After saying this, the Marquis turned over and went back to sleep.
Lady Wang was so angry that she twisted her handkerchief tightly.
Neither of these two men was easy to deal with!
As for making Jiang Fu a concubine, putting aside the matter of the Xiao family losing face, given Xiao Yuzhang’s current infatuation with Jiang Fu, if she were truly taken in, it would inevitably lead to the scandal of favoring a concubine over the wife. What respectable young lady would be willing to marry into such a family?
Lady Wang pounded the Marquis’s back several times, venting her anger before finally stopping.
“She can only enter this household over my dead body!”
……
After waking up in fright, Jiang Fu did not sleep the entire night. She hugged her blanket and stayed awake until dawn, afraid that if she closed her eyes, she would see Xiao Jing’s face.
That was even more terrifying than a nightmare.
“Miss, have some honey water to calm your nerves. Get more sun—those things are afraid of yang energy.”
Bai Xing brought a lounge chair for Jiang Fu to lie on. The spot was close to the wall, shaded by trees, so the sun wasn’t too harsh, but it felt warm and extremely comfortable on her body.
She only knew that Jiang Fu had nightmares every night but had no idea what they were about, assuming she was dreaming of something unclean.
After the second branch of the family passed away, rumors spread in the mansion that their quarters were heavy with yin energy. Although Bai Xing didn’t believe in such things, seeing her mistress plagued by nightmares every night, she began to waver.
Jiang Fu held her cup, and as the honey water soothed her throat, a hint of color returned to her face.
She thought about last night’s dream, where Xiao Jing had spoken in her dream and even called her name.
Jiang Fu tightened her grip on the teacup. Was that really just a dream?
Why did it feel so real?
If Xiao Jing also remembered the scenes from the dream…
No! Impossible!
It was just a dream!
Jiang Fu shook her head vigorously, and just then, a fruit fell from above, landing right in her lap.
“Oh, the apricots next door are ripe.”
Bai Xing raised her eyebrows, stood on tiptoe, and tried to reach over the wall.
But the tree was very tall, and even though it was laden with fruit, it was beyond her reach.
“It’s an apricot, and I’m Xing (apricot) too, so why can’t I catch it?”
“Pfft!”
Jiang Fu was amused by Bai Xing’s words, and much of her fear dissipated.
Forget it, no matter how terrifying Xiao Jing was in the dream, it was just a dream after all.
In reality, they had no chance to be alone together.
Thinking this way, Jiang Fu was no longer afraid and even felt like watching Bai Xing pick the apricots.
“Miss, I’ll go get a ladder. Today, I’m determined to pick several baskets of them.”
Bai Xing was full of ambition, lifting her skirt as she ran toward the storeroom.
Jiang Fu smiled, tilting her head back. The apricots looked wonderful, hanging golden and bright from the branches, tempting to eat.
Moreover, apricots could be dried into apricot preserves, and the kernels could be made into almond cheese—both were delicious.
She swallowed her saliva, and when she looked up again, her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.
“Miss, you catch them from below. I’ll do the picking.”
The bamboo ladder wasn’t too heavy, and Bai Xing quickly brought it over. She climbed up in a few swift moves and handed the basket to Jiang Fu.
“Be careful…”
Jiang Fu hurriedly reminded her, but Bai Xing turned her head and made a playful face.
“I know.”
The mistress and maid worked together, one picking and the other catching, quickly filling half a basket.
“What are you doing?!”
Suddenly, a stern shout came from the other side. Bai Xing swayed, nearly falling off the ladder.
Jiang Fu couldn’t see the person, but she could tell the voice was extremely harsh.
“How dare you steal apricots from the Princess’s estate? Which family are you from?”
“Steward Yang, it’s the Jiang family,” a voice replied from the other side.
“Which Jiang family?”
Jiang Fu didn’t hear the rest of the conversation. She only felt that the person on the other side was extremely intimidating and hurriedly called for Bai Xing to come down.
Fortunately, after the reprimand, the man did not pursue the matter further. The master and servant crouched in the corner until their legs went numb, finally certain that the person across the wall had let them off.
“That was close…”
Jiang Fu patted her chest and let out a long sigh of relief, while Bai Xing’s face had also turned pale with fright.
“It’s all my fault for being greedy. Who would have thought someone was on the other side?”
Bai Xing was filled with regret. The neighboring courtyard had never been occupied before, and in previous years, the apricots had simply rotted on the ground. Yet today, the moment they tried to steal some, they were caught red-handed.
Bai Xing felt terribly unlucky.
“Alright, it’s not your fault. I was greedy too…”
Jiang Fu bit her lip, glanced at the apricots in the basket, and handed it back to Bai Xing.
“Take these back to the neighbor. They know who we are, and if they come knocking, it’ll be hard to explain to Aunt.”
“Alright.”
Bai Xing took the basket and climbed the bamboo ladder once more. Using a rope, she lowered the basket back into the neighboring courtyard.
Soon, news of the returned apricots reached Steward Yang’s ears.
“This Fourth Miss Jiang really is as timid as they say.”
Steward Yang wasn’t one to make a fuss over an orphaned girl, but given Jiang Fu’s status, he still made a trip to the Xiao residence.
At the Xiao family’s Hesong Garden, Old Mrs. Xiao reclined on a daybed, listening to Steward Yang’s report. Upon learning that Jiang Fu had been caught stealing apricots but secretly returned them, her wrinkled face broke into a smile.
“This Fourth Miss Jiang is quite amusing.”
No wonder the Xu family’s young lady liked her so much.
Old Mrs. Xiao had witnessed Xiao Yuzhang’s mischief the night before. The same young man who had previously clamored to break off the engagement now insisted on marrying Jiang Fu after just one meeting. Old Mrs. Xiao was deeply curious about Jiang Fu.
She had initially assumed the girl was a scheming sort, but now it seemed she was more naive than anything.
Steward Yang bowed his head, unsure of his mistress’s intentions.
“They’re just a few apricots. If she wants to pick them, let her. Don’t scare her again.”
“Yes.”
Having received his mistress’s instructions, Steward Yang left Hesong Garden. On his way out, he happened to run into Xiao Jing, who was returning to the residence.
“Third Master.”
“Steward Yang?”
Xiao Jing saw a somewhat unfamiliar face greeting him and took a moment to recall the man’s name.
At the same time, another matter flashed through his mind.
“Steward Yang, are you in charge of managing the Princess’s estate?”
Steward Yang hadn’t expected Xiao Jing to remember him and was both flattered and surprised. “Indeed, I am.”
Xiao Jing’s eyes darkened slightly. “Mm, you’ve worked hard.”
“Not at all, not at all. Third Master, you flatter me. It’s merely my duty.”
Xiao Jing said nothing more to unsettle him. After instructing a servant to reward Steward Yang with silver, he paused briefly before heading toward Hesong Garden.
After hearing about Jiang Fu’s apricot theft, Old Mrs. Xiao had also developed a craving for apricots and ordered some to be brought in. However, she disliked sour flavors, and even the slight tartness of these apricots was too much for her.
“Take them away.”
As Xiao Jing entered, he saw his mother’s face puckered from the sourness. He lifted the hem of his robe and sat on the other side of the daybed.
“Mother doesn’t like sour things. What made you think of eating apricots?”
Old Mrs. Xiao took several sips of honeyed water to suppress the sour taste in her mouth. Covering the corner of her lips, her eyes brimmed with amusement.
“It’s all because of that little girl from the Jiang family…”
“Oh?”
Xiao Jing’s hand, holding the teacup, paused slightly as he straightened his posture.
Unaware, Old Mrs. Xiao recounted the amusing tale of Jiang Fu and her maid stealing and returning the apricots, finishing with a hint of regret.
“Although I have never met this Fourth Miss Jiang, from the way she handles matters, she seems quite well-behaved. If Eldest Son hadn’t broken off the engagement, it would have been excellent to have her married into the household. But he insisted on canceling the betrothal before, and now he regrets it—your eldest sister-in-law would absolutely not agree. What a pity.”
Xiao Jing lowered his gaze, his jade-like fingers tightening around the teacup, his voice cool and detached.
“Eldest Son is indeed somewhat reckless. It’s a good thing Fourth Miss Jiang isn’t marrying him; otherwise, it would have been a disservice to the young lady.”