Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 262 Inner House
As dawn broke, Lu Ying sat down in front of her dressing table.

A complete set of gorgeous headdress jewelry was already laid out on the stage. After Yingzi helped her comb her hair, she inserted the pieces one by one into her hair.

"Let's change into this lotus-root colored dress. I heard that the young mistress is wearing lake blue today. It would be better if we avoided each other."

Granny Li brought over several sets of clothes, including a set in a mixed color and a set in a lake blue.

Lu Ying glanced at it, then looked back at her face in the mirror.

Her makeup was already done, her hair was styled in a high bun, and she was adorned with a head full of pearls and jade. Compared to her delicate beauty before her marriage, she now looked extremely glamorous.

“Then I’ll choose the rose-colored one.” She picked out a pair of jade earrings and put them on her earlobes.

Ying Zi said, "Is this color...?"

Their young mistress is exceptionally beautiful, so there's no way she couldn't pull off such a vibrant color. But since even Yan Liang's wife didn't choose such an eye-catching color, it's obviously better to keep a low profile.

“My own sister is returning to her parents’ home. Shouldn’t I congratulate her?” Lu Ying stood up, glanced at her, and said, “Choose this outfit.”

He bowed his head to greet the purple.

Granny Li sighed, glanced at her, and followed her inside with the clothes in her hand.

Ying Zi walked out forlornly. Just as she stepped out the door, two people entered through the gate in front of her. Upon seeing the first person, she immediately paused, then turned and went back into her room.
"Reporting to the young mistress, the third young master has returned!"

...In the main courtyard on the other side, Madam Yan had just finished breakfast and was sitting in front of her dressing table.

The woman who did her hair and makeup was none other than the eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Jin.

"Mother, how does this hair ornament, which was a gift from the Imperial Concubine Dowager during the New Year, look on you today?"

Madam Yan glanced at it and said, "Whatever."

After saying that, he glanced out the window again: "Is the third son's house still not ready?"

Jin said, "Sister-in-law just finished tidying up the side courtyard yesterday, so she must be tired. I told her not to wake her up."

Madam Yan frowned: "It's she who's lazy. Are the servants just there to eat for free? Do you expect the young mistress to do all the cleaning herself? Even if she's lying, she can't make it believable."

After saying that, he glanced at Jin Shi again: "It's only because you're honest that you're covering for her!"

Jin quickly stepped back half a step and said with a smile, "Third sister-in-law has it tough too. I don't know why, but since the third brother got married, he has never stayed overnight at home. It's not good for him to continue like this."

"Yesterday I mentioned it to Aqing, asking him to persuade the third brother to come back quickly. On a day like today, it wouldn't be good to let the third sister-in-law go back alone and make a fool of herself in front of her family."

"But we searched for half the night and still couldn't find Lao San. We left some people outside to continue the search, and they'll probably find him this morning."

"I was afraid my third sister-in-law would miss it, so I asked him to come later."

Madam Yan's expression softened somewhat upon hearing this.

That very night, they silenced everyone at the Wei family's residence in Anqing Hutong about Yan Qu's failure to perform his duties.

Lu Jie would definitely not tell anyone, and he would certainly keep Lu Jia quiet. The couple would certainly not reveal a word of it after they returned.

So far, no one else knows about this.

But the third son, knowing his parents already knew, became even more unruly and didn't stay in the bridal chamber on the night of his wedding.

Now, two months have passed, and it is said that he has not stayed in Lu Ying's room even once. Of course, given Jiang's character, she must have already told Lu Ying about this. These days, her husband has not come home at night, but she has not uttered a word. Madam Yan knows this tacitly and has not said anything to her.

Since Madam Jin was so kind-hearted, Madam Yan naturally couldn't expose her. In any case, the third branch of the family had to go on, and Yan Qu would eventually return, so it would be good for the two of them to meet first.

She said, "How about sending someone to check? If the third brother comes back, tell them they don't need to come over, and send them breakfast."

Ms. Jin smiled and agreed.

Madam Yan sighed, turned her head and saw the gold hairpin from before, then put it back in her hair.

……

Lu Ying had just taken off her clothes when the curtain leading to the inner room was pulled open. Yan Qu, bowing, was about to walk in. His phoenix eyes swept over her before he sat down: "You were looking for me?"

Lu Ying quickly put her clothes back on: "Get out!"

Yan Qu gave her another amused look, then slowly turned and went out again.

Lu Ying gritted her teeth, hastily put on her clothes, took a few deep breaths, and then lifted the curtain to go out.

Her husband, whom she had met before their marriage, was sitting on the soft couch she usually sat on, playing with the fan she usually held in her hand.

"Why are you back?" she asked.

"Isn't this my home? Can't I come back?" Yan Qu slowly turned the fan, then slowly raised his face. "Weren't you quite clever before? Now that you're the young mistress of the Yan family, you've become stupid?"

Lu Ying steadied her breathing and sat down on the stool behind her: "I was just very surprised. If I hadn't known you since I was a child, I would have almost thought that a lecher had entered the house when you came in just now."

As she finished speaking, she glanced over with a hint of sarcasm.

That word "lecher" is really jarring.

What kind of person can be called a lecher?

This means he's not even worthy of being called a lecher!
Yan Qu stopped flipping the object in his hand and narrowed his eyes: "Are you blaming me?"

Lu Ying pursed her lips and looked at him.

He stood up and suddenly slapped her across the face!
Lu Ying screamed and fell to the ground!
Then, her eyes widened in horror as she looked over: "You hit me?!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yan Qu pounced on her, straddling her and raising his right hand, ready to strike again!

Upon hearing the commotion outside, Granny Li and Yingzi rushed over, shouting, "Third Young Master, stop!"

The two men stepped forward and grabbed Yan Qu's hands, but he shoved them away, saying, "Get out!"

Granny Li crawled forward on her knees: "Today is the auspicious day of the eldest daughter of the Lu family returning home! Young mistress, you must not refuse to go back! If the third young master injures you, how will you face anyone in the future? How will the third young master explain to your father-in-law then?"

Upon hearing Lu Jie mentioned, Yan Qu finally held back, stood up from the ground, glared coldly at Lu Ying, threw the fan he was still holding at Lu Ying's face, and then left, adjusting his sleeves.

Granny Li and Yingzi quickly helped Lu Ying up. When they saw that her left cheek was swollen and red, they immediately burst into tears: "What should we do? What should we do? We're about to leave! This Third Young Master—how could he be so cruel?!"

Lu Ying pushed her hand away, swallowed hard, and said, "Go and fetch a basin of hot water!"

After saying that, she looked towards the door again, her eyes already bloodshot, and her teeth involuntarily chattering.