Chapter 3

After completing the formal ceremony, Xiaokui helped Wen Yusheng to his feet. Seeing this, Jiang Manyue also stood up. Breakfast had already been prepared. Jiang Manyue sat down right beside Wen Yusheng. Wen's mother and father exchanged a smile, very pleased with how attentive Jiang Manyue was. Wen Yusheng himself did not seem to think much of it. He simply lowered his head and began eating. And so, the morning of their second day as newlyweds passed. After leaving his parents' courtyard, Wen Yusheng returned to the study to deal with the household accounts and other matters. This left Jiang Manyue alone in the unfamiliar Wen residence with nothing to do but wander around aimlessly. Although the Wen family lived only in the county town, their residence had quite a large compound. Jiang Manyue soon got lost as she walked around. With no other choice, she found a stone and sat down to rest. Just then, she heard footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw two maids walking over. She had originally intended to ask them for directions, but then she heard her own name coming from one of their mouths. She immediately perked up her ears and secretly listened. “Hey, have you seen that incoming wife yet? I heard she's terribly ugly.” “Who told you that?” “Our Fourth Young Master, of course. He said it himself. He said the Eldest Young Master was driven back home by someone else and even brought back an ugly wife as an incoming wife. It's really embarrassing!” That maid belonged to one of the Wen family's concubine-born sons. “Ah, the Eldest Young Master is really pitiful. He's so outstanding, yet he can't bear children. Now he has to spend the rest of his life with a bumpkin like that.” That maid was someone who had feelings for Wen Yusheng. Jiang Manyue waited until the two maids had walked far away before coming out. It seemed she really wasn't very welcome in this household. But ugly? She thought she looked pretty decent. That Fourth Young Master must be blind! Everything Jiang Manyue could hear, naturally, could also be heard by others. Wen Yusheng held those remarks in contempt. He was even more disgusted by his younger half-brothers and half-sisters. Those fools only knew how to bully their own family and hold everyone back! They probably wished he could suffer as much as possible. He had already been somewhat dissatisfied when he first learned that he was going to marry a poor scholar. But his father had only one son—him—and no daughter to inherit the family business. His younger half-sisters were all eyeing the family fortune covetously, so he could only marry the person who seemed to offer the greatest advantage. He had never expected that poor scholar to be so useless. Seven years had passed, yet she was still only a scholar! His father's hope of seeing him become the wife of an official had been completely dashed. And after all these years, Wen Yusheng still had not borne a child, ultimately ending up divorced. In truth, it wasn't that he was incapable of bearing children. It was simply that whenever he saw Wang Xiucai, he became so disgusted that he couldn't respond to her advances at all. That was why, throughout all these years, they had never consummated their marriage, let alone had a child. For this reason, Wen Yusheng had turned a blind eye when Wang Xiucai took male concubines. Things had been fine in the earlier years. Those male concubines knew their place, and everyone lived together peacefully. But recently, one of the male concubines became pregnant. Wang Xiucai was overjoyed and doted on him excessively. Spoiled by her favor, that male concubine became arrogant. He no longer took Wen Yusheng, the “barren rooster,” seriously and even wanted to replace him as the principal husband. Wang Xiucai might have been muddleheaded, but she wasn't stupid. All these years, the household's expenses had been supported entirely by Wen Yusheng. If she divorced Wen Yusheng, the family would have no money. But the male concubine refused to give in and even threatened to kill himself. After so many years, Wang Xiucai had finally managed to have a child, so naturally, she couldn't bear to lose him. In the end, after being egged on by the male concubine, she changed the divorce into a mutual separation. However, she demanded that Wen Yusheng compensate her with half of the dowry he had brought into the marriage. Although Wen Yusheng was furious, he agreed for the sake of getting out of the marriage as quickly as possible. At first, his parents refused to agree to the separation. But Wen Yusheng's mind was made up, and since everything had already been decided, there was nothing they could do to stop him. Thus, his seven-year marriage came to a complete end. Wen Yusheng no longer held any hope for love and only wished to spend the rest of his life accompanied by the green lamp and Buddha. Jiang Manyue was eventually found by Xiaokui. By the time Xiaokui found her, Jiang Manyue's face was already bright red from the sun. The moment she saw Xiaokui, she almost burst into tears. “Xiaokui! You finally came! I'm going to be dried into a rat jerky!” Xiaokui covered his mouth and secretly chuckled. “Madam, you've had a hard time. Next time you go out, you can bring a servant with you.” Xiaokui had been by Wen Yusheng's side since childhood and had accompanied him when he married and moved away. Therefore, Xiaokui knew all about the grievances Wen Yusheng had suffered there. As for this new wife, Xiaokui had originally felt more dislike than anything else. He had thought that their Young Master had truly stuck a flower into a pile of cow dung. But now that he had seen her for himself, this young woman from a modest household seemed quite good. At the very least, she treated others kindly and wasn't arrogant. Although she wasn't particularly well-matched with their Young Master, the two of them might still be able to make a life together. As soon as they returned to the side courtyard where they lived, Jiang Manyue gulped down a large cup of water to soothe her parched throat. Seeing that Wen Yusheng was waiting for her to eat, Jiang Manyue smiled sheepishly. “I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. If this happens again, just eat first. You don't have to wait for me.” Wen Yusheng sat upright at the table and spoke calmly. “It's fine. I'm not in a hurry. After we eat, there's something I need to discuss with you.” Jiang Manyue had been hungry for quite some time. The moment she sat down at the table, she began eating. She even made Wen Yusheng, who hadn't been hungry to begin with, feel hungry. He picked up his chopsticks with one hand and held back his sleeve with the other, eating with elegant movements. However, after only a few bites, he put down his chopsticks. He had never had much of an appetite. Xiaokui, who was serving them nearby, had been quite happy when he saw Wen Yusheng pick up his chopsticks. He hadn't expected him to stop after only a few bites. He secretly glanced at Jiang Manyue, who was still burying her head in her food, and coughed twice. Unfortunately, Jiang Manyue completely failed to understand what he meant and didn't even lift her head. Their cook was simply too good at making food! Wen Yusheng noticed Xiaokui's hint, however, and gave him a faint glance. Xiaokui immediately lowered his head. Jiang Manyue practically ate everything on the table. The servants who came to clear the dishes thought that the two of them had eaten it all together and couldn't help marveling that Wen Yusheng's appetite had finally improved. The cook in the back kitchen was also delighted when she saw all the empty plates. She decided that next time, she would bring out all her best dishes. After resting for a while after the meal, the two of them sat on the stone stools in the courtyard and drank tea. Wen Yusheng was fond of refined pursuits, so preparing tea was naturally no difficult task for him. Jiang Manyue, on the other hand, was completely unsophisticated. She didn't even know how to appreciate tea, although she had to admit that Wen Yusheng looked rather handsome while preparing it. He had even changed into another outfit specifically for making tea. His pale blue clothes made his entire person look as gentle and refined as jade. With his slender fingers, he lifted the teapot and poured a cup for himself and one for Jiang Manyue. Jiang Manyue raised her teacup and smelled it. The fragrance was fresh and pleasant, but she couldn't quite put it into words. After taking a sip, she still couldn't figure out what was so special about it. All she could taste was tea—and a little bitterness. But seeing the look of enjoyment on Wen Yusheng's face, Jiang Manyue could only pretend that it was delicious and continue taking small sips. Wen Yusheng had noticed her secretly sticking out her tongue, but he didn't care whether Jiang Manyue knew how to appreciate tea. As long as he enjoyed it himself, that was enough. Their leisurely tea time soon passed. It was time to get down to business.