Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Sugar Jar
Xie Yi left the house and never came back. Yun Wu didn't wait for him to come back, but first waited for the maid from the main house to come and deliver a message.
When she arrived at the courtyard of the main house, she saw that the house was covered with silks and brocades. Fabrics of various colors, some bright, some plain, and some low-key and luxurious, were piled casually on the tables and chairs. Meng Qingtong was directing the maid to hold up the cloth and test it on her son Zhaoger to see which color would suit him.
Zhao Ge'er stood there obediently, letting the maids do what their mother wanted. When he saw Yun Wu come in, he greeted her politely, "Hello, Third Aunt."
Only when she saw Yun Wu coming did Meng Qingtong shift her attention away from her son.
"Awu, you're here just in time." Meng Qingtong pulled her to the table and said, "The cloth shop has delivered some new fabrics. Pick out some you like and make some new clothes."
Few young and beautiful girls would not care about jewelry and dresses, not to mention that the fabrics in front of them are delicate in texture, soft to the touch, and have a soft luster. If they were sold in a shop outside, they would be worth a lot of money.
Yun Wu naturally couldn't refuse. She looked at them all with admiration, liking every one of them, but she refused them at first: "Sister-in-law, no need. I have a lot of new clothes. Please make a few more for Zhao Ge'er."
Meng Qingtong laughed: "Why are you being so polite to me? Who would complain about having too many clothes? We don't lack these in our house. Everyone has them. Qiutang has already picked them out before these cloths were delivered."
She was choosing the fabrics on the table. Yun Wu was not suitable for bright and vivid colors, but a young girl couldn't wear something too plain and old-fashioned either. So she picked up a few pieces of lilac, moon-white and apricot-yellow fabrics and gestured to Yun Wu.
"Lady Cheng'an is hosting a banquet in a few days. Mother has told me to take you with her. You should wear new clothes to a banquet. Besides, spring is almost over, so I need to make a few more sets of summer clothes."
Meng Qingtong tried again and again and felt that all the colors, regardless of light or dark, were suitable. She simply selected a large batch for her and asked the maid to take them to the embroiderer, who worked overtime to make new clothes.
When she was in the Yun family, no one gave Yun Wu so many choices. When the seasons changed, she could tear off a piece of new cloth to make new clothes, but the material was not that good, let alone those expensive fabrics.
Yun Wu had seen the wealth and power of the Duke's Mansion before, so she was no longer polite and took the initiative to say, "Sister-in-law, I want to pick some for my husband."
Meng Qingtong said with a smile: "Pick as many as you want, how can we miss Sanlang's?"
She watched Yun Wu choosing, comparing the different fabrics, looking even more serious than if she were choosing for herself. When she saw Yun Wu pick up a piece of sapphire blue fabric, she exclaimed, "Huh!"
Yun Wu raised her head following the sound: "What's wrong, sister-in-law?"
Meng Qingtong shook her head.
Few men in the family wore such bright colors, especially since her husband had already entered the government. He imitated Lord Xie in his daily life, acting calm and composed, so naturally he dressed in a more reserved manner. But if you think about it, Sanlang, despite his frail body, was the best-looking one in the family. What color couldn't complement his charming and handsome face?
A seriously ill person is already depressed, so wouldn't it be boring if he were to wear something dull?
While his mother and aunt were choosing fabrics, Zhao Ge'er sat obediently by their side, waiting with his little hands on his knees. He climbed down from the chair only after they had finished choosing and moved closer to Yun Wu.
"Third Aunt." Zhao Ge'er looked at her eagerly: "Can I go play with Third Uncle?"
Yun Wu patted his head and asked, "Aren't you going to school today?"
Zhao Ge'er said, "There are no classes today. I have already finished the homework assigned by the teacher."
He also accompanied his mother to have breakfast and try on clothes. Now he went to see what his mother thought. Seeing Meng Qingtong nodded, his chubby little face immediately looked at Yun Wu expectantly.
He was about the same age as the younger brother, but he was much more well-behaved than Yun Xin and even did his homework on his own initiative. Yun Wu had no intention of refusing and simply said, "He's not in the yard. I don't know where he went."
Zhao Ge'er said excitedly, "I know, I can find my uncle."
Meng Qingtong warned: "Be careful when playing with Third Uncle. He is in poor health, so don't tire him out."
"I understand." Zhao Ge'er said goodbye politely: "Goodbye, mother, goodbye, third aunt."
After saying this, he couldn't wait to run out, with a destination in mind, and his short legs moved very fast. The servant chased after him, and their shadows soon disappeared at the door.
Qingtong turned around and smiled at Yunwu: "Last winter, Zhao Ge'er accidentally fell into the water, and it was Sanlang who rescued him. Since then, Zhao Ge'er has liked to play with his uncle, so I will inevitably disturb him more in the future. If you find Zhao Ge'er noisy, I will ask him to go less often."
Yun Wu shook her head, not disgusted at all.
She was curious. From what she knew about her husband, Xie Yi wasn't a good-tempered or patient person. He hated people being around him and preferred to be alone. Was he so tolerant of Zhao Ge'er because he was so good at acting like a spoiled child?
"Awu, Awu?" Meng Qingtong called her twice.
Yun Wu came back to her senses: "What?"
Meng Qingtong had the maid clear the table and chairs and bring tea and snacks. Then she came over with a few account books and spread them out in front of her. She said gently, "I was in a hurry the past two days and didn't have time to talk to you. I called you here today to tell you about some matters in the mansion..."
Yun Wu raised her head in surprise: "Me?"
"nature."
The Yun family was a small household, and all matters were handled by Madam Yun. Every little detail in the household had to pass through her scrutiny. Yun Wu had been accustomed to Madam Yun's ways since she was a child, and now she was quite uncomfortable with them.
She hasn't even figured out the affairs of the small courtyard of the third house, so how come there is a Duke's Mansion?
Seeing her dazed look, Meng Qingtong explained, "Even if you usually stay at home with your third brother, you still have to know something about what's going on at home. Mother always said that only when everyone in the family is united can we move forward."
Madam Xie was a generous mistress, treating both legitimate and illegitimate children equally, never showing favoritism or competing for power with her daughters-in-law. Even Concubine Cui preferred her to Master Xie. Yun Wu couldn't quickly learn her wisdom and tactics, but the sight of the Xie family's women enjoying themselves together filled her with yearning.
Since you are going to live in the Duke's Mansion, it's definitely a good idea to know more.
Now that Meng Qingtong was willing to teach, Yun Wu perked up and listened attentively.
…
After studying for most of the morning and understanding most of the affairs in the mansion and having a general impression of the operation of the Duke's Mansion, Yun Wu said goodbye to Meng Qingtong.
Before leaving, she thought for a moment and asked, "Sister-in-law, can I ask for something?"
"What is it?" Meng Qingtong wondered, "What rare thing is it? If it's something important, I have to ask my mother for her opinion."
Yun Wu shook her head: "It's not something important."
After getting what she wanted, she was not in a hurry to go back. She first asked the servants where Zhao Ge'er was. When she arrived at the place, she saw that it was a corner of the garden. It was remote and blocked by rockery. Only when she got closer did she hear voices coming from behind.
"Uncle San, is it time?" It was Zhao Ge'er's voice.
Hearing him call "Third Uncle", it means Xie Yi is here too.
Yun Wu breathed a sigh of relief, glanced back at the way she had come, and memorized it carefully before finally passing through the path in the rockery. It was narrow at first, but then, as the bright light of day appeared, it suddenly opened up, revealing a rather large open space behind.
In the open space, Zhao Ge'er was half-squatting with his hands raised horizontally, doing a horse stance. He had no idea how long he had been squatting there. His little face was covered in sweat, and his legs were shaking uncontrollably, shaky, and it looked like he would fall down at any moment.
Seeing a figure appear in front of him, his eyes lit up and he greeted it obediently: "Third Aunt... Ouch!" He relaxed a breath and could not hold on any longer, and sat down on the ground with a thud.
Yun Wu hurried over to help him.
He didn't care at all. He rubbed his sore butt and said embarrassedly, "Aunt San, why are you here?"
"Why stop? Keep going." Xie Yi's voice came from the side.
Zhao Ge'er immediately said, "I understand, Third Uncle."
He squatted down again, raised his hands, and started doing horse stance again.
Yun Wu found Xie Yi in the shadows of the trees. He was lying at the foot of a large tree, its canopy covering his shadow. A green leaf obscured most of his face. He only raised his hand to remove the leaf when a deeper shadow formed in front of him.
Xie Yi lowered his eyes, seeing her empty hands, and then raised his eyelids: "How did you find this place?"
Yun Wu said truthfully, "I asked about Zhao Ge'er's whereabouts."
Perhaps because he heard his own name, Zhao Ge'er, who was doing horse stance, cried out "Ouch" and fell to the ground again.
Xie Yi stood up and waved over there. Zhao Ge'er immediately ran over like a puppy, "Uncle San, is it time?"
Xie Yi said casually, "We're here."
"What are you doing?" Yun Wu wondered.
Zhao Ge'er explained, "Third Uncle is teaching me to strengthen my body. He said that if I practice like this, I will become stronger than my grandfather. The next time I fall into the water, I won't need anyone to save me. I can climb out by myself."
Yun Wu: “…”
Yun Wu muttered quietly, "Why doesn't he practice on his own?"
The patient is the one who needs to be strengthened.
Xie Yi glanced at her, said nothing, then stood up and walked towards the rockery.
Two little tails followed him wherever he went. Halfway through, the smaller one was taken away by the old woman sent by Meng Qingtong to have lunch, and the older one followed him all the way back to his residence.
Perhaps it was the daily simmering of herbs that had ingrained the flavor, but as soon as he stepped into the yard, he seemed to smell the familiar bitter smell of medicine. Xie Yi glanced behind him, but the familiar figure wasn't standing in the small kitchen.
But after lunch, the familiar bitter medicine was served to him again.
Xie Yi's face was cold.
He looked at the person in front of him coldly, but after Yun Wu put down the medicine bowl, he did not rush to persuade him to drink the medicine as usual.
She took out a small jar from her arms, opened the lid, and placed them in front of Xie Yi.
Zhao Ge'er was young and never lacked snacks. What Yun Wu asked Meng Qingtong for was Zhao Ge'er's candy jar.
At this moment, the sugar jar was placed next to the medicine bowl. The sugar cubes inside exuded a sweet fragrance, breaking through the bitter taste of the medicine and going straight into the tip of the nose.
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