Daily Life of a Powerful Official Supporting His Wife

Chapter 64: Two Extra Stories and Ten Questions and Answers

Extra 1
After Lu Jin's death, Lu Bao'er lost her father. Alone, she gazed at the vast mansion, feeling lost for the first time. Who would she rely on from now on? Xie Junling, her father's most admired student?
She dazedly glanced at the man not far away. He was wearing a bamboo-green long gown, his long, thick, flowing black hair loosely bound by a white ribbon. He tilted his head and glanced at Lu Baoer, his brows stern, his expression showing no joy.

Lu Jin had once told her that Xie Junling would be her husband from now on. But Xie Junling looked pure and unattached, like a banished immortal who had no regard for the mundane world. He didn't seem like someone who would be tempted by worldly desires. If he didn't like her, would Lu Baoer still want to stay with such a man?

Lu Baoer is open-minded. She is still young and needs to rely on a man to survive in this world.

Who should she look for? She didn't know many men. Regardless of Xie Junling's character, at least he had a good face. With this face, Lu Baoer could also love him wholeheartedly.

Lu Baoer walked up to him in small steps, reached out and pinched the corner of Xie Junling's clothes, raised her head and asked, "Husband, what do you want to eat tonight?"

Perhaps it was because it was the first time Xie Junling was called "husband" and she was still a little girl. He was stunned for a second, his body frozen in place. After a long while, he was afraid that his actions would hurt Lu Baoer's heart, so he hurriedly added: "Do you want some noodles?"

"Ah."

"Okay, wait a minute." Xie Junling was an extremely steady man who never lost his composure in the face of anything. However, at this moment, he was actually frightened by a little girl's word "husband".

He just wanted to repay a favor, but ended up taking over the little burden left by Lu Jin. A little girl like this, was he still going to marry him? It was… absurd.

As Xie Junling turned to leave, he stole a glance at Lu Baoer. Her tiny body stood in the snow, the flakes still falling, settling on her hair and brow. Her long, black eyelashes caught the flakes, and her whole body was hazy, as if ready to be blown away by the wind. A few days ago, she cried non-stop, but now it was as if she had shed all her tears and would never cry again. Was this a good thing or a bad thing?
Xie Junling couldn't explain it.

He just tried to comfort her with his poor words, hoping that the little girl would no longer be shrouded in the shadow of losing her father.

As Xie Junling kneaded the dough with salt water, he suddenly remembered. When had he ever been so compassionate? He could have ignored her, simply taken care of her until she grew up, let Lu Baoer find a lovely husband, and then he could pretend to be her brother and let her marry in style.

But will such a naive child be deceived by others?

Xie Junling felt a headache. He was only a young man, so why should he worry about his old father?
Xie Junling wasn't someone who didn't have to dabble in housework. He knew his mentor, Lu Jin, could cook, so he guessed that Lu Baoer had been pampered and well-fed, and she wouldn't even know how to cook. If a girl like that were to marry into a humble family, wouldn't she be tormented by her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law? Then what about marrying her into a wealthy family? While Lu Baoer was quite pretty, she wasn't the daughter of a high-ranking official, so she probably wouldn't be a good choice. Unless Xie Junling passed the imperial examination, then, in his brother's name, perhaps he could marry Lu Baoer off to a wealthy family.

Lu Baoer didn't know that Xie Junling was so worried. She came over when she smelled the aroma of noodles, and stood on tiptoe beside the stove to look into the pot.

Xie Junling didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and kept coaxing her: "Wait a little longer, it will be ready soon."

"Why did you only cook this little?" Lu Baoer saw that there was only a small bowl of noodles in the pot. How could it be enough for the two of them?
Xie Junling said calmly, "I bought some river shrimp and fried the shells in oil. I only made a small bowl of shrimp oil, which is just right for you. The shrimp oil noodles are too greasy, I don't like them."

Is that so? Is there anyone who doesn't like shrimp? Lu Baoer nodded in confusion and stopped refutation.

The noodles were indeed delicious. Lu Baoer ate her fill and went to wash up early.

She figured that since their parents had given their consent, they were now husband and wife, so they had to sleep in the same room. Was Lu Baoer going to invite Xie Junling to sleep with her? Feeling a little shy, she got off the couch and went to Lu Jin's study, where he had lived, to look for Xie Junling.

Xie Junling planned to read more and write a few more essays before going to Beijing for the imperial examination. Before he could finish his work, Lu Baoer came into the study in only her undergarment.

He saw that it was late at night outside the window, and thought that maybe Lu Baoer was afraid to sleep alone at night and wanted to talk to him?

Xie Junling had no experience raising children, so he asked her, "Are you afraid of the dark?"

Lu Baoer shook her head, hesitated for a long time, and said, "I just want to ask my husband, do you want to go back to the room and sleep with me?"

Xie Junling saw that her eyes were clear and he had no idea what she meant by that. He was frightened by that sentence and said with a somewhat unnatural expression, "No need."

It didn't seem right to refuse so bluntly, so Xie Junling added, "I'll sleep in the guest room next door. You go to sleep first."

Lu Baoer was rejected and felt a little dissatisfied. After returning to her room, Lu Baoer realized: Maybe Xie Junling dislikes her? That's right, after all, Xie Junling is more handsome than her, maybe he really doesn't like her!
At this time, only Xie Junling was still distracted while writing. He thought: What should I do if Lu Baoer marries someone else in the future and tells her future husband that I invited my brother to sleep with her?

Xie Junling had a headache. He thought that there was no way to marry her to someone else, so it would be better for him to raise her himself.

Of course, many years later, Xie Junling will be extremely grateful for his decision and think it is really good.

Later, when Xie Junling thought about the past, he still felt a little scared. Fortunately, he did not marry Lu Baoer to someone else, otherwise he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Xie Junling turned his head and glanced at Lu Baoer who was sleeping soundly on the inside. This guy is really a beast in human skin! He actually took advantage of her sleep to attack her!

Xie Junling acted on impulse and offended Lu Baoer. This time, Lu Baoer really ignored him and went to sleep with Zhuzhuer at night, leaving Xie Junling alone in the empty room all night.

Extra 2
When Zhuzhu'er was born, Mrs. Su originally wanted to call her Zhuzhu'er as the Kyoto way, but after calling her that many times, she didn't feel it was very special, and it didn't sound as good as Zhuzhu'er. So, everyone in the family called her by this name, and the servants all called her Second Miss.

When Zhuzhu'er was five years old, Lu Bao'er took her to visit Princess Huayang's residence. Princess Huayang was the emperor's favorite daughter, over ten years older than Lu Bao'er. She had only one legitimate son, Chen Yang. Chen Yang took his father's surname. Since Princess Huayang married rather than having a consort, all of her children took the Chen family name. Chen Yang was five years older than Zhuzhu'er, making him roughly the same age as Xie Jin. For some reason, Chen Yang, pampered by Princess Huayang, usually ignored the other servants but took a keen interest in the young girl, Zhuzhu'er. He would bring her candy and even coax her into coming to the princess's residence, forcing Lu Bao'er to personally solicit him each time.

Lu Baoer was quite curious. Normally, a teenager in his teens is at his most unruly, and older children wouldn't want to play with the younger ones. But Chen Yang was odd, liking to hold Zhu Zhu in his arms. Thinking about it this way, she felt that Chen Yang was indeed a rare and considerate person. Perhaps he felt that he was older than Zhu Zhu and was considered her brother, so he took extra care of her.

Xie Junling, however, didn't believe it. He thought the Chen family kid was cunning and had no idea what he was up to. He wanted to keep an eye on Zhu Zhu'er and ordered Lu Bao'er to stop letting her daughter go to the Princess's Mansion! It's not like there's no candy or cake at home. Why does she have to tempt the Princess's Mansion?
But no matter how hard Xie Junling tried to stop her, he couldn't stop Zhuzhu'er from constantly calling him "Brother Chen" and clamoring to go to the Princess's Mansion to play. Xie Junling had no choice but to compromise with this spoiled daughter and ordered the old nanny to keep a close eye on her and not let Chen Yang take advantage of her.

However, both the old nanny and Lu Bao'er felt that Chen Yang treated others coldly, but was extremely kind to Zhuzhu'er, even carrying her to play in the garden and occasionally offering her sweet cakes. After all, Chen Yang was a child of destiny, so how could he have done such a thing? Young ladies from various marquisates were interested in Chen Yang, but he dismissed them all with a bland remark: "Your looks aren't even as pretty as my Zhuzhu'er." Using a five-year-old girl to silence someone was quite amusing.

There was another reason why Lu Baoer often visited the Princess's Mansion. That was because she got along very well with Princess Huayang. Princess Huayang thought that since Lu Baoer's surname was Lu, and although she had a royal bloodline, she was not considered a member of the royal family, could they become in-laws? Although she was of a certain generation, she could be Lu Baoer's aunt, but cousins could still marry, not to mention that one was surnamed Xie and the other was surnamed Chen. If they were truly destined to be together, it wouldn't be a big deal.

Princess Huayang smiled and joked, "I also want to give birth to a daughter as lovely and lovable as Zhuzhuer, but my belly is not doing well and there has been no movement."

Princess Huayang was really sad about this. She was injured when giving birth to Chen Yang and only had one legitimate son.

Lu Baoer squeezed Princess Huayang's hand and said, "If Princess likes Zhuzhu'er, I will bring her here often so that you can see her more often."

"That's great! I'm certainly welcome to you!"

Princess Huayang talked with Lu Baoer for the whole afternoon. When Lu Baoer took Zhuzhuer away, Chen Yang's face turned dark and he looked unhappy.

Princess Huayang was surprised that her son was so fond of Zhuzhu'er. In her spare time, she teased her son and asked, "Why do you always bring the Xie family's little daughter to your house?"

Chen Yang was only eleven years old, but he was tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow back, and a pair of upturned eyes. He said coldly, "It's fun to see her."

"What nonsense! How could I let you play with my daughter, the one I cherish so dearly?"

"Spoil her?" Chen Yang thought of the little girl sitting next to him eating cakes and sneered, "If the Xie Mansion can spoil her, why can't the Princess Mansion do the same? It's just a matter of moving her to a new place. What's wrong with bringing her to the Princess Mansion on weekdays?"

A mother knows a child best. From the sound of his voice, it seemed that Chen Yang had set his sights on Zhuzhu. But she was only five years old. If Chen Yang truly had feelings for her, that was fine. But if it was just a passing interest, Xie Junling, the wicked king of the Xie family, would not let him off.

Why do you have to like the Xie family’s youngest daughter when there are so many people you can like?

Princess Huayang was troubled. She didn't know her son's true character. He rarely spoke to her, only speaking briefly when the topic of Zhuzhu'er came up, as if he wanted to rely on his mother. But Princess Huayang was being overly suspicious. Chen Yang's stated interest in Zhuzhu'er had been genuinely long-standing. Two years into Zhuzhu's life, Chen Yang had accompanied the general on a campaign, returned with military merit, and been rewarded by the emperor. He was incredibly scheming, taking advantage of the emperor's good mood to request a decree granting the marriage, and thus marry Zhuzhu'er to him.

The emperor knew Zhuzhu'er was Xie Junling's only daughter, but he had grown fond of his grandson, Chen Yang. He considered him a peerless talent, both in character and martial arts. How could he be unworthy of Zhuzhu'er? This was a match made in heaven, so he boldly acted as matchmaker and agreed to the marriage.

Who dares to disobey the emperor's order? Xie Junling looked coldly at the high-spirited young man in the hall, and thanked the emperor for his grace with deep thoughts.

He had told Lu Baoer before that Chen Yang did not seem like a good person, but Lu Baoer felt that Chen Yang was willing to join the army and endure hardships at such a young age, and was also particularly respectful to her. He was not as unruly and difficult to get along with as outsiders said.

No matter how respectful he was, wasn't it just to deceive his daughter? This kind of evil wolf, who had been scheming for years, was the one to be most wary of. At such a young age, he was so scheming. How could Zhuzhu'er, who was innocent and naive, be his match?!
Because of this, Xie Junling was angry with his son-in-law for a long time, so much so that when Zhuzhuer returned home after her marriage, he didn't even look at her son-in-law in a good mood. However, after seeing that Zhuzhuer was living comfortably in the Chen family, he gradually let go of this unpleasant thing. Occasionally, at family dinners, even if Xie Junling didn't like his son-in-law, he would drink a few glasses of wine with him and give him a look.

10 Questions About Sexual Orientation for Couples

1. What are your names?

Xie Junling: "Thank you, Junling."

Lu Baoer: "Lu..." Before she could finish her words, Xie Junling covered her mouth and dragged her away.

Xie Junling said cautiously, "Who knows which unscrupulous person is asking for someone's name? Don't sell them off and then count the money for them."

Lu Baoer expressed disbelief and muttered, "Didn't my husband also tell her her name?"

Xie Junling replied seriously, "As a husband, I have strategies and am not afraid of being deceived. I am different from you."

Lu Baoer: "..."

(Deng Deng: Sorry to bother you. I never thought that one day I would be forced to eat dog food.)
2. What’s your age?

Lu Baoer: "She should be almost twenty? After all, she has already given birth to Zhuzhuer and Jinger."

Xie Junling coughed lightly: "A little longer than Bao'er."

(Deng Deng: Just a little bit longer? He's clearly almost ten years older.)
Xie Junling glared at him: "If you don't speak, no one will think you are dumb. Or do you want to go to the prison?"

(Deng Deng: Okay, I’ll shut up. I won’t let Baoer find out about this.)
3. The other person’s personality?

Lu Baoer: "My husband is very gentle and considerate. He will serve me tea and water."

Xie Junling: "My wife is someone who was sold but still counts money for others."

4. What do you like about the other person?
Lu Baoer: "It was my father's order. It seems that he was not the one I chose."

Xie Junling: "I was afraid she was too young and might be deceived, so I took her into my pocket."

Can you please not make such a light talk about the habit?

5. What do you hate about the other person?
Lu Baoer: "Too overbearing. He often tells my husband that there's an old maid in the inner chamber and that we shouldn't get too intimate. He always tries to make it sound like they're in perfect harmony. If the servants accidentally catch a glimpse of the intimate relationship between the master and the mistress, they'll be happy to see it and won't mind. It's clearly a perverse logic, a perverse logic!"

Xie Junling coughed lightly and said nothing.

Sure enough, this guy is the big-tailed wolf!
6. Do you feel like you get along well with each other?

Xie Junling: "I think it's good. What does Madam think?"

Forced by Xie Junling's lust and coercion, Lu Baoer wanted to cry but had no tears: "I think everything is fine."

This guy is used to exploiting people...

7. How do you like to be addressed?

Xie Junling asked with interest: "Good brother?"

Lu Baoer thought of the absurd things that happened that night, her face flushed red, and she was furious: "Xie Junling! Don't go too far!"

"Tsk, my husband doesn't even yell anymore."

"..."

8. What is your hobby?

Xie Junling said solemnly, "Beside the beautiful lake, my wife called me good brother."

Everyone was shocked by Xie Junling's shamelessness...

9. What part of your partner’s body do you like most?

Lu Baoer said coyly: "My husband's eyes and lips are both very beautiful. Jing'er and Zhuzhu'er both look like my husband."

Xie Junling: "Bao'er is good everywhere, whether it's her feet or her hands, they are both very suitable to be held in the palm of my hand and played with."

Why do I feel like someone's words sound a bit lewd?
10. Have you ever lied to someone?

Lu Baoer: "If I lied, I'm sure my husband would know it immediately, right?"

Xie Junling: "No. There's no benefit in lying to her."

(Completely Completed)
　Hongxiu only charges for the rounded word count, so my chapter has 4700 words, which is equivalent to being charged for only words, and not for a -word chapter, right?

　　Those ten questions are my free gift to everyone. I wish you all happiness every day.

　　Now it’s really over!

　　We meet crooked neck!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)