Full House Spring

Chapter 62: Disappointing Things
Although Xia Li didn't say much in front of Zi Fu, his emotions were greatly affected and he couldn't calm down for a long time.

She felt that people were like puppets led by fate, unable to control themselves and unable to break free.

Zi Fu clearly understood and was willing to live a simple life as a lower-class person, but the ruthless hand of fate still pushed her toward the predetermined track.

What good would it be like to be a concubine to Master Chen? Zi Fu knew it very well, but she was powerless to change it. Xia Li had disliked her before, but now he felt sorry for her.

Just when she was feeling depressed, Qiao He came over with some braised meat she had made herself. She was wearing a headscarf and her eyes were sparkling, as if she had endless energy.

Seeing Xia Li's droopy face, she said cheerfully, "Who upset you? Did Xiangru do something behind your back again?"

Xia Li raised the corner of his mouth slightly and said calmly: "Don't accuse her like this. She didn't do anything. I was worried about other things. How did you have time to come here?"

Thanks to Madam Xie, Qiao He now works in the kitchen. She said in a brisk voice, "I have nothing to do right now. The kitchen has a clear division of labor, and I am the assistant to Chef Cao. When he takes a break, I naturally have some free time. I specially made some braised food for you, which can be used as a dish or as a snack."

Xia Li lifted the lid of the bowl, reached out to take a duck gizzard and put it into his mouth, squinting his eyes and enjoying it: "This duck gizzard is tasty, with just the right amount of saltiness, very much to my liking."

Qiao He raised her eyebrows and chuckled, "I know you like this, so I made it according to your taste. Those chicken legs and braised chicken are easier to chew, and they are prepared for Madam. You can pick them out separately and send them to her later."

Xia Li nodded in agreement. After she swallowed the duck gizzard in her mouth, she said, "I haven't had time to ask you these few days since I returned home. What is Madam Lu's attitude towards your work in the kitchen?"

Qiao He frowned and said with a complicated expression: "The master is very happy. She said that Dong Ge'er is not strong. He can't even run errands without anyone to protect him in the front yard. Therefore, she wants to teach him cooking skills. It would be inconvenient for me to be there..."

Xia Li's eyes flashed with understanding, and he said in a gentle voice: "You are now independent and capable. You can let Madam Lu do whatever she wants. It won't have much impact on you anyway. You can just focus on your job in the kitchen without distraction."

Qiao He was not a sensitive person, she pursed her lips and smiled:

"That's what I thought, too. Although there are many people and a lot of work in the kitchen, I'm not a young girl who just came to work in the mansion. They dare not bully me."

Xia Li was really happy for her. Qiao He put down her rolled-up sleeves, stood up and said softly, "Chef Cao told me to go back and make soup later. I have to prepare the ingredients first. I'll come talk to you next time when I'm free."

Xia Li nodded slightly, stood up and walked her out. With Qiao He coming over to interrupt her, her mood finally became less depressed.

Guessing that grandma was resting in the house at the moment, she took out a porcelain bowl and, as Qiaohe had instructed, picked out chicken legs and eggs and brought them to her.

Nanny Xie was resting with her eyes closed in the room. When she saw the braised food she brought, she knew without hesitation that it was sent by Qiao He. She asked a few questions about Qiao He's situation, and knowing that she was adapting well, she didn't ask any more questions.

Xia Li looked up at her face and said carefully, "Grandma, can you help me get some contraceptive soup that won't hurt my body?"

Aunt Xie's face turned red instantly. She said in disbelief, "What do you want? I wonder if I heard it wrong."

Xia Li forced a smile and said, "You heard me right. I was asking you for contraceptive soup, but that medicine was not for me. It was prepared for Zi Fu. She became Master Chen's maid. Man Qing asked me to look after her before she left."

Madam Xie frowned and said unhappily, "You are a pure and innocent girl, why should you care about these messy things? If she wants to be the master, why does she have to pretend to be so useless?"

Xia Li showed sympathy and said softly, "Grandma, Zi Fu has changed her personality and is much more stable now. It was Master Chen who forced her to obey this time, otherwise Mrs. Hong would not have taken the initiative to raise her to be his concubine."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Xie's face was covered with a layer of cold frost. She sneered:
"The men in this mansion are really getting worse with each generation. Can the maids bully them at will? It's really unreasonable."

Xia Li looked a little desolate and said in a low mood: "This is just what we know. I don't know how many times such things have happened behind the scenes. Fortunately, I stayed by the old lady's side to serve her..."

Aunt Xie was also young and had experienced much more than Xia Li. How could she not know the pain? She said in a deep voice:
"I'll find a way to get the medicine. You don't need to get involved, lest you ruin your reputation. I'll have to warn the old lady about this matter, lest you become even more indecent in the future."

Xia Li hesitated and asked, "Will the old lady care? Will it be bad if she says something?"

Aunt Xie bent down to put on her shoes and said calmly, "Don't worry, the old lady wants her children and grandchildren to be successful more than anyone else, so you don't have to think too much."

Xia Li nodded slightly. Aunt Xie was a decisive person. Whatever she wanted to do, she would do it immediately.

When she arrived at the main room, the old lady had just stood up and Xiangru was helping her put on her clothes. When she saw her coming, the old lady said in a hoarse voice, "Why are you here? Didn't I tell you to rest well?"

Madam Xie walked up to the old lady, supported her and said, "I am not tired, it is just the same if I stay with you and talk to you."

Aunt Xie waited for the old lady to sit in front of the bronze mirror. Shi Mi came forward to help her fix her hair. Although the old lady had just woken up, her mind was not confused. She smiled lightly and said, "If you have something to say, just say it directly. I see that you seem to be very angry."

The master and servant have been together for decades. Not only does Aunt Xie understand the old lady, but the old lady also understands her very well. Aunt Xie suppressed her anger and said:
"I heard that Master Chen was making a scene that was a bit outrageous. He dragged the girl to bed regardless of her wishes. If this matter gets out and is used by someone with ulterior motives, I'm afraid our mansion will be discredited."

The old lady's face suddenly turned cold, and she asked in a deep voice, "Are you sure about this?"

Madam Xie nodded and said, "That girl came to me. She was originally from our Le Shou Hall. She was sensible and swallowed her grievances. She didn't say anything nonsense to anyone. She just begged me to prepare some contraceptive soup for her, so as not to give birth to a concubine's son and break the rules of the mansion."

The old lady's eyes flashed with anger, and her face turned livid as she said, "Send someone to call that useless thing over here."

Xiangru bowed and agreed. Just as she lifted the curtain, the old lady said:
"Don't call him alone, call those two as well. I have something to say all at once."

Xiangru's face turned pale for a moment, and she agreed with her head lowered. She was a little afraid to see Master Yan San. She had not yet recovered from the humiliation from last time, so she would try to avoid him if possible.

After Xiangru left, the old lady said indifferently:

"Ling Chen grew up in the care of Hong Xiaoniang. Although the Song family didn't skimp on his food, clothing and other expenses, they never taught him. The eldest brother only cared about Ling Chuan, so it was inevitable that he was neglected. As for Ling Yan... I only remember that he was quite honest, and I don't know much about other things."

Madam Xie said in a gentle tone: "The young masters are all under the supervision of their own mothers. It is normal that you don't understand. But now that you know they have made mistakes, you should step forward to correct them." The old lady sighed and said helplessly: "I am afraid that in this mansion, the only one we can rely on in the future is Lingchuan. When he marries the girl from the Gao family, I can rest assured."

Nanny Xie felt a little uncomfortable after hearing this. She knew that the prince had fallen in love with Xia Li. Apart from her low birth, Xia Li was no worse than Miss Gao in other aspects. If the two were switched, she would definitely not do as well as Xia Li.

Although she thought so in her heart, she couldn't say it out loud. She whispered in agreement, "The old lady's fortune is still to come. Whether it's the prince or the girls, they will not let you down in the future."

The old lady is not so optimistic. The rich days of a noble family are not easy to sustain. Without a far-sighted leader, the family will be torn apart by other families.

Seeing that she didn't say anything, Nanny Xie stopped talking. While helping the old lady put on her hairpin, she began to wonder about Xia Li's life experience.

Back then, she felt that Xia Li had an extraordinary temperament and did not seem like someone that could be raised by an ordinary family. Perhaps she should ask the human traffickers who handled the matter about him. Even if it was for Xia Li's future, it would not hurt to give it a try.

Just as Madam Xie was thinking about it secretly, three young masters from the mansion came together. They didn't know what was going on. The three of them stood in front of the hall and saluted respectfully. Lu Lingchuan subconsciously searched for Xia Li's figure, but he couldn't see anyone. He was a little disappointed, so he cheered up and spoke first: "I wonder what the old ancestor wants us to do?"

The old lady was satisfied with her eldest grandson. Her eyes were slightly warm and she said in a low voice, "It's your brother who is useless and has done some things that are not worthy of being seen. You should take better care of them in the future to prevent them from causing trouble that cannot be dealt with and bring trouble to the whole family."

Lu Lingchuan turned serious and turned his head to look at the two half-brothers standing beside him. He had a heavy workload on weekdays and rarely interacted with them, so he didn't know much about their private lives.

Lu Lingyan met Lu Lingchuan's gaze without avoiding it. He had been studying at home recently and had not gone out. He was sure that he had not done anything wrong and there was no need to worry. Seeing that his eyes were frank, Lu Lingchuan turned to look at Lu Lingchen.

Lu Lingchen only dared to show off in front of the maids. When he met Lu Lingchuan's gaze, he swallowed his saliva guiltily. His unpresentable appearance made the old lady quite disgusted. She said unhappily, "Aren't you good at forcing the maids? Why are you so cowardly now?"

Lu Lingchen was so frightened that his legs softened and he knelt on the ground unconsciously, saying in a trembling voice: "Grandfather, please have mercy. I didn't force the girl. She seduced me herself..."

The old lady looked at him with contempt, "If she had seduced you, how would I know about it? I think you have read so much that you have no shame."

Lu Lingchen's forehead was covered with beads of sweat. He said in fear:

"Grandma, I was just...drunk at the time and lost control of myself...Now that I have given her the status of a concubine, I will definitely treat her well in the future..."

Lu Lingchuan frowned and said to the old lady:

"Grandma, please don't be angry. My second brother was raised by a woman, so his character is bound to be flawed. I will have a good talk with father and ask him to discipline him more in the future."

Lu Lingchen's face turned pale when he heard that. He was extremely afraid of Lu Jianfeng. Just being stared at by him made his legs tremble with fear. If he were to be disciplined by his father in the future, he would probably live a life worse than death.

The old lady couldn't bear to see his cowering look, so she said coldly, "Your father should really do his duty, so as to avoid endless troubles in the future."

After she said this, she looked at Lu Lingyan, who looked as if it had nothing to do with her, and asked in a serious tone: "Brother Yan, do you have a maid in your room?"

Lu Lingyan shook his head and said calmly: "My grandson is still young, I want to seek fame first, and don't consider other things for the time being."

The old lady nodded slightly and said in a gentle tone:
"You are right to think so. A good man should have ambitions to go far and wide. What good will it be if he only hangs around in the inner circle? You will all have to set up your own families in the future, so you should know what you should and shouldn't do."

The three of them bowed and replied, "Grandsons will follow your instructions!"

The old lady nodded with satisfaction. She took a sip of tea and continued:

"Since Chen Ge'er is a first-time offender, I'll let your father handle it. You can give that girl the title of concubine to keep her quiet. If I find out that you're mistreating her, I'll let your father skin you alive."

Lu Lingchen agreed with trembling lips. If he had known that the matter would be brought to the attention of the old lady, he would never have done it. Unfortunately, it was too late to regret.

After the old lady scolded her grandson, she sent them out, leaving Lu Lingchuan alone to talk.

Coming out of the main room, Lu Lingchen seemed to be alive again. Lu Lingyan looked at his useless appearance and smiled slightly sarcastically.

Lu Lingchen had no status in the eldest house, and was always timid and submissive, as if he couldn't stand up straight. But when facing Lu Lingyan, who had the same status as him, he didn't feel inferior to him.

He was so angry that he said, "What qualifications do you have to mock me? If we compare them, my father is a duke after all, and you are not as good as me."

Lu Lingyan glanced at him indifferently and said nonchalantly:
"So what? You're not even worthy of carrying Lu Lingchuan's shoes."

Lu Lingchen was furious and said, "You are a bastard from the second branch, what right do you have to talk to me like that? When the old lady returns to the mountains, you two will live separately from the second branch, and then we'll see if you dare to be so arrogant again."

Lu Lingyan said with a smile: "I haven't even said anything yet, how can you be so arrogant? Don't forget, you are not as good as my father. When Lu Lingchuan becomes the noble, won't your fate be even worse?"

Lu Lingyan had no interest in arguing with him at all. In his eyes, Lu Lingchen was not worthy of being mentioned in the same breath with him. He might as well do something more interesting with that time.

Lu Lingchen was so angry that he jumped up and down, but he didn't dare to act recklessly in Leshou Hall. He could only watch Lu Lingyan leave.

Lu Lingyan didn't have many opportunities to set foot in Leshou Hall, and Xia Li seldom went out, so he never had the chance to talk to Xia Li alone.

Xiangru was also a coward. She was afraid of arousing Xia Li's suspicion, so she hadn't taken any action until today. Lu Lingyan simply went to find her himself.

He was familiar with the layout of Leshou Hall. Since Xia Li did not come out to work, he must be in the servants' quarters. Lu Lingyan went there with ease.

(End of this chapter)