Wu Ваоzhаng had alwауs hаrbоrеd resentment tоwаrd Zhou Shaоjin. She would еаgеrlу sеizе any оpportunity to cаusе troublе for Shаоjin, but shе wоuld rathеr diе thаn dо sоmething аs humiliating as pоuring оut her griеvances tо her.
Upоn hearing Shаоjin's wоrds, Wu Ваоzhаng immediatеlу stoрреd her tеars.
"Ноw long havе уou bеen married intо the Cheng fаmilу?" shе sneеred, looking dоwn оn Shаojin with disdаin. "Еvеn if I tоld уоu, cоuld уou hеlp mе solve it?"
If nеcеssаrу, Shaоjin hаd nо dеsire to interаct with Wu Baozhang аt all.
Seeing Wu Вaozhаng’s arrоgаnt demеanor, she was even less inclined to engage with her. She simply stood up and said indifferently, "In that case, I’ll have someone escort you to Xinglin Alley to see Sister-in-law." Without waiting for Wu Baozhang to respond, she called out, "See the guest out," and left the flower hall.
"You!" Wu Baozhang’s face flushed red with anger.
Not wanting to confide in Shaojin was one thing, but being driven out by her was another.
She took a few steps forward, intending to provoke Shaojin with a few sharp words. Unfortunately, before she could speak, she was stopped by a nanny with a forced smile, who said, "Madam Nuo, you heard what our mistress said. Madam Yuan is not an easy person to deal with. It’s possible you’ll end up having to beg our Old Madam for help. If I were you, I wouldn’t offend our mistress. Otherwise, you might not even get to see Old Madam!"
Wu Baozhang recognized this as Nanny Shang, who served by Shaojin’s side.
Fuming with rage, she wanted to retort, but she noticed the disdainful looks from the maids and servants in the flower hall. She had only brought one maid with her, and that maid had been taken away by the Cheng family’s servants due to etiquette.
Wu Baozhang dug her nails into her flesh, forcing herself to swallow her anger. She then hurriedly left Chaoyang Gate and headed toward Xinglin Alley.
Shaojin had already returned to Tingxiang Courtyard.
Old Madam Guo, while teasing Yun Ge’er by offering her fingers for him to grasp, asked, "What did Nuo Ge’er’s wife come for?"
"She didn’t say," Shaojin replied, sitting by the kang. Yun Ge’er kicked his legs, trying to grab his grandmother’s fingers. Shaojin smiled and said, "Perhaps she thought I was too young, and some things were difficult to discuss with me. She went to Xinglin Alley instead."
Old Madam Guo nodded and said no more about the matter.
Upon hearing Wu Baozhang’s words, Madam Yuan was so shocked that it took her a long time to regain her composure. She asked Wu Baozhang as if to confirm, "You said Nuo Ge’er is keeping a woman outside, and even bought a house for her in the neighboring alley... This, this can’t be possible, can it? How old is Nuo Ge’er this year?"
The problem was, from what she knew, Cheng Wen didn’t even have much money to spend on a mistress, so how could Cheng Nuo afford to buy a house for one? Even the house Cheng Wen and his family lived in now was partly bought with money borrowed from Cheng Chi.
Madam Yuan was deeply skeptical.
Seeing this, Wu Baozhang began crying again. "Aunt, you don’t know. Since the beginning of spring this year, he’s closed several deals and earned thousands of taels of silver..."
As for Cheng Nuo having a mistress or something like that, she didn’t care at all. But what she couldn’t tolerate was that Cheng Nuo kept the woman outside without consulting her and even gave her money to spend. In all the years she had been married into the Cheng family, aside from the household funds, Cheng Nuo had never given her a single cent privately. This was something she simply couldn’t bear.
At that moment, Wu Baozhang suddenly felt she understood Madam Wen a little better.Why should things that rightfully belong to me be given to that cheap woman outside to enjoy?
Upon hearing this, Madam Yuan immediately felt uneasy.
She detested those who kept mistresses outside the most.
Cheng Wen was like that, but she never expected Cheng Nuo, still so young, to follow in his footsteps and learn such behavior!
She promptly said, "Don’t rush about this matter. Let me ask your father-in-law first. After all, this is your family affair. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to interfere too much. It’s better to hear what your father-in-law has to say."
"Listen to my father-in-law?!" Wu Baozhang kept wiping her tears with a handkerchief. "It’s not for a child to speak of a parent’s faults, but you’re not an outsider. You know better than I do what kind of person my father-in-law is. If we listen to him, what could he possibly say? Otherwise, why would I shamelessly come to you, Aunt..."
Madam Yuan thought Wu Baozhang had handled this matter rather well, so she asked her, "Do you know the background of that woman?"
"I do," Wu Baozhang replied, her anger rising precisely because she knew. "That woman’s surname is Kang. Since she’s the sixth child in her family, everyone calls her Kang Liu Niang. She’s the daughter of a merchant family from Huixian County. Both her parents died when she was young, and she was raised by her grandmother. Their family owns several silk shops near Xizhimen Gate, right next to our tea shop. The shops belong to her eldest uncle’s family and are managed by her second cousin. Last year, when her second cousin’s wife gave birth to a son, she was asked to help care for her during the postpartum period. Over time, she managed to seduce my husband, coaxing him into buying her a house in a lane not far from ours. Although it’s only a single-courtyard house, it cost nearly over a thousand taels of silver..."
In just a few sentences, Wu Baozhang had already mentioned twice that Cheng Nuo bought a house for the Kang woman.
Was she truly heartbroken over Cheng Nuo finding someone new, or was she more distressed that the money from her own pocket had ended up in someone else’s?
She was another Madam Wen, through and through.
Birds of a feather truly flock together.
Madam Yuan silently criticized her in her heart but kept her expression neutral, speaking gently, "It would be best if your father-in-law could step in. After all, I’m just his sister-in-law, and there are some things I can’t easily say to him. I think it’s better for you to go back first, stay calm, and don’t make a fuss. Wait until I discuss this with your uncle before deciding what to do."
Wu Baozhang could only nod tearfully and return to Xizhimen Gate.
The house was quiet. Her father-in-law had gone to the tea shop, and Cheng Nuo was at the teahouse.
Her personal maid, Da Ya, stood by the moon gate, eagerly awaiting her return.
Seeing Wu Baozhang’s sedan chair stop at the moon gate, she immediately stepped forward.
Wu Baozhang gave her a look to stay calm, and the two of them entered the inner chamber one after the other. Wu Baozhang gestured for the maid to help her change clothes and went into the inner room. Seeing that the other servants were all in the outer chamber, she lowered her voice and asked, "Well? Has there been any news from Jinling City?"
On the day of Yun Ge’er’s third-day bathing ceremony, Cheng Nuo had excused himself on business and didn’t attend. Wu Baozhang was pleased and wanted to reward him, only to discover that he was at Kang Liu Niang’s place, helping her find someone to repair the heated wall.
That was how she found out about Cheng Nuo and Kang Liu Niang.
She had long wanted to end things with Cheng Nuo.
But not wanting him was one thing; having someone else covet him was another.
She immediately went to tell her father-in-law and proposed that, since she hadn’t borne any children for the Cheng family all these years, she was willing to bring Kang Liu Niang into the household and treat her as a sister from then on.
Cheng Wen was utterly shocked.
He had no idea about any of this and quickly sent a servant to summon Cheng Nuo back for questioning.In the end, Cheng Nuo refused to admit any affair with Kang Liu Niang. He claimed that the reason he knew Kang Liu Niang was because Wu Baozhang had borrowed money from the Kang family’s silk shop some time ago. When the Kang family came to him to collect the debt, he repeatedly apologized to them. Knowing he was in a difficult situation, the Kang family helped him by introducing him to a longtime family friend who was in the tea business. Thanks to this connection, he had managed to complete several profitable tea deals...
As soon as Father-in-law heard that those profitable tea deals had been arranged through the Kang family, he immediately changed his stance. Not only did he imply that she was being overly suspicious, but he also urged Cheng Nuo to invite the Kang family over for a meal, hoping to be introduced to them and explore other business opportunities. He even remarked that since getting into business, he had realized how much there was to learn—without guidance, it was like a blind man trying to describe an elephant, and one might never truly break into the industry.
Upon hearing this, that scoundrel Cheng Nuo was overjoyed and immediately went to the Kang family. He arranged for the Kang family to meet with Cheng Wen and even planned to pool funds to join them on a trip to the Western Regions... completely ignoring the matter of Cheng Nuo and Kang Liu Niang.
Wu Baozhang decided to take matters into her own hands.
She sent an invitation to Kang Liu Niang, but not only did Kang Liu Niang refuse to come, she even handed the invitation directly to Cheng Nuo. Cheng Nuo took the invitation she had intended for Kang Liu Niang and had a huge argument with her, and he still hadn’t returned home to this day.
She wrote to her brother, hoping he could ask their father to intervene on her behalf...
Wu Baozhang calculated the days and figured that a reply from Jinling should arrive around this time. She sent her personal maid to the courier station every day to check for her letter, worried it might fall into the hands of Cheng Nuo or Cheng Wen. Meanwhile, she went to see Old Madam Guo, hoping she could help suppress Cheng Wen.
Unexpectedly, she didn’t get to see Old Madam Guo but instead ran into Zhou Shaojin, whom she detested the most.
Thinking of this, Wu Baozhang felt a surge of frustration.
The maid, assuming Wu Baozhang was worried about the letter from Jinling falling into Cheng Wen’s hands, nodded repeatedly and took two letters from her pocket.
Why were there two letters?
Puzzled, Wu Baozhang took the letters.
Judging by the handwriting, one was from her brother, and the other was from Wu Xiu.
After a moment’s thought, she opened her brother’s letter first.
Her brother began by mentioning the son born to their stepmother, saying he was now three years old and had started his education. The boy was quick to learn, and both his tutor and their father were very pleased. Their father even said that the family’s hopes now rested entirely on this son from their stepmother. He then informed her that their father, due to his outstanding achievements in Jinling, would soon be promoted to the position of Shandong Provincial Administration Commissioner, a high-ranking official of the third rank. At such a critical moment, their father certainly wouldn’t want any family scandals. He advised her to endure things for now—if her husband had a mistress outside, she should just turn a blind eye. After all, what man in his position didn’t engage in some casual dalliances while out and about...
Wu Baozhang crumpled her brother’s letter into a ball and threw it into the fireplace.
If every mistress was just a casual dalliance, then where did Cheng Nuo’s half-brothers come from?
Why did Madam Wen occasionally lose her mind?
With her brother’s letter in mind, Wu Baozhang held little hope for her father’s letter.As expected, her father's letter not only failed to offer comfort but also harshly scolded her. He said that since she had not borne Cheng Nuo a single child, the Cheng family had already shown great tolerance by not divorcing her. How could she even think of seeking a mutual separation? If she wanted a separation, she would have to leave her dowry with the Cheng family and return to her hometown in Meizhou to farm and support herself. Moreover, her father insisted that she arrange for Cheng Nuo to take a concubine to bear a son as soon as possible and carry on the family line...
Wu Baozhang tossed the letter aside before finishing it.
Her natal family was utterly unreliable.
Deep down, she had always known this, but in times of trouble, she couldn’t help but hope they would be her support...
Sitting curled up on the large heated bed by the window, Wu Baozhang couldn’t hold back her tears.
What should she do?
※
Dear readers, here is today's update.
I sincerely apologize for the unstable updates over the past couple of days.
Things will return to normal in a few days.
Tomorrow’s extra update is scheduled for around noon.
O(∩_∩)O~
※ (To be continued ~^~)
OpenNovel