It was another day off for Jiang Yueheng. Liu Qingwu, having expended considerable energy the previous night, was nestled in his embrace, sleeping soundly.
In contrast to the tranquility indoors, the backyard was bustling with servants hard at work.
Fuling and Lianxin stood under the corridor, gesturing to the workers to keep the noise down.
Early in the morning, Li Yong from the front yard had led a team into the backyard and explained the situation to Fuling and Lianxin, the two head maids of the Shizi Furen: the Shizi had ordered him to construct a grape arbor in the southwest corner of the backyard.
Upon hearing it was the Shizi’s instruction and that the arbor would be identical to the one in the Furen’s maiden courtyard, Fuling and Lianxin made no further objections.
The construction was no small task. The existing paved bricks had to be removed, the compacted soil beneath excavated, and the pit filled with planting soil before grapevines could be planted and the arbor erected.
The design of the arbor also needed careful planning to accommodate the grapevines’ growth and shaping.
Despite the scale of the work, the numerous workers—some removing bricks, others transporting materials—made quick progress.
By the time Liu Qingwu woke and opened her eyes, the room was empty.
Feeling the temperature beside her, she deduced that he had been up for some time.
She called for her maids to assist with washing and dressing.
Fuling came to the bedside to help her down and prepare for the washroom.
As Liu Qingwu moved her sore, weak legs, they nearly gave way the moment she stepped on the floor. She steadied herself entirely with Fuling’s support.
A faint blush spread across Liu Qingwu’s cheeks. That man’s stamina was truly impressive, and with his slightly improved technique, she found herself struggling to keep up.
Though Fuling was inexperienced in such matters, she wasn’t entirely ignorant. The moment her mistress weakened, she understood the reason.
Without a word exchanged, the mistress and maid seemed to have communicated everything.
Liu Qingwu ate her breakfast in small bites, puzzled by the clamor outside. She wasn’t worried about any mishaps—given the status of the Yongning Hou Estate, no one would dare cause trouble in broad daylight.
Curious, she asked Fuling, “What’s going on outside?”
Just as Fuling opened her mouth to reply, Jiang Yueheng, who had been reading in the side room, entered upon hearing the noise. “Li Yong is leading the team to set up the grape arbor.”
Liu Qingwu paused her meal and looked at him. “Grape arbor?”
Instead of answering her question, Jiang Yueheng noticed she had stopped eating and said firmly, “Finish your meal first. You can see it afterward.”
Ignoring him, Liu Qingwu turned to Fuling, hoping for an answer.
Jiang Yueheng’s gaze followed.
Caught between the Shizi’s imposing pressure and her mistress’s inquisitive eyes, Fuling hesitated before finding an excuse: “Furen, Lianxin just said she needed me for something. I’ll go attend to it first.”
With that, she swiftly retreated.
Liu Qingwu pouted. Hmph, that little “traitor,” Fuling!
She picked up her bowl and finished the rice porridge in a few gulps.
Tilting the empty bowl toward Jiang Yueheng, she indicated she was done.
Jiang Yueheng shook his head inwardly in resignation and accompanied her to the southwest corner corridor outside.
All of Liu Qingwu’s attending maids were gathered under the corridor, watching the workers. Cuiguo excitedly tugged at Qingxing, chattering about something, while Qingxing, contrary to her usual shyness, nodded frequently in agreement.
Liu Qingwu stepped forward with keen interest and joined the discussion.
Jiang Yueheng narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the five people enjoying the spectacle with evident pleasure.
Watching the workers prepare to set up a frame in the shape of the character “人” (human), Liu Qingwu looked astonished. The architecture of prestigious households emphasized symmetrical beauty, yet this frame would have a more prominent top.
“The top of the frame won’t exceed the courtyard wall.”
A calm male voice sounded beside her ear. Liu Qingwu turned her head and saw Jiang Yueheng, who had somehow appeared at her side unnoticed.
“Is that so?”
Liu Qingwu replied indifferently and, without waiting for an answer, turned back to watch the workers assemble the frame.
Jiang Yueheng lowered his gaze to her glossy black hair, his fingers twitching slightly, but he didn’t reach out even after a long moment.
Feeling unwell, Liu Qingwu soon grew tired from watching and turned to go to the study. On the way, she asked the wet nurse to bring Hao Ge’er to the study as well.
Hao Ge’er, swaddled in his blanket, was carried over. Arriving in his familiar play area, the little one squealed with excitement.
As soon as he was placed on the couch, the end of the swaddling blanket began to sway gently from side to side. Hao Ge’er’s face turned red with effort as he tried to free his little hands from the blanket.
Liu Qingwu watched the struggling baby’s jelly-like cheeks quiver with exertion and leaned against the couch, laughing uncontrollably.
Jiang Yueheng glanced at his chubby son’s determined struggles, then at the woman who was laughing heartily, and silently lowered his head, pretending not to see anything.
“Ah! Ah! Ah ah ah!”
Finding himself unable to break free, the little fellow tried to seek help from others beyond his mischievous mother’s line of sight.
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Yueheng looked up and saw the motionless maids, then lowered his head again to continue reading.
After crying for a while with no response and struggling unsuccessfully to free his limbs, the exhausted Hao Ge’er plopped down on the couch and stopped struggling, though tiny teardrops began gathering in the corners of his eyes.
Liu Qingwu watched as the tears welled up in the little one’s eyes, gradually forming into droplets.
Afraid of making the child cry, she quickly untied the swaddling clothes, picked him up, and began soothing him. After all, the child’s father was watching nearby, and it wouldn’t do to actually make him cry.
Unfortunately, Jiang Yueheng, having witnessed the entire scene, wasn’t fooled by this display of “motherly affection.” Since the child held no grudges and was quickly coaxed into beaming smiles, he could only pretend he hadn’t seen anything.
Hao Ge’er, now laughing so hard that his entire lower gums were exposed, was placed back on the soft couch, where he waved his limbs about wildly.
Looking at the toothless baby’s pink gums, Liu Qingwu seemed to recall something and turned to the wet nurse: “When will Hao Ge’er start teething?”
“Madam, infants usually begin growing their milk teeth around four months old.”
Hearing the wet nurse’s reply, Liu Qingwu fell into thought: Four months? That’s not far off. She vaguely remembered that teething causes itching and that teething rings should be prepared, but what material were they made of again?
Liu Qingwu asked hesitantly: “We need to prepare teething rings for when he’s teething, right?”
“Yes, Madam,” the wet nurse replied, then added to elaborate: “During teething, infants like to bite things to relieve the discomfort. Having teething rings would be much cleaner for the young master to chew on.”
Liu Qingwu pressed her fingers to her temples, trying hard to recall, attempting to dredge up from memories a decade old in her modern past what material teething rings were made of.
After a moment, she lowered her arm and sighed, giving up the effort.
Jiang Yueheng, who had been reading across from her, had unknowingly stopped and was watching the woman lost in thought. He spoke lightly, “What are you thinking about?”
Liu Qingwu said with a troubled expression, “I remember seeing a teething stick before, but I can’t recall what material it was made of. I only vaguely remember it being a type of wood.”
The wet nurse stood by without speaking. In ordinary households, children’s teething sticks were also made of wood, but they simply used whatever wood was available at home. She didn’t dare say this aloud—if they randomly chose some wood and something went wrong later, she couldn’t bear the responsibility.
Jiang Yueheng suggested, “Why don’t you ask Mother? She’s knowledgeable and might know.”
Liu Qingwu found this quite reasonable and nodded in agreement: That’s a good idea!