Yu Xi’s tears glistened under the lamplight, brighter than the stars at the edge of the sky. Her tears fell onto Lu Zhi’s burned arm, sparking a faint sting of pain.
Lu Zhi lowered his eyes. “It’s fine, the injury isn’t serious, wipe your tears.”
Yu Xi wiped the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief, then took the ointment Xuanyu handed over. “Husband, let me apply the medicine for you.”
“No need,” Lu Zhi held out his hand. “I can do it myself.”
But Yu Xi didn’t listen, scooping up a thick dab of ointment and carefully spreading it over his wound.
“Husband, the wound absolutely cannot get wet, or it’ll heal slower,” Yu Xi said, putting the ointment away and warning Lu Zhi, “Husband, did you remember that?”
Hearing Yu Xi’s words, Lu Zhi showed no reaction, but Xuanyu’s mouth twitched, was the young mistress imitating how their master talked? Only she would dare do such a thing.
Lu Zhi didn’t answer, and instead said, “Let me check your work.”
Yu Xi brought over three thick copybooks of the Women’s Precepts, handing him the first one.
“Husband, look, I wrote so carefully, my hand’s swollen from copying.”
As she said this, Yu Xi held out her hand to show Lu Zhi.
Lu Zhi glanced at it, it was indeed quite flushed, but he’d never heard of anyone’s hand swelling from copying a book; she’d probably just squeezed it herself to make it look that way.
“I see it.”
Lu Zhi opened the copybook and saw the characters on the pages all smeared by tears, he had no idea how many tears she’d shed, but the characters had all blurred together.
Lu Zhi flipped through several more pages, all the same, until further on, where the tear stains finally stopped.
As he flipped through page by page, Yu Xi couldn’t wait and handed him the next one. “Husband, look, there are two more.”
Lu Zhi set the one in his hand aside and took the copybook she handed him, flipping through two pages before Yu Xi urged him to look at the next one.
She hardly needed to try so hard to cover it up, Lu Zhi had already noticed that aside from the first couple of pages, each copybook had clearly been written by someone else on her behalf.
He stacked the three copybooks neatly on the table and looked at Yu Xi.
Yu Xi looked nervous. “Wha—what’s wrong? Does husband think I didn’t copy it well? But my hand really hurts from writing.”
Never mind.
Lu Zhi didn’t call her out on it. “I’ve checked it. Go back and rest.”
Her eyes were still swollen; anyone who didn’t know better would think she’d suffered some terrible wrong.
Seeing that she’d gotten away with it, Yu Xi brightened up at once, and held out her hand again. “Husband, look at my hand.”
Her hand was slender and rosy, full of healthy color.
Lu Zhi asked, “What’s wrong with your hand?”
“It’s swollen!” Yu Xi, having learned nothing from before, started acting coy again. “Husband, blow on it for me too, my hand hurts so much, I can’t even lift it.”
Lu Zhi shook his head. “You never learn your lesson.”
Yu Xi’s eyes darkened, she was going back to her family home, right now.
Husband was so annoying, hmph.
Suddenly, a cool sensation touched her palm. Yu Xi startled, it was Lu Zhi, scooping up a bit of ointment and rubbing it onto her hand.
Lu Zhi’s slender, straight lashes drooped slightly, casting a faint shadow beneath his eyes. “If your hand hurts, a bit of ointment will fix it. Blowing on it does nothing.”
In that instant, something like a burst of fireworks seemed to go off in Yu Xi’s heart.
She said sweetly, “Husband, you’re so good to me.”
Lu Zhi tilted his head slightly, and Xuanyu immediately left the room; seeing this, Xique followed him out too.
Only Lu Zhi and Yu Xi remained in the room.
Lu Zhi looked at Yu Xi and handed her a peanut. “Here.”
“A peanut!?”
Yu Xi immediately opened her mouth. “My hand’s hurt, husband, feed it to me.”
She always pushed for more and more. Lu Zhi wrapped the peanut in a handkerchief and gave it to her instead. “A child on the street gave it to me. Shell it yourself when you get back.”
“Fine,” Yu Xi didn’t mind, and took the peanut. “Shelling it myself is fine too, a peanut from husband is the tastiest one there is!”
With that, she giggled, then, as if remembering something, asked, “Oh right, husband, I heard your cousin is coming. Do you know about this?”
“Not really,” Lu Zhi poured a cup of water. “When is she arriving?”
“Sounds like just a few days from now,” Yu Xi said, watching Lu Zhi’s expression. “Sounds like Mother wants to find her a husband too.”
Lu Zhi paused. “She has indeed reached that age.”
Yu Xi narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “How old is she, exactly?”
“Probably two years older than you. Nineteen.”
“Nineteen?” Yu Xi’s suspicion deepened further. She poured herself a cup of water first, then asked as if casually, “Husband, are you and your cousin close? Do you think I’m better, or her? Not that I really want to know, but everyone says she’s very talented.”
Lu Zhi set down his cup, she seemed quite concerned about his cousin?
“Not particularly close,” Lu Zhi said. “You needn’t be suspicious about me and her. If you’re asking me, I think you’re better.”
“Really!?” Yu Xi brightened. “Husband thinks I’m talented too?”
Thinking of her crooked handwriting, Lu Zhi answered honestly, “Because you’re my wife.”
Hearing this answer, Yu Xi’s face flushed, and she immediately forgave Lu Zhi for making her copy the Women’s Precepts. “I didn’t realize I meant so much to husband.”
She just knew it, Lu Zhi was only occasionally bad-tempered; most of the time he was really quite good to her!
Seeing Yu Xi’s expression shift from cloudy to sunny, Lu Zhi said nothing for a moment, then finally said, “My cousin has a calm, gentle temperament, you could learn something from her.”
Yu Xi was in a good mood now, and answered obediently to whatever Lu Zhi said. “Okay!”
With that, she asked him a few more caring questions, then finally left.
After she left, Lu Zhi realized that today Yu Xi hadn’t invited him to share her bed, nor been as clingy as the past few days. But that was just as well, this was exactly what he wanted.
·
Yu Xi hummed a little tune the whole way back, while Xique walked beside her with a calm expression, well, so much for last night’s packing effort, wasted for nothing.
Passing by a small, dark courtyard, Yu Xi asked, “Whose courtyard is this?”
Mingzhu, who had come along, answered, “Reporting to my lady, this is the second young master’s courtyard.”
Yu Xi looked closer and realized it really was Lu Ping’s courtyard.
Seeing Yu Xi say nothing, Mingzhu suddenly grew worried, surely the young mistress wasn’t still hung up on the second young master… please, no, the young master was so much better than the second young master, the young mistress mustn’t be foolish about this!
Just as she was thinking this, Mingzhu saw Yu Xi walk a couple of steps toward Lu Ping’s courtyard, then kick the wall.
“Scoundrel,” Yu Xi cursed.
Mingzhu, hearing Yu Xi curse for the first time, froze for a moment, then let out a huge sigh of relief, thank goodness, the young mistress wasn’t still holding onto feelings for the second young master.
Having cursed, Yu Xi continued on toward the back courtyard, feeling refreshed and clear-headed. Seemed like whenever she was in a bad mood from now on, she could just come here and curse a couple of times.
·
It wasn’t until noon on the third day that Madam Lu finally called Yu Xi over.
Madam Lu took Yu Xi’s hand and said with a smile, “Actually, there’s something I haven’t told you yet.”
Yu Xi quickly guessed what it was, but pretended not to know. “Mother, what is it?”
“I have a niece from my maiden family, two years older than you. She’ll arrive tonight,” Madam Lu said with a smile. “She has a gentle temperament, the two of you should get along fine. I was worried that telling you too early would make you fret over preparations, so I’m only telling you now.”
Yu Xi smiled brightly. “Is that Cousin Zhengyu? I’ve heard people mention her often. Don’t worry, Mother, I’ll make sure to treat her well!”
Madam Lu was pleased. “You don’t need to go to much trouble, I’ve already had a room prepared for her, right next to my own courtyard. I’m just letting you know, that’s all.”
“Mother, what are you saying,” Yu Xi said seriously. “We’re all family with our cousin, and when she arrives, as her sister-in-law, I should naturally prepare things properly.”
Hearing Yu Xi talk like this, Madam Lu couldn’t help but like her more and more, she’d originally worried Yu Xi’s temperament would take a long time to settle, but now it seemed she’d become considerably more composed in a short time, such a clever, good child, how had she become so sensible?
“Good, then I’ll have to trouble you.”
Once she left Madam Lu’s courtyard, the smile faded from Yu Xi’s face, replaced by a thoughtful expression.
It really was because other people mentioned Gao Zhengyu far too often; she couldn’t help but think it over.
Yu Xi asked Mingzhu, “How long have you been at this residence? Have you heard anything about the cousin?”
Yu Xi treated her servants well, so Mingzhu told her everything she knew. “This servant has been at the residence for five or six years. The cousin… this servant heard that as a child, the cousin was raised at Old Madam Lu’s side for several years, not returning home until she was twelve. There’s also talk that, that…”
“That what?” Yu Xi pressed.
Mingzhu’s voice dropped very low. “Some also say the cousin still hasn’t married even now because her heart belongs to the young master, and that she comes to stay at the residence for a month or two nearly every year, also because of the young master.”
Having said this, Mingzhu glanced at Yu Xi, but found no great surprise on her face.
Ever since learning of Gao Zhengyu’s existence, Yu Xi had already prepared herself for anything.
“So devoted.” Yu Xi remarked, thinking that if it weren’t for the fact that the object of Gao Zhengyu’s affection was her own husband, she’d have felt somewhat admiring toward her.
“My lady… you’re not angry?”
“What use would anger be,” Yu Xi had no intention of sharing her husband with anyone else. “Never mind it, let’s get ready, we’ll give her a proper welcome tonight!”
Whether she’s a mule or a horse, we’ll know once she’s taken for a walk!
Xique and Mingzhu said, “Yes!”
·
By evening, Gao Zhengyu’s carriage finally arrived in the capital.
She lifted the carriage curtain, an unconscious smile spreading across her face, finally, she’d get to see her cousin again.
Her maid, Lanzhi, straightened her clothes for her. “Miss, this year’s new tonic prescription has made you look even more striking, the young master is sure to like you even more.”
Gao Zhengyu blushed and scolded quietly, “A woman’s worth lies in her virtue. My cousin is not a man given to lust, don’t you dare say such nonsense again!”
Lanzhi said with a smile, “Everything this servant said is the truth. Miss, you’re sure to catch the young master’s heart this year.”
Gao Zhengyu didn’t scold her further, but silently pictured Lu Zhi’s face in her mind, her family had been urging her to marry with growing urgency, and this year she couldn’t afford to delay any longer. She had to succeed.
Soon, the carriage stopped, and Gao Zhengyu adjusted the hairpin in her hair before gracefully stepping down.
She looked around first, but didn’t see the person she’d been longing for day and night, so she turned to Madam Lu instead. “Auntie, thank you for coming to meet me.”
No sooner had she spoken than a playful figure stepped forward and linked arms with Madam Lu, her eyes curved into a smile. “Cousin, you’re finally here!”
Gao Zhengyu paused, looking closely at the woman, she wore a plum-green soft cloud gauze dress, her hair like dark clouds, framing a face as fair and lovely as the silver moon, soft and bright like the spring waters of March.
An ominous feeling crept over Gao Zhengyu. “You are…”
Yu Xi took her hand and said cheerfully, “Cousin, I’m your sister-in-law!”