Chapter 10 Taking Charge of the Household
The next day.
As dawn broke, Xiao Yu was groggily awakened by a cough.
"Hmm~" Xiao Yu opened her eyes.
Song Luo Ning covered her lips with a handkerchief, leaning against the bed curtains. Her inner garment was slightly pulled open, revealing her collarbone, and her chest rose and fell with her cough.
Xiao Yu quickly sat up, rubbed her face, and woke up: "Why are you still coughing?"
Seeing that she had woken her up, Song Luoning pursed her lips, lowered her head to straighten her clothes, and said in a humble voice, "I'm sorry for waking you up."
Xiao Yu pursed her lips and secretly glanced at the bottle of cough syrup in the void. It seemed that only a little over half of the bottle remained.
If I give it to her again, I'll truly have nothing left.
Looking up, Xiao Yu saw Song Luoning still coughing in a low voice. He pursed his lips, stood up, and went to the kitchen with a sullen face. A moment later, he returned with the medicine.
Expressionless: "Drink this."
A light medicinal fragrance lingers in the nasal cavity, a subtle and slightly sweet aroma.
Song Luo Ning paused slightly, her gaze falling on the bowl of medicine. She had thought that she would not care about her because of the impatient tone in her voice, but she did not expect that she would make medicine for her again.
A strange feeling welled up inside me.
she......
Song Luoning lowered her eyes. Ever since she drank this medicine, her cough had improved significantly, a condition that even the imperial physicians in the palace couldn't cure...
Where did she get this miraculous drug from?
Is Xiao Yu really as bad as her neighbors say?
Song Luoning was lost in thought.
"What are you standing there for?" Xiao Yu frowned. "Hurry up and drink your medicine."
"Thank you." Song Luoning smiled and took the bowl, saying softly, "Husband, hurry up and cook. We still need to visit your mother-in-law later."
The tone was natural.
"......"
Xiao Yu was furious.
Heh~
Why didn't she cough herself to death just now?
Have I really spoiled her too much, to the point that she feels like she's just her servant?
The instructions came out smoothly.
After Song Luoning finished her medicine, she handed the empty bowl to Xiao Yu and coughed lightly twice. Seeing that Xiao Yu was still not moving, she paused for a moment and said, "It's my fault for having to rely on my husband to take care of me. But given my health, I'll leave it to Luoning to cook this meal for my husband."
"..."
A feigned capture followed by a feigned release?
Yesterday they were giving me a tael of silver, and today they've changed their strategy? Xiao Yu composed himself, his gaze fixed on Song Luo Ning's pale face. He pursed his lips and went to the kitchen without a word.
Breakfast was simple. Originally, Xiao Yu planned to cook a pot of brown rice porridge, one bowl for each person, but thinking of Song Luo Ning's pale face, he put on a stern face and stir-fried some bamboo shoots instead.
In retrospect, she had only become more demanding because she had spoiled herself.
“Husband, after we finish breakfast, let’s go visit Mother-in-law as soon as possible,” Song Luoning said.
"Hmm." Remembering that she had already spoken to her stepmother yesterday, she had nothing to worry about. After finishing breakfast, she didn't expect the young lady to clean up, so Xiao Yu stood up and took the bowls into the kitchen to wash them.
The two then went out one after the other.
The Xiao family.
Jiang Wanrou was already pacing anxiously in the hall. This brat had gotten himself into such a mess without saying a word. She had to break off the engagement today no matter what.
After waiting a while, a maid came in to report that the people had arrived. Jiang Wanrou hurriedly sat down in the main seat, and Xiao Yu led Song Luoning into the front hall.
Jiang Wanrou immediately began to observe her without making a sound. Her appearance and demeanor were exactly the same as those of the lady from eighteen years ago.
It seems she is undoubtedly that person's daughter.
But how could she refuse this marriage proposal? If her unfortunate child were a boy, she would be perfectly happy to be with this girl. The problem was that her unfortunate child wasn't.
Should we force her to call off the engagement?
That won't work. After all, the marriage agreement was made by both families back then, and the two of them have already registered their marriage. Moreover, the other party is an official. What should we do?
Song Luoning was also secretly observing her.
The woman in the main seat appeared to be around thirty-six or thirty-seven years old, dressed as a married woman. Her face bore a resemblance to Xiao Yu's, especially her peach blossom eyes, which were almost identical. Compared to Xiao Yu's sallow complexion, this woman's skin was noticeably fairer, and she had a languid air about her. Her peach blossom eyes were also more alluring, and she could definitely be described as still possessing a captivating charm.
This is undoubtedly Xiao Yu's mother.
"Mother." Song Luoning curtsied, her voice obedient.
"Well, about your marriage..."
"It's my fault for not informing you of this beforehand. Please don't blame me, Mother. You did it for my sake. Actually, you've always cared about me, Mother. Otherwise, you wouldn't have brought me to visit you after we got married."
Xiao Yu: "......" What the heck?
Jiang Wanrou: "..." This girl is well-behaved, polite, and sensible; she's really considerate.
etc.
Jiang Wanrou came to her senses and felt a pang of annoyance. The girl had already said that, so how could she bring up the topic of breaking off the engagement now?
It's all that brat's fault, and my own...
Jiang Wanrou sighed. If she hadn't been so blinded by greed and agreed to the marriage, she wouldn't be in this mess now.
I originally thought the other party was just saying it casually, and I haven't taken it seriously over the years. Who knew that the girl would come to my door.
One should never harbor any侥幸心理 (a sense of侥幸, or a belief that one can get away with something for nothing).
It seems that the engagement can't be called off for the time being, so I can only privately remind that unlucky kid not to give anything away.
Jiang Wanrou sighed inwardly, got up, took out a box, and took out half of a fish-shaped jade pendant from it.
? !
It was exactly the same as the jade pendant in Song Luoning's hand. Xiao Yu's eyes widened. He never expected that the jade pendant he had made up on the spot was actually in his mother's hands.
Song Luoning also took off the jade pendant from her neck, and it made a perfect pair with the one Jiang Wanrou had taken out.
“This jade pendant was left to you by your mother. I never thought it would be put back together. I’ve been keeping it safe for A-Yu all these years, and now it’s time to hand it over to her.” Jiang Wanrou handed the jade pendant to Xiao Yu.
? !
No, how did things turn out this way?
What happened to the promise to annul the engagement?
Is my cheap mother really reliable? Didn't she threaten to kill me yesterday? How come she changed so much the moment she saw Song Luo Ning, and her expression became so gentle? Xiao Yu couldn't help but twitch his lips.
Looking at Song Luoning, she also had a well-behaved appearance.
Heh~
It turns out I'm the one who's superfluous.
"Alright, now that you're married, you'll have to make a living. There are still three acres of land at home that haven't been rented out, so I'll leave them to you to farm." As she spoke, Jiang Wanrou handed Song Luoning a piece of paper and a bag of loose silver. "Take this silver and use it for now. If you're careful, it should last until the autumn harvest."
? !
If the engagement wasn't called off, then why did the stepmother give the money to Song Luoning instead of the original owner's own daughter?
Song Luoning curtsied and gracefully stepped forward to accept the land deed and silver.
"......"
Xiao Yu closed her eyes. Oh well, the original owner was kicked out for being a spendthrift, so it's only natural that they wouldn't give her any money. She could tolerate it.
But... judging from her stepmother's attitude, if Song Luoning is put in charge of the household in the future, then I...
Xiao Yu didn't dare to think about how Song Luoning would order him around in the future.
After leaving the mother-in-law's place, Xiao Yu remembered the bathtub that Song Luo Ning had promised him.
"Aren't we going to the county town?" Xiao Yu asked.
"Hmm?" Song Luoning turned around and looked at her in confusion. "What are you going to the county town for?"
"..."
What are you doing?
What do you mean?
Xiao Yu felt a lump in her throat. She knew Song Luoning's words were untrustworthy. Last night she said she would buy her a bathtub, but it turned out she was just lying to her to boil water for her.
fraud!
She can forget about ordering me around anymore.
Xiao Yu was fuming.
After a while, Song Luoning suddenly realized that this lecherous man was still thinking about the bathtub. He hadn't forgotten how he took advantage of her last night, and now he actually had the nerve to ask her to buy a bathtub.
Song Luoning smiled gently: "Look at Luoning's memory, I have to remind her, husband. Yes, we are going to the county town today."
Xiao Yu snorted coldly.
She was furious, but the other woman could talk about it so casually; it was clearly intentional.
"Why isn't my husband saying anything? Are you blaming Luo Ning?" Song Luo Ning asked, feigning grievance.
What did she say? I'm so angry I could die.
Xiao Yu glared at her, annoyed: "Hire an oxcart."
Song Luoning: "It's just a small matter, so you can decide for me, my lord. I will listen to you."
Xiao Yu looked at her with a complicated expression: "..."
Is this woman sent by heaven to annoy her?
Now she was absolutely certain that this woman was definitely not the female lead. The female lead was gentle and kind, unlike this woman who only had a pretty face but was full of black hearts.
Having been to the county town once before, Song Luoning easily found the place that sold bath tubs. She asked about the price and then, with a wave of her hand, directly ordered the best bath tub in the store.
She really is a young lady.
As Xiao Yu watched the luxurious bathtub being tied to the oxcart, the smile on his face never stopped.
"Are you satisfied, my husband?" Song Luoning asked with a smile.
I'm extremely satisfied, absolutely very satisfied.
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