If Ji Cheng wasn’t a fool, she should have seen through Shen Che’s intentions by now. The Second Young Master had no plans to consummate their marriage. Who knew if it was because he had lost face on their wedding night?
Ji Cheng bit her lip. Shen Che was truly despicable. She pounded the bed forcefully, thinking bitterly that if Shen Che wasn’t worried about producing an heir, why should she care?
The reality was, that if a woman didn’t conceive for a long time, everyone would inevitably suspect her.
For instance, the next morning when Ji Cheng went to pay her respects to the Old Madam, the elderly woman inquired about her health, “Has the ailment you developed after saving Young Master Hong fully recovered?”
Ji Cheng replied, “I’ve been taking medicine regularly. The physician said there’s no major issue now. I’m just taking some ginseng nourishing pills.”
The Old Madam nodded, “Imperial Physician Lin comes to check my pulse every month. I’ll ask him to examine you as well. Young women often don’t pay attention to their health, only to regret it when they’re old and full of ailments.”
Ji Cheng obediently nodded, knowing the Old Madam was anxious for a grandson but couldn’t say it directly. She wished Imperial Physician Lin would come today to clear her name. It wasn’t her inability, but Shen Che’s inaction, right?
As they were talking, Second Madam Huang entered. She had gained some weight in recent years and was already wiping sweat early in the morning.
“Oh, this weather! It’s already hot so early in the day,” Madam Huang dabbed at the beads of sweat on her forehead.
The Old Madam asked, “Why have you come at this hour?” The Old Madam was lenient, not requiring her three daughters-in-law to pay respects early in the morning, as they were all of the same generation. Usually, Madam Huang would come to keep the Old Madam company in the afternoon after handling the day’s affairs at the Zhongyi Marquis’s residence.
Madam Huang said, “I’ve been longing for Che’er to marry, and now I can finally relax. I’ve brought over the account books and tallies from these years, so Che’er’s wife can start familiarizing herself with them.”
Although the first and second branches had long since divided the household, Princess An He wasn’t one to manage the household, and the Old Madam didn’t have the extra energy. So, Madam Huang had been overseeing the estate’s income and expenses, while Old Madam’s Maid Cao managed the servants.
Hearing this, the Old Madam nodded, “You’ve worked hard these years. Now that Cheng has married into the family, she should naturally help lighten the elders’ burdens.”
The handover of the two branches’ accounts was swift. Madam Huang had managed the first branch’s finances for many years with hardly any discrepancies. She didn’t care for such petty gains; her husband and son were both quite accomplished, so there was no need to skim from the first branch.
Only Ji Lan knew and grumbled to herself that her second sister-in-law was just putting on a show. Ji Cheng was young and had never managed a household before. Suddenly taking over the first branch’s affairs would surely lead to many mistakes, which would then highlight Madam Huang’s competence in household management.
Ji Cheng didn’t have Ji Lan’s pettiness. Although she accepted the tallies, she verbally expressed that she would still need to consult Madam Huang often. Now that Madam Huang had completed the handover, even Maid Cao didn’t dare cling to power and sent over the household registry to Ji Cheng as well.
As a result, Ji Cheng was incredibly busy for the next few days. First, she had to familiarize herself with all the servants in the estate. Fortunately, she had lived there for over a year and had a general impression of these people, but their complex backgrounds still needed to be sorted out one by one.
This was just the beginning. Being a household manager was truly a tedious job. Early each morning, the housekeeper women responsible for various affairs would come to get the tallies and withdraw money. Not knowing Ji Cheng’s management style, they reported everything, big or small, leaving Ji Cheng feeling like even three mouths wouldn’t be enough to keep up.
After temporarily sorting out these matters, the day would fly by to lunchtime. After a brief rest in the afternoon, she would sit with the Old Madam for a while, and if guests arrived, she had to be alert to entertain them. Before she knew it, an entire day would pass.
By evening, when she dragged her tired legs back to her room, she still had to continue being the Second Young Master’s slave.
Although these maids were from the Nine Li Courtyard, no one knew if they would gossip outside. So when Shen Che returned home late, Ji Cheng, who had just sat down and hadn’t even had a sip of water, quickly stood up with a faint smile and said to Liu Ye’er, “Quickly bring a handkerchief for the Young Master.”
Since Liu Ye’er had taken over the affairs of the room, even when Shen Che returned, Ni Shang no longer came forward to serve. Liu Ye’er wrung out a hot handkerchief and handed it to Shen Che to wipe his face, then crouched down to help him change his shoes before retreating to the side.
Shen Che looked at Ji Cheng and suddenly reached out to pinch her cheek, startling her into a low cry. It wasn’t pain, but rather shock at Shen Che’s frivolous action.
“What are you doing?” Ji Cheng chided, seemingly angry, yet sounding like a coy complaint.
“I’m checking if your face has frozen from smiling,” Shen Che said. “I’ve been busy until now and haven’t even eaten dinner. Have someone set the table.”
As he finished speaking, Shen Che’s eyes deliberately lingered on Ji Cheng’s chest, then slowly curled into a smile.
Ji Cheng was embarrassed and annoyed by Shen Che’s teasing smile. She admitted that she had indeed employed some tactics. They had been married for over half a month, yet Shen Che still maintained a strict boundary of propriety between men and women.
So Ji Cheng had deliberately chosen a pink dress today, remembering that Shen Che had once praised her in pink. The pink dress with purple sash was already delicate and beautiful, but due to the summer heat, the neckline was fashionably wide, revealing a large expanse of snow-white chest. Her chest was naturally well-endowed, making it quite eye-catching.
Fortunately, Ji Cheng’s appearance was ethereally beautiful, so such attire didn’t appear vulgar. Instead, she looked like the sun about to burst through a thin mist, the dazzling beauty filtered by the haze, exuding a kind of lustrous charm that could make one’s heart race just by looking.
Unfortunately, Ji Cheng didn’t have such keen hearing to detect Shen Che’s quickened pulse. She was too busy berating herself. They were both intelligent people, so why bother doing these unnecessary things in front of Shen Che? Hoping he wouldn’t notice only proved to leave her open to ridicule.
The small kitchen always had porridge simmering, unsure whether Shen Che would return for meals, but it was always prepared. In the entire first branch, Shen Che was currently everyone’s focus. He couldn’t be left cold, hot, or hungry. Ji Cheng didn’t want people gossiping behind her back; the title of “virtuous wife” could ward off many troubles.
So when Shen Che said he hadn’t eaten, Ni Shang, who had heard the message outside, quickly prepared four small dishes and mung bean lily bulb porridge to send in.
Shen Che barely touched the four dishes, drinking the porridge while looking at Ji Cheng’s face, or rather her chest. He would look once and take a sip of porridge, finding it more appetizing than the most exquisite delicacies.
At first, Ji Cheng tried to hide her chest, either by turning or using objects to cover herself, but under Shen Che’s gaze, she seemed to say, “Didn’t you dress like this for me to see?” she simply gave up.
At times like these, thick skin was necessary for consummating the marriage and having children. After all, she wasn’t some innocent maiden anymore. They had done what should be done, and probably even what shouldn’t have been done. (In reality, they hadn’t.) So Ji Cheng simply stopped trying to hide, sitting up straight as she usually did, which made her look particularly upright from the side.
However, when she allowed him to look, Shen Che stopped looking and instead said seriously, “I’ve been out early and back late these days, it must have been hard on you. Recently, I’ve taken up a position at the Four Directions Hall. I can’t always be idle, and besides, I need to earn a title for my wife.”
Despite Shen Che’s serious tone, the content was absurd. Ji Cheng couldn’t help but mock, “So my husband has been busy with important matters all this time. I’ve misunderstood you.” Ji Cheng stood up and curtsied to Shen Che, “My husband thinks of requesting a title for me even in his busy schedule. I don’t know how to express my gratitude.”
Shen Che, satisfied with his meal, smiled and said, “It’s nothing. I’ve just been too busy lately, utterly exhausted. Please forgive me for neglecting you. It’s getting late, so you should rest early. I still have some documents to review. I’ll go to the study to avoid disturbing your sleep with the lamplight.”
As Shen Che turned away with a smile, Ji Cheng, when no one was looking, made a fist behind his back, wishing she could beat him senselessly. This man had always been so annoying. He was certain she would give in first, wasn’t he?
No way!
Ji Cheng was a very stubborn person at heart. This marriage wasn’t her wish, to begin with; it could be said that Shen Che had forced her into it. And from the very beginning, he had always been using various means to force her to submit, to be used by him.
Ji Cheng angrily walked behind the screen and took off her pink dress, throwing it to Liu Ye’er, “Burn it.” She then added, “Put away all my clothes with large necklines. Only bring out those with standing collars.”
In the hot summer, even Madam Huang and the others wore wide-necked shirts. Ji Cheng had lost a bit of rationality due to her anger at Shen Che.
Yu Qian’er had been peeking in several times, and only after Shen Che left did she enter the room, saying, “Miss.”
Ji Cheng beckoned Yu Qian’er to sit down. Recently, she had been so busy with various matters that she hadn’t had time to think about Yu Qian’er and Big Black’s affair.
“Miss, that Yuan Yong is so annoying. I just went out to buy some sewing supplies, and he kept pestering me,” Yu Qian’er complained.
Ji Cheng didn’t immediately realize who Yuan Yong was, “Why is he following you? Does the Shen family have such a rogue servant? I’ll have him dismissed tomorrow.”
Yu Qian’er was stunned for a moment and said, “Miss, Yuan Yong is that Big Black. He’s the most annoying one. Please get rid of him quickly.”
Ji Cheng looked amusedly at the contradictory Yu Qian’er, “Oh, it’s him. What does he want from you? If he dares to do anything unreasonable, we should break one of his legs to set an example.”
Yu Qian’er twisted her handkerchief and said, “He’s not doing much, just keeps saying he took liberties with me that day and wants to take responsibility. I told him to just consider it as being bitten by a dog, but he still keeps pestering me.”
Liu Ye’er, listening from the side, laughed and said, “I heard someone even learned to bark like a dog.”
Ji Cheng was stunned at first, then burst into laughter. This Big Black was quite amusing, but men willing to lower their dignity for a girl were rare. “Alright, I understand. He seems to be your husband’s attendant. I’ll talk to him and see if we can send that Big Black far away. Or if he’s so eager for a wife, we might as well find him one to end his thoughts of you.”
Yu Qian’er’s little face immediately fell, “I… I didn’t mean that. I just wanted you to teach him a lesson, so he wouldn’t cling to every girl he sees and embarrass our household. Besides, with his coal-black appearance, which girl would marry him? You’d lose him in a pile of coal.”
Yu Qian’er was clearly saying one thing but meaning another. The girl was growing up and starting to worry about marriage.
When Yu Qian’er was alone with Liu Ye’er, she couldn’t help but worry, “Sister Liu Ye, do you think the Miss will go and scold Yuan Yong?”
Liu Ye’er smiled, “Since the Miss has promised you, she will certainly scold him. You know the Miss’s personality. If he dares to be disrespectful to you, she’ll surely skin him alive.”
Yu Qian’er immediately became anxious, “Oh no, that won’t do. He… he hasn’t done anything wrong.”
Liu Ye’er said, “That’s right, he hasn’t done anything wrong. He just gave you a jade bracelet yesterday, a box of rouge today, and tomorrow it’ll probably be a golden hairpin.”
Now Yu Qian’er understood Liu Ye’er’s teasing, “You’re so annoying, always making fun of me.”
Liu Ye’er was pinned down and tickled by Yu Qian’er for a long time, only being let go after begging for mercy on her knees. “Alright, alright. I think that Big Black is not bad. Although he’s a bit dark, his features are quite handsome. His family isn’t bad either, just an old mother who lives with his brother. You won’t have to suffer under a mother-in-law if you marry him.”
“Oh my, I’ll tear your mouth apart. What nonsense are you talking about?” Yu Qian’er shouted and was about to hit Liu Ye’er again.
Liu Ye’er said, “I’m not joking with you. I see that the Miss seems to have plans for you too. If you don’t like Yuan Yong, that’s fine, but if you have feelings for him, don’t be too proud. What if the Miss arranges a wrong match for you? There are many respectable matrons in this household, and the Miss is a newly married wife. You’re so pretty, if someone proposes, should the Miss agree or not?”
Yu Qian’er was silent for a moment, then said coyly, “I’ll listen to whatever the Miss decides. She won’t harm me anyway.”
Before finishing her own business, Yu Qian’er started worrying about Liu Ye’er, “Hey, sister, I think the Miss seems to intend to match you with the Young Master. Such a handsome person, it would be a joy just to look at him every day.”
However, Liu Ye’er remained silent.