Chapter 305

Chapter 305: Asking for Water On Cui Lingrong's side, she sent people to investigate Du Cheng and also had Nanny Qiu go to the Du residence to take a look. When Mrs. He saw Nanny Qiu, she wiped her tears and said, "Before we came to Bianjing, the old master repeatedly urged us, saying that the eldest branch only had one remaining heir and told us to take good care of him. Who would have thought that Cheng ger would simply disappear!" Nanny Qiu sighed along with her, "How could a living person just disappear?" "Who knows? If it weren't for Qian ger mentioning that he hadn't seen Cheng ger for some days, we wouldn't even have known about this." Mrs. He said as she dabbed at the corner of her eyes, pretending to wipe away tears. Nanny Qiu suggested, "Why not report this to the authorities and have the officials help search?" "This... wouldn't that be inappropriate?" Mrs. He said she was worried about losing face. "Cheng ger has always wanted to get close to Madam Zhao. I think this matter must be related to her. Let's wait a bit longer. If there's still no news of Cheng ger, then we really should report it to the authorities." "It's better to do it sooner rather than later. If something happens, it's best to resolve it quickly." Nanny Qiu told Mrs. He not to be too upset. "My mistress said that although she has no connection to the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, she enjoyed her interactions with you before. If you don't mind, she can send people to help search as well." "Of course we don't mind! We'd be more than happy that Sister Cui has this kind of consideration!" Mrs. He immediately declared, "Then we'll trouble Sister Cui. If there's any news of Cheng ger, we'll be most grateful..." Before Mrs. He could finish, a young maidservant ran in from outside, saying hurriedly that Cheng ger had returned. Mrs. He and Nanny Qiu were both startled. Then Mrs. He slapped her thigh and said, "My little ancestor, he's finally back!" Nanny Qiu tactfully said, "Since Cheng ger has returned, then I needn't worry anymore. You two should catch up. I'll come again another day." "Thank you for making the trip. Please tell Sister Cui that I'll personally visit her when I have free time." Mrs. He stood up to see her off. As Nanny Qiu reached the doorway, Du Cheng happened to walk in from outside. It had been a while since they last saw each other. Du Cheng had grown thinner and paler. Nanny Qiu sized him up for a moment, then brushed past him. After leaving the Du residence, Nanny Qiu didn't rush back. Instead, she had Er Shun drive the carriage to the nearby area. About an hour later, Er Shun saw Du Cheng come out, and they quietly followed him. "Nanny Qiu, he's going around in circles. It seems he's noticed us." Er Shun said in a low voice. "Then stop the carriage. I'll get off to buy some things, and you go follow him." Nanny Qiu got down from the carriage and went to a nearby pastry shop. After buying the pastries, Nanny Qiu waited in the carriage until dusk before she saw Er Shun return. "Why did you take so long?" Nanny Qiu was worried. "If you hadn't come back soon, I would have feared something happened to you." "I followed Du Cheng around in circles for quite a while. Guess where he ended up going?" Er Shun climbed onto the carriage and tightened the reins. "Where?" "You'd never guess. He actually entered the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion through the small gate." Er Shun had only returned after seeing Du Cheng go into the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. Nanny Qiu was very surprised to hear this. Likewise, Cui Lingrong was also shocked. "What is he doing at the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, and through the small gate at that?" "Reporting to you, mistress, that's how it was. At first, Cheng ger might have noticed us, so I was very careful. He didn't go directly there either—he took a huge detour." Er Shun said, "I saw him acting all sneaky and suspicious, which was very strange!" Cui Lingrong found it interesting. "Song Shulan dislikes him so much, and Zhao Susu has never treated him well either, yet he went into the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. Could it be that all these days, he's been hiding in the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion? Who's been arranging his food and lodging?" And also—does Song Shulan know? If he knew, Du Cheng wouldn't need to use the small gate. But if he didn't know, then who in the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion wanted to hide Du Cheng? Could it be that while Du Cheng was staying at the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, some feelings had developed? That didn't make sense either. No matter what, Du Cheng was a scholar; he shouldn't have given up his studies. This time, Du Cheng left the Guozijian without any reason. Presumably, he would be expelled. So what was Du Cheng doing this for? Neither Nanny Qiu nor Er Shun could figure it out. Er Shun asked, "How about I keep an eye on the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion?" "The Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion is so large—how could you watch it alone? Rather than having you keep watch, it's better to have Madam Li help search." Cui Lingrong had Nanny Qiu go find Madam Li's personal nanny. Presumably, Du Cheng was afraid the Du family would really report him to the authorities, so he came out to show his face. It was just unknown what the situation was between the Du family and the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion now. At this moment, Du Cheng had returned to the Wutong Courtyard. After Cui Lingrong left, Zhao Susu had sold off quite a few servants to reduce expenses. However, even as Du Cheng made his way in, despite having Wang Hechun's Wife to lead the way, it was still tense and thrilling. When they finally returned to the Wutong Courtyard, Wang Hechun's Wife's heart was pounding and couldn't settle for a long time. "The mistress isn't here right now. You stay put in the room. If I were you, I'd go out less from now on. Otherwise, you should persuade the mistress to arrange a place for you outside. You wouldn't want to be discovered at some point, would you?" Du Cheng agreed readily. When Zhao Susu returned, he embraced her and complained, "I don't know if Mama Wang thinks I'm too troublesome—she suggested I persuade you to set me up outside. But if that happens, we won't be able to be together day and night. Would you miss me?" "Did she really think that?" Zhao Susu frowned deeply. Du Cheng nodded. "Susu, don't blame her. Maybe she's just too afraid." "What's there to be afraid of?" Zhao Susu grew bolder by the day. "If Cui Lingrong were still here, I'd worry about her managing the household and us being discovered. But now that the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion is in my hands, what's there to fear?" Zhao Susu grew increasingly dissatisfied with Wang Hechun's Wife. "She's nowhere near as good as her mother-in-law. She has no courage and is uselessly timid. Forget it—if I didn't lack trustworthy people around me, I wouldn't use her at all. By the way, when you went to the Du family, did you manage to appease Mrs. He and her husband?" "My second uncle wasn't home, only my second aunt," Du Cheng said with a troubled expression. "She scolded me for betraying the Du family's investment in me, saying I should be at the Guozijian studying. She said if I wanted to disappear, I'd have to return all the money the Du family spent on me over the years." "Mrs. He is truly detestable!" Zhao Susu gnashed her teeth at the mention of her. "So what do you plan to do?" Du Cheng said he had no money. "I think I should just go live outside. If I earn an official rank, once the old master of the Du family dies, I'll be free. But when I reach the right age and the Du family arranges a marriage for me, I..." If he returned to the Du family, he wouldn't be able to refuse the marriage. But since they were already together, Zhao Susu naturally didn't want Du Cheng to marry someone else—she was such a possessive person. "Did Mrs. He say how much money she wants?" Zhao Susu thought that if money could solve the problem, she'd settle it in one go. Du Cheng said to forget it. "Mrs. He and my second uncle are both insatiably greedy. Even if you pay once, there will always be more demands. As long as I appear in Bianjing, they'll keep coming to extort money." "Don't tell me you're thinking of following the Du family's arrangements and marrying and having children?" Zhao Susu grew anxious. "No, no, absolutely not," Du Cheng sighed. "If I can earn an official rank, I can establish my own household. It's just that for these few years, we'll have to endure some longing for each other." Zhao Susu refused. She had finally achieved a life of sweet harmony with Du Cheng, and she didn't want to be apart for even a single day. Zhao Susu racked her brain for another solution—if only Du Cheng could openly live in the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, then they wouldn't have to fear the Du family's threats. But Song Shulan absolutely despised Du Cheng and would never allow him to stay at the mansion. Thinking of Song Shulan, Zhao Susu now felt only disgust. Every time Song Shulan tried to get close to her, she'd think of his crippled body and feel sick to her stomach. "I'll figure something out—there must be a way for us to be together forever." Zhao Susu took a deep breath and leaned into Du Cheng's warm embrace, feeling the body of a young man. This was what she truly wanted. Du Cheng smiled and said yes, and in broad daylight, he began pulling at Zhao Susu's clothes. At the doorway, Wang Hechun's Wife heard the low gasps coming from the room, and her heart tightened again. After about half an hour, when the room fell silent, Wang Hechun's Wife finally sent someone to fetch hot water. Though the weather was freezing, Zhao Susu demanded hot water for bathing almost every day. The maids in Wutong Courtyard bore it without complaint, but the kitchen women responsible for boiling water couldn't help grumbling. When Concubine Zhang came to the kitchen to brew some cough medicine, she overheard the cooks talking about Wutong Courtyard's demand for water. But she kept a low profile these days—whatever happened in Wutong Courtyard had nothing to do with her, and she would never pry. After the medicine was ready, Concubine Zhang returned to her quarters. On the way, she ran into the young mistresses of the second and third branches. Concubine Zhang stopped to greet them. Madame Jiang casually asked a question and, upon learning that Concubine Zhang's cold hadn't recovered, clicked her tongue. "If you really can't hold on, just tell the eldest sister-in-law and have a doctor called in. You're a longtime attendant of the Marquis—she'll grant you that courtesy." Madam Li added, "Yes, and you should have a maid boil the medicine. Why go yourself?" Concubine Zhang's lips twisted bitterly—the maid in her quarters was even sicker, which was why she had to brew the medicine herself. "Thank you both for your concern. I've actually improved quite a bit." "Ah, if that one were still here, you wouldn't have to suffer like this," Madame Jiang couldn't help complaining. "A few days ago, Sixth Ger wet the bed, and I wanted to give him a bath. The kitchen took forever to send hot water. I don't know what Wutong Courtyard is doing, demanding hot water day in and day out." Bucket after bucket of hot water was sent to Wutong Courtyard—everyone in the mansion knew about it. But they didn't think much of it, only assuming that Zhao Susu was throwing her weight around and deliberately making people run errands. Madam Li noticed Concubine Zhang's pallid face and, unable to bear it, sent her own maid to fetch a doctor for her. After Concubine Zhang was dismissed, Madame Jiang suddenly leaned close to Madam Li and asked with a grin, "Third sister-in-law, has the Marquis ever told you whether he's really incapable now?" That day, when Cui Lingrong brought it up, Madame Jiang was stunned for a long time—it was simply too explosive. "Ahem, Second Sister-in-law, why would the Marquis tell Third Master something like that?" Madam Li blushed. "I assumed that between brothers, they might talk about manly matters," Madame Jiang said, clicking her tongue and shaking her head. "So tell me, how is it that the Marquis can't perform?" Madam Li shook her head. "You really don't know?" Madame Jiang's eyes showed disappointment. "I thought since you and Cui Lingrong were close, she might have told you." As she spoke, Madame Jiang kept watching Madam Li, and only after seeing Madam Li shake her head vigorously did she become half-convinced. "Second Sister-in-law, I truly don't know. And besides, something so private—how could Sister Cui possibly tell me? This is her trump card! Didn't she use exactly this to force the Marquis to sign the divorce agreement that day?" Madam Li analyzed. Madame Jiang nodded. "That's true." Afraid that if they kept talking, someone might overhear and cause trouble, Madam Li found an excuse to leave. Madame Jiang watched Madam Li's timid, spineless retreat and found it utterly dull. All the way back, she kept thinking—if the Marquis can't perform, can Zhao Susu really hold on? In fact, the Jiang family had approached Madame Jiang before, asking if she wanted a mutual divorce and remarriage, but it was Madame Jiang herself who didn't want to marry again. Besides, the Jiang family was run by a stepmother—how could she possibly arrange a good match? If she divorced and remarried some old man as a Successor Wife, she'd be better off staying in the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. At least Song Shucheng wasn't in Bianjing, and who knew if he'd ever return. If he never came back, even better. Madame Jiang returned to the Second Branch residence just in time for the evening meal. Looking at the food that had been sent over—not even a decent dish of meat among it—she took a couple of casual bites but simply couldn't stomach it. She stormed off to Shouan Tang to lodge a complaint.