Chapter 53: The heart is higher than the sky, but the life is thinner than paper.
Shen Qingtan looked at the second wife's back as she left angrily, and the smile on his lips disappeared.
"It's easy to meet the King of Hell, but it's hard to deal with little ghosts." The Fourth Lady stroked her wide sleeves and looked at the Second Lady's figure as she walked away: "I'm afraid you're going to get into trouble."
Shen Qingtan looked at the Fourth Madam in surprise, as if she didn't expect that she would take the initiative to talk to her and even deliberately give her some advice.
She asked in return, "Aunt Si, don't I have enough troubles?"
The Fourth Lady was stunned for a moment, thinking of the troubles that had befallen Shen Qingtan since he had married her a few days ago, and she frowned in annoyance.
"You're even more unlucky than me." The Fourth Madam seemed to sympathize with Shen Qingtan, and her attitude towards him was not as cold as before: "The preserved plums you gave me are quite good. Where did you buy them? Forget it, take me with you when you are free."
Shen Qingtan realized that the Fourth Madam wanted to invite her to go out and play together.
She was about to say something when she caught a glimpse of a deep red mark on the Fourth Lady's collarbone.
The fourth lady's skin was so fair that any mark would be very noticeable.
Shen Qingtan took a closer look.
The fourth lady noticed it, tightened her collar, her pretty face flushed with anger, and she secretly cursed Zhao Qiyuan for being a rude and rough man.
She had been away from the capital for several days, but the marks on her body hadn't disappeared yet, making people laugh at her.
She decided that when the stinky man returned from the north, she would move to the nunnery and practice asceticism for half a year.
The fourth lady thought about the hard life in the nunnery and glanced at Shen Qingtan's rosy face: "I really envy you, you don't have to be bullied by your second nephew."
Shen Qingtan's mind flashed with Zhao Qiyuan's tall and strong body. His cold eyebrows and eyes hid a threatening edge. He really looked fierce and not easy to provoke.
I didn't expect that he would bully his wife. No wonder when Zhao Qiyuan left the capital, the fourth lady specially sent her a basket of cherries to thank her.
Shen Qingtan didn't know how to comfort the Fourth Madam. When he glanced at her blushing face, he suddenly realized what the mark was.
Her expression changed and her cheeks felt slightly hot. She really didn't expect the Fourth Madam to be so outspoken.
When the Fourth Lady saw that Shen Qingtan understood, she covered her red lips with a handkerchief and giggled.
"A woman like you is so beautiful that even I, a woman, can be moved by you. My second nephew is really wasting a natural gift." The fourth lady looked at Shen Qingtan's charming eyebrows and eyes, and her blushing cheeks were more beautiful than the crabapple flowers. She couldn't help but sigh, "I feel pity for him just thinking about it."
Shen Qingtan: “…”
She really didn't expect the Fourth Madam to be so reckless, talking about the private affairs between husband and wife without hesitation.
"Okay, I won't tease you anymore, let's get back to business." The Fourth Madam leaned close to Shen Qingtan's ear and said, "Are you free tomorrow? I'll take you to a nice place to watch a play."
Shen Qingtan asked: "Where?"
The Fourth Lady deliberately kept the secret a secret: "You'll know when you go there tomorrow."
Shen Qingtan thought about it for a moment and agreed.
The fourth lady left with her maid.
Liu Yue had just finished counting: "Second Madam, everything is registered. Please take a look."
Shen Qingtan took the booklet and read it carefully, then handed it to Liu Yue: "Go to the warehouse and help Tingxue check the number again."
"Okay." Liu Yue left in a hurry.
Shen Qingtan was about to return to Lanxue Garden when he saw the third lady standing in the corner. Next to her stood a fifteen-year-old girl, who kept her head down and her appearance could not be seen clearly.
She said hello politely: "Aunt San, Big Sister, I'm leaving first."
The Third Madam forced a smile, her tone unconsciously flattering: "Niece-in-law, please go and do your work. You don't have to bother with us mother and daughter."
Shen Qingtan nodded slightly, turned and left.
The third lady looked up at Shen Qingtan's figure gradually walking away, and envied the fourth lady in her heart for being able to get close to Shen Qingtan. The two of them gathered together and talked, but no one knew what they were talking about.
She couldn't help but think of the days ago when Zhao Yi gave the task of transporting grain to Zhao Qiyuan.
Such a good opportunity to show off was actually given to the fourth room.
The third wife returned to the third room with a heavy heart. Looking at the simple house, there were not many valuable things that could be taken away.
She thought of the rewards that flowed like water into the main room, and her heart felt warm.
The Third Madam ordered the maid to guard the door outside, carefully closing it, and then pulled Zhao Wan to sit on the kang: "Wan'er, have you seen the wealth of the first house?"
Zhao Wan frowned.
The third wife said, "Mother thinks your second sister-in-law is a good person. If you go out to her more often and build good relationships with her, she might help you and help you marry into a good family."
Zhao Wan lowered her head and pinched her fingers. She knew clearly in her heart that her mother wanted her to please her second sister-in-law.
She pursed her lips and said, "Mother, my brother is well educated. Once he passes the imperial examination, we can also make our own way. There's no need to curry favor with others. It's better to rely on ourselves than to rely on others for our livelihood."
"Your brother can wait, can you? You are fifteen now, and the old lady is already looking for a partner for you." The third wife advised: "Let's not go against the eldest wife and don't be petty. They are still easy to get along with."
"I'm the daughter of the Duke's Mansion. The marriage chosen by the old lady for me will not be handled casually. You can rest assured." Zhao Wan didn't want to listen to the Third Madam's words. She stood up and said, "Mother, it is important for people to know themselves. Otherwise, they will end up with their ambitions higher than the sky but their lives more fragile than paper."
——
Not long after Shen Qingtan returned to Lanxueyuan, Zhao Yi came back from outside the mansion.
She leaned back on the short couch to rest, glancing at the man's handsome and tall figure. Unexpectedly, she thought of the Fourth Madam's words, and her ears felt hot.
"The palace has sent a reward, but you and your grandfather didn't show up. Are you out of the house on some errand?"
Zhao Yi looked at her watery eyes and said "hmm" softly.
Shen Qingtan stood up from the short couch, walked slowly to his side, and discussed with him: "Let me handle the affairs of the Marquis Cheng'en's wife?"
Zhao Yi paused in rolling up his sleeves and saw her standing next to the basin stand, half of her soft face exposed, and she was taking out a bath bean to wash his hands.
He said calmly, "It's up to you."
Seeing that he agreed, Shen Qingtan put the bath beans back into the small porcelain jar and said, "Then I'll go prepare it first."
After saying that, he walked briskly to the desk.
Zhao Yi looked at her hand reaching out to take the bath beans, then looked at the small ceramic pot containing the bath beans. She inexplicably felt as if she was baiting a fish.
Once the fish is hooked, there is no need to feed it.
Shen Qingtan didn't know what Zhao Yi was thinking, so he wrote two letters and asked the servant to deliver them.
Afterwards, he instructed Liu Yue to tell the Fourth Madam that they would leave the house together after noon tomorrow.
——
The next morning, after Shen Qingtan paid his respects to the eldest lady, he left the house with his wedding card and went to Mingyue Tower next to Nanshui Street.
“Knock knock!”
Before Shen Qingtan finished her cup of tea, there was a knock on the door and the corners of her lips curled up.
Here it comes.
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