Wen Ye had no idea that her seemingly filial gesture had nearly caused Madam Lu to lose her appetite.
She continued to deliver nourishing meals to Madam Lu every day and even shared meals with her.
After more than half a month of such care, Madam Lu’s complexion had visibly improved—her cheeks were rosy and radiant, and the clothes she had made before the New Year now felt a bit snug.
As for Wen Ye, after eating these nourishing meals for so many days, she had finally returned to her pre-New Year figure.
The same meals had completely different effects on the two women.
Fortunately, both were satisfied with their respective results.
Madam Lu, who had previously eaten very lightly and sparingly, found Wen Ye’s meals not only appetizing but also satisfying, especially since they were neither greasy nor spicy.
In contrast, Wen Ye, who used to indulge in fried snacks or braised pork knuckles every few days, had adopted a more disciplined and lighter diet, which naturally led to her slimming down over time.
However, Madam Lu didn’t see it that way.
Looking at Wen Ye, who seemed to be “losing weight” due to her efforts in researching nourishing meals, Madam Lu felt deeply moved. As the matriarch of the Duke’s household, she had always accepted that hardship was inevitable.
Because it was inevitable, she had always taken it for granted, and even Madam Lu herself had once thought the same way.
Wen Ye didn’t know why Madam Lu had summoned her today. The nourishing meals had stopped the day before, and she had already handed over the meal plans she had developed with the help of a physician to the main kitchen and the chefs of the Duke’s household.
Once she was seated, Madam Lu glanced at Qingxue.
Qingxue curtsied and then brought out a box from inside the room.
Madam Lu then turned to Wen Ye and said, “You’ve been spoiling Xu Yuxuan too much lately. First, it was the golden piggy bank, and then for his birthday, you had a solid gold pig custom-made for him. You must have spent nearly ten thousand taels, right?”
Wen Ye: “…” She spoiled Xu Yuxuan?
Wen Ye really wanted to tell Madam Lu that no one in the entire Duke’s household could rival her in doting on Xu Yuxuan.
As for why she gave him a solid gold pig for his birthday, it was simply because it was convenient. The design was ready-made, and all that was needed was to make it solid instead of hollow.
As for the ten thousand taels, it was essentially “plucked” from Xu Yuejia’s wealth. Since Xu Yuxuan was his son, he would eventually inherit most of Xu Yuejia’s fortune.
In essence, Wen Ye was just using Xu Yuxuan’s future money to buy him a birthday gift.
What a perfect misunderstanding.
Wen Ye glanced at the exceedingly kind Madam Lu. But since the misunderstanding had already taken root, it was best not to try to change it.
She gave Madam Lu a slightly shy smile.
Madam Lu’s smile widened, thinking to herself that despite her cleverness, Wen Ye was still a young woman who had just married and was inexperienced in the ways of the world.
Her nature was kind and considerate, and any occasional lack of composure was simply due to her youth.
Madam Lu had completely forgotten that Wen Ye was only five years younger than her.
At Wen Ye’s age, Madam Lu had already given birth to Xu Jinglin.
Madam Lu had Qingxue hand the box to Yun Zhi, who was standing beside Wen Ye, and then added, “This is the profit from the last quarter of the West Courtyard’s assets. Take it with you.”
From ten thousand taels to a quarter’s profit—wasn’t that a bit of a leap?
Still, Wen Ye pretended to decline, “Sister-in-law, I have enough silver to spend.”
Madam Lu replied, “It’s not too much. You need to learn how to handle such things.”
Madam Lu was thinking that giving her only ten thousand taels at a time would make it difficult for her to manage her expenses. If word got out, people might think that she, the matriarch of the Duke’s household, was mistreating her sister-in-law.
Wen Ye, however, interpreted it differently. Her heart tightened. Had the nourishing meals she had worked so hard on not had any effect? Otherwise, why would Madam Lu be so eager for her to learn how to manage the household?
In Wen Ye’s mind, managing money was synonymous with managing the household.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized that her initial reluctance had now turned into genuine concern. Wen Ye firmly refused, “To be honest, sister-in-law, my husband has already given me plenty of gold and silver leaves, and I haven’t had much chance to use them.”
However, the more Wen Ye refused, the more Madam Lu was convinced of her sincerity.
Madam Lu said, “What I’m giving you is no different from the gold and silver leaves Zitan gave you.”
She wasn’t asking her to manage accounts or keep books.
With her speed at calculating, it would take her two years to go through a year’s worth of the Duke’s household accounts.
Year after year, the accounts would pile up, and even if she were on her way to reincarnation, she’d have to finish balancing the books before being allowed to move on.
Wen Ye finally realized from Madam Lu’s expression that she had misunderstood her intentions.
In that case, should she just accept it?
Seeing that Wen Ye was clearly tempted, Madam Lu was satisfied. To prevent her from overthinking, she added, “The reason I’m only giving you this much is that I’m afraid you might not know how to handle too much silver at once.”
The servants in the West Courtyard had been carefully selected and trained by her, but back then, they had answered to her. Now that the West Courtyard had a mistress, Madam Lu was worried that the servants, seeing Wen Ye’s gentle nature, might start to harbor ill intentions.
Madam Lu concluded, “When you’ve mastered managing accounts, the West Courtyard’s assets will eventually be handed over to you completely.”
Wen Ye chose to ignore Madam Lu’s last statement and happily accepted the box of silver notes.
After taking a sip of tea, Madam Lu suddenly remembered something else she hadn’t mentioned. “In three days, my cousin Xinyan from my maternal family is having her engagement banquet. You’ll accompany me. You missed the Lantern Festival festivities this year because you were busy researching nourishing meals for me. This will be a good chance to make up for it.”
Wen Ye blinked. Truth be told, she hadn’t wanted to go out during the Lantern Festival in the first place. The streets were always crowded, and the sight of so many people reminded her of her past life, when she had taken a rare vacation during the National Day holiday. She had planned a trip, but all she remembered from the destination was the sea of heads moving around.
Since then, Wen Ye had never considered traveling during holidays again.
She didn’t mind going with Madam Lu this time. She couldn’t stay cooped up in the mansion forever; she needed to get out once in a while.
So she asked, “What does Xinyan like? I’d like to prepare a gift.”
Madam Lu replied, “Xinyan has a gentle personality and isn’t particular about such things. Just prepare something appropriate.”
Wen Ye understood: the gift didn’t need to be extravagant, but it shouldn’t be too casual either—something ordinary would do.
Madam Lu rarely spoke to Wen Ye about matters concerning the Ding'an Marquis Manor, but since the engagement banquet was coming up, she decided to share a few things Wen Ye should know.
“Xinyan is the daughter of my third uncle. In my generation, the Lu family has only three girls, each from a different branch. Before the Marquis Manor was divided, I always treated Xinyan like my own sister.”
“The family Xinyan is engaged to is one you know—the second grandson of the Wen Family from the Ministry of Rites. He’s the second brother of your aunt Xu Xiang’s daughter-in-law.”
Wen Ye: “What a coincidence!”
Madam Lu said, “The capital isn’t that big, and marital connections are always intertwined. Besides, when arranging marriages, it’s best to know the family well. That way, there’s always some connection.”
The Wen Family had a good reputation, and Madam Lu was quite satisfied with the match.
After saying so much, Madam Lu still hadn’t mentioned her second cousin, and Wen Ye had a feeling that this second cousin might be difficult to get along with.
Sure enough, after discussing the engagement between the Wen Family and the second branch of the Lu family, Madam Lu finally mentioned, “As for my second cousin, Lu Xinrou, she got engaged before the New Year. At the time, you had just married into the family, and there were several heavy snowfalls, so the roads were bad. I didn’t mention it to you, nor did I take you to the event.”
Wen Ye listened quietly and then cautiously probed, “In that case, I can make up for the engagement gift when I go this time.”
Madam Lu refused, saying, “No need.”
She didn’t explain why, only frowned and added, “When you attend the engagement banquet, you’ll inevitably run into her. Try not to interact with her. You two won’t get along.”
Wen Ye: “…”
Great. They hadn’t even met yet, and they were already incompatible.
Madam Lu didn’t elaborate, and Wen Ye didn’t press for details. But from the way Madam Lu’s brows furrowed when she mentioned “Lu Xinrou,” it was clear that there would be no harmony between them.
Three days later, in the West Courtyard.
Since the Lantern Festival, the court had resumed its duties, and due to the accumulation of cases during the New Year period, as well as the need to finalize the punishment for the case of a nobleman's son killing a commoner before the New Year, Xu Yuejia had been extremely busy.
Originally, the case had been concluded before the New Year, but the Li family had managed to gain the favor of Prince Wen. With the prince's intervention, Jiang Ming, the main culprit who was initially sentenced to execution in autumn, had his punishment delayed. As a result, Xu Yuejia had been leaving early and returning late every day.
Today, although Xu Yuejia woke up a bit later, it was still only around 5 a.m., and the sky outside remained dark.
As usual, he moved quietly, preparing to get out of bed.
Suddenly, a force tugged at the corner of his sleeping robe from behind.
Wen Ye poked her head out from under the quilt, her eyes still half-closed. Seeing the shadowy figure moving silently, she instinctively reached out to grab him.
Perhaps because of last night, her voice was soft and slightly slurred, carrying a hint of intimacy. "Wait for me a moment, my lord."
Wen Ye lifted the quilt, and the cool air seeped into her sleeping robe, quickly waking her up. She sat up, cleared her throat, and said, "Today, I have to accompany Madam Lu to a betrothal banquet, so I need to get up early too."
Xu Yuejia: "..." If you had to get up early, then why...
But now didn’t seem like the right time to recall last night's events. Xu Yuejia glanced at the nearly undone sash of his sleeping robe, his tone laced with a hint of helplessness. "Let go."
"I didn’t mean to," Wen Ye said, releasing her grip belatedly.
She was just sleep-deprived and not fully awake.
Xu Yuejia calmly retied the loose sash of his sleeping robe. As if recalling something, his gaze shifted slightly, and he remarked pointedly, "Although the Ding'an Marquis Manor is prosperous, this sleeping robe of mine has only been worn once. Next time, be gentler."
With that, Xu Yuejia got up and left, not giving Wen Ye a chance to respond.
By the time Wen Ye realized the hidden meaning in his words, he had already gone to the side room to wash up.
Wen Ye: "..."
It was just that she accidentally tore his sleeping robe last night. She hadn’t even complained about his persistently old-fashioned style.
She had already hinted through her actions before, but after that, he still stuck to his usual ways.
So predictable.
*
Early in the morning, Wen Ye accompanied Madam Lu to the Lu family's banquet, while Xu Yuejia also left early for the Ministry of Justice.
By the time Xu Yuxuan arrived at the west courtyard, it was completely empty.
He searched inside and outside the house, but even his father was nowhere to be found.
Xu Yuxuan pouted at Nanny Ji. "Everyone's gone."
Nanny Ji comforted him gently, "But you still have me to play with, young master."
Xu Yuxuan tilted his head up, his small face serious. "Nanny, kick the shuttlecock?"
A few days ago, to complement her diet, Wen Ye had someone make a feather shuttlecock and kicked it around the courtyard. The combination of exercise and diet had helped her lose weight noticeably within half a month.
Xu Yuxuan had come to the west courtyard a few times and had seen Wen Ye kicking the shuttlecock. He liked it very much.
However, his legs were too short to kick it properly.
Nanny Ji knew about this. She secretly rubbed her old arms and hesitated, "How about I have Hexiang and Hong Yu kick the shuttlecock for you to watch, young master?"
Xu Yuxuan turned his little body away, clearly unwilling.
Hexiang and Hong Yu were the two most reliable maids among the servants who took care of Xu Yuxuan.
When Nanny Ji was too tired, they usually stepped in.
Xu Yuxuan was somewhat familiar with them, but they couldn’t compare to Nanny Ji in his eyes.
"Nanny, can't you do it?"
Children's voices are often soft and tender, and when paired with a slightly pitiful expression, it’s hard to refuse them.
Nanny Ji sighed silently, then shook her old arms and legs. It was just a shuttlecock—she could learn.
