Xu Nian’an rubbed the medicinal oil in her palms to warm it up and gently applied it to the young man’s bruised skin..

Zhao Huanxi furrowed his brows in pain but didn’t make a sound.

“If Mom sees this, she will be heartbroken,” Xu Nian’an said, looking at the bruises on his body.

“Please don’t tell Mom. If she forbids me from practicing martial arts, it would be terrible,” Zhao Huanxi quickly looked up at Xu Nian’an.

“En, I won’t tell her,” Xu Nian’an replied, her eyelashes lowered.

Seeing her expression, Zhao Huanxi suddenly understood. She had just said that Mother would be heartbroken if she knew, but from her expression, it was clear that she was also feeling the pain.

It should be heartache, right? He was about to observe more closely when a familiar voice suddenly came from outside the window: “Oh my eyes! In broad daylight, what are you doing?!” The voice grew distant as it spoke.

Zhao Huanxi said angrily, “Dong’er, see, I told you he’s annoying!”

Xu Nian’an couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Don’t just always oppose him. You should also learn from his strengths.”

“What strengths does he have? Winking at the little maids? I don’t want to learn from him,” Zhao Huanxi said angrily.

“Whatever I say now, you won’t want to hear, but think about it: if he really were as worthless as you say, why would you be so wary of him?” Xu Nian’an replied.

Zhao Huanxi had no response to that.

After a while, the medicinal oil was applied, and Zhao Huanxi put his clothes back on properly. He then realized he hadn’t shown Xu Nian’an the muscles on his arm and couldn’t help but feel indignant: it was all that annoying Yin Luochen’s fault!

✦

At noon, the three of them went to Yin Furen’s place for lunch. After the meal, Zhao Huanxi was dragged along by Yin Luochen, who grabbed him by the collar, to go shopping. Xu Nian’an took some gifts to the Wu Residence, not expecting He Furen to be there as well. Everyone was accompanying Wu Lao Taitai for a chat. When they heard that Xu Nian’an had arrived, they invited her to join them with their Lao Taitai.

After everyone exchanged greetings, Wu Lao Taitai said to Xu Nian’an, “Your mother-in-law is a person who understands propriety. She knows that when one offends someone, an apology is necessary. He Family’s Niangfu since the Xu Family’s daughter has brought gifts, you should not mind anymore.”

He Furen glanced at Xu Nian’an, covered her mouth with a handkerchief, coughed softly, and nodded.

However, Xu Nian’an said, “One afraid Lao Furen is mistaken. These gifts are for Wu Furen, to thank her for her care of my younger sister. As for He Furen, why should I give her a gift?”

“Ei? Child, the Xu Family and the He Family were considering each other out of respect for your Si Gujie. The He Family traveled a long way, and yet the Xu Family showed them a cold shoulder and even drove them away. If you didn’t want to go, you shouldn’t have gone in the first place. Why offend people like that?” Wu *&Lao Taitai** said displeased.

Xu Nian’an looked at He Furen and smiled, “He Furen, there were more people present at Zhaohua Temple yesterday than just our two families. Lu Lao Furen, the mother of Lu Daren from the Ministry of Works, was also there. Is it proper for you to distort the facts and deceive Wu Lao Furen and Wu Furen here? If one day this matter is brought up in conversation, wouldn’t it be the Wu Family who ends up offending others?”

He Furen, her expression unnatural, argued, “This is a matter between our two families. Why bring others into it? Moreover, how could Xi San Nainai know what really happened yesterday when she wasn’t even present?”

Wu Lao Taitai ignored her and instead asked Xu Nian’an, “What do you mean? How could the Wu Family end up offending anyone?”

Xu Nian’an bowed slightly to Wu Lao Furen and Wu Furen before continuing, “After the meeting between the two families yesterday, my brother went to the Jing Guogong Residence and told me everything in detail. It’s natural for such meetings to either succeed or fail, but after hearing my brother’s account, I felt it was necessary to inform Wu Furen, which is why I rushed here today.

“Wu Furen has been kind enough to worry about my younger sister’s marriage, and our Xu Family went to the meeting with sincere intentions. However, it so happened that we encountered Lu Lao Furen, who brought Lu Gongzi to Zhaohua Temple for incense offerings. Lu Lao Furen fainted, unable to catch her breath, and my younger sister knelt on the ground to help her breathe, getting her dress dirty in the process.

“After He Furen arrived, without asking for the reasons, she scolded my younger sister for her untidy appearance and claimed she lacked manners. Lu Lao Furen, who was in the guesthouse and overheard He Furen’s words, felt uneasy and came out to speak up for my younger sister. He Furen nearly scolded Lu Lao Furen as well, but fortunately, Lu Gongzi intervened in time.”

Wu Lao Furen and Wu Furen both looked at He Furen.

He Furen’s face turned red, and she looked embarrassed.

Xu Nian’an continued, “My Xu Family is self-aware. I can understand if He Furen looks down on my younger sister, but He Furen, you shouldn’t come to the Wu Family and talk nonsense. Lu Gongzi is engaged to the young lady from Jing Guogong Residence and will have relations with the Wu Family in the future. If this matter is brought up in the future, Wu Furen might tell Lu Lao Furen what you said today. How do you think Lu Lao Furen will view Wu Lao Furen? Are you going to confuse right and wrong just to favor one side?”

“Your words are too harsh! Why do you make it sound so serious?” He Furen couldn’t stand the gaze of the Wu Family’s mother and daughter-in-law and raised her voice.

Xu Nian’an said, “Of course He Furen doesn’t think it’s serious. Anyway, if you offend someone, you can just avoid them, as there’s no real connection between your He Family and the Lu family. But the Wu Family is different. When you were deceiving Wu Lao Furen and Wu Furen, did you ever consider the Wu Family at all?”

“You—”

“Enough!” Wu Lao Taitai’s face was as cold as water. She said to Wu Furen, “Take your relatives back to their family home. I’m tired.”

Wu Furen stood up and complied.

Xu Nian’an stood up and said, “Since Lao Furen is tired, Wanbei shall take One’s leave as well.”

Wu Lao Taitai nodded, her expression softening a bit, and said, “Since you are here, go and visit your Si Gujie.”

“Alright.”

As the group left the main hall, Wu Furen instructed a maid to take Xu Nian’an to Zhao Jiaxian’s courtyard, while she herself led He Furen outside.

Seeing Wu Lao Taitai’s displeased expression, He Furen remained silent. When they reached the gate of Wu Residence, He Furen finally said, “Da Guzi, don’t listen to the nonsense from the Xu Family. It was clearly their family who was rude first.”

Wu Furen did not respond and simply looked at her with an expressionless face.

He Furen’s expression became unnatural again. She said, “Why are you just staring at me?”

“In the future, if you have something to say, just say it directly. Stop doing these petty things that offend people!”

“What do you mean by that…”

“Take care, I won’t see you out!” Wu Furen, too angry to maintain even the pretense of politeness, turned and went back inside.

He Furen’s hands trembled with anger. Seeing Wu Furen disappear inside the gate, she fiercely shook her sleeves and spat, “Who asked you to meddle in my son’s affairs?!”

She got into her sedan chair, feeling a secret sense of satisfaction: Look down on my He Family, are you? You little wretch, wait until my son marries Jing Guogong’s granddaughter and then see how we slap your face. Even though she’s just the legitimate daughter from a concubine branch (since Zhao Shutong’s grandmother is Guogong Yé’s concubine), isn’t she still better than your declining Xu family?

✦

On Panlou East Street, Zhao Huanxi, dragging his feet, looked at the energetic person ahead of him and impatiently said, “Hey! Can we go home now? I’ve already accompanied you through three streets!”

“Is that all?” Yin Luochen snapped back to reality, extending his arm to grab Zhao Huanxi by the neck and pulling him close. Leaning in, he whispered with a chuckle, “You’re young and haven’t even had your bridal chamber (consummate the marriage), yet your stamina is already so poor?”

The hairs on the back of Zhao Huanxi’s neck stood on end. “Stop talking nonsense! I… I already had my bridal chamber with Dong’er a long time ago!”

“Oh? Then if you’ve already had your bridal chamber, why do both of you turn as red as monkeys just from applying some medicinal oil?” Yin Luochen retorted with a sly grin.

“Th-that’s because…”

“Alright, who are you trying to fool? It’s just that Gumu is so busy with household affairs that she doesn’t have time to keep an eye on you two, so you managed to get away with your little trick,” Yin Luochen said, releasing him.

Realizing he couldn’t hide the truth, Zhao Huanxi quickly grabbed Yin Luochen’s arm. “Biao Ge, you mustn’t tell my mother.”

Yin Luochen glanced at him. “Now you remember to call me Biao Ge?”

Zhao Huanxi nodded fervently. “My good Biao Ge!”

Yin Luochen couldn’t help but laugh and scolded him, “You little fool! There’s a teahouse ahead. I’m thirsty, let’s go in for some tea.”

“Sure, I’ll treat,” Zhao Huanxi eagerly offered.

The two got a private room, and once the waiter had brought in the tea and snacks, Yin Luochen, sitting across from Zhao Huanxi, asked, “You’ve been married for almost two months now. Why haven’t you consummated the marriage yet? Is she unwilling?”

Zhao Huanxi hurriedly replied, “No, it’s not that.”

Yin Luochen gave him a surprised look. “It couldn’t be that you’re unwilling, right? Or is it that you can’t?”

“Biao Ge!” Zhao Huanxi’s face flushed with embarrassment and anger.

Yin Luochen laughed heartily. “You’ll be seventeen after the New Year, and you’re still so easy to tease!”

After taking a sip of tea and biting into a chestnut cake, Yin Luochen asked, “A while ago, I heard from my mother that you were refusing to marry because of some young lady. What happened to her?”

Zhao Huanxi sighed dejectedly. “Don’t mention it. I treated her as a friend, but it turned out she was sent by my Da Sao to annoy my mother. My mother found her a suitable match, and she got married.”

Yin Luochen frowned, “Gumu is too kind-hearted. Why bother with such a person?”

Zhao Huanxi felt embarrassed.

“And you, your father favored concubines and mistreated your mother. Why bother with the people from the concubine branch? Do you think they have good intentions towards you?” Yin Luochen scolded.

“I usually don’t associate with them, just with Jie Ge’er.” Zhao Huanxi stopped halfway.

“Who is Jie Ge’er? Oh, the eldest son of Zhao Huanchao, right? Why do you bother with him? If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be slanted. He is influenced by his parents and that person surnamed Du every day. How can he treat you, a legitimate-line Shushu, well? Don’t think that just because he’s young, he won’t do evil. If a child’s heart is bad, he will only become more insidious when doing evil, because everyone thinks he’s just a child and wouldn’t deliberately harm others.”

“I know, but every time he comes, he warmly calls me Shushu, I can never bring myself to give him the cold shoulder,” Zhao Huanxi said.

Yin Luochen sneered, “That shu elder brother of yours is truly something. To harm you, he’s actually willing to neglect his own eldest son’s schooling. Now that you’re off to school, that brat probably won’t be idling at home every day either. As you see each other less, you can slowly distance yourselves.”

Zhao Huanxi nodded.

Yin Luochen remarked, “You’re certainly more willing to listen to advice now than before.”

Yin Luochen sneered, “This eldest shu brother of yourd is quite interesting. He’s willing to delay the education of his own eldest son just to harm you. Now that you’re going to school, that kid probably won’t be idle at home every day. Seeing each other less often will naturally lead to estrangement.”

Zhao Huanxi nodded.

Yin Luochen continued, “You seem more willing to listen to advice than before.”

Zhao Huanxi smiled shyly, “People eventually mature.”

Yin Luochen’s eyes twinkled with a smile as he drawled, “Well, after all, you’re now a man who has his bridal chamber…”

“Can you stop bringing that up? You’re really annoying!” Zhao Huanxi interrupted, annoyed.

Yin Luochen couldn’t contain his laughter and wiped his hands on a napkin. “I can stop, but have you ever thought that even if you claim to have your bridal chamber, if it hasn’t really happened, Dimei definitely won’t conceive. Gumu has only you as her son. If this situation drags on, won’t Gumu be anxious?”