The young lady is delicate and soft, yet she criticizes the powerful minister for bowing and scrapin

"We have guests visiting, Junshan. You're busy with official duties, so I'll take them back to your residence and wait for you to come home," Jiang Ning said.

Qi Yunli smiled at Jiang Ning:

"Then I'll trouble you to lead the way, sister-in-law."

Although Wei Jun was a guest, it was somewhat inconvenient to enter someone's residence when the host was not present, so he took the initiative to say:

"I might be able to help with official business. I'll wait for Lord Shen to finish his work at the county office before we go back to the mansion together. We can buy some food along the way. Thank you for your help, sister-in-law."

Shen Junshan understood the implied meaning in his words and was somewhat surprised.

Over the years, this person became more talkative and more considerate.

No, it should be said that he is always meticulous and thorough in solving cases, but he is unwilling to spend too much energy on people and things, and is straightforward. But today, I saw that he was able to be considerate of others.

He called her "sister-in-law" so naturally that it seemed natural, and one could be sure he didn't harbor any resentment towards her.

"Yes, Madam, you may go back first. Ah Li is not familiar with this place, so please show her around the mansion and let her get acquainted with it."

Qi Yunli hugged the child next to Shen Junshan and walked step by step with a smile to Jiang Ning.

"Let's go, sister-in-law!"

Jiang Ning was a slow starter, so she was somewhat surprised to see Qi Yunli being so outgoing.

On the way, Jiang Ning asked some questions out of curiosity.

"Where is Ah Li from?"

"I'm from Jiangnan, but I came all the way to the capital to stay with relatives. Now I'm returning from the capital and want to visit my hometown. I remembered that I had some interaction with Brother Shen a few years ago, so I thought I'd visit him."

Qi Yunli controlled the degree, only touching on the surface and describing a vague outline, not going into too much detail, blurring the lines between truth and falsehood.

It wasn't that I felt guilty, but rather that I had said too much. If the couple hadn't reached a consensus beforehand, I would have become the heinous person who ruined their marriage.

"I see. My husband once mentioned to me that he had a couple of friends in the capital, and it turns out they are you, young lady."

"Yes, I haven't known Lord Shen for very long, but he helped my younger brother with his studies, and my brother and I are very grateful to him. My brother can't come from home, so I came to convey his sentiments."

Jiang Ning understood.

What she meant was that her relationship with her husband was more about his younger brother and had nothing to do with her.

This woman knows when to advance and retreat, speaks kindly, and would never think of ruining her relationship with Junshan.

That's quite a rare sight.

"The girl is lively, but I never thought she was from Jiangnan. I thought she was a noble lady from the capital."

With just a few words, the two felt relaxed, and the child Qi Yunli was holding was giggling.

"Compared to women from the capital, women from the Jiangnan region are actually more cautious, and they have a lot of rules to follow. In comparison, women from the Jiangnan region are more lively."

Jiang Ning was somewhat surprised: "I thought that women living in the capital city would see bustling streets every day, lanterns hanging high, and bulging purses, and would only need to wait to marry a good man."

She was born and raised in this small county town, and was fortunate enough to catch the eye of the local magistrate, Shen Junshan. She initially thought she would only become a concubine, but unexpectedly, she was elevated to his principal wife. Shen Junshan had no other concubines afterward.

I felt both apprehensive and extremely fortunate.

My husband was transferred from the capital and has seen many beautiful women, so I always feel that I am not good enough for him.

Having never seen the outside world, one might think it's incredibly beautiful, especially the capital city, which everyone longs for.

After Qi Yunli went to the border, she became much stronger and didn't feel tired even when carrying the child.

"No, no. No matter where they are, men place many demands on women, with elaborate rituals, etiquette, and rigid rules that shackle them."

The more powerful and wealthy people there were in a place, the more restrictions women faced. Even in remote, impoverished areas, peasant women, though bound by rules, could still go out early and return late to farm and buy goods.

But women in the capital mostly wore veils when they went out, never showing their true faces, making them very mysterious. However, those veils often pulled on their ears, leaving red marks.

Jiang Ning found this extremely strange.

She could sense that in the past, there were many requirements placed on young women before they got married.

They cannot meet with outsiders at will; they need their parents' permission and a matchmaker's words for marriage; they cannot make a private engagement with someone, and so on.

On the contrary, after marrying Shen Junshan, the feeling of being constrained disappeared a lot.

The feeling was something she couldn't describe in words, a feeling that was common among women. The fact that Ah Li could describe it so clearly was truly admirable.

"Seeing Ah Li and her husband being so affectionate just now makes me quite curious about your love story."

Jiang Ning's words contained no hint of offense.

"It was love at first sight for us. The moment I saw him, the moment he saw me, we liked each other."

After some things happened, I thought he didn't like me anymore, and he thought he had missed his chance with me. We both suffered for a while. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and took the initiative to come back to me. I tried to accept him, and in the end, we got together.

Qi Yunli reflected on the back-and-forth struggles of the past few years, feeling a sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex emotion encompassing both feelings and reflection), and asked Jiang Ning in return:

"Lord Shen governs the county government effectively; it's much better here than when I visited a few years ago. How did you all come together?"

"It was when Lord Shen was handling a case that he accidentally bumped into me. He was a county magistrate, and I was just an ordinary woman, so I was a little scared. He chased after me and asked if I was hurt, but I ran even faster, which made a deep impression on him. Later, when I reached marriageable age, he was also looking for a suitable partner. The matchmaker gave him a few portraits, and he immediately took a liking to me."

Qi Yunli looked at Jiang Ning with admiration.

So that's how it is. Their love wasn't dramatic, but it was a quiet, sweet romance.

Their relationship was unequal, but Shen Junshan always knew how to maintain the other person's dignity and respect in an unequal relationship.

They are an enviable couple.

There is no single answer to how couples should get along. Some argue with each other but still love each other; some are both reserved and not good at expressing themselves, but they make each other feel loved through their actions; some have complementary personalities, one is talkative and the other is quiet.

The world is broken and dilapidated, but there are always people mending and patching things up for each other. That's probably what love is.

When Shen Junshan returned, he saw two people in the courtyard. A Li was taking care of the child, and the other was busy cooking with the maid in the back kitchen.

He was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected them to get along so harmoniously.

His wife was a gentle and virtuous woman, but he had done some things that caused misunderstandings.

Ah Li and she were able to maintain a deep sisterly bond and live in harmony.

"I have to thank you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have known that Ah Li wasn't mine. She is herself. She could run away on her own, and there are people who love her as much as I do."

Wei Jun spoke to Shen Junshan from behind.

Shen Junshan couldn't deny it: "Yes. With Miss Qi's current appearance, you still have to be careful. If you don't cherish her, plenty of men will be able to snatch her away from you. You've also lost your position, so you need to be even more careful."