The remaining cold noodles and flatbread all ended up in Xiao Ji’s stomach. Although Aunt Qiao’s cold noodles were sold in generous portions, Xie Linlang felt that even if she gave him another bowl, he would still finish it without issue.
It had been two days since she married into this household. Xie Linlang had originally thought it would take her a long time to adjust, or that she would be overwhelmed every day by heavy household chores and trivial matters. Or, as her mother had said, that Xiao Ji, being a military man, would have a violent temper and would find fault with her in every way during their newlywed days.
But the reality was completely different from what she had imagined. Xiao Ji said that a newlywed bride should not do any work for the first three days. Apart from buying all three meals from outside, he also took care of all the other household chores himself, not even letting her lift a finger for tasks like sweeping and cleaning the house.
With nothing to do all day, Xie Linlang took out her needlework to pass the time, sitting under the eaves.
Goudan, who lived next door, would often sneak over to play when the adults weren’t looking. Sometimes he would even carry a back basket for collecting cow dung. When he saw Xie Linlang, he wasn’t shy at all and would eagerly come over to watch her do her needlework.
Sometimes Xie Linlang would give him candies or melon seeds, and he would accept them openly and eat them without hesitation. If she didn’t give him anything, the little fellow wouldn’t ask for it himself, nor would he go into the house to rummage around on his own.
It was clear that although Goudan occasionally slacked off when shoveling cow dung, he had been raised with good manners and hadn’t been spoiled into lawlessness.
It was also unclear why a little boy like him enjoyed watching Xie Linlang do embroidery. Sometimes he would squat beside her for a long time. Seeing how uncomfortable he looked squatting, Xie Linlang would tell him to find a stool and sit down to chat.
This scene looked particularly harmonious in Xiao Ji’s eyes. There were many things he didn’t say, but that didn’t mean he didn’t think about them.
Ever since he learned that Xie Linlang was to marry him and realized there was no turning back, Xiao Ji had been thinking: he and she were worlds apart. As Han Zongqi had said, if it weren’t for the fact that Prince Chen’s faction wanted to curry favor with Master Chen, he and the daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue’s residence would be as different as clouds and mud. In this lifetime, not only would he have no chance of marrying her, but he wouldn’t even have the opportunity to lay eyes on her.
Someone like her, accustomed to being surrounded by servants and sleeping on soft pillows—could she really adapt to life here?
Her former friends were probably all young ladies from wealthy, high-ranking families. Here, the people she encountered daily were women rushing about, struggling to make ends meet, who could even argue fiercely over a single copper coin. Would she find the people here vulgar and mercenary?
Xiao Ji had thought about many, many things. All his doubts were answered at this moment. Perhaps they really could grow old together like many ordinary couples.
……..
Although Xie Manor had publicly declared in front of so many people that Xie Linlang did not need to observe the Hui Men tradition after three days, Xiao Ji, worried that Xie Linlang might feel upset, still asked whether she wanted to return tomorrow.
Xie Linlang’s heart skipped a beat. Since she had married into this household, although Xiao Ji was often stern and unsmiling, he had treated her with consideration and gentleness.
What had happened in front of Xie Manor that day remained a hidden source of tension between them.
Xie Linlang had grown up in Xie Manor for fifteen years. Although she had little experience of life outside, she was deeply familiar with the fickleness of men. Not to mention her nominal father, even Madam Xie’s eldest son, who had been married for only a year, had already taken two concubines.
Xiao Ji may seem quite decent now, but who could guarantee that after a year or two, when conflicts arise between them, he wouldn’t blame her for the humiliation Xie Manor inflicted on him publicly on their wedding day?
When he’s willing, it’s naturally all Xie Manor’s fault for looking down on others. But when he’s unwilling, as his wife, she bears the Xie surname and is naturally seen as aligned with Xie Manor.
From her mother, the many concubines in Xie Manor, and even Madam Xie, Xie Linlang understood one truth: if a woman wants to live well, she must never stake everything on a man.
She needed to find an opportunity to clarify things with Xiao Ji and completely eliminate any possibility of him bringing up old grievances in the future.
“Husband, that day when Xie Manor didn’t let you in, do you resent it?”
Hearing her ask this, Xiao Ji’s heart also skipped a beat. Given his temperament, with Xie Manor being so arrogant, he certainly wouldn’t want to go to the Xie family’s doorstep again to invite ridicule.
But he had to consider Xie Linlang’s feelings. Even though she spoke so decisively that day, what married woman doesn’t want to return to her natal home? Especially since Xie Linlang’s natal home is the Ministry of Revenue Vice Minister’s residence.
So, Xie Linlang’s question meant she still wanted to go back—she was just afraid he might have reservations.
Xiao Ji comforted himself inwardly, ‘Forget it, a true man can bend and stretch. I shouldn’t argue with women in the inner quarters. The three-day Hui Men is a tradition passed down by our ancestors. Even if I’m mocked again, I can’t let a woman feel distressed.’
Xiao Ji pretended to be magnanimous: “No, of course not. I was there to fetch my bride—whether I entered or not doesn’t matter.”
Xie Linlang felt his answer was somewhat ambiguous, but at least it seemed to indicate he didn’t resent it. She prepared to finish what she had to say next.
Xie Linlang’s tone was sorrowful, her expression mournful:
“Husband, if you resent it, it’s only natural. Although I bear the name of a Xie family daughter, I’m only the daughter of a concubine.
My mother passed away from consumption when I was eight. Everyone in the manor said my mother and I were unlucky, and even my father refused to see me, leaving me to fend for myself.
In the end, although my Legal Mother took me in and raised me in the main courtyard, and I was surrounded by servants when I went out, it was all just for show.
In truth, only Xiao Qiu, whom you met that day, has been taking care of me. Because I’ve been frail and often ill since childhood, my father despised me for being unable to help him forge connections and casually arranged my marriage.
Of course, I’m not saying this to look down on you, husband. I just want you to know that everything Xie Manor did that day wasn’t directed at you—it was because I was useless, unable to be born from my Legal Mother’s womb.”
Xie Linlang spoke with genuine emotion, and Xiao Ji listened with a deepening frown. He hadn’t expected Xie Linlang’s life in Xie Manor to be so difficult.
Seeing her eyes redden, he hurriedly comforted her: “I truly am not angry. Whose womb you were born into wasn’t something you could decide. If you put it that way, then it’s my fault. If I came from a prominent family, even if you were just a daughter of a concubine, the Xie family wouldn’t dare look down on you because of it.”
Seemingly pleased by his words, Xie Linlang smiled and continued: “If you came from a prominent family, where would I fit in?”
Xiao Ji similarly thought to himself, If you had been born from your Legal Mother’s womb, where would a country bumpkin like me dare to aspire to you?
Only now did Xie Linlang finally get to the main point:
“Since I am someone who is looked down upon, and there is no one left in Xie Manor worth my attachment, now that Madam Xie has said she does not wish me to disturb them in the future, I will consider myself without a maternal home from now on. I only hope my husband will not despise me.”
How could Xiao Ji possibly despise her? He had no intention of running to Xie Manor just to suffer that kind of humiliation.
With everything laid out between them, Xiao Ji said, “I must return to duty the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, I will take you to meet the neighbors next door. If anything comes up during the day, you can go to them for help.”