Miss and farmhand

Shen Yurui came out of Shen Xuying's room, asked the servants, and found Luo San's room, in a ground-floor room in the west wing.

"One in the east, one in the west, these servants certainly know how to arrange things," she joked.

Miss Luo didn't speak or show any expression; she sat at the tea table, playing with a porcelain cup.

Shen Yurui said, "If you don't have the heart for it, go back as soon as possible. You have plenty of sisters on your mother's side. If it weren't for your ability to draw, this good opportunity wouldn't have come your way."

"Being a stepmother, what kind of good thing is that..."

Shen Yurui sneered, "You want to be a first-time bride? Let's see if your family can find anyone! Either you stay at home as an old maid for the rest of your life, or you marry a commoner!"

Luo San originally wanted to say what was wrong with being a commoner. The Luo family and the Shen family were related by marriage; Luo had married a daughter into the family. They were once an ordinary scholarly family, but times had changed. No one in the Luo family had become an official for two generations. The whole family were scholars, so they didn't have to worry about making a living, but their family status had declined very quickly. Now they all lived in the countryside, unlike the Shen family who had a villa in the city. Luo San was from a distant branch of the family, with many sisters in her family. She wasn't valued, and no matter how talented she was, if Shen Yurui hadn't come to her, she would have been stuck in the countryside for the rest of her life.

In the countryside, social etiquette is less strict. Luo San also had a childhood sweetheart, a farmer's son. He would always bring her snacks to play with, and he would also give her flowers and trinkets. He was a taciturn boy, tall, but he always had to help with chores at home, so he was always hunched over. His hands were also dirty, with dirt under his fingernails.

It used to be something I could brag about to my sisters; having someone pursuing me always made me feel more precious.

"Look at the kind of family you've married into. How many more times will you be able to pick up a paintbrush in your life? From now on, you'll be stuck with your wife and mother-in-law, only knowing how to have children. In three to five years, you'll be an old woman."

Shen Yurui's words may not be entirely true; they may simply be meant to scare her.

But Luo San was really scared. She had seen her sister after she got married, and she wasn't as bad as Shen Yurui had described. She had the pomp and circumstance of a wife, but to the young girl, she was like a landlady, vulgar and not the future she had imagined.

She couldn't help but think of Master Huang again. Men who had been Hanlin scholars were different; they had that scholarly air about them, tall and slender, with a broad, straight back, like the bamboo he loved to paint. His hand holding the paintbrush emerged from his sleeve, his fingers long and slender, the veins on the back of his hand winding into the cuff, making her imagine the arm inside the sleeve, strong and powerful, steadily holding the paintbrush.

Being able to spend one's life with such a person, even as a second wife, would be extremely attractive.

Seeing that Luo San had her head down and her cheeks were flushed, Shen Yurui knew that she had figured out what was on her mind.

"Are you still going to say that stupid thing?"

"...But Master Huang loves his wife and doesn't even look at me properly."

Shen Yurui said impatiently, "Why are you arguing with someone who's going to die sooner or later? He loves her, so why don't you just make him love you back? Otherwise, you're just wasting your youth. Men all like young men, so what are you afraid of?"

Luo San didn't doubt these words. He had heard from the old women in his family since he was a child that their men were gluttonous and liked to flirt with young girls. But he was still worried.

"I don't think my second cousin's health is that bad. If she rests, she might recover. I can't just stay and be someone's concubine."

She vaguely knew that her happiness was to be built on the death of another woman. Her conscience was uneasy, so she lowered her head, not daring to look at anyone, and her voice was weak.

Therefore, they did not see the shadow of gloom that flashed in Shen Yurui's eyes.

"If she recovers, it will be a blessing from you, and she will be even more grateful to you," she said calmly. "If you can give them a son, their whole family will be grateful to you."

Actually, Luo San was also puzzled. Shen Yurui was, after all, his sister-in-law from another branch of the family. Even if it was a marriage between relatives, she was being too enthusiastic. Even if Luo San really helped Master Huang remarry, what benefit would it bring her?

She suddenly thought of Master Huang. He resembled Master Huang the Second, only more robust and dull-witted. She heard that he was not as good at studying as his younger brother and was still only a Xiucai (a lower-level scholar), holding a position as a tutor in his brother's academy.

...Is it jealousy? He's all smiles, but he's really jealous that his sister, who's far inferior to him, married a better man than him. He'd rather have someone else marry him than see his sister living a better life than him.

Luo San felt he understood a bit about the scheming and intrigue between sisters, and looked at Shen Yurui with a hint of pity.

Perhaps she also admired Master Huang. Who wouldn't be tempted by such a husband? But she only got a defective one. Compared to him, she was even more heartbroken than if she hadn't gotten him at all.

It's a pity that Shen Yurui will never have the chance to be with her uncle and sister-in-law.

Unlike her, who is so young and shares similar interests with Master Huang, if she wanted to, she couldn't even compare to that sickly man.

……

When Huang Chu entered the room, Shen Xuying had already stopped crying. She was in poor health and didn't even have the strength to cry.

Her eyes were red, and she felt ashamed when she saw her daughter. She tilted her head, not wanting Huang Chu to see, and said, "I'm sleepy. I yawned twice and I'm like this. I can't stay up any longer. Mother, please go somewhere else and let me get some sleep."

Huang Chu ignored her question and went straight to the point: "Was it Aunt's idea to give birth to Rongniang?"

Shen Xuying suddenly raised her head, panicking.

"You, who told you that? That's not true..."

"Didn't the doctor say long ago that Mother was in poor health and it would be extremely difficult for her to have another child? How did she get pregnant?"

"Who told you that? How can a young lady listen to such things?"

"If Mother wouldn't tell, I made Aunt He tell her. Auntie brought Mother extremely dangerous medicine, didn't she?"

"..."

"Mother He is such a grown woman, and she still cries when she talks about it. It was said to be a tonic, and it did make her feel much more energetic after taking it. She even went to the temple to burn incense and pray for her aunt. Little did she know that it was a life-threatening drug, which depleted her energy and vitality just to get pregnant and give birth to a child. Her body had no nutrition to recover, so her health has never been good. It has damaged her health from the root."

"...It's not that dangerous. I know that. The doctor also said that as long as I take good care of myself..."

"It's been three years now, and she's still not fully recovered? How can Mother agree to such a dangerous thing? What will happen to me if something really happens? What will happen to Father? What will happen to Rongniang, who was just born?"

"But...but your father...ultimately had no son..."

Huang Chu said coldly, "Auntie does have a son, but Yong-ge is a poor student who spends all his time gambling and playing with birds at the academy. His father has scolded him countless times, but he won't listen. Is this what it means to have a son?"

"After all... the Huang family line... in the end, it's my fault for letting your father down."

With a bang, the door opened. Huang Xingtong walked in.

He had obviously heard everything and was furious. He strode in rather hastily, almost as if he was about to rush onto the bed, but his mother grabbed him halfway and used the momentum to make him spin around in place, which was rather comical. But he was so angry that he didn't notice.

Shen Xuying panicked completely, gripping the bedding tightly, trying to pull it open and hide inside.

Huang Chu quietly led He's mother out and closed the door behind them.

"Will this be alright?" Mrs. He looked inside with concern. "Master, don't frighten your mother."

"Then tell me a way. They've already moved into our house. If we keep it a secret, Mother will suffer even more injustices," Huang Chu said.

"My father isn't a good-for-nothing. Why can't he be told about these domestic matters? Why does my mother have to suffer all of this? Scholars aren't gods. Isn't the inner quarters also my father's home? It's as if these trivial matters are an affront to his ears. If he's so capable, he shouldn't live here at all. Clearly, if we just tell him, he won't fall for it, and no one can stir up trouble."

Mrs. He was startled. She had never heard her eldest daughter speak so angrily and talk about her own father like that. She had no manners.

But she didn't stop it, because it was really comforting to listen to.

Yes, why should women suffer injustice, be forced to scheme against each other, and have to speak veiled barbs to each other, while men can just sit back and reap the benefits?

Older women know that peace and tranquility in the household doesn't depend on how skillful the housewife is, but on whether the husband's heart is upright. No matter how clever the wife is, she can't stop her husband from bringing more wives into the house one by one. She's just being forced into this situation, learning a survival skill out of desperation, and how pitiful that is.

Thinking about it this way, Madam He felt that although it was not honorable for her eldest daughter to ask her to bring the master over to eavesdrop, it was actually a good idea.

She turned to say a few words of comfort to Huang Chu, only to find Huang Chu staring blankly at her sleeve.

"What happened? Your sleeve got dirty?"

"I don't know," Huang Chu pulled two pens from his sleeve, not with black ink, but with colored paint. "Oh, they must have bumped into the painter's shelf and fallen in. We need to take them back and apologize."

"Then I'll go with you, young lady."

"Never mind, we have what we need at home. Go and prepare some food and drink. When Mom and Dad talk, you must cry, otherwise you'll run out of energy and get hungry quickly."

"Yes, I'll go right away, I'll go right away."