Old Madam ultimately gave Granny Li some face, and with things having reached this point, Xie Jinglan had no reason not to agree.
After placating Old Madam, he left Yifu Hall and asked Qing Feng, "What day is it today? An odd or even day?"
"Replying to Master, today is the fifth, an odd day. Does Master have any arrangements?"
Xie Jinglan said nothing, only shaking his head.
Wen Ning walked very slowly on her way back to the kitchen due to the pain from her injuries.
Her mind was heavy with worries along the way, feeling that if she continued like this, she would either die at Granny Li’s hands or be ruined under Tang Zhu.
Just like these past two days, she couldn’t even protect herself and had even implicated Chūn Xìng in punishment.
When the Marquis went straight to the firewood shed early in the morning, Granny Li guessed that Chūn Xìng had spoken too much.
Not only did she receive ten strikes from Granny Li upon returning, but her mouth was also pricked with needles!
Chūn Xìng said she didn’t regret helping Wen Ning, as she had only spoken the truth before the Marquis.
Unfortunately, Granny Li not only beat her but also docked two months of her monthly allowance. Without the monthly allowance, her seriously ill mother would be cut off from medicine, and she feared her mother would die.
Chūn Xìng cried bitterly, and Wen Ning’s heart felt as if it were being wrung, aching sharply.
She needed money—to buy medicine for Chūn Xìng’s mother and to buy abortion medicine for herself.
But where would this money come from?
Just as Wen Ning was lost in distress, a dark figure approached from behind. A pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist, and before she could react, she was dragged into the nearby rockery.
"Ah! Mmm—"
Thinking it was that scoundrel Tang Zhu again, Wen Ning opened her mouth and bit down on the hand covering her nose and mouth.
Her soft lips suddenly touched the cool, smooth white jade thumb ring, pressed against her sensitive cherry-pink lips. Her rapid breaths left fleeting traces of mist on the jade surface.
Xie Jinglan felt the softness at the base of his thumb. Her pearly teeth were about to exert force but instinctively loosened their grip. Her tongue inadvertently brushed over the white mark left by her teeth, sending a tingling sensation spreading instantly through his palm. Xie Jinglan couldn’t help but let out a muffled groan.
Wen Ning had now seen clearly that the person before her was the Marquis. Thinking she had bitten him and caused pain, she quickly released her bite and said, "I’m sorry, Marquis, I thought it was…"
"Thought it was Tang Zhu?"
Wen Ning nodded.
"Don’t worry, he won’t dare bully you again in the future!"
Wen Ning was still held in Xie Jinglan’s embrace, her entire body suspended in mid-air. Her feet dangled near his calves, tentatively shifting left and right in small motions, helplessly seeking a foothold.
Xie Jinglan intended to set Wen Ning down but only then realized that the inside of this rockery was an irregular arched cave—wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, making it impossible for two people to stand simultaneously below.
Xie Jinglan simply found a flat, protruding stone nearby, calmly lifted one hand, brushed aside the hem of his robe, and sat down on the stone surface first. Then, with a gentle lift of his palm at Wen Ning’s waist, he steadily pressed her onto his lap.
Wen Ning instantly felt overwhelmed with shame, her heart almost leaping out of her chest. A pair of delicate hands pressed against Xie Jinglan’s firm chest as she tried to pull back.
"No! This won’t do!"
Xie Jinglan gripped her waist and easily pulled Wen Ning’s body back.
Then, the man’s deep voice resonated from his chest, "Behave. This is not like the study…"
Wen Ning immediately froze in his embrace, not daring to move or struggle further. People could pass by the rockery at any moment, and if someone were to see her with the Marquis here, who knew what kind of storm it would stir up.
After noon, Xie Jinglan had changed into a black Hangzhou silk robe with minimal patterns, the fabric smooth and slippery.
Even without moving, Wen Ning’s body began to slide downward.
She tentatively tried to grip his lower back a few times, wanting to steady herself, but never dared to place her hands firmly.
“Did they give you a hard time?”
Xie Jinglan finally spoke again, clearly referring to what had happened earlier in Yifu Hall.
“Old Madam and the young lady are both kind-hearted; they did not trouble this servant.”
The implication in Wen Ning’s words was that Old Madam and the young lady were kind-hearted, so the one who was not must be Granny Li.
After all, the Marquis had carried her out of the firewood shed, so Granny Li now dared not openly touch her, only venting her frustrations with words.
“If you ever feel wronged in the future, come to me. I won’t be able to devour you just yet!”
Xie Jinglan’s words implied that while he couldn’t devour Wen Ning immediately, he would eventually.
“Marquis…”
“Hmm?”
Summoning her courage, Wen Ning finally spoke the words, “Marquis, could you lend this servant some silver?”
Xie Jinglan was taken aback; this was the first time anyone had dared to ask him for a loan.
“How much do you need? Are you in trouble?”
“Five taels.”
Three taels for Chūn Xìng’s mother’s medicine, one tael for her own abortion, and the remaining one tael to cover food and expenses for herself and Chūn Xìng for the next two or three months—it would barely be enough.
Wen Ning did not explain what she needed the silver for, and Xie Jinglan did not press further.
“I don’t carry silver on me in the manor. Come to Tingsong Courtyard tomorrow to collect it, alright?”
Wen Ning hesitated briefly before nodding, “Thank you, Marquis.”
That a mere five taels of silver could trouble this girl so much—Xie Jinglan knew he shouldn’t tease her further, but he couldn’t pass up such a perfect opportunity.
“When will you repay it?” Xie Jinglan asked with a serious expression.
“This servant… this servant will repay the Marquis once the monthly allowance is issued, though it may take some time.”
For a lowly maid like Wen Ning, the monthly allowance in Hou Manor was one tael. However, she had been penalized by Granny Li for three months’ allowance. Even if she saved every penny, it would take her over half a year to repay the Marquis’s five taels—a long time indeed.
Wen Ning added somewhat awkwardly, “It will likely take over half a year.”
Xie Jinglan frowned upon hearing this. “That long?”
He noticed the delicate, jade-like face before him, the eyelashes slightly lowered, casting two trembling shadows on the porcelain-white skin.
Xie Jinglan’s heart tightened, and he returned to the matter at hand. “How about this: besides these five taels, I’ll give you an additional five taels each month, which you won’t need to repay. But on every even-numbered day, you must come to Tingsong Courtyard to serve. How does that sound?”
The duties in Tingsong Courtyard were much lighter than those in the kitchen. Besides her monthly allowance, Wen Ning would receive an extra five taels of silver each month for free. On the surface, it seemed Xie Jinglan was getting the short end of the stick.
Wen Ning had no way out. If she wanted to survive in Hou Manor, she had to understand the rules, and the greatest rule in the manor was none other than the Marquis.
Wen Ning nodded.
Raising her eyes, she met Xie Jinglan’s scrutinizing gaze.
The rose-colored top accentuated her snow-like complexion, her slender waist seemingly too delicate to hold, flowing into the deep brown skirt that spread casually across Xie Jinglan’s lap.
“Does the outfit I chose fit well?”
Wen Ning's pupils abruptly contracted, especially when she realized it fit perfectly both inside and out.
She answered evasively, "This servant… this servant must return to the kitchen, or else the duties will be delayed again."
Xie Jinglan looked at the flush spreading from her cheek to behind her ear, and only then did he let her go with satisfaction.