This wait dragged on for what felt like an eternity—so long that Hu Sicai had wilted into a crouch by the wall, Hutou had fallen into a deep slumber, and Niu Shi was already shooting hostile glances their way from time to time.
Hmm, it seemed they wouldn’t even need to wait until they got back. The moment Shen Mansion formally rejected them, this aunt would probably explode on the spot.
Shen Yiyi felt a pang of panic. She needed to quickly come up with a way to earn money—whether it would work was another matter, but the key was to placate Niu Shi for now…
Over there, Nanny Tong and her group tiptoed back into the corridor. After reading the letter, she interrogated Steward Shen and his son thoroughly once more. In the end, the two shook their heads like rattle-drums, insisting they had truly confessed everything.
Staring into the pair of identical beady eyes belonging to the father and son, Nanny Tong only felt more exasperated. “I’m going to the main house now. You just wait for Madam’s instructions.” She then pointed at the figure loitering inside the rear annex courtyard gate. “Keep the gates secure. Don’t let anything that shouldn’t be spread get out.”
“Ah! I really rely on you, Sister Tong, to remind me constantly. I hadn’t thought of it so thoroughly!”
Cao Jinbao quickly lifted his head and glanced at his father. Tsk, that obsequious smile plastered across his wrinkled face was simply unbearable to look at.
“Alright, Madam might not necessarily give you a hard time. But from now on, if anything else comes up, you must report it immediately.” Nanny Tong wasted no more words, folded the letter neatly, and hurried off to the main house.
A plump, fair hand slapped the letter onto the table. The gold filigree bracelet on her wrist clinked against the wooden surface with a crisp sound.
“First, there was that climbing-into-bed maid named Ding Lianhua, then the day before yesterday, a tenant farmer’s daughter, Li Xiuxiu, and now today, another one pops up—Hu Erniang from Feng’an Quarter! What does Shen Erlang mean by this?! Just how many women has he secretly been with, and how many daughters has he fathered?!”
“Madam, it’s Ding He and Zhang Xiuxiu.”
Nanny Tong shot a glare at the gossip-loving Hong’er, shooing her to guard the doorway, before lowering her voice. “Madam, please keep your voice down. This courtyard is cramped, and An Ge’er is living in the eastern wing. Especially with those two families of mud-legged peasants, the Dings and Zhangs, living outside—they stir up trouble even when there’s nothing going on, making a complete mess.”
Seeing that Madam Wu was still so furious she was pounding the table loudly, Nanny Tong advised further, “Careful, your hand will hurt! Getting angry about this now won’t help matters. You must first think about the most urgent issue at hand.”
“Nanny, you mean—” Madam Wu pondered for a moment before suddenly realizing, “Find out just how many more sons Shen Rusong has secretly fathered outside?!”
“…”
The corner of Nanny Tong’s mouth twitched; she nearly choked on her own saliva. Wasn’t it bad enough that a bunch of cheap daughters had popped up? Did you really want to actively dig up a whole group of sons too?
Somewhat worriedly looking at the silly girl she had raised from childhood, Nanny Tong secretly admired the foresight of her own family’s Old Master Wu.
To say that Third Master Shen was lustful and fond of women—he didn’t seem like a scholarly type at all, more like a pretty but useless pillow. Although he usually displayed quite a bit of gentle affection, Nanny Tong saw clearly: if not for her own family’s Old Master rising steadily through the ranks, how much of that tenderness would remain?
Now, with one illegitimate daughter after another popping up left and right, she felt her own young lady was getting the short end of the stick.
But then, thinking about Madam Wu’s “brilliant” intellect, if she had married into another family as the mistress of the household… Well, pillows always come in pairs. Perhaps things were just fine as they were now.
However, Madam Wu had previously been at odds for several years over that wretched girl Bi’er. It was only after returning to their ancestral home in Qinghe together to observe mourning, finding peace and quiet, and sharing hardships that their relationship gradually mended.
Now that the illegitimate son had been acknowledged, they couldn’t let a few outside daughters drive a wedge between the young couple again.
Thinking this, Nanny Tong gathered her spirits and deliberately reverted to the old form of address: “Young lady, this matter isn’t confirmed yet. Why not send someone to ask the master first? We can’t wrongly accuse the master for no reason, can we? These days, there’s no shortage of swindlers trying to climb the social ladder.”
Madam Wu nodded but frowned, asking, “What if it’s true?”
“Even if it’s true, it’s nothing. One daughter might be precious, but a whole group? Herding one sheep is the same as herding a flock. You can just stuff them into the rear annex and let them fight among themselves.”
“That may be so, but… but wouldn’t that mean adding several concubines?”
“You are the legal wife. With you overseeing the upbringing of the illegitimate daughters, are you afraid their concubine mothers would dare cause trouble? If they turn out poorly, it’s just a matter of providing a few dowries to marry them off. If any are good, couldn’t they even lend a hand to our An Ge’er?”
Although Madam Wu murmured in agreement, her face remained unhappy.
Nanny Tong knew what she was thinking and said, “Besides, the master might not necessarily take those women as concubines.”
Madam Wu immediately brightened, eagerly pressing for details.
Nanny Tong sighed inwardly and continued, “With a few more children in the inner courtyard, how could outsiders tell the difference? Especially since daughters aren’t even recorded in the family genealogy. But if several local mistresses with a whole host of relatives are taken in, the commotion would be huge.”
“Not to mention, do these families look like they belong in respectable society? The master is currently fully focused on that matter with the Suning Marquis Estate and likely wouldn’t want such burdens.”
“Think about it—we came all the way from Qinghe to Anyang with just these few horses and carriages. When it’s time to return to Shouzhou Prefecture, newly taken concubines would have to be brought along, right? Has the master ordered additional carriages or hired more hands?”
Madam Wu’s expression had completely cleared, and she agreed to have Steward Shen send someone to deliver a message to the master first.
Steward Shen, with the loyal heart of a servant seeking to redeem himself, had Cao Jinbao ride the large gray mule that pulled the carriage, rushing urgently on a solo mission to rescue his master.
Thus, Master Shen Rusong, who was out meeting friends, received the dreadful news that he had once again been blessed with precious daughters—even before the banquet began.
Dragged all the way from the private room to outside the washroom to learn this joyous news, Master Shen was stunned.
Looking at Cao Jinbao, who was eagerly awaiting his instructions, Shen Rusong felt nothing but a wave of ill fortune. No wonder he never liked eating mung beans—there was a reason for that!
When faced with a major event, don’t panic!
Without another word, he decided to first go into the washroom and squat for a while.
As the sound of rushing water echoed, Shen Rusong couldn’t help but think of his fleeting years and beautiful companions.
Hu Erniang from Feng’an Quarter—how could he ever forget her? Over the years, not a single woman by his side could compare to Erniang.
Upon returning this time, he hadn’t been without thoughts of encountering his old flame and enjoying her affection once more.
Had it been six or seven years since their romantic ties were severed?
Ever since he became engaged, she had truly hardened her heart and cut off all contact.
But… had she quietly given birth to a daughter for him?
Given Erniang’s resolute nature, once she said it was over, she truly left without a trace all these years. Yet… she had still left behind his child?
Ah, Second Mother truly loves me so much!
Could it be that this time, finding me to acknowledge my daughter is just an excuse?
At this thought, Shen Rusong’s heart grew as fiery as a lump of burning coal.
Turning to leave the washroom, he beckoned to Cao Jinbao: “Who are the people who came?”
Remembering Cao Mo’s instructions before he left—“Just report the facts, don’t say anything extra, lest you get caught up in the blame”—Cao Jinbao stuck to his father’s advice and answered tersely: “Master, there are men, women, and children, five in total.”
“Women and children”—that’s stating the obvious! Shen Rusong felt Cao Mo’s son really wasn’t very clever. But as for “men”—
“There are men too?”
“They say he’s the son of Second Uncle Hu, named Hu Sicai.”
Oh, so that’s her cousin. Second Mother, her daughter, plus the maid Ruyi, and that old nanny—what was her name again? Exactly five people, that matches up!
Shen Rusong stopped overthinking it: “Go back and tell your father to settle them in the outer courtyard wing and take good care of them.”
Seeing Cao Jinbao nod and turn to leave, he called him back: “Wait!”
Clearing his throat lightly: “Actually, let them stay in the rear annex for now. After they’re settled, go check on the main house, ahem, then come back and report to me quickly. Understand?”
Cao Jinbao quickly lowered his head to hide his expression, repeatedly agreeing.
The night was deep, and Cao Mo paced anxiously in front of the mansion gate.
Originally, Madam Wu had been calmed down by Nanny Tong, but when Cao Jinbao returned with the message, learning that she had gained another rival in love and a ready-made daughter, she immediately grew displeased again.
Cao Mo had already been scolded once, with Madam Wu finding fault with everything he did. Not wanting to stay inside and invite more criticism, he slipped out to wait for the master’s return, hoping to give him a timely warning.
Seeing that it was already past Hai hour and the master still hadn’t returned, he cursed Jinbao inwardly for being useless.
Just before the curfew, a mule cart finally stopped in front of the gate, followed by Cao Jinbao riding awkwardly on a mule.
The cart curtain lifted, and Shen Rusong staggered out.
Cao Mo hurried over to support him, and as he approached, he caught a strong whiff of alcohol.
“Master, Madam told me to come in and—”
He began to report in a low voice but stopped when he saw Nanny Tong approaching with lanterns. He shut his mouth, only winking and gesturing at Shen Rusong.
Shen Rusong either didn’t notice or was too drunk to care. Handed over to Guyu, he was escorted toward the rear courtyard, completely ignoring Cao Mo’s well-intentioned efforts.
Watching the master’s retreating back, Cao Mo stood before the carved gate of the inner courtyard and silently prayed: Master, oh Master, when the rear courtyard catches fire, loyal servants suffer too. Old Mo can only help you this much!
Turning around, he scolded Cao Jinbao, who had approached with a blank look: “Where the hell have you been? Why are you only back now? There’s trouble at home, and you let the master drink so much? Couldn’t you have persuaded him?”
Cao Jinbao had been running around all night, his buttocks nearly jolted into eight pieces by the mule.
Rubbing his rear and dodging his father’s flying spittle, he muttered to himself: When we left Baowei Restaurant, the master seemed perfectly sober. Could the alcohol have taken this long to hit him? And the master specifically asked me to buy a small jug of wine to bring along, but I didn’t see him take it when he got off the cart. How strange…
How truly strange!
From the moment he stepped through the main house gate, the master, who had been walking just fine, suddenly became incredibly difficult to support.
Although puzzled, Guyu knew the situation was unfavorable today. After helping the master lie down on the bed, he quickly bowed and made a swift exit.