Pei Yan looked at Yu Tang, his eyes shining brightly as he laughed softly.

When his A’Tang took charge of the household, things would be done according to A’Tang’s rules. The Pei family would certainly experience another major upheaval.

As for now, they should still follow the regulations his grandmother had previously established!

He stood up and pressed Yu Tang back down into the grand armchair, saying, “Then don’t make a fuss. Just calculate whether there are any errors in these accounts. If there aren’t any errors, just submit them as they are.”

Yu Tang was huffing with indignation.

She felt this couldn’t continue like this.

But since this was after all the Pei family’s household affairs, it wasn’t appropriate for her to criticize too much. It would be best to listen to Pei Yan’s words and just calculate the numbers in the accounts.

However, Pei Yan seemed to see through her thoughts and said gently, “Just listen to me and you can’t go wrong! As for what you’re worried about—what Old Lady’s intentions are—you don’t need to take it too much to heart. If you understand, then do it. If you don’t understand, what can be done?”

After saying this, he even spread his hands in a particularly roguish manner. Yet seeing this, Yu Tang inexplicably felt especially secure and at ease.

She couldn’t help but smile with pursed lips.

Pei Yan couldn’t hold back and reached out to touch her smooth dark hair, thinking to himself that she should just bear with it for now—once she married over, whatever she said would go.

This was the first time he had so obviously displayed his affection for Yu Tang. Yu Tang felt a bit shy, but more than that, she was happy.

She simply pretended not to have seen what he had done and took over the abacus to begin calculating accounts.

The jet-black abacus beads and snow-white slender fingers created a stark contrast, making that ordinary miscellaneous wood abacus appear even more crude while her jade-like fingers appeared even more delicate. Combined with Yu Tang’s skilled movements, those cold abacus beads became like tamed children under her fingers, crackling with a rhythmic cadence as they danced. Just watching from the side was a feast for the eyes.

The more Pei Yan watched, the more he liked it. He couldn’t help but stand there watching for quite a while. Only when Qing Yuan came in carrying fruit did Pei Yan snap back to attention. He took the fruit plate from Qing Yuan’s hands and, as if afraid of disturbing Yu Tang, said quietly, “I’ll handle it.”

Qing Yuan didn’t dare raise her head and tiptoed out.

Before long, Yu Tang had calculated all the accounts in the entire book.

Pei Yan asked her with a smile, “Well?”

Yu Tang stood up and flexed her wrists, saying, “If account books coming from the accounting office still have errors, then all your family’s accountants should be replaced.”

Pei Yan nodded with a smile and brought the fruit plate to Yu Tang: “Try some—they’re grown on our family’s estate.”

Yu Tang looked carefully and saw that among the pile of cherries and plums, there were actually several golden loquats.

She happily picked up a loquat and asked Pei Yan while peeling it, “How did you come over? Is there something you need?”

Pei Yan hesitated for a while, but finally decided to tell the truth—lying was too troublesome, and he would have to keep covering for that lie.

“I came to see what you were doing.” He sat down beside Yu Tang and peeled loquats together with her, saying, “How have you been these past few days? When can you finish looking at these account books? Do you need my help?”

Yu Tang looked at the peeled loquat in her hand, wondering whether she should be polite and let Pei Yan taste it first. Looking up, she saw him lowering his eyelids as he seriously peeled the loquat. His profile was handsome and distinguished, and she felt a bit embarrassed. She took a small bite of the loquat herself and began telling Pei Yan about what had happened at the villa these past two days.

Seeing Yu Tang’s appearance, Pei Yan seemed to really like eating loquats, so he had Qing Yuan bring in a small dish and placed all the peeled loquats on it, setting it beside Yu Tang’s hand.

Yu Tang felt rather uncomfortable, yet she also felt that opportunities to have Pei Yan do work were too rare. After thinking for quite a while, she still smiled and thanked Pei Yan, eating several of the loquats Pei Yan had peeled while talking with him.

For a time, though they only spoke in low voices in the side hall, the atmosphere was warm and intimate.

Qing Yuan and the others quietly smiled outside.

When Old Lady Pei heard about it, she also quietly smiled and instructed Nanny Chen, “Send them some mung bean soup. Send it over quietly—don’t let anyone see, lest Yu Shi feel embarrassed and uncomfortable in my presence.”

This was somewhat showing favoritism.

These were freshly harvested mung beans, not yet available for sale in the market. Second Madam hadn’t even received any yet, but they were already cooking them for Miss Yu.

Nanny Chen responded with a smile in her eyes and brows and went down to cook the mung bean soup.

Unfortunately, before Old Lady Pei’s mung bean soup could be sent over, Fourth Miss Pei and Fifth Miss Pei clutched bunches of wildflowers and excitedly rushed into the side hall, breaking up Pei Yan and Yu Tang’s time together.

“Third, Third Uncle!” The two young ladies stared dumbfounded at Yu Tang and Pei Yan sitting side by side, their faces full of confusion.

Pei Yan frowned, not knowing whether to blame the two young ladies for being too rash or to blame the servant girls on duty at the door for being incompetent. His expression looked quite unpleasant.

Yu Tang’s face, however, turned completely red. She jumped up with a start, her face full of flustered guilt as she said, “We, we were looking at accounts…” Then she quickly composed herself and took the offensive to cover her embarrassment: “How did you two come over? Didn’t you say you were going to the back mountain to pick wild vegetables? Why are you holding a bunch of wildflowers? What flowers are these? Do they have any particular significance?” She then pointed to the embroidered stools nearby: “The weather is so hot, sit down and have some tea, won’t you? I have excellent fetal chrysanthemum here, as well as pre-Qingming West Lake Longjing tea. What would you like to drink?”

They didn’t dare sit and drink together with their Third Uncle Pei Yan!

Fourth Miss grumbled inwardly, only making eye signals at Yu Tang, indicating she should get Pei Yan to leave.

Pei Yan wanted to leave without her saying anything.

These two little girls only grew in height but not in sense. Since they had come, it would be impossible for him to have an intimate conversation with Yu Tang, and the atmosphere was completely gone.

He simply stood up and said, “Then I’ll leave first. Since these accounts aren’t urgent to submit, don’t rush to organize them. Check a little each day, and just finish by the deadline.”

Yu Tang naturally couldn’t ask him to stay either.

She lowered her head and saw Pei Yan to the door.

The two young ladies were not only overjoyed to see this, but as soon as Pei Yan left, they immediately came forward affectionately, one on the left and one on the right, hugging Yu Tang’s arms and pulling her toward the small garden outside the side hall, saying, “Sister Yu, we have urgent business to discuss with you.”

Yu Tang couldn’t dampen the two young ladies’ spirits, so she could only smile and go with them to sit under the camphor tree in the small garden on the wicker chairs. She had Liu Xu go pour tea and asked them, “What urgent matter brings you two hurrying to find me?”

Fifth Miss was still somewhat shy, but Fourth Miss was like a lark, chirping away as she circled Yu Tang: “Sister Yu, do you know that Sister Gu’s brother—Master Gu Zhaoyang—is going to marry Miss Yin, Sister Xu’s sister-in-law, as his wife?”

This was already old news.

Of course, this was relative to Yu Tang.

Speaking of which, Yu Tang had once personally participated in this matter.

She had gone to arrange the new residence for the Yin family.

“I know!” Yu Tang smiled and told Fourth Miss and Fifth Miss what she knew.

The two young ladies’ eyes sparkled as they listened. One said, “Then does Sister Yu know that the Gu family has had a quarrel?”

The other said, “It’s not Sister Gu’s fault though! It was the Gu family’s First Master and Sister Gu’s father, Second Master Gu, who quarreled!”

Yu Tang really hadn’t heard about this matter.

She was somewhat surprised.

Fourth Miss rushed to speak before Fifth Miss: “We heard it from Miss Yang. She heard it from one of her cousins. This cousin married into a branch of the Shen family, and her sister-in-law is a young lady from the Gu family’s main branch.”

The aristocratic families of Jiangnan were indeed intricate and complex—tracing relationships, they were all relatives.

Yu Tang pricked up her ears to listen.

Fourth Miss said, “It’s said that when Master Gu became engaged to the Yin family, he agreed with them that Miss Yin’s dowry would be managed by Miss Yin herself. If in the future Miss Yin has no children or passes away before Master Gu, Miss Yin’s dowry must be returned to the Yin family. When the Gu family heard this, they exploded—especially Second Master Gu. He went directly to First Master Gu and, without regard for dignity, started quarreling.”

Yu Tang knew about this matter. When she had first learned of it, she had also thought it somewhat excessive, though it was only excessive compared to the Gu family’s status. In Jiangnan, families liked to provide generous dowries when marrying off daughters, and there were quite a few agreements even more extreme than this.

She felt this was a case of one willing to strike and one willing to suffer, so she said somewhat peacefully, “The Yin family must have their concerns. Their family is famous for providing generous dowries to their daughters.”

There had once been a case in Jiangnan where someone murdered his wife to covet her dowry.

Fifth Miss waved her hands repeatedly, saying, “No, no. Sister Yu, you don’t know—Sister Gu’s father, Second Master Gu, embezzled Sister Gu’s mother’s dowry. Everyone in the Gu family knows about this, but they’re afraid of losing face, so they keep it hidden from outsiders. Master Gu’s father tried to repeat the same trick, and the embarrassment reached all the way to the capital. That’s why he made such an agreement with the Yin family, and why First Master Gu personally came forward to arrange Master Gu’s marriage. But now that Second Master Gu has made such a scene, this matter is like a fire that can’t be contained in paper—everyone knows about it now.”

“The Gu family has been pushed to the forefront and become the subject of gossip again.” Fifth Miss said sympathetically, “When Sister Gu finds out, who knows how heartbroken she’ll be. Especially First Madam—she’s someone who cares most about face. Who knows if she’ll look down on Miss Gu.”

“She probably won’t.” Fourth Miss said, “First Cousin is a reasonable person. Even if First Madam says something unpleasant, First Cousin will protect Sister Gu. At most, Sister Gu will just have to listen to a few idle words going in one ear and out the other. Besides, Sister Gu won’t be marrying over anytime soon. Even if First Madam wants to say something, she has nowhere to say it!”

Fifth Miss said, “I just feel a bit sorry for Sister Gu. She has to deal with such a stepmother, and now the matter of the Yin family’s dowry has been exposed. Although it’s not her fault, she’ll still be subject to pointing and gossiping, which must be upsetting.”

“Who says it isn’t?” Fourth Miss chimed in. “So I say this matter should be told to First Cousin. Have First Cousin send someone to pass along a message or something to comfort Sister Gu. It’s a pity that Sister Gu is about to marry into our family, otherwise we could invite her to stay at the villa for some time to help her relax.”

Fifth Miss giggled and clapped her hands, saying, “This time Fourth Sister has finally said something wrong. If Sister Gu weren’t marrying into our family, she wouldn’t encounter First Madam, and if she didn’t encounter First Madam, First Cousin wouldn’t need to comfort her. You have to admit defeat this time, right? Quickly give me that Maitreya Buddha on your dressing table.”

“You’re just after my things.” Fourth Miss said, and the topic immediately went off track to who knows where. “You think everything I have is good.”

Yu Tang sat there smiling as she listened to them bicker, but in her heart she wondered: Could this matter have been deliberately spread by Pei Yan?