69novels Chapter 277 The Young Master is Willing to Be a Mistress (22)
Chapter 277 The Young Master is Willing to Be a Mistress (22)
Because of Xie Jingci's arrival, Rongxitang completely ignored Jiang Rou for a moment and did not notice her somewhat unnatural little movements.
Xie Jingci quickly looked away from Jiang Rou and, seeing the enthusiastic Old Madam Xu, he bowed slightly to her and said with a smile, "This junior greets the Old Madam."
Before Xie Jingci could even bend down, Old Madam Xu stopped him with a gesture, saying, "Good child, there's no need for such formalities. I naturally understand your filial piety."
Looking at the smiling face with wrinkles at the corners of Madam Xu's eyes, Jiang Rou recalled what Song Xiangning had said that day: "We don't know what's wrong with our old lady. She usually has the compassionate look of a Bodhisattva, and her smiling face is a little chilling. But for some reason, as soon as she meets Cousin Xie, her smile..."
Jiang Rou then asked her with a smile, "So what?"
After thinking for a few moments, Song Xiangning came up with a barely suitable description: "Like a dog seeing a meat bun."
Looking at the scene before her, Jiang Rou felt that Song Xiangning's description was not exaggerated at all. She wondered what the identity of this "meat bun" was, that she could make the powerful Madam Xu in the mansion act like this.
Xie Jingci noticed Jiang Rou's scrutinizing gaze, and his back straightened unconsciously. For a moment, he regretted leaving home in such a hurry that he hadn't properly groomed himself.
Xie Jingci seemed to have just noticed Jiang Rou and said to Old Madam Xu, "It was my fault. I didn't see that there were guests here, Madam."
These words seemed to awaken the overly excited Madam Xu. Her face stiffened for a moment before recovering, and she continued with her gentle expression, calling out to Jiang Rou softly, "Good child, come here quickly."
After saying that, he turned to Xie Jingci and introduced her: "This is Erlang's wife. That child is unlucky. It's just a pity for Erlang's wife."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Rou's face paled for a moment, but she continued to step forward as if she was forcing herself to suppress her emotions, and bowed to Xie Jingci: "Greetings, Cousin Xie."
Xie Jingci's mind was always on Jiang Rou, so he was naturally very sensitive to her emotional changes. He immediately lost his temper and gave the instigator, Old Madam Xu, a cold look.
He still maintained his usual gentle and refined demeanor towards Jiang Rou: "We're all family, no need for formalities."
These words were originally Xie Jingci's personal thoughts, but everyone present except Jiang Rou misunderstood them. Old Madam Xu's heart was filled with joy, and her gaze towards Xie Jingci became even more ardent.
As expected of someone who had navigated the inner quarters for many years, Madam Xu subtly noticed her own impolite behavior, but in the next moment she reverted to her kind and loving old lady, saying to Jiang Rou, "You are meticulous, so I will entrust you with the preparation of the Dragon Boat Festival banquet in a few days. If you have any questions, come to Rongxi Hall."
These words gave Jiang Rou no chance to refuse; although the tone was gentle, the attitude was firm.
At this time, it was only half a month before the Dragon Boat Festival. The Qin family was one of the prominent families in Yanjing, and there were many people coming and going. If they were not careful, they would make a fool of themselves, which would be a minor matter. In serious cases, they might be excluded from the entire family.
Jiang Rou came from the Jiang family. Although her grandfather held a high-ranking position in the past, she was just a child at that time. Later, her grandfather resigned from his post, and her father was only a minor official of the fifth rank when she got married. Although her mother taught her to manage the household, the Jiang family was small and could not be compared with the Qin family.
Furthermore, Jiang Rou had been living a precarious life in the Qin family for the past three years, and survival was her top priority.
Madam Xu was not trying to make things difficult for Jiang Rou by jeopardizing the reputation of the entire Qin family. All she wanted was to avoid gossip while still being able to manage the household. In simpler terms, she wanted both.
As for how Jiang Rou was put in a difficult position or how she was tripped up, she naturally didn't care. Jiang Rou was just a new tool to her.
Although Xie Jingci did not concern himself with matters of the inner quarters, he was precocious at a young age and had vivid memories of everything that had happened in the past. Therefore, he never looked down on women.
During his years living in the Qin family's back courtyard, Sheng An had told him about the hair-pulling incident many times. He used to find it annoying, but now that the person in front of him was being entangled in such intrigue, he finally understood what it meant to have his heart burned like fire.
Xie Jingci couldn't bear to see Jiang Rou in any predicament, so before she could reply, he said, "This junior has a favor to ask."
Madam Xu's attention was immediately drawn to Xie Jingci, and she said affectionately, "My child, there's no need for such formality among family members. Just speak your mind."
Xie Jingci cupped his hands in greeting: "I have a cousin, who is the daughter of my deceased uncle. My uncle treated me like his own son. Now my cousin is all alone, with me as her only relative. Moreover, my cousin has already come of age, so I took it upon myself to bring her to Yanjing. She will arrive in Yanjing soon."
She seemed a little embarrassed to say it, and paused before continuing, "Just now, when I heard the old lady mention the banquet, I dared to ask if she could help Erlang with the preparations. Although she is not very old, she is very good at business. I don't need her to be an expert in housekeeping, just know a little about housekeeping. My uncle's biggest worry before he passed away was my cousin's marriage."
Upon hearing this, Madam Xu was pleasantly surprised. Indeed, she was pleasantly surprised. What was Xie Jingci's identity? And what was his cousin's identity? Now that she had given him this face, what would the future hold for them...?
Thinking of this, Madam Xu immediately changed her expression, and pity appeared in her eyes as she looked at Xie Jingci: "Good child, what are you saying? Your cousin is naturally a close relative of the Qin family. The young lady has come all the way to Yanjing, so we should naturally find her a good home."
Jiang Rou couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement. If she didn't know that Xie Jingci was someone she could profit from, she would really think that the Marquis of Weining's mansion was a huge shelter where anyone with even a slight connection could come to visit.
Thinking this to herself, Jiang Rou looked relieved and gave Xie Jingci a grateful look.
Upon seeing this, Xie Jingci immediately felt that all the previous arrangements had been worthwhile.
Xie Jingci's cousin's surname is Zhou and given name is Fuqu. When Madam Xu found out, she didn't say anything, but Jiang Rou noticed that she held Zhou Fuqu's hand even tighter, so it seemed that Xie Jingci hadn't faked the surname.
Oh, what did you say about forgery? 021 explained in detail how Xie Jingci arranged this matter the moment he started telling the story. This week, the only thing that was real about Fuqu was her surname.
Zhou Fuqu was not a delicate and beautiful lotus flower as her name suggested; rather, she was a tall, free-spirited, and humorous poplar.
"She's like a chivalrous heroine from a storybook, traveling the world," is Song Xiangning's assessment.
And that was pretty much the case; Jiang Rou's courtyard gained another frequent visitor—Zhou Fuqu.
At first, Song Xiangning was somewhat hostile towards her, saying in her own words, "Who knows if she's here to compete with me for yours?"
But after Zhou Fuqu recounted her experiences traveling with merchant caravans for several days, Song Xiangning became her number one fan. Even Jiang Rou had to step aside when Zhou Fuqu was telling her stories.
Because of Zhou Fuqu's arrival, although the matter of Jiang Rou being in charge of housekeeping resulted in a carriage full of porcelain shards, no one has dared to make things difficult for Jiang Rou in person for the time being.
Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous courtyard in Yanjing, the most surprising news in Yanjing in recent days occurred—the wife of the fifth-rank official of the Jiang family was appreciated by the Empress Dowager and granted an imperial title.