Chapter 52 Setting the Rules
The next day, Shen Qingyuan returned to the office to report for duty.
As soon as he left, Aunt Jia came to set rules for Chunxi.
"The eldest young master is the Marquis's eldest son. He was the top scorer in the imperial examination at the age of seventeen. He is a rare genius in Hanjing. If he hadn't been accused of being a wife-killer, he would never have married a woman like you."
Chunxi nodded and said, "Don't worry, Ma'am. I've been in good health since I was young. I've rarely even caught a cold these days. I will definitely live a long life and help you dispel the rumors that I'm unlucky in marriage."
Who cares how long you live? Is that the point of this sentence?
Nanny Jia frowned and emphasized, "The two previous young ladies were both from official families, well-educated and well-mannered. Young Madam cannot be compared with them at all."
Aunt Jia spoke more bluntly, but Chunxi's face still showed no sign of inferiority. Instead, she agreed, "You are right, Aunt."
Chunxi's tone was calm and sincere, and Aunt Jia felt as if she had punched cotton, feeling extremely powerless.
After a moment's silence, Nanny Jia took up her stance and said, "Then Madam, start by learning how to walk. As a woman of noble family, you must always have a dignified demeanor. You must not hunch your back, hunch your shoulders, or hunch your chest. You must not stride too fast or act rashly."
As she spoke, Aunt Jia poured a bowl of water on Chunxi's head and said, "Young Madam, take a walk."
Chunxi looked straight ahead, taking one, two, three steps...
She walked from the house to the outside and back in again, and the bowl of water was always steady above her head, with no sign of spilling.
Jia Mama rubbed her eyes in disbelief, and then heard Chunxi ask, "Mama, is that so?"
“…”
That's true, but you're walking too steadily. Were you in a circus before?
Walking was not difficult for Chunxi, so Aunt Jia asked Chunxi to practice sitting posture.
You can only sit on one-third of the floor, and your body must remain upright.
An ordinary person would not be able to bear sitting like this for a while, but Chunxi acted as if it was a game, with a very relaxed expression.
Just as Aunt Jia was about to find fault and hit Chunxi, she heard Chunxi say, "Nanny, you don't know, when I was a child, I practiced martial arts with my father, and my horse stance was very stable."
Aunt Jia's raised hand trembled a little.
The young lady is good at martial arts, but she, with her old bones, may not be able to win.
Nanny Jia wanted to ask Chunxi to practice serving tea, but Chunxi said, "These little things can be corrected at any time. The master gave me the key to the private storehouse last night and asked me to sort it out in the next two days and pick out some gifts for the return visit. Nanny, please accompany me."
Nanny Jia came to Chunxi for Xiao's dowry, so naturally she would not refuse.
Xiao's dowry was too large, so Shen Qingyuan only asked Qingshu to move it to his private warehouse. He didn't have time to sort it out, so the warehouse was indeed a bit messy.
Jia Mama was about to take the opportunity to suppress Chunxi, saying that she was not worthy of Shen Qingyuan, but before she could open her mouth, she heard Chunxi say, "Mama, help me carry these boxes to the side, otherwise we won't be able to move inside."
After lifting a few boxes, Chunxi rolled up his sleeves and began to clean the shelves vigorously.
Of course, she didn't let Aunt Jia sit idle. She either asked her to fetch water or to help put the things in the box on the shelf.
Chunxi was doing the main work. She just asked Jia Mama for help in a good mood. Jia Mama couldn't refuse, but she was old after all, and had enjoyed the blessings with Mrs. Mo for many years. At the end of the day, she felt that her old bones were about to fall apart.
"Mammy is really amazing. I learned a lot from you today."
Chunxi gave a thumbs up and praised her, while Aunt Jia was a little confused.
Hadn't she been ordered around by the young lady all day? When had she ever taught her anything?
Oh, every time she took out something, the young lady would ask her about its origin, texture, and value.
Thinking of this, Aunt Jia suddenly felt her throat smoking, dry and painful.
The young lady was busy asking her questions all day and didn't even give her a sip of water!
This little girl must have done it on purpose!
From now on, you can't let the young lady lead you by the nose. Physical strength is the young lady's advantage, so let's switch to brain power. Let the young lady look at the account books and do the accounting. If she makes a mistake once, she will be severely punished!
Aunt Jia made up her mind and limped back to the main courtyard, supporting her old waist, to report the situation to Mrs. Mo.
Not long after Aunt Jia left, Shen Qingyuan returned from the office.
Seeing Chunxi with her sleeves rolled up high and covered in dust, she frowned slightly and asked, "What did Aunt Jia ask you to do today?"
"Your Excellency really underestimates me. Am I the kind of person who will be bullied?" Chunxi retorted, raising her eyebrows with great pride. "I dragged Aunt Jia to tidy up your private vault. It's in great order now. Would you like to take a look?"
"Need not."
Shen Qingyuan directly refused, but Chunxi was not disappointed. She moved her nose slightly and smelled the aroma of roast duck on Shen Qingyuan, and suddenly felt hungry.
"What delicious food did you bring back, sir?"
Chunxi's eyes were shining like a starving wolf cub.
Shen Qingyuan glanced at her and said, "Wash yourself clean first before eating."
"oh."
She was indeed very hungry, so Chunxi washed herself as quickly as possible. When she came back, water was still dripping from the ends of her hair.
Shen Qingyuan brought roast duck, peanut crisps, braised pig ears and cold-mixed shredded vegetables.
Chunxi swallowed her saliva, but still waited for Shen Qingyuan to take the first bite with chopsticks.
"You eat first."
After saying this, Shen Qingyuan entered the bedroom.
Chunxi was too hungry to figure out what he was going to do, so she just broke off a duck leg and ate it.
After a while, Shen Qingyuan came out of the house with a dry towel and walked straight behind Chunxi to help her twist her hair.
Shen Qingyuan had no experience in serving people, so his movements were very stiff, but his strength was gentle. Chunxi almost choked on the duck leg in her mouth.
Although they were already husband and wife, this was still a little too intimate for her.
Chunxi recalled how Shen Qingyuan suddenly got so close to her in the morning and looked so aggressive, and belatedly realized that she should pay attention to her image.
It is indeed not very elegant to just grab a duck leg and gnaw on it like this.
Chunxi silently put down the duck leg. Shen Qingyuan's voice soon came from above her head: "Aren't you very hungry? Why don't you eat anymore?"
"The adults haven't eaten yet. I feel embarrassed."
"It's okay, you eat yours."
Having said that, Chunxi still slowed down his eating pace.
After eating, Chunxi washed up and lay down on the bed, feeling nervous again.
The adults didn't say how much time they would give her to adapt. If they were to consummate the marriage with her tonight, how should she cooperate?
How could she forget everything her mother said?
However, Chunxi didn't feel nervous for too long, as he fell asleep due to physical fatigue.
Listening to the soft snoring beside his ear, Shen Qingyuan curled his lips helplessly.
I was clearly scared this morning, but how come I was still completely defenseless?
Aren't you afraid that he might do something?
When Chunxi woke up the next day, he was full of energy again.
Three days after getting married, it’s time to return home.
After breakfast and packing up, Chunxi and Shen Qingyuan set off together. Aunt Jia was too tired yesterday and collapsed in bed, unable to get up, so she could not go with them.
Halfway through the journey, the carriage was stuck, and Wei Lingze and Xiao Qinghe were also stuck with them.
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