, no longer drunk as he was last night. Min Zhang, who was following behind him, was holding a few pheasants and rabbits in his hands.
It turned out that he went hunting.
Wen Shuse straightened his back and stood there dignifiedly, waiting for him to come over. The figure gradually approached. He was still handsome, but the large purple spot on his forehead was not very obvious.
Xie Shao had already seen the figure in the hallway. Due to the excessive attention he received today, he had to temporarily draw his bow and mount his horse, and find an excuse for the wound on his forehead.
I didn't want to pay attention to her, but her eyes were too direct and kept looking at my forehead, so I finally gave her a look.
The afterglow of setting sun cast a layer of gold on her body. Her face was as smiling as a flower, but there was a hint of false guilt in her eyes. One could tell at a glance that she was asking for help.
He is not a Bodhisattva, and he does not have the heart of a Bodhisattva.
He glanced at her and walked past her without saying a word. Wen Shuse quickly turned around and caught up with him, apologizing first, "I promise, next time if you fall, I will definitely help you up."
Xie Shao's face turned pale, and he gave a faint smile, "Then my lady's wish may be in vain. I won't give you a second chance."
It doesn’t matter whether you give it to her or not, just go back with her.
Seeing that she was still following him, Xie Shao stopped at the threshold and asked, "What's the matter?"
Wen Shu smiled and handed him the food box. "Would you like to try a piece of the rice cake I made?"
"No."
"Lang..."
Xie Shao pushed open the door of the west wing, "We are husband and wife in public, but we have nothing to do with each other behind the scenes. Wen Er, have you forgotten the three rules we made last night?" He walked in, turned around and closed the door, rejecting her approach simply and bluntly, "Don't try to get close to me. I won't fall for it."
A night of affection, gone in an instant.
Forgetting all the thoughts about whether to go back home or not, Wen Shuse turned around and angrily walked down the stairs with the food box in his hand.
After seeing the people leave, Xie Shaocai turned around and looked outside, just in time to hear a voice saying, "Feed it to the dog."
—
From then on, the two never met again. Every day when Xie Shao came back, the row of straight lattice doors in the main house were closed tightly without leaving a crack, truly making it so that they had nothing to do with each other.
Madam Xie's health had not improved, so Xie Shao would go to visit her every day. Today, when he was about to leave, Uncle An stopped him and said, "Sir, there are some problems at the accounting office."
After the Second Master and the Second Mistress went to Yangzhou, they handed the accounting office over to the Young Master. It has only been half a month, and the expenses have far exceeded those of the previous month and January.
Xie Shao didn't care at all, "Just transfer the money."
Uncle An lamented, "No matter how much money there is, it can't satisfy greed. If the accounts are not clear and the distribution is unfair, something will happen sooner or later. I heard that in the past half month, the second son and the eldest lady of the big house went to the account office in the name of the young master and withdrew money several times..."
"How many?"
"Two thousand taels are missing from the account."
Xie Shao remembered that several people had come to him to ask for money, but he couldn't remember how much he had promised. Two thousand taels was not much. "Okay, I understand..."
"Young Master..." Uncle An stamped his feet anxiously as he watched the figure disappearing at the door. If this continued, it would be strange if the old lady's illness could be cured.
It was not known whether the drinking party ended early or Xie Shao was tired of listening to opera, but he returned to the yard when the sun was high in the sky, which was a rare occasion.
As soon as I stepped onto the corridor, I saw a table set up under the pear tree in the hall opposite, and several people were sitting in the shade of the tree drinking tea.
After not seeing her for a few days, the girl was still cheerful and talkative. I was curious about where she met this person. When I got closer, I recognized her as Aunt Gu from my uncle's room.
"I pay my respects to you, young master." Aunt Gu saw him coming back and hurriedly stood up and bowed, explaining, "A few days ago, my cousins came to visit me, and I was so tired that I fell asleep. Fortunately, Third Madam helped me and donated 500 taels of silver, so that mother and daughter would not be left on the streets..."
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