Wen Ye didn’t care what expression Xu Yuejia had on his face at the moment. She bent down slightly and said to Xu Yuxuan, "Not only will you not be able to marry a good wife, but you also won’t be able to play with your mother anymore!"
Xu Yuxuan’s little eyebrows furrowed together, as if he was struggling with a difficult decision.
After a while, he suddenly seemed to think of something, his eyes lighting up as he said, "There’s still Nanny Ji!" Meaning that even without his mother, he could still play with Nanny Ji. Between ‘not studying’ and ‘being able to continue playing with his mother,’ Xu Yuxuan had clearly chosen the former.
Wen Ye: "..."
This kid really hates studying, huh? Their fragile mother-son bond had just shattered into pieces.
Xu Yuejia, who had remained silent the entire time, lowered his gaze, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Wen Ye was at a loss for words and didn’t continue the conversation. She picked up her novel and left the study. Teaching a child to read was better left to Xu Yuejia; she was clearly not cut out for it. Seeing Wen Ye leave, Xu Yuxuan instinctively stood up, wanting to follow her. But with one stern look from Xu Yuejia, Xu Yuxuan immediately wilted, his little bottom plopping back down onto the chair.
Outside, under the corridor.
Wen Ye reclined on a swing, while Yun Zhi brought over a plate of sugar-preserved plums.
Tao Zhi stood behind her, gently pushing the swing. Wen Ye popped a plum into her mouth and listened to the sound of reading coming from inside the study. She couldn’t help but sigh, "Growing up is really nice."
Tao Zhi chuckled softly as she pushed the swing. "Madam and the young master really are fated. Neither of you liked studying when you were young."
Wen Ye squinted and retorted, "Nonsense, I was much more obedient than him when I was little."
Tao Zhi and Yun Zhi exchanged glances, stifling their laughter.
Wen Ye seemed to sense something and glanced back at them. By then, Tao Zhi and Yun Zhi had already composed themselves. Wen Ye asked, "Were you two just laughing at me?"
Tao Zhi quickly shook her head. "No, I wasn’t."
Yun Zhi, however, wasn’t good at lying. When Wen Ye’s gaze fell on her, she gave herself away. Wen Ye didn’t hold it against them, though, because what they said was... true.
Memories of her childhood seemed so distant now. Wen Ye popped another plum into her mouth. She remembered that back then, apart from her, there were also Wen Lan and Wen Hui. Setting aside Wen Hui’s occasional mischief, it was a time of mutual mediocrity, so to speak. Wen Ye’s lips curved into a smile.
Two days later, the Eldest Aunt and Lady Yao had packed their belongings. In addition to the ten guards personally selected by Duke Xu, they had also hired the same escort team they had used before. The team had traveled to Sheng Jing and made several trips to nearby cities.
This time, they were escorting goods from Wancheng to the capital. The Eldest Aunt thought that since they were already familiar with the team from their previous trip, there was no need to go through the process of getting used to each other again.
There was no rush on the way back, so they could take their time as long as they arrived in Ling City before summer. Therefore, the Eldest Aunt decided to travel with the escort team carrying local specialties.
Madam Lu supervised the servants as they loaded boxes of local specialties onto the carriage. Meanwhile, Wen Ye and the Eldest Aunt exchanged recipes. When the Eldest Aunt saw what Wen Ye had brought out, she couldn’t help but laugh, and the sadness of parting was instantly dispelled. She joked, "Your cousin doesn’t take after me at all, but you—you could be my own daughter."
Wen Ye sweetly replied, "Being your niece must be the happiest thing in the world."
Even though she knew Wen Ye was exaggerating, the Eldest Aunt couldn’t help but laugh at her earnest expression.
Lady Yao, standing to the side, silently made a mental note to learn from this exchange.
The Eldest Aunt carefully put away the recipe and said, "The recipe I’m giving you is for Ling City’s local snacks. Keep it safe, and when you feel like eating them, have the kitchen try making them. Once you finish the local specialties, write to me, and I’ll have the escort team bring you more."
It was rare to meet someone who shared her tastes, and the Eldest Aunt was reluctant to part with her. Wen Ye nodded. "Don’t worry, Auntie, I won’t hold back."
Once all the luggage was loaded onto the carriage, Madam Lu walked over and said, "Cousin Tingxuan is an upright official. Perhaps in a year or two, Auntie will return to Sheng Jing."
Tingxuan was the Eldest Aunt’s only son, Shen Tingxuan.
Hearing this, the Eldest Aunt was immediately cheered up. "I hope your cousin can live up to our expectations."
No matter how nice Ling City was, it couldn’t compare to Sheng Jing. She had been born and raised here, married and had children here, and spent most of her life here.
After seeing off the Eldest Aunt and Lady Yao, Madam Lu turned to Wen Ye and said, "Come with me."
Wen Ye, confused, followed her.
When they arrived at the main courtyard, Madam Lu had her sit down and then called out, "Qingxue!" As soon as she spoke, Qingxue led six or seven maids into the hall, each carrying a tray. Wen Ye was so shocked she nearly dropped her teacup. What was Madam Lu up to?
Madam Lu glanced at the items on the trays and said to Wen Ye, "The day after tomorrow is your birthday. I’ve been thinking about what to give you, and since I couldn’t decide, I picked a few things. Take a look and see if you like them. If you do, take them all back with you."
She had decided to give the gifts two days early to avoid any overlap with what Xu Yuejia might give her. She didn’t want her good intentions to cause any trouble.
To this day, Madam Lu still remembered the birthday cake Wen Ye had prepared for her. She had even gone out of her way to inquire about it and found out that she was the first in all of Sheng Jing to receive one.
Before Wen Ye got married, she had never made one for her own mother, Madam Shen.
Now, whenever Madam Lu went out to socialize, her friends still looked at her with envy. She thought she would probably remember that birthday for the rest of her life.
Wen Ye felt like she was dreaming. She asked, "Am I supposed to pick one?"
If she was only supposed to choose one, that would be more in line with Madam Lu’s usual style.
But Madam Lu frowned. "You only like one of these? That can’t be right."
She had the maids bring the trays closer and inspected each item. "These pearls are round and lustrous, this fine cloud gauze is perfect for summer dresses—I specifically chose a color that suits you. And this ginseng... I remember you once asked me where I bought the lipstick and powder I use. That shop recently released new styles, so I picked a box for you..."
Madam Lu went through each item, still convinced that Wen Ye should like all of them.
Wen Ye quickly interrupted, "Sister-in-law, I love everything you’ve given me. It’s just... there’s too much."
It was her birthday, not her longevity celebration.
Hearing this, Madam Lu’s expression finally relaxed. "I thought so. My taste hasn’t declined that much."
Wen Ye sighed. "But it’s still too much."
Madam Lu waved her hand dismissively. "It’s not that much. I just picked a few things from the storeroom." Her tone made it sound as if she hadn’t just meticulously described each item.
Wen Ye wanted to protest a little more, but Madam Lu added, "It looks like a lot, but none of it is particularly rare."
That successfully stopped Wen Ye from voicing her refusal.
What else could she say?
Wen Ye’s refusal had been sincere, but when the gifts were actually in her hands, the joy she felt was genuine.
As she ran her fingers over the fine cloud gauze, Wen Ye couldn’t help but praise Madam Lu extravagantly in front of Qingxue and Bai Mei, who had helped carry the gifts to the western courtyard.
Qingxue and Bai Mei: "..."
Where did the second madam learn all these descriptions?
Just as they were about to bow and take their leave, Wen Ye suddenly called out to them. "Wait, I’ve made some small desserts. Please take them to Sister-in-law for me."
If she couldn’t match Madam Lu in wealth, she could at least match her in thoughtfulness.
After several days of reading, limited to just one hour each morning, Xu Yuxuan was finally less resistant than he had been on the first day. Soon, it was Wen Ye’s birthday.
Perhaps someone had told him, because the first thing Xu Yuxuan said when he arrived at the western courtyard was, "Mother, happy birthday~"
Wen Ye’s lips twitched. Who had taught him to say that?
Then, something warm and soft suddenly landed in her arms. Xu Yuxuan, standing on his tiptoes, planted a wet kiss on Wen Ye’s right cheek. Wen Ye didn’t have time to dodge, and her face was smeared with saliva.
Xu Yuxuan seemed very pleased with his ‘work’ and giggled.
Wen Ye: "..."
This little rascal.
The kitchen had prepared longevity noodles that morning. Since Xu Yuejia wasn’t home, Wen Ye ate a bowl, and Xu Yuxuan had half a bowl.
When Xu Yuxuan found out he didn’t have to study that day, his eyebrows practically danced with excitement, and he couldn’t hide his joy.
A birthday didn’t seem much different from any other day. After the meal, Wen Ye played with Xu Yuxuan for a while, then went back to amusing herself. Xu Yuejia didn’t return until the evening.
Xu Yuxuan had tired himself out playing in the afternoon and had already been taken back to the western side courtyard by Nanny Ji to nap. Wen Ye had dinner alone.
Seeing Xu Yuejia return at this hour, Wen Ye had Tao Zhi set an extra place at the table.
Xu Yuejia had been called into the palace earlier that day and hadn’t been able to leave until late afternoon.
He gazed at the lavish spread of dishes before him, pausing for a moment before saying, "I remember, today is your birthday."
Wen Ye raised an eyebrow. "You haven't forgotten, my lord?"
Xu Yuejia looked at her. "What would you like?"
Wen Ye put down her chopsticks and replied, "Whatever my lord decides to give. I'm not picky."
When it came to Xu Yuejia, she wouldn't be as polite as she was with Madam Lu.
Xu Yuejia: "...Let's eat first."
Wen Ye muttered to herself, *How strange.*
After dinner, the maids brought tea. Xu Yuejia suddenly spoke up, instructing them to leave. Once everyone had gone, Wen Ye asked, "Why did you send them away, my lord?"
Xu Yuejia didn't answer immediately. Instead, he pulled a small medicine bottle from his sleeve and said, "This is a contraceptive I secretly obtained."
Wen Ye's expression turned cold. "You want me to take it?"
Xu Yuejia glanced at her and continued, "This medicine is for men to take. One dose every three months, and it won't harm the body."
Wen Ye was stunned, taking a long moment to find her voice. "You mean... you're going to take it?" *Has Xu Yuejia gone mad, or am I dreaming?*
In just two days, she'd had two such daydreams. Xu Yuejia poured out a pill and said, "I've asked around. If we want to be absolutely safe, this is the only way."
Xu Yuejia didn't know much about medicine, but from what he had gathered from several doctors, throughout history, when it came to contraception, addressing the issue from the man's side was far simpler and reduced harm by eighty to ninety percent.
Wen Ye stared at the small brown pill in his palm, speechless for a long while...
Xu Yuejia put the pill back into the bottle and stood up. "I took one before returning to the estate."
Wen Ye: "..."
Xu Yuejia's sudden move left her momentarily at a loss. Fifteen minutes later, Xu Yuejia emerged from the side room.
Freshly washed, Xu Yuejia's hair was still damp at the ends, and the steam had flushed his pale neck. Wen Ye suddenly felt a bit parched. Even his sleeping robe was different from usual, embroidered with cloud patterns.
Was this a "birthday special"?
Xu Yuejia's voice was calm. "Are you satisfied?"
Wen Ye had just begun to feel touched, but his words scattered her emotions into disarray. *Xu Yuejia, when did you learn to be so subtly flirtatious?*
Since things had come to this, and he had taken the initiative to take the medicine, there was no need for her to hold back. Wen Ye stepped closer, her eyes sparkling. "My lord, shall we retire for the night?"
Xu Yuejia, however, took half a step back and said, "Go wash up first."
A bucket of cold water seemed to pour over her, instantly dousing the warmth that had just begun to rise in Wen Ye's heart.
