Wen Ye laughed for a while, noticing Xu Yuxuan’s slightly aggrieved expression, and had Jinju bring over a plate of sweetened plums.
The plums had been pitted, and Wen Ye handed one to Xu Yuxuan in each hand, saying, "Eat up."
She hoped this brief moment of joy would soothe his fleeting sorrow.
Wen Ye then asked Yun Zhi to put away the stack of books Wen Ran had brought out earlier.
It was best not to keep stimulating the child like this.
Seeing the books being taken away, Xu Yuxuan thought it no longer concerned him. He subtly slumped his little shoulders, thinking no one noticed, and began eating the plums in his hands without a care.
This scene caught the eye of Concubine Chang, who remarked to Wen Ye, "Xu Yuxuan looks so well-behaved."
Wen Ye replied, "He’s just a little kid who doesn’t understand anything."
Concubine Chang disagreed. As the saying goes, "You can tell a person’s future from the age of three." Although Xu Yuxuan wasn’t yet three, many principles still applied.
"He’s willing to be close to you, so you should treat him sincerely," Concubine Chang advised earnestly. "No matter what happens in the future, at least for now, he sees you as his mother."
Wen Ye didn’t respond.
She felt that Xu Yuxuan saw her more as a playmate.
Seeing her silence, Concubine Chang spoke again with heartfelt concern, "When you have your own child in the future, it’s inevitable that you might favor them, but you must never forget Xu Yuxuan."
Wen Ye understood that Concubine Chang’s words weren’t out of deep affection for Xu Yuxuan but rather to ensure Wen Ye’s well-being in the Duke’s mansion.
As the saying goes, "Parents plan for their children’s future out of love."
Wen Ye understood this fully and replied, "I’ll remember, Concubine Chang."
Concubine Chang didn’t expect Wen Ye to treat her stepson as her own. After all, everyone has their biases. Even among one’s own children, there are bound to be differences.
But a good life requires effort. Even without deep affection, a good attitude was essential.
Hearing Wen Ye’s response, Concubine Chang smiled happily and then turned her gaze to Xu Yuxuan, mentally noting his size so she could make him a spring outfit with good fabric later.
It wouldn’t be appropriate for the Duke’s young master to wear clothes made by a concubine, but with Madam Shen’s help, she could send them under her name.
Concubine Chang never considered the possibility that Madam Shen might refuse. In her heart, Madam Shen was the best mistress.
She didn’t know how concubines in other households lived, but she knew she had lived well for over twenty years.
In Concubine Chang’s heart, Madam Shen held far more importance than Wen Ye’s father.
Wen Ran, hearing the conversation between her sister and Concubine Chang, also began to ponder. Her gaze fell on Xu Yuxuan, who was focused on eating his plums.
If her sister was going to treat him as her own son, then she would treat him as her nephew.
Wen Ran thought to herself that from now on, she would keep all her annotated books after each class and no longer lend them to Cheng’er’s cousin.
Every time he returned the books, they were always torn and dirty.
Wen Ran didn’t like Cheng’er’s cousin. Now that she had a nephew, those books would be saved for him.
After finishing two plums, Xu Yuxuan suddenly felt a weight on his shoulders.
Wen Ran, seeing he was done, thoughtfully took out a handkerchief to wipe the sugar residue from his hands.
With someone helping him clean up, Xu Yuxuan gave Wen Ran a smile, revealing a neat row of tiny teeth.
Seeing her nephew smile at her, Wen Ran’s heart softened.
It seemed sweets really could heal, Wen Ye thought, seeing Xu Yuxuan’s carefree expression as if he had already forgotten about the stack of books.
After lunch at Wen Mansion, it was time to leave.
Before departing, Wen Ye touched Madam Liu’s belly and asked, "Is it about four more months before it arrives?"
Madam Liu replied with a tender smile, "Yes, ever since I felt it move, its kicks have been strong."
Wen Ye calculated the time in her mind and said, "It’s really coming soon."
Madam Liu, thinking Wen Ye might be envious, quickly added, "It’s not that fast. It’s been almost a year since I entered the household."
Counting the days, Wen Ye had been married into the Duke’s mansion for three months now.
Madam Liu worried that Wen Ye might become anxious about not having a child yet. After all, having children was a matter of fate, just like how her mother had waited five years after her eldest brother before having her second brother.
Wen Ye didn’t realize Madam Liu’s misunderstanding. She was thinking that once Madam Liu gave birth, she couldn’t miss the third-day, full-month, or hundred-day celebrations.
These were opportunities to see Concubine Chang and her younger sister.
On the way back to the Duke’s mansion, Wen Ye opened a box of novels her younger sister had gifted her, right in front of Xu Yuejia.
This time, no one had given her a reading list, so the box was filled mostly with supernatural tales.
But they weren’t randomly chosen. Wen Ye picked one up and skimmed through a few pages—it was exactly her type.
Wen Ye sighed, "Only a sister could be so thoughtful."
"Auntie?" Xu Yuxuan suddenly blurted out the word.
Wen Ye was surprised. "You’ve already learned to say ‘auntie’?"
After a moment, she patted his little head and said, "You’re so clever. Next time, I’ll have your aunt save more books for you."
Xu Yuxuan shook his head vigorously in refusal.
"No!"
At his age, Xu Yuxuan couldn’t understand the true meaning of these "books." He simply felt an instinctive aversion to them.
Wen Ye thought it was like certain natural enemies in the food chain from biology class.
She glanced at Xu Yuejia.
The son of a top scholar disliking books—it truly proved the saying, "The family’s luck can’t last forever."
"Do you like these too?"
Xu Yuejia, noticing her gaze, glanced at the box of books and recognized a few familiar titles, prompting him to ask.
Wen Ye found his tone a bit odd. "What do you mean, husband?"
Xu Yuejia averted his eyes. "I’ve read a few of these."
Wen Ye was skeptical. "Really?"
He didn’t strike her as the type to read supernatural tales.
Xu Yuejia explained, "They’re on the bookshelf. I’ve annotated the ones I’ve read. You can take a look anytime."
Annotating supernatural novels? Wen Ye couldn’t understand. It reminded her of those "write a reflection after a trip" or "write a movie review" assignments from her past life.
But she still replied, "Alright, husband."
Hearing the insincerity in her tone, Xu Yuejia: "…"
On the third day of the new year, relatives from the Duke’s mansion gathered together.
There were familiar faces like the Xu family from Changnan Marquis Mansion and a few elders Wen Ye had only briefly met during the tea ceremony, as well as many juniors she had never seen before.
Xu Yuxuan’s maternal grandparents were no longer alive.
Xu Yuejia’s grandfather had two sons and two daughters from his official wife, as well as several children from concubines, four of whom were in the capital.
Xu Yuejia’s father and his fourth uncle had passed away, leaving only Aunt Xu and Great Aunt Xu as close relatives.
The relationships with his uncles and aunts from concubines varied, as Madam Lu had explained to her before.
Although the elders of the Duke’s mansion had been gone for many years, none of these relatives had ever missed a gathering, all eager to maintain good relations with the Duke’s family.
Madam Lu introduced Wen Ye to two of her closer aunts, while the others didn’t need introductions—they would approach on their own.
Madam Lu said, "This is your fifth aunt and seventh aunt."
Wen Ye bowed respectfully to them. Lady Yu, the seventh aunt, said gently, "No need for formalities. We’re all family."
Lady Guo, the fifth aunt, was more straightforward. "Your seventh aunt is right. We don’t stand on ceremony in this family."
Wen Ye remembered Madam Lu mentioning that, aside from the fourth uncle, the Old Duke had been closest to the fifth uncle, likely because they were both military men.
Lady Guo came from a modest background—she was the daughter of a minor official the fifth uncle had met while stationed at the border.
As for Lady Yu, who seemed gentle and amiable, she had been one of Madam Lu’s close friends before marriage.
Such was the way of this era—brothers could be seven or even twenty years apart in age.
The late Old Duke had been twenty-one years older than his youngest brother.
Xu Yuejia’s seventh uncle was only three years older than his eldest nephew, the current Duke.
Lady Yu had poor health, and the doctors said it would be difficult for her to conceive. After years of marriage, she had only one daughter, whose birth nearly cost her her life. Later, she adopted a son from a concubine whose mother had passed away.
Lady Guo, on the other hand, had many children—six in total, all born to her, as the fifth uncle had no concubines.
However, the fifth uncle of the Xu family married relatively late, and his eldest child is only fourteen years old.
Wen Ye had already met them earlier—they were all bright-eyed young boys and girls.
It was truly heartwarming.
No wonder, among the elders, apart from her two paternal aunts, Madam Lu only got along well with Lady Yu and Lady Guo.
After meeting all the elders, there was still some time before lunch, so Wen Ye found a quiet corner to relax and have some tea.
Although most of them were easy to get along with, there were simply too many people.
Tao Zhi brought a plate of pastries from the kitchen and said, "Madam, have a little something to tide you over. You’ve been talking a lot just now."
Wen Ye took a bite of the pastry and said, "Thankfully, this only happens once a year."
After swallowing the pastry and taking a sip of floral tea, Wen Ye squinted slightly, watching Madam Lu, who was handling everything with ease but still couldn’t find a way to slip away.
Suddenly, Wen Ye didn’t feel as tired anymore.
Indeed, some joys can only be felt through comparison.
*In the evening, at the West Courtyard.
The long day of festivities finally came to an end.
Wen Ye had dinner served, and after eating, she sighed to Xu Yuejia, "Over the years, sister-in-law has really had it tough."
Xu Yuejia took a sip of tea and said calmly, "You could choose to help share the burden."
Hearing this, Wen Ye immediately straightened up and said, "Actually, I think sister-in-law still has some energy left. I have faith in her."
She was good at expressing sympathy with words, but when it came to taking action, she’d rather not.
However, most of the elders who came during the day were women. Wen Ye couldn’t help but wonder—perhaps she was overthinking—but it seemed like the men in the Duke’s household didn’t live very long.
She couldn’t help but make a somewhat uncharitable calculation in her mind. The Old Duke had passed away nearly ten years ago, and if he were alive today, he would only be in his early fifties.
Xu Yuejia’s second uncle, fourth uncle, and sixth uncle had all passed away in their prime.
Among the surviving uncles, the seventh uncle, like his wife, was not in the best of health. The third uncle, who lived in their hometown, was also in poor condition. Only the fifth uncle, who was in the capital, and the eighth uncle, who was serving as an official in a remote post, were still holding up well.
But these two were still relatively young.
Though this sudden thought was dangerous and rather inappropriate, Wen Ye couldn’t help but glance at Xu Yuejia.
A deep, almost worried expression appeared on her face.
Xu Yuejia wasn’t surprised that Wen Ye refused to help.
But what did this sudden change in her expression mean?
He understood the "worry" in her gaze, but it seemed there was something more to it.
As for what lay deeper, Xu Yuejia instinctively—and somewhat inexplicably—didn’t want to know.
