Full House Spring

Chapter 54: Master Yan

Under the warm winter sun, the old lady's eyes looked particularly kind, and her words made Wan Qiao feel warm in her heart.

Although Lu Wanqiao received all the maternal love and care from Luo, she seldom felt the father's love, because she was a girl, so no matter how outstanding she was, she could not compare to that inconspicuous bastard in her father's heart.

Lu Wanqiao leaned in the old lady's arms, and her emotions gradually calmed down. The old lady looked up at Lu Jianfeng and said in a serious tone:
"Second brother, as the head of the family, how can you be so foolish? Where is the rule of not distinguishing between legitimate and illegitimate children? If Yan'er doesn't have enough money, his mother will take care of it. Why haven't you been so concerned about the second girl before?"

Lu Jianfeng knew that the old lady did not like illegitimate children, and even though Yan'er was the only male in the second house, she never took him seriously.

Lu Jianxing regretted bringing the matter up to the old lady. If he had just given in to Luo before, the matter would have been resolved. He really regretted it.

If his older brother knew that the mess in his room had upset their mother, he would probably be scolded again.

Lu Jianfeng was a man of mediocre ability, and had obtained a mediocre official position with the help of his father and brother. He had not made much achievements over the years, and had been just surviving like this. He was the object of many people's flattery outside, but he had to be humble and subservient in front of the old lady and his elder brother.

He said respectfully, "Mother taught me that I was too foolish. I felt guilty for not taking good care of the second girl in the past. Now that she has been adopted by my eldest sister-in-law, it is too late for me to make amends. That is why I pay special attention to the remaining child."

He looked up at Lu Wanqiao and said, "Wanqiao, I love you too. I'll go back and get you five hundred taels of silver notes later. What do you think?"

Although Lu Jianfeng had not made any achievements in the officialdom, he was very good at managing his business, and his annual income was considerable. Without waiting for Wan Qiao to express her opinion, Luo spoke first:

"Master probably didn't understand what the old lady meant. Yan'er is a bastard and can get 500 taels at a time. Our Wan Qiao is more noble than him, so he should get more, at least 800 taels."

Lu Jianfeng felt very painful when he heard her asking for such a high price. He subconsciously glanced at the old lady and saw that she looked normal. He did not think that what Luo said was inappropriate, so he could only patiently say:
"Okay, eight hundred is fine. After all, it's for my own daughter, not for an outsider. Just think of it as saving up a dowry for her."

Luo was satisfied. She saw Lu Lingyan standing obediently by the side. She rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, "Brother Yan, you won't blame your mother for this, right?"

Hearing what Mrs. Luo said, Xia Li subconsciously looked at this Mr. Yan San. Mr. Yan San did not often visit the old lady. In fact, the illegitimate children of the second house rarely appeared in public because Mrs. Luo did not like them. Therefore, Xia Li was very unfamiliar with Mr. Yan San.

Master Yan San slowly raised his head. He first glanced at the old lady, and then said softly, "Mother, you worry too much. You are the head wife, and you should make the decision. I was not thoughtful enough about this matter. My father gave me the banknotes, and I only paid back the money to the bookstore and bought new cotton clothes. I will send the rest of the money to you later."

After hearing this, Lu Jianfeng stabbed Luo with a look like a knife, and raised his voice and said:

"What do you mean by that? Could it be that the third young master of the Duke's Mansion doesn't even have enough money to buy a few books? According to the rules, you should get four taels of monthly allowance, where did this money go?"

Luo's face immediately darkened, and she gritted her teeth and said, "What are you thinking, Master? I gave him the money, and he wants to support his wife. What can I do? I can't stop him from fulfilling his filial duty."

Lu Lingyan raised his clear eyes and said shyly: "In reply to father, this matter is not mother's fault. My mother has been suffering from physical weakness since she gave birth to me. She is afraid of the cold in winter, and there is no floor heating in the house, so it is inevitable that the expenses are higher..."

Lu Jianfeng said with dissatisfaction: "If there is no ground dragon, why not add more charcoal basins? Your mother should be the one to handle this matter. Why do you need to take care of it?"

Luo hated Lu Lingyan's biological mother the most and said unhappily:

"Master, what you said is quite light. There are rules for all expenses in the mansion. You may want to check whether I have ever treated Taoyao harshly. She has received all the allowances that a concubine should have. It is not reasonable for me, the mistress of the house, to pay for her out of my own pocket."

Lu Lingyan said in fear and trepidation: "Father, mother, please don't be angry. I can't handle such a small matter. It's my incompetence. As long as the two of you don't have any more grudges, I am willing to accept the punishment."

The more responsible he was, the more Lu Jianfeng valued him. He couldn't hide his satisfaction on his face and said loudly:

"You are so filial and responsible, what's wrong with that? Let's forget about it. Just be more careful in the future."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old lady rolled her eyes at him and said with disdain:

"No wonder you haven't done much in the court all these years. You just stare at the backyard all day and can't even tell what's good and what's bad."

Lu Jianfeng was unconvinced and said, "Why did mother say that? Could it be that Yan'er was wrong to be filial to his biological mother?"

The old lady sneered, "We don't have only one concubine in our house. The others have the same food, clothing and expenses. Why is it that only his wife doesn't have enough money? Your wife has never treated her harshly on purpose. His mother is standing here, and it's not her turn to show filial piety. Have you learned all the rules?"

Seeing that the old lady was on her side, Luo was very happy. She glanced at Lu Lingyan and sighed:
"I probably won't be able to give birth to a legitimate son in this lifetime, so the second house must have a worthy heir. Old Madam, I'm thinking of hiring a good concubine from outside, and bringing her to me to raise as my legitimate son when she gives birth. Do you think that's okay?"

Lu Jianfeng was stunned and said in disbelief, "You have always been jealous, so how can you be so wise? What tricks are you trying to play?"

Luo smiled bitterly and said, "Master, why do you have to belittle me like this? I am already so old now. I can't give birth to a son myself, so I have to raise an excellent son for you. If you have no objection to this, I will start to take care of it after the new year."

The old lady glanced at Lu Lingyan and said calmly:
"The second wife does not have many children. If you want to find a concubine, you should find a good one. It would be best if she comes from a farming family. You can bring the child to you as soon as it is born. I'm sure you can think this through."

Mrs. Luo's eyes were clear and she smiled lightly as she said, "Wan Qiao will get married sooner or later. It would be a relief for me to have a child by my side. I will have someone to rely on when I get old."

Lu Jianfeng pretended to be serious and said, "You are so virtuous and considerate, I can't refuse. When someone enters the mansion, you should not be jealous."

Luo raised her eyelids and said calmly, "The new sister is chosen by me, she must be obedient and sensible. As long as she knows the rules and knows when to advance and when to retreat, I will treat her well."

Lu Wanqiao frowned slightly and glanced at her mother. She didn't know her mother had such a plan. It seemed that her father could not be relied on and her mother had given up. Instead of keeping a close eye on him every day, it would be better to raise an heir. That child would be more caring than Lu Lingyan anyway.

No one cared about Lu Lingyan's thoughts. For the past ten years, he had been raised as the legitimate son by his father and had never taken his stepmother seriously. He never expected that one day he would be abandoned as a child. He looked at Lu Jianfeng with some disbelief.

Lu Jianfeng looked at his son and realized that it was inappropriate to talk about this topic in front of him. He cleared his throat, turned to Xia Li and said, "Please send the third young master back for me. He is not feeling well. Don't let anything happen on the way."

Xia Li looked at the old lady, and only bowed and agreed when he saw her nod.

Lu Lingyan's anger was already raging, but he could only endure it silently and not let himself lose control. Before leaving, he looked at his father deeply, and then strode forward. Xia Li followed closely behind, secretly praying that this young master would not cause any trouble. Compared with the honest and cowardly Master Chen, this young master seemed to have deeper thoughts and was a little hard to figure out.

Lu Lingyan's pace became faster and faster due to his anger, and Xia Li could only jog to keep up with him.

When he left Leshou Hall, he suddenly stopped. Xia Li didn't understand why, so he asked with a slight breath, "Master Yan San, do you have any instructions?"

Lu Lingyan lost his previous gentleness and humility, and asked angrily: "Were you also making fun of me just now?"

Xia Li was stunned, lowered her eyes and said respectfully: "I dare not, you are the master, no matter how bad it is, it is not my turn to laugh at you."

Lu Lingyan looked at Xia Li with cold eyes and said indifferently:

"I've heard that Miss Xia Li, who is by the side of our ancestor, is unique and kind-hearted. You've heard what just happened. Can you analyze this for me? Can I still be the heir to the second house?"

Lu Lingyan was emotionally stable when he said this, as if he was intentionally making things difficult for Xia Li, as Xia Li had no contact with him before this.

Xia Li raised her eyes and glanced at him, then said in a serious tone, "I am a lowly servant, and I dare not make irresponsible comments on my master's affairs. Please forgive me, Third Master."

Lu Lingyan smiled and said, "Even the prince thinks highly of you, so why should you belittle yourself? Besides, I'm asking you a question, so just give a direct answer and don't try to get away with it."

Xia Li felt that this sounded a bit weird. Since she couldn't fool him, she had to speak frankly:
"Third Master is the only male offspring of the Second House. As long as you can pass the imperial examination and enter the officialdom, the Second House's connections will naturally prioritize you. Even if another male offspring is born later and recorded as a legitimate son, it will take another 10 to 20 years for him to grow up. By then, you will have grown up, so what is there to be afraid of?"

Lu Lingyan's eyes flickered slightly, and he said in a calm voice, "You mean, I don't have to take my stepmother seriously?"

Xia Li said, "Third Master is not a child who lives in the backyard. You live in the front yard. Second Madam has no say in your studies and your pursuit of fame. You are respectful on the surface, so what if she scolds you occasionally to vent her anger?"

Lu Lingyan had never really thought about it in this direction. Every time he saw his biological mother being ridiculed and humiliated by his stepmother, he couldn't help but feel the anger welling up in his chest. After hearing what Xia Li said, he suddenly felt enlightened.

He looked at Xia Li with a more serious look in his eyes, and said in a low voice: "You are really extraordinary, no wonder you are so much on people's mind."

Xia Li felt strange when she heard this. So far, the only one who cared about her was the prince. She had never told anyone about this, and she thought the prince would not mention it to the third master, so how did he know about it?

Xia Li's eyes were deep, she lowered her face and said calmly:

"Third Master, you are too kind. The maids in Leshou Hall all have their own opinions. This is because the old lady has trained them well. The maids are nothing."

Lu Lingyan seemed to remember something. He raised the corner of his mouth slightly and said meaningfully: "You are right. The maids in Leshou Hall are all very opinionated..."

Before he could finish his words, Xiangru came chasing after him in a hurry, with anxiety glittering in her eyes. When she saw the two of them having a long conversation, her face turned pale.

She bowed to Master Yan San first, and said in a dry voice with trembling lips:

"Xia Li, the old lady wants you to come in and serve her, so go back quickly."

Without waiting for Xia Li to reply, Lu Lingyan said unhappily, "Why are you so anxious? The old ancestor has so many maids and servants around him. What will happen if Xia Li delays for a while?"

Xiangru's eyes wandered around, his hands pinching the corner of his clothes, and he said timidly:

"Don't blame me, Master Yan San. I am just following orders. The old lady loves Xia Li and cannot leave her by her side."

Xia Li felt that Xiangru was overreacting. She guessed that she might know that Third Master Yan was hypocritical and was afraid of him. She didn't want to pay too much attention to this person, so she said, "Then I will send Third Master here. If you don't go back, I'm afraid the old lady will punish you."

Although Lu Lingyan was unhappy, he did not force him to stay. He said with a fake smile:

"Come back and ask for advice next time when you have time. I won't embarrass you. Go back to work."

Xia Li felt relieved when she heard that. She bowed and walked forward without looking back. Xiangru glanced at Lu Lingyan, then quickly followed Xia Li's steps and went in with her.

When they were out of Lu Lingyan's sight, Xiangru grabbed Xia Li's wrist and said with dissatisfaction:
"It's not enough that you have provoked the prince, you even want to show off in front of Master Yan San. Will you be satisfied only if all the masters in the mansion are attracted to you?"

Xia Li frowned, and said with a sneer on his face:

"First figure out who you are talking to. I don't have Mai Dong's good temper. If you don't have a brain, don't come out and rant."

Xiangru's face froze, and she subconsciously let go of her hand. She pursed her lips and said in a soft voice, "That's not what I meant. I just want to tell you that Master Yan San is not as simple as he seems. He is not a good person. If you provoke him, there will be no good results. I am doing this for your own good."

Xia Li looked at her with burning eyes and said bluntly:

"For my own good? You're humiliating me for my own good? Or are you throwing mud at me without knowing the truth? You really know how to flatter yourself."

Xiangru sighed, suppressed his emotions and said: "Master Yan San is a very scary person. I really didn't lie to you. If you attract his attention, he will not let you go easily."

Xia Li approached Elsholtzia. The oppressive feeling on her body was like an invisible mountain, making it hard to breathe. She said aggressively:
"How do you know Mr. Yan San so well? The way he looks at you is not unfamiliar to you, which shows that you two have known each other for a long time. How many unknown things have you done in private?"

Xiangru's heart trembled. She turned sideways to avoid Xia Li's sight and lowered her eyes and said, "Why are you making random suspicions? I am a family-born child and have many complicated connections in the mansion. I have my own sources of information, so it's not surprising that I know these things. I am trying to persuade you with kind words. If you don't believe me, forget it."

(End of this chapter)