In the kitchen of Wen Mansion's small courtyard, ingredients that were once hard to come by were now readily available.
For several days in a row, Wen Ye had been holed up in the west courtyard, experimenting with various dishes.
The day before yesterday, it was crispy roasted duck; yesterday, it was a hot pot; and the day before that, she had made her own sour and spicy rice noodles. Today, she planned to use some fine tea leaves to brew a few cups of milk tea to satisfy her cravings.
Back when she was at the Wen family, the tea sent to Hengwu Courtyard was of the ordinary variety, and the milk tea brewed from it never tasted quite right.
After tasting a small bowl of the milk tea Hongxing had brewed as a test, Wen Ye waved her hand and instructed her to brew two more pots so that everyone could have a share.
By now, the servants in the west courtyard were well aware of their second mistress's creative ideas when it came to ingredients, often producing flavors that were anything but ordinary.
Upon hearing that they too could taste the milk tea, they eagerly gathered in the courtyard, waiting with anticipation.
Among them were Xu Jingrong and Xu Jinglin, who had quietly sneaked over to the west courtyard once again.
This time, however, Xu Jingrong had learned his lesson and brought Xu Yuxuan along.
This way, Madam Lu couldn't say much about it.
The two brothers had come for two days in a row, so apart from missing out on the crispy roasted duck, they had tasted both the sour and spicy rice noodles and the hot pot.
Although each of them only got half a bowl, Xu Jingrong was satisfied.
Even the simplest stir-fries and stews in Second Aunt's west courtyard were more to their liking than those made in their own east courtyard.
Now, the two brothers sat side by side in the courtyard, warming themselves by the fire, their eyes occasionally darting toward the small kitchen, eagerly awaiting the freshly brewed milk tea.
Xu Jingrong wished he could just move into the west courtyard; the food here was simply too delicious.
He couldn't help but feel a little envious of Xu Yuxuan, who would be returning to live in the west courtyard next spring.
Although Second Aunt had sent him two boxes of obscure and difficult-to-understand books, Xu Jingrong felt that someone who could come up with such delicious dishes and was willing to share them with him and Jinglin couldn't possibly be a bad Second Aunt.
Second Aunt was also good to Xu Yuxuan. Every time she made something delicious, she would share a bite with him, carefully mindful of his small appetite and never giving him more than a couple of mouthfuls at a time.
No matter how much Xu Yuxuan whined or begged afterward, Second Aunt remained unmoved.
However, Xu Jingrong felt that Second Aunt must have been reluctant deep down. To avoid giving in to her soft heart, she could only keep her head down and focus on her own meal.
Second Aunt had sacrificed so much; she was not only a good Second Aunt to him and Jinglin but also a good "mother" to Xu Yuxuan.
Just as the word "mother" was about to burst forth from Xu Jingrong's heart, Wen Ye hurled a snowball at Xu Yuxuan, who was standing a few steps away.
With a soft thud, Xu Yuxuan toppled backward into the snow, his short limbs flailing in the air.
Wen Ye stood nearby, hands on her hips, laughing heartily without a care.
Seeing this, Xu Jingrong swallowed hard, and the certainty in his heart turned into "perhaps," "maybe," "probably"...
As the New Year approached, Madam Lu grew busier.
Wen Ye, on the other hand, had already handed over the account books to Liuya and Liuxin to calculate. With no children to look after, she was free and at leisure, with nothing to do.
Every day, she either tinkered with drinks or experimented with food, and as a result, she always gained a few pounds during the winter.
In the blink of an eye, it was the first day of the month again, and Wen Ye accompanied Xu Yuejia to the main courtyard for breakfast.
Madam Lu had been so busy these past few days that she had lost weight, and today she finally had a chance to catch her breath and rest for half a day. Unfortunately, seeing Wen Ye's slightly rounder face made her heart twinge again.
Wen Ye naturally noticed the difference in Madam Lu's gaze, but she couldn't keep up the act forever. Sooner or later, her true nature would be revealed to Madam Lu.
Madam Lu was only her sister-in-law, at best a half-elder, and Wen Ye had anticipated the worst-case scenario after her true nature was exposed: being confined to her quarters and forbidden from seeing Xu Yuxuan. Ironically, these were things she secretly wished for, so it wouldn't affect her much.
Originally, she had planned to peel away her layers of disguise gradually, like a gentle rain moistening the soil, but now she had ended up tearing off half at once.
Still, there were benefits to this approach—it saved her a lot of effort, didn't it?
During breakfast, Wen Ye unusually opted for plain porridge, not even touching her favorite pickled cucumbers.
After days of indulging in barbecues, hot pots, and milk tea, she had developed some internal heat, with a few blisters in her mouth. She decided to stick to a light diet for a few days.
However, after getting tired of rich foods, switching to something plain and simple felt quite refreshing, with a subtle sweetness to it.
Madam Lu watched as Wen Ye savored the plain porridge with such relish, and a faint sense of discontent stirred within her. Thus, she spoke up: "The New Year is less than a month away, and the affairs of the household are becoming increasingly hectic. It's quite difficult for me to manage alone.
Why don't you join me in the coming days, Second Sister-in-law? This way, you can observe, listen, and learn more. The Duke's household has many relatives and in-laws, and since you and Second Brother are newly married, this is a good opportunity to familiarize yourself with everyone. That way, when you go out for social visits in the future, you won't lose face or breach etiquette."
Wen Ye: "..."
Indeed, one shouldn't get too carried away. Her newly gained two pounds of weight had made her too conspicuous.
The number of faces she needed to remember was at least in the hundreds.
Wen Ye's mood instantly soured, and she put down her spoon, suddenly finding her meal tasteless.
Seeing this, Madam Lu felt a sense of satisfaction, and her own appetite improved.
Xu Yuejia also noticed Wen Ye's action, his gaze flickering toward her slightly rounder cheek. A thought suddenly crossed his mind—the servant who stood guard outside his study seemed to have gained some weight as well.
In fact, aside from him, everyone in the west courtyard, from top to bottom, had put on a little extra weight.
In the evening, Wen Ye lay on the inner side of the bed, holding a book in her hands, her brow furrowed in deep thought.
Xu Yuejia emerged from the bathroom after washing up and saw this scene.
He approached, lifted a corner of the blanket, and sat down on the outer side of the bed, asking, "What's troubling you?"
Wen Ye's eyes remained fixed on the pages of the book as she replied leisurely, "Your family has too many relatives."
In truth, before dinner, Madam Lu had informed her that in five days, there would be a celebration for the first grandson of the Marquis of Changnan's family, and the invitation had arrived at the Duke's residence that morning. There were two invitations, so Wen Ye had to attend.
But it was also true that the Xu family had too many relatives.
Xu Yuejia paused for a moment before saying, "It's your family too."
Wen Ye didn't bother arguing with him about this. Finally, she looked up from the book and turned to him, saying, "Since this is so boring, why don't we do something else?"
Xu Yuejia glanced at the book in her hand, his expression momentarily unreadable, before he countered, "Had enough of reading novels?"
"This isn't a novel," Wen Ye said seriously, showing him the book. "It's the 'Scripture of Serenity.' I've been studying it recently."
For once, she wasn't reading a novel, and she wanted to make sure he saw it clearly.
When Xu Yuejia wasn't busy, he would still stay in the west courtyard to avoid rumors of discord between them.
However, most of the time, Wen Ye and he each had their own blanket, sleeping as peacefully as if separated by a clear boundary.
As long as Wen Ye didn't take the initiative, Xu Yuejia wouldn't overstep even a little.
Every time, he could calmly fall asleep by the hour of Hai (9-11 PM).
Wen Ye was extremely satisfied with this arrangement.
Nowadays, Wen Ye rarely hid much from Xu Yuejia. Even though they were a couple with little affection, as long as they still saw each other, they could more quickly and easily notice changes in one another.
Thus, Xu Yuejia had often seen Wen Ye engrossed in a novel with a crude cover while lying in bed.
As for the "Scripture of Serenity"...
This wasn't the first time he had seen it...
And so, Xu Yuejia's hand moved, slowly resting on her waist.
Just as he was about to lean in, Wen Ye hastily dodged to the side. Today wasn't a safe day for her. "Have you been feeling a bit overheated lately, my lord?"
Was he looking for her to "cool him down"?
Xu Yuejia's movements froze. His eyes fell on the "Scripture of Serenity" in Wen Ye's hands, and after a long pause, he silently withdrew his hand and said, "Weren't you hinting at me?"
The last time she had sent someone to his study with those "coded messages," he had returned to their room that night to find this very scripture placed by her bedside.
"When did I hint—" Wen Ye began, but halfway through her sentence, she followed his gaze and looked down. Immediately, she explained, "I've been eating too much grilled food lately, so I'm reading the Scripture of Serenity to clear my internal heat and calm my mind."
"My lord, why does your mind always go to that?" Wen Ye turned the tables on him. "I think you need to study a few scriptures yourself."
With that, she tossed the boring scripture to him and pulled out a deck of cards from who-knows-where, saying with a serious air, "When I said 'do something else,' I meant this."
"My lord, let's pass the time," Wen Ye added earnestly. "I'll teach you how to play 'Go Fish.' It's a great way to cool down."
Xu Yuejia: "..."
