Being a second wife is difficult

As dawn broke, four horse-drawn carriages were already parked at the gate.

The first carriage was the old lady's. The body was painted with a clean, dark red lacquer, and dark green tassels hung from the four corners of the roof. The curtains were made of fine dark blue silk, with silver thread embroidery of intertwined branches at the edges, which was very exquisite.

Granny Gui helped the old lady to the carriage. The old lady stepped onto the carriage and, after settling in, lifted the curtain and said to Jiang Wan, "You go ahead with your work, I'll get in and sit down first."

Jiang Wan responded and turned back to continue checking the bundles. Qing He counted twice, then looked up and said, "Madam, everything is ready. Food and changes of clothes are in two separate bundles, and there's another bundle of odds and ends the children will need on the road."

Jiang Wan nodded: "Alright, let's get in the car first, don't keep the old lady waiting." With that, she walked towards the second car.

The second vehicle was the largest, with a spacious cabin, thick cushions on the seats, and small tables on both sides for placing things.

She had just found a window seat in the car when Qinghe poked her head out and said, "Madam, I'll go to the car in the back." Jiang Wan responded.

After Qinghe left, she looked around at the furnishings of the car. There were several teacups and a plate of dried fruit on the table, all prepared in advance. It looked spacious and clean, and quite tidy.

She lifted the curtain and immediately saw Lu Zhao leading Lu Wan briskly towards her from the courtyard gate.

This morning, before dawn, the children came to her room excitedly. But after exchanging only a few words, Lu Wan suddenly remembered that she had forgotten something and insisted on taking Lu Zhao back with her to get it. She told Lu Wan to go ahead and that they would come over on their own.

Jiang Wan only told them not to take too long, and when she saw the two running over, she waved to the car and said, "Get in the car quickly."

Today, Lu Zhao wore a bamboo-green straight robe, and her hair was tied up with a plain silver hairpin. Lu Wan also wore a matching lotus-root-colored jacket, and her hair was tied into two small buns with red ribbons. She ran over, bouncing along.

When she got to the car, she couldn't wait to climb up by grabbing the edge of the car, without waiting for the wet nurse to carry her up.

Lu Wan's movements were uneven, but she tripped when she stepped on the threshold, and her body swayed slightly.

Jiang Wan was startled and instinctively reached out to help, but Lu Wan had already steadied herself by holding onto the car wall. She turned back and smiled at her, as if she didn't take it seriously.

Jiang Wan advised her, "Wan-jie, be more careful next time."

Lu Wan stuck out her tongue: "I'll be more careful next time."

After saying that, she sat down next to Jiang Wan, holding up a small cloth bag about the size of her palm and handing it over. "Mother, look, I went back to get this! It's the sachet I got last time. I forgot to put it in my luggage yesterday, so I must take it to the temple to hang it up today."

Lu Zhao sat down beside her, glanced at her, and smiled slightly. Jiang Wan noticed that the red ribbon in Lu Wan's hair had become a little crooked after she sat down, so she reached out and straightened it for her. She then tidied up his clothes, which were a little messy from running around: "Alright, sit still in the car. Don't keep jumping around like before."

Lu Wan nodded, leaned on Jiang Wan's arm, swayed her legs a couple of times, and then stopped.

Madam Fang arrived quickly. Today she was wearing a light blue jacket, which was much more plain than when she was in the mansion. She probably knew that she was going to a quiet Buddhist temple and should not dress too brightly.

She nodded to Jiang Wan as she got into the car: "Sister-in-law, you're here early."

Jiang Wan replied, "It's not too late for your sister-in-law either."

Since the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, the two no longer subtly probe or undermine each other when they meet, as they used to.

As for how many schemes were hidden beneath the surface, Jiang Wan knew it, and so did Madam Fang, but at least they maintained a facade of politeness.

Fang sat down next to Jiang Wan, leaned against the carriage wall, glanced at the carriage's furnishings, and said, "Sister-in-law, this carriage is quite spacious, much more comfortable than the one that Granny Ding arranged in previous years. In the past, Granny Ding arranged small carriages, which were so cramped that four people couldn't even turn around. This year, sister-in-law, you've changed to a bigger one."

Jiang Wan smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, just sit comfortably. This is the first time I've arranged this, so I'm afraid there might be some oversights. If you feel anything is inappropriate, please feel free to tell me."

Fang waved her hand: "Sister-in-law, you're too kind. This isn't considered inadequate. In previous years, it was incredibly crowded. You just didn't see last year's trains."

She chuckled as she spoke, as if recalling some uncomfortable old memory.

Aunt Zhou arrived soon after, with Lu Hui behind her and Lu Shan in her arms. Concubine Zhao followed behind and they all got into the carriage together.

Aunt Zhou was dressed in a blue-gray outfit today, which was calm and understated, with neatly gathered cuffs, showing that she had put a lot of thought into choosing it.

Today, Lu Hui was wearing a navy blue short jacket and followed behind Aunt Zhou. He was carrying a small bundle in his hand, which was probably some odds and ends that Aunt Zhou had prepared for the children to use in the car.

After getting into the car, Aunt Zhou greeted Jiang Wan and Madam Fang. Madam Fang was looking out the car window on the other side, so she just nodded and didn't say anything.

After Aunt Zhou got into the car, she put Lu Shan down. When Lu Wan saw Lu Shan arrive, she quickly pulled Lu Zhao to the side to make room between them. She patted the seat cushion and waved to Lu Shan, inviting her to sit on her side.

Lu Shan rubbed her eyes, slowly walked over and sat down next to Lu Wan. Perhaps because she had gotten up too early, she was still a little groggy, quiet and not saying much.

Seeing that everyone was seated, Jiang Wan lifted the carriage curtain and said to a maid standing outside, "Go tell the old lady that everyone has arrived and we can set off."

The maid responded and quickly ran towards the carriage in front. A moment later, a whip cracked and the wheels began to turn slowly.

The carriage followed the bluestone road out of the gate and headed south of the city.

The carriage curtains fell, blocking out the morning light, and the carriage became quieter, with only the sound of wheels rolling over the road and the occasional hushed voices of children.

After the car left the alley and turned onto the main street, Lu Wan quietly lifted a corner of the curtain, and the children immediately crowded around, huddled together, and looked out.

The shops along the street had just opened, steam was rising from the steamer baskets of the bun shop, and vendors selling soy milk were calling out their wares at the street corner. Early risers were coming out of the alley with their shopping baskets, and there was a constant flow of vehicles and pedestrians. The whole street was filled with the lively atmosphere of bustling activity.

Following the children's gaze, Fang glanced outside and happened to see the few newly set-up breakfast stalls on the street. As if suddenly remembering something, she asked with interest, "Sister-in-law, do you know what's in the vegetarian meal prepared by the temple on the birthday of Dipankara Buddha?"

Jiang Wan shook her head: "This is my first time celebrating this festival. I don't know what the temple will prepare."

Fang then added, "The vegetarian meal prepared by the temple on this day was even lighter than usual. There was a dish of bok choy and tofu that was so bland that it was barely salty."

"However, the vegetables we eat are all grown by the temple itself, so they are quite clean. We adults can eat them for two meals without getting tired of them, but the children find them novel the first time, but start to complain about the blandness after the second meal."

Aunt Zhou nodded in agreement, "Second Madam is right. In previous years, Hui-ge'er would eat quite well for the first meal, but he would secretly hide the steamed buns and refuse to eat them for the second meal."

Fang laughed and said, "So what if we hide it? The temple only has a few things; there's nothing else to eat if we hide it."

Lu Hui stopped talking, looking down and picking at his fingers, his ears turning bright red.

The children in the carriage all laughed. Lu Wan laughed out loud, and even Lu Zhao couldn't help but smile.

Jiang Wan didn't respond, letting them laugh for a while, and the carriage continued on its way amidst the laughter and commotion.

After leaving the city gate, the road surface gradually changed from stone slabs to dirt road, and the carriage swayed back and forth as the wheels rolled over the potholes.

Fang's face was noticeably paler. She leaned against the carriage wall with her eyes closed, her brows slightly furrowed, and her fingers tightly gripping a handkerchief.

Jiang Wan noticed her unusual behavior and asked, "Sister-in-law, are you feeling carsick? You don't look too well."

Fang opened her eyes and forced a smile: "The road was indeed a bit bumpy. I've never been used to riding in a carriage. When I was a child, I would always throw up the whole way when I took a horse-drawn carriage to my maternal grandparents' house, and I still haven't gotten better."

Aunt Zhou, who was overhearing this, added, "Smelling some mugwort can make you feel better when you're carsick. It won't harm your health and is better than taking medicine."

Jiang Wan said, "What a coincidence! Aunt Zhou just happened to make two mugwort sachets for me yesterday, and I happen to have them with me."

She took out a sachet from her bundle. It had a slightly bitter, cool scent. She handed it to her, saying, "If you don't mind, sister-in-law, keep it with you and try it out."

Fang glanced at the sachet. It was indeed made carefully, with even stitches and a tiny rice bead at the seal.

She reached out and took the sachet, smelling it. Her expression relaxed a bit. "It really feels much better. Thank you, sister-in-law, and thank you, Aunt Zhou. This sachet is exquisitely made; you must have put a lot of thought into it."

Aunt Zhou shook her head: "It's just a small thing, I'm glad you don't mind, Second Madam."

Several children gathered around, and Lu Wan looked up at Fang Shi: "Is Second Aunt not feeling well?"

Fang looked down at her, her expression softening slightly: "It's nothing, just a bit bumpy on the way."

Lu Hui leaned over from the side and said in a serious tone, "Second Aunt, I have another piece of candy here. Eating it will make you feel better."

As he was about to rummage through his small bundle, Madam Fang couldn't help but smile and said, "No need, I feel much better after smelling this sachet. Please sit still and don't fall."

The children chattered away, asking Fang if she wanted water, and offering to move to her seat since their window seats were more ventilated.

Seeing that Fang looked tired, Jiang Wan called out to the children, "Alright, alright, let your second aunt rest. Don't bother her here."

The children then shut up and sat down.

Fang glanced at Jiang Wan, a slight smile playing on her lips, a silent expression of gratitude. Then she closed her eyes and leaned against the car wall, as if she could finally rest peacefully.

The carriage continued forward, the curtains swaying gently in the wind, occasionally lifting a corner to reveal patches of fields outside.