Being a second wife is difficult

When Qinghe brought in the basin of water in the morning, Jiang Wan had just gotten up from the bed.

She went to bed late last night, her mind preoccupied with the token, and didn't close her eyes until almost dawn.

"Madam, Qiutang was waiting for you in the corridor just now. She said she has something to tell you." Qinghe handed over a handkerchief that had been soaked in water. "She said there was something going on in the storeroom last night."

Jiang Wan took the handkerchief and wiped her face: "Let her in to talk."

When Qiu Tang came in, she looked more tense than usual. She bowed and said, "Madam, last night when I went to the storeroom to deliver something, I ran into Granny Ding there. Granny Liu was locking the door, and Granny Ding was standing next to her, saying she was there to get the account books."

"Granny Liu said that she was in charge of the storeroom's ledgers, and Granny Ding was only in charge of purchasing and shouldn't touch the storeroom's things. The two exchanged a few words, and Granny Ding's expression turned unpleasant. She turned and left, while Granny Liu checked the lock again before leaving."

Jiang Wan put the handkerchief back into the basin of water and sat for a while before speaking.

Most of the stewardesses in the mansion were the old lady's confidantes back then, and they have been entrenched in various places for more than ten years.

Granny Zhou was in charge of the kitchen, Granny Wu was in charge of needlework, Granny Ding was in charge of purchasing, and Granny Liu was in charge of the storeroom. Each of them was personally assigned by the old lady.

The old lady believed them, but more than ten years have passed, and things have changed.

Granny Ding was close to Aunt Zhou, and the monthly allowance for the east courtyard passed through her hands. Last time, she was caught by a maid talking to Cui'er from the second branch of the family in the alley.

She was alone, yet she was juggling three relationships: with Aunt Zhou, with the second wife, and with herself.

Why is she rushing into the storeroom in such a hurry? Who is she looking for something for?

"Go to Songhetang and ask if the old lady has mentioned inventory in the past few days," Jiang Wan said.

Qinghe responded and left.

Jiang Wan sat by the window, looking at the orchids in full bloom.

Qinghe returned about half an hour later. She entered and lowered her voice, saying, "Madam, I asked Granny Gui. Granny Gui said that the Old Madam hasn't mentioned the inventory of the treasury in the past two weeks. Granny Ding's words were false."

Jiang Wan nodded.

The personnel in the mansion had remained unchanged for many years. These head maids each occupied their own territory and acted in the name of the old lady. The subordinates dared not offend them easily, and over time they became bolder.

Ding Mama was only a glimpse of what was happening to her.

Just then, several hurried footsteps suddenly came from the courtyard gate.

Lu Wan ran ahead, Dong Sinian followed behind, and Lu Zhao walked at the very back, carrying a book in his arms.

As soon as Lu Wan entered the courtyard, she called out, "Mother, Mother! Big brother said there are talking foxes in that book, the Classic of Mountains and Seas!" She stood on the veranda with her head tilted up, her eyes sparkling, not even bothering to fix her crooked braids.

Lu Zhao followed in, bowed first, and then spoke: "Mother, Grandmother just sent word that there will be a Dharma assembly at Ganen Temple outside the city in the next few days. She wants to take a few family members to offer incense tomorrow. Please arrange the ceremonial items and the people who will accompany her."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Grandmother said she wouldn't be gone for long, just for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, and that she would come back quickly and simply. My older brother also said he wanted to go, and Grandmother agreed."

Upon hearing this, Lu Wan immediately turned her head: "Big brother is going too? Then I want to go too!"

Dong Sinian smiled as he stood at the bottom of the steps: "I'm going to fulfill a vow for my great-uncle."

"Then I'll fulfill my vow too," Lu Wan said matter-of-factly. "I also have a vow to fulfill."

Lu Zhao glanced at her: "What is your wish?"

Lu Wan hesitated for a moment, then finally managed to say, "I...I hope the kitchen will make cream and pine nut rolls tomorrow."

Lu Zhao turned his head away from her, and Jiang Wan couldn't help but laugh.

The laughter and chatter in the courtyard continued, and sunlight filtered through the trees, scattering golden spots of light on the blue brick ground.

When Aunt Liu led Lu Shan over from the moon gate, Lu Wan was the first to see them.

She slammed the book shut and stood up from the veranda, her voice bright and clear: "Sister Shan! You've come!"

Lu Shan was being led by Aunt Liu's hand. She was a little timid at first, but when she heard her sister call her, a smile immediately appeared on her face. She let go of Aunt Liu's hand and ran towards Lu Wan.

She wore a new light green dress today, and her hair was tied into two small braids, which swayed as she ran.

Lu Wanwei crouched down to catch her, took her hand, and led her towards the steps: "You've come at the perfect time! Big brother showed us a book with lots and lots of pictures on it!"

As she spoke, she glanced back in Dong Sinian's direction, "Sister Shan, that's big brother, Dong Sinian."

Lu Shan followed her sister's gaze and looked at Dong Sinian.

She looked up at him for a few moments, blinked twice, and said in a soft but clear voice, "Hello, big brother."

Dong Sinian squatted down to be at eye level with her: "Hello, Sister Shan."

He glanced at Lu Shan's two little braids swaying on her head and smiled, "Shan, your hair is so pretty."

Lu Shan reached out and touched the end of her braid, a smile playing on her lips. She shrank back half a step behind Lu Wan, but her eyes still sparkled as she looked at him.

Aunt Liu then stepped forward, stopped in front of Jiang Wan, and curtsied: "Madam, I brought Shan'er to give my regards to Young Master Dong. She was too young to stay awake at yesterday's banquet and fell asleep halfway through, so she missed seeing the guests. I thought I'd make up for it today so as not to be impolite."

As she spoke, she turned to Dong Sinian, her face showing a hint of restraint. "Young Master Dong, please don't laugh. Sister Shan is still young and doesn't speak very fluently yet."

"That's not true." Dong Sinian straightened up. "She spoke quite well, much better than my cousins."

Aunt Liu seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

Lu Wan had already taken Lu Shan's hand and squatted down on the veranda to flip through a book. Pointing to a fish with long wings in the picture, she said, "Look at this." Lu Shan leaned over and looked at it for a while before asking, "Can it fly?" Lu Wan thought for a moment and said, "It can fly in the water too." The two little girls huddled together and laughed.

Aunt Liu stood under the eaves watching Lu Shan's back. After a while, a look of surprise appeared on her face.

Her voice was soft, as if she were talking to herself, or perhaps to Jiang Wan: "This child is so quiet around me, she doesn't say a word all day. But here, she's chattering away so much..."

She paused for a moment, as if she herself found it strange.

"She gets along well with Wan'er," Jiang Wan said. "People who get along naturally talk a lot when they're together."

Aunt Liu nodded, looked around for a while, and then, as if she didn't want to disturb the children, said she was going back to get Lu Shan an outer garment.

She turned and left the courtyard, her steps lighter than when she came.

Jiang Wan stood under the corridor watching her figure gradually walk away. Just as she was watching, another voice came from the courtyard gate.

She looked up and saw an old woman standing outside the door, wearing a light gray vest and with her hair neatly combed.

It's Granny Ding.

Lu Wan stopped speaking, and Lu Shan looked up at the direction of the door. The laughter in the courtyard seemed to stop abruptly.

Ding Mama stood outside the courtyard gate without coming in. She curtsied in Jiang Wan's direction and politely called out "Madam".

She arrived at the perfect time.

This person just broke into the storeroom under the guise of an old lady, but he can come back to greet her calmly and peacefully.

Either she didn't take the break-in into the warehouse seriously at all, or she already knew that the news had reached Jiang Wan's ears, so she rushed over to sound her out.

"Is Madam busy? Has this old servant come at an inopportune time?" Ding Mama's tone was no different from usual, carrying a composure that came from working in the mansion for more than ten years.

"Is there something you need, Granny?" Jiang Wan stood up and walked to the corridor, remaining on the steps without coming down.

Ding Mama took a step forward, but Jiang Wan didn't move aside, so she stopped in place: "This old servant came to tell Madam that Liu Mama has been locking the storeroom tightly lately. If Madam wants to retrieve anything, she'll probably have to wait a couple more days. This old servant thought I'd let Madam know in advance so she doesn't make a wasted trip."

Jiang Wan looked at her without replying. It was against the rules for someone in charge of purchasing to relay messages from the warehouse. She probably came today to see if Jiang Wan knew about her trespassing in the warehouse.

"I understand, thank you for your trouble, Granny," Jiang Wan said.

Granny Ding repeatedly said, "No trouble at all," and bowed again before turning and leaving.

Jiang Wan noticed that when she turned around, her gaze swept across the children's faces, but lingered on Dong Sinian for a moment longer.

Lu Wan asked softly, "Mother, who is that old nanny?"

"It's Granny Ding, who's in charge of purchasing," Jiang Wan said, patting Lu Wan's head.

Lu Wan said "Oh," and then she and Lu Shan looked at the pictures in the book together again.

Lu Zhao closed the book and glanced at the courtyard gate. Dong Sinian remained standing on the steps, not moving, until the person had walked away before speaking: "Auntie, when that old nanny left, it seemed like she glanced in my direction several times."

Jiang Wan paused for a moment. Dong Sinian, a guest, was more perceptive than she had thought, noticing such details.

"Probably out of curiosity," Jiang Wan said. "When a guest comes to the manor, she'll always tell the maids and servants about it when she gets back."

Dong Sinian nodded and did not ask any further questions.

Lu Wan had already pulled Lu Shan to the next page, and the two little girls' cheerful laughter dispelled the previous dull atmosphere.

At the same moment, a fresh cup of tea was served in Songhetang.

Granny Gui came in from outside, stood by the door, and recounted the events of the day in a low voice from beginning to end.

Ding Mama went to the storeroom under the old lady's name, Liu Mama locked the door and didn't let her in, and Ding Mama then went to Jiang Wan's courtyard to pay her respects. She reported every single thing clearly.

After hearing this, the mother-in-law didn't pick up the teacup in her hand.

The steam rising from the tea dissipated in wisps. Looking at the cup, she suddenly said, "Since when did she start making these kinds of decisions?"

Granny Gui lowered her head and said, "Granny Ding has been in charge of purchasing all these years and has gotten close to everyone. Her monthly allowance passes through her hands, and she also goes through the accounts of each courtyard's expenses. There have been some rumors among the servants, but no one dares to mention it in front of the old lady."

The mother-in-law picked up her teacup and put it down again, her voice deep and heavy: "Of the people who came into the mansion with me back then, only a few are left. I thought they were more sensible than those who came later because they had suffered hardships. I didn't expect that after they had endured the hardships of the past, their appetites had also grown."

She paused for a moment and then said, "These girls are the ones I brought from my parents' home; they've been with me since they were little."

These words seem to come out of nowhere, as if they are a recollection.

Granny Gui didn't know how to answer, so she could only stand quietly to the side without saying a word.

The mother-in-law finally picked up her teacup, took a sip, closed her eyes, and sighed, "It's time to make some changes."

That evening, Granny Gui arrived.

There were no pleasantries upon entering; the conversation went straight to the point: "The old lady wants you to come to Songhe Hall tomorrow to speak. She has a good understanding of the warehouse situation. She said to leave it for now, to leave the line a little longer so it'll be easier to reel it in later."

After Granny Gui left, Jiang Wan thought for a while in the room.

The old lady meant for her to hold back and wait for Granny Ding to take another step. Today's hidden loss was just a silent one; the real problem was still buried underneath.

She went to the porch for a while to get some fresh air, and Qinghe followed her out of the house. After waiting for a while, she spoke up: "Madam, did Granny Ding come today to sound out your intentions?"

"She came to see if I knew anything," Jiang Wan said. "She knows that Qiu Tang saw her arguing with Granny Liu at the storeroom entrance, and she also knows that the news will reach me. She came to pay her respects today to see if I would stop her or mention the storeroom."

"Then, Madam, you didn't say anything..."

"She'll fall for it if she tells you," Jiang Wan said. "I didn't say anything, but she'll spend the whole night thinking about it when she gets back."

She stood motionless under the eaves, the night breeze seeping in through the crack in the door, carrying the scent of the grass in the corner of the courtyard.

In the twilight, the moon gate in the distance was just a gray outline. She looked at it for a while before turning back.

"Go to Songhe Hall tomorrow. The old lady probably still has something to say to her. After you leave, tell Qiutang not to keep an eye on Granny Ding these next few days, but to keep an eye on the second branch of the family and see if they make any moves."

"There must be someone pressuring Ding Mama behind the scenes."