After getting a general sense that the maids in the West Courtyard weren’t overly competitive or scheming, Wen Ye instructed Tao Zhi to bring out two chests of books from her dowry.
One large and one small chest.
Yun Zhi and Tao Zhi each unlocked the chests.
The larger chest, opened by Tao Zhi, contained miscellaneous books and novels with their covers already replaced, so they weren’t too shocking.
Yun Zhi, however, was in trouble. Her personality was rather conservative, and the small chest of books gifted by Fifth Miss Wen Ran had truly stumped her.
She stared at the book titles, such as *The Passionate Young Widow*, and felt utterly at a loss.
Meanwhile, Tao Zhi, looking at the chest filled with classics like the *Four Books and Five Classics*, chuckled and asked, “Does Madam wish to revisit old knowledge or explore something new?”
Yun Zhi: “...”
What on earth had Madam been teaching Tao Zhi?
It was early winter, and the chill had already set in.
Wen Ye lay on the soft couch in the inner chamber, casually draping a woolen blanket over her waist and below. Beside her was a small table with two plates of her favorite snacks and a pot of tea.
She leisurely said, “Bring me a new one.”
Tao Zhi fetched a new novel from the small chest and handed it to Wen Ye.
After glancing at the slightly provocative title on the cover, Wen Ye spoke without even opening it, “Go ask Liuya to have someone bring another bookshelf to the West Study.”
The West Study also belonged to Xu Yuejia, though it seemed he rarely used it. Aside from the bookshelves lining the walls, which were filled with books, the long desk showed almost no signs of use.
It seemed that since the passing of his first wife, Xu Yuejia had seldom stayed overnight in the inner courtyard.
In that case, sharing half of the West Study with her shouldn’t be a problem.
“Also, remember to replace the covers of those new books,” Wen Ye added after some thought.
Tao Zhi responded skillfully, “Yes, Madam.”
Then she nudged Yun Zhi with her elbow.
Yun Zhi reluctantly replied, “I’ll go find new book covers.”
Their Madam was perfect in every way, except for her excessive love of novels.
Wen Ye looked at them with satisfaction. “It’s no wonder I’ve always doted on you.”
The West Study was quite spacious, even slightly larger than Wen Ye’s main room before her marriage.
Liuya was highly efficient, and within a quarter of an hour, a new bookshelf was carried in from the storeroom.
Wen Ye directed the servants to move the original bookshelf a bit to the left, placing the new one right beside it.
After this was done, Wen Ye dismissed the servants.
Soon, half of the new bookshelf was filled with books arranged by Yun Zhi and Tao Zhi.
For now, this would do, starting with the bookshelf.
There was plenty of time ahead.
Wen Ye returned to the soft couch in the inner chamber, nibbling on snacks and sipping tea as she passed the time reading novels.
The only downside to waking up early was this.
*
In the entire Duke’s residence, nothing escaped Madam Lu’s notice as the matriarch.
The West Courtyard was no exception. Everything that had happened since Wen Ye returned from the main courtyard was reported to Madam Lu within half an hour.
In the main hall, Madam Lu asked her nanny, “You’re saying Wen Ye had a new bookshelf brought in?”
Nanny Xian replied, “That’s what Qingxue said.”
Madam Lu trusted Nanny Xian and Qingxue, her daughter.
“It seems this Wen Ye is quite decent,” Madam Lu said with a hint of satisfaction. “Second Brother also loves reading, so perhaps the couple will have something to talk about.”
Nanny Xian continued, “Qingxue also mentioned that Second Madam hasn’t taken over the management of the West Courtyard and has left Liuya and Liuxin in charge.”
This surprised Madam Lu. “Does Wen Ye know about Liuya and Liuxin’s background?”
Nanny Xian nodded. “Second Madam summoned all the servants of the West Courtyard to the main hall and questioned each one.”
Madam Lu was puzzled. “Could it be because of me? Liuya and Liuxin were originally sent to the West Courtyard by me. Is Wen Ye worried that removing them might upset me?”
Nanny Xian offered her analysis. “Perhaps Second Madam is still unfamiliar with many things in the West Courtyard and wants to take it slow for a few days?”
Madam Lu found this reasoning plausible. “Then let’s wait and see.”
She hoped Wen Ye wouldn’t disappoint her.
“By the way,” Nanny Xian brought up another matter, hesitating slightly. “Should we bring Young Master Xu Yuxuan to the West Courtyard to have lunch with Second Madam today? It would help them get acquainted.”
Madam Lu thought of the brief interaction between mother and son earlier that morning and paused before saying, “Do as you suggested.”
Nanny Xian replied, “Yes.”
Madam Lu gazed out at the cold wind and sighed.
*
Meanwhile, in the West Courtyard, Wen Ye was unaware that Madam Lu planned to send the little one over.
Earlier, she had asked Liuxin and learned that Xu Yuejia usually left early and returned late when he had official duties.
So, for lunch, she had the kitchen prepare a hot pot.
A hot pot was perfect for warming up in early winter.
After reading novels all morning, Wen Ye’s body felt stiff from lying down.
The copper pot was placed on the table, with silver charcoal burning underneath, emitting almost no smoke.
From a humble home to a luxurious one, everything was more refined.
The table was laden with various meats, meatballs, and vegetables, including a small portion of beef, which was hard to come by.
Since Wen Ye was eating alone, the portions didn’t need to be large—about ten slices of each type of meat and three to five pieces of each vegetable.
Wen Ye didn’t let the maids serve her. She prepared two dipping sauces—one sesame-based and one oil-based—and enjoyed the meal at her own pace.
Just as she was about to eat her first slice of meat, Liuya came in to report that Young Master Xu Yuxuan had arrived.
Wen Ye swallowed the lamb slice dipped in oil, paused for a moment, and asked, “Why is he here?”
Liuya glanced at Wen Ye, then lowered her head and said, “...It’s said that Young Master missed Second Madam. After Madam Lu found out, she instructed Nanny Ji to bring him over to have lunch with you.”
Wen Ye put down her chopsticks. She realized that Liuya wasn’t just gentle and tactful—she was also quite skilled at bending the truth.
She and the little one had only met once that morning. A few hours later, it was a stretch to say the child even remembered her existence.
It was clear that this was Madam Lu’s arrangement.
The intention was obvious.
Since the child had already been brought over, she couldn’t just send him away. Wen Ye glanced at Yun Zhi.
Understanding her meaning, Yun Zhi went out with Liuya to welcome Young Master Xu Yuxuan.
Xu Yuxuan didn’t visit the West Courtyard often, only staying occasionally, so the place was quite unfamiliar to him.
As soon as they entered the room, Nanny Ji set Xu Yuxuan down and encouraged him to approach Wen Ye. Wen Ye calmly looked at him, but the child immediately clung to Nanny Ji’s side, his eyes filled with unfamiliarity and resistance.
He even forgot to greet her.
Wen Ye seemed oblivious that she was addressing a two-year-old child who could hardly understand her.
The hot pot broth was made from bone stock, light and fragrant, suitable for a child.
Without waiting for the little one to react, Wen Ye had Tao Zhi set a new bowl and chopsticks across from her.
Nanny Ji, who had intended to seat Young Master Xu Yuxuan beside Wen Ye, was left speechless.
This new Second Madam was truly hard to figure out.
The young master of the Duke’s residence was well taken care of, so Wen Ye simply instructed Tao Zhi to teach Nanny Ji how long to cook the meat and vegetables, then left it at that.
The child didn’t need any dipping sauces; the natural flavor was enough. Thus, only an empty bowl was placed in front of Xu Yuxuan.
Xu Yuxuan was small and didn’t eat much at each meal, so he got hungry quickly.
Now, smelling the aroma of the bubbling bone broth, his little mouth was already watering.
He pointed at the steaming pot and urgently called out to Nanny Ji, “Nanny! Eat!”
Nanny Ji had no choice but to step forward and cook the meat and vegetables for Xu Yuxuan.
Hot pot wasn’t a novelty in winter, and the Duke’s residence had had it a few times before. However, this way of eating wasn’t considered particularly refined, so Madam Lu rarely prepared it.
The lunch ended in a hurried twenty minutes, and Wen Ye didn’t find it particularly enjoyable.
After all, who could eat comfortably under the gaze of a room full of unfamiliar people?
Xu Yuxuan, on the other hand, enjoyed his meal under Nanny Ji’s attentive care.
After he finished eating, Nanny Ji helped him down from his seat. Without the steam from the hot pot obscuring his view, Xu Yuxuan looked at Wen Ye again. It seemed he remembered who she was, as his puppy-like eyes stared at her for a while before he suddenly called out in a childish voice, “Mother!”
Wen Ye’s teacup trembled, but she calmly set it down and asked, “Are you full?”
Xu Yuxuan moved closer to Wen Ye along the edge of the table. “Full!”
When he was within arm’s reach, Wen Ye couldn’t resist ruffling his hair.
At the first touch, Xu Yuxuan instinctively took half a step back, but after sensing no danger, he stayed still.
Wen Ye thought to herself, "This little rascal reacts quite quickly."
After indulging herself for a moment, Wen Ye asked Tao Zhi to bring out the playing cards she had made before.
The long winter days couldn't be spent solely on reading novels.
The cards were similar to the modern-day playing cards. Both Yun Zhi and Tao Zhi had been taught by Wen Ye herself, and after several years of practice, their skills were now on par with hers.
However, it wasn't appropriate for the three of them to gamble with money, so Wen Ye had set a rule that whoever lost would have to stick a slip of paper on their face.
With three people, the game of "Landlord" was the most suitable.
When the cards were brought out, everyone except Wen Ye and her two maids looked on with curiosity.
The Second Madam seemed to be playing a game different from the ones they were familiar with.
Wen Ye no longer paid attention to Xu Yuxuan and focused solely on the game. However, Xu Yuxuan, upon seeing the cards in her hands, found them fascinating and refused to leave.
Nanny Ji, seeing that the Second Madam showed no reaction, had no choice but to ask a maid to bring over a cushioned chair.
She let Xu Yuxuan sit next to Wen Ye.
Perhaps because there was a child sitting beside her, Wen Ye's luck was particularly bad that day. In no time, her face was covered with slips of paper.
Tao Zhi, who rarely won so many times, became more and more excited as they played. Even the usually composed Yun Zhi was laughing more often.
Neither of them had even half as many slips of paper on their faces as Wen Ye did.
Tao Zhi, with only three slips of paper on her face, called out cheerfully, "Madam, let's play again!"
After a few more rounds, Wen Ye's face was completely covered, to the point where it obstructed her view of the cards.
Taking advantage of the moment when Tao Zhi was shuffling the cards, Wen Ye looked down at the child beside her, who was clutching the edge of the table with his small hands, his eyes wide and fixed intently on the cards. She asked in a soft voice, "Yuxuan, what should you call me?"
Seeing that Wen Ye was finally paying attention to him, Xu Yuxuan's eyes lit up. Having already developed an interest in the cards, he responded eagerly, "Mother!"
Wen Ye patted his head and smiled, "Do you want to play too?"
Xu Yuxuan, still not very familiar with Wen Ye, hesitated for a moment before nodding shyly. Though he didn't say a word, the longing in his eyes was unmistakable.
Nanny Ji opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but remembering the instructions Qingxue had given her before they came, she ultimately kept silent.
She could only watch as the Second Madam "teased" the young master, who, to her surprise, seemed to be enjoying himself.
The bond between mother and son seemed to be growing stronger.
Nanny Ji couldn't help but think, "Perhaps this counts as fulfilling what Qingxue had asked of me?"
*
In the main courtyard, lunch was served a little later than usual.
Since the Duke of Xu had gone to the Western Suburbs Camp and wouldn't be back by noon, only Madam Lu and her two sons were having lunch together.
Xu Jingrong, who had spent the entire morning copying essays, came to the main courtyard for lunch but didn't see Xu Yuxuan. He immediately asked Madam Lu, "Mother, where's Yuxuan? Doesn't he usually eat with us?"
Madam Lu scooped two spoonfuls of steamed egg for her younger son and replied, "He's in the west courtyard with your Second Aunt."
Upon hearing this, Xu Jingrong became uneasy and said, "Mother, how could you let Yuxuan be alone with that... uh... Second Aunt?"
He should have gone with him. With him there, that wicked stepmother wouldn't dare to bully Yuxuan.
Xu Jingrong clenched his little fists and was about to get up and head to the west courtyard.
No! He had to go check on him.
"Sit down!" Madam Lu said sternly. "Nanny Ji is with your younger brother. What are you going there for?"
In front of everyone, how could Wen Ye possibly mistreat Yuxuan?
Though she said this, Madam Lu couldn't help but worry.
She was afraid that Xu Yuxuan wouldn't be used to the food in the west courtyard, that he wouldn't want to get close to Wen Ye, and most of all, that Wen Ye might treat him poorly.
Xu Jingrong didn't dare to disobey his mother and reluctantly sat back down to continue his meal.
However, he ate much faster than usual.
After finishing two bowls of rice, Xu Jingrong quickly wiped his mouth and said, "Mother, I'm going to the west courtyard to pay my respects to Second Aunt."
He didn't mention going to see his brother, only that he was going to greet his elder. That way, his mother wouldn't stop him.
But as soon as he stepped outside, Madam Lu heard him shout angrily, "Mother! You said she wouldn't bully him! Look at Yuxuan's face—what is all this?!"
Madam Lu's heart skipped a beat, and she hurried out, asking, "What's wrong with Yuxuan's face...?"
She saw Nanny Ji holding Xu Yuxuan, whose face was covered with slips of paper. The maids nearby were anxious and tried several times to help remove them, but Xu Yuxuan kept blocking them with his small hands, refusing to let them.
Hearing Xu Jingrong's voice, Xu Yuxuan used his little hands to push aside the two long slips of paper blocking his eyebrows, revealing a pair of round eyes. He giggled at Xu Jingrong.
Xu Jingrong, filled with indignation, turned to Madam Lu, who had followed him out, and said, "Mother, it's over! Yuxuan has been driven mad by his wicked stepmother!"
Madam Lu: "..."
