Chapter 152
"Like a..." Before Lu XuanNing could finish, hurried footsteps approached from afar. "Second Young Miss."
It was Zi Juan, Mrs. Lu's attendant. As Zi Juan drew near and saw Lu XuanNing, her expression remained unchanged, but a hint of fear flickered in her eyes.
"Sister Zi Juan, is Mother looking for me?" Li Xia stepped forward, blocking Zi Juan's gaze from Lu XuanNing.
"Second Young Miss, the Madam is calling for you," Zi Juan replied, lowering her eyes and not daring to look at Lu XuanNing.
"Marquis, farewell," Li Xia said with ease, tinged with an intimacy that might puzzle outsiders, given their earlier exchange.
Lu XuanNing watched Li Xia leave and smiled again. In his dreams, he had thought her unreachable, but in reality, she was an adorable young lady. Pity that his crippled body made him unworthy of her.
Li Xia followed Zi Juan to Xu Xinyue's chambers. The Wang family's wedding procession had arrived, and the Xu family didn't give them too much trouble. Xu Xinyue glanced at Li Xia before covering her face with a red veil. Xu Youshan carried her on his back to the bridal sedan chair.
With a cry of "Lift the sedan!" the wedding procession departed.
As people dispersed, Li Xia sat in Xu Xinyue's room, gazing around. Tears fell unbidden; she thought she could control herself, but she hadn't anticipated losing composure. As if sensing Li Xia's distress, no one came to disturb her.
After regaining her composure, Li Xia opened the door to find Li Xin and Mrs. Lu waiting in the courtyard. Li Xia approached Mrs. Lu, saying, "Mother, Sister, let's go home."
Bidding farewell to the Xu family, Li Xia returned to Qingyue Street with Mrs. Lu. Entering the Orchid Courtyard, Li Xia lay on a chaise lounge, resting with her eyes closed.
For Xu Xinyue's third-day return visit, the Xu family sent someone to notify Li Xia. However, considering that her presence might make the Wang family uncomfortable, Li Xia didn't go. She only entrusted the Xu family messenger with a gift for Xu Xinyue.
Leaving the Xu residence, Xu Xinyue clutched her safety jade pendant, her expression downcast. Not seeing Li Xia left Xu Xinyue feeling unsettled.
"Another day, we'll send an invitation to the Li residence, asking the Second Young Miss to visit. She can also meet Xiao; they'll be siblings from now on," Wang Dong suggested, trying to comfort Xu Xinyue.
Xu Xinyue hadn't expected Wang Dong to say this. "You don't mind?"
"I considered all this before marrying you." Hearing Wang Dong's words, Xu Xinyue felt somewhat better.
Back at the Wang residence, Qiu Ju opened the box Li Xia had entrusted to Xu Xinyue. Inside were precious medicinal herbs and a thick stack of banknotes—the same ones Xu Xinyue had previously given to Li Xia. Li Xia had not only returned them all but had added more. Xu Xinyue's tears began to fall.
"Madam, don't cry. The Young Miss always wanted you to live well. You must take good care of yourself," Qiu Ju consoled her.
Xu Xinyue pulled out two banknotes from the box. "Put the box away." Qiu Ju locked the box and placed it in Xu Xinyue's inner chamber.
Xu Xinyue handed the banknotes to Qiu Ju. "Qiu Ju, when you have time, go to the bank and exchange these notes for loose silver to use."
For Xu Xinyue's dowry, the Xu family had provided some items, but not much—only 300 taels of silver in cash. Knowing her brother's situation, Xu Xinyue hadn't asked for more silver. After a few days in the Wang household, she had gained some understanding of their circumstances.
No one in the Wang family was engaged in business. Their main source of income came from a thousand mu of good farmland in the countryside, along with Wang Dong's salary.
Wang Dong had excellent calligraphy skills and occasionally earned extra money by writing plaques or couplets for others.
However, Wang Dong had an expensive passion for collecting calligraphy, especially from ancient famous figures. Additionally, with Wang Xiao studying at the academy, his grandparents worried about him living away from home and had rented a place near the academy to accompany him. With all these expenses, the Wang family's income and expenditure barely balanced.
Qiu Ju accepted the banknotes and put them away. "Madam, the Old Master and Old Madam sent word that they'll be taking the young master back to the academy tomorrow."
Xu Xinyue acknowledged with a hum. Preoccupied with Li Xia's situation, Xu Xinyue hadn't paid much attention to Wang Xiao. Let him go; it's not like he won't return.
"Madam, the young master is your stepson after all. For his return to the academy, you should at least show some concern and inquire about it," Qiu Ju advised. She knew Xu Xinyue wasn't in the mood to care about Wang Xiao. But for Xu Xinyue's future in the Wang family, even if just for show, she should express some care for her stepson.
Hearing Qiu Ju's words, Xu Xinyue composed herself. "I remember there's a wolf-hair brush in my dowry. Qiu Ju, go find it and pair it with a good inkstone."
Qiu Ju quickly prepared the items. Xu Xinyue went to Old Madam Wang's chambers. At that moment, Old Madam Wang was complaining to Old Master Wang about their daughter-in-law: "She's back from her maiden home and hasn't even come to pay respects."
Old Madam Wang wasn't satisfied with Xu Xinyue, but since her husband and son were pleased, she couldn't say much.
"Alright, the new daughter-in-law has already joined the family. Just get along well. She'll be spending her life with our son," Old Master Wang persuaded. Regarding Xu Xinyue's background, it was impossible to say he wasn't concerned. But after weighing the pros and cons, Old Master Wang also knew that Xu Xinyue was a good match for Wang Dong. Her two capable brothers and her former Li family connections could all be future assets for their son.
Old Madam Wang was aware of these factors too, but she still felt somewhat disgruntled. She huffed but said nothing.
A servant came to report that Xu Xinyue had arrived.
"See, she's here now," Old Master Wang said to his wife, then asked the servant to bring Xu Xinyue in.
"Greetings to Father and Mother," Xu Xinyue said with a smile as she paid her respects.
"Quickly, rise and take a seat," Old Madam Wang said. Although she had been complaining in private, she presented a completely different face to Xu Xinyue, showing no signs of her dissatisfaction.
Xu Xinyue stood and sat down. "Father, Mother, I hear you'll be accompanying Xiao back to the academy tomorrow."
"Yes, Xiao specially took a few days off for your and Dong'er's wedding. Now that the third-day visit is over, he needs to return and make up for the lessons he missed," Old Madam Wang said, her smile becoming more genuine when speaking of her grandson.
"Xiao is truly diligent. Is everything packed? The weather is starting to get hot; have summer clothes and such been prepared?" Xu Xinyue inquired with concern.
Seeing Xu Xinyue's care for Wang Xiao, some of Old Madam Wang's dissatisfaction dissipated. "Everything has been prepared."
"I have a wolf-hair brush in my dowry. Please pass it on to Xiao," Xu Xinyue said. As Wang Xiao was older now, it wasn't appropriate for Xu Xinyue to see him directly. She handed the brush to Old Madam Wang.
Old Master Wang naturally knew this brush was excellent. He had wanted to buy one for Wang Xiao before, but a single brush cost 30 taels of silver. The Wang family was not wealthy, so they hadn't purchased it. Seeing Xu Xinyue bring one for Wang Xiao, Old Madam Wang's smile became even more genuine.
After leaving the courtyard, Xu Xinyue returned to her own quarters and could finally breathe a sigh of relief. The day had been truly exhausting. The next day, after seeing off Old Master Wang, Old Madam Wang, and Wang Xiao, Xu Xinyue began to manage the affairs of the Wang family.
It was only when she truly took charge that she realized the Wang family wasn't just breaking even—their expenses exceeded their income. If it weren't for some savings, they would have been unable to sustain themselves long ago.
After discussing with Wang Dong, Xu Xinyue adjusted the household staff. She kept only the necessary personnel in each position, while gathering the rest together to train the maids and older women in embroidery work.
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