Edited by Elanor
Qin Ping turned around and realized that Xie Ru was lying.
But why?
This kind of lie was completely unnecessary. His Master was not an unreasonable person. As long as you sincerely show care, he would not be disgusted. But when you tell this kind of lie, you already had an intention. As long as the Master and Madam were together, he would know that she came here and the Madam never said anything similar. What benefit could she gain by lying?
Chu Mu knew clearly in his heart.
Xie Ru’s goal was not him.
She only needed to perform confidently and give herself a predetermined direction and role. As for ‘Brother’s words’, ‘feelings with Brother’, and ‘pity and care’ for him, they were all tools and not important. She deliberately portrayed her interaction with her Brother as light and ambiguous, but didn’t give too many details to make you feel it was true. Doubt? The little girl was so cute and kind-hearted. Why do you doubt her? Why was her mind so dark?
Even if the lie was exposed, she was not afraid. Did she say anything malicious or inappropriate? All were good words, care, and deep blessings from the heart. White lies were also lies. Even if they didn’t touch people’s hearts as much, others should remember their personal feelings, right?
Do you still doubt her, question her restlessness and kindness, is there something wrong with your cultivation?
This Step-Sister had been calculating carefully for a long time. She didn’t care about the relationship between her Brother and husband, whether it was good or bad, and whether it would bring any negative impact. She left behind a mess and didn’t care how others would handle it. Even if this performance was not satisfactory and didn’t bring the expected favorable impression, others should not have a bad impression of her.
At this moment, a soft noise suddenly came from behind the room curtain.
Xie Ru was stunned for a moment, and her face immediately turned red. “Is there… a guest inside?”
Before Chu Mu could answer, she stood up hastily and said, “I didn’t know you were hosting guests. I was really presumptuous. I’ll take my leave first. You must take care of your health and be well.”
After speaking, she covered her face like a frightened little rabbit, and the figure running away was also very cute.
“This girl is charming and kind, but she’s so cute in running away fast——.”
A slender figure emerged from behind the curtain, with sword-shaped eyebrows and bright eyes, an elegant manner, a pair of smiling eyes that rippled with waves, and only the knife-cut sideburns exuded a hint of sharp aura. He raised his hand, and there was ink between his fingers, he seemed to have accidentally stained his fingers while writing or painting just now. Now, he was waiting for Qin Ping to bring water to clean his hand.
“What is her name? Why is she so affectionate to you?”
This was said to Chu Mu.
Chu Mu smiled, with a slight curl on his lips, indicating a profound meaning.
“Your smile is not right..” The young man immediately became vigilant.
Chu Mu said, “It’s normal for you to be interested when others come at you, Lu Li.”
The youth, also known as Lu Li, blinked and said, “What?”
He didn’t understand, and neither did Qin Ping.
Bringing clean water to Lu Li and tidying up the teacups again, Qin Ping’s mind was still spinning. Didn’t Xie Ru approach his Master? She tried every means to please him, both with advice and pity, causing him to worry about his family being taken advantage of and the backyard catching fire. Did his thoughts actually run off course!
Chu Mu’s slender fingertips slowly slid over the edge of the tea cup and chuckled softly, “Think carefully about her words, every word.”
“Who exactly is she targeting?”
The scene suddenly fell silent.
Qin Ping was thinking, but the teacup in Lu Li’s hand also paused and he didn’t rush to deliver it to his mouth.
Slowly, the flavor of the scene materialized.
“A regretful love, separated by life and death.”
“Although she reminded me, what worried her more was the person left behind. How would this person get through the long road? She really wanted to warm him up.”
“A good Sister should be like this, taking care of careless men and helping her Brother take care of the family.”
**********
One by one listed out. Qin Ping gave a fierce slap on the forehead, not really!
Who else was there besides Lord Lu in front of me!
Lu Li was young and promising. He has been a prodigy since childhood, and at a young age, his official career was smooth. Who wouldn’t raise their hand to praise him? It was a pity that his fate for marriage was not very good. When he was a child, his parents wanted him to have a marriage alliance with a girl from a good friend of the family’s home, but as a result, the good friend’s family gave birth to a son; Grew up like a little golden boy, dressed in powder and jade. The adults competed for him several times, but his Maternal Aunt won and promised her little daughter to him, but the little daughter fell ill and died young; when he grew up, it became even worse. He finally found a good girl he also liked, but as soon as he made the decision, the girl died of a sudden illness and her body was burned by her family; in the end, his parents begged and convinced a relative for an alliance, the girl did not die, but the girl’s father died.
The girl was in heavy mourning, sobbing uncontrollably, and cut off contact with his family directly. What kind of marriage were they talking about? Just back off, back off, back off!
Who dares to marry someone who had a reputation of restraining his wife and restraining his family, or restraining his wife’s family?
Lu Li also has a Younger Sister who was the most gentle and kind-hearted. She worried about her Brother every day, but unfortunately, her age was not much different from her Brother’s. Her Brother could not marry a wife, but she wants to get married. When she left the house, she cried like a baby, saying that she could rest assured of her Father and Mother, but she couldn’t rest assured of this foolish Brother. She only hoped to have a good Sister-in-Law, so that her Brother could have food, clothing, so he wouldn’t get hungry and at least have a place to settle down….
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Xie Ru’s performance was in line with everything, just like a thoughtful and very considerate person tailor-made for Lu Li!
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Once the man who was hooked took the initiative, the rest of the matter would not be a problem.
Qin Ping thought it through and took a deep breath, even his teeth had turned cold.
Lu Li’s eyebrows drooped, and his natural smile turned pale, “What does she want from me… not afraid of being beaten to death?”
Chu Mu said, “A truly intelligent person knows what true ‘control’ is.”
The reputation of Lu Li was clearly exaggerated.
Even if it was true, there were many people in the world who did not believe in fate or Buddhism. Apart from reputation, Lu Li himself perfectly fits the words “Rich Husband”.
Lu Li was not foolish, it was impossible not to understand. Before Chu Mu said anything, he looked directly at Qin Ping and said, “I’m afraid you need to pay more attention to this girl.”
Qin Ping responded with a clasped hand in front of his chest.
“Although that’s the case –” Lu Li came back to his senses, propping his chin and looking at Chu Mu with a smile, “I heard what this girl said, that she was your Sister-in-Law. No matter who came, hearing these words, they would misunderstand you and her, not me.”
Chu Mu: “So?”
Lu Li leaned over, his eyes and eyebrows full of gossip: “So, will your wife be jealous? Although I haven’t been married, I know that a man’s married life is very exciting. Although a wife seems to be gentle and submissive, in fact there are actually many ways to deal with her disobedient husband, such as not opening the door of their room, not allowing to sleep on the bed, kneeling on the washboard — by the way, do you know what the washboard is?”
“It’s something that’s used for washing clothes, a long strip made of wood. To increase the friction of the clothing fabric, rows and rows of edges are carved on the wood, very deep! Not to mention kneeling for a long time, even if it’s only half a cup of tea time, the knees will be cut into pieces!”
As Lu Li spoke, he seemed to be imagining some terrifying scene and rubbed his arms in evil anticipation.
Chu Mu’s expression immediately became solemn.
Knees could be cut into pieces…..
The washboard seemed very scary.
But——
“Madam won’t let me kneel on the washboard.”
Lu Li blinked and said thoughtfully, “Is that so?”
Chu Mu smiled and spoke confidently, “He can’t bear to cause me pain.”
Lu Li looked at Chu Mu’s expression and slowly narrowed his eyes. His left hand stroked his chin and said, “Is it because he can’t bear it–- or is your wife not jealous at all?”
Chu Mu’s smile stiffened.
But in just a moment, it returned to normal.
Lu Li did not miss this moment. His eyebrows twitched and his eyes narrowed, and the expression on his face became even richer. “Could it be that you pretend to look like this outside, but in fact, you haven’t even taken down your own wife, have you?”
Chu Mu looked at him sideways, “What does it mean to take him down? It sounds so unpleasant.”
“You just want him to hang you on the tip of his heart and want him to be jealous. You know it’s impossible, so he won’t let you kneel on the washboard.” Lu Li covered his mouth with one hand, unable to hold back his laughter. “Why are you so stubborn? If you don’t want to admit defeat, wouldn’t I know about it?”
Chu Mu fell silent for a moment.
Lu Li finally couldn’t hold back his laughter and laughed loudly while slapping the table, “Hahaha, it’s really amazing! The elegant and gentle Chu Mu, a perfect gentleman like a banished immortal, has a face that attracts countless young girls, but there’s one person who isn’t fascinated by it– his wife!
Chu Mu’s face stiffened for the first time and he was very stubborn: “My wife is reluctant to part with me.”
He just couldn’t bear to part with him!
Now even Qin Ping wanted to laugh.
Lu Li: “Okay, how about we make a bet? Let’s bet on whether your wife will be jealous or come to scold you for such a small matter. Within an hour he will come and scold you, but if you lose, the inkstone in your study will be mine. If he doesn’t come, I’ll lose, I…” With nothing on hand, he looked down at his clothes and pointed to the jade pendant at his waist, “I will hand this to you.”
Chu Mu didn’t even lift his eyelids, “Okay, I’ll bet with you.”
Qin Ping covered his eyes and couldn’t bear to look.
Master, why are you so stubborn? If Madam doesn’t come, the saddest one will be yourself, right? You will lose face, and you will have to give away your things. That inkstone is your favorite thing…..
And that restless Sister-in-Law, doesn’t she deserve a name in your eyes? Why did you suddenly bet and forget about her! She is going to cause trouble.
Chu Mu lowered his eyes slightly and looked into the distance without any trace, where his family’s Young Madam should be.
He knew very well whether Xie Tingyue liked him or not and whether he would be jealous or not.
A bet that was surely a loss, yet still he wanted to take the bet, because the expectation in his heart was too strong and intense, making him unable to resist thinking about it. What if?
**********
Xie Ru ran out of the Warm Pavilion with her face covered, she trotted all the way out with her heart beating so fast.
She carefully reviewed in her heart what had just happened and nodded, it was perfect.
That’s right, the person she was interested in was Lu Li.
She knew that Lu Li and Chu Mu were good friends, but due to Chu Mu’s health, they didn’t meet very frequently. But today was the Chu family Plum Banquet, Lu Li would definitely come, and as the host, Chu Mu would definitely entertain him personally.
Accompanying Xie Tingyue around the house, helping in various ways and talking to the servants, she acted well and accurately, and obtained pieces of information. After thinking about it, it was not too difficult to guess Chu Mu’s location.
She just didn’t expect it to go so smoothly….
She didn’t do anything out of line and left a good enough impression, perfect!
Xie Ru patted her slightly red face, straightened her skirt, restored her ladylike appearance, and walked back towards the flower hall in the inner courtyard.
This play was not visible to ordinary people. Men like Chu Mu who were smart would understand it, and women who were used to playing tricks and engaging in family fights would also understand it.
Huang Momo’s serious injury has not yet healed, but taking two steps slowly was no longer a problem.
She had been hanging in suspense since early this morning, asking the young maids around her to inquire about the outside world. Xie Ru’s behavior was presented to her like this.
She didn’t need to see it with her own eyes, she could understand it just by listening to these words.
“Why don’t you… do me a favor?”
There was a glint in her eyes as she waved to call for the young maid and whispered a few words in her ear, “… just tell the Second Madam like this.”
**********
On Xie Tingyue’s side, the Prince Consort Fang Huai had arrived.
Neither he nor the Princess Mansion had much contact with the Chu family. He really wanted to just show his face and leave, but he was polite and fell in awe with Xie Tingyue just after sitting down with him for a while.
He had a leisure job in the Capital and was not busy normally. He had few hobbies and liked reading story scripts. He even secretly wrote under a pseudonym and was very interested in various stories, especially enjoying different unique perspectives and viewpoints.
As usual, the host and guests sat opposite each other, exchanged a few pleasantries, and casually talked about random topics. After the polite exchange was done, they could easily find an excuse to leave. But he casually brought up one thing, and Xie Tingyue caught it very well, which opened his eyes.
Because they were not familiar with each other and didn’t have any good starting point for discussion, the general weather was not a suitable topic. So he brought up a recent joke, saying that there were two Masters in a certain government office who shared a study room for errands. However, these two Masters had different habits, forget it at ordinary times, not to mention harmony, they got along quite well. When there was a big event, one Master needed complete silence to think, while the other couldn’t, so he had to sing a small song, saying that it could give him ideas and strength.
Because of this, the two started arguing.
The room was shared by everyone, and the argument goes as, ‘you have the right to use it, and I also have the right to use it. You need to be respected, and I also need to be respected. Why should your habit be noble, but mine was not okay and not allowed?’
The two of them argued over this issue many times, and neither wanted to give in. This time, the argument was particularly fierce, and it was brought to the attention of the superior to be judged. The key point was that the superior had a hard time dealing with it as well. These two Masters, one was recruited by his Elders and the other was sent by his Father-in-Law, both of whom were very skilled. However, neither of them was wrong, so it was better to just reconcile.
Was this matter something that could be easily resolved through mediation?
This superior’s road to harmony was long and distant, and he was so worried that half of his hair was falling off.
Are you saying coca-cola was not a coke?
Most people just laughed and said a few vague words when they heard such a thing, but Xie Tingyue was different.
He was someone who had read through 《The Great Power of Economy》 and once his thinking became accustomed, his views would naturally be different.
“This problem can be solved with money.”
Fang Huai nodded, “Yes, although they have this one room, it’s not impossible to go out and spend some money to buy a comfortable place, but the two of them insist on fighting each other. What they want is a reason on why should you be right or me wrong? Why do I have to make way for you?”
Xie Tingyue shook his head, “What I mean is that the room is shared by two people, and everyone has the right to use resources fairly. Do both of them agree on this?”
Fang Huai: “They both agree on this.”
“Then neither party is right or wrong. No one has to give way to the other, but the needs cannot be balanced or accommodated. The solution can be – to bid for the quietness or noiseness of the room. If I want peace and quiet, I can offer a price that I agree with and buy this. If I buy this quietness, the other party can also bid to buy for the noise. Whoever’s needs are more urgent will bid higher. To a certain extent, for example, if it exceeds the price paid for buying a space outside, someone will be swayed and they will get a little profit from the money, which will make them psychologically satisfied and at the same time, they will not get angry by giving up the room.”
Any resource, tangible or intangible, could be a commodity. Many times, talking about money hurts feelings, but more often than not, talking about money was the most fair course ahead.
Xie Tingyue had developed a habitual thinking from reading and didn’t think this statement was particularly remarkable. However, Fang Huai was stunned when he heard it.
This concept….
He had never heard of it before!
And it was so interesting!
His butt sank on the seat, why bother walking around? Fang Huai grabbed Xie Tingyue and refused to let him go elsewhere to be busy, insisting on chatting with him more.
This situation…..
The Chu family was happy to see this success.
It was the skill of the younger generation and the glory of the family to attract such a noble person. What big thing couldn’t be handled that Xie Tingyue had to personally handle? Did the Second Wife and Third Wife eat dry rice and didn’t need to work hard? Don’t be lazy, come out and do it for me!
The Old Matriarch spoke directly. Thus, Xie Tingyue not only gained a good reputation, but also had time to drink tea and eat Dimsum.
The Second Wife, Madam Sun, looked at him with a murderous intent, and he was completely unaware of it.
However, it was not always good news.
The maid who was sent by him to serve Xie Ru came over. When changing the tea cup, she gently leaned in his ear and whispered out what had happened previously in the Warm Pavilion.
Xie Tingyue, who was grabbing Dimsum at that time, put down his hand.
His Step-Sister wanted to seduce Chu Mu?
Why?
No wonder he couldn’t figure it out. He really hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, however, the young maid had limited knowledge and couldn’t have thought it would be so profound. Didn’t she think her Sister-in-Law was trying to seduce her Brother-in-Law?
Xie Tingyue couldn’t sit still.
It was not that he was jealous, he instinctively guarded against his Stepmother and her children. He knew too well that Madam Lin was too capable, Xie Ru… he had never seen it, but if she could also do it and he wouldn’t take it seriously, what should he do if something big happens?
Still… he had to go and take a look.
But there were still guests in front of him.
Fang Huai was chatting happily and it would be inappropriate if he left this person here to walk on his own.
Xie Tingyue’s mind turned and he asked Fang Huai with a smile, “Sitting in one place for a long time, it’s inevitable to feel bored. Would the Prince Consort like to take a walk with me?”
Upon hearing this, Fang Huai immediately stood up and stretched lazily, saying, “It suits my taste. If Second Young Master Xie didn’t mention it, I couldn’t help but say it. I heard that there is a small plum grove in the backyard of the mansion.”
“Please!” Xie Tingyue immediately took the lead.
Fang Huai: “Please!”
This place was slightly far from the Warm Pavilion, and there was a small plum grove in the middle. It was just right to take a walk along the way.
Fang Huai really wanted to take a break after sitting for a long time, but he couldn’t bear the cold outside. It was enough to hang out in a small plum grove and take a look at the blooming flowers. When Xie Tingyue suggested that there was a Warm Pavilion ahead to rest, he did not refuse.
Xie Tingyue was worried about how to introduce the two parties and greet each other. He didn’t expect that Chu Mu also had a guest here, and that guest knew the Prince Consort.
From afar, Fang Huai recognized Lu Li sitting on the porch and said, “Lu Li! You’re also here!”
When Lu Li turned around and saw the other person, he immediately stood up and arched his hand to greet him, “So it’s the Prince Consort, a rare guest.”
Xie Tingyue and Fang Huai arrived at the corridor and introduced the two men to each other. Fang Huai looked at Chu Mu up and down and said, “You are indeed a talented person, handsome and elegant, not like someone who has been ill for a long time.”
Chu Mu smiled and saluted, “I have heard that the Prince Consort has a brilliant literary talent and a dignified appearance. We have never had the chance to meet. Today, we finally have this honor.”
The two of them were promoting each other in business and were familiar with each other’s routines. Xie Tingyue looked at Lu Li with a blank expression on his face.
Without it, Lu Li’s gaze was too profound. Looking at him, his eyes seemed to light up as he said, “Are you Xie’er, Chu Mu’s wife?”
It was embarrassing.
Especially when he briefly met Chu Mu’s eyes before, it seemed that he had some things to say that he couldn’t express in front of outsiders——
Xie Tingyue inexplicably arched his hand and replied, “Yes—”
Lu Li: “Is Chu Mu handsome? Do you like him?”
Xie Tingyue: …….
Show that jealousy…….
Give your husband face by drinking vinegar 😍😂
Why he need to be jealous? A little bit of jealousy is ok in the relationship, but too much means only that one didn’t trust their parnter…
Thank You for the new chapter ( ˘ ³˘)♥
In this instance, if XTY is jealous, then it will prove to Chu Mu that his wife likes and cares about him. Chu mu wants to show off to Lu Li.
Yes, I know that. I’m talking about LL’s words where he preached that a woman/spouse must be jealous of everyone and punish for even briefly meeting with others and only then does it mean that (s)he loves you…
Lol I love this lu li character already. He’s so straight tp the point and doesn’t dice his words, it’s refreshing XD wifey did come to see his husband and that much is honestly good enough haha