Nanny Su came in the middle of that night to check on Yin Furen. When she saw Zhao Huanxi was there, she took his place.

Zhao Huanxi returned to the room where he had slept before. The room was lit by a single lamp, and Xu Nian’an was sleeping on the bed.

He gently closed the door, tiptoed to the bedside, and sat down, watching her quietly.

When she was awake, it wasn’t noticeable, but now that she was asleep, without needing to put on a brave face or stay on guard, the fatigue between her brows was very apparent.

Zhao Huanxi felt he had discovered the second reason why she didn’t like him.

What was there to like about him? He himself was neither scholarly nor skilled in martial arts, and his family faced problems every few days. Ever since she married into the family, she hadn’t had a few days of peace.

Everyone envied the wealth, glory, and splendour of the Guogong Residence, but who knew how much scheming and trivial matters were hidden beneath that glamorous surface?

If Zhao Huanxu wanted to seize the Guogong title, then let him have it. He would rely on his own studies to pass the imperial examinations and become an official. By then, he could split from the Guogong Residence and have a small family of his own, just him, Nian’an, and his mother. With a small household, there would be fewer troubles, and Nian’an and his mother wouldn’t have to toil. They could sleep in every day until the sun was high, prepare three meals a day, and, during their leisure time, perhaps even invite the neighbouring ladies over for tea and a game of cards.

He imagined such a life, felt there was still hope, and took off his shoes. He carefully crawled from the foot of the bed to lie down beside Xu Nian’an, cautiously settling down on his side next to her.

The bed in this room wasn’t as big as the one in their own room, so it was naturally cramped for two people to sleep in. Xu Nian’an didn’t make room for him, so he could only lie on his side. But he felt it was quite nice. Being so close to her, he could look at her.

Without a pillow, he struggled to stretch his right arm underneath, bending it so his head could rest on it. His left hand reached over her waist to the other side of the bed, loosely encircling her.

How much do they look like a real married couple like this? Zhao Huanxi maintained this position and fell asleep with a heart full of happiness.

Xu Nian’an was startled awake by him. In her groggy state, she felt someone holding her. Frightened, she turned her head, only to see Zhao Huanxi’s face rubbing against the corner of her pillow. Her sudden movement caused her cheek to bump into his forehead.

He mumbled drowsily and, through the blanket, tightened his arm around her waist. Like a small puppy, he nuzzled closer, his nose pressing directly against her cheek.

Xu Nian’an, listened to his still steady and even breathing: “……”

She considered waking him up, but what good would that do? They would still have to sleep on this small bed.

After a moment of hesitation, she felt herself getting drowsy and, with a resigned sigh, decided to just let it be. After all, he had hugged her many times before. As long as it wasn’t uncomfortable, what difference did it make whether they were hugging while standing or lying down?

With that thought, she simply tilted her head slightly to the side to avoid his nose touching her face. Then, she closed her eyes and fell back asleep.

The two of them slept soundly until a maid came to wake them up.

Zhao Huanxi struggled to open his eyes and, seeing the dim light in the room, knew it was still dark outside. Noticing Xu Nian’an struggling to get up, he grabbed her sleeve and said in a hoarse voice, “Dong Jiejie, why get up so early?”

“It’s time for Mother to handle the daily affairs. Now that she’s ill, I have to take her place,” Xu Nian’an said as she got out of bed and put on her shoes.

Zhao Huanxi reached out and vigorously rubbed his eyes, then sat up on the bed and stretched his arms wide with a big yawn.

Seeing this, Xu Nian’an turned back and said, “You don’t need to get up so early. Go back to sleep for a while.”

“No,” Zhao Huanxi said as he got out of bed. “What if those women and servants see you as young and inexperienced and don’t respect you? I need to support you and learn a bit myself.”

Xu Nian’an was puzzled. “Learn what?”

“Learn how to manage the household. If you ever get tired of handling it, I can take over,” Zhao Huanxi replied matter-of-factly.

Xu Nian’an laughed lightly. “Stop joking. Men managing the household is unheard of.”

“Is it against the law?” Zhao Huanxi asked.

“Of course, it isn’t against the law.”

“Since it isn’t, why shouldn’t I be the first? Look, managing the household starts so early in the morning. I can finish that and still go to school without it interfering, at most just shifting my martial arts practice a bit,” Zhao Huanxi said.

Xu Nian’an looked at his serious expression and found herself unable to laugh.

She wasn’t sure what the strange feeling in her heart was at that moment, but it wasn’t dislike or rejection.

“Alright, let’s go together,” she said, reaching out to take his sleeve. Zhao Huanxi, however, wasn’t satisfied with that. He reached back and took her hand, happily leading her to the main room of Jiaxiang House.

Yin Furen, considering it was Xu Nian’an’s first time managing the household, had Nanny Su set up the management area in the side room. She stayed in the adjoining room to listen, in hopes of providing some deterrence to the women and servants outside.

Xu Nian’an had intermittently attended Yin Furen’s household management sessions and had already recognized everyone. With Yin Furen listening from the adjoining room and ready to offer guidance, the first day of managing the household went relatively smoothly.

Zhao Huanxi sat beside her, attentively listening from start to finish.

After the women and servants from each room had left with their allotted funds, the young couple joined Yin Furen for breakfast.

“Mom, after breakfast, I’ll be heading out. As for the household…”

Yin Furen understood her concerns and said, “Don’t worry, just go. Nanny Su is here, and she has been with me for many years. She knows all the affairs of the household.”

Xu Nian’an felt reassured.

Zhao Huanxi asked her, “Where are you going after breakfast?”

Xu Nian’an replied, “I’m going to visit San Jie. You don’t need to come, you can visit next time.”

“Oh,” Zhao Huanxi said, understanding it was about what Yin Furen had mentioned the night before, and he didn’t press further.

After breakfast, Xu Nian’an took Yisu and Jinyin, who had accompanied Yin Furen visitted the Ding Guogong Residence last time. She was then followed by a married woman who was trusted by Yin Furen, and of a similar build and age to Feng Niangzi, the wife of the manager of her family’s silk shop. Together with them, she left the Jing Guogong Residence.

She first went to her family’s Xu Silk Shop to buy a bolt of silk and then headed to the Ding Guogong Residence.

Arriving outside the corner gate of the Ding Guogong Residence, she waited for the servant to go in and announce her. After a while, Chunhu, a maid by Zhao Jiazhen’s side, came out and greeted her, saying: “Xi San Nainai, our family’s Nainai is unwell and fears that her illness might affect you, so she won’t be able to see you today. Once she recovers, she will come to see you.”

Xu Nian’an understood that such an illness could be spoken of with her own mother, but how could she bring it up with a sister-in-law she had only met a few times in less than half a year?

“Go back and tell your Nainai that Furen (Yin Furen) fell ill right after leaving her place yesterday and is still bedridden. She asked me to come and see your Nainai,” she said to Chunhu.

Chunhu’s expression changed upon hearing this, and she hurried back. After a short while, she returned and bowed, saying: “Xi San Nainai, my family’s Nainai requests your presence.”

Xu Nian’an, accompanied by her maids and Feng Niangzi, who was dressed as a daughter-in-law of the Guogong household, followed Chunhu into the Ding Guogong Residence and arrived at Zhao Jiazhen’s courtyard.

公府媳妇子 (gōngfǔ xífùzi): A daughter-in-law (or female servant of that status) of a Duke’s household. The term xífùzi can specifically refer to married female servants or lower-level family members who manage household affairs.

Zhao Jiazhen’s courtyard was about half the size of Jiaxiang House, with numerous buildings and many people. There were even four or five children around three or four years old.

When someone arrived, the people in the corridors and rooms stared out from the windows with piercing eyes, which made one feel quite uncomfortable.

Those who lived in the same courtyard as Zhao Jiazhen, and did not seem to be servants, were presumably concubines of Li Ziliang. It was surprising to see so many rooms.

Arriving in front of the main room, Chunhu lifted the curtain and announced, “Nainai, Xi San Nainai has arrived.”

“Come in,” came Zhao Jiazhen’s voice from inside, sounding somewhat weak.

Xu Nian’an instructed Feng *Niangzi *and the others to wait outside, then followed Chunhu into the room. Upon entering, she was startled to see that Zhao Jiazhen had changed drastically.

Once a delicate and radiant young woman, she now looked pale and emaciated, with dark circles under her eyes. She was sitting on the bed with her long hair loosely gathered and wearing only a nightgown, appearing haggard and lifeless.

Chunhu moved a embroidered stool to the front of the bed, prepared tea for Xu Nian’an, and then quietly left.

“San Jiejie,” Xu Nian’an said as she walked over and was about to sit on the edge of the bed.

Zhao Jiazhen quickly said, “Dimei, please sit on the stool. Don’t come too close to me, you might catch the illness.”

Ignoring her objections, Xu Nian’an sat on the edge of the bed next to her and whispered, “It’s all right, San Jiejie.”

“Is my mother really ill?” Zhao Jiazhen asked, her eyes filled with bloodshot veins, looking at Xu Nian’an with pain and anxiety.

Xu Nian’an nodded and said, “Yesterday, Mother returned home and coughed up a mouthful of blood. The physician said it was caused by a reversal of her qi and blood, which triggered her old illness. She needs to stay in bed and rest.”

Zhao Jiazhen lowered her head, clenching her fist against her forehead, and tears fell silently, not saying a word.

“San Jiejie, my family’s silk shop’s manager’s wife isn’t a physician, but she has some medical skills. You should let her have a look,” Xu Nian’an suggested, knowing Zhao Jiazhen was straightforward and wouldn’t be swayed by excessive talk.

Zhao Jiazhen shook her head, lifting her tearful eyes to Xu Nian’an and said, “Thank you, Dimei for the kind offer, but I can’t accept it. If even the slightest word of this were to get out, my sisters and I wouldn’t be able to live in peace.”

“It won’t be spread. She will only come this once. After she examines the illness and prescribes a remedy, we’ll have our maid deliver the medicine so no one will know what it is. San Jiejie, even if you disregard yourself, you must think of Mother. If something were to happen to you, how could Mother live on? We’ve discussed it, and once you recover, we’ll bring you back home and arrange for you to divorce Li Ziliang!” Xu Nian’an said with firm resolve.

“Will my father agree?” Zhao Jiazhen asked, tears welling in her eyes, with a hint of faint hope in her gaze.

“Mother used to be too kind-hearted; otherwise, as the legitimate wife, she could have managed Gongdiē and the shu children as well. But this time, for your sake, she is willing to make exceptions. San Jiejie, don’t worry. Focus on getting better, and leave the rest to me and Mother,” Xu Nian’an said.

Zhao Jiazhen nodded, wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, and her face regained some of its former vitality. She managed a faint smile and said, “Alright.”

At the end of the Si hour (9 to 11 a.m.), Xu Nian’an returned to Jiaxiang House.

Zhao Huanxi and Yin Luochen were inside the room, keeping Yin Furen company. As soon as Yin Furen saw Xu Nian’an had arrived, she hurriedly sent the two men out, saying she needed to speak with Xu Nian’an alone.

Xu Nian’an met Yin Furen’s anxious and hopeful gaze and took out a prescription from her bosom, smiling as she said softly, “It can be treated.”

Yin Furen was almost moved to tears, receiving the prescription as if it were a precious treasure and examining it carefully.

“However, we need to be meticulous about where to get the medicine and who will be sent to fetch it,” Xu Nian’an added thoughtfully.

“This isn’t a problem. I have a pharmacy under my name, and since I’m ill myself, I can have Jinyin fetch the medicine and bring back the ingredients from the prescription. How is Jiazhen doing now?” Yin Furen asked.

Xu Nian’an replied, “I told her about the plan for her divorce, which we discussed together. Now that the illness can be treated, she seems much better.”

Yin Furen’s eyes welled up with tears of gratitude as she grasped Xu Nian’an’s hand and said, “Thank you so much. You’ve saved Jiazhen’s life.”

“We are all one family. Why care about these formalities? Now that San Jiejie is taken care of, one should focus on one’s own health,” Xu Nian’an said.

Yin Fyren nodded, “Of course. After dinner, you should go back and rest. There’s no need to stay here with me, Nanny Su will take care of things.”

Xu Nian’an replied, “I’ll move everything back to Shenhui Courtyard in the afternoon. The weather is cooling down, so it’s the perfect time to move.”

Yin Furen, understanding that Xu Nian’an was moving to help her manage the household, said, “Move Ah Chen’s things to the guest courtyard. The inner courtyard is not as convenient as the summer courtyard for him to stay in. I’ll have Qianhe take care of it.”

At that moment, Qianhe came in and reported, “Taitai, Da Laoyé has arrived.”