“Sis… sister-in-law?”
Gao Zhengyu froze, not expecting that the woman in front of her was Yu Xi.
She had heard that Yu Xi was unreasonable and domineering, the most disagreeable kind of woman, exactly the type Cousin Lu Zhi disliked most, so why was she smiling so happily right now?
With such a bad reputation, and disliked by her own husband, how could she smile like that?
Gao Zhengyu studied Yu Xi’s face, unable to help but wonder whether what she’d heard before had even been true.
But whatever the case, her cousin would never like Yu Xi, after all, Yu Xi had also once had a past with that playboy Lu Ping.
Yu Xi paid no mind to what she was thinking, and in the time it took for one glance, sized Gao Zhengyu up from head to toe.
Gao Zhengyu wasn’t particularly striking in appearance, a delicate, refined beauty of a good family, with the fashionable scholarly air of the moment, clearly dignified and virtuous, carrying a faint scent of medicine about her, evidently someone who took regular tonics.
Yu Xi, holding her hand, walked with her toward the residence, saying with a smile, “Cousin, now that you’re here, we’re all family. Whatever you want to eat or do while you’re staying, just come find me, and I’ll have it all arranged properly for you.”
Seeing Yu Xi speak to her with the air of a household matriarch, Gao Zhengyu frowned and pulled her hand away, saying coldly, “No need to trouble yourself. I may know this capital just as well as you do, if not better.”
Hearing this, Madam Lu beside them frowned. “Zhengyu, how can you speak to your sister-in-law like that?”
“Mother, it’s fine,” Yu Xi said immediately. “Cousin is still young, she’ll understand better when she’s older. I won’t hold it against her.”
Madam Lu, helpless, could only give Gao Zhengyu a look, its warning unmistakable. “Your sister-in-law is two years younger than you, why haven’t you thanked her yet?”
Gao Zhengyu took a deep breath, and under Madam Lu’s gaze, could only say, “Thank you, sister-in-law.”
Gao Zhengyu had already come out at a disadvantage before even entering the house, and by the time they reached the side hall for the meal, she’d lost her appetite entirely, sitting for a while before excusing herself as tired and leaving the table.
Madam Lu said to Yu Xi, “She lost her mother young and has been spoiled at home, please don’t hold it against her.”
Yu Xi naturally understood how much Gao Zhengyu meant to Madam Lu, having raised her personally for five years and bringing her to the capital every year since, even worrying over her marriage prospects.
At this, Yu Xi smiled, her eyes curving. “Mother, I’m her sister-in-law now, of course I won’t hold it against her.”
With Madam Lu having said this much, for Yu Xi to hold a grudge would be far too petty of her, besides, she was the Lu family’s good daughter-in-law, not the type to be so small-minded.
Hearing this, Madam Lu smiled, relieved. “Good child, you’ve worked hard today. You should get some rest too.”
Yu Xi answered obediently, “All right, Mother, rest well too.”
With that, Yu Xi led her people out of Madam Lu’s courtyard.
Once they’d walked a bit further away, Xique quickly asked in a low voice, “Miss, what do you think of her?”
Yu Xi shook her head. “Nothing much.”
She’d originally thought Gao Zhengyu must be quite formidable, but now that she’d seen her, she was just someone with an overly high opinion of herself, nothing more.
And besides, she and her husband were on great terms right now! It was the sweetest time between them, even if Gao Zhengyu wanted to squeeze her way in, there was no room for her, Yu Xi thought to herself, rather sweetly pleased.
Xique breathed a sigh of relief, nothing much was good to hear. She’d known all along their young lady was the most impressive one!
Meanwhile, Gao Zhengyu was also thinking about Yu Xi.
Seeing her brows knitted tight, Lanzhi said, “Miss, are you thinking about the cousin’s wife? In this servant’s opinion, the cousin’s wife isn’t even worth a single strand of your hair, you needn’t fret over her at all.”
Gao Zhengyu’s brow eased slightly. “What do you mean?”
Lanzhi coaxed her along. “Never mind the outside rumors for now, just look at how affected her manner of speaking was, and that flashy way of dressing, the young master must find her not even worth a glance. After all, everyone knows the young master only likes refined, virtuous ladies untouched by worldly corruption, like you.”
“But I saw her smiling so happily… I keep feeling like she’s doing quite well at the Lu family.”
“That’s definitely an act,” Lanzhi declared with certainty. “She’s clearly not liked by the young master, probably crying secretly under her blanket every night. Don’t think too much about it, Miss, once you’re married in, she won’t even be able to keep up the act anymore.”
Gao Zhengyu, coaxed by this, brightened. “You make a good point. My cousin and I grew up together, I understand him better than anyone. He must despise that Yu Xi thoroughly.”
Once she married in, Yu Xi could just obediently step aside, only she was suited to be the true mistress of the Lu household!
·
That night, the wind howled outside. Yu Xi felt unusually sleepy earlier than usual tonight; hearing that Lu Zhi was staying in the front courtyard, she drank a bowl of donkey-hide gelatin soup and went to bed.
Before falling asleep, she was still clutching an unfinished romance novel, the story of a male lead who, after marrying, meets his true love the female lead, and casts aside his original wife to achieve a happy ending with her instead.
Perhaps she’d been too absorbed in the novel, because Yu Xi, who rarely dreamed, had a long dream that night.
In the dream, heavy snow was falling, and she was holding Lu Zhi’s hand, admiring the snow together.
Lu Zhi still had that same cold, stern look, only in the dream he was even more handsome. Yu Xi nestled against his warm chest, her face full of sweet smiles.
“Husband, look how heavy the snow is, doesn’t it look like the poached fish slices we had for lunch today?”
Lu Zhi’s long lashes were covered in snowflakes, his brows frosty, but he gently stroked her cheek, tender. “Yes, whatever my wife says.”
“Hehe,” Yu Xi blushed and burrowed deeper into his chest, saying sweetly, “Husband, so annoying~ I like husband best~”
As she burrowed further, Yu Xi suddenly felt her face go cold. Puzzled, she looked up, and found her handsome husband gone, nothing but a blank white expanse before her.
“Husband? Husband?”
Panicked and scared, Yu Xi called out twice, then suddenly spotted two very familiar figures ahead.
Looking closer, she saw Gao Zhengyu tilting her face up, speaking to Lu Zhi, her expression coy and shy.
Just as the two were about to embrace, Yu Xi ran over without a second thought to pull them apart, only to be shoved hard by Lu Zhi, falling into the snow.
Then she watched Lu Zhi’s handsome, thin lips open and close, and two pieces of paper fluttered down in front of her. “Miss Yu, the only person I wish to marry is Zhengyu. This is a letter of divorce. Please leave on your own.”
Gao Zhengyu, clinging to Lu Zhi’s arm, looked utterly smug. “What? Didn’t you hear my cousin say he wants to marry me? The person he truly loves is me. Get out of here now!”
In that instant, an overwhelming wave of bitterness surged through Yu Xi’s heart. Her nose stung, and she woke up crying.
“Wuwuwu… scoundrels, both of you scoundrels, wuwuwu…”
Xique had been wondering what kind of wonderful dream her mistress was having, that she’d smiled so happily just now, but then saw Yu Xi roll twice toward the inner side of the bed and start crying, her face pressed against the wall.
“Miss, what’s wrong?” Xique hurried over. “Did you bump your face on something?”
Yu Xi didn’t answer, instead flinging the romance novel by the bed onto the floor, crying, “What kind of terrible novel is this, I’m never reading it again, wuwuwu!”
Xique, confused, said, “Didn’t you just find this one yesterday? You were still saying how good it was before bed.”
“It’s not good,” Yu Xi didn’t know how to explain, feeling utterly wronged inside. “I’m never reading it again.”
Not only wronged, but the moment she thought of the smug, triumphant look on Gao Zhengyu’s face in the dream, she grew furious all over again.
“Xique,” Yu Xi asked, her voice thick with sobs, “do you think I’m better, or her?”
Xique didn’t even need Yu Xi to specify who “her” was, and said without hesitation, “Of course you’re better. You’re clever and beautiful, sharp and lively all over, the cousin can’t compare to you at all, you’re the best young lady there is.”
Yu Xi felt somewhat better, lifting her tear-streaked little face proudly. “Of course, I’m the cleverest, most beautiful, most quick-witted one there is!”
Her father, mother, grandmother, older brother, younger brother, maternal grandfather, maternal grandmother, uncle, aunt, and even Xique all said so!
She was the best there was!
Xique wiped Yu Xi’s tears with a handkerchief. “That’s right, Miss, so there’s no need to get upset over the cousin. The young master already promised our marquis, no concubines until he’s over forty with no children. You’re still so young, having a baby is only a matter of time.”
Yu Xi nodded, touching her own belly, thinking Xique made a good point. “Right, I’m still young.”
But still… Yu Xi tapped her chin, thinking. “Shouldn’t I hurry up and ask husband for a baby?”
Xique paused. “Er… how do you plan to ask?”
“Directly,” Yu Xi decided at once. “Tonight!”
Xique had wanted to say their young lady was still young, no need to rush for children, but then thought again, the young master was getting on in years too, it really was time to start a family.
And besides, children came down to fate, surely it wouldn’t happen after just one or two tries.
Xique coughed a couple of times. “Then Miss, remember to be diligent about it. The young master seems a bit cold on this matter.”
Otherwise, how could the two of them still not have consummated the marriage by now.
Yu Xi agreed at once. “Right!”
Once she had a baby, Lu Zhi would surely treasure her even more, holding her like something precious, following her every wish, and then she could kiss him whenever she wanted, hug him whenever she wanted, hmph!
That afternoon, Lu Zhi returned home, and Madam Lu sent someone to call Yu Xi and Lu Zhi to her courtyard for a meal.
Yu Xi went to the front courtyard specially to wait for Lu Zhi so they could walk over together. “Husband, why are you back so early today?”
As she spoke, her big eyes blinked, two days without seeing husband, and he was still so handsome.
Lu Zhi had just changed into casual clothes, and hearing this, glanced over her silver-red skirt. “Grand Secretary Shi returned to the capital early, so cabinet affairs have eased up a bit.”
As he spoke, noticing her skirt fluttering in the wind, Lu Zhi said, “Aren’t you cold?”
A heavy rain was about to come, and the wind carried a chill.
Hearing this, Yu Xi immediately leaned toward his arm, pitifully. “So cold, husband, can I walk close beside you?”
Husband was so tall, he blocked the wind completely, leaning against his warm chest, Yu Xi felt like she wasn’t cold at all anymore.
A trace of helplessness flickered in Lu Zhi’s eyes. “…Stand up straight, leaning crooked like that looks improper. If you’re cold, go back and add more layers, leaning on me won’t help.”
Yu Xi said, “Fine…”
No sense of romance at all, hmph.
The two soon walked side by side to Madam Lu’s courtyard, where Gao Zhengyu had already been waiting eagerly at the gate. As if not even seeing Yu Xi, she ran straight toward Lu Zhi with small steps.
“Cousin, you’re finally here.”
Just as Gao Zhengyu was about to throw herself forward, in a flash Yu Xi’s clever mind sparked an idea. She pretended her ankle had twisted, leaning toward Lu Zhi. “Ow, husband, I think I twisted my ankle, it hurts so much~”