Apart from a minor incident during lunch, everything else proceeded smoothly. After the midday meal, Hou Furen returned to Zheng courtyard, and Jiang Yueheng also went to the front courtyard without a word.
Only Liu Qingwu remained in the rear courtyard—oh, and there was also Hao Ge’er, who was still nursing.
At the dining table, Liu Qingwu had been anxious for quite some time, intending to express her apologies privately. However, Jiang Yueheng disappeared without a trace after the meal.
A wave of drowsiness washed over her—it was time for her afternoon nap. She simply set the matter aside and, with a carefree heart, drifted off to sleep.
Lianxin, having witnessed the significant incident at lunch, was twisting her handkerchief into knots, unable to believe her mistress could still nap so calmly.
Seeing her distress, Fuling called her outside the door and comforted her, “Don’t worry, Madam knows what she’s doing.”
Fearing Lianxin wouldn’t believe her, she added, “Look at all the matters Madam handled in the past—weren’t they all resolved?”
Recalling the various incidents her mistress had dealt with before, Lianxin suddenly felt less anxious.
After her short nap, Liu Qingwu woke up refreshed. Instead of heading to the study in the west room to read as usual, she strolled over to the east room.
Inside the east room, the wet nurse was patting Hao Ge’er’s back to help him burp.
Liu Qingwu had previously asked the wet nurse: for a baby of Hao Ge’er’s age, he needed to be fed approximately every two hours.
He had been fed once before noon, and by the time she woke from her nap, it was roughly time for the second feeding.
The study in the rear courtyard was mostly used by Liu Qingwu, furnished in a softer style with some cute little ornaments hanging here and there.
As Liu Qingwu carried Hao Ge’er through the beaded curtain, the baby reached out and grabbed the swaying strands.
The sudden resistance made Liu Qingwu stop. She turned her head to see the wet nurse carefully trying to pry open Hao Ge’er’s tiny fingers.
But as soon as she loosened one finger, another would clamp shut. After several attempts, not a single finger had been freed, and the wet nurse was nearly sweating with anxiety.
Hao Ge’er, thinking it was a game, giggled at the wet nurse, his chubby little hand tightly clutching a bead.
Seeing drool about to drip again, Liu Qingwu quickly called to the maids nearby, “Fuling, Lianxin, come help the wet nurse!”
The three of them worked together. The baby’s bones were still soft and fragile, so each of them carefully loosened two fingers. Finally, Fuling gently pried open the last finger: “It’s free!”
Hearing this, Liu Qingwu quickly took a large step forward, carrying Hao Ge’er away from the beaded curtain.
Hao Ge’er, unhappy about losing his beloved bead, refused to give up. He squirmed forward in her arms, his little hand stretching straight toward the curtain.
Liu Qingwu carried him to the soft couch and sat down. The little one couldn’t stand yet, nor could he sit on his own.
She lifted him by his armpits and tried to let go, but his small body instantly went limp.
The wet nurse watched with bated breath, ready at any moment to catch the young master.
Hao Ge’er still wanted the beads, his head persistently turned toward the curtain, babbling incessantly.
Liu Qingwu recognized his determination. “Fuling, go fetch a larger pearl necklace from the jewelry box and wash it several times.”
It didn’t take long to wash the necklace, and soon Fuling returned.
Liu Qingwu took the necklace and handed it to Hao Ge’er. He swiftly grabbed it with his quick little hands, babbling “ah, ah, ah, ah,” his chubby cheeks trembling with laughter.
So adorable!
Liu Qingwu screamed inwardly—what kind of heavenly cute creature was this!
Her hands uncontrollably reached toward Hao Ge’er’s chubby bun-like cheeks, gently pinching them twice. The texture was delightfully springy—truly the skin of a little baby!
The wet nurse beside the couch hesitated to speak, sighing inwardly: Well, if sacrificing some “charm” can win the Shizi Furen’s favor, it’s worth it. It’s just hard on my poor young master.
A flicker of pity flashed in the wet nurse’s eyes before swiftly vanishing.
As the sun set, Jiang Yueheng, not wishing to see the person who had embarrassed him anytime soon yet remembering it was Hao Ge’er’s first day moving in, remained silent for a long moment before trudging with heavy steps to the rear courtyard.
In the West Courtyard’s rear yard, dinner was already laid out on the table. Liu Qingwu was directing the maids to arrange various cushions on the chairs.
She and Hao Ge’er had played wonderfully that afternoon. When dinnertime arrived and she saw Hao Ge’er showed no signs of sleepiness, she simply had chairs brought over, planning to have him keep her company during the meal.
Jiang Yueheng stepped over the threshold, his face showing puzzlement at the scene before him.
Liu Qingwu glanced at Jiang Yueheng in surprise. He had left without a word at noon, and she thought he wouldn’t return tonight.
Noticing his confusion, Liu Qingwu explained calmly, “I noticed Hao Ge’er still seems energetic, so I thought I’d have him join me for dinner.”
Join you for dinner? What on this table can Hao Ge’er actually eat? Are you sure you don’t mean having him watch you eat?
Jiang Yueheng neither agreed nor disagreed, quietly taking his seat at the table.
Liu Qingwu called for Lianxin to fetch another set of bowls and chopsticks, then smiled at Jiang Yueheng, “Shall we add a few more dishes?”
Tonight’s dishes were chosen according to her preferences—aside from a meatball soup and stir-fried seasonal vegetables, the rest were quite strongly flavored.
Jiang Yueheng glanced imperceptibly at the spread on the table, “No need.”
Dinner passed in silence.
Midway through the meal, Hao Ge’er, smelling the delicious aromas in the air, kept smacking his lips and drooling with longing, his little legs kicking incessantly as he tried to wriggle toward the dining table.
After much squirming got him nowhere and he still couldn’t taste the fragrant dishes, the milk-fed baby’s lips quivered, tears quickly welling up in his eyes.
Jiang Yueheng involuntarily set down his chopsticks. Liu Qingwu also noticed the red-eyed little one and promptly had the wet nurse take him away to be fed.
Tonight, the two maintained perfect harmony—each attending to their own affairs.
Just before bedtime, Liu Qingwu put down the storybook in her hands and turned to look at Jiang Yueheng, who was immersed in his reading, “Husband, would you like to go check on Hao Ge’er together?”
Jiang Yueheng glanced up at the lamp oil—it was nearly time to sleep, “Let’s go.”
The lights in the eastern room had already been extinguished, leaving only a few oil lamps casting faint glows.
Hao Ge’er had fallen asleep shortly after his feeding and was now sleeping soundly.
After watching the peacefully sleeping Hao Ge’er for a few moments, Liu Qingwu felt somewhat reassured.
She had been slightly worried that Hao Ge’er might not adjust well to the new courtyard, but he was sleeping deeply.
The two exchanged a glance before silently withdrawing.
In the darkness, Liu Qingwu lay flat under the covers, closing her eyes to cultivate drowsiness.
After a long while, she opened her eyes, her lips moving slightly, “Husband, are you asleep?”
“No.”
A cool male voice responded.
“I’m sorry about what happened today,” Liu Qingwu turned on her side to look at his silhouette in the dark, her tone softening, “Can you forgive me?”
Jiang Yueheng pursed his lips. Though he had embarrassed himself today, tracing it back to the root, it wasn’t her fault. He knew his own circumstances—it was because he saw his mother taking two extra bites that he grew curious and tried a mouthful himself. He never expected the dish couldn’t be eaten in large portions at once, leading to such an incident.
His hurried departure was due to overwhelming embarrassment, not wanting anyone to witness it. Managing to finish the meal had been his last shred of composure.
“This matter was never your fault to begin with. Why apologize?”
Jiang Yueheng turned slightly and reached out to pat Liu Qingwu’s back. “Sleep now. Tomorrow brings the morning court assembly.”