Chapter 106: A good cook cannot cook without rice
Pei Wen, who was eavesdropping outside, entered the house, her face flushed with anger: "Mother, how can there be such a bold daughter-in-law who doesn't even take you seriously? How can you just let her go like this?"
Mrs. Pei was also angry, but she didn't show it on her face: "You, did you provoke her again?"
"Why do you say I provoke her? She is in charge of the family's income, so she should take care of the family's expenses. I just..." Pei Wen went to ask Ruan Xiaoyue for money without telling her mother, feeling a little guilty: "Mom, I have to give Miss Qi a presentable gift for her wedding. Besides, Lord Jiang is the Supreme Court Justice, so it won't do any harm to my brother if he gets closer to her."
"Okay, the person has already left, so just say less." Mrs. Pei closed her eyes. The Pei family has been living a tight life these years. If it were in the past, she really wouldn't have to curry favor with those high-ranking officials, as long as she could maintain normal relationships.
But ever since the Lucheng disaster relief incident, she noticed that her son always looked worried, so she guessed that he was involved in the incident and began to think of making arrangements.
After all, my son used to work under the Second Prince, and now the Second Prince is under house arrest, which is not a good sign.
As for the Qi family, Mrs. Pei didn't take it seriously. The disaster relief and corruption case in Lucheng was a big deal. Even if the Qi family could luckily escape this disaster, they would definitely have no chance to make a name for themselves in the future.
But the Dali Temple Minister is different. Lord Jiang has been promoted for only a few months, but he has stirred up the situation in the court. It can be seen that he is an extraordinary person.
If he could marry this new noble, it would be of some help to his son.
Lin Qiutang glanced at the calculating look in Mrs. Pei's eyes and knew that she liked quiet time when she was thinking, so she pulled Pei Wen out of the room.
Before leaving the house, Pei Wen complained, "This Ruan Xiaoyue, she tried to curry favor with me at first, but now she's giving me the cold shoulder. She deserves to be disliked by my brother and stay alone after getting married."
To be honest, Lin Qiutang didn't like this cousin's sister-in-law, but fortunately they had one thing in common, that is, they both disliked Ruan Xiaoyue.
Lin Qiutang comforted her with a few words: "Pei Wen, you are a lady from a noble family. If you care about it like her, it will only make you lose face. Don't worry about the money. I will ask your brother when he comes back. Go back to your room and wait for news."
**
At night, perhaps because it was going to rain, the sound of insects and frogs could be heard one after another, which made people feel very annoyed.
Perhaps because she was feeling depressed or because of the heat of the summer night, Ruan Xiaoyue tossed and turned in bed and couldn't sleep, so she got up and sat up.
After a while, Xiaoqing, who had gone to the front yard to inquire about what was going on, came back. Ruan Xiaoyue's eyes sparkled with hope: "Are you back?"
Xiaoqing shook her head: "Master hasn't come back yet."
Ruan Xiaoyue sighed.
Come to think of it, if Pei Chong came back and knew that she had handed over the reward from the mansion, he would definitely come and ask about the situation.
Because of this, she waited for a whole day, but he didn't come back all day.
Since their marriage, they have seen each other very few times, and except for the closeness on the second day of their marriage, they have been at odds with each other almost all the time.
Now, he didn't even go back to the East Courtyard, and he either stayed in Mingzhu's room or in the study. This made Ruan Xiaoyue, who had originally intended to control him by getting angry, very passive.
Pei Chong simply turned a blind eye to her dissatisfaction, and the relationship between the two was stuck here.
Thinking of this, she became even more upset, and put on her clothes and went to the yard.
No wonder the weather is so stuffy and suffocating. The pitch-black sky without a single star makes people feel even more depressed.
Xiaoqing couldn't help but speak up for her: "Young Madam took out two thousand taels of silver to help with the household expenses as soon as she arrived, but Master treated you like this. It must be that Mingzhu who did something bad in secret, relying on her pregnancy to prevent Master from coming back."
"Hmph, a mere concubine redeemed by the land of fireworks dares to do something against me behind my back." Mingzhu was a thorn in Ruan Xiaoyue's heart, only because before the marriage, Pei Chong had personally promised to dismiss all the concubines in the backyard.
In the quiet courtyard, there was a rustling sound of leaves, and the wind started to blow. It must be raining.
Ruan Xiaoyue couldn't sleep and felt a little hungry in the middle of the night, so she asked Xiaoqing to prepare some food and went to the front yard, intending to wait in the living room to see when Pei Chong would come back.
Just as she reached the corner of Fangshan in the front yard, Ruan Xiaoyue vaguely heard voices in front of her. She walked lightly to the tree and saw a man and a woman in the dim light of the lantern near the gate.
"Why are you back so late today, Uncle? If you don't come back soon, I won't wait for you."
"Cousin, just go back to the room and wait. There's no need to come out and get some fresh air."
"I'm still talking about it. Look how busy you are now. Not only is Mingzhu always pestering you, but now you have a legal wife. I'm afraid you have forgotten about me a long time ago."
"How could that be? Mingzhu is not in a good condition right now. Isn't it a pity for my cousin's wife these days?"
"Disgusting"
Seeing this scene, Ruan Xiaoyue's mind was buzzing. She couldn't believe what she saw. Lin Qiutang...
She is the daughter-in-law of the eldest wife of the Pei family. The eldest wife of the Pei family has only one son. Later, the eldest uncle and the son died of illness one after another, and the power of the Pei family fell into the hands of the second wife...
Ruan Xiaoyue, who instinctively wanted to rush forward to argue, stopped in her tracks. A horrible thought popped up in her mind: How could it be such a coincidence that the father and son died one after another, leaving only Lin Qiutang?
She didn't think so before, but now it seems that her mother-in-law is too nice to her. No matter what happens at home, she is always there.
Normally, a widowed daughter-in-law should stay in her own yard on weekdays and has no right to participate in household affairs.
Returning to the room in a daze, Xiaoqing brought over the freshly cooked sugar water. How could Ruan Xiaoyue, who was in a state of disarray, still have an appetite?
The chaos in the Pei family was far beyond her imagination. What should she do in the future?
Ruan Xiaoyue sat like this for nearly an hour, but still couldn't figure out what was going on. Just when she was about to get up and rest, the door opened.
Pei Chong walked in with a flushed face and threw the bag in his hand to Ruan Xiaoyue: "In a few days, you will attend the engagement banquet of the Qi and Jiang families. I have someone make new clothes for you. Put them on and let me see them."
He was clearly smiling, and there was a hint of flattery in his smile, but Ruan Xiaoyue only felt disgusted. She threw the bag aside and said, "It's too late. Let's try again tomorrow."
Pei Chong rarely cared about her indifference and turned around to change his clothes: "I heard that you returned the reward to your mother?"
Haha, I really came here for this matter.
"A good cook cannot cook without rice. I really don't have that ability." Ruan Xiaoyue didn't want to compromise on this matter.
Pei Chong, wearing only simple clothes, took out a five-hundred-liang silver note and placed it on the table in front of Ruan Xiaoyue: "I understand that you are angry, but you don't have to worry too much. Although the Pei family is not as rich as the Ruan family, the reputation of our ancestors is there, so we can still make ends meet."
After saying that, he held her in his arms and walked forward. Ruan Xiaoyue dodged unconsciously: "Where did you go just now?"
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