Xu Yuejia had recently taken on some official duties that were quite complex and required consultation with his elder brother, Duke Xu. Therefore, after dinner, the two of them went to the front courtyard study.
Xu Jingrong and Xu Jinglin, on the other hand, trudged back to the east courtyard with heavy steps, carrying two small boxes of books, their expressions serious.
Wen Ye, however, was asked to stay behind. She sat for the duration of two cups of tea before finally getting up to leave.
Just before her departure, a small incident occurred.
Xu Yuxuan, seeing that Wen Ye was about to leave, broke away from Nanny Ji, who was taking care of him, and toddled after her, instinctively wanting to follow.
Wen Ye, who was a few steps behind Xu Yuejia, noticed the child about to touch her skirt and quickly stepped out of the main hall to create some distance.
Madam Lu, who witnessed this scene from inside the main hall, thought to herself: "Perhaps the ruby was given too early."
Xu Yuxuan stared at the high threshold for a while, and only when he realized Wen Ye was getting further away did he remember to call out, "Mother!"
Wen Ye, who was almost out of the main courtyard, quickened her pace upon hearing his voice.
Xu Yuxuan called out a few more times, but when he could no longer see her, his little mouth quivered, on the verge of tears.
Madam Lu couldn't bear to see Xu Yuxuan like this and quickly said, "It's cold outside, hurry and bring the young master back in."
Nanny Ji immediately went over to carry the young master back.
Xu Yuxuan, now in Madam Lu's arms, had tears welling up in his eyes.
Madam Lu was heartbroken and, in a moment of frustration, said, "Since she didn't wait for you, don't go looking for her tomorrow. Let her stew for a few days."
Xu Yuxuan seemed to understand, his mouth quivering even more as he tugged at Madam Lu's sleeve, pleading, "Auntie~ go~"
Madam Lu: "......"
Meanwhile, Wen Ye, who had successfully "escaped" the main courtyard, returned to the west courtyard. Along the way, she took a box of rubies that Madam Lu had gifted her from Yun Zhi and opened it in front of a snowy backdrop.
The pure pigeon-blood red gems exuded a mysterious and luxurious aura.
Wen Ye admired them for a while before closing the box and handing it back to Yun Zhi just before reaching the west courtyard.
Yun Zhi, taking the box, remarked, "The set of rubies Madam Lu gave you could probably make more than just a complete set of headwear."
Tao Zhi chimed in, "Then we could make a few ruby-encrusted gold bracelets too."
She remembered that Wen Ye always found heavy headwear cumbersome, but bracelets would be just right.
Wen Ye, however, said, "No need, let's just keep them as they are for now."
Yun Zhi was puzzled. "Madam, aren't you planning to use them?"
Wen Ye sighed softly, a hint of reluctance in her eyes. "Each of these large rubies is precious. I'd feel terrible if even one of them got damaged."
Yun Zhi and Tao Zhi: "......"
Once back in the west courtyard, Yun Zhi went to store the rubies while Tao Zhi helped Wen Ye take off her cloak.
Feeling lighter, Wen Ye stepped into the inner chamber, with Tao Zhi following behind.
It was still early, so Wen Ye picked up a new novel and lounged on the soft couch, leisurely reading.
Tao Zhi bustled about, preparing plum tea and fetching snacks from the kitchen.
The room was filled with the soothing aroma of white sandalwood incense, Wen Ye's favorite.
Yun Zhi carefully stored the rubies in Wen Ye's dowry chest and, upon exiting, ran into Liuya and Liuxin. She immediately approached them and asked, "Sisters, is there something you need?"
She glanced at the four servants carrying two wooden boxes outside the courtyard gate.
Liuya smiled warmly and said, "These are items that the master has instructed us to deliver to Madam Wen."
Yun Zhi was surprised. "The master's orders?"
Liuya nodded. "Yes, is Madam available?"
Yun Zhi quickly regained her composure and said, "Of course, please follow me."
In the inner chamber, Tao Zhi sat behind Wen Ye, massaging her shoulders, and asked, "Madam, do you think Lady Chen will be able to escape her heartless ex-husband?"
Tao Zhi was referring to the plot of the novel Wen Ye was reading.
Wen Ye took a bite of a pastry and said, "Your madam isn't sure either."
Tao Zhi was growing increasingly frustrated with the male protagonist of the novel and sighed, "I really want to skip to the ending."
Wen Ye shook her head. "Tao Zhi, it's a cardinal sin to peek at the ending of a novel. It ruins the fun of reading."
Tao Zhi was confused. "But what if the ending is disappointing? Wouldn't that just make me angry for nothing?"
Wen Ye took a sip of plum tea and casually replied, "You could always draw a circle and curse him."
Tao Zhi was baffled. "Why draw a circle?"
Wen Ye glanced back at her with a mysterious expression. "Because it makes the curse more effective."
Tao Zhi: "......"
"Madam, Liuya and Liuxin are here to see you," Yun Zhi announced as she entered the room.
At this hour? What could they possibly want?
Wen Ye was curious but too lazy to get up, so she said, "Let them in."
As soon as Liuya and Liuxin stepped into the inner chamber, they were enveloped by a serene and calming fragrance.
There was also a faint hint of sweetness in the air.
The last time they had been here was on the night of Wen Ye and Xu Yuejia's wedding, when the room was filled with joyous energy. Tonight, aside from the layout of the room, there was no trace of that familiarity.
In just half a month, the atmosphere had changed so drastically.
Being in such a space made one feel relaxed and even a bit lazy.
After paying their respects, Liuya and Liuxin exchanged a glance.
Wen Ye sat up straight, a thick blanket draped over her legs, and asked in a languid tone, "What brings you here?"
Since setting the rules for accounting, Wen Ye had rarely interacted with these two maids from the west courtyard. She found Yun Zhi and Tao Zhi sufficient and didn't feel the need to adjust to new people.
If there was ever a need for them, Yun Zhi and Tao Zhi would handle the communication.
"Madam," Liuxin said with a slight bow, "the master has instructed us to deliver two boxes of items to you as a gift."
Wen Ye perked up at this. Had the man finally come to his senses?
She cleared her throat and asked, "What's inside?"
Two whole boxes? Xu Yuejia was either extremely generous or had some ulterior motive.
Liuxin, sensing that Wen Ye was more interested in the contents of the boxes than the sentiment behind them, replied respectfully, "I'm not sure, Madam."
Wen Ye's curiosity was piqued. "Bring them in," she said eagerly.
The servants had to wait outside the courtyard, so the maids had to carry the boxes from the gate to the inner chamber.
Once the boxes were brought in, Liuya dismissed the other maids and closed the door to the inner chamber.
The two boxes were quite heavy, much larger than the wooden cases Wen Ye had used to store Xu Jingrong's books.
Wen Ye urged, "Open them quickly."
Liuya and Liuxin obeyed, each opening one of the boxes.
Wen Ye and Tao Zhi, along with Yun Zhi, couldn't hide their anticipation.
The boxes were locked, but Liuya and Liuxin had brought the keys.
As the lids were slowly lifted, Wen Ye's eyes followed.
What was inside?
Two whole boxes of books and scrolls!
Liuya, knowing Wen Ye's love for reading, remarked, "The master truly understands you, Madam. He knows how much you enjoy books."
Wen Ye closed the novel titled *Book of Songs* that she had been reading, her expression blank.
Once again, she had set her expectations too high for a man.
"Indeed," Wen Ye said with a forced smile, her voice noticeably cooler as she turned to Yun Zhi and Tao Zhi. "Put these away carefully. It's getting late, you may leave now."
She then added to Liuxin, "Please convey my thanks to the master."
"Yes, Madam," Liuya and Liuxin replied in unison before leaving.
Once outside the west courtyard, Liuya voiced her confusion. "I couldn't help but feel that Madam didn't seem too pleased."
Liuxin responded matter-of-factly, "You're overthinking it. Madam specifically asked me to thank the master. How could she be displeased?"
Liuya frowned slightly and muttered, "Is that so?"
Liuxin glanced at her and said, "Alright, I'll head to the front courtyard. You should go back to your room."
In the study of the front courtyard, Liuxin reported everything verbatim to Xu Yuejia.
Xu Yuejia paused in his writing and asked, "Did Madam look through the contents?"
Liuxin lowered her head and replied, "No, she only instructed Yun Zhi and Tao Zhi to store them carefully."
Xu Yuejia's expression remained unchanged as he continued writing, though his voice softened slightly. "I see. You may leave."
Liuxin bowed and exited the study.
Once alone, Xu Yuejia closed the memorial he had been working on. The usually stoic man allowed a faint smile to touch his lips.
*
Back in the west courtyard, Wen Ye's good mood had been thoroughly disrupted by Xu Yuejia's gift of two boxes of books. She no longer felt like reading her novel.
She went to take a look. Two boxes of calligraphy and paintings, not masterpieces from any renowned family, wouldn’t fetch much silver if sold.
Xu Yuejia had clearly come just to annoy her.
Wen Ye pondered where she might have offended him and concluded it must have been the soup from earlier that day, which had led to the misunderstanding that he wasn’t “capable.”
It seemed that men in this world truly couldn’t stand anyone questioning or doubting their “capabilities.”
Tao Zhi was also furious, but she had no choice but to help Yun Zhi sort through the two boxes of calligraphy and paintings. The mistress had instructed them to take out all the artworks and arrange them on the master’s bookshelf.
As they placed the books one by one, Tao Zhi roughly counted—nearly thirty already, and that was just from one box, with what appeared to be two more layers beneath.
Seeing Tao Zhi’s angry expression, Yun Zhi comforted her, “Hurry up and finish. We still need to prepare the mistress’s bath later.”
Tao Zhi sighed deeply and sped up her movements.
When she picked up the second-to-last layer of books, she couldn’t help but gasp and quickly nudged the person beside her. “Yun Zhi, look!”
Yun Zhi, slower to react, turned her head and was equally shocked. “Is that… gold leaves?!”
Tao Zhi urged her, “Check if there are any on your side too!”
Yun Zhi snapped out of her daze and started rummaging through her side, discovering a layer of silver leaves, about the thickness of a book.
She quickly said, “Go and inform the mistress!”
On the soft couch, Wen Ye was sitting cross-legged, deep in meditation, as if she had achieved enlightenment.
Tao Zhi rushed in, excitedly announcing, “Mistress! The master has hidden a thick layer of gold and silver leaves at the bottom of the boxes!”
Wen Ye’s eyes snapped open, her gaze fixed on Tao Zhi. “Really?”
Tao Zhi nodded vigorously.
Wen Ye immediately abandoned the mental circle she had been drawing and instead flashed a gentle smile.
She instructed Tao Zhi, “Go and brew a pot of good tea for the master, and prepare some light late-night snacks. Even with his busy official duties, he must take care of his health.”
Tao Zhi curtsied, beaming. “I’ll go and arrange it right away.”
A quarter of an hour later, in the study at the front courtyard, Xu Yuejia stared at the table full of late-night snacks, momentarily speechless.
She always seemed to do things he never expected.
Back in the west courtyard, Wen Ye, in a much better mood, picked up her novel again and began reading with relish.
Tonight, Xu Yuejia was her wonderful husband.
One day’s matters were settled in one day.
Tomorrow, he would simply be Xu Yuejia again.
*
The next day, Wen Ye, unusually, woke up early. Yun Zhi and Tao Zhi had already counted and sorted the gold and silver leaves into six boxes.
Tao Zhi, having received a reward, was visibly brighter-eyed. “Mistress, what would you like for breakfast?”
It was snowing outside. Wen Ye thought for a moment and said, “A bowl of vegetable and shredded pork noodles, some dumplings, and a plate of fried dumplings with a side of pickled cucumbers.”
Just as she finished speaking, Yun Zhi lifted the curtain and entered. “Mistress, the main courtyard has sent word. They want you to come over after breakfast and bring all the account books from the west courtyard.”
Wen Ye paused, raising her eyes. “Did they say why?”
Yun Zhi replied, “They didn’t specify, just reminded me to tell you to bring all the account books.”
Wen Ye: “…”
It seemed she had celebrated too soon.
