Nanny Ji quickly soothed, "Young Master, don't worry. I saved a piece for you." Xu Yuxuan's eyes were teary, and he still seemed a bit uneasy. "Really?"
Nanny Ji nodded firmly, even giving Xu Yuxuan a reassuring smile. "Nanny wouldn't lie to you."
She hadn't reminded the young master earlier, partly because she saw how much he was enjoying it, but also because she noticed that the master had brought back two boxes. That likely meant one box was for the young master and the other for Madam Wen.
The reason she had told Xu Yuxuan to save half for Madam Wen was probably because the master was worried that if the young master ate it all, he wouldn't have any appetite left for dinner.
In the end, the master truly cared for Xu Yuxuan, Nanny Ji thought to herself, though his cold exterior made it hard to tell. With Nanny Ji's reassurance, Xu Yuxuan gradually relaxed.
Ren Dong wiped his hands with a damp cloth, and Hexiang poured him a cup of warm water. Xu Yuxuan insisted on drinking it himself, holding the cup with both hands and gulping it down in two quick sips.
Nanny Ji then asked if he wanted to go play in the courtyard for a while. Xu Yuxuan's attention shifted, and he exclaimed, "I want to play hide-and-seek!"
Nanny Ji agreed immediately and instructed Hexiang, "Go call a few maids from the young master's courtyard to come and play hide-and-seek with him."
Hexiang acknowledged the order, curtsied, and left.
Just then, Xu Yuxuan suddenly tugged at Nanny Ji's sleeve and said, "Nanny, you play too~"
Nanny Ji: "...Alright, I'll play!" If she could kick a shuttlecock, hide-and-seek was no challenge at all.
★
In the customs of the Great Jin Dynasty, when a betrothal feast was to be held, both the bride's and groom's families would arrange one. The Duke's residence was only distantly related to the Lu Family, so they only attended the Lu Family's feast.
The Wen Family's betrothal feast had been held ten days prior. As relatives of the Wen Family, Aunt Xu had attended with her daughter-in-law. Therefore, among them, only Lady Wen and Aunt Xu had seen the Wen Family's second grandson, who was betrothed to Lu Xinyan, up close.
When outsiders were present, Aunt Xu didn't speak much. She would nod and smile twice after others spoke three sentences, then respond with one of her own. She only became more talkative among family.
Coincidentally, during the betrothal feast, the entire table was filled with family.
After the feast, Aunt Xu still seemed to have more to say, and Wen Ye, who had overheard some of it, also felt unsatisfied. She and Aunt Xu exchanged glances, both feeling a sense of reluctance to part.
With outsiders present, Lady Wen quickly stepped forward, ostensibly inviting but subtly pulling Aunt Xu toward the sedan chair. After giving birth, Lady Wen had become much bolder.
Meanwhile, under Eldest Aunt's instruction, Lady Yao also approached Wen Ye and whispered a reminder.
Wen Ye reluctantly turned and walked with Lady Yao toward the Duke's sedan chairs.
Before getting into the sedan, Eldest Aunt came over and said, "Even I sometimes can't handle how much she talks. You, on the other hand, seem to enjoy it."
Wen Ye replied diplomatically, "Aunt Xu is just helping me better understand the relationships among the noble families in Sheng Jing."
Back in the Wen Family, she rarely had the chance to hear such gossip.
Madam Lu, who had already entered her sedan, lifted the side curtain and said gently, "Aunt Xu, please get in. It's getting late." Eldest Aunt smiled and went to the sedan behind, while Lady Yao gave Wen Ye a slight nod and followed Eldest Aunt. Yun Zhi then came over to assist Wen Ye.
Wen Ye bent down to enter the sedan, thinking to herself that the Duke's residence truly felt like a tailor-made retirement home for her. She adored the personalities of both aunts—one was a great companion for eating and playing, while the other was perfect for sharing gossip. And then there was Madam Lu.
Madam Lu was even more versatile, directly highlighting Wen Ye's own inadequacies. Wen Ye, however, thoroughly enjoyed lounging in her "pit of uselessness." To ensure this little "useless one" didn't "starve," Madam Lu would occasionally toss banknotes and gemstones into the pit.
There were also children of various ages for her to tease and play with, as well as a handsome, good-tempered, and hardworking husband who always reported his whereabouts when he was too busy to return home and remained faithful.
Thinking of this, Wen Ye smiled at Madam Lu as she entered the sedan.
Inwardly, she sighed, "Sister-in-law, thank you for being 'blind' enough to take a liking to me back then."
Madam Lu was puzzled by her smile and couldn't help but wonder what mischief Wen Ye was plotting this time. Just as Madam Lu was about to ask, Wen Ye leaned in and said sincerely, "Sister-in-law, you're truly wonderful."
Madam Lu: "..." Something's not right.
★
By the time they returned to the Duke's residence, it was already past Shen hour (around 5 PM). Wen Ye and Madam Lu parted ways shortly after entering the estate, one heading west and the other straight ahead.
Having been out all day, they were both somewhat tired.
On her way back to the western courtyard, Wen Ye ran into Ren Dong. She raised an eyebrow and, after Ren Dong had finished her greeting, asked, "Is the young master in the western courtyard?"
Ren Dong replied respectfully, "Yes."
Wen Ye said nothing more and continued on her way.
Ren Dong followed behind, carrying a tray with a neatly arranged set of winter clothes and socks for a child.
As soon as Wen Ye entered the western courtyard, she spotted Xu Yuxuan under the corridor, his little feet constantly moving as if the ground were burning his soles. Spring hadn't even arrived yet.
Later, Wen Ye learned that the boy had been playing hide-and-seek with Nanny Ji and the others. In his haste, he accidentally stepped on his own foot and fell flat on the muddy ground.
Fortunately, it was just mud. If it had been the stone pavement, his little bottom would have been bruised black and blue. With his clothes soiled, they naturally had to be changed, so Nanny Ji quickly sent Ren Dong to fetch a clean set. By the time Xu Yuxuan was dressed in fresh clothes, Wen Ye had already finished two cups of tea. For some reason, Wen Ye felt like she could see a hint of guilt on Xu Yuxuan's face.
Was it directed at her?
Xu Yuxuan stopped in his tracks after leaving the inner room and stared at Wen Ye for a while.
Just as Wen Ye was about to look away, Xu Yuxuan took a few small steps forward, wobbled over, and with Nanny Ji's help, climbed onto a stool. He tried to lift the teapot but found it too heavy, so he quickly turned to Nanny Ji for assistance.
Nanny Ji, guessing his intention, tentatively poured a cup of tea. Xu Yuxuan held the cup with both hands and slowly moved it toward Wen Ye. "Mother, have some tea~"
Wen Ye, who had been about to pour herself a third cup, hesitated for a moment before accepting the tea from Xu Yuxuan. Before drinking, she asked, "Did you do something you feel guilty about?"
Xu Yuxuan shook his head and played dumb.
Wen Ye raised an eyebrow and glanced at Nanny Ji behind him. "Surely Nanny Ji isn't worried that I'll tell Sister-in-law about Xu Yuxuan's fall today and had him bribe me with this cup of tea?"
If so, the bribe was far too meager.
Nanny Ji's mouth twitched as she replied, "Madam Wen, you've misunderstood. Even if you don't mention today's incident, I would still have to apologize to the Duchess. As for the young master's gesture, perhaps it's just his filial piety?"
"Is that so?" Wen Ye's tone carried a hint of disappointment.
She looked at Xu Yuxuan again, studying him carefully before asking Nanny Ji, "Are you sure he didn't do anything to feel guilty about?"
Nanny Ji: "...No."
Nanny Ji conveniently omitted the matter of the pastries.
Wen Ye remained skeptical. After drinking the tea, she got up and headed for the inner room. Attending a banquet meant she had to wear several hairpins and ornaments.
Wen Ye had Yun Zhi help her remove them all.
Xu Yuxuan followed her closely, step by step, hardly the behavior of someone with nothing to hide.
Wen Ye washed off her makeup, wiped away her lip color, and reached toward a corner of the dressing table. Someone beat her to it—Xu Yuxuan, kneeling on the stool, leaned over to grab the scented cream and offered it to Wen Ye, saying sweetly, "Mother, put on some cream~"
Wen Ye: "..."
Still claiming nothing's wrong.
Wen Ye was now certain that Xu Yuxuan had done something he felt guilty about, which was why he was being so attentive. She wasn't in a hurry, though. The boy couldn't keep secrets for long, and she would find out eventually.
In the evening, during You hour (around 7 PM), dinner was served in the western courtyard.
Xu Yuxuan rarely stayed for dinner in the western courtyard, but tonight was an exception. Instead of sitting between Wen Ye and Xu Yuejia as usual, he insisted on sitting next to Wen Ye.
Once the dishes were laid out, Xu Yuejia also arrived punctually in the western courtyard.
According to Liuya, Xu Yuejia had returned from the palace earlier and hadn't left since.
Wen Ye greeted him with a "Husband" before noticing that he was carrying what appeared to be a box of pastries.
He then placed the box on the dining table and pushed it toward her.
Wen Ye glanced at the box and asked, "What's this?"
Xu Yuejia glanced at the small figure hiding behind Wen Ye and said, "On my way back, I passed by a newly opened pastry shop."
Wen Ye's eyes grew even more suspicious. What was going on with this father and son today?
Abrupt, stiff, and hard to decipher.
Meeting her gaze, Xu Yuejia paused for a moment before adding, "The shop just opened not long ago, so there's a promotion: buy one, get one free."
Wen Ye responded with an "Oh," saying, "I didn’t expect you to be so thrifty and family-oriented."
Xu Yuejia, at a loss for words: "...Mhm."
Wen Ye was momentarily speechless. She had only said it casually, but he actually acknowledged it!
Wait a minute. Wen Ye looked up again and asked, "Didn’t you say buy one, get one free? Where’s the free one?"
Under Wen Ye’s gaze, Xu Yuejia’s eyes shifted slightly. Following his line of sight, Wen Ye turned around and saw a child’s guilty expression exposed.
Wen Ye’s mouth twitched as she finally understood the series of "hard-to-decipher" actions the boy had displayed earlier in the evening. Xu Yuxuan stammered nervously, "Nanny Ji, I saved one piece!" He then looked at Nanny Ji, hoping she would help him out.
Nanny Ji: "..." Sorry, young master, I was just humoring you.
From Nanny Ji’s expression, Wen Ye roughly understood that the so-called "saved" was probably just to placate Xu Yuxuan. Xu Yuejia then added fuel to the fire: "I had instructed him to save half for you." Xu Yuxuan looked as if he had been struck by lightning, his gaze at Xu Yuejia akin to looking at a traitor. Wen Ye couldn’t help but laugh.
She pinched Xu Yuxuan’s little bun and said, "Luckily your father knew to hide a box first."
Seeing that she didn’t seem angry, Xu Yuxuan gathered his courage and moved closer. Now that he wasn’t in a hurry, he could explain more clearly: "Father bought less, so there’s none left."
His explanation was muddled, but his skill at shifting blame was top-notch.
Wen Ye opened the pastry box and found a smaller box inside, about the size of a palm. Opening that revealed a few small, delicate pastries.
Under the watchful eyes of the father and son, Wen Ye tasted one.
Xu Yuxuan tilted his head, as if he were the one eating, and exclaimed excitedly, "It’s delicious!"
"Passable."
For Wen Ye, who had tasted most of the world’s delicacies, the pastries were good but not the best. Xu Yuxuan found them delicious, likely because he hadn’t had much experience with such treats. After finishing one, Wen Ye asked, "Which pastry shop did you buy these from, Xu Yuejia?"
As expected, you can’t trust a man’s taste. As long as it’s not terrible, they’ll probably think it’s good. Xu Yuejia replied, "Nan'an Street, Caiyun Pastry Shop."
"Caiyun Pastry Shop?" Wen Ye hadn’t heard of it. It must be a new shop.
However, Wen Ye then asked, "Why did you suddenly think of buying pastries for Yuxuan?" Xu Yuejia glanced at Nanny Ji, who understood and quietly left the room. Xu Yuejia said, "The Emperor ordered someone to buy a box for Princess Changle today." Upon hearing this, Wen Ye immediately changed her tone: "These pastries are really delicious."
Why did the adults change their expressions? Xu Yuxuan asked in confusion, "Mother?"
Xu Yuejia: "..."
Mini Scene
Emperor: "Xu Qing, didn’t I tell you not to tell outsiders?"
Xu Yuejia: "My wife doesn’t count as an outsider."
