Men and women were seated separately for lunch, with the exception of the children who were seated at the "women's table".
To the left of Wen Ye was her little sister Wen Ran, and to her right was Xu Yuxuan.
Xu Yuxuan, being small, was barely visible above the table when sitting in his chair.
Nanny Ji was feeding Xu Yuxuan himself, which allowed Wen Ye to focus on her own meal. Compared to the other sisters' attitudes toward their children, Wen Ye's approach seemed far more nonchalant.
She portrayed the most realistic image of a stepmother at that moment.
Today, the rule of "not talking during meals or bedtime" was abandoned. The men's table was filled with constant discussion, so Madam Shen did not restrict everyone else.
Wen Ye took advantage of the moments when others were engaged in conversation and ate quite a bit.
The lunch, as she heard, was personally supervised by Madam Yang. As expected, it was extraordinarily good, each dish was a delight to her taste buds.
"This is delicious". Wen Ye tasted a slice of ham, which tasted much better than the ones she had eaten before, so she casually picked up another slice for Wen Ran, who couldn’t reach it easily.
"Thank you, fourth sister." Wen Ran said.
Xu Yuxuan was still upset about being neglected by Wen Ye in the morning, and his round puppy eyes were still teary.
When Nanny Ji noticed Xu Yuxuan staring at the slice of ham on Wen Ye's porcelain plate, she assumed he also wanted some. After some consideration, she also picked up a slice for him.
The ham was somewhat salty, and since Xu Yuxuan was still young, Nanny Ji usually opted for lighter meals for him.
But, a slice of ham occasionally shouldn't hurt.
Who would have thought that when Nanny Ji tried to feed Xu Yuxuan the ham, he rejected it.
Nanny Ji gently said to him, "Young master, this is the same as what's on lady Wen Ye's plate."
Xu Yuxuan shook his head as if he was a tambourine, "No, it's not!"
At that time, Wen Ye was about to continue with her meal. She overheard the commotion and glanced at Xu Yuxuan. Looking up, she asked, "What's wrong with him?"
Nanny Ji explained, "I thought the young master was eyeing the ham on your plate, so I gave him a slice. Seems I misunderstood him."
Upon hearing this, Wen Ye’s gaze fell back on Xu Yuxuan, paused, and it was clear that the child's eyes were fixed on... Turning back, she saw little sister Wen Ran quietly eating the slice of ham she had just given her.
The possessive nature of a child can sometimes be quite baffling.
Finally, Nanny Ji realized and hesitated saying, "Perhaps, young master wants a slice that you personally gave him."
Wen Ye: "..."
So many prerequisites for a mere meal.
But Wen Ye eventually obliged. Otherwise, if she were to upset the child and he started crying, she wouldn't be able to enjoy the delectable feast in peace.
With the slice of ham given by Wen Ye, Nanny Ji resumed feeding.
Just when Nanny Ji thought everything would go smoothly from now on, Xu Yuxuan, after finishing the slice of ham, stopped moving his lips again, showing a familiar and overt resistance.
His little eyes were blinking and staring at Wen Ye.
Nanny Ji was helpless and could only turn to Wen Ye for help, "Lady Wen Ye, what should we do now..."
Wen Ye's expression cooled a bit, and she asked, "Yuxuan, what dish would you like to eat?"
Xu Yuxuan excitedly pointed to a dish relatively close to him, "Meat!"
Then, Wen Ye picked up the serving chopsticks and gave Xu Yuxuan a serving of the... dish of vegetables next to the meat.
Then she said, "Come on, Yuxuan, eat the meat."
Xu Yuxuan stared at the vegetables in the bowl with wide eyes, then raised his head and called out, "Mother?"
Wen Ye suddenly patted Yuxuan compassionately on the head, saying, "This is meat, Nanny Ji lied to you before. She wanted to steal your meat."
Like all children, Xu Yuxuan was possessive of his food. Upon hearing this, he turned his head and looked at Nanny Ji accusingly.
Nanny Ji, who was holding a small bowl and a small spoon, was speechless.
How could Lady Number Two manipulate the young master into believing every word she said?
Madam Shen, sitting at the head of the table, couldn't bear to watch this anymore and intervened, "Enough, stop teasing Yuxuan."
Even though Yuxuan was young, he could still tell that the vegetables didn't taste good. Once he realized his mother had tricked him, he cast accusing glances at Wen Ye once again, feeling neglected and deceived.
Wen Ye sat there stolidly, even asking him, "What else would you like to eat besides meat?"
No longer bothered about feeling wronged, Xu Yuxuan urgently pointed at some vegetables in front of him and declared, "Meat!"
After this incident, Xu Yuxuan had learned to be a bit savvy.
Wen Ye raised an eyebrow briefly before picking up the 'meat' Yuxuan indicated with the serving chopsticks.
Seeing another vegetable added to his bowl, Xu Yuxuan, with round, innocent eyes, couldn't understand what was going on.
What followed was, whenever Xu Yuxuan pointed at meat, Wen Ye grabbed vegetables. When he pointed at vegetables, she still grabbed vegetables. As soon as Xu Yuxuan looked as if he was about to cry, she would quickly calm him down with a piece of meat.
This went on repeatedly, until even Nanny Ji became numb.
What else could she say? At least that meal helped cure the young master's bad habit of not eating vegetables.
Madam Shen, who had been watching all along, was silent. She already knew.
Wen Yuwan was also silent. As her mother had said, her sister Wen Ye was indeed different from others.
Wen Lan was lost in her own thoughts. Her sister still retained such innocence.
Wen Hui was also silent. Wen Ye was slightly more tolerable when she wasn't being teased.
One might ask if the poor little boy was suffering bad luck in this life because of misdeeds in his past lives, being Wen Ye's stepson. He was just two years old, and there was still a long way to go. Poor child.
*
In the customs of the Great Jin Dynasty, the bride could not stay overnight at her home on the day of her return.
She had to leave before the heat of the day.
Thus, after lunch, Wen Ye went to the Xicui Courtyard once again.
In the morning, with her 'brainwashing' and brightened spirits, her concubine aunts were convinced that she was doing well in the Xu manor.
This time, she was there to say goodbye.
After all, she might not see them again until Madam Liu's child's Hundredth Day Celebration, an important Chinese tradition.
In less than two quarters of an hour, Wen Ye left Xicui Courtyard with Yun Zhi and Tao Zhi. Behind them were tearful Concubine Chang and little sister Wen Ran.
Wen Ye didn't look back.
After all, parting was inevitable, and it was better to make it quick.
When Wen Ye reached the main gate, Nanny Ji was just settling Xu Yuxuan into the carriage. Xu Yuejia, standing next to the carriage, turned his contemplative gaze toward her.
The cold wind stirred, making Wen Ye pause slightly before hastening her steps. She approached the carriage and said softly, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, dear."
With strangers around, they had to keep up appearances.
Xu Yuejia said, "Not a problem, get in the carriage."
Wen Ye gave a casual reply before getting into the carriage first.
When they returned to Duke Xu's residence it was late evening. Wen Ye went to the west courtyard, Xu Yuejia headed straight for the study in the front courtyard, while Xu Yuxuan was carried back to the main courtyard by Nanny Ji and the others.
The three members of the family, each seemingly in a world of their own.
/
Madam Lu, having not seen Xu Yuxuan for most of the day, had long been waiting in the main hall.
Today in the afternoon, Duke Xu returned from the major camp in the west suburb. Now free, he also sat in the main hall with her.
Babies sleep a lot. Nanny Ji brought a sleeping Xu Yuxuan back to the main courtyard.
Upon seeing this, Madam Lu immediately instructed the nanny responsible for Xu Yuxuan to take him back to his room for careful tending.
Nanny Ji was left behind for questioning.
Beyond inquiring about the Wen's attitude towards Xu Yuxuan, Madam Lu was more interested in the relationship between Wen Ye and her son, Xu Yuxuan.
Nanny Ji’s answers were impartial; while the Wen family didn't display an overtly enthusiastic attitude toward Xu Yuxuan, he was nevertheless treated the same as the other grandchildren.
Except for the twins born to the legal daughter of the Wen family, Madam Shen treated all other grandchildren (born to daughters of lower status) with the same attitude, Xu Yuxuan included. Not particularly warm, but not cold either.
Madam Lu's expression eased upon hearing this.
She had little contact with Madam Shen. If it weren’t for the marriage between her younger brother and a woman from the Wen family, she would have only known Madam Shen as an acquaintance.
Madam Lu didn't expect the Wen family to treat Xu Yuxuan as a close grandson. If they treated him no differently from other grandchildren born to their lower-status daughters, she would already be very satisfied.
With a relieved expression, Madam Lu turned to Duke Xu and said, “It seems that I was too narrow-minded initially. Our son has a better judgement than me.”
Duke Xu replied, "Are you at ease now?"
Madam Lu nodded, then she continued questioning Nanny Ji, “So, how does Wen Ye get along with our Xu Yuxuan?”
Nanny Ji: "This..."
Madam Lu: "Speak truthfully."
Without stalling, Nanny Ji rapidly recounted everything that happened between Wen Ye and Xu Yuxuan from the time they departed the Duke's residence to their departure from the Wen household.
After hearing the full account, Madam Lu was silent for a moment, her gaze moved subtly to look at Qingmei, who also visited the Wen family.
Qingmei gave a slight nod in return.
Madam Lu: " ..."
However, Duke Xu let out a chuckle and remarked to Madam Lu: “It seems that mother and son get along quite well.”
Madam Lu gave Duke Xu a glance: “You're too carefree.”
Duke Xu feigned ignorance and thought of his eldest son grounded in the eastern courtyard, and asked, “What about the west courtyard?”
Madam Lu and Duke Xu were childhood sweethearts and later became husband and wife. Their feelings for each other had always been deep, and they shared an unspoken understanding.
Duke Xu did have a habit of making incomplete remarks, which others might find incomprehensible but Madam Lu always understood him clearly.
“Once your son is off his grounding, let him go to the west courtyard to apologize himself,” Madam Lu replied, “Moreover, he needs to take good care of his backside.”
The most important issue of Lu Xinrou hasn’t been solved yet. Madam Lu planned to wait for the snow to melt in a couple of days, and then personally visit Ding'an Marquis Manor.
*
Life after this small incident continued as usual, with the only pleasing thing for Wen Ye being the end of her monthly period.
Because of this, Wen Ye instructed Tao Zhi to prepare hot water for a bath.
Hot steam filled the inner chamber, eliminating any trace of cold. Wen Ye comfortably lounged in the warm bathtub.
During her idle time, Wen Ye asked Tao Zhi to bring a book over for her to read.
This time, it was a serious book, a scripture that demanded tranquility.
After flipping through it for some time, Wen Ye let out a sigh.
Tao Zhi, who had been waiting outside the curtain, approached and asked, "Is something wrong, my lady?"
Wen Ye closed the scripture and shook her head, "I just had a sudden realisation."
Tao Zhi did not understand. Can one have sudden realizations while taking a bath?
Before Tao Zhi could ask, Wen Ye spoke again, "Tao Zhi, go to the front yard and find Liuxin. Tell her to persuade our master, Xu Yuejia. He should not neglect his health for official matters during such cold and snowy nights. After working hard these days, he needs to rest properly."
Tao Zhi responded, "I will execute your command right away."
As she walked, Tao Zhi thought to herself, why did the lady suddenly care about Xu Yuejia?
Liuxin, in the front yard receiving Tao Zhi's message, was equally perplexed.
In the days following the marriage of Xu Yuejia and the second lady, anyone could clearly see that the couple's sentiment towards each other was lukewarm.
What's going on with the second lady tonight?
Although Liuxin did not comprehend the purpose behind Wen Ye's move, she still went to the study and truthfully passed along Wen Ye's message to Xu Yuejia.
Xu Yuejia said nothing.
Sensing a hint of worry, Liuxin added her own guess, "Perhaps the Second Lady is concerned that you had not eaten properly at dinner?"
Due to an urgent case at the Ministry of Punishment today, it was after the rooster hour when Xu Yuejia had completed his work. Therefore, he had dinner outside before returning to the mansion. When he returned, he went directly into his study instead of the western yard.
This led to Liuxin's speculation.
After a long silence, Xu Yuejia said, "Go back to the western yard and tell the lady that I will return to the western yard tonight."
His words carried a hint of helplessness.
Taken aback for a moment, Liuxin responded, "I will go right away."
Upon leaving the study, Liuxin could not help but wonder, was this the meaning behind the lady sending Tao Zhi to convey her message?
