Wen Ye had a mind to test the waters.
But Xu Yuejia turned and walked away.
Wen Ye had no choice but to follow, watching as he took his seat directly.
His posture was upright, serious, and unsmiling.
It didn’t seem like he was about to eat, but rather as if he were dealing with some thorny official business.
Wen Ye glanced behind him and then asked, “Why isn’t anyone here to serve you during the meal? Where’s Liuxin?”
Yun Zhi and Tao Zhi, who were about to leave, exchanged glances. Did Xu Yuejia really need someone to serve him during meals? Even their mistress didn’t require that!
“I don’t need anyone to serve me during meals,” Xu Yuejia finally looked up and said to Wen Ye.
“Oh, I see,” Wen Ye replied, sitting down across from him. “I must have misunderstood.”
“If you need anything, don’t hesitate on my account,” Xu Yuejia added after Wen Ye had taken her seat.
Wen Ye picked up her chopsticks and said, “I’m like you, I’m not used to being served.”
Eating is a pleasure, and if someone else does it for you, where’s the joy in that?
Xu Yuejia’s taste leaned toward the mild. In the past, when he dined alone, overly spicy or salty dishes never appeared on the table.
But today, there were two such dishes.
And Wen Ye’s chopsticks kept reaching for those two dishes.
The look in Xu Yuejia’s eyes at that moment wasn’t easy to ignore. After chewing slowly, Wen Ye looked up and asked softly, “Is the food not to your liking?”
“No,” Xu Yuejia replied calmly, his tone ordinary, revealing nothing.
Wen Ye felt that she still knew too little about Xu Yuejia. Her gaze swept over one of the dishes.
A moment later, Wen Ye used the serving chopsticks to place a piece of spicy chicken into Xu Yuejia’s bowl, saying, “Try this dish, it’s very appetizing.”
“Thank you,” Xu Yuejia replied politely but distantly. He ate the chicken in front of Wen Ye and then said, “It’s good.”
But he still didn’t touch the two dishes Wen Ye had been eating.
Seeing this, Wen Ye couldn’t help but ponder. For a while, the only sounds at the table were the occasional clinks of bowls and chopsticks.
Xu Yuejia had a habit of not eating too much in the evening. He only had half a bowl of rice, a bowl of soup, and a few bites of meat before stopping.
Wen Ye regretfully put down her chopsticks. After the maids cleared the table and brought two cups of tea, she carefully said, “Xu Yuejia, I made a mistake today.”
Xu Yuejia paused as he picked up his teacup and asked, “What happened?”
“After lunch, I was bored, so I played a few rounds of cards with Xuan'er and the maids. The loser had to stick paper strips on their face. My luck wasn’t great, and Xuan'er ended up with quite a few on his face.”
Wen Ye spoke slowly and softly, then quietly watched Xu Yuejia, waiting for his reaction.
“Cards?”
“Something like that,” Wen Ye said casually.
Xu Yuejia put down his teacup and looked at Wen Ye, his voice cool as he said, “You and I are husband and wife.”
Wen Ye’s eyes flickered slightly. “So?”
Xu Yuejia paused for a moment, his mind flashing back to her blunt demands from the previous night and her somewhat affected tone just now. His gaze lingered on her face briefly before he said, “If there’s something on your mind, speak directly to me.”
Wen Ye was momentarily surprised, then said directly, “I don’t know how to be a good wife or mother.”
Xu Yuejia’s gaze deepened. After a long silence, he said, “Behave properly and don’t mistreat Xuan'er. That’s enough.”
“What about today’s incident?”
Xu Yuejia said indifferently, “As long as you know your limits, it’s fine.”
Wen Ye’s smile became more genuine. “I understand, Xu Yuejia.”
“By the way, Xu Yuejia,” Wen Ye added, “I’m not feeling well today, so...”
Xu Yuejia: “...I’ll rest in the front courtyard.”
Wen Ye wasn’t lying; her menstrual cycle had indeed started.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have passed up the opportunity to enjoy the company of such a handsome man.
From last night to her earlier probing, it was clear that Xu Yuejia had expectations for his wife but also fulfilled his duties as a husband.
He knew he couldn’t offer passionate care, so he made concessions in other areas.
The probing was over, and Wen Ye now knew how to proceed in the future to maintain her carefree lifestyle.
Xu Yuejia’s attitude was an unexpectedly good start for her.
As for the child, Wen Ye’s smile deepened. She wanted nothing more than for him to grow up safe and sound.
After Xu Yuejia left, Yun Zhi and Tao Zhi came in to help Wen Ye wash up.
She had gained a lot today, and while she longed for a hot bath, her condition made it impossible. She could only think about it.
After her hair was dried, it was already late at night.
It was still early, and Wen Ye couldn’t sleep. She picked up the novel she hadn’t finished during the day and started flipping through it.
Tao Zhi came in and asked, “Would you like some supper tonight, Madam?”
Back at the Wen family, if Wen Ye didn’t eat much for dinner, she would usually have a small meal after the evening.
Tao Zhi and the others were used to it.
Wen Ye finished the last page of the novel. The ending was to her liking. Hearing Tao Zhi’s voice, she closed the book and said, “I’d like some fried rice. Tell Hongxing to make half a bowl.”
There were no elders in the household, so she didn’t have to perform morning and evening rituals. Now that she had settled things with Xu Yuejia, she was determined to sleep in the next day.
If she didn’t have a little supper, she would definitely wake up hungry in the morning.
Half a bowl of fried rice was ready in no time.
After eating, Wen Ye walked around the room a few times before extinguishing the candles and going to bed.
The next day, the cold was even more biting, with occasional light snowflakes falling.
Wen Ye slept until late morning. When she finally woke up, she wrapped herself in a thick quilt and sat on the nearby couch, looking out the window at the light layer of snow covering the stone ground. She murmured, “It’s snowing.”
The snow seemed to have come early this year.
Close to noon, Wen Ye had a simple late breakfast: a bowl of wontons and a few fried dumplings.
It was too cold outside, so Wen Ye didn’t feel like going anywhere. She wandered back to the couch, holding a small hand warmer and covered with a thick blanket, reading a new novel and occasionally sipping hot tea to warm herself.
It was a leisurely but long day.
For someone less easygoing, such days could be quite trying.
*
In the main courtyard.
Seeing that the snow outside was getting heavier, Madam Lu thought it over and decided not to have Nanny Ji take Xu Yuxuan to the west courtyard.
She had a rough idea of what had happened in the west courtyard the day before: the mother and son, along with two maids, had played cards. They kept losing, and when Wen Ye’s face was full of paper strips, they started sticking them on Xuan'er’s face.
It wasn’t a big deal, but it was certainly a first in the household.
Madam Wen didn’t mistreat her stepdaughter, but it seemed she had rarely, if ever, taught Wen Ye about managing a household.
For now, the two brothers were as close as ever, but once the next generation grew up, the household would inevitably split. By then, Wen Ye would need to stand on her own.
Madam Lu had some plans in mind, but there was no rush. She could bring it up after the month was over.
She needed to give Wen Ye time to adjust.
As for Xu Yuxuan, after the lunch was served, he barely touched his food.
Noticing this, Madam Lu asked gently, “Don’t you like any of these dishes, Xuan'er?”
Xu Yuxuan’s little lips pressed together.
Nanny Ji, standing nearby, offered a possible explanation: “Yesterday, the young master had hot pot for lunch. Maybe that’s why?”
Sure enough, at the mention of “hot pot,” Xu Yuxuan’s eyes lit up.
The dishes on the table had been carefully prepared by Madam Lu, but Xu Yuxuan was still thinking about the hot pot he had shared with Wen Ye the day before.
Madam Lu felt a pang of something she couldn’t quite name—perhaps a hint of jealousy.
She pushed aside such thoughts. It was good that Xuan'er was growing closer to Wen Ye.
So she said, “Take these away and bring the hot pot.”
Fortunately, it was just the two of them for lunch, and not much had been prepared. What little was left could be shared among the servants, so nothing went to waste.
With the new meal, Xu Yuxuan ate much more.
Madam Lu couldn’t help but smile, gently pinching his tiny nose. “Next time, just tell your auntie what you’d like to eat.”
Xu Yuxuan nodded shyly.
Not long after lunch, Qingxue returned from Ding'an Marquis Manor.
Given the weather, Madam Lu hadn’t asked her two sons to come to the main courtyard, fearing they might catch a cold.
The bad weather had also delayed school for a day. Earlier, Nanny Xian had reported that Jinglin was quietly practicing calligraphy in his room, while Jingrong, who had been whipped twice on the backside by the Duke the day before, was still sulking in bed.
Madam Lu didn’t intervene. The east courtyard was full of her people, and she knew the boy had hidden a stash of pastries in his bed before sulking.
Missing a couple of meals wouldn’t hurt him.
The servants in the manor had already been quietly investigated by Nanny Xian, but nothing suspicious had been found for now. Madam Lu grew even more suspicious that someone in the Ding'an Marquis Manor had been whispering something in Xu Jingrong's ear.
Qingxue stepped forward and replied respectfully, "Madam, during the time when the young master and the second young master stayed at the Ding'an Marquis Manor, it so happened that the third young lady was also there and had frequent interactions with the young master."
"Lu Xinrou?" Madam Lu's expression changed instantly. "What was she doing at the Ding'an Marquis Manor?"
Lu Xinrou was Madam Lu's cousin. Madam Lu's father was the eldest son, with two younger brothers from the same parents. Lu Xinrou's father was the second son, who had always been idle and relied on his ancestors' legacy to secure a low-ranking, insignificant position.
After the Ding'an Marquis Manor was divided, Madam Lu's father was not close to this second brother and only sent gifts during festivals.
However, Madam Lu's second aunt often brought Lu Xinrou to the Ding'an Marquis Manor.
As for Lu Xinrou, Madam Lu had always maintained a certain distance in their interactions. This cousin of hers had been corrupted by her mother, always harboring ulterior motives but thinking she hid them well.
Qingxue replied, "The Marchioness said that the third young lady's mother wanted her to stay longer at the Ding'an Marquis Manor, so it would be easier to arrange a marriage in the future."
Lu Xinrou was now fifteen, of marriageable age. Given her father's character and low-ranking position, she would never be able to secure a match with a powerful family.
Madam Lu understood Lu Xinrou's intentions almost immediately. "How dare she even think of such a thing!"
As the eldest daughter of the family, Madam Lu knew her responsibilities well. Even though she had married into the Xu family, she had never considered abandoning her two cousins.
Madam Lu was aware of Lu Xinrou's scheming nature but had never expected her to set her sights on Jingrong's uncle.
Not only that, but she had also secretly encouraged her own nephew to antagonize Wen Ye.
Madam Lu was furious. "Summon the young master here at once!"
She couldn't scold Lu Xinrou right now, but her foolish son was within reach.
