Sitting down to accompany Song Wei in drinking a bowl of porridge, Wen Wan set off with Yun Cai.
Wen Wan was heading to Xiao Shiyong Square and shared part of the way with Song Wei, who decided to have the bearers carry the empty sedan chair and instead ride in the carriage with Wen Wan and Yun Cai.
Yun Cai, not wanting to disturb her master, volunteered to walk.
Before long, only Wen Wan and Song Wei were left in the carriage.
Wen Wan glanced at him, "Not sitting in the sedan chair but choosing the carriage, what are you up to?"
Song Wei took an item out of his sleeve and handed it to her, "Is this yours?"
Wen Wan looked closely; it was a small round box decorated with a Ruyi pattern, containing burn ointnt.
Wen Wan suddenly rembered that she had taken it out of her sleeve and placed it on the nightstand in the morning, but forgot about it as she rushed to make lunch for him.
It must have been that Song Wei saw it and secretly hid it away.
When questioned about it, Wen Wan pretended to be unaware, coughed lightly, "Mine? How could I have such a thing?"
"If it’s not yours, then I’ll keep it." Song Wei unceremoniously put it back into his sleeve.
Watching his actions, Wen Wan wanted to say sothing, but in the end, said nothing.
"What’s wrong?" Song Wei looked up, eting her eyes.
Wen Wan deliberately said, "Aren’t you going to ask why I didn’t give this to Nanny Qin last night?"
Song Wei replied, "Perhaps I thought it wasn’t worth questioning my wife over an outsider."
Such an answer, though it didn’t directly give her a promise, made Wen Wan feel the sweetness of unconditional trust from a man.
She couldn’t control the smile at her lips, leaping into his arms and looking up at him, "Really?"
Song Wei pointed to the burn ointnt in his sleeve, "I accepted the gift, so what do you think?"
"Alright, seems you have so conscience." Wen Wan humd, continuing to nestle against his broad and warm chest.
Not sure how long they traveled, the driver’s voice called from outside, saying they had reached the fork in the road.
Wen Wan had to move out of Song Wei’s arms and sit upright.
Song Wei pulled back the curtain, stood by the carriage window, and spoke to her through the curtain, advising her that it was cold outside, telling her not to stay out too long and to co ho early once her affairs were settled.
There were several more instructions after that.
Wen Wan didn’t find them nagging; she carefully rembered every word he said.
After Song Wei boarded the sedan chair to head to the Taichang Temple, Yun Cai got on the carriage.
The little maid had been walking alongside the carriage, her nose red from the cold.
Seeing this, Wen Wan handed her own hand warr to her.
Yun Cai thanked her and ward herself with the hand warr for a while, then looked at Wen Wan, hesitating to speak.
Wen Wan said, "Just say what you want to say, no need to hesitate in front of ."
"Madam, please forgive my impertinence before I dare to speak."
Wen Wan’s curiosity was piqued by her, "What’s the matter?"
Seeing Yun Cai remain silent, she sighed, "Alright, you’re forgiven, now spill it."
Yun Cai murmured softly, "I don’t know why, but I increasingly dislike Nanny Qin."
"Oh?" Wen Wan raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion.
Yun Cai could only answer based on her feelings, "Previously, I thought she was quite capable, not only taking care of the children but also handling other tasks adeptly. If it weren’t for her age, I would have thought she had been a nanny before.
But ever since that night she ran out to ask the master to help write a letter, every ti I see her, I feel uneasy."
Wen Wan’s expression remained calm, "Didn’t she co to apologize to herself, saying she was reckless and broke the rules that night? What are you uneasy about?"
"I can’t really say." Yun Cai hesitated, seeming unsure, "Maybe I’m overthinking it."
Indeed, a woman’s intuition is frightening; even those around her sensed sothing was off about Nanny Qin.
Wen Wan did not continue the conversation.
Arriving at the textile store, she personally checked the accounts for the past few months and examined the newly arrived goods. The shopkeeper explained beside her, saying that since they changed suppliers, the materials that ca in each ti were trendy styles, highly favored by the ladies and misses of each household.
Without having to witness the sale of fabrics, Wen Wan could imagine from the account books the significant increase in sales volu over the past few months, thanks to Lin Xiaoyue connecting her with the Lin Family.
Upon leaving the textile store, Wen Wan asked Yun Cai, "The Duke Jing Mansion is hosting a banquet, and this is my first visit to see the Duke’s wife and the Heir’s wife. What gift should I bring?"
The Duke Jing’s Princely Heir is Lu Pingzhou, and the Heir’s wife is Su Yi.
Yun Cai replied, "The Duchess is rather straightforward; she likes Buddhist rituals, so the madam could copy so sutras for her. However, that Heir’s wife is not much involved in affairs; she even had her concubine handle her children’s marriages, and now she has given her eldest daughter-in-law the rights to manage the household, keeping to herself most of the ti. If the madam is to give a gift, you might need to do so discreet inquiries first; ensure you don’t offend any taboos."
Upon hearing this, Wen Wan felt sowhat complex.
If she rembered correctly, this Heir’s wife, surnad Su and nad Yi, was the one who had abruptly disrupted her biological parents’ marriage, leading to a series of tragedies.
Was her reclusive lifestyle an act of penance, or was there another reason?
Seeing Wen Wan in a daze, Yun Cai called out twice, "Madam, what’s wrong?"
Wen Wan snapped back, shaking her head, "It’s nothing, just thinking about how both legitimate wives in the Lu Family are reclusive, quite interesting."
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