Being a second wife is difficult

Early in the morning, the gatekeeper had already prepared the car.

Two blue-curtained carriages were parked outside the gate, and the drivers were checking the yokes.

Jiang Wan stood at the second gate watching Qing He take stock of the belongings: the old lady's tea set, the children's cloaks, spare dry food, and two umbrellas.

After Qinghe checked everything and found nothing wrong, she walked over and said in a low voice, "Madam, everything is complete."

"The old lady's carriage is going ahead, and you and the children are riding in the spacious one in the middle. Young Master Dong has asked for a horse to ride alongside him." She paused for a moment, then added, "The second madam said she's not feeling well and won't be going today."

Jiang Wan nodded.

Fang's absence due to illness was probably still because she was upset about what happened last time.

She glanced at the courtyard gate, and Qinghe followed her gaze. It was Xiaoman, who was standing there quietly with her bundle in her hands.

Xiaoman was the maid Jiang Wan brought to Ganen Temple to serve her.

Last night, Jiang Wan had already told Qing He the truth: she would be taking Xiao Man today, leaving Qing He at the mansion.

The reason for taking Xiaoman to Ganen Temple was to test her.

Bao'en Temple is located in the south of the city, and there happens to be a Juxian Teahouse on that street, which is the one my father mentioned in his letter.

After receiving the token from her father's letter last night, Jiang had not found a suitable opportunity to explore that clue.

Today, the old lady is going to Bao'en Temple to burn incense. Since it happens to be on her way, she can use the excuse of buying tea to have someone contact the tea stall owner.

As for why Xiaoman was sent, it was because the incident with Fang Shi last time made her realize that her old master was no longer there, and the old servants always had to find a new place for themselves.

But understanding is one thing, and whether one truly submits to the new master is another.

Jiang Wan came here today to see just how far she had come to understand that layer of meaning.

Last night, she asked Xiaoman to come into the house, handed her the token, and told her about the location of Juxian Tea Stall and the arrangements.

Today's trip, if successful, will provide an extra person inside and outside the manor; if not, she has also left herself a way out. If Xiaoman tells others about today's events, she can simply say that the Juxian Teahouse in the south of the city is part of her dowry.

Today, I only sent a maid to inquire about the tea expenses. It is only natural for a mistress to manage her own dowry, and no one can find fault with that.

If Xiaoman really does that, then she can take the opportunity to clean it up, so as to avoid leaving a future problem in the yard.

But she believed that Xiaoman would be a sensible person.

As my thoughts returned to their source, I heard the sound of the carriage turning around; it was time to depart.

Lu Wan was carried into the car first. Once she was settled, she lifted the curtain and looked out. Lu Zhao followed her in and sat down by the window, gently reminding Lu Wan to be careful. Lu Hui was the last to get in, sitting by the door with his hands on his knees, looking somewhat restrained.

Dong Sinian rode a horse alongside the carriage. The black-maned horse paced in the morning light, its hooves making a crisp sound as it trod on the stone pavement.

He glanced at the carriage curtain, and Lu Wan called out to him, "Big brother, your horse is so beautiful!" He smiled but didn't reply.

Xiaoman followed the crowd, carrying a small bundle, and boarded the last carriage.

The coachman cracked his whip, and the carriage started moving.

After the carriage had traveled for about half an hour, the road narrowed after turning through a poplar grove, and the temple gate was just ahead.

Ganen Temple is located in the south of the city, facing south. The three characters "Ganen Temple" on the lintel are already somewhat mottled, and the bells on the eaves jingle in the wind.

Jiang Wan lifted the carriage curtain to take a look, then lowered it again.

The old lady was helped out of the carriage by Granny Gui and walked towards the main hall.

Jiang Wan followed behind for a while, then stopped in front of the steps of the main hall: "Grandma, please offer incense first. Your daughter-in-law and the children can wait in the courtyard."

The old lady glanced at her, nodded, asked no further questions, and turned to enter the main hall.

Jiang Wan led the children to the backyard.

There is an old locust tree in the backyard, its canopy spreading out to provide a large area of ​​shade, and several stone benches are placed under it.

Lu Wan ran over and touched the tree trunk, then looked up at the canopy, muttering something as she counted. Lu Zhao, standing next to her, also glanced at the height of the canopy.

Jiang Wan also found a stone bench and sat down, glancing at Xiao Man next to her.

"After walking such a long way," Jiang Wan said, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, "the child must be thirsty and hot."

"There's a street outside the back gate of the temple. Xiaoman, go and buy a few bowls of herbal tea. Prepare one for the old lady too, so she can quench her thirst after she finishes offering incense."

Xiaoman looked up at her, her gaze lingering on her face for a moment before she lowered her eyes, replied "Yes," and turned to head towards the back door.

Her footsteps were steady on the bluestone ground, and she disappeared from sight after turning the corner.

There is a street outside the back gate. It gradually grew into a long street because of the people coming and going from the temple. It also got a Zen-like name, Bodhi Lane.

The street wasn't wide, with a few shops on both sides.

Xiaoman walked to the street corner and looked around. Her eyes fell on a stall with a cloth sign that read "Juxian Tea Stall".

The shopkeeper, a middle-aged man in his forties, was wiping a porcelain bowl with his head down. Seeing her approach, he looked up and asked, "What kind of tea would you like, young lady?"

"Give me a few bowls of their signature herbal tea." Xiaoman's voice was as usual. "My wife and kids are burning incense at the temple and they're thirsty. I'd like the kids' portions to be sweeter."

The shopkeeper turned around to pour tea.

Xiaoman stood in front of the stall waiting. When he turned around with his teacup, she asked, "Shopkeeper, how much is the tea in total?"

"The tea will cost thirty-four coins in total." The shopkeeper placed the teacup on the table and added, "Since it's the young lady's first time back, just round it up to thirty coins."

He glanced at the teacups on the table and the stack of food boxes beside them. "There are so many bowls, the young lady can't carry them all by herself. Should we put them in a box and take them back?"

"Yes, thank you, shopkeeper."

The shopkeeper took a wooden food box from the side and stacked the teacups into it one by one.

Xiaoman pulled out a few copper coins from her sleeve, and at the same time handed over the token hidden in her sleeve. Her movements were quick, as if she had just grabbed it while paying, without even glancing at the token.

The shopkeeper calmly gathered the token in his palm, and carefully rubbed it in his hand as if counting copper coins. The token was engraved with the character "Jiang".

His expression remained unchanged. He put the copper coins into the money box and turned around as if nothing had happened.

"Please take these, young lady. The teacup and food box can be returned to you by the young monks at the temple later."

When he handed over the food box, he discreetly handed the token back as well.

Xiaoman took the token, put it in her sleeve, said "Thank you, shopkeeper," and then picked up the already packed food box and left.

Her steps were neither hurried nor slow, just as they had been when she arrived, like a maid who had genuinely come to buy tea.

When we got back to the backyard, the children were still under the old locust tree.

Xiaoman carried the tea over and placed a bowl in front of Jiang Wan. As she put down the teacup, she whispered, "Madam, the matter has been settled."

Jiang Wan held the teacup without pausing, took a sip, and nodded gently.

Xiaoman didn't say anything more, and took the remaining tea to distribute to the children.

Jiang Wan slowly finished the bowl of cold tea. When the bowl was empty, she placed it on the ground next to the stone bench and gently tapped the rim of the bowl with her fingertips.

Chen Si accepted the connector method, and the cable was ready to use.

Footsteps came from the direction of the main hall, and the old lady came out.

Jiang Wan stood up and took two steps to greet her. The old lady's gaze swept around the courtyard and landed on the several bowls of untouched cold tea next to the stone bench.

"Did you prepare tea?" the old lady asked.

"We were worried you'd be thirsty after walking such a long way, so here's some herbal tea I bought on the street outside the back gate, it's still cold."

The old lady took the teacup Jiang Wan handed her, took a sip, and nodded: "You're so thoughtful."

Lu Wan grabbed the old lady's arm and shook it gently, looking up at her and calling out, "Grandma! Why did you take so long! We've been waiting here for quite a while!"

The old lady chuckled at her shaking and patted her head. "Of course, you should take your time when offering incense. What were you doing in the yard?"

"I was counting the leaves on that tree!" Lu Wan pointed to the old locust tree in the backyard. "I counted so many, but then I forgot and had to start counting again from the beginning."

The old lady glanced in the direction she was pointing and asked, "How many did you count?"

"I forgot after counting to a little over a hundred." Lu Wan scratched her head and added, "My second brother also saw it. He said that tree was bigger than any he had ever seen. My eldest brother even held up his hand to show it and said that even ten of them couldn't hug it."

Lu Zhao, who was standing to the side, was called out by name. She looked away uncomfortably, her ear tips turning slightly red.

Lu Hui was still looking at a locust leaf in his hand. When he saw the old lady looking at him, he hid the leaf behind his back and called out, "Grandmother."

The old lady responded and glanced at the children's faces. Jiang Wan had already brought over the herbal tea.

The old lady took the drink, drank a sip, and then looked at the children: "Did you all drink too?"

Lu Wan quickly said, "I drank it! Big brother drank it too!"

The old lady glanced at Dong Sinian as she spoke, and Dong Sinian smiled and replied, "Grandma, while I was looking at the locust tree with my younger siblings, I remembered something from the past."

"When I was a child, I went with my family to burn incense at a temple outside Nanjing. There was an old locust tree in the backyard of the temple, but it was not as thick as this one. At that time, I asked my family why temples like to plant locust trees."

"My family says that locust trees have spiritual energy, and planting them in the temple can bring good fortune." He paused, his tone as natural as if he were chatting casually. "At that time, I didn't believe it. I thought, what kind of spiritual energy could a tree have? But after standing in the yard for a while today and seeing my younger siblings playing happily under the tree, I think there's some truth to what they said."

The old lady's lips relaxed slightly after hearing this: "What your family said makes sense. Locust trees do indeed have a spirit. Which temple did Si Nian visit when he was a child?"

Jiang Wan noticed that the way the two addressed each other had changed. Dong Sinian no longer addressed him as a junior in a polite manner, and the old lady also called Dong Sinian by his nickname.

The two became closer.

"It's Guanghua Temple. I heard it still exists today. If the old lady has the chance to go to Jinling, she can go and take a look."

The old lady nodded, about to reply, when a voice suddenly came from the courtyard gate: "Oh, Madam Lu? What a coincidence, to run into you here today!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a lady in a royal blue jacket walking over from the moon gate with her maid. She was probably there to offer incense as well. She saw the old lady before she even entered the main hall.

She strode forward, her face beaming with smiles, and said warmly, "Madam, it's been so long! I was just thinking about whether I should visit you at your residence, but I didn't expect to run into you here."

The old lady smiled and responded a few times, saying that she had brought her family. The lady's gaze then fell on Jiang Wan, following the old lady's words.

The lady smiled and said, "And who is this? You look unfamiliar; it's the first time I've seen you."

The old lady said, "This is my eldest daughter-in-law."

The lady said "Oh," her voice rising slightly at the end, but the smile didn't reach her eyes; her gaze held a scrutinizing quality.

Jiang Wan recognized that look; the lady was looking at her, probably thinking, "So she's a concubine."

She neither dodged nor bowed her head, but met his gaze with a slight nod, returning the greeting politely and respectfully.

The courtyard fell silent for a moment; the children, who had been chatting and laughing, all stopped talking.

Dong Sinian was standing to the side, talking to Lu Zhao, but stopped when he saw the lady arrive.

He had just been looking in the direction of that lady, and he saw the thinning of the smile in her eyes.

He took a step toward Jiang Wan and spoke, his voice not loud, as if he had suddenly remembered something: "Auntie, talking about the locust tree just now reminded me of something else."

"When I was at Guanghua Temple in Jinling, I heard the monks there say that the locust tree in the backyard was planted by a high-ranking monk from the previous dynasty, which is over two hundred years old."

"That eminent monk used to preach under the tree. He said that after each passage, the leaves would rustle, as if the tree was cheering for the students. When I was a child, I thought this was mystical. But now that I think about it, a tree that can live for more than two hundred years has probably heard more sutras than a person has eaten salt. It's not surprising that it has some spiritual power."

Jiang Wan glanced at him sideways and nodded, "That's true."

The lady paused slightly as she held the teacup.

She could tell that the boy's words were somewhat deliberate, as if he had suddenly interrupted to shield Jiang Wan.

She glanced at Dong Sinian again before turning to the old lady, as if she had just recognized something: "Madam, who is this child? He doesn't look like the young master of the manor."

The old lady followed up with, "This is Grand Secretary Dong's grand-nephew. He's staying at our residence for a while. His family is very close to us, so they're not exactly outsiders."

The lady's hand paused for a moment on the rim of the teacup, her smile still lingering, but deeper than before, to the point of seeming deliberate.

It was only then that she realized that the way she had been looking at Jiang Wan had probably been seen by the young man.

She took a sip of tea, and smiled as she put it down: "So you're from the Dong family. No wonder you look so respectable."

She was about to say something more when the old lady spoke first.

"Mrs. Shen," the old lady's voice was neither loud nor soft, her tone revealing no emotion, "you've also come to offer incense today, haven't you? Our whole family has been out for most of the day, and the children are tired, so we won't keep you any longer. You can go about your business."

The lady's smile froze for a moment, as if she hadn't expected the old lady to directly tell her to leave.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back. She still had a smile on her face, but this time the smile seemed a little awkward.

She nodded to the old lady, then glanced quickly at Jiang Wan and said, "Then I won't disturb you any longer, Madam," before heading towards the main hall with her maid.

She walked much faster than when she came, and as she passed through the moon gate, the hem of her skirt swept across the threshold, as if she were in a hurry to leave.

Jiang Wan stood in the courtyard watching her figure disappear through the moon gate before turning to the old lady.

She gave a slight bow: "Thank you for speaking up for me, ma'am."

The old lady waved her hand, her tone indifferent: "You're part of my family. If I don't speak up for you, am I supposed to side with an outsider?"

She paused for a moment, then added, "Besides, I can't stand Mrs. Shen's attitude either."

Jiang Wan didn't say anything more and took a step back.

She saw that Dong Sinian had already retreated to the children's side, and Lu Wan was pulling his sleeve to ask him about Guanghua Temple. Lu Zhao was standing next to him listening, and Lu Hui also moved closer.

Jiang Wan walked over, bowed her head, and said to Dong Sinian, "Thank you for what happened earlier."

Dong Sinian turned his head, as if he hadn't expected her to come over to thank him. He paused for a moment before laughing and saying, "Auntie, you're too kind."

"My aunt is a good person. I just happened to remember that old incident and mentioned it casually."

His tone was no different from when he spoke earlier; he didn't seem to be seeking credit, as if he were talking about something very ordinary.

The old lady waved to the children: "That's enough, let's go back."

The group then headed towards the mountain gate, preparing to return.

On the return journey in the carriage, Lu Wan fell asleep leaning on Jiang Wan's shoulder, her hand still clutching the hem of her clothes.

Lu Zhao sat opposite him, flipping through a book. After turning two pages, he closed it again. Lu Hui leaned against the corner, still holding a locust leaf he had picked up during the Gratitude Festival. He hadn't thrown it away and was holding it tightly in his hand.

Jiang Wan lifted the carriage curtain and glanced at the sky outside.

The spire of Bao'en Temple receded further and further into the twilight, gradually becoming a pale gray shadow.