Xu Yuejia recited a line, and Xu Yuxuan took a step back, his little face filled with resistance.
Noticing his reaction, Xu Yuejia stopped and asked, “Don’t you like this one?”
Xu Yuxuan shook his head.
Xu Yuejia closed the book and said, “Then, which one would you like to read instead?”
Father isn’t fun! He missed his mother.
Xu Yuxuan decisively reached out his little hand to Nanny Ji: “Nanny Ji, let’s go back.”
Nanny Ji: “…”
The Eldest Aunt and her daughter-in-law arrived at the Duke Xu’s mansion by the end of the hour of Wei, looking travel-worn and covered in frost, appearing rather disheveled.
The weather had been particularly unpredictable, with snow falling intermittently, and they had narrowly avoided an avalanche earlier. It wasn’t until they entered the Duke Xu’s mansion that their hearts finally settled.
Madam Lu, upon seeing them, changed her plans and immediately led them to the courtyard that had been prepared in advance.
It would be fine to meet the others at the main courtyard later during dinner.
Madam Lu hadn’t seen the Eldest Aunt often, only remembering her as a generous and easygoing person.
Back then, the political situation in Sheng Jing was unstable, and the Eldest Aunt, fearing it might affect her son’s studies, moved the family back to her husband’s ancestral home. They returned to the capital only after her son passed the imperial examination. After her son secured a position as a county magistrate under the jurisdiction of Ling City, they followed him there for his official posting.
He had been a magistrate for several years now.
Counting carefully, Madam Lu hadn’t seen the Eldest Aunt in five or six years.
As they walked, Madam Lu explained in detail to the Eldest Aunt: “I’ve prepared hot water and bath supplies for you. You and Hui Niang can freshen up, have something warm to eat, and rest for half an hour. We’ll gather as a family tonight.”
Hui Niang was the Eldest Aunt’s daughter-in-law, surnamed Yao, the daughter of the prefect of Ling City.
The Eldest Aunt, with her spirited demeanor, was a straightforward person. She said, “We’ll follow your arrangements. Hui Niang and I are indeed exhausted.”
The courtyard was the one the Eldest Aunt had lived in before her marriage, though Madam Lu had made some additions to it over the years.
The heated kang in the warm room was already warm. After the group settled in, maidservants entered one after another, serving hot tea and food.
Madam Lu sat nearby to accompany them.
The Eldest Aunt unceremoniously drank several cups of hot tea. Only after her body had thoroughly warmed up did she pick up a spoon to eat the steaming wontons.
To reach the capital quickly, they had even skipped boiling water along the way, enduring the cold.
After eating a few wontons, the Eldest Aunt noticed her daughter-in-law, Lady Yao, eating slowly and cautiously. She frowned and said, “Your cousin-in-law isn’t going to bite. No need to be nervous. And aren’t you usually fond of spicy food?”
She glanced at the bowl of chili on the table and added, “Have some chili to drive away the cold.”
She had specifically asked her niece-in-law to add the chili.
Lady Yao’s face turned bright red. She quickly tugged at her mother-in-law’s sleeve under the table and whispered, “Mother, please don’t say anymore…”
She was just trying to act ladylike and dignified, as it was her first time in the capital and staying at her mother-in-law’s family home. She didn’t want to embarrass her mother-in-law, her husband, or the Yao family.
Madam Lu, seeing the close relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, smiled and said, “No need to be reserved. Treat this as your own home.”
With Wen Ye’s example in mind, Madam Lu didn’t find it strange at all that the Eldest Aunt ate two or three wontons in one bite.
Nor did she find it odd to add chili to the wonton soup.
Only after seeing that Madam Lu wasn’t being insincere did Lady Yao finally add a bit of chili flakes to her wontons.
The chicken soup wontons were delicious on their own, but Lady Yao, who loved spicy food, enjoyed adding chili or a spoonful of chili sauce to everything.
After the Eldest Aunt had eaten her fill, she asked a maid to serve her a separate bowl of wonton soup. She sipped it slowly while chatting with Madam Lu: “Didn’t you say that Zi Tan has remarried? Why haven’t I seen his new wife?”
Madam Lu explained, “She went to inspect the estate outside the city this morning on my behalf. I thought she’d finish the inspection, rest for the night, and return in time to meet you and Hui Niang when you arrived.”
The Eldest Aunt didn’t mind this. “There’s always time to meet later. I don’t think this snow will stop today. You should send someone to tell her not to rush back today.”
She was still shaken by the avalanche they had encountered earlier in the day, which had reportedly buried several passing carriages.
Madam Lu had the same thought. Before the hour of Wei, the snow had been falling intermittently, but now it was coming down in heavy flakes.
The roads outside the city were difficult to navigate, so it would be better to wait until the snow stopped tomorrow before returning from the estate.
“Aunt, don’t worry. I’ve already sent someone,” Madam Lu replied. “It’s just that sister-in-law will have to endure a night at the estate.”
The Eldest Aunt asked again, “How do you get along with Zi Tan’s new wife?”
Having been away from Sheng Jing for several years, the Eldest Aunt found that many of the noble families she was familiar with had declined.
She didn’t recognize any of the newly prominent families that had risen in recent years. She had a vague impression of the Wen family, as the head of the Wen family hadn’t held a high-ranking position back then, but with the family’s accumulated prestige, it was only a matter of time before they rose.
However, the Eldest Aunt didn’t care much about social status. As long as the children were happy, that was enough.
“She’s a good person and treats Xuan’er well,” Madam Lu said objectively. “She’s just a bit lazy.”
The Eldest Aunt cut to the chase: “That’s because you’re here. The Duke Xu’s mansion hasn’t been divided, and with you, a capable sister-in-law, managing everything so well, there’s no need for her to do much.”
After all these years, she still remembered the type of incense the Eldest Aunt liked.
Before arriving at the Duke Xu’s mansion, the Eldest Aunt had been somewhat anxious. With her brother and sister-in-law no longer in the mansion, her understanding of Madam Lu, her niece-in-law, was still based on memories from years ago. During the years she had spent away from the capital with her son, her connections with the capital had dwindled, limited mainly to the Duke Xu’s mansion and the Changnan Marquis Mansion.
But now, seeing Madam Lu, she felt reassured. The Duke Xu’s mansion was still the one she remembered.
The Eldest Aunt added, “Don’t overthink it. Perhaps your sister-in-law enjoys a life where she doesn’t have to worry about anything.”
For example, like herself, who handed over all household affairs to her daughter-in-law just two months after her arrival.
Even though it was a small household, she couldn’t be bothered to manage it.
Recalling some of the things that had happened since Lady Wen married into the family, Madam Lu couldn’t help but smile. “Aunt, you’ve hit the nail on the head.”
The Eldest Aunt raised an eyebrow. “Hearing you say that makes me want to meet her sooner.”
After the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had freshened up and gone to rest, Madam Lu left.
Returning to the main courtyard, Madam Lu wasn’t idle. Dinner would be served in the main courtyard that evening, so preparations had to begin now.
The Eldest Aunt and her daughter-in-law Lady Yao’s preferences had to be added to the menu, and their dietary restrictions had to be carefully avoided.
After issuing a series of instructions, Madam Lu finally had a moment to sit down and rest.
Looking out at the heavy snow in the courtyard, she couldn’t help but express her concerns to Nanny Xi: “If I had known the snow would be this heavy, I wouldn’t have sent Lady Wen to inspect the estate today.”
Madam Lu now regretted her decision. Spending the night at the estate in such cold weather would be miserable.
Nanny Xi comforted her: “Don’t worry, Madam. The accommodations at the estate may not be as comfortable as those in the mansion, but they’re clean and tidy. Lady Wen will only have to endure one night. Once the snow stops tomorrow, she can return.”
Madam Lu sighed. “That’s the only option now.”
“Oh,” Madam Lu suddenly remembered something and added, “Go and find that pure white fox fur cloak from my storeroom. When Lady Wen returns, have Qingxue deliver it to her.”
After all, Lady Wen being stranded at the estate was partly due to Madam Lu pretending to be ill.
She deserved some compensation.
But was a fox fur cloak enough?
Madam Lu added, “Take ten thousand taels from the profits of the shops under Zi Tan’s name, and I’ll add another two thousand taels from my private funds. Send them along with the fox fur cloak.”
She had almost forgotten. The New Year was approaching, and the Duke Xu’s mansion had many relatives. The gifts exchanged between families had already been listed, and the preparations were underway.
But there might still be some minor oversights that weren’t immediately apparent.
They couldn’t let Wen Ye use her dowry to cover these expenses.
Madam Lu didn’t know that Wen Ye had already received several boxes of gold and silver leaves from Xu Yuejia. She thought Wen Ye only had the thousand taels of silver she had sent as a gift earlier.
A thousand taels wouldn’t go far.
Nanny Xi replied, “Understood, I’ve noted everything down.”
Meanwhile, Wen Ye, whom Madam Lu thought was suffering at the estate, had just returned from inspecting two other estates.
She had indeed suffered a bit—she had eaten too much of the stewed lunch and felt like crying from being overly full.
After inspecting two estates in a row, it was already dark by the time she finished. When it was time for dinner, Wen Ye could only watch as her two maidservants ate in front of her.
She was miserable.
The evening meal was simple, consisting of leftover chicken from lunch stewed with potatoes and wide, hand-rolled noodles made by the manor's cook. The slightly yellow noodles were chewy and satisfying.
Wen Ye took a few bites but still felt unsatisfied.
The snow outside grew heavier, blanketing the ground in a thick layer of white, making it nearly impossible to travel. Wen Ye sipped a cup of wine and said to Tao Zhi, "Don't wake me up tomorrow morning. I want to sleep in."
Tao Zhi replied, "Madam, please drink less."
Wen Ye brushed it off, "It's just one cup. I'm being very restrained."
She had a high tolerance for alcohol.
At that moment, Yun Zhi entered from outside. The manor had fewer rules, so both she and Tao Zhi would be staying with Wen Ye that night, as there were two heated beds in the room.
Wen Ye asked, "Have the others been settled?"
Yun Zhi replied, "Everyone has been taken care of."
Wen Ye nodded and said, "Come over and warm yourself."
They had come to inspect the manor, and it wasn’t just the three of them and a coachman. Besides her personal maids and servants, there were also a dozen guards from Duke Xu's mansion provided by Madam Lu.
Yun Zhi approached and added, "There’s one more thing. A messenger from Duke Xu's mansion came to inform us that the Eldest Aunt has returned to the capital today."
The messenger, a runner from the main courtyard, had ridden through the snow and was frozen stiff. Yun Zhi had arranged for Old Qiu to prepare dry clothes, hot soup, and food for him. After eating, he rested.
"The Eldest Aunt?" Wen Ye recalled that it was Xu Yuejia’s eldest aunt, who had accompanied her son to his post outside the capital.
She vaguely remembered Madam Lu mentioning that Xu Yuejia’s aunt would return to the capital for the New Year, but she hadn’t expected it to coincide with her own trip to the manor.
Yun Zhi said, "It seems Madam won’t be able to stay at the manor for a few days as planned."
Wen Ye felt a little disappointed, but it didn’t matter. She wasn’t only living for this year.
The manor wasn’t going anywhere.
"Then we’ll return after noon tomorrow," Wen Ye decided.
After all, she was determined to have that stewed goose.
*
Meanwhile, dinner at Duke Xu's mansion was also ready. Madam Lu instructed Qingxue to fetch the Eldest Aunt and Lady Yao to join them.
Xu Yuxuan leaned against Madam Lu, staring at Xu Yuejia, who sat upright not far away. Whenever Xu Yuejia glanced at him, Xu Yuxuan immediately buried himself back into Madam Lu’s arms.
Nanny Ji hadn’t mentioned anything about what had happened after lunch in the west courtyard, so Madam Lu was unaware. She assumed Xu Yuxuan was simply shy around his father, whom he hadn’t seen in a while.
Madam Lu chuckled at the child’s efforts to hide in her arms, "Yuxuan, don’t you recognize your father?"
Xu Yuxuan pouted, wanting to speak but not daring to.
Duke Xu, seeing the boy’s lively expression for the first time, also smiled and said, "Don’t be afraid. Your father won’t do anything to you."
Xu Yuxuan opened his puppy-like eyes and slowly said, "Father, no play, swing."
Duke Xu, who had been waiting for a response, was baffled. "What? I don’t understand."
It was normal for Xu Yuejia not to play on swings. If he did, it would be shocking.
Madam Lu, however, guessed what he meant. "Do you want your father to push you on the swing?"
She assumed that Wen Ye had taken him on the swing yesterday, and he hadn’t had enough. Today, when he went to the west courtyard and couldn’t find her, he had turned to Xu Yuejia instead, only to be disappointed.
But Xu Yuxuan shook his head at Madam Lu’s words. "Yuxuan doesn’t want to anymore."
He couldn’t understand his father’s words.
Now even Madam Lu was confused. She turned to Xu Yuejia and asked, "What happened between you and Yuxuan?"
Xu Yuejia replied calmly, "Nothing much. I just taught him a few principles about standing upright."
Madam Lu was speechless. "He’s so young. What could he possibly understand?"
It was as if the biological father acted like a stepfather, while the stepmother acted like the real mother. What a strange situation.
Duke Xu also disapprovingly looked at Xu Yuejia. "Even Jingrong can’t understand those things, yet you’re teaching them to Yuxuan. No wonder he’s not close to you anymore."
Just as Xu Jingrong entered the room and overheard this, he thought to himself, "Father really knows me well."
Shortly after, Qingxue arrived with the Eldest Aunt and Lady Yao.
Duke Xu and Xu Yuejia both stood up to greet the Eldest Aunt. "Aunt."
Xu Jingrong and Xu Jinglin also paid their respects as juniors.
Xu Yuxuan was a bit slower, following his brothers’ lead before mumbling, "Grand Aunt."
The Eldest Aunt was amused by his adorable clumsiness and joked, "Yuxuan looks a bit like Xu Yuejia, but his personality is nothing like him."
Her nephew had always been expressionless, rigid, and boring.
Madam Lu added, "Yuxuan has been raised by me, and Jingrong often comes to play with him. Over time, it’s only natural that he doesn’t resemble Xu Yuejia."
Hearing this, Xu Jingrong wanted to protest but was silenced by a look from Madam Lu.
Xu Jingrong thought to himself, "So I’m the one to blame?"
In his opinion, Xu Yuxuan was more like Xu Jinglin—both little foodies.
Once everyone was seated, Madam Lu had the servants serve the meal.
Xu Yuxuan was seated next to Madam Lu, with Nanny Ji helping him into his chair.
He looked around but didn’t see the person he was searching for. Anxiously, he asked, "Mother, not here?"
Madam Lu gently explained, "The snow outside is too heavy, and the roads are difficult to travel. Your mother will have to stay at the manor for the night and return tomorrow."
Xu Yuxuan looked up and asked, "How long?"
Madam Lu thought for a moment and chose a way he could understand. "You’ll see her when you wake up tomorrow."
Xu Yuxuan hung his head, nodding listlessly.
The Eldest Aunt watched this scene with curiosity. She was even more intrigued by this second daughter-in-law she had never met.
+
The next morning, after breakfast, Xu Yuxuan urged Nanny Ji to take him to the west courtyard.
They arrived just after seven in the morning.
In the freezing snow, whether Xu Yuxuan wanted to walk or not, Nanny Ji wouldn’t let him this time.
Liuya led them into the main hall and said, "The master is in the west study. Would the young master like to go there?"
Xu Yuxuan shook his head and, after landing on the ground, rushed straight to the inner room. He searched everywhere before finally asking Liuya, "Mother?"
Liuya hesitated. "The second madam hasn’t returned yet."
Xu Yuxuan understood—his mother wasn’t back.
Liuya quickly added, "Even though the second madam isn’t here, the master is. Young master."
Xu Yuxuan pouted and slowly made his way to the west study.
Behind the desk, Xu Yuejia was grinding ink.
Xu Yuxuan climbed onto the soft couch and covered himself with the blanket his mother usually used.
Then came the familiar staring contest.
But this time, Xu Yuxuan didn’t want to play on the swing.
Instead, he asked, "Where?"
Xu Yuejia put down the ink stick and, without looking up, replied, "At the manor."
Xu Yuxuan tilted his head. "Come back?"
Xu Yuejia estimated, "Two hours."
Nanny Ji and Liuya, standing nearby, exchanged confused glances.
What were the father and son talking about?
Xu Yuxuan seemed to understand. He slowly curled up under the blanket, leaving only his head exposed, and waited.
Two hours later, at the manor.
Wen Ye was chasing a goose.
The snow had stopped, but after a full day and night, the ground was covered in a thick layer, making every step sink deeply.
The goose struggled to run through the snow, and so did Wen Ye.
Yun Zhi and Tao Zhi tried to help corner it, but they ended up in a mess.
Tao Zhi said, "Madam, can’t we just choose a different goose to stew?"
Wen Ye refused. "I want this one. It bit me."
Meanwhile, after waiting for two hours and still not seeing his mother return, Xu Yuxuan accused Xu Yuejia, "Father lied!"
Xu Yuejia: "..."
Xu Yuxuan eventually couldn’t stay awake and fell asleep on the soft couch.
Xu Yuejia carried him to bed.
The west courtyard was empty, with only the father and son inside.
Far away at the manor, Wen Ye finally caught the goose and even joined the manor children in a snowball fight.
She had changed into a maid’s outfit to chase the goose, so the children didn’t recognize her, and they all played joyfully.
After half an hour of lively fun, Wen Ye finally got to eat the stewed goose she had been craving.
She was completely satisfied.
