Being a second wife is difficult

After Madam Lu left, the mansion was quiet for a few days.

No one mentioned the Gu family picking up the child during those few days, and Fang Shi also stopped trying to get close to Jiang Wan.

Every day at 7:45 AM, people would pay their respects, each discussing their own trivial matters, and then disperse, making the place even quieter than before.

Jiang Wan didn't feel lonely at all; she was happy to have some peace and quiet.

Every morning, I would go to Songhe Hall to listen to my mother-in-law say a few words, and in the afternoon I would go back to my room to do needlework, flip through the register, and listen to Qinghe talk about things in the mansion.

Lu Wan would come to visit every day. When she arrived, she would flip through picture books, eat snacks, and pester her to tell stories. Lu Zhao would come every day or two, but he wouldn't say much and would leave after sitting for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Seven or eight days passed like this.

After the morning greetings were over, her mother-in-law asked her to stay a little longer.

"Huaijin has been gone for half a month. Is there anything you need?"

Jiang Wan was stunned for a moment before she realized that her mother-in-law was referring to Lu Huaijin.

In the half month since she married into the family, Lu Huaijin has spent less than ten days at home. She has almost forgotten that she has a husband outside.

"Reporting to the old lady, we don't lack anything. Before the master left, he had Lu An send over some things, which are enough for us."

The mother-in-law nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Jiang Wan came out of Songhe Hall, and Qinghe followed behind her, whispering, "Madam, what errand did Master go on this trip? He's been gone for so long and hasn't sent any word back."

"The letter is for the old lady, not for me." Jiang Wan kept walking. "He's a grown man, he can't just get lost."

Qinghe pouted and remained silent.

Jiang Wan knew that Lu Huaijin was going out.

He left on the morning of the fifth day after she married into the family.

She was still asleep that day, and vaguely heard some noise beside her. When it got light, Qinghe said that the master had taken Lu An out before dawn to do business in another place, and the return date was uncertain.

Jiang Wan didn't explain much to her mother-in-law, nor did she ask any further questions. She had no idea what errand she was going to run or when she would return.

She wasn't in a hurry to know. Lu Huaijin was like a shadow in this family; whether the shadow was there or not, life went on the same way.

A few days later, one afternoon Jiang Wan was embroidering the handkerchief by the window when Qinghe suddenly ran in from outside, still out of breath: "Madam, Master is back! The carriage has already entered the alley."

Jiang Wan was embroidering a purse, her needle and thread never stopping, she only hummed in response.

"Isn't Madam going to greet her?"

"Welcome what? He's going home, not visiting."

Jiang Wan finished the last stitch, bit off the thread, and said, "Besides, I can't get involved in what's going on outside. If I go to greet them, I'll just be standing there as a decoration."

Qinghe thought about it and agreed, so she stopped trying to persuade her.

When Lu Huaijin returned, the mansion was, as usual, bustling with activity.

The news reached every household and courtyard, and preparations were made accordingly.

In the afternoon, Lu An, accompanied by several servants, delivered things to each room.

This is the custom: when the master returns from his trip, he must bring back some local gifts to distribute to the family members, regardless of their social status; it's a token of his goodwill.

Jiang Wan received a piece of Shu brocade, two boxes of tea, and an inkstone in her room.

Qinghe put the things away and leaned over to whisper, "Madam, I heard that Aunt Zhou also got a piece of Shu brocade, exactly the same as yours. The old lady got a jade Guanyin statue, the second madam got a tea set, and the eldest young master, the eldest young lady, and the second young master each got a set of writing implements and some toys."

Jiang Wan nodded.

Things are separated in a particular way.

The mother-in-law was the most important, and the jade Guanyin was a symbol of respectability. Each of the three children received a set of writing implements and toys. She and Aunt Zhou both received Shu brocade, but she received an extra inkstone and two boxes of tea. Fang was her brother's wife, so her tea set was also acceptable.

Can't fault it.

"You're too kind, sir," Jiang Wan said, her tone flat, making it impossible to tell whether it was a genuine compliment or just a casual remark.

The welcoming banquet was held in the main courtyard's flower hall. Although it was called a banquet, it was just a family gathering for an ordinary dinner, and it wasn't anything too grand.

My mother-in-law didn't come because she was tired, and told them to eat by themselves.

Only Lu Huaijin, Jiang Wan, Madam Fang, and Lu Huaiyu, the master of the second branch of the family, were at the table.

Lu Huaiyu was five years younger than Lu Huaijin. He was fair-skinned and spoke slowly and deliberately. He was studying at the Imperial Academy and had not yet entered officialdom.

Jiang Wan has been married into the family for almost half a month, and she has exchanged no more than ten sentences with her brother-in-law.

The dishes were a bit more plentiful than usual, with an extra plate of braised beef, a plate of pickled fish, and a bowl of stewed chicken. But that was about it.

Jiang Wan glanced at the table and had a general idea of ​​what was going on. The daily expenses of the Marquis's mansion were tighter than she had imagined. Lu Huaijin had finally come back for a visit, and this was the standard of the banquet.

Lu Huaijin sat in the main seat, ate quickly, and didn't say much.

He was thinner than before he left, his jawline was more defined, and there was a faint vertical line between his eyebrows. Although he was wearing a casual navy blue robe, he couldn't hide his weariness, as if he had traveled a long way.

Jiang Wan sat to his right and poured him tea twice, which he drank both times, but he didn't look at her.

Fang was quite lively, talking about the second wife and the children, chattering away for a long time.

Lu Huaiyu would occasionally respond with a few words, but his voice was not loud, just like him—his presence was not strong.

Fang was more lively than usual, talking about the second wife's affairs and the children's affairs.

"Brother, you must be tired from this trip. You've lost weight." Madam Fang smiled and placed a piece of fish in Lu Huaijin's bowl. "Eat more."

Lu Huaijin thanked him, ate the fish, and didn't reply.

Fang then turned to Lu Huaiyu and joked, "Your eldest brother has been gone for half a month, and you haven't even bothered to check on him."

Lu Huaiyu responded slowly and deliberately, "Thank you for your hard work, brother."

Lu Huaijin hummed in agreement and continued eating.

Jiang Wan lowered her head to drink her soup, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Fang Shi and Lu Huaijin.

Fang was even more enthusiastic than usual today, and the smile lines at the corners of her eyes seemed deliberate when she spoke.

When Lu Huaijin didn't respond, she turned to Lu Huaiyu to keep the atmosphere lively and prevent it from becoming awkward.

A thought flashed through Jiang Wan's mind: Fang Shi is acting strangely today.

Halfway through the meal, Lu Huaijin suddenly put down his chopsticks and looked at Jiang Wan.

"How's everything at home these days?"

Jiang Wan was surprised that he would speak first, and paused for a moment before replying, "Everything is fine. The old lady is in good health, Zhao'er has not fallen behind in her studies, and Wan'er is also well-behaved."

"Who's been supervising Zhao'er's studies lately?"

"The teacher comes to teach every day, once in the morning and once in the evening. I look at his calligraphy every few days, but I don't understand much else, so I don't dare to give any advice."

"Hmm." Lu Huaijin picked up his chopsticks again, took a bite of food, and then, as if suddenly remembering something, asked, "What about Aunt Zhou?"

"Aunt Zhou is also behaving herself. Hui-ge'er had a fever a few days ago, but after we called a doctor, he's recovered."

"That's good. You handled it promptly that day."

Jiang Wan lowered her head and replied with a simple "Of course," without saying anything more.

Fang interjected, "Don't worry, brother. Your wife is taking care of things at home. Nothing will go wrong."

Jiang Wan held her bowl and didn't reply.

These words sounded like a compliment, but Fang's eyes darted back and forth between her and Lu Huaijin, emphasizing the word "take care of" as if reminding her of something.

Lu Huaijin seemed not to hear, and continued eating his rice.

After the meal, the maids cleared away the bowls and plates and served tea.

Lu Huaijin sat there with a teacup in his hand, his gaze fixed on a certain spot outside the window, lost in thought.

Jiang Wan noticed that he was acting strangely today.

It's not that he's cold to her; he's always like that. It's just that his behavior is off.

There is a faint vertical line between his eyebrows. When drinking tea, he will unconsciously frown, as if he is thinking about something thorny. He is so engrossed in his thoughts that he does not even notice that the tea has gone cold.

"Master, the tea is cold, please change it." Jiang Wan gestured to Qinghe to change it.

Lu Huaijin snapped out of his reverie, handed her the teacup, and glanced at her.

That glance was so brief that Jiang Wan didn't even have time to discern the emotions within it before he looked away.

There wasn't much talking at the dinner table; they exchanged a few scattered words and then dispersed.

As Fang left, she was still smiling: "Brother, take good care of yourself. I'll have someone stew a pot of nourishing soup and send it over tomorrow."

Lu Huaijin politely agreed.

After dinner, Jiang Wan returned to her own courtyard.

Qinghe helped her change her clothes, saying as she did so, "Madam, Master seems unhappy today."

"It's not that I'm unhappy." Jiang Wan sat in front of the dressing table, removing the hairpin from her hair. "It's that I have something on my mind."

"What is it?"

"I'm not a mind reader, how would I know?" Jiang Wan placed the hairpins one by one into the dressing case. "But judging from the way it looks, it's not a good thing."

Qinghe simply said "oh" and didn't ask any more questions.

That night, Lu Huaijin went to his study.

According to what Qinghe told Jiang Wan, he didn't come to the main courtyard, nor did he go to any of the concubines' rooms. He stayed alone in the study, with the light on until very late.

Jiang Wan blew out the lamp, lay on the bed, and thought for a while with her eyes open.

Lu Huaijin had something on her mind, but she didn't intend to ask.

Even if you ask, they won't tell you.

Even if I told her, she couldn't help.

Why bother making a fool of yourself?

She turned over and closed her eyes.

In the middle of the night, Jiang Wan was awakened by the sound of footsteps.

She listened intently for a while, and it sounded like someone was moving something. The noise wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the night.

Qinghe was also woken up and came in wearing a robe: "Madam, it seems that Master is getting something from the side room."

"Take what?"

"I don't know, Lu An was with them, and we didn't alert anyone else."

Jiang Wan lay back down and didn't ask any more questions.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the commotion stopped.

Lu Huaijin did not enter the main courtyard; his footsteps led towards the study.

Jiang Wan closed her eyes again.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but as she was drifting off to sleep again, she vaguely heard voices beside her, though she couldn't make them out clearly.

It was Lu Huaijin's voice.

"...While I've been away from the capital for the past few years, Madam needs to keep the old lady and the second branch of the family in check and prevent any trouble from happening in the Earl's mansion."

The voice was very low, as if it was being deliberately suppressed.

Jiang Wan heard it, but wasn't sure if it was being said to her.

She might be dreaming.

It could be true.

She turned over, pulled the blanket up, and covered her shoulders.

That sentence swirled in her mind twice.

"Keep the old lady and the second branch of the family in check, and prevent any trouble from happening to the Earl's mansion."

It sounds easy, but it's not so easy to do.

Jiang Wan closed her eyes and stopped thinking about it.

There's always tomorrow. Whatever difficulties Lu Huaijin faces outside is his business. As for the inner quarters, she needs to establish herself first.

After daybreak, everything returned to normal.