Chapter 42: People’s hearts are not as good as ours. How about we make a bet?
Suddenly, a light drizzle fell at night. When daybreak came, the ground was wet, but the blue sky was even cleaner.
Even the flowers and plants in the yard, having received the rain and dew, seemed to have washed away all the dust, giving people a refreshing feeling in the early morning.
"Mom! Good morning!"
As soon as Song Baoyuan opened the window, she saw Jiang Chengyou running towards her excitedly and greeting her.
"Chengcheng got up so early."
"Yes, yes!" Jiang Chengyou used his hands and feet to try to climb through the window, but failed. "Dad asked me to come here. He said that if Mom gets up, he wants me to go back with her to have breakfast."
Song Baoyuan was stunned for a moment, but quickly came to her senses and replied with a smile, "Okay."
She took her son's hand and walked towards the front hall together.
Before entering the door, Song Baoyuan heard her daughter's giggling.
Jiang Suisui was standing on a stool, trying to climb onto his father's back.
Jiang Keyu was peeling eggs for her daughter. Instead of stopping her, she leaned forward to give her space to "show off".
"Mom! Look, I'm taller than Dad!" Jiang Suisui lay on his father's shoulder, stretched his neck and tilted his head back, and used his hands to gesture.
She looked so adorable that Song Baoyuan couldn't help but laugh, "Be careful, don't fall."
"Daddy won't let me fall!" Jiang Suisui slid down from Daddy's back and leaned close to his ear to ask, "Right, Daddy."
"Yes." Jiang Keyu pulled her daughter over to her and let her sit on her lap. "Open your mouth."
Jiang Suisui took a big bite of the egg and choked, unable to speak.
Jiang Keyu laughed dumbly, pinched her face, and then reached out to push a bowl of porridge in front of Song Baoyuan, trying to make her tone as casual as possible and said, "Good morning."
"Good morning." Song Baoyuan took the bowl of porridge naturally, sat down, and asked casually, "Isn't my brother usually out at this time?"
"The suspect has been apprehended." Jiang Keyu explained, "There's no need for me to personally handle the rest of the matter. It's fine to go there later."
Song Baoyuan nodded.
"What about you? Are you going to the teahouse later?"
"Um."
Song Baoyuan responded.
In fact, her presence was not necessary for the daily operation of the teahouse, but because the teahouse had just opened not long ago, the people below were undecided about many things, so she kept showing up.
She spent most of her time upstairs, studying the instructions given to her by Princess Liu'an, which included selecting gifts for the foreign envoys and the court's involvement in setting up the winery.
"Then I'll take care of the New Year's harvest today." Jiang Keyu looked at her daughter, as if asking for her opinion.
Jiang Suisui was still choking and just hit his head.
"As for Jiang Chengyou." Jiang Keyu turned to look at her son, "Your injury has healed. You can't play every day anymore. Ask the teacher to come home, or go to school outside. It's your choice."
Jiang Chengyou was very unhappy, "Can't I just let my mother teach me how to write?"
"No!" Jiang Keyu said seriously.
It’s not that he doesn’t want to be gentle with his son, but it’s obvious that his tone is too nice and can’t control the boy.
Jiang Chengyou looked at his mother for help, but when he saw that she didn't respond for a long time, he knew there was no hope.
"Then I'd better go to school."
"Then you can't fight with others anymore."
"I know!" Jiang Chengyou said unhappily, pouting.
Thinking of what happened last time, Song Baoyuan couldn't help but worry, "If you are wronged, remember to tell your mother."
"I feel wronged now."
Song Baoyuan: "..."
Jiang Keyu was so angry that she laughed, "What did you say?"
Hearing the threat in his father's words, Jiang Chengyou chose to purse his lips and then gave his mother a well-behaved smile.
*
Compared with her son's dislike of going to school, what gave Song Baoyuan a headache was that Chang Yunbai actually came to the teahouse and sat there for several days in a row, as if he had nothing to do.
Even though he didn't cause any trouble and even did nothing but drink tea, he still paid every day.
But Song Baoyuan just felt annoyed when she saw him.
On the seventh day, Song Baoyuan finally stopped seeing him, and her mood improved a lot.
But that evening, when Song Baoyuan was about to go home, she ran into another more unexpected person at the door.
Lu Shuran.
"Are you here to see Zhou Heyue too?"
"No." Lu Shuran said, "I'll come to you."
Song Baoyuan thought for a moment and finally led her into the teahouse.
Everyone in the teahouse was gathered together for dinner. When they saw the shopkeeper come back, they hurriedly put down their chopsticks.
"You guys continue eating." Song Baoyuan said lightly and went back to the second floor.
Lu Shuran followed behind her and glanced at everyone at the dinner table. His gaze lingered on the only girl there for a moment, but it was not obvious.
This should be the first time she and Zhou Heyue met, so the other party did not recognize her, but she could recognize the other party at a glance.
Although they were confused about the shopkeeper suddenly bringing someone in, it was obviously not something they should ask, so only Zhang Lao went to serve tea, and no one else did anything else.
Compared to the last time they met, Lu Shuran looked much more haggard and indifferent, without any of her former brightness and generosity.
"I wonder what Mrs. Lu wants to talk to me about?"
"Madam Song, why do you ask such a question when you already know the answer?"
She was so polite that Song Baoyuan was very surprised.
"What happened in my family, doesn't Madam Song know?"
Song Baoyuan's attitude also turned a little colder. "I've heard a little bit about it, but I'm afraid it has nothing to do with me."
"It doesn't matter?" Lu Shuran sneered, "If it weren't for Madam Song taking her in, how would that bitch Zhou Heyue have the confidence to hang around that bastard Chang Yunbai!"
Song Baoyuan frowned slightly. "I don't understand what Madam Lu means. I just hired a skilled cook. What does other things have to do with me?"
"Heh." Lu Shuran seemed to have heard a huge joke. "Jiang Shaoqing really protected you, Madam Song, too well. You were raised to be so innocent. You were actually used without even realizing it."
Song Baoyuan was still confused. "Why is Madam Lu taking her anger out on me? If you want to resolve the problem, shouldn't you go to your fickle husband? My friend clearly rejected him, but he's the one who keeps pestering her."
"But it takes two to tango!"
Lu Shuran couldn't hide his anger, "Have you never thought that she has been pretending all along?"
"Even though Zhou Heyue was just the daughter of a cook, she was still half a graduate of the academy. Because of her beauty, there were many young men in the academy who coveted her. When she was desperate, there were so many people she could turn to, so why did she choose Chang Yunbai, who had a past relationship with her?"
"It would have been fine if she had just gone to him, but she even took the initiative to sleep with him. She said it was a thank you, but what was the reality? Back then, Chang Yunbai argued with his family to marry her, and he was so stubborn that almost everyone agreed, except for his father! His father threatened to die before he married me, and he felt incredibly guilty towards Zhou Heyue because of it. Now that his father is gone, Zhou Heyue has offered herself to him, allowing him to rob her of her innocence, which makes this idiot even more guilty! It's only natural that their old feelings have rekindled!"
Song Baoyuan's eyes paused slightly.
"Madam Song, you, an accomplice, actually think that this has nothing to do with you? Zhou Heyue has you protecting her, which is equivalent to Jiang Shaoqing protecting her. In order to prevent you from being implicated, Jiang Shaoqing personally helped her get rid of that rogue brother and sister-in-law, which also gave her the confidence to reject Chang Yunbai. But does she really want to refuse? She knows very well that Chang Yunbai will never give up on her now that his biological father is no longer there to pressure her, so she plays hard to get! She wants more than just a concubine, she wants to be Chang Yunbai's wife! She wants to replace me!"
Lu Shuran slammed his palm on the table to vent his anger.
Song Baoyuan unconsciously tightened her grip, "Mrs. Lu, you're over-speculating."
"I'm speculating?" Lu Shuran scoffed. "She's just pretending to be innocent in front of you. Madam Song, have you forgotten why you were embarrassed last time in my house? Wasn't it Miss Sheng's weak and innocent appearance at that time that made you the target of public criticism?"
Song Baoyuan was surprised, "You know?"
"Of course I know. It's not just me. Who can't see through such a clumsy provocation?" Lu Shuran snorted, "It's just that everyone is happy to watch the fun."
"People who are good at pretending to be innocent are the hardest to guard against. Madam Song has suffered a loss but still hasn't learned her lesson. No wonder Jiang Shaoqing doesn't dare to take you out. Even if we do go out, he will give you many instructions and ask someone to take care of you."
Song Baoyuan didn't know why, but she got angry when she heard this. "What on earth do you want to say?"
"Get Zhou Heyue out of here."
Song Baoyuan thought it was ridiculous. "She has no one to rely on. What's the point of me kicking her out all of a sudden? Besides, what you said is just your guess."
"Madam Song feels sorry for her, so she can't bear to send her away?"
Lu Shuran sneered, "Just because someone is pitiful doesn't mean they can't be hated. If Madam Song doesn't want to believe me, how about we make a bet?"
She was full of confidence. "If I lose, I will solemnly apologize to you for what I said today. But if you lose, please do me a favor."
Song Baoyuan sensed that she was well prepared, "What are you betting on?"
"Let's make a bet. Tell her you can help her get the position of legal wife. Then see if she will take the initiative and join you in the conspiracy."
Lu Shuran stood up to leave, but paused before pushing the door open. Without even turning back, he said, "I heard that you were the one who initiated the divorce with Jiang Shaoqing. Since you're determined to escape from this ready-made shelter, you're probably playing with your own skin. Please take this opportunity to see how unpredictable people's hearts are."
"You don't have to thank me afterwards. Just consider it my apology for failing to live up to Jiang Shaoqing's trust last time."
After she finished speaking, she walked away.
Song Baoyuan clenched her palms and did not respond for a long time.
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