Being a second wife is difficult

We've been living in the new courtyard for over two months now.

As time went by, the feeling of living there gradually became clearer.

The new courtyard is close to my mother-in-law's courtyard, so it's only a short walk to Songhe Hall to pay my respects every day, saving me a lot of walking compared to before.

It's just that it's a bit far from where the concubines live. Every day, they have to go around to this place first, and then go with her. It takes at least ten or twenty minutes to walk there, as if they've traversed half of the mansion.

The courtyard is spacious, making it much easier to speak and act freely. Even if you don't deliberately lower your voice, you don't have to worry about being overheard.

The corridor was bright and clean, and when the sunlight shone in, the whole room was bright and airy, so there was no fear of anyone sneaking around doing something underhanded in some corner.

With a larger yard, it's natural to need more people to manage it.

In the old courtyard, Qinghe took care of everything inside and out by herself. Now that she has moved, she needs someone to look after her in every aspect.

Aside from assigning Xiaoman to manage matters in the outer courtyard, most of the daily affairs in the inner courtyard were handled by Qiutang.

Yunzhi, who was originally in charge of tea and daily necessities, was also from the old lady's courtyard. She was quick and efficient and reliable. However, Qinghe usually served tea to Jiang in the evening, and Qiutang had now taken over the management of the inner courtyard. As a result, the tasks that Yunzhi had were somewhat overlapping with those of the two of them.

After thinking it over, Jiang Wan decided to entrust the task of training the new maids to Yunzhi. She had previously worked in the old lady's room and was familiar with the rules and etiquette, so she was perfect for mentoring the maids. Once the maids were up to the task, they would have more help in various parts of the courtyard.

With these instructions given, Jiang Wan has been able to save herself a lot of trouble these past few days.

The weather is getting colder day by day. Most of the leaves on the trees planted in and around the yard have fallen, and the few remaining leaves are curled up and stuck to the branches by the wind.

Qinghe had already taken out some thicker clothes a couple of days ago, saying that it gets quite chilly in the mornings and evenings, and if she didn't add another layer, she might catch a cold.

Jiang Wan stood under the eaves and looked at the sky, calculating the days in her mind. She had already been drafting the list of winter clothes for the winter for three days.

On the first day, the number of people in each room was checked. On the second day, the amount of cloth and cotton was determined according to the old practice of previous years. On the third day, a few more items were added.

Lu Zhao has grown taller, and last year's robe is too short; the sleeves need to be widened by two inches.

Lu Wan's cape, which she had made last year, had frayed collars, so she should get a new one this year.

Lu Hui was also more robust than last year, his shoulders were a finger's width wider. Aunt Zhou didn't mention it, but Jiang Wan remembered it.

And then there's Lu Shan, who changes every day. Last year's clothes are already too short, so she has to have her measurements taken again and several new outfits made this year. Just for her, she needs to prepare several sets of clothes to change into.

She read the list again from beginning to end to make sure no one was missed before closing the booklet and having Qinghe deliver it to Songhetang.

The old lady's reply came quickly. It was delivered personally by Granny Gui, who carried the white porcelain box, which originally contained throat lozenges, but was now empty.

As she entered, she nodded to Jiang Wan and said, "Madam, the old lady said the list was properly adjusted and doesn't need any further changes. She told me to just follow the instructions. The old lady has run out of throat lozenges and asked me to fetch some more. She also told me to tell her that she trusts Madam's work."

Jiang Wan took the empty box, turned around, took a new one from the cabinet, and handed it over: "Is the old lady feeling better?"

Granny Gui took the box and put it in her sleeve: "It's better than the past few days. He coughs less and can sleep through the night now."

"The old lady told me to tell the madam that if there are any difficulties with the winter clothing, she can just go to the storeroom to get some, and there is no need to ask her about everything."

Jiang Wan responded and saw Granny Gui out of the courtyard.

Lu Wan arrived in the afternoon.

She was wearing a pale yellow jacket today, with a grayish white velvet trim around the collar, as if it were dusty. She didn't seem to care. As soon as she entered the room, she called out "Mother" and then ran to the porch to squat down and look at the orchid.

After watching for a while, he stood up again and ran around the yard, as if to see what was different between the new and old yards.

The wet nurse followed behind her, walking slowly along the veranda. After a few steps, she sat down on the steps.

She leaned against the pillar and yawned, her eyes narrowing into slits, as if the afternoon sun was making her sleepy. Before long, her head drooped little by little.

Hearing the commotion outside, Jiang Wan went to the window and looked out.

Lu Wan was squatting alone in the east corner of the courtyard, drawing something on the ground with a twig. Her wet nurse was sitting on the porch, her head tilted to one side.

Just as Jiang Wan was about to call out, she saw Lu Wan stand up and take two steps outside the courtyard.

That side gate was usually ajar, and beyond the threshold was a veranda, the other end of which led to the garden.

Lu Wan stepped over the threshold and took a few steps toward the veranda. Her foot landed on a loose stone slab, and she lurched forward.

When Jiang Wan saw Lu Wan lean forward, her heart tightened, and she almost dropped the teacup in her hand.

She wanted to shout, but the distance was too far, and before the sound could come out, a figure had already walked quickly over from the other end of the corridor.

Granny Liu lifted her skirt with one hand and rushed forward in three steps. Just as Lu Wan was about to fall to the ground, she grabbed her arm and steadily supported her.

Lu Wan was startled. After regaining her balance, she patted her chest, still catching her breath.

Granny Liu squatted down and looked her up and down. Seeing that she was fine except for some mud on the hem of her skirt and a small red mark on the back of her hand, she let go and stood up.

She turned around, her gaze falling on the wet nurse who had just woken up in the corridor, and said nothing.

The wet nurse was awakened by the sound of Liu Mama's footsteps.

She stood up abruptly from the steps, still clutching the handkerchief draped over her knees, her face still showing the bewilderment of someone just waking up.

When she finally saw the scene before her, Lu Wan was standing by the veranda, her skirt stained with mud, and Granny Liu was standing next to her, her face not looking too good. Her face immediately turned pale.

She hurried over, bent down to take Lu Wan's hand: "Miss, Miss, are you alright? I'm so sorry, how could I have fallen asleep..."

Lu Wan pulled her hand away, preventing her from touching her.

Granny Liu stopped her, her voice neither too loud nor too soft: "Young Miss almost fell just now, what were you doing?"

The wet nurse opened her mouth, her voice dry and strained: "This servant...this servant was a little tired this afternoon, so I sat down to rest for a bit..."

Granny Liu glanced at her but didn't reply. She turned to Lu Wan and said, "Miss, let me take you back to the main courtyard first."

Lu Wan nodded and followed Granny Liu toward the courtyard.

After taking two steps, he turned back to look at the wet nurse. The wet nurse was still standing there, clutching her handkerchief in both hands, her lips pressed together until they were white, as if she wanted to follow but dared not move.

Granny Liu led Lu Wan into the main courtyard and they stood under the eaves.

Jiang Wan had already reached the door, her gaze first falling on Granny Liu, then on Lu Wan.

Sure enough, there was a large patch of mud on the hem of Lu Wan's pale yellow jacket, and the sleeves were also covered in a layer of dust. There were two light red scratches on the back of her hand. They weren't deep and didn't bleed, but a thin layer of skin had been rubbed off.

"Madam," Liu Mama spoke first, her tone flat, "Miss almost fell when she stepped on a loose stone slab near the side gate. I happened to be passing by and helped her up. She's alright, just that her skirt got muddy and her hand was slightly scraped."

She paused for a moment, then added, "The wet nurse was asleep in the porch at the time and didn't see anything."

After listening, Jiang Wan first squatted down to examine Lu Wan's hand, confirming that it was just a superficial injury, before standing up and nodding to Granny Liu: "Thank you for your hard work, Granny. If you hadn't happened to be passing by, I don't know what would have happened."

Granny Liu waved her hand: "Madam, you flatter me. I just happened to be passing by and wanted to lend a hand. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now. There are still some things waiting to be stored in the storeroom."

After she finished speaking, she bowed, turned around and left, walking at a moderate pace, as if she were just passing by and casually reaching out her hand, without any intention of taking credit for the matter.

Jiang Wan watched her leave the courtyard before turning her gaze away and pulling Lu Wan into the house.

Without asking any questions, she first filled a basin with warm water and wrung out a towel to wipe the mud off Lu Wan's hands.

The wound got wet, and Lu Wan frowned slightly, but she didn't make a sound.

Jiang Wan changed to a clean handkerchief, wiped the mud around the wound clean, and then applied a thin layer of ointment. After applying it, she even blew on it.

Lu Wan watched Jiang Wan do these things without saying a word. Only after Jiang Wan rolled up her sleeves and wiped the mud off the hem of her skirt did she suddenly speak, her voice much softer than usual: "Mother, don't be angry."

Jiang Wan put the handkerchief into the basin of water, looked up at her, and said, "I'm not angry."

Her tone was indeed calm, neither suppressing her anger nor deliberately softening it, as if she were stating a fact that had already occurred.

She stood up, moved the basin aside, then walked back and knelt down in front of Lu Wan, straightening her collar: "Were you frightened?"

Lu Wan nodded, then shook her head: "No, I just fell and it hurts a little."

"You've got some nerve," Jiang Wan said calmly, but her movements were lighter than before. "Does your hand still hurt?"

Lu Wan looked down at the thin layer of ointment on the back of her hand, and moved her fingers: "It doesn't hurt anymore, it feels cool."

Jiang Wan stood up, sat down on the chair next to her, and poured herself a cup of tea.

Lu Wan sat on the edge of the couch with her hands on her knees. She seemed to sense something. Although Jiang Wan did not get angry, the quiet in the room was different from usual.

Jiang Wan took a sip of her tea, and only after setting it down did she ask, "What are you going to do at the side gate?"

"I saw a butterfly." Lu Wan's voice carried a hint of suppressed excitement. "It was yellow, and it flew by. I wanted to go and see it."

Jiang Wan glanced at her but didn't ask any further questions. It's perfectly normal for a child of this age to run away at the sight of a butterfly.

But the wet nurse was dozing off in the porch, and the child ran out of the yard without anyone following him, which could not be considered negligence.

Once or twice is acceptable, but not a third time; it's time to change.

Lu Wan seemed to sense something and asked softly, "Mother, will the wet nurse be punished?"

Jiang Wan didn't answer her directly, but only said, "Go back to your room and rest first. I'll have someone make you a new cloak tomorrow. It's time to change your pale yellow one."

Lu Wan nodded, slid off the edge of the couch, walked to the door, looked back at Jiang Wan as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't speak and turned to leave.

Her maid was waiting at the door. When she saw her come out, she came up and took her hand. The two of them went out of the courtyard one after the other.

When the curtain fell, Jiang Wan did not speak immediately.

Qinghe came out from the inner room, glanced in the direction of the door to make sure Lu Wan was out of sight, and then asked in a low voice, "Madam, should we change the eldest young lady's wet nurse?"

Jiang Wan placed the teacup back on the table: "It's time to change it."

Her tone wasn't harsh, but Qinghe sensed something different about it.

"You said you'd take a look first, but now..."

"The past is the past."

Jiang Wan stood up and walked to the window. "When I first came in, I wasn't on my feet. Even if you changed the wet nurse, it would just be another old person. She might not be as dedicated as the one I have now."

"Now that we've taken over most of the household affairs, and the old lady has also said that keeping such a person around would be irresponsible."

She turned around and glanced at Qinghe: "The wet nurse's matter can't be delayed any longer. If we wait any longer, it won't be the hem of the skirt that gets damaged, but the child."

Qinghe nodded: "Should I go and inform the old lady? Or should Madam go and speak to her herself?"

"I'll go and talk to her myself." Jiang Wan straightened her clothes. "You go and call the wet nurse to wait in the side hall. I'll go to Songhe Hall and deal with her when I get back."

As she walked out of the courtyard, the leaves of the osmanthus tree at the corner of the veranda rustled in the wind.

She didn't stop walking, nor did she look back.