The Duke House's Ideal Daughter-in-law
Chapter 64
When Zhao Huanxi returned to Yifang Garden in the evening and had dinner with Xu Nian’an, he recounted the matter of Qingxiang Junzhu to her, and said; “She’s angry, and I’m also angry. It’s really baffling!”
Xu Nian’an couldn’t help but smile and asked him, “Is this Qingxiang Junzhu good-looking?”
“Who cares if she’s good-looking? Anyway, she’s not as good-looking as you.” Zhao Huanxi replied without hesitation.
“You’re starting to sound like Wang Po who sells melons by praising them herself.” Xu Nian’an placed a piece of sweet and sour lotus root into his bowl.
Zhao Huanxi looked up at her.
Xu Nian’an hadn’t realized yet and asked him, “What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”
“Are you saying that you’re… mine?” Zhao Huanxi asked eagerly, his eyes shining.
Xu Nian’an replied, “…I was just using a metaphor.”
“Oh.” The light in Zhao Huanxi’s eyes dimmed instantly.
At this moment, Nanny Hou came over carrying bedding. Seeing Zhao Huanxi and Xu Nian’an eating, she entered and greeted them.
Zhao Huanxi looked at the bedding in her hands with great curiosity and asked, “Nanny, are you moving in here?” Initially, Nanny Hou had said that she was getting old and didn’t want to move (to Yifang Garden), so she went to live with Yin Furen to serve her. She did not move into Yifang Garden with them.
“I’m not moving in, Just here to stay a few nights with Yé and Nainai, and to give those young maids a rest,” Nanny Hou said with a smile.
Zhao Huanxi became more puzzled. “Is staying up at night very tiring? If it’s tiring, then don’t stay. If the young maids are feeling tired, wouldn’t Nanny feel even more tired at your age?”
Hou Mama chuckled, “It’s okay, it’s okay. Staying up for San Yé and San Nainai, Lao Pozi is not tired.”
Zhao Huanxi wanted to say something else, but Xu Nian’an interjected, “If you don’t eat faster, you’ll be late.”
Zhao Huanxi turned his head to look at the sky outside, then dismissed his doubts and quickly finished his meal. He went to find Zhao Huanrong for martial arts practice.
When he returned, Xu Nian’an had already bathed. Lanterns hung on the rose arbor, and she sat on the swing, reading a book while drying her hair.
“Dong Jiejie!” Zhao Huanxi bounced lightly in front of her. With a lift of his hand, he placed a hairpin near her ear, bringing a strong fragrance of flowers.
Xu Nian’an reached up and took a look. It was a night-blooming jasmine flower (tuberosa).
“Where did this come from?” she asked, looking up.
“It’s from the flower garden behind. I smelled it while practicing martial arts, and I originally wanted to pick a branch for you, but it was too fragrant, so I picked a flower instead,” Zhao Huanxi said, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Xu Nian’an smelled the delicate and fragrant flower in her hand and said, “Thank you, I really like it. Now, go take a bath. I have something to tell you after you finish bathing.”
“Okay.” Zhao Huanxi obediently went to bathe. In a short while, he returned with a scent of bath beans, sat down beside her, and deliberately swung the swing, preventing her from reading.
Xu Nian’an closed the book and said to him, “Today, your mother asked me to bring a jade pillow for you. It’s on the bed, go take a look.”
“Jade pillow? Don’t I already have one?” Zhao Huanxi stopped swinging the swing.
“Go take a look before you say anything. Maybe it’s not meant for you to use as a pillow,” Xu Nian’an said, turning her face away.
Zhao Huanxi leaned over to look at her expression.
Xu Nian’an, embarrassed, reached out to press his forehead and pushed his head away, saying, “I told you to go look at the pillow, why are you looking at me?”
Under the red lantern light, Zhao Huanxi couldn’t see if her face was red, but he felt that her expression was unusual at the moment.
Curious, he went to the room to see the extra jade pillow on the bed.
After a while, he came out with both cheeks flushed.
“My mother… why did she…?” He sat on the swing with his head down for a while, then asked Xu Nian’an hesitantly.
“Your mother wants us to consummate our marriage. Nanny Hou is here to supervise us,” Xu Nian’an said.
Zhao Huanxi: “…..”
“What should we do?”
“We naturally have to go through with it.”
Zhao Huanxi: “!”
Seeing him stunned, Xu Nian’an realized her words were ambiguous and quickly said, “I mean, we have to keep the secret.”
Zhao Huanxi’s shoulders drooped. “Oh.”
“I asked you to look at the jade pillow to make you understand what consummating the marriage really means. So that if someone makes a joke about it later, you won’t be clueless and give away the secret,” Xu Nian’an explained.
Zhao Huanxi nodded, his cheeks flushed.
Xu Nian’an looked at him, blushing like a shy bride, and asked, “Don’t you have anything to say?”
Zhao Huanxi stole a glance at her, his eyes shining with moisture. “I listen to Dong Jiejie. If Dong Jiejie says do it, then I will do it.”
Xi Nian’an prepared the blood-stained handkerchief, but that night, nothing happened. The young couple slept in the left chamber, while Nanny Hou slept in the green screen cupboard in the adjacent room. Nanny Hou listened intently for any movement throughout the night but, hearing nothing, eventually fell asleep.
The next morning, Xu Nian’an gave Zhao Huanxi a new knot, which had a jade pendant from the leather box (that has money jade and horse figures) tied in the middle. So now there were no longer two knots hanging on his waist, but only one.
Zhao Huanxi looked at the new knots, couldn’t help but praise, “It’s so pretty, Dong Jiejie, you are so skillful.”
“You must not casually give this to others. This jade pendant is valuable and worth a lot of money!” Xu Nian’an warned.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Huanxi felt both annoyed and funny, saying, “Even without the jade pendant, I wouldn’t give it to others. Last time, Qian Ming wanted to exchange it with me for the purse embroidered by his wife, but I refused.”
Xu Nian’an smiled and, after finishing tidying up, went out with him to Yin Furen’s place.
On the roadside, there is a stretch planted with roses, with the petals being slightly yellow at the base, gradually transitioning to a brilliant cinnabar red at the edges, blooming beautifully at this moment.
Zhao Huanxi stopped and picked the best-blooming flower. She returned to Xu Nian’an and said, “Dong Jiejie, this flower matches the dress you’re wearing today. How about I pin it for you?”
Xu Nian’an was wearing a pomegranate red skirt today.
Looking at Zhao Huanxi’s bright and clear eyes gazing at her, Xu Nian’an had a momentary sense of what Yin Furen might feel.
Being looked at with such a face and such eyes really made it hard to refuse.
She nodded.
Zhao Huanxi happily pinned the flower to her hair.
“Does it look good?” Xu Nian’an asked.
“It looks good. Dong Jiejie look good in anything!” Zhao Huanxi said earnestly.
Xu Nian’an’s face flushed slightly. Since she married into the Guogong Residence, the praise she heard from Zhao Huanxi compensated everything for the previous eighteen years.
“Let’s go, it’ll be late.” She absentmindedly went to take his sleeve, but couldn’t find it. As she lowered her head, she remembered that ever since he went to the academy, he had been wearing narrow-sleeved robes for his convenience in writing.
Xu Nian’an felt that something was off today. She had just thought of quietly retracting her hand, but his hand had already reached out and gently held her empty fingers.
“Let’s go, Dong Jiejie.” He smiled brightly and led her forward.
His hand was dry and warm, and the grip was very gentle. Xu Nian’an, mindful of Nanny Hou and several maidservants following behind, didn’t say anything and let him lead her.
After a while, she felt him tighten his grip on her hand, then he turned back and said, “Dong Jiejie, your hand is so small. Have you been using the abacus too much, so it didn’t grow well?”
Xu Nian’an’s cheeks flushed red, pretending to glare at him in anger. “What’s this? Do you want to be hit by this little hand too?”
“Haha!”
Zhao Huanxi, in high spirits, pulled her along and ran, arriving at Yin Furen’s courtyard laughing all the way. He only let go of her hand then.
“Mom, I want to ride a horse to school instead of taking the carriage,” Zhao Huanxi said to Yin Furen.
“Why? The sun is scorching in the height of summer. Isn’t it more comfortable to ride in the carriage?” Yin Furen was not very keen on letting Zhao Huanxi ride a horse, after all, riding was not as safe as being in a carriage.
“Qian Xiong, He Xiong and others ride horses to school. I’m the only one who takes the carriage, like a girl. I don’t care, I want to ride a horse,” Zhao Huanxi insisted.
“What if it rains?” Yin Furen was not happy about it.
“Dong Jiejie, please help me persuade Mom,” Zhao Huanxi pleaded, turning to Xu Nian’an for help.
Xu Nian’an and Yin Furen: “…..”
“Mom, if we delay any longer, we might be late for school. Since Sanlang wants to ride a horse, why not let Zhiyi drive the horse carriage behind? This way, it won’t cause any trouble, and it will also be convenient for Sanlang to carry his book box. What does Sanlang think?” Xu Nian’an said.
Zhao Huanxi nodded. After all, he was well aware of his own situation and had to be prepared for thunderstorms and rain.
Yin Furen also found the suggestion acceptable. Her only concern was Zhao Huanxi riding alone. With Zhiyi and Zhi’er driving the carriage behind, there was nothing to worry about.
“On account of Nian’an’s face, I’ll agree to this. But you must be careful. If anything happens on the road, you won’t be allowed to ride again, and you’ll have to take the carriage as usual,” Yin Furen said sternly.
“I understand. I will be careful. Thank you, dear Mother! Thank you, Nian’an!” Zhao Huanxi, seeing Yin Furen relent, happily took Xu Nian’an to the stable to choose a horse.
Yin Furen quickly asked Qianhe to send a servant to the stable to inform them to choose a gentle-tempered horse for Zhao Huanxi to ride.
After Zhao Huanxi and Xu Nian’an left, Nanny Hou entered the room.
“Things didn’t work out last night?” In fact, Yin Furen could tell from the state of the young couple this morning that things hadn’t worked out last night, but she was unwilling to accept it and had to confirm.
Nanny Hou replied, “Laonu didn’t hear anything all night, so One reckon it didn’t work out.” Pausing for a moment, she added, “Furen, I see that San Yé and San Nainai have a good relationship. Shouldn’t we just let things take their natural course?”
Yin Furen, feeling a headache, said, “What do you know? Look at Huanxi, calling Nian’an ‘Jiejie’ all the time. What if their relationship really becomes brother-sister-like? What should we do then?”
After some thought, Nanny Hou suggested, “Furen’s concerns are not unfounded. Should Laonu give San Nainai a hint today?”
Yin Furen raised her hand, saying, “No need. She is a clever person and should understand my meaning.”
✦
On his first horseback ride to the Imperial Academy, Zhao Huanxi, with his beautiful and outstanding youth in embroidered clothes and carved saddles, rode his horse swiftly under the brilliant morning light. With a face full of spring breeze, he shimmered like a dazzling pearl in the sand, radiating brilliance that dazzled the eyes. Passersby couldn’t help but stop and look back, asking who this young man was, such a jade-like noble really imposing like the rising rosy clouds in the sky.
He was completely unaware of this, feeling his mood was so good that it couldn’t be better.
Since getting married, everything has been going smoothly for him. Marriage is truly wonderful!
No, marrying Dong Jiejie is truly wonderful!
Therefore, he must not divorce Dong Jiejie!
Although this goes against their agreement, he will spend his whole life making it up to Dong Jiejie. He will treat Dong Jiejie well for the rest of his life.
However, how can he make Dong Jiejie willingly not divorce him?
With this question in mind, Zhao Huanxi arrived at the Imperial Academy. Before classes began, he pulled Qian Ming, who was chatting with friends, aside and said, “I have a friend…”
The legendary “I have a friend” line, apparently a universal excuse that’s been around since ancient times 🤣.
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