Raising a wife? The mistress of the Hou family divorced and remarried her younger uncle

Chapter 16 Stewardship Rights

Su Qingwan raised her eyebrows. Lu Feng was a very good-looking man. He was also very talented and learned. The Earl's family would not get angry if the matter was settled. They would even support Lu Feng if they wanted Li Xueying to live a good life. The noble families all wanted to save face. They wanted to keep the unmarried pregnancy a secret forever. No one wanted to make it public, so they could only keep the peace.

Late at night, the maids took turns to take turns. Lu Zhu arranged one person to keep watch while the others went back to their rooms to rest. Su Qingwan was looking at the account book, using an abacus while reading, and the inner room was filled with the sound of beads hitting each other. Lu Zhu came in with a bottle of brightly bloomed Yaohuang peonies, looking excited.

Su Qingwan was amazed, "Where did you find it?"

Luzhu sat on the warm couch and put the vase on the windowsill. The evening breeze brought the fragrance of peony flowers. Su Qingwan also admired the top-quality peony flowers and smiled, which was rare.

She loved peonies very much. Many years ago, there was a peony garden in the Huainan Palace, with yellow, white, red and pink peony flowers. During the flowering season, the Huainan Palace would hold a flower-viewing banquet, and the girls would play with the flowers in their hair, and they were very happy.

There are fewer varieties of peonies in the southwest, so she planted a patch of them in her courtyard to ease her longing. That was her only spiritual sustenance during those long years, apart from hatred and depression.

"I had nothing to do today, so I walked around the Lu Mansion and found a yard full of peonies. The colorful peonies were particularly beautiful. There was no one in the yard, and I thought the girl would like them, so I secretly picked a few branches and brought them back for her to appreciate." Lu Zhu blinked smartly.

They sat in front of the warm couch with the windows wide open. It was early summer and the weather was sultry. A dark moon hung high in the sky, and the stars formed a river, making the peony flowers look particularly bright and dazzling.

Su Qingwan recalled the happy times she and her sister had playing in the peony garden when they were little. Now that they are separated by the Yin and Yang, she couldn't help feeling sad.

Green Bamboo said, "Miss, the Plum and Orchid Garden is empty and looks so lonely. Miss, you like peonies. How about we plant a patch of peonies?"

Su Qingwan suppressed her emotions and said softly, "We won't be staying at the Lu family for long. We will leave before the next flowering season. There's no need to bother."

Green Bamboo thought about it, nodded and said, "Yes, then let's not bother. I'll pick a few branches for you to enjoy the next day."

Su Qingwan continued to count the accounts, beating the abacus beads very quickly. Lu Zhu was lively and clever, and had a good relationship with the maids in the mansion. She was very well-informed. She smiled and said, "Today, all the people from the Lu family who went out to buy things ran into trouble. The shopkeepers worked together. The Lu family's buyers used Lu Shaoqing to pressure them, and the shopkeepers fought back, insisting that they pay the money and get the goods, and not think about getting it for free. Many people gathered in front of the shop, pointing and talking. The man came back in disgrace and reported to Lin. Lin was very angry in the courtyard, scolding the girl for being narrow-minded and vindictive, and bullying people with money."

"Lu Shaoqing's salary is less than a hundred taels of silver, but Lu Yunxiu's summer clothes and a head full of pearls and jade cost a hundred taels. The family's food, clothing, and monthly wages are also used to support eighty servants. She spends money like water every day. What's more, she has learned the ways of the marquises and nobles in the capital. She likes to hold all kinds of banquets and make friends with those in high positions. Of course, she hopes that I will continue to support them in living such a rich and luxurious life." Su Qingwan sneered.

"Even farmers in the countryside don't like to use their daughter-in-law's dowry. The Lu family is a scholarly family and claims to be noble, but they have been using their daughter-in-law's dowry for several years. They are as greedy as a snake and have no shame at all." Lu Zhu cursed.

"I'm not as easy to bully as my sister. No matter how much they have greedily taken, I will make them spit it all out!" Su Qingwan said indifferently, "Turn off the lights and go to bed. There will be something interesting to watch tomorrow."

The next morning, Su Qingwan had just finished her breakfast when Lin sent someone to invite her back. Her tone sounded a bit gloating. Su Qingwan was indifferent and did not bother with the maid. Luzhu took the account book and followed her to Lin's courtyard.

I met Li Xueying and Lu Feng outside the yard. Li Xueying was wearing a light red double-breasted skirt and looked radiant and charming like a flower. She and Lu Feng stood side by side, looking like a perfect match, a newlywed couple, very affectionate. Li Xueying even looked at Su Qingwan proudly, and she held Lu Feng's arm even closer.

Su Qingwan's reaction was cold, while Lu Zhu looked angry. Lu Feng led Li Xueying inside, and Su Qingwan walked behind him. Lu Feng didn't take his wife seriously at all. When they arrived in the hall, Lin sat there sickly, not in high spirits. Lu Feng asked her a few words of concern, and Lin said that she had caught a cold and had a headache.

Lu Feng felt sorry for his mother and turned to scold Su Qingwan, "Zhao Lan, mother is sick, why don't you come to take care of her? You don't act like a daughter-in-law at all."

Su Qingwan said calmly, "It's not like my mother only has one daughter-in-law."

Lin coughed a few times. Li Xueying covered her face and frowned, unable to hide her disgust. How could she possibly serve Lin? Lin told Xie Zhaolan that she was pregnant, and she still held a grudge against her.

"My mother is ill, and you have been taking care of her. I am pregnant, and I don't want to get sick." Li Xueying had a disagreement with Lin, and she spoke very rudely.

Lin knew that if she married a daughter-in-law from a wealthy family, she would not be able to act like her mother-in-law. However, she did not expect Li Xueying to show her disdain in person, which made her feel very uncomfortable.

Lu Feng naturally protected Li Xueying and said with an unpleasant expression, "Zhao Lan, from now on, you will serve in my mother's courtyard until she recovers."

Su Qingwan sneered and did not comment. It was hard to say whether Lin's illness was real or fake.

"Okay, I just caught a cold and have a headache. Why are you making such a fuss? I called you here today because I have something important to discuss. Sit down." Lin coughed a few more times. Nanny Chen comforted her and told her not to worry and to take care of herself. Lu Feng also agreed, saying that mother was loving and son was filial.

Su Qingwan didn't even touch the teacup. She sat there in a daze and didn't take the initiative to respond.

Lu Feng asked, "What does mother want us to do?"

Lin couldn't tell Lu Feng that the Xie family business was no longer willing to provide daily food and clothing, and had also cut off the money. Lu Feng was a scholar and didn't know how expensive tea, rice, oil, salt and tea were. The four treasures of the study, the iced drinks provided every day in the hot summer, and his personal relationships in the officialdom all required huge amounts of money. He just asked for money, so how could he understand where the money came from.

Lin rubbed her forehead painfully, with a somewhat painful look on her face, and said softly, "Since Zhaolan married into our family, she has always been in charge of household chores and feeding, and mother has never been concerned at all. This year, Zhaolan was away, and mother started to take care of household chores. Mother worked day and night for Feng'er's wedding, and now she is sick and can't take care of it. Zhaolan, since you are back, mother will give the power of housekeeping back to you."

Su Qingwan had long anticipated what Lin was going to say. She looked at Li Xueying opposite her, and her expression really changed. Whoever holds the power of the housekeeper represents who is the mistress and the person that her parents rely on. Li Xueying competes with her in every way, so she is bound to fight.

"Mother, how can the power of housekeeper be given to Xie Zhaolan?" Li Xueying was unhappy. The power of housekeeper of the Earl's Mansion was in the hands of her mother. She was a lady raised by a clan and had learned housekeeping. Before marrying into the Lu family, her mother also told her to help her mother-in-law and get the power of housekeeper, so that she could truly control a family.

In her eyes, Xie Zhaolan was of low status, so how could she be qualified to be a housekeeper? If Xie Zhaolan was the housekeeper, everything would have to be arranged by her, and Li Xueying felt disgusted.

(End of this chapter)